The Final Chapter

Yesterday when I got home from running errands there was a package on my door step for Kane. Inside was 2 hardback, bound copies of his dissertation. It is literally in book form now!

This is sort of the final chapter for the grad school journey. Even though he has officially had his Ph.D for almost 9 months (wow--hard to believe how time has flown since then!) and it's been 5 months since he walked in his regalia at the Georgia Tech graduation ceremony, it's still cool to see the end result of his 5 years of hard work in a book form! When he defended his dissertation it was printed and stuck in 3 ring binders for all his committee members, but somehow this just seems way cooler than that!

Kane had fun flipping through the book last night and said it brought back lots of memories. Sort of interesting when his life/job has been one of teaching for the past two semesters to think back to the way things were as a student. I'm so thankful for the change of routine for him and that the student days are behind us, but it is fun to look back and remember those days sometimes---those days that at times felt like they would literally never end!

The second copy we'll repack and ship to Atlanta to his adviser, Dr. Bottomley for him to keep in his office (it's just what you do) and I'm guessing the copy we keep will be stored in Kane's office.

Once again, my heart fills with great pride as I think about the huge, huge accomplishment this was for him and it makes me so thankful that he finished the course well!

Way to go, Babe!!

The book!

Seeing his name on the binding just makes me smile! :)

I also like the acknowledgment page as Mara Kate and I are both mentioned and thanked for our love and support. Sweet!

Alumnus---It's Official!

Friday night we drove to Atlanta for Kane's Georgia Tech graduation. He defended his Ph.D back in July and has since started a new job using said degree, but he officially walked on Friday.

His Mom drove in on Friday morning and went with us to the ceremony which was so nice. We ate an early supper in Atlanta then headed to Tech. We dropped Kane off early while we went to find parking. Mara Kate ended up falling asleep just a few minutes before we got to Tech so we sat in the car for about an hour before going in to let her get some rest. Once inside we found seats and waited for the ceremony to begin.

Of course, Buzz was present and although Mara Kate didn't want her picture made with him, she did want to know where he was at all times.

Buzz

The graduate giving a BIG smile in the processional

The Ph.D graduates are the ones up front in gold. The rest are Masters graduates.

Kane about to head across the stage. I wish could have zoomed in better.

Being hooded by his Advisor, Dr. Bottomley.

It's over---Yay!

The completely chaotic and crowded hallway after the ceremony. My cell phone had NO reception in this building and it's a miracle that I was able to find Kane in this mess.

Dr. Barker with Dr. Bottomley

Proud Wife!!!

Sorry there are not any pictures with Mara Kate or Kane's mom. Mara Kate had a bit of a melt down during the ceremony (due to a sore throat and a fever that crept up while we were there). We ended up leaving the ceremony immediately after Kane walked and went to Walgreens to get some Tylenol for the fever. We got the medicine in her in the parking lot and headed back to Tech. We were thankfully able to find another parking spot when we got back and Kane's mom graciously stayed in the car and let Mara Kate rest since she really wasn't feeling well while I went in for the remainder of the ceremony and to find Kane afterward.

Other than the fact that Mara Kate felt so bad it was a good night and we even stopped and got milkshakes on the way home! A fun memory!

Catching Up

It has been quite awhile since I've been a consistent blogger. Sorry about that. After our move to Rome and working fery hard to get settled, I had to leave town for an unplanned road trip to Missouri. My grandmother had back surgery about 3 months ago and was recovering nicely until some blood clots in her lungs sent her back into the hospital from the rehab center.

Over the past 3 months we almost lost her several times, but each time she would pull through and begin on the road to recovery. A few weeks ago her kidneys began failing again and when the doctor said dialysis was needed, she refused. She knew full-well that refusing dialysis, meant her days were numbered. After spending 3 months in the hospital that was her wish, to just go home to heaven. My grandfather passed away last July and my grandmother had had a very, very lonely year at home. I know she was just ready to be finished with all the pain, lonliness and suffering she had been enduring. Although, I understand where she was coming from, it was still very hard to hear the news that she had refused the dialysis. Once I got that call my sister and I decided it was time to pack our bags and head back to Kansas City (after just getting home from there just a month earlier). We arrived in Kansas City in time to spend some time with my grandmother while she was still alive and able to communicate. I cherish those days we were able to surround her hospital bed and sing hymns to her, talk with her and just let her know we were with her and we loved her. I am also thankful for the time we had to say our goodbyes....something we didn't have the opportunity to do with my grandpa who died suddenly one afternoon after he finished mowing his grass.

