How many words can a blog hold?

Pictures are worth a thousand words. I am well aware of that. However, right now, I do not know where my camera cord is. Therefore, I will probably end up with a couple thousand words in this blog. I apologize now, but I've lived through an ENTIRE summer without saying anything about it!

Since me last blog---

I lived in Nashville for 5 weeks with my best friend and husband (on the weekends). I did not just choose to leave my husband for this amount of time, but I had to...school was calling. While I was in Nashville, I commuted everyday to Bowling Green Kentucky to go to school. It was actually my internship, so I was seeing clients. I left on our anniversary (of course that would happen)...what could we experience together that normal couples get to experience in their first year of marriage? Not much would be the answer. I also left the same day that my little brother (who I was missing soooo much) had to come home from South Carolina due to an injury. I was sooo sad! I couldn't see him! Here is what a typical day looked like for me while I was in the South.

4:45- Wake up/Shower/Get Ready

6:00- Leave Nashville for school

7:35- Arrive Bowling Green, stop to get gas and a coffee

7:45- Arrive at Western Kentucky to get ready for clinicals

8:00- Begin gathering materials for the day

9:00- My first client

10:00- Paperwork/Paperwork/Paperwork

11:00- Another Client

12:00- Paperwork/Paperwork/Paperwork

1:00- Clinic Meeting

2:00-Another Client

3:00- My last client

4:00- Clean up materials

5:00- often times meet with some girls for awhile

6:00- begin driving home

7:30 - arrive home, and go to class for 1 hour/ half

9:00- Homework/Homework/Homework

11:00- Skype with Jason...if lucky

12:00- Go to bed, to get up to do it all over again.

My days were crazy busy, full of driving, clients, hard work, supervisors, coffee, no food, more coffee, etc. Please know it was the FASTEST five weeks of my life!!!! Did I miss my husband? YES. Did I miss my niece and nephew? YES. Did I miss the rest of my family? YES. Did I miss days at the lake and feeling like I had a vacation? YES! BUT, it was the most satisfying, best learning experience, etc. etc. in my education I've ever had. The people were great, and I learned so much. The set back? i didn't get to do the things I LOVE to do when I'm in Nashville.

So, what did we do about it?

When I got home from school, Jason and I immediately took off for vacation...to Nashville. We stayed with Shaun and Michelle Tuesday-Friday. While we were with them, we ate (a lot), hung out with some cool people, went to Lynchburg, TN for the Jack Daniel's Distillery and Miss Mary BoBo's (Thanks John and Wendy), went to Sweet CiCi's (a lot), got to eat my favorite soup EVER had Urban Flats, shopped, and much more. On Friday, we went to hang out with John and Wendy and Anna. This was GREAT! I didn't get to spend hardly any time with them when I was down for school, and being with them was so refreshing. We ate dinner where Anna works, went to one of the Hardaway's friend's house, and got breakfast in the morning. After that, Jas and I drove back to Indy where we stayed at the Holidome (because I always did as a kid, and wanted to) on Saturday. We went out for dinner, and got up early on Sunday to head to Bloomington/Normal, IL. There, we stayed with Jared and MaryAnn, Jason's cousin and husband. This was AMAZING. It's always so nice being with them and talking with them, but every time we leave, we wish we lived closer to them! Jared had to work ridiculous hours while we were there because he was lead detective on a case, so we got to all go out to eat on Sunday night before work snatched him up. On Monday, Jas and I drove around to try and found a window replacement service (a rock hit our window literally 5 miles before we got to Jared and MaryAnn's). The rest of the day was pretty lazy until we drove 45 min. to Peoria to hang out with the rest of Jason's family (sister, brother-in-law, aunts/uncles, grandma, cousins....everyone was there. SO good to see everyone, even if it was just for dinner. We drove back to Bloomington/Normal that night so we could hang out with MaryAnn and get our window replaced the next morning. Tuesday, after our window was complete, we headed to Aurora, IL ( a suburb of Chicago), to see our best friends Drew and Shanna. The last time we had seen them was at their wedding, and we hadn't got to see their new place. It was amazing seeing them. I loved listening to Drew and Jason lay on the floor laughing at ridiculous stupid things, playing with talking parrots, their dog Gunner, and remembering all the memories they made in college. I also loved being with Shanna. We have always had so much in common..our beliefs, attitudes, likes/dislikes, EVERYTHING. I loved being with her, cooking dinner with her, laughing so hard with her, playing games with her, and remembering all of our college memories. While we were there we ate (a lot), went to a waterpark, shopped, and made so many memories that will never be forgotten. I miss them so much already. I love them. Jason and I got home late that Saturday night after stopping at Urban Outfitters and IKEA. We woke up early that morning to go to Gavin's first soccer game (a story for a little bit later). As soon as the game was over, we rushed home to get ready to meet Adam and Carli at my parent's so we could drive back to Indy to go to the Keith Urban concert that Adam had gotten for Carli for her birthday. WE HAD SO MUCH FUN. And it was so good to be with my brother and 'sister' along with my husband. May I add that Kieth was AMAZING! I drove home that night because Jason had to get up for work in the morning (his first day back on 1sts). Needless to say we got home around 3:00 am. Geesh. THEN, mom and dad said please come to church, no matter how tired you are, I want you to meet this family that is really interested in the pastor position. They've got two kids, and just seem to be a perfect fit, but they want to meet younger couples. Therefore, I got up early to go to church. I met this family, which just so happened to be great friends with some of our friends. In fact, Jas played basketball with him once, and it became a really small world after church with Dad introduced me to them, and Drew said he knew my husband, and an even smaller world that Jason was my Dad's son-in-law. It was funny watching Dad's reaction to that.

