Update

Wow... I just realized its been over a month since I last wrote. Time has flown by. It feels like yesterday that picture of us was taken.

Anyway, to give you the 4-1-1.... I finished my work in Durham and joined the club in the hunt for a job. Maybe I have been avoiding writing because there's no victory post, but I think for the most part I've just been busy. I've joined this UK benefit system that helps you find work (which is nice) but they also demand a lot of your time (not so nice). Also, the youth weekend away at church just took place (a week ago) and the preparations for that were also time consuming. I've done some work for Mattersey and have been practicing driving ON THE LEFT SIDE OF THE ROAD! Crazy, I tell ya!

To be honest with you, I expected to be able to get a job much sooner. But it just seems to be really difficult times at the moment and jobs are scarce. Degrees mean next to nothing. It makes me all the more thankful for the work experience I gained whilst studying at SAU. The future is still fuzzy... there are ideas and desires (much wishful thinking) but things don't go according to plan... or shall I say, they take longer than you would like ;) It's alright, always good opportunities for growth.

On a brighter note: Simon has begun his Masters and is really enjoying it! He was a bit worried going in, but very quickly has gained confidence. I love seeing him study! haha, how weird is that! He has a group he'll be working with the whole year: a guy from India, a girl from Romania, Indonesia, Taiwan, and a couple Chinese people. He's one of the two British people on their whole course! So it's quite interesting to hear the stories he comes home with. I'm very proud of him. I'm excited to see where this leads him.

I miss you guys. I'll try and stay on top of things and share, even if things aren't going as hoped. It's all part of life :) Cheerio!

A lot of good things happened this last week...

1) On Monday, Simon and I celebrated our very first wedding anniversary :)
(in case you don't have facebook, here's a pic!)

Simon came up to Durham and we spent the day together. The weather turned out to be absolutely lovely! We walked along the river and enjoyed a day in town. In the evening we enjoyed a nice meal out & purchased a journal as a gift for each other ("paper" after all!), starting our very own little tradition :)


2) On Wednesday I handed in my MA dissertation thesis!!!

Print, bind, and submit! DONE! That's a whole year's worth of work completed! It actually turned out to be more nerve wrecking than I thought. haha. I had this feeling I was missing/forgetting something! But most of all it felt good :)

3) On Friday I handed in my final assignments and made the trip back home. After 10 days in Durham, over 10,000 words typed up, it was time for one last train ride. Here's a glimpse of how many train rides I've done in the last year:

I'm happy to be done. I've had this real sense of accomplishment since handing it all in. However, I won't find out my results until the end of October/early November so I can't technically say I've got an MA. It'll come!

I'm excited about the next phase in life. It does feel like a chapter has ended. Simon starts his Masters October 2nd. I'll be looking for another job on top of my online teaching. And I've set my heart on getting my UK license sorted! We're officially celebrating our first anniversary with a little trip away (two nights in the Lake District) end of September. Good things ahead!

Today, change feels good :)

Such wonderful fun in the sun!

It's hard to believe we're back in England after what felt like a whole summer in Greece. These last three weeks have flown by, but when I think back on all that took place I am reminded of the many fun memories and feel heartache creep in. I would have been perfectly happy to stay there even longer! I really enjoyed being with my family, spending valuable time with my sisters, cousins and friends. Truth is I'm finding it harder each time to say goodbye.

Week one was full of wedding planning, checklists, getting organized and making game plans, Olympics, Drawsomething crazy cousin chill time, girl time, occasional dissertation work, and sermon prep. The occasional anxiety attack (for all the preparations), but for the most part a nice chilled summer holiday.

Week two welcomed people from all places: USA, Hungary, England, Spain.... 10 people staying at our house, an extra 8 near by. This automatically meant fun meals out, beach time, coffee shops; but also setting up the location for the wedding! Chairs, pews, decorations, tables, center-pieces, FOOD! Lots of sweat in the sun, setting up for the big day! Bachlor and Bachlorette parties! Craziness to the max!

Week three kicked off with a glorious wedding :) All the hard work, the creativity, the preparations finally paid off. The service was beautiful and the reception that followed joyous. I felt so proud that day and blessed to be part of the celebration. May I say... the first dance..."around the world I searched for you" so romantic! This week was also accompanied by a trip to the Island of Corfu!  3 nights and 4 days, enough to enjoy a mini vacation. Simon, myself, my parents, Christi, and a couple from Spain all set off with the sense of accomplishment as the newly-weds were happy on their honeymoon (a cruise around the Mediterranean islands).

Friday came all too soon and so did the goodbye hugs at the airport.

Now back home, back to reality, I've got a Masters to finish. And oh! Did I mention? Simon is beginning his in October! Another prayer answered! Lot's to look forward to in the month of September. I am eager to be finished! Please do be praying, I've got lots to do before September 14th. But oh the joy, when it's all complete! So I'm back up in Durham tomorrow for the next few weeks.

Here are a few highlights of the trip:

 Cousins!

 Simon and my Pappou!

Yesterday was a good day!

I've been in contact with a Bible College here in the UK, Mattersey Hall, since March.  For months and months now I've been trusting their word for future employment. At times, if I'm honest, I've gotten impatient and frustrated with their slow response and lack of detail as to how it will all work out and exactly what they wanted me to do. Finally, on Tuesday morning I got in touch with the Academic Dean of Students and a meeting was arranged. Wednesday morning, Simon and I drove down across the country .

The trip started out hopeful, I was a bit nervous, I guess interviews always tend to have that affect on you! 

We encountered a bit of traffic, avoided the full force of it, and fortunately found the College just fine and made it on time!

My meeting lasted a good 3 hours. I shared a meal of fish cake and chips (french fries), spoke with the new Director of Distance Learning and the College President himself.

I came out satisfied and hopeful of the future! The wage is not ideal (it is a small Bible College with limited resources), but it definitely is a start! The best bit is that it doesn't interfere at all with the time I have to finish my dissertation and MA course! 

Unfortunately, the trip back wasn't as good. We hit tremendously horrible traffic. It took us 2 hours to move 2 miles! But arriving home, showering up, and cuddling in bed with the West Wing left us feeling relaxed and happy.

Indeed, God holds all things in his hands :) I am so thankful to see a bit more of what the near future holds. Thank you Lord :)

Don't you just hate the waiting?

I hate the waiting. 
Waiting to hear back about that one application...
Waiting to hear backing concerning that job opportunity...
Waiting to hear back so we can finally plan the next phase in life.

*sigh*

Waiting, waiting, waiting...

...I just hate it.

Yeah... we're just in that waiting stage right now.

So Simon and I have decided to start a blog together. We can't promise to be consistent in our posts or always have exciting adventures. The idea behind this, is when we are finally able to start our own family to keep a journal of the journey (especially since many of our relatives and friends live in different countries). But I guess our family began when we both said, "I Do". So here we go, the beginning of something new. I hope you are not bored already!