My grandmother passed away in the middle of the night on August 17th. We stayed in Kansas City that whole week preparing for her funeral service. We also spent time going through her house and dividing up her belongings. This was a hard process too and one we hadn't had to face when my grandfather passed away, so needless to say, this trip was very tiring and draining both emotionally and physically. I ended up being away from home for almost 2 weeks and by the time we were on the road headed back to Georgia I was desperate to be back home, in Rome, with Kane. As I drove the last 3 hours of that trip the reality of Grandma being gone started to sink in in a different and more real way. For the 3 months she was in the hospital my dad would call me often to give me updates and I was always concerned that it would be bad news. Now that she is gone, I no longer have to wonder how Grandma is doing today---I know she is in a better place alongside my grandpa with Jesus! In her last days she told us, "I'll get to see Jesus everyday!" What a comfort this is to me, knowing this is true.

So, now I am home and trying to finish getting settled in and getting caught back up in our daily life and routine. Mara Kate is in "detox" having to get back into taking naps (or at least resting) in the afternoons and going to bed at a decent hour. While we were in Kansas City all routine went out the window as we were too busy and focused on other things to care. Mara Kate got used to playing with her 6 cousins everyday for almost 2 weeks and now it's just her and me, so yes, she has some adjusting to do now that we are home. But, it has been nice to be back in my own bed and to be with Kane again.

Now that I am home again, I am hoping to blog more consistently again.

A few random updates on other recent happenings:

*Kane has started teaching this week and so far it is going well. Today he will be wearing his Ph.D regalia for the first time as Shorter is having an opening ceremony for all the new students this morning. He'll wear it again in December at Georgia Tech's graduation ceremony that he will be walking at.

Modeling his regalia with Mara Kate. She is very proud of her Daddy and so am I!

The hood

The embroidered Georgia Tech seals. Very nice!

*Also, we had been in the market for awhile for a 2nd car as we lived for 5 years during graduate school with only one set of wheels. While I was in Kansas City Kane did some car shopping and bought a 2006 Ford Taurus. We will go pick it up Saturday from the dealer. I haven't seen it (or even pictures of it), so I hope I like it ok. It's just a tool, nothing fancy, which is all we need, so I think it'll be fine. I'm just thankful we will each have a car now that Kane can't walk to work.

*I am really enjoying our home and look forward to when every little thing has a home and everything is settled. We are still working on that, but it is coming together slowly.

*I am looking forward to visitors coming soon. My sister and brother in law in Alabama are planning to come see us sometime soon and my parents will be here in early October too. I can't wait for everyone to see our new home in Rome!

Some pictures of us enjoying the great outdoors around our new home!

Mara Kate helping to water my container garden.

Playing "catch" in the back yard with Daddy with her new softball mitt.

Grad Gifts

Here are the gifts I got Kane for his big accomplishment!

A Shorter College (where he will be a professor starting in a few weeks) T-shirt, a nice new name plate for his desk as well as a candy dish for his office, which has the Georgia Tech seal engraved into it's surface.


Close up on the Ga Tech seal

Close up on the name plate ~ I like how "Dr. Kane" sounds. :)

Still just SO, SO proud of my smart, hard working husband!!

HE DID IT!!!!!

Kane passed his defense yesterday and is officially now, Dr. Kane Barker or Kane Barker Ph.D. Either way, we are extremely happy, thankful and proud! I am excited to hopefully have my husband back after about 2 months of crazy long work hours.

We are also excited to be celebrating our 5th Anniversary TODAY! We'll be able to enjoy ourselves more knowing that his defense is behind us!

