Back Home Again in Indiana

It's been awhile since I've written on this space, and a lot, a lot, A LOT has happened in the meantime.  In the last three months I have, finished my master's degree, secured my ideal job, Chuck has found a new job, we moved back to Indiana, moved again within Indiana, settled into a new routine of full-time work with regular hours, and got a dog.  It's been busy to say the least.

Here's a more detailed breakdown of our enormous post-grad life transition...

At the end of April, I graduated from Grand Valley State University with my Master's in Social Work.  I can't explain how good it feels to be done with my formal education (finally!) and to be able to write "MSW" behind my name.

With my sisters after my hooding ceremony.

As graduation was approaching, Chuck and I spent countless hours discussing what was next for us.  We knew that we did not want to stay in Michigan (particularly after this past winter!), but we didn't know where we would be headed next.  We toyed with the idea of going on a grand adventure far away, as well as settling down somewhere closer to our families and planting roots.  As fate would have it, just before graduation, I was offered a full-time position as a therapist for a mental health agency in my hometown in Indiana!  The position would offer us the opportunity to build a life around the comforts of my family and hometown, and would be an important step forward for my career.  The goal of being a therapist is what drove me to attend grad school in the first place, and I happily accepted the job.  And in May, we were off to Indiana to begin a new life! 

Chuck was able to find a job as an audio/visual technician in downtown Indy for a well-respected company with plenty of room to grow and advance.  Both of our jobs are full-time with regular hours, a luxury we had never before been afforded, and I cannot explain how much of a blessing it is that neither of us have to work nights or weekends... it's the little things! 

In June, we added a new member to our little family when we adopted a dog! Gilbert (the name came with him, but suits him well) is a 2-year-old pointer/hound mix who bounces between extreme energy and utter laziness by the hour.  He has a big bark, but rarely uses it, and he looooves to snuggle. The cat is not so fond of him, but we remain hopeful that she will come around. Chuck and I are officially outnumbered by animals, and we love it. 

Handsome Gilbert.

As we settle into July, we are settling into a place that feels like home, careers rather than jobs, and a new family dynamic.  It feels so good to be in this place of security after spending our first three years together as students, living on a measly budget, and generally feeling as though we were pushing our way through the dark, as we tried to learn adulthood together.  

We are happy. 

We certainly miss aspects of living in West Michigan, but nothing will ever feel as much like home to me as the cornfields.

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.