Health Update and Stories from Pre-Marital Counseling

Hey all!

I had my procedure (a flexible sigmoidoscopy) this morning, and everything went smoothly. Thankfully, they didn't find anything troubling, and I felt no pain whatsoever under the anesthetic. It was way easier than I thought it would be! The prep was the worst part... No solid foods for almost 24 hours, and a few other unpleasant things... But I made it! My mom took me to Cracker Barrel afterwards, and I had a feast. :)

In wedding news, I have officially ordered Save the Dates!! They should be in before long (hopefully before I go out of town), so now it's a matter of finalizing the guest list. Other things I need to do sooner rather than later are: choosing a florist, (officially) booking the DJ, and meeting with the wedding coordinator at the church.

Collin and I are almost done with pre-marital counseling! We did two sessions at once the day before my graduation (see what I mean about marathon weekend?), so now we only have one session left. We may have to Skype Collin in for one if he doesn't make it back down here before the wedding, but he may be here in June to help me move, which is our last possible opportunity. Counseling has been interesting... The first thing we had to do was take a test separately in order to assess our compatibility. We agreed on a lot of things and scored well overall - we actually earned the highest compatibility rating of "vitalized" couple. Pat on the back for that one. ;) We scored really well on conflict resolution and communication, which is great, but apparently we didn't do too well on marriage expectations (due mainly to the fact that I was trying to read too much into the test... oops).

Lisa, our counselor, was most concerned about the fact that we had never lived by each other or even been around each other for an extended period of time, plus we haven't been together as long as some couples, all of which she says may be the reason for our "unrealistic" expectations. It's a fair point, but I argued that the limitations to our relationship (ie: distance) have forced us to get to know each other a lot faster since all we could do all the time is talk, so I think we are a lot further on at this stage in our relationship than we would have been had we lived by each other. I'm not worried about it, and neither is Collin. I think we are both very realistic people, and we both acknowledge that living together may be a bigger adjustment for us than for some couples, but I honestly think it's challenging for all newlyweds. And I do think we're as ready now as we ever will be. So, bring on the challenge!

One result from the test that was particularly funny was our differing stress level. Collin scored a 50, which is considered moderate, and I scored a 95... out of 100. Haha whoops. Needless to say, that was pretty high. It was interesting to me, because I wouldn't consider myself an easily stressed person, but I do (or at least I did) have a lot of stressors contributing to my overall anxiety - the wedding, the thesis, graduation, finding a job, finding a place to live in CT, getting ready to leave my home forever, etc. It adds up, but thankfully my biggest stressors (thesis and graduation) are OVER. I still have other things to prepare for, but I don't mind them as much. Thank goodness! Maybe I can bring my stress level down to a 75... I think that's the best I can hope for as a woman. ;)

That's all for now. Stay posted! I'll be in Chicago this weekend for my friend Kelsey's wedding (yay!), but then I'll have to hit the ground running when I come back!

Love,

C & A

GRADUATION!!

Hey everyone,

Sorry for the delay in posts. Finals consumed my life for a while, but it is ALL OVER now, because as of yesterday, I am officially an alumna of Belmont University!! That's right, I GRADUATED! :) After much deliberation and anxiety (not to mention countless sleepless nights), I turned in my FINAL THESIS on Tuesday of this week. My tutor was gracious enough not to force more revisions out of me, so I was finally able to get it done!! I felt better than I have in MONTHS (literally) after turning that thing in. It was awesome.

Collin came in Thursday night, and Friday morning began another marathon weekend for us. I had graduation rehearsal at 9, we had marriage counseling from 11-1, and then we had to drive straight back to campus for Baccalaureate at 2. Whew! We got some dinner after Baccalaureate at my favorite restaurant in the world - Las Palmas. As much as I joke about it, I really am going to miss that place!

