Life: An Update

• I graduated with a Bachelor or Science in Communication Disorders and Sciences from Southern Illinois University Carbondale. It feels good to be a B.S.

• We moved into our new flat in Saint Louis. It's great. It's old. It's not without it's quirks. We like it. We're still getting settled. Not everything is just how I want it to be, but at least all the boxes are unpacked!
• I started my graduate program at Saint Louis University on June 1. It's hard to believe that the summer classes are more than halfway done. I've learned a lot in a short amount of time. It has definitely been a challenge, and I feel a little lost every day. The burnout carryover from undergrad is strong. I wish I could have had some time off before jumping right into it, but it is what it is. 
• We've met a lot of great people in Saint Louis already. I look forward to getting to know them better as time goes on. 
• For reasons I do not feel comfortable sharing right now, this has been a really difficult summer.  I say this, not to be melodramatic about life and my personal hardships, but to covet your prayers.  Your continued love and prayers are of untold value to us right now. Thanks for that.
• Kyle starts orientation for law school on August 9. I am really excited for him. When we began this journey of applying to professional programs at the same time, we just prayed that we we would get into schools in the same city. Well, we are not only in the same city, but the same university, and our buildings are right next to each other on campus. This is an unbelievable miracle, as the odds were certainly not in our favor. We are praising Jesus for this undeserved goodness. 

I hope you are having a wonderful summer, and any updates from you would be great. That is, if I still have any readers after my super-hiatus. 

 

I've tried and tried...

But I just can't get her to sit like a lady.

Saying Goodbye

My heart is so full of so many things, that I cannot even say them. Thank you, Carbondale. We love you. I'll let the muppets take it home...

Happy Mother's Day!

We had a lovely Mother's Day in Carbondale. We spent our last Sunday with our Carbondale church, and then had lunch with Kyle's parents. We are both blessed with great moms!

Happy Mother's Day, Mama Bass! You are a beautiful blessing. We love you so much, and I am glad we got to spend the afternoon with you.

Happy Mother's Day, Mom! I am so blessed to have you in my life and you know you are one of my best friends. I appreciate everything you've done, and all that you still do.

We also can't forget to mention how much we love our grandmothers. Between us, we still have three grandmothers and one great-grandmother. What a difference a grandmother can make. Love you, Nana, Granny, Grandma 'Nene, and Grandma Jenny!

How did I get here?

Sometimes when I look back over the last several years, I ask myself, "How did I get here?" When I started college at the University of Illinois in 2003, I had no idea what I wanted to do. I was just thrilled to be there, proud to be an Illini, and thought I'd figure it out soon. I honestly thought I'd just enjoy the adventure, and not worry about dating until I was done with college (I did more than enough dating in high school).

Then I met this guy. He was dreamy. We was wearing jeans and a fitted black t-shirt, and he had long, untamed hair with white streaks in it, and a beard, and the most electric blue eyes I'd ever seen, and he was carrying his dinner tray right across the dining hall. Then we talked. He loved Jesus and was genuinely sweet, and was one of the most intelligent people I'd ever met. Then it was over. Any expectations of what I thought college would be like were gone right out the window.

Three years later I married that man and we moved to Carbondale at the last minute where he got a job. I took a year off school to work. During that year, I realized that I did not want to get a degree in just anything and end up working at a bank forever, which I loathed. In those three years I was falling in love with Kyle at Illinois, I still never knew in what I wanted to major. I changed it 5 times. So, when I took a year off school, I did a lot of praying.

I kept hearing the answer, "speech-language pathology." I'd heard this before. The first time I felt led towards it was my sophomore year at Illinois. I quickly decided against it because I didn't want to go to school that long (4 years, plus 2 for a Master's). Well, if I had only obeyed that calling the first time, I would already be done with my master's by now. Anyway, I kept saying "no."

Finally, God changed my heart. I completely caved, and fell in love with my classes and the field. It's amazing what happens with just being obedient, and doing what you know you're supposed to do.

It has been seven years, and I am standing on the brink of graduation from Southern Illinois University. I still have two more years ahead to finish my Master's degree so I can actually get a job and practice, but I am excited for what's next in this wild ride.