Graduation!!!

FINALLY!!!  Last weekend we travelled to Indiana for my graduation from Purdue.  The trip itself was crazy delayed, but worth it in the end.  We were scheduled to leave Corpus on Friday evening, but Dallas-Fort Worth was shut down due to bad thunderstorms.  We considered driving to Dallas or Houston to try to catch an early morning flight out to Indy, but decided to just take the earliest flight out on Saturday, connect through Dallas, and arrive in Indy around 2:00.  It would shift our plans, but at least we would still see everyone!  Well...there were bad thunderstorms in Corpus on Saturday morning - our inbound aircraft was diverted to Laredo - making our outbound flight almost 3 hours late.  So we missed our connection in Dallas. We were set to fly standby on the first flight out from Dallas to Indy, and had confirmed tickets for a later flight.

This is us in Dallas waiting to find out if we would make it on the standby flight...

We started out as numbers 7 and 8...moved up to 5 and 6...

We ended up being numbers 1 and 2...and didn't get on.  So we had to take the later flight - getting us into Indy around 6:45pm.  My poor parents were in Indy since Friday night, waiting for us (although I don't feel too bad for them since they had Ruth's Cris for dinner...).  It caused us to miss the party Dan's family was throwing for my graduation, so we were bummed about that.

Our friends Jason & Emily and Josh & Katie came out to our hotel to have dinner with us though...things were looking up!

Emily, Jason, Katie, Josh, Dan, and I...miss these people!!!

Mom & Dad, Dan and I outside waiting for our dinner table.

Gotta show some skin!!

Graduation morning, we got up and on the road by 6:30am - thinking there would be traffic.  There was none, so we were in Lafayette about an hour before we needed to be.  So we went and took some pictures outside of the main building I worked in while I was there.

This may have been the most appropriate sign we found that morning...

Mom & Dad and I...

Dan and I...

Dan working the cameras...

Onto the actual ceremony - we aren't sure what the white light is in these...we're chalking it up to the Holy Spirit! :-)

Me being hooded by my major professor, Dr. Alan Smith

Outside after commencement - in front of the famous Purdue fountain.  Me and my major professor.

Done with the hat...me and Mom & Dad...

Me and my dear friend, Nicole!

And my favorite boy in the world...

This is also my favorite picture of the day!

After graduation we headed back to Indy to catch our flights out.  Less than 24 hours in the state for Dan and I!  We were able to hook up with Dan's family for lunch...mmmm...Monicals...

Mom and Dad at lunch...

Mike (Dan's brother) and Kendra

Dan's parents - Ted & Becky

All in all, a crazy, but great trip!!  It's still a little surreal that I'm actually finished!  Praise God!

My biggest fans!!

My sister, Angie, took this picture and sent it as an encouragement heading into my defense.  My biggest fans!  It made my day!!

This is Heidi, Ben, and Katie...

And it must have worked, because I received this one the next day!

Thanks Aug, for knowing me so well to send these...and thanks Ben, Katie, and Heidi for being my biggest fans!!  I love you guys!

Mike & Kendra's Visit to Texas

Dan's brother, Mike, and his wife, Kendra, came to visit us over their spring break this April!  It was such a blast to have them here, although I missed out on some of the fun because I was preparing for my defense.  We showed them the best of Corpus Christi, and they even got some good beach days in while they were here - a rare treat with the spring winds we typically get!  Here's a snapshot of their fun:

Mike and Dan with Flat Stanley (our other welcome guest over the week)

Flat Stanley was sent to us by the daughter of our good friends in Indiana - so we got to show him a good time over the week as well!

Kendra and I with Flat Stanley - and Bubba - the crazy piano player at PanJos!

Dan at the beach with his new chair - complete with canopy to keep his Hoosier skin from burning!

One of my favorite places in the world...on the beach, reading, with a cherry limeade.

Dyeing Easter eggs...

The boys felt the need to sit on the big missile outside of the Lexington museum.

The four of us at the Hooks game - another one of Dan and I's favorite things to do in Corpus!

A Whole New Office!

Dan has told me that I am not normal, but I really looked forward to the end of my Spring Break.  The part where I got to paint our office/loft and clean and organize!!!  I spent most of the first 5 days working on my dissertation, and wouldn't let myself paint unless I was done with the latest round of revisions from my advisor.  Here are some pictures of the new office and hallway...my new favorite room in the house!

