A Week of Celebrations

The past week or so has been so eventful and full of blessings. Here are a few of the exciting events that have occurred since my last post...

•  I finished my second (and most stressful yet) semester of my MSW program.  I have had one full week of "summer vacation" and will be back in the classroom tomorrow.  By this time next year, I will have completed my master's degree! 

• Chuck completed his bachelor's degree!!!! He officially graduated yesterday in a beautiful, sunny outdoor ceremony and is exploring the job opportunities available to him. Be thinking about/praying for us as we make some decisions in that department this week. (More on that in the future.) 

• Chuck has moved in with me!!  We are now both roommates and lifemates. =) After 2 years of traveling between our respective homes in different cities, often only seeing each other on weekends, I do not intend to take this blessing for granted.  Having a partner to share my home and days with, someone to come home to in the evenings, fills me with joy and makes our upcoming marriage feel that much more real.  I am so glad to have my partner under the same roof as myself.  We are more able than ever to support each other, hold each other accountable, and love each other... and we will surely be saving boatloads on gas expenses now that we've eliminated our weekly +30 minute commute to see each other. 

• Most importantly, in celebration of these life events, both of our families (6 parents, 3 siblings, and 2 siblings-in-law/spirit) visited this weekend to help move and to attend Chuck's graduation ceremony.  In the 2 years that we have been together, this was the first time that our families were able to meet. Yet, what is often a stressful experience in the lives of couples, was not so for us, because we knew our families would love each other as much as we love them all.  And we were right! Everyone got along perfectly and it was incredible to start our life living together surrounded by SO MUCH LOVE and support. 

I truly cannot express how blessed we feel to have such incredible people to cheer us on as we start this journey together and become our own tiny 2-person-2-pet family.