Updates!

Wow, it's been so long since I posted. Well my car is driving like usual. No broken windows or stolen satellite radios...thank God!

School is going great. I do feel like I've gotten meaner this year. Not on purpose, maybe just with experience. For example, yesterday in class my student whispered to me, "Miss, your fiance is CUTE!" I just started laughing as I was passing out their papers. Another student across the room goes, "Wow! Miss Woodard actually smiles." Yep. I guess I need to smile a bit more, but I think I'll wait...

Wedding plans are going great! Murad picked out his tuxes although I haven't seen them. He's going to surprise me. We're taking a little break from wedding planning. I was just getting a little stressed out from it all and it was causing stress and chaos between us. Now, I'm starting my wedding day diet. Even though my wedding isn't until March, my mom wants to have my dress done in December. I'm having the hardest time losing the last five pounds. They are just so stubborn! So now it's serious calorie counting and exercise. That's how I lost all of my weight two years ago. I also cut out alcohol..except for "special" occasions! No more wine with dinner...

So now I'm just picking up little things here and there. For example, when I see a 50% off coupon for Michael's I'll go and pick up ribbon and stuff, but nothing major. I also found a lady who is selling me 67 votive candles for $10.00. They're slightly used, but will work perfectly for our wedding. I also ordered my veil today. I was so against having one and then I decided I needed one. However, I was NOT going to spend more than $30...impossible, right? No! I decided to go the nontraditional route and buy a birdcage veil. It's so cute. My mom is going to add rhinestones to it. And, it was only....$15. $15 compared to the $200 veils that some people buy to wear for just the ceremony. Now, I need to find bubbles and bubble guns. I think I'll just buy four or five bubble guns (one for each of the honor attendants and one for each of the flower girls). I think this will be cute for our grand exit! I'm getting excited that it's only six and a half months away!

Well in other planning news, after researching a bunch of options, Murad decided that getting a Ph.D in Social Work would not be a good move. It's more of a lateral career move and the amount of student loan debt he would incur would not be worth it. He sort of found out that a Ph.D in Social Work is only good if you want to do research. So, he's going to apply for a Ph.D in Counseling Psychology which would allow him to do research and work as a therapist. So far he's narrowed it to two schools to which he definitely wants to apply: UT and KU. We're also researching options in Dallas, but there aren't really any here. In addition, he'll apply at other schools too. I'm really excited about this change. I think this allows us more security, as a psychologist would make more money than a social worker. I hate to focus on the money, but there is more funding for psychology programs than social work programs. Even though he has some connections to people who know about social work funding, they aren't secure.

He also shows great promise as a psychologist. His first degree was in psychology, he used to run group therapy sessions and his current minor (with his second bachelor's) is in psychology. Whether or not we stay in Dallas, move to Austin or Kansas City, I welcome the change and am excited to see where the Lord takes us. We are so blessed to have found each other and I think that no matter where we are, we'll be happy as long as we're together...with Maya and Sampson, of course! I think ultimately this will allow him to pursue his interests while still doing what's best for our family, which is always his first priority. I'm so happy!

Of course why am I happy...because we have a plan! I'm all about planning. Planning weddings and planning life...but I know the best things do come when I don't plan. That's how I met my wonderful man. I couldn't have "planned" a better man!