Kane with his adviser, Dr. Bottomley

I joked with Kane last night and said, "OK, you can mark "Earn Ph.D" off your to-do list. ha!
I am completely a list maker and function very well with to do lists. I also sometimes make lists for Kane of things he has to do to help him stay organized. With our move just days away I have a list going for him of the things he needs to do before the movers come (stuff like take apart beds, uninstall hooks, shelves, etc.). Well, to be funny, he added to the bottom of that list "earn Ph.D" and said, the other stuff on this list will get done once this is marked off. So, now he can mark it off and get going on everything else. :) I guess that's been on his mental list of things to do for over 5 years, so I'm sure it feels pretty good to check it off! Congrats, Kane---so very proud of you...and I KNEW you could do it!!

Defense Day

Today Kane will defend his thesis. Big day for him! Please be praying for him if you think about it. Thank you!

This is the Week

...that I've been anticipating for almost 5 years. And wondered many times if it would ever get here. Kane's PhD defense is on Thursday. It's just 2 days away! How many times have I thought about his defense and when it would be here?! Countless times.

Looking back...

I remember moving boxes and furniture into our first apartment in Atlanta 2 weeks before our wedding. Kane, his dad, my dad and I came down to "move us in". We worked so hard that day! We put together our bed, my dad scrubbed our bathroom while I worked like a mad woman to unpack our kitchen and Kane and his dad did the unloading. That's about all the "settling in" we did before the wedding. We needed to get the apartment livable enough for us to spend one night there on our honeymoon before we flew out of Atlanta to a resort in Mexico.

After move in day we both went home and 2 weeks later we got married in Virginia and then finished settling into our apartment in Atlanta once we got home from our honeymoon. I remember that time with wonderful memories but also some very hard ones too. I remember feeling very isolated from "my life" as I knew it because when I got married and left for my honeymoon, I didn't come back. I remember leaving our wedding reception with bittersweet feelings because I knew when I left the reception, I was also leaving the life I had known to begin a completely new one. Not just with a new husband, but in a new city, with new people, new church, new EVERYTHING!

We returned from our honeymoon to Atlanta where I knew no one and didn't even know where to get my groceries (or really how to cook, ha!). I remember feeling like my life was in Virginia, I just wasn't there to live it anymore! I felt like our honeymoon never "ended" in a sense because we came "home" to no one! It was good and bad. Weird and surreal at times. It took a lot of adjustment (that I admit partly came through many, many tears).

Anyway, the reason for our move to Atlanta in the first place was for Kane to start graduate school. The concept was so fresh and new. The campus seemed big and interesting, nestled into the heart of downtown Atlanta. We were excited about doing all the "Atlanta things" and making this our home. Kane was excited to start the next chapter of his life, to take the next step towards a career. It has been a very special time because it's where our life together really began and so far it's all we've known as a married couple. We were anxious to get involved in a good church and meet friends and make this our home. But, in spite of that excitement I struggled at first because we came here knowing that it was just for a season that would eventually end and we would most likely move away at the end of that season.

At the beginning when I was overwhelmed with all the changes of marriage and our move I wanted the end to be here quickly. But, a lot has happened over the past 5 years and although I am definitely ready for this season to be over (as far as graduate student living is concerned), there are also things that will be difficult to leave. Anytime you invest in something for an extended period of time, there are things that make it hard and sad to change.

