Mike's last day

Tomorrow is Mike's last day at Raytheon. He's accepted a new job with Cogent, a company owned and run by one of Mike's mentors, who has been wanting Mike to join his company for a while. We have prayerfully considered this job transfer (which has taken a LONG time!!!) and are looking forward to new opportunities in the coming months.
It's a bittersweet move, as Mike was totally fine with his current job. But this offer came up, and it was one that couldn't be bypassed- it's a great opportunity for him to learn a different side of business.
In trying to decide whether or not to change jobs, one of the big factors was that Mike knew he didn't want to be with his current company in 10 years, based on what he saw in those older than he (the amount of travel, hours spent working, etc). Another big selling point was that the job offer Mike received from Cogent has written in that Marc (Mike's new boss) will personally mentor him, which to me is HUGE.
Mike will be working from home, which will be interesting! I hope that Bella the cat is okay with having company during the day. :)
I am so proud of Mike. He has done so well at Raytheon, is respected by his peers and his bosses and is leaving well, gracefully, and on good terms. I am thankful for him, for all of his hard work, and most importantly, for putting our family first as he makes this career move. I am so blessed to have him as my sweet husband.

I'm a nerd

I decided that I'm a really big nerd. Here's why- I got uuber excited when this came in the mail:

Yes, it's a book all about antibiotics/antimicrobials. And I truly did get excited when it came. I was telling Mike about it over the phone that night. I don't think he was as impressed as I was.

Yes, I'm a big nerd.

family

Today Mike and I went to his uncle's funeral. As a background, Mike's Uncle Don was killed last week in a car accident- he actually had a heart attack which caused him to have the fatal accident.
Although I didn't really know Mike's uncle well, we loved our time today hanging out and catching up with the Frizzell side of the family. The vast majority of them live all over the country, so it is very rare to see all of them in one place. So many neat, loving people who love life and love each other. It was great to see them again. And, he had been married to his sweet wife Patty for 55 years- what a testament to commitment, especially in this day and age!!
One of the most poignant moments today was at the funeral home right after the memorial service had finished. The funeral staff had just spread the American flag over Don's casket. Aunt Pattie, his wife, walked up to the casket and gently straightened out a small folded edge of the flag and softly touched her husband's casket- Mike whispered to me, "Kind of like straightening his tie before he walked out the door." It brought tears to my eyes.
Uncle Don had a military funeral, as he had served many years in the Air Force- man, there's just something about those military services that gets you- the care and respect that the servicemen take with the casket, the very strict folding of the flag and deep gratitude shown when the widow is presented with the flag... definitely brought tears to my eyes.

my new favorite toy

For Christmas Mike said that I could get whatever tool I needed that would best help me do my job as a PNP student and future PNP. I needed a PDA so that I could be uuber cool and look up stuff quickly to impress my preceptors :) (well, really to store the formularies and other software that I need so that while we're out and someone asks me a medical question, I won't sound stupid and will know what I'm talking about). So, we came up with this:

Um, I pretty much LOVE it. I've never had a "fancy phone" so I feel like I'm in the big league with this little number. So fabulous! And it's fun to play Bejewelled on during class breaks. That's really what you get the phone for- the games. :)

whoa

I have to remind myself not to get overwhelmed at the beginning of semesters. This always happens to me. You go to class, they give you the syllabus and dump everything you have to do in 4 months (and pass with at least a B) in your lap. Then, a couple of hours later, you finally process what they told you and you go, "Seriously?!! How in the world am I supposed to get it all done and still be somewhat normal?!"

And then I think about last semester and remember that it can be done. Just lots and lots of caffinated beverages.

In the particularly stressful past couple of days ( dealing with stupid preceptor contracts that don't go through until the last minute and being asked by Vanderbilt if I have a "Plan B" if this doesn't work out---seriously, I'm supposed to start clinicals next week- why would I have a plan b??!), I have had the thought cross my mind several times, "Why am I doing this again? Wouldn't it be easier just to keep working where I am until we have a baby and then I stay home like I thought would happen?" But then I remember that plans change, God has other ideas of what He wants me to do, it's okay to not do things the way you originally thought it would go.... and to keep trucking on.... "In his mind a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps" (Prov. 16:9).

This semester is going to be absolutly NUTS. So if you don't hear from me for awhile, know that everything is probably fine, I'm just running around like a chicken with my head cut off trying to remember which antimicrobials to prescribe, etc....

one down, two to go

Today I finally finished my first semester of grad school! It was a bit of a hard adjustment to figure out how to study again, etc, but to be honest, the most frustrating part of it all has been trying to find preceptors for the spring! Oh, my goodness, this has kept me half-crazy and stressed for a while. Hopefully, I think I might have gotten it all nailed out, but we'll see.
The semester wasn't that bad, but it was definetly a challenge trying to balance full-time school and full-time work and be a wife inbetween. However, with all the traveling that Mike has been doing, as well as the frequent trips to Nashville I've been making, I've had more time to study and focus than I had thought.
I'm VERY much looking forward to some down time these next couple of weeks with my hubby.

Thankful...a little late

What I am thankful for....a little late.
- my supportive husband who has been a sounding board and incredible source of strength for me this past semester- very patiently letting me look in his ears and eyes with my new fancy tools
- the fact that he is quite handy- he's done a tremendous job on our house this past year and I'm so thankful for his talent!
- my sweet friends- b/c of school and traveling, neither Mike and I have been regular attenders to our community group this semester. But I am truly thankful for each one of them, asking how we are, how things are going, how they can be praying for us.
- my supportive family- several taxi rides to and from DFW/Love Field, home-cooked meals when life was crazy, my mom spending about 5 hours helping me clean my very dirty hardwood floors right after the kitchen was done and I hadn't had time to clean b/c of studying and school
- a flexible manager- allowing me to take tons of PTO to go back to school and for letting me go quasi-part-time in January so that I can get my clinical hours in
- sweet Bella- she should also get a masters degree b/c she watches all the lectures with me and likes to snuggle while I'm writing papers. I think that I should've had a cat in undergrad- it would've decreased my stress level a lot!
- legal forms of caffiene- coffee, lattes, lots of hot tea....so very necessary to get by