The Plan

If you know me, you know I am a big time planner. I like to know what is going to happen so that I can get excited about the future and start to anticipate change. I really like change, which may seem weird since I am pretty type A. But I love the feeling of starting fresh - of having the opportunity to create new habits and new memories. So it is a really big deal for me that our plan for the time after graduation is just now coming together since graduation is a mere 2 1/2 weeks away at this point!

Here is a run down of dates and big events that are coming up for us:
April 30th - David finishes finals
May 3rd - I finish finals and hopefully finish grading also.
May 4th - David graduates from Law School!! So proud :)
May ? - I officially graduate at some point, although I don't plan on walking..
May 5-11 - David and I pack up our tiny apartment in Lexington :(
May 12 - We make the move to Northern Kentucky!

That is right friends, we are moving back up to Northern Kentucky for sure, and it is happening in less than 4 weeks. As much as I like change, I really don't like to move... so much packing and unpacking... it gets a little overwhelming. But as you saw above, David and I will have a full week after school is finished to accomplish it together.

When we get to Northern Kentucky we will actually be moving in with David's dad and step mom. They are super generous and awesome, and they have a 2 bedroom apartment in the basement that will be our own space. We are so blessed! Since David doesn't even take the Bar exam until the end of July the earliest we are hoping that he will have a job is August, and until he has a job it doesn't make sense for us to sign a lease since we don't know where we will be living. We hope he can find a job in Cincinnati by September or October and then we can move into our own place in Northern Kentucky or Cincinnati. Until then, living with our family is a great option because we can save so much money.

Which brings me to the next part of the plan that makes my heart so happy. We decided that I don't need to work this summer... oh joy! I will have the wonderful opportunity to stay at home with my baby girl. No distractions or other worries; no more running around and leaving her with a different sitter each day of the week. I can just focus on her and on being the best mommy that I can be. I plan on teaching aerobics for the fun of it (and we get a free gym membership!), but this won't be anything above and beyond what I would already be doing since I want to work out everyday anyway.

This decision was really hard for me to make. I had been looking for part time jobs, praying a lot about it, and just hadn't felt anything that I wanted to do. David and I sat down and talked about things last weekend and then we looked at our budget and finances together. After praying about it, he strongly felt like I should stay home with Lydia. We have made good financial decisions for the past 3 years and now we have money saved for exactly this time in our lives. He knows how much I would love to stay home during this time in Lydia's life and he felt that that is exactly what I should do. Come August one of us will need to find a job, but for the summer months I can relax and be with my baby!

I can't describe to you how excited I am for May 4th to be here. As much as I have enjoyed the past 3 years and as thankful as I am to have had these opportunities, I can't wait to slow down - even if it is only for 3 months or so. When I leave Lydia these days it isn't as gut-wrench-ing-ly painful as it was when she was 3 weeks old and the semester had just started. In fact, in a lot of ways I enjoy getting out of the house each day and having some adult conversation. However, I always miss her. And more importantly when I am home with her I long to be able to focus solely on her and not have to worry about my next homework assignment or lesson plan. It will be wonderful to get to live each day with her. I plan on still getting out of the house everyday, but now she will come with me!

I feel so blessed to have all of the opportunities that we do and to have the amazing family that we have to support us. We will miss Lexington tons... but that is another post! We know that for right now this plan is God's plan for us and that makes us both really excited for the future. Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers over the next few weeks as all of this change happens, and I will be sure to keep you updated. Happy Wednesday!