And So it Begins….

Crazy that it has been 20 days since my last post! A lot has happen in the past 20 days! I have officially started my senior year of dental hygiene school and am counting down the days until May 11th when I will graduate (247 days… 176 weekdays)! I feel like our lives are on hold until I finish school so it will be SO great when I finish! I can’t wait to have my house back in order, be able to travel a bit, and not stress and fret about school!

This semester is going to be VERY full! I originally thought this semester wouldn’t be as busy as the previous 2, but I was wrong… so very very wrong! This week I saw my first patient on Tuesday morning at the VA hospital dental clinic. I really enjoyed it and was shocked to know that I still know what I am doing! I am excited to be in the clinic every day except for Friday, but with that come stress too! 8 months…. 8 months til graduation! WAHOO!!!

A big challenge for me this week has been trying to be a wife and a good student. I am bound and determined this semester to stay on top of my studies and not have to play catch up in order to take an exam (Oral Pathology is going to be the thing I wrestle with the most this semester). Trying to make dinner while studying is IMPOSSIBLE for me, it seems like everything I make needs to be babysat at the stove so I can’t just go sit and study while it’s cooking. I think I’m going to have to utilize the slow cooker this winter and figure out some casseroles that I can make ahead of time and can just throw in the oven when we get home in the evenings!

I am so happy that we only have to be in this situation for 8 more months, but I am also grateful to be in this situation! I know how long I we have wanted this and in only 8 months, I will be exactly where I want to be!

Aside from school we are starting a small group at church. We have been at our church for over a year. Our church does not have “Sunday school” but we do small groups in homes. Our church encourages that you try out several small groups before you settle on one to find the best fit for you. We visited a small group last summer and then school started. I struggled with not having enough time so we never got involved with the small groups. We did a bible study on Tuesday nights called Sacred Marriage during the late winter. Grant has gotten involved on the tech team running the projector and camera during the Sunday morning service. We wanted to get involved with a small group this summer, but we realized there were no small groups for our demographic (married without kids) and we were constantly gone this summer visiting family and such such we aren’t able to much during the school year. Several couples on the tech team are in the same demographic, so our church is starting a small group at the beginning of September. I am really excited to get more involved with our church! I am hoping to keep my school stuff organized so that I will be able to attend small group during the week.

It is so hard to choose between school and church stuff sometimes. Before hygiene school it was simple, church should be the priority… but it isn’t so black and white anymore. God has allowed me to be in this program and I am to do it with the best of my ability. Colossians 3:23-24 says, ” ²³ Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, ²⁴ since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.” So even though sometimes I’d rather do a church activity or volunteer at the church, I probably should stay at home and study. This isn’t to stay that I completely neglect the church and forget about my relationship with Christ! This is just the season my life is in right now and these are the decisions that I have to make. I suppose I am serving God in school by working with all my heart at hygiene school.

My sister, Alison, actually did something awesome for me. Alison, Grant, and I went to see “The Help” a few weeks ago together while Ali’s husband was out of town on a work trip. After the movie, Alison had a “gift” for me. I opened it and I found a glass jar filled with popsicle sticks with writing on them. Alison explained to me that she had sent a popsicle stick with a letter to all of my family. The letter explained that God had laid it on her heart to encourage me this semester and this is how she felt He wanted her to do it. She asked my family to write a scripture or words of encouragement on the popsicle stick and when I get discouraged and need some encouragement, I can reach into the jar and pull out a stick. I was so thankful when she gave it to me and I even cried. She spent a lot of time on this for me while she was preparing herself to return to school and teach her new 1st graders! I think I will do a post around the time that I pull out a stick… maybe these popsicle sticks can encourage more than just me!