It's been too long!! Over a year's worth look back!

After a lot of down time in these weeks before school starts, I have been contemplating the last year of my life, actually our lives, and trying to determine what to make of the whole thing.

Andy and I had, what could be referred to as a ‘whirlwind’ romance! We met on the Sunday before I was headed to NOLA for Preview Weekend to determine if the seminary was really God’s calling for me (which it was). Almost immediately, he was looking for jobs in the NOLA area. By Saturday he’d asked me to officially be his girlfriend.  When I came home the following Tuesday, I was standing in Louis Armstrong Airport with my mom terrified that he might have built me up in his head and when he saw me, he’d change his mind altogether. Mom assured me that if this was the man God intended for me, that I would know b/c that’s what I’d asked Him for; calm assurance.  Sure enough, he picked me up at BWI and whisked me off to dinner at a cute little Italian restaurant in Baltimore.  As I was looking at him from across the table, I knew. I knew with calm assurance that I was going to marry this man. Two weeks later, we were in La Madeleine and the subject came up. At that point, we both knew and started to decide how it could work with my move to NOLA. And the rest was CAH-RAZY! My folks had invited him to visit on my trip to TX to store some of my things at their house and ‘transfer custody’ of my baby, Diesel. He worked out some crazy schedule, used up all his leave time, and we were off to TX.

It has been said that a good test for a relationship is to take a long distance road trip together; if you survive that, you’ll probably make it! We had a blast! It was a great time of teamwork and getting to know each other better.  After receiving my dad’s blessing (and coming home with the wedding retinue purchased, courtesy of my parents!), we were well on our way. Two weeks later, Andy asked me to go to the Nationals vs. Orioles’ game and proposed to me during the 7^th inning stretch! He was so excited that the ring literally jumped out of the case!  This was the start of a pretty amazing sprint for wedding planning.  We found an awesome venue (Thanks Celebrations at the Bay!) that took care of most of the details with only 2 visits required from us to handle details.  My close friend, Shellie, was my indispensable wing woman with all the rest! My oldest sister found the bridesmaid dresses, Andy’s guys outfits were super simple, and our parents found their own outfits based from our vague “whatever you’re comfortable in” instructions. (Although, I did find out that my oldest niece found my mom’s dress. Thanks Dee!)  Two of my closest friends in Idaho agreed to come out and photograph the wedding and reception (b/c Jill and Deborah rock!).  And most of my sisters and best friend were my bridesmaids. It was so crazy close that we could not expect to have all of our family and long-distance friends there, but we were so excited for the people who could come!

Most of the week of the wedding is now a blur b/c we were not only receiving out-of-town guests and family; we were also attempting to pack up all of our worldly possessions for the move (which proved to be harrowing!), arrange for transport for our bicycles, Andy’s motorcycle, and Andy’s Camaro (which was taken to FL by Andy’s parents on an auto train b/c they were so AWESOME to store it for us for awhile, Thanks Bob and Jill!). In addition to ‘move packing’ we had to pack for our honeymoon and try to say good-bye to all of our friends and family we were leaving in MD. 

Our wedding day was perfect! It was exactly what we wanted (okay, minus +100 deg  weather) and, with only a few minor exceptions, it went off without a hitch! We loaded up into the town car and were whisked off to our hotel in DC where we would try to get some rest before our early flight to Maui the next morning!

Our two weeks in Maui were also perfect! We snorkeled, drove all over the countryside, shopped, took a catamaran cruise, swam in the ocean, I overcame my fear of heights by zip-lining, saw Uncle Willie K in concert, ate A LOT of good food, visited a beautiful lavender farm, drove to the top of Mt. Wannahockaloogie (actually, I think it’s Haleakala), and generally just enjoyed being together!  It ended with a trip to Lubbock to celebrate our niece and new nephew’s, Dee and Drew, wedding! Which then became a trip to Flint to pick up our trucks from my parent’s (who so AMAZINGLY offered to drive them from MD so we could maximize our two-week honeymoon, thanks Mom and Dad!). We opened gifts and then packed up our suitcases and headed down to NOLA for yet another adventure of unpacking into our new apartment.

