Back to School

Derek is officially going back to school!

 

He has always wanted to go for his MBA at some point and it seems that through all of the recent changes God is leading us along more quickly than we planned. Which is fine by us.

 

So in about 18 months, we will be doing this again.

 

 

On Tuesday, Derek took his GMAT and did very well. He took a course to help prepare and was able to raise his score by 100 points. Through his studying, we both realized how completely lost we are when it comes to basic high school math. Derek has an excuse because he never took geometry, but I don't. I fear that without some serious intervention, we will be utterly useless at helping our children with their math homework someday. Sorry, kids. Go ask Aunt Emily.

Derek is applying to...

 

 

 

 

The programs at UTA and UNT begin in June and the program at UTD begins in August. We won't be moving because we love our little house and I am very happy at my job, so Derek will be commuting if he attends UTA or UNT. If he is accepted to UTD (the most selective of the three) it is so close that he could ride a bike to campus.

 

I've learned a few things from going though this process. First, Derek can accomplish pretty much anything he sets his mind to. I'm so impressed by how quickly and flawlessly he was able to arrange everything for his GMAT and his applications. Plus he does all the grocery shopping, fixes me lunch when I need it and has improved his golf game. To my sometimes scattered self, he is a wonder.

 

Second, we are incredibly blessed by people who support us. Almost everyone loses a job at some point and we are grateful to the many who reached out and let us know they understand. My siblings have gone through supporting each other while one went to grad school and it's been encouraging to learn from them. We also have many friends who remind us that they are praying and we never get tired of hearing that.

 

Lastly, I am reminded of God's faithfulness. One thing that gives me tremendous peace in this situation is remembering what it was like to gain conditional early admission to college. I was so upset that I had to leave home earlier than I planned and I cried pretty much everyday that June. But without that summer it would have taken me much longer to complete my education and put me on a different path than the friends I would meet at college. That summer allowed me to finish my bachelor's and master's degree in four years, which in turn allowed me to marry my best friend at a beautiful September wedding. I learned my lesson. God's timing is good.

Applications are due April 1st.

Find Love

Weird short film. Great love song.

Happy Valentine's Day.

Jobs Report

About a week ago, Derek was laid off from his job. It was a bad day.

I'm writing about it because this blog is a way for me to update our friends and family on what is going on in our life. Our life is 99.9% happiness and so I tend to focus on those things, but the truth is that sometimes we have bad days too. And when we have those days it is nice to know that we have people who care about us and will pray for us. This is for those people.

We are doing well. We plan on being married for a very long time and in the course of all those years things like this are going to happen. We expect it. We signed up for it.

We promised each other, "I will endure with you through any trial or sorrow." There are some things that will happen to us that will be truly sad. We will lose loved ones. We might get sick. That is the sorrrow part. I believe that this is not one of those truly sad things. It's just something that happens. An everyday trial that we will get through together.

Nothing is certain right now, but we are both excited about the opportunities ahead. Derek's personality is made for situations like this and I think he is off to a great start on the next chapter. I am genuinely hopeful about the good things to come.

In the mean time, we are enjoying our life. I still love my job and things are going well there. We have always tried to live simply and are embracing the challenge of simplyfing it a bit more. We are cooking good food, taking long walks and watching a ton of Friday Night Lights.

Maddie hasn't had this much fun since I was job searching. Since my job hours are flexible, I usually come home for lunch and do my paperwork at home as well. That means the three of us are getting to spend a lot more time together. 

That is just one of the things we are grateful for lately. We are also grateful for the people in our lives. The people who read over resumes. The people bring us tulips and wine. The people who cheer us up on the phone. The people who got us 20 bottles of nail polish for christmas so that our nails look awesome even though we are on a budget.

And the people who pray for us. So thanks.

Fiesta Bowl (Alternate Title: Kass Eats Breakfast)

One thing that I really like about Derek is that he is an OSU Cowboy. I certainly didn’t like it when we were both in school and so far away from each other, but now I am glad to have married into the OSU family. To be clear, I am very proud to be a longhorn and my allegiance never waivers. Dressing in a glaring shade of orange is not comfortable or flattering for me, but I do my best to be supportive.

We attended several OSU football games this fall and in addition to being a great excuse to visit family, it’s been fun to see Derek get overcome with joy when he steps back on his campus for a day.