There were moments along the way when it was very difficult and times when Kane wondered if he would be able to finish. Lots of times of questioning, then pushing forward towards the goal. It has been hard work for 5 years. There have been challenges we've faced that as I think back on them I really wonder how we've done it for this long (and stayed sane--ha!) We've lived with only one car for the entire time we've lived here. We've done apartment living close enough to campus so Kane could walk (and to help save money and time on commuting). We moved from a one bedroom to a two bedroom apartment when Mara Kate was 18 months old, which means for the first 18 months of her life we all shared one bedroom (how did we do this?!). When we made the move to the larger apartment Kane's distance to walk to school almost doubled, yet he has endured it for 2 years so that we could have the benefit of a bigger place. (Thanks, Babe--that alone has meant the world to me).
Our child has never had her own yard to play in. We've toted our groceries and everything else up or down two flights of stairs every day and we've shared our "garage" with everyone else in the complex---it's a large parking garage. All of those not so fun things are about to change and I almost can't believe it. We are moving into a cute, 3 bedroom, 2 bath house with a yard and carport. Although the house seems like a glorified apartment as far as size is concerned, the fact that we are gaining an extra bedroom, a fairly large yard for Mara Kate to play in and a carport, not to mention the fact that we won't be living literally attached to other people is enough to make me happy. Oh, and it's cheaper rent than what we are paying now! It's exactly what we need and a little step up from what we've had, to boot. Thank you God for your provision for us in the housing department. I am very thankful.

Our life here has settled into a routine that I think when things are easier overall, I will feel like it's Christmas every morning. When I can walk out to my car that is parked directly outside my kitchen door, I will be giddy for months I think. ha! I am so thankful we are almost to the end of this time when I think about those kinds of convenience things.

But, when I think about our church and the relationships and the friendships that we've made it makes it much harder to think about moving away. I will definitely miss the comfort our church home has been to us. And the dear friendships that we've made. The friendships God had a big part in blossoming. I am very thankful that God has ordained that this move will only take us a little over an hour from Atlanta, so I feel like this move will be easier on me emotionally. I don't think I'll feel as isolated this time around. I feel like I'll be able to stay in touch with the friends here while I am meeting new ones in Rome. I'll be able to make day trips to Atlanta to see people on occasion or to meet up with my girlfriends for supper, etc.

Also, I feel like it isn't too far for people to come visit us in Rome....and everyone is welcome to come anytime! Rome is actually a very neat small town.

So, we are almost at the end of this season. The past two months have literally felt like H-E-L-L at times, but we are almost finished. It seems like a dream in a way, because we've dreamed of getting to this point so many times!

I am very proud of Kane and his hard work. I am looking forward to attending his defense on Thursday along with his dad who is driving in as well. I am excited about the celebration supper his advisor has planned for him that evening. I'm thrilled about our 5th wedding anniversary and celebrating it with Dr. Barker. (Our anniversary happens to be the day after his defense). :)

I love you very much Kane and am very proud to have stood by your side through this entire journey and I look forward to walking with you into the new chapter that awaits us just over the north Georgia hills.

Finally Finished (Writing)!!!

Over the past two months Kane has been working extremely long hours writing his thesis. It is quite a task to get 5 years of research into written form. He said writing this document has made him work harder than he ever has in his life.

Mara Kate and I took a week long trip to the beach with his family, without him because he was writing. Then, a week and a half later we took a 10 day trip to Missouri to visit my family so he could write, write and write some more. Being home alone all day and all evening was no fun for us, so we tried to stay as busy as we could.

Kane has been working until midnight or 1 am almost every night this past week and last night he was up until 4am. A printed copy of his thesis is due to his committee today, so he had to get it finished before this morning.

Thankfully, he was able to pull it all together and get the 5 copies he needed printed in time. He climbed in bed at almost 4am and slept for awhile, but it now up and getting ready to go to work (at 9am). He'll deliver his thesis, work the rest of the day and then we'll go out to dinner tonight to celebrate the fact that his writing is over. Yay!

He still has work to do between now and his defense (which is scheduled for July 23), but it won't require such long hours into the wee hours of the morning.

I'm so ready to have our evenings back together and actually be able to eat supper together too. I might actually cook a little if there is someone here to eat my cooking. ha!

Only two more weeks until our move. I've packed everything that I CAN at this point, but feel like there is a lot I'll need to pack the day or so before our actual move. Fun times for sure. I'm just ready to be in our new house so we can get unpacked and settled. We are all fairly tired of living surrounded by boxes. And Mara Kate randomly asking for toys she hardly ever plays with anymore and having to tell her, "Sorry it's packed!". Ugh.

