here we are.

I have always known I would be an eternal student. I enjoy school. I like learning new things and becoming knowledgeable and proficient in subjects I care about. In college I majored in both Psychology and Marriage and Family Studies. My plan was to be at stay at home wife and mother if I was given the opportunity and also to be a therapist at some point either before or after raising a family. I am passionate about relationships. I love learning about how people work and why they think the ways they do. I think it takes a lot of courage to seek out someone who can help us overcome negative thinking, challenge our perceptions when they are not helpful, and learn better coping strategies than the ones we've developed on our own. Life is HARD! That's one thing I know for sure. We can find a lot of joy in the journey of course. Knowing that the hard things we go through help refine us and mold us into the daughters and sons of God that we are meant to be can really provide a lot of strength and ability to endure whatever comes our way.

I'm a little older...and wiser...than I was when I was in college the first time. I've been married for 17 years and have four children. Five if you count my pseudo-adopted daughter who spends more time with us than she does at her house. I'm still really passionate about the same things- relationships, the way we think, what motivates us and how we deal with all the experiences we have in life. I'm also passionate about marriage and family as social constructs and institutions. I think that these are both absolutely fundamental units of our country and the world at large.

About a year ago, I had two of the most difficult experiences of my life. In the midst of those things, I felt impressed that it was time to get back to school. The timing wasn't awesome. My kids are still young and they need a lot from me. My job at home isn't even close to done, but it's important to me that I follow through on promptings I receive. I believe the Lord knows what I need (and what my family needs) even better than I do, and I am so grateful that He cares enough about all of us that He will lovingly guide us to become the best versions of ourselves if we let Him.

So here we are. I've been back in school for three semesters so far and just started my fourth. It takes 90% of my brain power and time. It's hard, interesting, thought provoking, tiring, hard, so enriching, hard and also adds a whole new dimension to my life and purpose. Did I say hard? ;-) Basically, I love it but struggle to manage it with everything else I am responsible for. To top it off, I had a very demanding calling at church for the first three semesters. I'm positive I was able to survive and thrive solely because I was being carried and magnified in a way that I know could have only come from the Lord. His love is truly magnificent. 

I started this blog as part of an assignment for one of my classes. I look forward to writing out my thoughts and gaining new perspective as I go.