Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes

I love this guy. I'm glad we're on this crazy ride together!

Why must I hate change? Why can't I just embrace it and love it and welcome it with open arms? 

Because I'm a pessimist, that's why. 

We have had some changes come about recently and there may be more to come. We are re-arranging our family dynamic and it is a whole new world to all of us. I know that everyone knows that I am going to school, but I can't even remember (and I'm to lazy to go back in my archives to check) if I mentioned that my husband started back to school as well. At the beginning of the year, he decided to jump headfirst into a total career change. He has always been interested in the medical field and when Jonah was a baby he thought he might want to be a perfusionist. However, he had been going to school for a business degree, and he just continued down that path because it was easy and it always worked out. He didn't want to start all over with a new degree. 

When we both started back to school in the summer, it was a little crazy. However, we were thrilled to find out that he was only 3 classes away from graduating with his Associate Degree in general studies (Andy has been going to school off and on for our entire marriage, so we love to joke that this Associate's Degree only took him 11 years to earn, haha :). With that degree, he could transfer to BYU and finish with a Bachelor's in Exercise Science. After he finishes there, he has decided he wants to be  Physician's Assistant, so he'll have another 2 years in a Master's Program.... somewhere. Hopefully before he starts his Master's, I will be done with nursing school and be an RN (this is the plan anyway because I am getting an Associate's of Nursing, not a Bachelor's). So, suffice it to say, the next couple years will be busy and crazy and stressful and all of the above.

Because Andy is going to school now (and taking 16 credit hours) we decided (well, Heavenly Father helped us realize after a lot of prayer and fasting) that he shouldn't be working full time, because he needs to get straight A's to be considered for a PA program. He has started working evenings part-time. It is so weird to have him gone at night. He hasn't worked nights since Jonah was a baby. Since Daphne was born he has had a Monday through Friday 9-5 job (besides traveling). It is really different, and the nights he has class as well as work are a little crazy at our house with just me to get homework and dinner done and the kids everywhere they need to be for their various activities. Luckily we have amazing mother's who help us out once a week when we both have class on the same night. 

Another change that could be on the horizon is the possibility of me going back to work part-time. Since we are poor students again (or should I say "still" since let's face it, we've never been rolling in the dough, haha!), we need some extra income. I have an interview this week at a salon. It is very surreal since I haven't technically worked outside of my home since Laylah was born. If all goes well, I will work part-time during the day when the kids are at school and Andy can study (and also take care of Magnus, so I'm not sure how much studying he'll actually get done!) and do his online classes. 

Life sometimes throws you curve balls that you really never anticipated, and even though all I want to do is sit down and cry, I finally realized that wasn't doing anybody any good. Life is hard and requires a lot of hard work. I may as well get it done, because nobody is going to do it for me. It will be a difficult and long few years, and I'm sure other challenges and trials will come amidst the ones we are already facing. But, I hope that I can continue to have faith and be able to rely upon my Heavenly Father and the gospel for the things that I know to be true. This life is really just a small moment in the grand scheme of things. If I can remember that (which, I'm sure I'll forget occasionally), I think I'll be okay. 

I love my family. I love the gospel. I am grateful for my Savior and the fact that He is the only one who really and truly knows how I feel. For that, I will be eternally grateful because I know that someone will be by my side through everything I face, no matter what. Ahhh, life. What a ride, eh?

Now, if I can just figure out how to do all of the things I need to do on only 5 hours of sleep a night, I will be golden :)