UNR Graduation

Drew graduated last Friday with his first Masters Degree in Counseling and Educational Psychology! He was absolutely beaming from ear to ear all day and looked particularly dapper in his cap, gown, stole, cords, and medal. The stole, cords, and medal were bestowed on him by his honors fraternity- Chi Sigma Iota.  Drew graduated with an overall GPA of 3.9. I am so so so unbelievably proud of him! Drew's Mom, Dad, and Grandmother came up from Gardnerville to come to the graduation and celebrate - the weather was perfect and the trees green and beautiful. It couldn't have been more perfect.

I was exactly 5 days from my due date. Yea for being 9 months prego! It was hot at first- we were there from about 2pm for a celebration and honorary hooding for the members of Chi Sigma Iota where he received his medal, but then cooled down for Commencement. Drew and I went to the CSI celebration and then met up with his family at Commencement at 4:15pm. Commencement started at 4:55pm.
We were at least happy that the little peanut decided to wait so that Drew could attend graduation. Thanks peanut- you can come anytime now, by the way!
After graduation we all went to the Hacienda Mexican Restaurant that Grandma found last year and enjoyed fried ice cream. It was so delicious! Thanks Grandma!
It goes without saying that we couldn't have gotten to this point without the unfailing love and support of our friends and family. Thank you for your support :) I am so grateful for our families. We love you <3.

Drew with Dr. Harrison, Professor and Associate Dean and College Dean

He has worked hard and he continues to work hard... returning to school this Monday to get his second Masters in Marriage and Family Therapy! So, stay tuned for more graduation photos in exactly one years time!!

Please Vote for a Name!

Please vote for the name you like best to your right (sidebar). 

We have this little boy's name narrowed down to TWO names, but can't agree on one. 

And don't say both... Drew and I both love the names too much to use as a middle names (for now).

Thanks for your help!

Asher: Lucky, Blessed, Happy
Asher, in the Book of Genesis, is the second son of Jacob and Zilpah, and the founder of the Tribe of Asher.

Caleb: Faithful, Bold
Caleb was in the Exodus with Moses, Aaron and Joshua. He was one of the twelve spies sent to scout the land of Canaan. He gave an honest report, as did Joshua, and was granted entrance to the promised land later. When Israel entered Canaan forty years later, Caleb was granted by Joshua, the area around the city of Hebron, for his faithfulness.  

Turns out that both of these names are biblical, but we hadn't planned that- but it's fun to look at the history anyway. 

Update to Today!

There are quite a few updates to get this little blog up to date:

1. Pregnancy: I am now seeing my wonderful doctor once a week. My last appointment was today for my 38 week appointment. I am now "full term" and could technically go into labor anytime. However, my feelings are that this baby boy is VERY content where he is and is going to take his sweet time to make his arrival. Now that I am playing the waiting game the days and especially nights are getting longer and longer. At my appointment she checked my cervix to see if I had made any progress so far. So far I am dilated " a very loose" 1cm and 60% effaced. I just looked at my doctor and said, "So, basically nothing right?"  No change since my last appointment last week.  I am doing what I can to get this birth on it's way. I am getting more pelvic pain and Drew and I are still hiking at our favorite spot at the Michael D. Thompson trail head and walking on a regular basis. Walking and hiking has always been painful throughout my entire pregnancy, but by now I am desensitized so I am used to the pain. I just love being outdoors and having time alone with Drew :) For the record my new favorite foods have been berry smoothies, cinnamon graham crackers, a new found love for oreos, and cereal breakfast, lunch, or dinner! Hopefully I don't whine too much about pregnancy, but there are some things I do enjoy. Being able to feel the baby move has been fun and also relaxing as I go to sleep it lulls me to sleep pleasantly (sometimes wakes me up in the middle of the night too...but mostly enjoyable).

My most recent belly picture :)

2. Future Plans: Drew and I have been anticipating moving for quite some time since our contract is up on May 31. We also need a larger place desperately!  Baby stuff is everywhere and we have no where to store it all! Both Drew and I have been boxing up books, coats, and anything else we don't use on a daily basis. Our apartment has been a disaster as of late. However, I went to speak with the front office a week or two ago and they gave us several good options- one of which is to stay in our current apartment on a month-to-month basis with no rent increase. It is such a great deal and financially the best option! We now have purchased a storage unit here at the complex and moved several boxes into it as well as taken several donation boxes to Goodwill. This has made significant room for the baby and is the cheapest alternative until we have a stable financial situation that will allow us to get a larger place. We are just trying to live as cheaply as possible- and now we don't have to move with a 2 week old newborn! Yea!

3. Jobs: Yesterday was my last day of work! It was also Drew's last day of internship and classes. We are planning to go celebrate by going out for breakfast at Squeeze In :) My new favorite breakfast place and featured by Bobby Flay! Drew also picked up his cap and gown and is all ready and set for graduation on May 13th :) While my job ending does bring joy and the ability for some needed rest it also brings financial challenges and role reversal with Drew and I. Drew had a job offer yesterday for a job using his degree, but not in a school counseling position. Although I was ecstatic and felt this was an answer to our prayers it looks like it might not be the perfect fit for Drew at this time. He is investigating a long term counselor sub position before he gives an official answer to the job offer. So far we have been so blessed with our job opportunities and I know the Lord has always provided. I'll just have to trust that this will work out as well.

Shower

I have been meaning to share pictures from my baby shower for awhile and haven't gotten around to it yet! 

Lisa threw the shower for me and it was such a blast! 

The entire theme followed my theme for the nursery :) 

Right down to the candy wrappers and Whale Bingo!

I matched the theme well too-I looked like a great big whale!

I wish I had pictured all the food there, but it was a super cute set up. 

Lisa had also made a watermelon fruit basket that looked like a whale! It was SO adorable :)

We were showered with so many clothes, diapers, wipes, blankets, essentials, and toys!

I am so overwhelmed by the generosity of friends and family! Thank you all!

CPCE Follow Up

Drew's test scores are in! 

In my last post (yes it's been a long time) I wrote about Drew's test. 

He felt it was easy and it turned out he scored very well! 

He scored in the 97th percentile!

After a great confidence boost Drew took his second big test-

The National Counselor Exam

It is a national exam for ALL counselors across the nation (not just school counseling)

so we will probably have to wait quite a while for the results on this one

I am still confident that he did well :)