I have great news! As you probably know, I applied to Ball State University's Master's in Nursing program in July. Well, I found out on Monday that I have been accepted to the program!!! I begin in January. The program will last three years and when I am finished I will be a Family Nurse Practitioner. The classes themselves will be completed online and then I will be doing my clinicals in various offices and clinics.
Back in August, Matt and I went down to his parents' house for the weekend so that I could run the Little Miami Half Marathon in Morrow, Ohio. It was the third year that I completed this half marathon. It was a very warm day with very high humidity, which made it difficult. I finished though, and it was the 11th half marathon that I have completed! Matt, Bob, and Sheila all came to the race and it was nice to have a little cheering section.
Also in August, I had a nice weekend up in Michigan visiting my cousin Allyson Roelofs. On Friday the 21st, I arrived and we enjoyed dinner at her condo followed by miniature golfing. On Saturday, we explored downtown Milford (where she lives) and then went on a two-hour kayaking trip. It was a beautiful evening for kayaking! On Sunday, we went to a nice church service and then went to a local park where they have a farm. We loved looking at all the cute baby animals! It was nice to visit Allyson, and I wish that we lived closer so that we could hang out more.
Matt's brother and sister-in-law, Rob and Leanne, were in the area on Saturday to visit a friend, and they called Matt to see if we wanted to get together for dinner. I obviously could not attend, but Matt had a nice time at a local restaurant called Charbono's with Rob and Leanne. Thank you for taking him out to dinner!
On my way to visit Allyson, I stopped in Milan, MI to see my friend Kristine. Kristine and I used to work together at Riley in the PICU, but she and her family moved away earlier this year when her husband took a new job. It was nice to see her and her one-year old daughter, Grace.
On September 10, Matt's cousin Hailey had her stem cell transplant. She had a rough few days afterwards, but it seems like she is doing better now. Please continue to pray for Hailey and for her family!
On September 12, there was a "Puppy Pool Party" at a local water park. Before they drain the pool every year, they let people bring their dogs to go swimming. Thor wasn't quite sure of the pool at first, but he really liked fetching the ball in the shallow water. He only swam at one point because he fell in, and he definitely did not enjoy it!
Last Saturday, I was supposed to run a 10k race. When I woke up to get ready, it was pouring down rain outside. Since the race was taking place close to our house, I went ahead and went to the race. It was very rainy and windy. The race was supposed to start at 8:15am, but the race director said that they were going to postpone it until 8:30 and then decide whether or not they would cancel. I sat in my car and waited, but it was pretty clear that the race was not going to happen. The tents that were set up for packet pickup in the parking lot were all mangled and blown everywhere. The food table got knocked over and there were bagels and bananas everywhere! At 8:30, they went ahead and canceled the race. It was a bummer, but the weather was horrible!
This week, we got a new couch for our living room. We had purchased our previous couch when we bought our house five years ago, and sheets of the faux leather were peeling off of it. We took advantage of good Labor Day sales and are excited to have a sofa that doesn't leave black fake leather shavings all over our floor! Plus, it is nice and comfy :-)
That is all for now! We are hoping that the Colts beat the Titans today. Their past two games have been awfully sad and disappointing.
Stacey, Matt, and Thor