Saturday was graduation day, and it was a busy day, too! But a good one :) Graduation was at 10 am, yet I had to be there super early for no real reason. The ceremony was loooong, but surprisingly enough, I actually enjoyed it - even President Fisher's speech, which was much shorter and more creative than I ever anticipated. Funny thing is, I don't remember much at all about my walk across the stage. I know people cheered, but I paid no attention to the audience; I didn't even catch everything Fisher said to me when he handed me my diploma... I know he said "very impressive" (in reference to my honors) and "congratulations," but then he kept talking as I walked away, and I just kept nodding and saying "thanks so much!" Haha oh well.

Following graduation was an extensive photo session (in 90 degree weather, no less) and then lunch at Chili's. My graduation dinner was at Buca - believe it or not - and it was delicious. :) My parents gave me a vintage Alpha Gamma Delta badge, which I have been wanting for quite some time. It's from 1936 from the University of Kentucky, and it's a crown pearl badge with a diamond, which basically means it has a lot of bling. ;) My wonderful in-laws-to-be even got me a gift and a card! I was so surprised and humbled. They got me a lovely charm bracelet with a snowflake charm (I'm assuming to remind me of Minnesota). So sweet!! My family is awesome. :)

Here are a few pictures from graduation (FYI- the baby is my nephew, Cooper!):

Thanks to everyone for all your love and support throughout this semester!! It all paid off, and now I can focus on getting a job and getting married. :)

For a quick update on everything else...

• I plan on moving up to CT at the end of June
• I will be going to MN in a couple weeks with Collin for his brother's graduation plus some wedding activities :)
• I will be in Chicago next weekend for another wedding (the second in two weeks!), and it will be my first time there!
• I have to get a flexible sigmoidoscopy on Wednesday, so keep me in your prayers! It's not a major procedure, but I'm nervous about it because I hear it's super uncomfortable unless you go under (which means I will probably go under), and it basically requires fasting... Anyone who knows me knows how much I eat, so this will be a problem.
• Wedding planning is in full swing now that school is out... so be prepared for lots of updates!

Love,

C & A

Nashville Flood

Hey everyone,

For those of you who don't know, Nashville is in the process of recovering from a massive flood that devastated our city last weekend. It's not getting a lot of national media attention, but it's really rough here... So far about 30 lives have been lost, and that number is steadily climbing as homes are being cleaned out. Downtown was completely underwater, as were many neighborhoods and historical landmarks in and around the Nashville area. It was a record-breaking flood that is estimated to have caused at least $1 billion in damage, which would make it one of the most expensive natural disasters in U.S. history.

Thankfully, all my friends and family have been spared the worst. Green Hills (the neighborhood where I live) was probably one of the least affected areas, though the first-floor apartments in my complex still had flooding. I was very lucky. My parents' house wasn't quite so lucky, but it could have fared much worse. We live next to a creek, and even though there is an acre of distance between the creek and our house, the water still managed to surround the house and flood our family room (the lowest room in the house) with up to 4 feet of water. My parents were out of town for the worst part of the storm, but came back in time to salvage the furniture downstairs. The carpet has to be replaced, but that seems to be the only casualty, thank goodness.

Others haven't fared so well... Many alumnae of my sorority who live in the area have suffered a lot of damage from flooding, and some have lost everything. My sorority is trying to help out by donating money and items as well as volunteering our time. The one good thing to come out of all this is the way Nashville has stepped up as a community to help out those in need. Relief organizations have been overwhelmed with donations and volunteers to the point that they have had to start turning people away. The aftermath of the flood may be devastating, and the economic downfall sure to follow (due mostly to the destruction of tourist destinations such as Opryland and the Country Music Hall of Fame) will be equally difficult, but I think there is something to be said for the people of Nashville, whose spirits are stronger than ever. As I am about to leave this place that I have called my home for 22 years, I finally feel like a true Nashvillian, and I have never been prouder to call myself one.

Here is a really good video of compiled footage from the flood. There are lots of videos out there, though, so if you want to see more footage, you don't have to look very far.

Here are some more photos from last weekend (the last one was taken outside one of our alums' houses):

I still can't believe this happened to my city... Please keep Nashville in your prayers as we continue with the recovery effort.

Love,

C & A