The past three weeks (I can’t believe it’s been that long) has been great. The first week of April we went to La Porte for Morgan’s 4th birthday party. Jamie and Mom hosted a great party and we had a wonderful time seeing family and friends. Here are some photos, but more are in our web album.

Morgan in her new “girl power” truck - a gift from Neena.

Swimming in the pool.
The following weekend was Easter. Also, that Saturday we got a great visit from our Cousin Andrew from Mississippi. He flew into Houston to visit everyone and he and Jessie drove up to Austin for the day. We did our best to sell him on Austin (we are always trying to recruit relatives here :-). We took him to Mount Bonnell, and had a good tour of Austin including Hey Cupcake (one of our favs), Mandolas Italian Market, Whole Foods, and a final wrap up at the Salt Lick with the rest of our Austin clan - Joseph, Jane, and Jenny. Hmmmm…notice the food theme!

L-R: Andrew, Jessie, Michelle, Jenny, Jenny’s friend Emily, Jane, Joseph, and Mike.
Unfortunately Easter was a little dull around here. I had a big exam the following week and spent most of the day studying while Mike worked on his car with his Dad. My schedule has been nuts lately, and since the bathroom is done, Mike has been enjoying spending Sundays with his Dad working on the car.
This past weekend we worked around the house on Saturday afternoon trying to do some long needed projects (changing car oil, etc.) then we headed over to Joseph and Jane’s for fajitas (Joseph cooks awesome fajitas!). Aunt Carol and Uncle Joe were in town, so it was great to catch up with them. Jane is so cute with her belly. They are doing great and the baby is due late June/early July. They are wishing for a little earlier though so they can enjoy a full summer with the new addition.
On Sunday I had a blast with my friends John and Steven. We have season tickets for Broadway in Austin and went to Avenue Q. It was hillarious!!! John and I met at Eastside Cafe for brunch which was great. I love the Eastside brunch and Mike never wants to go. So this was a great treat.
Last week also brough other great news - I was accepted into the CNS program! CNS stands for Clinical Nurse Specialist. Its an Advanced Practice Degree along the same lines as a Nurse Practitioner. However, as the name suggests, its a more clincically focused role typically with a speciality. For instance, I am really interested in Cardiology. So, I might work with a Cardiologist seeing patients in and out of the hospital, adjusting meds, writing new orders, etc. You can sit for an exam to get prescriptive authority (which I plan to do as of now.) I’m excitied. I think eventually I will get back to the business end of things, but from what I have been told by many sources, this is definitely a better (and many times faster) route and provides more flexibility. Mike is really excited for me - he thinks this is a smart move, too. He likes to tell people that in August we are “recession proof.” Haha. But, it IS nice to know that if God forbid something happens to him or his employment, I can find work anytime and anywhere and can make ends meet.
Mike is doing well. He’s had more free time to do things he enjoys like work on his car now that the bathroom is done and there is less stuff to do around the house. He’s also been enjoying little “piddle projects” like changing all the door knobs and stuff. It has taken 7 years, but we finally nearly de-golded the house! The guy that built this place LOVED gold and I’m sure spent a pretty penny putting in the stuff. But we HATE gold and have had to de-gold things steadily.
Other than that…not much is going on. I have 3 weeks left of school, so things are pretty crazy getting wrapped up. Then we leave for VACATION! Yea! Oh yeah…we finally decided on a trip. I’m a little bummed that its not France, but its just not in the budget right now. So instead, we are finally taking our PCH (Pacific Coast Highway) trip. Right now we are flying into San Diego and out of Seattle and will be on the road 10 days. We are both looking forward to getting away and relaxing a little. Plus, this is a trip we’ve always wanted to do.
Hope all is well in your world!!!
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