I promise, I'm still here!

My reason for this update is twofold: first, I wanted to reassure you that I had not forgotten about my promise to keep all of you informed of our "exciting" life.  Second, I wanted to explain that I have been urgently dedicating every spare moment possible to studying for my upcoming exam.

As such, I will keep this brief.  I promise to return to frequent postings about our adventures as soon as August 29th has come and gone.  Why the 29th?  That is the fated day for my IBHRE (International Board of Heart Rhythm Examiners) exam in cardiac rhythm devices.  Without getting too far into the details, it is an expensive exam that I must take every 10 years to be certified as a cardiac device specialist.  It has a reputation for being extremely difficult (hence the dedication to studying) and I can't really afford (financially, professionally, emotionally) to fail it.

Leonard doesn't like all of the attention I'm shunting away from him and onto studying

However, I wanted to share with you a few brief bits of information.

First, I am overwhelmingly thankful for those of you who took the time to make Darren's birthday special.  We have a mantel strung with birthday cards, a few dinner and movie dates on the schedule, and a weekend of fun memories thanks to you all.  Darren's best man and best friend, Cory, even came to visit us for Darren's birthday.  God placed very special people in our lives, and even though we are physically separated by distance, your love and encouragement is felt daily.

Here's our mantel covered in birthday cards! Also, you can see that I'm ready for football (read the next paragraph)

Second,  the weather here in St. Louis has been unbelievably gorgeous.  We haven't seen a degree higher than about 85 in the last week or so and, when you put that together with sunshine and a gentle breeze, you get my absolute favorite weather.  Our flowers are happy, the grass is green, all of our neighbors are outside reading on their decks and the children are running around playing games in the yard.  It looks like a scene from Pleasantville out here.  As much as I miss Texas (the people, the food, the overall mindset), you've got to admit the weather here wins big time.  About a month ago we had our first taste of this early-autumn preview, and I decided it was time to decorate for Aggie Football season.  Our mantel is decked in maroon, we've got the Aggie-colored afghan made lovingly by one of my adopted mothers from church (thanks, Mary!), and I put together a football schedule using the giant chalkboard from our wedding.

My football schedule. Who knew I'd have so much fun with a chalkboard??

Finally, I am going to be a bit vulnerable with you here and ask for your prayers.  This test means a lot to me, and I have been dedicated to preparing for it since early June.  I know that God has a plan for my goals and my career, and this is just one step of many to continue fulfilling what He has in store for me...but that doesn't mean I am immune to test anxiety and the endless black hole of "what ifs."  I have always loved learning and applying my brain power to gaining more knowledge, especially now that it's directly related to my field.  I just have a special challenge as my test day approaches because my rep is out of town on vacation the two weeks leading up to my test, meaning I am taking on all of his responsibilities as well as my own.  That limits my study time and increases my stress. I hope that two weeks from now I will be updating you on some of our adventures with a peaceful mind knowing that I did everything I could to be successful.

A beautiful rose from our garden- they've finally begun to bloom!