The Final Countdown-4 Weeks to Go!

Welp...COMP is over!!  Wow I can't believe we can actually say that now...crazy!!  Jonathan was exhausted after his test, but he feels confident coming out of it.  I can usually tell by his body language how he did on his exams.  I think it's safe to say he nailed this one to the wall just like all the others before.  Now to tackle this USMLE Step 1 test!  He took Saturday through this coming Thursday off and will hit the ground running studying for Step starting Friday morning.  He is pretty stressed about this test.  He feels a lot of pressure to do well on it (I mean...it *is* our future I guess o_O).  I'm trying not to stress him out about it though.  I know he's going to do stellar on it.  He told me the other day that studying and preparing for the test wasn't his biggest concern.  It was staying as stress free as possible in the meantime...

This week is a break week for me.  After this week we have 3 weeks left of the Kindergarten Co-op and then we fly home.  During this week we will be breaking down the Treehouse classroom and moving it to a different location.  I think once that room is emptied out it will start feeling more real that we are leaving.  We will be making that room look like a bedroom again!  Also this week Jonathan and I will be packing the last of our barrels.  That entails actually packing our bags to fly too, because whatever won't fit in our suitcases has to go somewhere!  We will either be putting it in our barrels to ship home next week, selling it on Craigslist, donating it to a needy family in Portsmouth (or an organization), or giving it away to friends in need/want.  So the final 2 1/2 weeks here on the island we will be living out of suitcases.

This final month will fly by no doubt.  In the meantime, here are the #4's!

The #4 Thing I Will Miss About Dominica

inLightin and The Henry's.  I have 2 more Fridays left to say my goodbyes to this crazy bunch of Dominican kiddos and their mamas.  This experience has profoundly impacted my life for the better and I can't express how grateful I am to have had the opportunity to serve in this capacity.  These children have taught me about compassion, selfless giving, community, and how important family is. There have been weeks where I went to inLightin somewhat reluctantly because I was so tired from a long week...and it was those weeks where I left the most full.  My heart has been broken for some of these families and children.  But I have been equally blessed to see how the little things we've done to help and the overwhelming tenacity of these families have helped to pull some of these people out of hopeless poverty and into bright futures.  It was my pleasure to serve them these 18 months.  The Henrys specifically will always have a piece of my heart.  I truly know what it means to love someone with the love of Christ because of what they have been in my life.  I will miss snuggling with sweet Stacy, razzing Calvin, watching Joel and Johnson grow into fine upstanding men of God, and seeing Shernia bloom into such a beautiful, smart, caring young woman.  It has been a real treat for me to see their mother Junie evolve too.  She has moved from hopeless and destitute to someone willing, able, and anxious to help others.  It's a beautiful thing.  I am grateful for their influence in my life.  When I remember Dominica, it will be *these* faces that are in the forefront of my mind...

The #4 Thing That Will Be Awesome About Living in the States Again

Living in OKC for a hot minute.  I have never *lived* in Oklahoma City in my life.  I lived in Norman while Jonathan and I were in school at OU.  And we've spent LOTS of time and several extended stays in OKC.  But for the first time ever, we will be LIVING there!  I am so excited about this, because it's been 7 years since I lived in the same town with some of my favorite people.  I can't tell you how excited I am that I will only be a phone call away from *seeing* Angela, Rachel, Nicole, Bernice, etc.  It's gonna be glorious!  I'm kind of in love with how metro OKC has become.  I am very much looking forward to experiencing the city in a new capacity.  This is something that I think about A LOT actually!  OKC may or may not be somewhere we live long term.  I guess it all depends on where Jonathan lands his residency in a few years.  But for a hot minute, we get to live there and I could not be more thrilled...