No pictures, Lots of wedding, Hold the schoolwork, please?

Since I've been gone...(with Kelly Clarkson's song resonating through my brain!) :D

I have been to VA, TX and back.
Mason got the job and we are headed to Fort Worth, TX in June!
We forgot my camera on the plane back from TX--SADNESS! (It has yet to be recovered)
Less than two months until our wedding and everything is falling into place (some things more smoothly than others, but that is to be expected).
Schoolwork has tapered off and become more manageable since Sr. Sem. is over--Praise the LORD!
I am getting more excited and having to watch my adrenaline levels everyday now that graduation and our wedding are so close!
Mason and I have received guidance, wisdom, and much practical advice for ministry that is invaluable to us at this point.
Mason and I have also been asked to minister to the teenage MKs at the BBFI Missionary Retreat this summer--talk about a busy summer!

And last, but certainly not least (or a recent development) I love you all and can't wait to be graduated, married, and settled in TX in our new church!

Another few weeks

Recap
Senior Seminar was truly the never-ending marathon course! Mason and I just finished the last assignment on Friday. It was the 11th of February that we had 700 pages of reading and 20-30 (depending on who you ask) essays due. Then, by February 29th at midnight we had to complete 1500 pages of reading and a 3-5 page summary paper. Thankfully, I was able to count all of my book research from my project: that totaled about 550-600 pages!

Looking back at my two month marathon, I am now only a few days from our "study trip break." This year is so different as I am not going on the study trip. I am excited to rest and I am not stressed or pressured about this break at all! Mason and I are headed to Texas to candidate in a church, and then will be enjoying some time in Virginia with his family. This will be my first break with no schoolwork since the summer, so it should be quite relaxing!

A look back to Valentine's day :)
Mason took me to Plaster Fun Time where we both picked out plaster molds and painted them!

Here is Mason working on priming his truck, and my "S" is in the foreground.

and he caught me priming my "S" (hopefully to hang in our home one of these days)

All primed and ready to be painted...

and the truck is ready to be painted too!
mid-way on the "S"
...no more on the painting because we had to run to catch out reservation at P.F. Chang's! YUM!

at the end of the night, all that was left was this...

they read: "Happier days are definitely ahead for you." &
"Be both a speaker of words and a doer of deeds."

and I had to have at least one picture of us...

-Marla

The last two weeks

For two weeks my life has been nothing but ADD/ADHD research and Bible study...so this is where I lived:

You've probably heard the saying, "It always gets worse before it gets better!"

...

It did... (here's the progression)


My glasses became my best friend! :)

and the absolute worst... (note the pillow brought in for lumbar support!) :D

And finally, at the end of 12 pages and 2 appendices, I finished the paper! (finally a sense of order was restored!)

and lastly, My happy face: "I'm FREE from the paper and presentation!"

-mri

Christmas Break: Part II

While we were in VA, we spent an evening with Mason's Father, Robin, and the girls (Grace and Lydia)

Here's Grace!

and Dad showing us a fun model engine

not the same one, but this one actually runs and spits out smoke like a real one! How cool is that?!

Grace is showing me a very small person that goes in the "train town." :)

and Ms. Lydia!

Grace had to show us her toys.

Mason lounged on the couch with the girls for a while
she is a sweetheart!

Mason and Grace cheesin'!
and I couldn't leave Roxy out--she was such a sweet puppy, but not much of a little puppy anymore. She was so excited to see us!
All three are enthralled in Toy Story 2, but Roxy wants attention. I particularly enjoy how Lydia is reading a magazine, watching her movie, and ready to go out in the cold!

-mri

Christmas Break

Let's see...

we logged over 2500 miles driving from Boston to VA, all over in VA, to Florence, SC...
then headed back to VA for a few days and then back to Boston.

And now I am kicking myself for not taking more pictures! Next time I will have to determine to fill my memory card, because then for sure we will have sufficient pictures.

But, what I do have...

We spent "Christmas Eve" with Mason's mother's family (at Memaw and Pepaw's house) after doing some last-minute shopping earlier in the day. After dinner Mason and I headed out to take a walk and Mason and his cousin Jeremy ended up playing with the remote-controlled car.

so I wandered off and played with my camera :) I took this behind the house.


another shot from the backyard

this leaf just intrigued me...

the REALLY old swing-set in the backyard, and the sun setting over the hill.




from the side that's the back of the house and backyard.

Mason finally came around and then decided to climb a tree! :) But, my hands were freezing by this time and with that and my camera not doing so well with the sunset lighting, it came out a little shaken.




we had to take advantage of the red wall :)
Silly Faces! (I went to kiss his cheek and he stuck his tongue out! How does that make sense?)
That's better! :D
Mason and his Mom peeking in on Memaw and the sisters

...more to come later.
-mri

One down, One to go

I completed editing my paper yesterday evening a little past ten and slid it under my professor's door. It was a wonderful experience to finish it knowing that I could go to my room and just rest. I had no exams or major projects looming before me for today. It was so surreal that, even though part of me wanted to celebrate by watching a movie or staying up extra late, I continued in my regular routine of getting ready for bed and settling in for the night with a little reading. Considering my roommate had an exam this morning at eight, this was probably a good choice since I did not keep her up too late!

Off to work on my presentation for tomorrow and then my Emily Judson paper.

-mri

Ecstatic

My classes were officially finished at 10:15 this morning! As soon as I walked into chapel I found that my afternoon class had been canceled so I was thrilled to have the time off. Not only that, by 1pm it was snowing furiously so I didn't have to work since the boys had an early dismissal. So, now I am down to a presentation and two papers...off to accomplish some of it!
-MRI