Up All Night

Anyone else loving NBC's Up All Night? I just can't get enough!

Anyway, tonight I'm up doing just a few things before I go to bed, hopefully by midnight.

I just wanted to share our quick progress during finals week, and I promise to make it quick like a band-aid.

Mitchell:

He has finally found his dream major/minor combination: Recreation Management with a minor in Business. Turns out this is a real major and not just an excuse to take classes about camping, canoeing, and hiking! He hopes to enter the government sector of the field, Parks and Recreation (I referenced this, and the NBC show of the same name, in the last post, so I'll move on...)

Since coming to BYU-Idaho, Mitch has struggled somewhat with grades, like I have. School comes very difficult to us, and always has. Our poor future school-attending children! Mitch has just taken off with this new major this semester. In fact, in Accessible Recreation (focusing on making recreation available to those with disabilities) his final overall grade is 100%, and he's pulling at least B's in all of this other classes! What a champ. He really has worked hard and I'm excited to see what he can do when he really enjoys what he's studying! He also finished up his generals this semester, which is fantastic. What a sigh of relief to know that all he'll be studying is what he wants to study from now on!

Alaina:

I am now in my last year of school; I finish up my coursework next April! This is when I will "walk" in graduation, but I won't get my diploma until after my internship ends the next December (yup, December 2013...seems SOOO far away!). The university encourages students who finish all their coursework before their internship (instead of doing an internship somewhere amongst their classes) to be recognized in a graduation/convocation ceremony and leave campus. That works for us! Plus, Mitch has the fall semester off (we're a 3-semester school here, each student attends 2/3 of the three), so he can watch Nathan while I'm at a (hopefully paid) internship, and work when I'm home. Perfect! 

I enjoyed my classes this semester, although I can definitely feel I'm getting close to the end. These upper 300 and 400 level classes are NO JOKE! Studying has had to take priority over reading to or playing with Nathan, which just seems horribly contradictory since I'm studying Child Development (where they teach you to READ! PLAY! INTERACT!)

Anyway, Mitchell has been done with all of his studies this semester since yesterday. He attended one class today to turn in a final project, but that is it for him! I have one final to take and two papers to turn in tomorrow, but all the studying and writing have been done. I'm just ready to check it off my list and move on! 

As far as next semester, Mitchell is all registered to take 16 credits next semester (April-July). He will start in about a week and a half. He will keep the job he has had this semester (manager of the weekly school dances), which he loves.

I am getting ready to enjoy my off semester by only taking a two-credit class that I couldn't fit anywhere else in my schedule. It is only 2 days/week, but is still known to be challenging. Good thing I'm taking it all by its little lonesome! I am also lined up to start watching our friend's sweet little 3 month old baby girl, Emmaline. I will watch her 3 days a week and go to school the other 2...how perfect! It is her mama's last semester in school, lucky!! This will supplement Mitch's income while I'm at home doing what I want to do anyway. This opportunity was such a blessing, and relieves the guilt I feel staying at home while we are both in school and need income. I will also continue to do photography shoots and hope to do 2-3 per month like I did this semester. Not all of the clients wanted their photos posted on my photography blog, however, so that didn't get updated much this semester.

Well, that's all the update we have to give! Sorry it wasn't as short as promised!

We are SOOO excited to celebrate Mitch's sister, Dani, graduating from college alongside her husband Danny (Oh the Dannies, we love you so much!!) The entire family is coming in town for the event, and we can't wait to see everyone! We are NOT accepting saying goodbye to our dear Rexburg Dannies yet, however...