But I'm kind of excited that I'm in school an extra year.
I didn't wish for it, and I surely feel a good bit of guilt because it's expensive for my parents...but all that aside, I realized today that if I HAD graduated in May..I'd be missing school right now for various reasons. Last school year I was so focused on the wedding and marriage that I had a really hard time enjoying student life and my classes. I did well and I was proud of my grades, but if I had graduated I would be looking back thinking about how I "missed" the joys of senior year.

Now that I'm married, there is a sense of relief and peace, and I'm not anxious about anything. I'm excited for having this year to lead a small group with my husband at our house church, and to be able to see my younger brother experience another year of college. My husband (who is totally an amazing over-achiever and thus misses out on a lot of fun activities due to his heavy school work load) will get to experience all the joys of college life without the exam weeks, papers, and projects.

And finally, it gives us a chance as newlyweds to breathe and really pray over where God wants us to be next year. We didn't have to rush into that decision in the midst of engagement and marriage and graduation. This is SUCH a blessing for us, because both of us are very similar in that we like to think things through and rest without having a million decisions to make at once.

So, sorry Mom and Dad for the extra expense, but it is yet another blessing you have given to Chris and I, and I'm so grateful for it!

Here's to the super-senior victory lap! And to the day when my parents will laugh and cry and kiss the ground (and their wallets) when I finally walk across the stage at graduation. (I'm totally looking forward to it.)