Becoming all we can become

Hi Readers,

It's been a long time since I've posted. A lot has transpired over the summer. Our family is very happy and doing well. I won't bore you with details, but just say that we are grateful and happy with our life and little family.

The biggest piece of news for us is this: My dear husband was accepted to the Nursing Program! For those who don't know, we have applied two years in a row, and received rejections two years in a row now. I don't think I need to go into too much detail to explain how hard this is been on our family. Rob takes his responsibility of provider for our family very seriously and is doing all he can to prepare himself to take on that responsibility fully, as soon as possible. For me, it was difficult watching him struggle, second guess himself, and we both struggled with our faith.

Rob is one of the most studious people I've ever met. He LOVES the medical field, and can't get enough of his studies. He works so hard and I'm so proud of him. We couldn't understand why we were turned down twice. Our future family is reliant upon him getting in and through the program, and it was so hard to see our plans being pushed back. Many tears were shed and many confused and heartfelt prayers were said, along with much fasting.

Then, out of nowhere, our prayer was answered. Before I tell this story, I will testify to you that I KNOW Heavenly Father stepped into our lives and made this happen for us. I know that beyond any shadow of a doubt. He loves us and knows our desires.

Here is the story:
Rob was on the waiting list to get into the Spring program, which starts in January. 50 people are admitted to that track, and he was number 18 on the waiting list. We figured there was NO way the list would dwindle that far down, so we either needed to wait until next year, or he needed to move on and choose a different career path. We were leaning towards the first option, but were exploring the second. All throughout this time, Rob was in close contact with the individual who handled nursing admissions for the school he wanted to attend. They got to know each other, and he definitely made an impression.

About three weeks ago, Rob heard from the admissions counselor that the waiting list had dwindled down so far the list that he was one person away from getting in. So many people had decided to go to other schools or had turned down their position for some reason or another. There was one final spot to be claimed, and there was one person standing between Rob and that position. We prayed and held out hope that the individual had made other plans or wouldn't accept.

A few days later, Rob learned that they did accept the position, and all 50 spots were filled. The admissions counselor told him this personally, and during this conversation, she explained how impressed she was with him, and how confident she was that he would do a great job in the program. She then told him that she spoke to the dean and asked if the dean would consider opening an extra spot in the program for Rob. And the dean agreed to do so!

We were overcome by this news. Rob called me immediately and told me the story. I was at work, and I broke down into tears. I had to force myself not to think about it for the rest of the day so I could concentrate at work and not break down crying in my meetings. I was SO grateful and humbled. Later that day, when he picked me up from the bus stop, we just hugged each other, overcome with gratitude. It was a feeling of humility and recognition that God played a hand in our lives.

I know He loves us. Here is a major lesson I learned in this process:

Here in our mortal journey, we get so caught up in life and our plans and desires, and we forget the whole point we are here on earth. It's not about checking off our to-do list, or meeting our time table, or fulfulling all the temporal hopes and dreams we have. It's about becoming that individual our Father in Heaven knows we have the capacity to become. He tries us and tests us, and sometimes waits to answer prayers. But that isn't because our plans aren't good ones, or because He doesn't care. It's because going through that experience will help us become someone better, someone more faithful, someone more humble, and someone more dedicated and grateful.

Rob and I will not take this for granted. I know he will work harder than he's ever worked before, just to show his gratitude for this opportunity. We will always remember this. And because we didn't get admitted when we had planned or hoped to, we have been able to take part in so much. Rob has been able to bond so deeply with Ryan. I've grown and learned so much in my job, but being a working mother will make me appreciate so much more the opportunity I will have to be a full time, stay at home mother. We now live in Minnesota, and have had amazing opportunities here to help us in personal times of need. Those needs could not have been met in our situation before coming here. These are just a few, small details of what we have experienced and learned over the past two years. The more personal and sacred experiences I will not share here.

God does love us, and he has wonderful plans for us. But those plans are long term ones that go beyond this veil. I am grateful that He is all knowing and loving and willing help us understand that as we continue our life here on earth.

Still no picts

Sorry, still no picts, but here is an update:

-Rob didn't get into nursing school. No, we don't know why, but we heard that only about 10% of the applicants got in. Yes, we are a bit depressed about it. No, we don't exactly know what's next. No, we're not giving up on this plan. No, we don't want to answer questions about it. We'll share our plans when we have them. :) We are grateful for trials and are trying to have faith that all will go well.

-I ran a 5K last week. An awesome experience, I was so proud of myself. I don't think I've ever done anything like that for the kind of reasons I did it. It was totally and completely for myself. Not to impress anyone, not to meet expectations, not to get into a good school or get a good job or anything like that. I did it because I wanted to. I half expected that I would give up (I'm so not athletic) because I rarely have much endurance for things that I do for just myself. So I got a little emotional when I crossed the finish line. Or at least, i thought it was the finish line. Actually it wasn't. I still had about a 1/4 of a mile to go. So then my state of emotion transferred to a bit of anger that I wasn't done. But I made it. It was great.

-Ryan is 10 months old. He crawls all over, and cruises along the edge of the couch. His first official word/phrase is uh-oh. He loves to drop his pacifier, or sippy cup, or bottle, or anything he's holding and say uh-oh. It's pretty cute. He's pretty close to saying bye bye and understanding that the syllables da-da mean daddy, but we're not quite there yet. He hasn't even said ma-ma yet, but don't worry, I'm not bitter. Not like I gave birth to him or anything. :) J/K. He knows his mommy. I love the bond we have, and I love him. More than I can ever describe on a blog.

Happy Spring!

Update

So I promise that I will soon post pictures, I'm so sorry it's been so long since I've posted. In my defense, I am working full time and don't get home usually until after 6 pm. That leaves me with maybe about 1 1/2 hours with my baby each day, so sorry, this just isn't a priority. We are doing great! Ryan is now 9 months old and is crawling all over and is as cute as ever. We're so happy to have such a wonderful son. He basically refuses to eat baby food (of course, he started doing that the day that I bought like 25 jars) and only wants grown up food. Unfortunately, that's limited to noodles, crackers, cheese, and pieces of the occasional mandarin orange slice. We're working on expanding his appetite, which is hard with no teeth (I know, right? 9 months old, any day now, bud!) so our selection is pretty limited. Tator tot casserole (gross!) went over pretty well with him the other night. Guess I'll have to start liking that. We've been waiting and waiting to hear whether or not Rob got accepted to the nursing program. We were told that we'd probably hear 6-8 weeks after his application deadline (which was Feb 1st), but the eight week mark came and went and no word. We've heard that people that didn't get in find out first, so no news yet is good news. I'm certainly hoping. The nursing department chair told Rob that he should have no problem getting in, so I told him he'd better hold her to that. We're so excited for him to start the program, one step closer to him reaching his goal and me not having to leave my baby boy each day (which is so hard). I'm working towards running a 5k at the end of this month. I'm up to interval running at just over 2 miles, so hoping to reach my goal. It feels good to say "I'm a runner." I've enjoyed pushing myself and am starting to see results. I try to get away from my desk at lunch time to go work out at the Y that's in downtown Minneapolis (about a 5 minute walk through the skyway), but it doesn't always happen. Next time I get a chance, pictures will be posted! Hopefully soon, Ryan has gotten so dang cute. He likes to look at you and move his head from side to side almost like he's dancing, but I think it's him just being happy. And he pulls himself up everywhere he goes and is actually getting pretty close to being able to stand without holding onto something. He is a busy boy.