Office corner, before (you can look at the earlier blog post - 2/2/09 - for a wider view).

Looking down the hall from the office/loft - before.

I had painted the stairwell and entry way over Christmas break (it looks pink in this picture, but it's really not).

Same shot - after.  The brown that I painted it looks a little carmel-y in this picture, it's much softer in natural light.  I love love love it!!!

Looking from the hallway into the loft/office (future play-room).

The DVDs on the wall are slowly being digitized so they will one day be gone as well!

Different angle of the office - here the brown looks lighter than it really is.

I guess ya'll are just going to have to come visit to see how beautiful it really is!!  I told Dan if I wasn't married, I would want to marry this color.  Benjamin Moore (only the best!) - Dellwood Sand.

The Sweetest Words Known to Man...

I HAVE A DEFENSE DATE!!!!!!!!!!!!

The end of my graduate career is in sight!  I have scheduled my dissertation defense for April 9th at 10:00am.  For those unfamiliar with the process, it's a 2 hour meeting where I present my dissertation study for about 20 minutes, then the remainder of the time is spent with my committee members questioning me about my study.  Can't wait - really - it's gonna be great! (enter sarcasm...)

I wanted to thank all of you for your prayers and support thus far in the race - and give you some specific ways to pray over the coming weeks:

1. Diligence in working!  I need to really get my head back into this dissertation to finish out strong.  I have mostly only worked on this over the weekends for the past two years, but I need to be in it daily as I prepare for the final meeting.  Laura Hackett's song, "I Put on Christ" has been my "dissertation song" since I first heard it a couple of onethings ago.  I feel the battle raging around me in this respect the most. I will sit down to work and be distracted by many things...my spirit is willing, but my flesh is so tempted!  I want to put on Christ, making no provision for my flesh, and finish this battle strongly and victoriously!
2. This week is my Spring Break - during which I will be working on this.  Linked with the first request, I would like to have my written revisions done for my advisor by Tuesday, so that I can focus the rest of the week on pulling my presentation together while I am not on campus working. Pray for clarity of thought and revelation of logic as I write and revise.
3. Also linked with number 1, because I know that the battle is raging, I need truth to combat the enemy's lies.  Whether they be distractions from working, or lies of my ability to be able to do this.  I have asked God to give me a specific Word of truth every day from now until my defense, be that a scripture from my own Bible study, or something in a sermon, or a verse/thought sent form friends and family.  There's 27 days between now and my defense, so I am believing God to give me 27 truths specific to this battle in my life!!  If you come across something that you feel lead to share - please do!
4. Pray as I prepare for my defense meeting that God will prepare me for the questions I will be asked.  That He will lead me to re-read studies that will help me answer, and bring to mind these studies as I defend.
5. Pray for my committee members.  None of them know Jesus - and I pray that they will see Jesus in me during these final weeks that I will be in contact with them.

Feel free to forward these requests along to any of your own prayer circles/small groups!

Thanks always for your prayers and support - they mean so much to me!!!

Jesus make me Yours!!!

Dad's Arm

I mentioned in the Christmas post that Dad was in the hospital for the first 4 days of our trip to Colorado. It turns out he had a ruptured bursae sac that became infected. For a couple of days it was a little scary, because we weren't sure if the infection was MRSA or a regular staph infection. Praise the Lord it was just a staph infection (not that it made it any easier on my Dad).

This is a picture of what it looked like the day we arrived.

(Sunday - which was day 5 of his arm slowly getting bigger and redder, day 2 in the hospital)

While he was in the hospital, they had him on some pretty heavy antibiotics and drained it daily. That was his favorite part. :-) (that was sarcasm!) After spending 4 days in the hospital, they released him to come home, so he was home for Christmas! He still had to go back daily to have it drained, and was on an oral antibiotic. He was still in quite a bit of pain - which I'm sure the night I knocked it with the back of my chair didn't help at all. They referred him to an orthopedic surgeon to have the bursae sac looked at to determine if surgery was needed.