Anyway, we can really see the light at the end of the tunnel now and I'm so extremely proud of Kane for all his hard work and for getting his thesis finished. We both felt like this time would never get here! The process of writing a dissertation has been compared to birthing a child and I think that's a pretty good comparison (although I can't imagine 5 years gestation). ha!

Congrats Babe! What an accomplishment. Now, just to defend all you've written about!

the last page!

The End & The Beginning

From this...

Kane is approaching the end of grad school. He has his defense date set for July 23rd (11 1/2 weeks from now). This marks the end of a very long road for us. We moved to Atlanta immediately after our wedding on July 24th, 2004. Kane started graduate school at Georgia Tech in August of '04. We have been doing the Midtown/Atlanta/Georgia Tech/grad school life for almost 5 years now. Mara Kate was born 15 months after we moved here and she will be 4 this Fall. Sometimes I feel like the time has flown by (mostly when I look at her) and other times I feel like we have been here, in this season for much, much longer than we actually have.

I cannot begin to tell you how extremely proud I am of Kane. There is no way I could ever do what he has done over the past 5 years. He has worked extremely hard (and still does everyday). There have been ups and downs, encouraging times and discouraging ones, but he (we) are almost at the finish line. For a very long time we felt like we would never be able to see the light at the end of the tunnel, but it is very refreshing to finally see that there really is going to be an end to this chapter of our life.

While Kane has recently had to pick up the pace a bit and add some extra hours each week to his workload in order to make sure he can finish everything on time, he has also spent a lot of time applying for and interviewing for jobs.

He has now officially accepted a position at Shorter College in Rome, GA as an Assistant Professor of Chemistry (starting mid-August). So, that means after he defends his dissertation the end of July and we celebrate our 5th wedding anniversary as Dr. and Mrs. Barker we'll be loading up all our belongings and driving about an hour outside of Atlanta to our new home in Rome.

I am thrilled for Kane and his opportunity to have this job right out of grad school. It is practically his "dream job" and I think he will really thrive in it. I am also excited about living in a small town again and not having to deal with the traffic of Atlanta on a daily basis. No more thinking about what time it is before I head out to do errands, so I can make sure I'm not going to get stuck in rush hour traffic while I'm out. Ahh! That will be a nice change.

But, I am sad to be leaving my close, dear friends in Atlanta as well as our wonderful church. It will be an adjustment I am sure, but I am thankful that Atlanta will be just over an hour away and I can come visit friends fairly often. I can also still get to IKEA (and other Atlanta stores) without too much hassle (very important!) So, although I won't be around on the daily/weekly basis, I do think I will be able to maintain good relationships with those I am close to now and also have the opportunity to meet new people in our new town as well.

As time clicks away this Summer I will be going to Rome at some point to look at possibilities for where we can live. We are thinking at this point we'll try to rent a house. We are praying that God will lead us to the right home to meet our needs, fit our budget and not be too far for Kane to drive on a daily basis.

So, one chapter is about to end and a new one is about to begin. I normally don't do well with changes and I know this change will have it's tough spots as well, but I am thankful that I do have peace about where we are going and I know God is going before us and with us.

And, we will welcome visitors anytime, so if anyone wants to come see us and check out the pretty little town of Rome, please do--any time!!!

...to this.

A Godsend

This has been a crazy week for us. I woke up Monday morning not feeling great. I had a sore throat and a constant throbbing headache. Kane's sister was due to arrive on Tuesday for a 3 day visit and Kane's 6 month research review was on Wednesday morning as well. I made myself go to the grocery store on Monday because I had lots I needed! Part of what I needed was food for Kane to serve to his committee during his review. I went to the store that morning and used up all the energy I had. That evening I went to bed with a 101.5 fever and chills. I was just feeling awful!

Elizabeth checked in with us to see if she needed to change her plans for coming and we begged her to get here as soon as possible! I was feeling like there was no way I could do all I needed to do to help Kane get ready for his review while I was so sick. Elizabeth came just at the right time and was an absolute godsend! Tuesday we didn't do a lot. Elizabeth put supper together, she bathed Mara Kate and put her to bed. We just chilled that evening and watched American Idol together all while Kane was working. He worked until 10pm Tuesday evening and if I had been home alone there is no way I could have gotten Mara Kate taken care of on my own. I cannot tell you how thankful I was to have an extra pair of hands and also the company while Kane was focusing 100% on his review.

