Come Fall...

So, the decision has been made, and I am so very happy about it! Come Fall, I'll be starting the IP&T Graduate Program as a returning BYU Cougar... more true and blue through and through :)

I am grateful for the opportunity I had to pray about and search out which of my two VERY GOOD choices is the best for me right now.
With confidence, I will make the trek back west and look forward to what is in store! With sadness yet INCREDIBLE friendships and memories made to keep (and still many yet to be made) I will depart from the people and place I have made home....

It it not yet time to consider the plan of departure. It's time to live in the moment :) and continue to grow where I've been planted! Details will be worked through in time :)

Thank you, family and friends, for your thoughts, prayers and words of encouragement and wise counsel over the past 8 months!

"Rise and Shout, the Cougars are out!"

A Successful Half

A beautiful yet bitter winter has passed! Hooray!

Just in time...

Friday night registration
7:30 pm - catch the metro into Stadium-Armory
8:00 pm - arrive at RFK stadium
8:00 pm - Pre-race expo is closing
8:15 pm leave the stadium as one of the last with race tags in hand
9:30 pm - prerace spaghetti dinner
11:30 pm - sleep

Saturday morning was the DC Marathon.
5:00 am - Arise
6:00 am - arrive at the metro station
6:05 am - catch the metro into Stadium-Armory (De ja vue?)
6:31 am - arrive at RFK stadium
6:55 am - bags checked in before the race
6:58 am - run to the start line
7:00 am - the race begins
7:02 am - cross the start line
8:43 am- race complete

... just in time.

Having only run full marathons in the past, this was my first half ever, and it was FANTASTIC! Reaching the 10-mile marker, I only had a 5K left- what an INCREDIBLE feeling in a race! :)

Additionally, my coworker, Rachel ran it with me, so I had company for pretty much the entire race! It was so much fun!
She had her husband and little boy as her fan-club at the finish line taking pictures for us.
In short... Beautiful day, familiar local race route, great company, fabulous race, and satisfying pace... 1:41 finish time, making about 7:45 minute miles.

Now it's time to get ready for the full marathon in Charlottesville next month. Perhaps avoiding the "just in time" theme for this next race is a good goal :)

Spring Visitors WELCOME

A week before the sun came with its warmth, two dear friends met each other (one from work and one from church) and we had a really nice visit and walk into DC to the Jefferson Memorial where we learned about the reconstruction of some of the platforms around the tidal basin! The sun was beautiful and the wind was bitter. I am truly grateful for such girls friends to associate with.
I nearly caught the moon as I awaited the perfect moment to catch an airplane as they were taking off from Reagan National... Always in aw of the beauty of airplanes defying gravity with such power. Miraculous, really.
A week or so later another girlfriend came in town on her spring break from California. We caught up while roaming a few of our favorite monuments in DC that we used to run to together. It was a warm enough night that she even wore shorts!!!
Another friend came into town a week later for part of his spring break. After a long run in the District, we dried off from the rain (having been soaked to the bone), and visited the National Botanical Garden Smithsonian to enjoy the jungle in the heart of DC.

to want what He wants

Just when I think I've learned that lesson...

Transition time is on the rise. Thinking I had figured out my decision and what I really needed and wanted, an assumption was made that this decision would be quick and simple.

"If BYU says yes, then my bags are packed, and I'm ready to go!"
Is there more to it than that? I'm learning day-by-day that the Lord wants to teach me more. Another life experience.

So, in recieving an acceptance email from GMU's IT Program, I certainly feel contentment that they want me as a student, yet I still lack assurance. I trust the decision and assurance will come at the right time.

For the moment, this shall wait. BYU has not decided if they want me this year or not. I felt it was a stretch for me to apply with my test scores but I jumped in anyway. It's a program that I love on many levels, certainly not the least being that I love the people in the department and know they have attributes and talents that I could really learn a lot from.

In all truth, BYU's decision is not the deciding factor anymore. The question must be, as it ought to be, is what does He want? Afterall, I want to want what He wants. No more, no less.

I will know in His time. Knowing this brings peace :)