The orthopedic surgeon who repaired his ruptured biceps tendon a while back, and has done all of my Mom's shoulder and knee surgeries is the team surgeon for the Colorado Avalanche. Dan flew back to Texas that morning, so I went with my parents to drop him off, then to Dad's appointment. While there, Dr. Parker wanted to try an in-office procedure that would clean out the bursae sac and allow healthy tissue to reform. In 80% of patients, this takes care of it, so surgery is not needed. Below are the pictures from the procedure - be warned, they are cool (I think), but a bit graphic! :-)

He started by making about a 2 inch incision over the bursae sac to drain everything out and clean it up. He then swabbed out the area with about 10 huge cotton swabs (no more than 2 at a time) and a peroxide-type solution. Dad had blood and all the bubbly peroxide junk rolling down his arm - it was gross, but cool. Dr. Parker then packed the area with about 18 inches of a 1/2 or so wide gauze tape. Dad was supposed to keep this tape in for 2 days, then take out about an inch and a half each day until it was all out.

Dr. Parker making the incision.

Swabbing out the area with peroxide.

Starting to stuff the tape in.

More stuffing.

It looked pretty painful, and my Dad was in a lot of pain over the next few days. I felt so bad for him! The good news is he went back a week later and had all of the tape removed. It is healing up, and could take up to a month to completely heal over. Praise God that he didn't have to have surgery!! Still praying that it will continue to heal up completely!

Christmas in Colorado

We just got back from spending Christmas in Colorado. This year was a little different than most because my Dad was in the hospital for the first 4 days we were there. I'll post more on that later! Here's some pictures from the trip...along with some highlights of the stories!

Ben & Katie anxiously awaiting dinner at Subway.

I personally like Ben's choice of wardrobe.

Dan playing with the only girl who has more power over him than me!

Ben and I making a pumpkin cheesecake for Christmas Eve.

He was my "smash the graham cracker" helper (among other things!).

Katie and I playing "balls" on the pool table.

We've been told multiple times that she is a lot like me at that age!

I don't know where she gets it!

Every year I make a video slideshow of pictures for my Mom from all of us - which means every year we try to line up all the kids, get them to stay still for 10 seconds so we can record them telling Grammie "Merry Christmas". This year was actually a pretty easy year!

Lining the kids up for the annual "Merry Christmas Grammie" video.

We took a family trip to the WRAC (local recreation center) - the big boys played some 3-on-3 basketball (Dan was in his element) - while the sisters watched all the little ones.

Here's Gavin riding the exercise bike.

I'm sure you noticed the ugly Philadelphia Eagles jersey he has on...yes, this is the nephew I bet over the Broncos/Eagles game. The bet was if the Broncos won, I got to paint his nails pink and he had to leave it on for a day. If the Eagles won, I had to make a snow angel in the snow bank out front, in 26 degree weather, wearing (only) one of my Mom's swim suits. Needless to say, I lost. And no, there are not any pictures! :-)

Nathan teaching Grant some hoops moves.

Gunnar Wade gearing up to shoot some hoops!

After a while, we got tired of chasing 6 kids around the WRAC, so we shut them all into one of the racquetball courts with about 10 balls. It was all fun and games until Katie got her eye poked out...and Gage realized he was shut in...and well, the moral of the story is maybe 6 kids locked in a racquetball court isn't the best plan.

The view from above of the racquetball court.

I was working on Mom's Christmas video, and my parents have one of those nifty coffee tables that the top lifts up to make a desktop.

Gage P tried to take a seat, not realizing I had the top lifted...

Gunnar and Katie playing with Katie's stroller!

Gage, Katie, and I ready for church that night.

Every year my parents get us all matching jammies (big kids included!).

Gunnar had the original red pair on, but quickly wanted to change when a new blue pair arrived on Christmas morning from Santa!

Grant showing us his new marshmallow launcher from Uncle Mike & Aunt Angie and Uncle Dan & Aunt Stacey...you're welcome Lisa & Nate! :-)

Showing off our new AppleTV...love it!

Katie loved sitting at her new recording studio and singing "hump tee hump hump look at hos tee go" (aka, thumpity thump thump...).

This would be the night that Mr. Evans (my high school math teacher and track coach) stopped by and asked, "Are you still running marathons?" I stood up to give him a hug, and he said, "Looks like you slowed down a little." Wow. God bless Mr. Evans!

Gage, Ben and I making funny faces at dinner.

Gunnar sporting his new hat!

Katie sporting her new hat, Broncos cheerleader outfit, snow boots, and jumping on her new trampoline!

Gunnar and Katie watching a movie - CHEESE!

Another great trip home! We pray you each had a wonderful Christmas and happy New Year!!