Anyway, to make a long story short, he took the pastor job, and we are sooo excited. I just wish Jas could come to church with me! :(

On another note, we started being youth group leaders two weeks ago. We've spent time with the youth, but we've never stepped into the role of being full-blown youth leaders. Jason has Junior/Senior boys; I have Junior/Senior girls. We are very excited about this new journey, and pray to see so much growth in these young people. I'm sure we'll end up getting more out of it than they will with us being leaders. Please be praying for us and the opportunities we will get to minister to these kids.

We're still praying and wanting to start a small group, but those lines don't seem to be matching up. We will continue praying to see where that will take us.

Jason is head high in church softball right now. It's so funny to watch them all take is so seriously. IT'S CHURCH SOFTBALL. What's worse? I'm so competitive that I had to coach my husband on the way home to not be lazy and to go 100%. I hate losing. They're in the tournament, and have to play 4 games on Monday to win it all. It's fun to be with everyone, so I don't mind going. I love it.

Now on to soccer...my nephew had his first soccer game two weeks ago. It was A-MAZING. 5 little 3-4 year-olds on a soccer field. Three of them=Engle boys. They are like the bash brothers out there, running into each other and falling down. They are all going to be great little athletes. I don't know how you couldn't be though, when that's all your family does. Bottom line is, my nephew is such a lucky little boy. You want to know who showed up for his first game? 3 grandmas, 3 grandpas, 2 great-grandmas, 2 great-grandpas, his mommy and daddy, sister, 2 aunts, 2 uncles, 2 cousins. We LINED the field! and he's THREE! What a lucky little boy. i pray someday he understands the love we all have for him.

On a side note...did I tell you how awesome my husband is? While I was at school, he re-did our master bathroom, built storage benches in the garage, added solar lights to our landscape! My family is awesome, too! They helped with the bathroom, kept my husband company, did some laundry for me, bought me a blender! They are all TOO great! I love them all.

While I was down at school, my grandpa, bless his heart, got a blood-clot. I HATED being gone! It was my last week there, and I was so torn, do I come home, and have to do it all over again next summer, but get to be with my family? Or do I stay, and not be with the most important thing in my life due to my selfishness? Needless to say, I stayed, but called my grandpa/mom constantly. Eventually, they stabilized his blood clot, and he was able to return home, but not without going to the cancer center every single day for injections. All Chemo was stopped, but the unforeseen future, and he was put on meds to thin his blood, and stabilize the clot. He was in so much pain he couldn't move. My grandpa is THE TOUGHEST person I have EVER known. He's a hip replacements, open heart surgery, cancer, etc. etc. HE NEVER STOPS. In the midst of his first cancer and it's treatments, he was in the garage building pillars for my wedding. If I ever have even a fraction of his work ethic, I will be so proud. This blood clot thing...was terrible to watch. He always put on a tough face, but I know he's hurting when he doesn't leave his chair, the hardest thing for him to do. The worst? This clot could last FOUR WEEKS. Even so...he made it to Gavin's first soccer game, and luckily is getting better. The last week and a half I have seen energy back him, good color, so much happiness, and it makes me sooo happy...tears happy. I love him. He is my Poppy Doc. Keep praying for him. Pray that the cancer is gone (we won't know), and he stays healthy and upbeat. THANK YOU!