Wednesday morning I got up feeling worse and Kane made an appointment for me to go to the tech health clinic. I was thinking I might have strep throat. Again, Elizabeth being here made it possible for me to go to the clinic and leave Mara Kate with her. While I was gone she also put together all the food Kane needed for his review and was planning on driving it over to Kane's office before his review. I didn't have to worry about a thing!

After finding out that my strep test was negative I came home hoping this virus would let go soon! I got home right as Elizabeth and Mara Kate were heading to the car to deliver Kane's food so I just rode with them. That afternoon I rallied a bit and we decided to get out for a bit. Since I knew I didn't have strep I just pushed through and tried to enjoy the time we had with Elizabeth. We went to a couple stores to browse and then came home and got ready to meet Kane for supper. We went out to celebrate the fact that Kane passed his review and also Elizabeth's birthday which was on Monday! We ended up having a really nice supper together.

Yesterday Elizabeth and I went to a bead store up in Buckhead. Since Elizabeth makes jewelry she is always on the look out for bead shops in new places. We went to this store the last time she was here and wanted to go back. She bought some beads and I bought some too. When we got home she helped me design a new necklace with matching earrings! So fun!

It turned out to be a wonderful visit with just the right amount of fun, relaxing and also help from her just when we needed it most! Thanks Elizabeth for making the trip! We love you!

Tuesday afternoon Mara Kate wanted Elizabeth to do "school" with her since BeBe is a real teacher! She learned the sounds that A, B, C and M make. They had such fun!
(Since it was St. Patty's Day Eliz arrived wearing green! Good thing too, because we were all prepared to give her a good pinch, but thankfully she was spared!)

Making a "cake in a cup". Eliz brought the makings and the recipe for "5 minute Cake in a Cup." If you ever have a craving for a piece of cake, but don't want an entire cake sitting around your house this is a great "single serving" cake that can literally be ready in 5 minutes. If you want the recipe let me know!

I had to post this picture! We were trying to get some pictures with the pretty daffodils at Kane's office and this was what happened when a tiny little pine needle poked Mara Kate in the toe. Do we have a Drama Queen on our hands?!!

Mara Kate and her BeBe!

Kane with his big sis! Doesn't he look so nice all dressed up?!
The people at work aren't used to seeing him in a tie!

The cake Mara Kate and I made for Elizabeth (before I was feeling too bad).
We celebrated by lighting 30 candles for her milestone birthday!

Mara Kate helping blow out the candles!

We stopped in at Chick-Fil-A for lunch yesterday afternoon.
It was a nice break and the lemonade felt so good on my poor little throat.

Acting silly while making jewelry.

My new necklace Eliz made for me and helped me design.
I LOVE it!

One More Thing

I forgot that I wanted to post a picture of this purse I got at the consignment sale for Mara Kate. It was cheap and said Georgia Tech. It was a no brainer! Mara Kate fell in love with it immediately and is very proud to have something that says, Georgia Tech on it. She is very well aware of the fact that that is where her Daddy works/goes to school and she knew what it said before I even told her. I showed her the purse and said, "This is for you--do you know what it says"?! Her little eyes lit up and she loudly said, "GEORGIA TECH!". :) She has taken this purse with us on every outing since I gave it to her and when we are at home she sits it right by the door so she will not forget to take it next time. So sweet.

Also, look who happens to fit perfectly inside---Penelope!
She has been "napping" inside there a lot the past 2 days. :)

Six Month Review & Tour of the South

Next week Kane has his 6 month review. This is a big hurdle in grad school and is pretty much the last "hoop" to jump through until he defends and completely finishes his degree. We've waited a long time for him to get to this point in grad school and we are glad it's finally here and ready for it to be behind us. So, this weekend will once again be filled with Kane working a lot. We are hoping things will calm down a bit after his review (at least on the weekends) and we'll have more of a life together as a family. I am ready for that to happen, if it actually does happen. I feel like even when we think things are going to be calm, other things pop up unexpectedly and we still miss time together, so I'm trying not to get my hopes too high, as I know in this part of grad school crazy, busy schedules are sort of par for the course.

