Life changes!

Life is so good.  Next week marks our 8 month anniversary, and we couldn't be happier.  Life and love just keeps getting better!

We were lucky enough to go home to Ohio for Thanksgiving.  Like I mentioned before, a company in Cleveland paid for Andrew to come out first class, so my parents helped us buy me a ticket, and we got to spend almost a week with my parents and brother.  It was really nice to see them and spend Thanksgiving at my grandparents' house like I did in the good 'ol days.  My grandma is an amazing cook, and she does almost everything on her own- incredible!  It will be hard to not be with them for the first time since I was born on Christmas, but I'm glad I get to spend it with my husband.  I keep saying I don't get to go home for Christmas, but he really is my home.

Andrew spent the last day we were there interviewing- actually it was 4, 30 minute interviews as well as an hour lunch with two other employees who were seeing if he would fit in at the company.  Obviously he did pretty well, because he received an offer last week!  And after getting the inside scoop from an employee there who is friends with my family, they didn't even technically have an opening, they just loved him! 

At first we didn't know what to think or what to do- it's kind of a tough situation we've found ourselves in.  Andrew technically has one year left at BYU before finishing his Master's degree, but a lot of PhD schools in statistics will accept people without having a Master's. 

We've been thinking for awhile about applying now to start school this fall, but had basically come to the conclusion that we'd just wait.  However, with this offer, we have thought a lot about doing this for the summer and living with my family and then going straight to school somewhere else.  After fasting, praying, and a lot of long conversations, we have decided we're going to do it and take a leap of faith.  You see, if he doesn't get into PhD school for the fall, we'll be sticking around at BYU for another year and applying again.  That's all fine and dandy, but there is too much for us to lose here if we both leave.  So when we put those pieces together, we have decided that if we'll be in Provo for another year, we're going to have to send Andrew to Ohio, and I'll have to stay here and hold down fort.

Let's just say I am praying fervently that he gets in.  Twelve weeks without him sounds like an awful long time!  But if I leave, we lose our position as RA's at our apartment complex (buh-bye free rent), and I'll lose my job and insurance.  That's expensive for a 12 week get-away!!  We both feel really good about it, so Andrew called this morning and accepted the offer.  I know it will all work out because it always does, but hopefully it works out how I want it to :)

Work for me is going pretty well.  This week I was sworn at about 10 million times, though!  I was called words that I have never heard come out of a girl's mouth by one lady who was particularly upset about her Social Security Disability case.  At first I took offense to being yelled and sworn at, but after realizing these people's backgrounds by talking to them and what has happened to them in their lives as well as reading their medical records and hearing about how terrible they must feel all the time, added to a lot of mental disabilities, I have decided to not take it personally.  It makes the job a lot better.

After the worst phone call, I talked to the sweetest lady.  She sounded like a bigger, elderly black lady (or that could be complete assumptions), and she had a fun accent- I think she was from the South if I remember right.  She told me what an angel was and asked if I could come to her hearing with her and go out to lunch with her.  She seemed to think we could be best friends, and I really enjoyed talking to her.  It's people like her who really appreciate the help and tell me they are so glad I am nice to them and appreciate my friendship that make the job worth it after the meanie-heads scream.

School has been keeping Andrew really busy, especially with finals this week, but he is done for the semester!  However, after talking to him this morning being excited for him and his break, he informed me that he plans to work 60 hour weeks.  WHAT??  Haha, crazy kid!

We also have TONS of Branbury shifts because all the other RAs are out of town.  It should be pretty quiet, though.   I'm in the clubhouse now, and other than a few people at the hot top, it's empty.  Andrew just went to the work-out room and is running, then we're going to watch a movie on his laptop.  We have tomorrow off, but then we work Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday from 5-10.  It's good for us, though!  Keeps us out of trouble.