End of Summer

It is almost officially over. Next week, on Monday, I start classes again. 12 hours at UT, 4 at ACC. The academic cycle continues. Matt started back to school this past Monday. His first day of classes with kids is next Monday. There was a part of us that was anticipatory, dare I say, excited about this upcoming year. However, these past few days with Matt back at school I suddenly realize how grateful I am that he has a job which gives him back to me 3 days at Thanksgiving, 2 weeks at Christmas, a week in the spring and for 2.5 months during the summer. That is definitely the perk of teaching. The pay and health care benefits? Not so much perks.

It is always about August that I start to feel like, "Hey! Christmas is right around the corner!" Which always makes me think, "How can it be Christmas already?" But, it isn't... it just feels like it. This Christmas Matt and I are spending Dec 25-Jan 3rd in Egypt w/the Wilsons. Who would have ever thought that Brandon Wilson and I would be hanging out in Egypt together!? Life is so weird.

In the meantime, Meagan and Jonny are living with us for some added non stop fun.

I ran today - who knows how far because our car isn't working but it was about 48 minutes. I started at 10:30 which was surprising. It wasn't as hot as it has been last week. In fact, there has been SO MUCH rain here I'm afraid my little flowers that Meagan helped me to plant are going to drown. Too sad, too sad.

I don't know how I feel about this year. Lately I've been asking God to help me be able to rest in his presence and experience peace. I feel as though He's been faithful to that prayer. We've wrestled with a few things lately... timing, holiness, loneliness. But I still feel His faithfulness. Lately the topic of wealth keeps coming up in the scripture that I am reading. There is something there for me as well. (Not as though I struggle w/wealth....) I guess, I'm trying to experience some sort of emotion about this upcoming year or semester and the best I can come up with is that I'm dreading the winter and how it's going to be cold. If it were up to me, it would be 90 all year.

Hopefully, Matt and I can focus more on each other. Last spring, with the weddings and the working, it was intense. We both felt like we weren't seeing each other or getting to spend any quality time together, a rough thing to experience in the first year of marriage. But this year, our schedules look pretty different and we've both agreed to not commit to anything else. I'm only working a few days a week and I have long amount of time on Tues/Thur when I can be home - hopefully playing the role of housewife as well as studying.

I think that is it. I'm going to eat lunch, read a bit and then head off to work at the nursing home. I haven't been there in two weeks! Who knows who my patients are anymore.