Also, next week Kane's sister is coming to visit for a few days. She teaches school and will be off for her Spring Break. She is doing a "Tour of the South" and making her rounds to visit family in different places in the South where we all live. We are the second "stop" on her tour---she'll come here after she goes to Knoxville then after us she'll head over to Birmingham to visit Kane's brother and his wife and then complete the circle and head back home to Nashville.

It'll be fun to have her and I know Mara Kate will enjoy having BeBe here to play! (I'll enjoy it too, having help keeping Mara Kate entertained for a couple days). :) Also, I do enjoy Elizabeth's company and enjoy hanging out with her. BeBe, have a safe trip and we'll see you soon!

Elizabeth (with a much younger Mara Kate) who will be going on tour soon!
Be sure to see her in a town near you!

Hard Workin' Man

So far this semester of graduate school already beats all the ones previous as being the most challenging and most despised by Kane and me. There have definitely been other ups and downs and pros and cons to our grad school experience and although I do support Kane's work as a whole, the cards we were dealt for these 3 months are just plain crappy.

I have started working at our church's office 3 afternoons a week (with Mara Kate in tow) and that is going well except for the fact that I basically have to fit everything else I need to do in life in the other 2 weekdays--errands, grocery shopping, cooking, cleaning, laundry, mothering, wifing and building/investing in relationships, etc. Even though I feel pretty stretched by the time the weekend arrives, what I am doing doesn't even hold a candle to the amount of hours worked, energy spent and brain power exerted to what Kane is doing each week this semester.

My sweetie is definitely a hard working man these days and I do admire him greatly for all he is doing (and with a good attitude too). He is working 5 days a week on his usual research, working 2 evenings a week as a night supervisor in an undergraduate lab, and he is tutoring 3 high schoolers on a weekly basis (Monday nights and Sunday afternoons). He also continues to get up early in the mornings to spend time with Mara Kate. That has been their special time where they eat breakfast, play and read books together before Kane heads out. He usually takes this time to make my morning coffee so when I wake up its ready to drink!

All that to say---he is busier than usual and I am busier than usual and we barely see each other. We enjoy Tuesday nights together which is usually the calm before the storm. I work Wed.-Fri. and he works nights on Wed. and Thur. nights. When we say goodnight on Tuesday evenings we jokingly say, "I'll see you Friday."
In the midst of this craziness though, we have made it a goal to spend at least 1 hour together (even if it is sitting in a booth at a fast-food place near campus) between work and night lab--that helps, but it's really not enough to maintain good communication.

Thankfully this set up is temporary and we can sort of see the light at the end of the tunnel. My time filling in at the church office should end near the end of January and his nighttime hours will be over when Tech lets out for Christmas break. So, what's that?! Only 15 or so weeks to go?

All I can say is, God, give us both the strength!

These pictures were taken after putting in a full days work doing research, plus working 4 hours in the night lab. I snapped these as I was heading to bed at about 11pm.
I don't think Kane made it to bed for several more hours!

I love you, sweetie! Thanks for working so hard.
You are appreciated!

Family Fun

Yesterday afternoon we decided to do something different and fun. We went over to the Georgia Tech Recreation Center and spent part of our Sunday afternoon in their leisure pool. The lifeguard graciously let Mara Kate use a float just right for her size. She took to the pool and water immediately and really enjoyed floating around. They also have a small "lazy river" where you can float through and are pushed along with the current. Mara Kate went through that several times and Kane and I also took turns going down the big water slide while the other one of us would stay with Mara Kate and watch the other one of us shoot out of the slide at the bottom. We ALL had a blast and since it is free to use the pool with our membership we plan to go back as often as we can in the future.

Tech water slide---very fun!

Kane and Mara Kate in the "lazy river"

Mara Kate sitting in a big girl chair :)