IT'S ALMOST HERE!

Oh my goodness, this week has been a doozy! It has been filled with so many good/great things, and anticipation is exploding out of Mom and Dad's home. Monday was super exciting because, guess what??? I GRADUATED! I am now officially a holder of an International Relations degree with two minors in German and Business from Portland State University! My life can finally move on, and I can actually read for pleasure! Wow! What a feeling! I can tell that my body is finally decompressing because, low and behold I have caught a horrible cold. It's OK, though! I'd way rather have it now than on our wedding day or honeymoon. It's all good, folks. ;-) Oh! And I finally had the time to make these delicious mint chocolate chip cookies that I've been dying to try! Wow, all of this free time! It's so foreign to me... I could seriously get used to this!
Christian and I also submitted an application and background checks for an apartment in Dubuque. The landlords are incredibly friendly, and the apartment is only a minute drive from Emmaus. If we get it, it would be such a blessing. Please be praying (if you think of us) about it, and that if it's not this place, that the Lord will provide something even more suitable for us to spend the next 3-4 years living in.
Christian also just finished his last class of the term, so now all he's thinking about are how excited he is that his family and dear friends are coming the day after tomorrow, our wedding is in SINGLE DIGIT days! (9... or 8 1/2... preferably the latter ;-)), and that the next time he goes into a classroom, it will be at Emmaus! Praise the Lord!
We are so excited to welcome Christian's family and our friends! We love them all so much, and can hardly wait to hug them all.
It's interesting to be so excited about all of these amazing things that are happening, but at the same time it's weird to think that the next 8 1/2 days are going to be filled with a lot of "lasts", too. This week was our last caregroup meeting. This Sunday will be our second to last day at Westside (our last day will be Christmas day). These are the last days that Christian and I will be single. This is the last week that I have living in my room, and my house. I guess this is my last week of being a "kid". BUT, the future is coming, and it will be a great adventure! I am so thankful for all that the Lord has done in our lives, and we are excited to continue the journey together now. After this week of "lasts", Christian and I will be having a lifetime of "firsts". I can hardly wait for that. :-)
Oh! And, just to kick-off our lifetime of "firsts", our amazing friends, Jeremy and Kylie Cole gave me my first Bible with my NEW NAME inscribed on the cover. I loooooove it!!!
Here are a few pictures from the last week :-)

Me, with my very last school paper EVER!

The Bible that the Cole's got for me with my new name :-)

The mint chocolate chip cookies that I made. (Mint Chocolate Chip is Christian's favorite :-))