Big News!

Meredith got some mail today.

ohhhh....a pretty green folder

and a letter

Praise be to God.

Meredith was accepted to her college of choice

Baylor University

Sic Em Bears!!!

God willing, Meredith will be Baylor bound this August!

College Application Crunch

It is crunch time.

Meredith is working hard on getting her college applications completed in the next month.

She has started by getting her essays written

and narrowing her list of options.

She is still bombarded daily with mailings and emails from institutions everywhere

...but she is focused.

Her top choices remain Baylor Univeristy in Texas

{this is the cute screen that popped up when she set up her online account for admissions}

and Covenant College in Georgia

{just yesterday a young representative from Covenant called while she was writing her testimony}

The Psalms have been a good place to seek wisdom and comfort through this process!

Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart.

Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him,

and He shall bring it to pass....Rest in the Lord, 

and wait patiently for Him

--Psalm 37:4,7

I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;

I will counsel you and watch over you.

--Psalm 32:8

Who is the man who fears the Lord?

He will instruct him in the way he should choose.

--Psalm 25:12

The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord.

-Psalm 37:23


Something amazing is happening, too!  This journey has slowly begun to change my heart from one filled with fear and worry....."How am I EVER going to send my child off to college".

to......."Look at what the Lord is doing in her life.  Look at the call He has placed in her heart to work with neonates.  Look at how He has prepared her not only for more education, but for independence and a new chapter, too!?  Look at the exciting times that lie ahead for her!"

Truly.  This mama is beginning to see a glimpse of what all the years of
training and helping and equipping and preparing have been for.

COMMIT YOUR WAY TO THE LORD
TRUST ALSO IN HIM
AND HE SHALL BRING IT TO PASS.

Baylor University Visit

Meredith and I were up early today for a drive to central Texas.

Some of the scenery we enjoyed:

wide open fields, cows at pasture, picturesque windmills, 

winding backroads and horses under huge shade trees.

I even let Meredith play her country music. It seemed appropriate.

We had a campus visit at Baylor University.

We had a wonderful time which included an hour with a nursing school advisor.

The information we gathered was very helpful and confirmed for Meredith

that this program indeed positions her well for her long term nursing goals -

becoming a neonatal nurse practitioner.

Two years on the Waco campus and then two years in Dallas at the 

Baylor medical center in the nursing program.

And then, a job/internship in a NICU for 12-18 months.

After two years of that experience, she can enter the program to get her specialization

as a neonatal nurse practitioner.

Of course that could all change, but if it doesn't, this is the place that can help her get there!

The campus was lovely.  The people were friendly.  Texas friendly.

She liked the big university amenities with the small college feel.

I had to agree. I could see her on this campus. All the students we met

and interacted with were very impressive and much like Meredith.

And we already know they have a vibrant RUF ministry on campus

(reformed university fellowship)

The pastor is great friends with our pastor!  That is a comfort.

And the sight of boots in the bookstore was pretty awesome, too!

Praying for God to continue to lead and guide her 

as she considers the options and makes some decisions.  

Hard to believe she'll be cranking out those college apps and essays THIS SUMMER!

Texas in Springtime

Friday, Meredith and I had another college road trip. 

This time we stayed in Texas and drove North about four and a half hours.

Springtime in Texas is BEAUTIFUL!

We saw sights like this {I didn't have a camera, so I grabbed some images off the web} . . .

Two happy horses in a Hill Country meadow of coreopsis and red/pink Drummond Phlox.
Photo by Don Paulson

Texas wild flowers © Nell Carroll 

Texas wild flowers © Nell Carroll

Texas wild flowers © Nell Carroll

We were beauty struck by the carpets of wildflowers, the roaming horses, cattle, meandering fence lines and manicured ranches.  We had a scheduled tour at Texas Christian University in Fort Worth.

We enjoyed our visit very much.  For a university it is on the smaller size (8,000 or so undergraduates), but boasts all the amenities of a larger school.  The school of nursing offers a four year BSN degree and Meredith particularly enjoyed seeing nursing students about campus in their signature purple scrubs!

We've been blessed this spring break to take time to be together.  When school and ballet are in high gear, we simply do not get this kind of time with our girl.  And pretty soon (sooner than we think), she will be away, at one of these fine institutions we've visited.  So I am so very grateful for what this week has offered us in terms of time together making memories.


Now - on to enjoy the weekend with the rest of the crew before school starts back up on Monday!

Covenant College

It truly was a mountain top experience.

Covenant College sits atop beautiful Lookout Mountain.

The tangled, wooded roads weave through two states - Tennessee and Georgia!

Meredith had a great visit.

We met with admissions and heard about the nursing program (a dual degree program with Vanderbilt University School of Nursing), we attended chapel, we had a tour, we visited the bookstore and Meredith spent the night with students in the dorm.  

The distinctives of this college make it a wonderful "good fit" for Meredith!

This beautiful spot on campus is called the look out.
It offers one of many breathtaking views!

Here is the charming Starbucks on the mountain - not too far from campus.



We got to spend time with old friends, the Quatros.  Scott is a business professor at Covenant and Jamie, an author, remains busy with their four children.  It was so good to see her and hear their heart for Covenant and Lookout Mountain.  She took us on a hike through Rock City, and led us on a fun tour of Chattanooga.  It is such a wonderful city!

Downtown Chattanooga along the river walk. . . Lookout Mountain is in the distance.

There are amazing art galleries, a modern art museum, an aquarium, children's museum and countless local coffee shops and delightful eateries.  Of course music is BIG....and country is most popular. Meredith was excited to hear about that!  Chattanooga is 2 hours from Atlanta, Knoxville, and Nashville.  We could definitely see the marriage of old, traditional southern and new modern, forward thinking throughout the city.  It is a great blend.

We had to have ice cream at the local favorite - Clumpies.

We had such a precious time together.  And we both learned what a privilege it would be to attend Covenant College with it's rich heritage, Christ exalting education and beautiful location.

And So It Begins. . .

These were all in the mail today....the beginning of lots of mail for Meredith I am sure.
Thinking we should start some files:  YES, MAYBE & RECYCLE!

What a fun adventure this will be!!! Already planning some campus visits for spring break.