flying by

it feels like time is flying by right now. we are about to wrap up year two at seminary and if i don't blog about it now i probably won't have time to when exams are finished in two weeks.

year one in saint louis: i think i speak for bryan and myself when i say that had we known how hard year one was going to be we never would have come here. i don't know if there are words to describe it. mya's and bryan's first illnesses in the history of my knowing them, happened upon moving here. we had no idea what we were getting ourselves into when trying to complete a four year degree in three years while working, doing volunteer ministry, and raising a kiddo. and it's not just our stress that affects us. living in off campus housing is a lot like college for families. we feel each other's stress just as much as our family's stress. talk about a lot of adjustment. God was the epitome of sovereign. At moments where we thought we couldn't handle any more stress in our lives, He would rescue us with love and support from His children, our dear brothers and sisters in Christ. What a rare and amazing opportunity to be able to call on friends and neighbors, brothers and sisters in the faith and be able to weep in front of them, be vulnerable, share hardship in our private lives, admit weakness, pain, suffering, illness, and the need for someone to just put their hands on our shoulders and pray for us. our neighbors have done that for us and we have done that for them. we've walked each other through death of family members, friends, and pets. we've prayed each other through semesters that seemed insurmountable. we've laughed ourselves silly, logged a lot hours watching american idol, biggest loser, and glee, (speaking of...i still can't figure out the glee-hype-??).

praise be, year two has been much easier than was year one. we've adjusted. we've settled. our church is our family. our off-campus housing community is our family. we're surrounded by people who love us, care for us, and are those for whom we are able to care. mya began preschool and sang in the church choir. i have been encouraged by other seminary wives at my church. we've gotten to know this great city a lot more and have our favorite hangouts and places to get pizza, or thai, or indian food. and now it's time to think about our last year in saint louis.

before we leave, mya and bryan will go up in the arch, regardless of a fear of heights. we will go camping in missouri. we will go to a pumpkin patch, go sledding at forest park, and visit the botanical gardens a lot in the spring, in spite of allergies. we will eat a LOT of frozen yogurt, pei wei, la pizza's pizza and re-visit or favorite pubs and restaurants, museums, and shops. and if we stick around in st. louis after graduation, we'll do all over again, year after year.

thanks for reading and praying us through another year of seminary!