Since this has been such an historic season for OSU football, a trip to Phoenix for the Fiesta Bowl was definitely in order. With a little help from Expedia, Derek planned a great getaway for the two of us.

We flew out late on the 31^st and had the tamest New Year ’s Eve ever when we got to Phoenix. I was sick with a bad cold for most of the trip and may have been asleep by 12:05.

We began the New Year with an exceptional brunch of chilaquiles and mimosas. I ate chilaquiles everyday on our honeymoon and these were the best I’ve had since then.

Next, we walked around the desert botanical gardens. We both really like succulents and the weather was gorgeous so it was basically a perfect day. It even included a very brief nap leaning on Derek’s shoulder. 

That night we shared pizza with a friend from San Antonio who now lives in Phoenix and it was really nice to catch up. Like I said, it was a perfect day.

Monday was game day and it began with chicken and waffles. I somewhat famously love breakfast, but somehow never tried chicken and waffles. It blew my mind with its tastiness.

Then, we walked around the Scottsdale art galleries and just looked at everything. We played the game of “Which one would you put in your living room?” and “Omg, guess how much this ugly rabbit is!” The answer: crazy expensive.

Finally, game time. Derek needed to sell our extra tickets and so we separated for a while because that stresses me out. We didn’t make a real plan to meet back up and I had the tickets. Naturally when we needed to find each other, neither of us had cell reception. The low point for me was sitting on the curb for a moment on the verge of tears. For Derek, it was persuading a police officer to announce “Kassidy Birdsong, your husband is looking for you” over a megaphone. It was unsuccessful, because I had an epiphany while sitting on the curb that instead of crying about it, I should go get some free barbeque at the tailgate before the game started. Which led to the establishment of a new family rule: if someone gets lost, meet up at the free food.

It was such a thrilling game and so fun to be a part of. I still can’t believe the ending.

We stayed for the trophy presentation and this lady cracked me up.

The game was stressful, so we ate our feelings at In-N-Out burger afterwards. Apparently everyone and their mother had the same idea, but that 2 am burger was worth the wait.

On Tuesday, we went to a restaurant that Derek had heard about on Diners, Drive-ins and Dives. (Why do men like that show? I think Guy Fieti is the worst.) It was actually a really cool place and Derek claims it’s the best waffle he ever had.

Our flight back home was full of fans from the game. It was definitely much more enjoyable because of the OSU victory.

All in all it was a fantastic trip. Derek and I have tried to be deliberate about having little adventures while we are young unencumbered newlyweds. It is important to us and this is one memory that I will always be glad we made.

Christmas 2011

This year, our little family had a very merry Christmas. It started with a family dinner on Friday night with Kolby, Emily, Derek and I at my parents' house while we waited for Kason, Sarah and Kyndall to get in from Houston. On Kyndall's birthday I called dibs on first snuggles at Christmas, so I found a seat at the table where I could keep an eye on the driveway. So worth it.

On Saturday morning we headed back over to my parents house for some more family time. My mom made her traditional Christmas stew and we all went together to the evening service at Kolby and Emily's church. Kyndall slept the whole time like a pro. When we got back home, the in-law siblings formed an alliance and tried to talk the family into opening a present on Christmas eve. Kerrs are strict Christmas morning present opening people so this suggestion shocked us. But Sarah, Emily and Derek were quite persuasive and got their way. I wonder if they regretted it the next morning when they saw that Kason, Kolby and my piles were all one present larger. 

Christmas morning was lovely. There were sausage balls, stockings, coffee, omelets, and lots of wrapping paper. There aren't many pictures from the morning to share because we were pretty busy. Only this one.

My mom hosted the rest of our family for a beautiful meal on Christmas day. Derek and I were only responsible for the asparagus. It's good to be the newlyweds sometimes.

Apparently the only way to get your picture taken now in my family is to hold the baby. Which probably explains why I have no pictures of Sarah to share. She was so generous to let all of us hold her sweet daughter that she didn't make it in the photos. But be assured that she is well, beautiful as ever and a very important part of our family.

 

On Sunday, we took naps. This is now the happy place that I go to in my mind when life gets stressful.

We had belated Christmas with the Birdsong family the following weekend. There is no photo evidence of it because three of us were sick with a bad cold and someone forbid it. We had Derek's grandparents, parents, sisters, and the dogs at our house for a night and it was a short but sweet visit.

It was one of my favorite Christmases ever. I feel so blessed by our family and hopeful about all the many years to come.