Dubai

For the last month or so, I have had the desire to go to Dubai in the United Arab Emirates with our church. This afternoon was an informational meeting, and Steve said he would like to go, too. At this point, we are praying about, and planning to go to, Dubai this summer - from June 27th to July 6th. Our mission would be to minister to the "humanitarian aid workers" that work in Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan, and the United Arab Emirates. Please pray as we begin thinking about all of things that need to come together in order for this trip to happen.

Pictures!

Julie showed me how to post pictures, so I'm finally able to do this! The weekend with Matt, Julie, and the kids is going awesome, but I'll add those pictures later.

This is a picture of Mel and I over Christmas. It was my "practice" picture.

Long time, no see

It's been awhile since I've sat down to do a post. Luckily, Steve has been adding comments here and there. Praise God! Steve was accepted to UGA's business school!!! He's very mellow about it, so I'm acting thrilled in his honor. It seems like God just blesses everything he sets out to do. Which is what God promises for those He loves, right? Meanwhile, I am still pursuing a new position at a school closer to our home. My commute is about an hour each way, and it is becoming very draining. I've been in contact with a few principals and I've applied for about four positions, so now I'm just waiting. I won't really know anything till after Spring Break, but I'm praying diligently that I'll find a position soon. Matt and Julie are coming in tomorrow with the kids and we're so excited!!! Hopefully, Matt can show me how to post pictures to this thing.

MBA Stuff

Just wanted to update everyone on my grad school progress from this past weekend. I had my admissions test on Saturday that went very well. I got the average score that UGA is looking for, so I was happy. I had my UGA admissions interview today and it went great, she all but told me right there I was accepted. I should have my official letter by the end of the week she said. Thanks everyone for praying, God made the interview very easy and I had some connections with the lady that made conversation go very easy. Thanks everyone for praying! Now I can relax until August when classes start!

Birthday Surprise

My birthday was awesome! At school, one of the teachers on my team baked a cake and my 5th period planned a "surprise" party for me. I could hear them planning the whole thing, but it was still really sweet. Steve sent me tulips at school and they're just beautiful. I have the best stud of a husband ever! Tonight, Steve had planned a surprise party with friends at Red Lobster. We had 20 people there - mostly couples from Sunday School - so I felt sufficiently spoiled. I love big parties! We had a good night. And I can't forget that I got sung to on the phone 4 different times - Steve, Mel, my mom and dad, and our Ohio family. It's a great tradition!

Steve's First Time!

This is offically Steve's first post! I just wanted to let everyone know that I have my graduate admissions test, the GMAT, on March 15th. I found out today that I have an admissions interview with the University of Georgia, my top choice, on March 17th. Please pray for me on both days as they'll be key in my application process. I've been taking practice tests and have been scoring right at the average for UGA, but obviously would like to get as high as possible. The interview makes me nervous, but it's supposed to be a "casual conversation" for about 45 minutes. It might be "casual" for the interviewer, but not on my end! Anyway, please keep me in your thoughts and prayers over the next week as all this comes to a head. Pray for a good test, a great interview, and acceptance to UGA! Thanks and I love you all.

James

We adopted a boy from Kenya! He's not actually living with us, but we're supporting him through a small, local orphanage in Nairobi. There are organizations that feel very distant and you never get to really communicate with the child that you choose; but this one lets us write back and forth with James and even send him small packages. James is 12 years old and has lost both of his parents. He wants to be a pilot when he's older and loves working with the animals. He currently live with a neighbor who has taken him in. I'm excited to send him my first letter!

Bonding and Sickness

This past weekend, Steve and I each had our bonding time with friends. I went with about 10 other girls and participated in the Ladies' Retreat at our church. We drove up to Amicalola Falls, which is in North Georgia. It was a ton of fun, but not much sleep. Steve and the guys had to keep their minds off of their missing wives, so they all went camping together. I'm pretty sure they froze, but it was good male bonding. Saturday morning, I woke up with a fever and a pounding headache. It's now Monday morning and I'm home from work with the same fever and headache...now I've added a hacking cough. Steve's been taking good care of me and I've been doped up on DayQuil for the last 2 days or so. It's just such a miserable feeling. Bleh! Steve's got a class today at a much closer branch, so he should be home earlier than normal. other than that, it's business as usual. We're trying to have a low-key week so we're not total strangers.