I was the first to arrive in the apartment and I have to confess…I cried! It was SO SMALL and it was not at all like the schematics that were online!  Thankfully, my parents stayed for a few days and helped us move in as much as they could.  Actually, I should say they helped Andy as much as they could b/c I was off to Orientation and all of the business of becoming a new student. A few weeks after we got here, Andy got a job as a lineman at the local airport and, for awhile, had fun being part of an environment with which he was familiar in the Air Force! He got to see a lot of big named people come through and hang out with some military pilots that passed through during training exercises.

My first semester was pretty incredible! I was taking Old Testament Survey, Adolescent Psychology, History of Christianity-Reformation to Modern, and Spiritual Formations.  This was a relatively reasonable start to my Masters education.  I was challenged in my knowledge of the Bible like I have never been before! (Which was why I came here in the first place!) My OT professor, Dr. England, pushed me harder than I’ve ever been pushed academically and spiritually!! He gave some of his class time and some of his office time to help me walk a bit more thoroughly through what I was learning and test my previous, error-filled theology.  My mentor, Dr. Jackson, opened my eyes to some of my own family dynamics and personal development in AdPsych. It was kinda cool to learn how birth order can affect a teenagers personality and how most of it doesn’t apply to me because I am an only, youngest, and middle child all-in-one!  My favorite part of that semester was coming home and sharing everything I was learning with Andy!!! I would be reading something in a textbook and then question him about his view or ask for clarification on a construct with which I was struggling; 2 hours later I had to force myself to get back to my reading so I was prepared for class the next day! 

We were blessed to have a visit from both sets of parents during the fall break and I got the benefit of my dad and Bob reading through my OT mid-term and helping me to ensure they were coherent! LOL! Thanksgiving was with my parents and little brother and his family in TX! (We also got to visit our groomsman, Chris Kissell, in Dallas for awhile!) We also got to Christmas came quickly and we got to celebrate with Andy’s folks again. It’s always fun to figure out the holidays during your first year of marriage! Each person comes to the relationship with traditions and preferences and the joy (or frustration, whichever way you choose to handle it!) is in blending the two and/or coming up with your own traditions!  Andy and I had fun with it!  Adding to the fun was spending New Years with our neighbor friends, Garth and Lori! What a way to bring in the New Year!

I had the privilege of working for Dr. Jackson during the Youth Ministry Institute Conference in January as his note-taker. What a great opportunity to listen to a variety of speakers whose love of teenagers was readily apparent in everything they AND to make a new friend! Mary Margaret was such a blessing to me going into my spring semester and an EXCELLENT walking partner! Speaking of the new semester, I took Hermeneutics, Youth Culture, History of Christianity: Early Church to Reformation, and Spiritual Formations 2. This was a much harder semester because I was being pushed a bit further in my understanding of how to study the Bible. Also, my theology was tested and stretched! It is amazing how much I thought I knew about the Bible, God, and all things related to the two. I am humbled by my arrogance.  It challenged my understanding of God’s grace and discipline, as well as pushed me to overcome some long-held untruths about God’s relationship with man.  By the end of the semester I was emotionally and spiritually drained; but not in a bad way! Mostly in the sense that I needed a break! LOL!

I had already decided not to take summer courses as a result of that need for a break and it turned out to be a good decision because Andy was unexpectedly fired from his job at the beginning of the summer! There was no warning and seemingly no provocation; which, as it turns out, is not necessary in LA because it is an ‘at-will’ state. WHO KNEW?! Thankfully, after a day or two spent online applying for jobs and submitting his resume at various locations, Andy remembered a contact he’d made at a local FORD dealership. After sending him home to talk to me about the hours and ensuring I would be okay with the long hours, Andy accepted the position as a salesman! He finished his training in under 6 days (which was a record), and has been learning his new trade over the summer.  While it has its ups and downs, he seems to enjoy meeting new people all the time.  It has a taken a LOT to adjust to an unpredictable paycheck, no income for the first month, trying to catch up on overdue bills, and learning to live with much less than we have had to so far. But Yahweh has been faithful, our families have been faithful, and we have striven (with difficulty at times) to remain faithful to this new lifestyle. 

It looked like this strain would mean me not being able to take classes this semester, but Yahweh provided in HUGE ways this summer and has made it possible for me to register for classes and not have an unmanageable bill every month! Praise Him!! 

And so, I begin this semester with much excitement and a little nervousness!!!  Yahweh is good and he proves himself to be trustworthy and able to care for all my needs, and sometimes my wants, no matter how much I worry.