So...that happened

Well friends, summer has come and gone.  I started back to school this week, there is a distinct coolness in the air, and I'm ready for apples and all things pumpkin.  It's been a good summer, but it's been a whirlwind.  I didn't mean to take the summer off from blogging, but... things happen.  Let's catch up a bit, shall we?

Summer "started" the last week of May with a trip to Hilton Head with my family.  We stayed in a house in Sea Pines, rode bikes, went to the beach, enjoyed our private pool, played games, got sunburned, read books, and cooked and ate and cooked and ate and cooked at ate.  So. Much. Food.  Long story short: it was good times, and I want to go back.

We also took some breezy family photos on the beach in which we aren't sure when to smile because the camera was on a timer so we look fake and posed.  So that happened.


Tim and I got home from that trip, and less than 24 hours later he left for London for a few weeks.  Sapphire and I joined him in a few days.

Tower of London (while we are all happy and having a good time, we're laughing because I had to stand on my tip-toes and strain my neck to get in the photo since I'm so short)

It was so good to be back in London, and really great to have Sapphire there.  It felt like I had never left.  The highlight of my time with Sapphire was going to see the play Mousetrap.  

St. Martin's Theatre

It was seriously fantastic. After she left, I was really, really homesick, except on the weekend when Tim and I explored together.  He and I went to Kew Gardens one day, which is one of my favoritest things to do there.  Then we had an awesome dinner at Zizzi's.  That was a really great day. 

Even though we had a good time, I was so glad to come home after two weeks, and spent the rest of the summer extremely grateful for my home and life at home. So that happened.

A few short days after I got home, I started my 5 week summer term for nursing school.  It. Was. In. Tense.  Two 8 week classes were crammed into 5 weeks.  The last week we had 5 tests in 3 days. Clinicals were 45 minutes away, starting at 6:30 am. I saw my classmates more than I saw my husband (helped by the fact that he was back in London for two of those weeks).  It was challenging, but if I had to sum up that summer term in one word it would be community. We were all in it together. I grew so much closer to my classmates, especially my clinical group.  In those 5 weeks, I spent hours in class with them, hours on the road with them, hours of clinical with them, and hours and hours and hours of studying with them. 

My trash can during finals week

(There were also a fair share of non-coursework-related youtube videos viewed, if we're being honest.)  I brewed iced tea at 4 in the morning, kept worms in my fridge, had sleepovers, baked cinnamon rolls, and and went to Dairy Queen.  There was not a lot of sleeping that happened.  As tired as I was, I never once envied Tim that he was back in London without me.  In fact, I felt bad that he had to be there and miss out on the wonderful life here!  By the grace of God, I survived and I passed my classes.  So that happened.

Since I had a month until school would be starting again, we squeezed in a whirlwind roadtrip to Ohio and Pennsylvania to visit our parent, surprising Tim's dad for his birthday with all of his kids being home.  We also got to visit Tim's paternal grandparents.  

This is a picture of them in their younger days.  I love it so, so much!!!  Family pictures with his family, a few rounds of Dominion, and lots and lots of food.  A good time was had by all.  So that happened.

The day after we got home from that trip, I started a new job!  I am done with my retail job, and started working as a certified nurse aide at a hospital.  I will be working nights (10 p- 6:30 am) two nights a week.  I really like it so far, and I am so excited for the experience and how it will prepare me for nursing!  So that happened.

The last bit of news actually happened before all of this crazy madness of summer.  Back in April, I took a pregnancy test and it was positive.  I really didn't believe that, so I took another one the next day and (strangely enough) that one also indicated I was pregnant.  I didn't feel pregnant, but called the doctor anyway.  A few weeks later I went in, and they did and ultrasound and I saw a little person twitching in there and heard a heartbeat. They gave us a due date in early January.  

So... THAT happened. 

#BTTJDNMA

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