Hi everybody! I have lots of thoughts swirling around in my head and much to update you on. We'll see how much makes it into this blog and how much will be reserved for future blogging. First of all, I am now 32! :) I had a great birthday and felt very loved and cherished. It's sometimes nice to hear from people that you matter to them, and my birthday was a great day of celebration and fun. My mom ended up getting to stay and visit for 9 days because of the horrible snowstorms in Baltimore, so that was an unexpected blessing of time together, and we made the most of it! We got to go to Disney and visit schools and hang out, and it was great. She has most of the pictures on her camera that I have to get from her, but here are a couple.
Ellie loved having Grandma here - she was very spoiled by all the attention!
On the day my mom flew back to Baltimore, she and Nikki and I met Jenn and Bella for a brunch, and it was a lovely time of hanging out with the girls.
As I mentioned in a previous post, I am seriously considering going back to school to get a Masters in Counseling. I am super excited about this possibility, as I feel that God has been preparing me for this for quite some time and that these past few years were a necessary thing to go through in order to be ready for something like this. I am looking at a couple of schools in the area, and I have been able to visit both campuses and learn as much info as possible about each program. There is a part of me that can't believe I am considering the option of going back to school - it's been a LONG time since I've been in an academic setting! And yet the other part of me can't really imagine not doing it at this point. In some ways I feel as if I have been made for this and my journey through life to this point has been for this specific purpose. You can be praying for me if you'd like as I walk through this process and make decisions. Obviously I have to be accepted into a program and finances would certainly be an issue to work through. I want to make a wise choice and I want to be exactly where God needs me. There will be many more posts coming about this in the future and I will certainly keep you posted!
This weekend, both of my brothers are coming into town, and I can't wait! In lieu of a bachelor party weekend, Michael decided he wanted to have a "weekend with the sibs" in the warm sun, so we're all gathering here to hang out and have some time with just the three of us before he gets married. We're all really excited and can't wait to have some time together! I love the fact that my brothers are my friends. :) I'll be sure and post some pictures from the weekend.
Nikki and I have found a church that we really like and are looking forward to getting further involved and expanding our world here. Having a community to share life with is so important, and while I am super thankful for her friendship, I know we are both excited about getting to know new people and making some new friends.
Spring training is just around the corner and I am SO EXCITED!!!! I will definitely be attending a few games since they'll be played right down the street from me, and I am looking forward to the upcoming baseball season. Pitchers and catchers report this weekend, and it's such a fun time. The start of baseball season reminds me that hope springs eternal, you never know what might happen, and spring is coming! I love the warmth, the game, and the fabulous sound of the crack of the bat as it hits the ball! :)
These past few years have been an amazing journey for me - the hardest thing I have ever walked through. I hope to put some of my ponderings "on paper" soon to share with each of you who have had a hand in walking with me through this time. I will say, as we come up on the 3 year mark of when life changed for good....I am truly thankful for all that God has allowed to shatter in my life because He has used it to bring me to where I am today. And I wouldn't change that. Spring really is coming - it's just about here!
