time flies...

when you're up to your eyeballs in busyness!  Holy cow, I can't believe it's been almost a month since I updated this old blog.  I knew it had been awhile but A MONTH?!  Yikes.  And here I am, about to go on another hiatus.  So here's what has happened in the last month:

1. We continued to keep our house super, super clean while it was being shown to potential buyers.
2. We had our house inspected and everything was poked and prodded, a good review came at the end, thank goodness.
3. We went under contract with a buyer!  Thank you, Lord!  Prayers that everything will go well until our closing date (early June) would be appreciated.
4. We continued to pack up stuff in the house.
5. Family started arriving this past Thursday and stayed until this morning.
6. JOHN GRADUATED WITH HIS PHD THIS PAST WEEKEND!!!!!!! (can you tell I'm just a little bit proud?!)
7. While family was here we packed the majority of our belongings into storage (during graduation weekend, no less).  I want to say a huge THANK YOU to our family that came up and helped us move all day Saturday.  And for the prep Thursday night and Friday.  And for the clean up and extra packing Sunday night and this morning.  Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you.  Not only was it amazing to see everyone and to celebrate John but I just felt so blessed to have everyone here pitching in with no complaints to help us move.  Seriously, a huge blessing.  Thank you times a million!

And now on to what our next couple of months look like:

1. We are leaving Pittsburgh for good on Wednesday and going to DC to look for a place to live (prayers sent up and fingers crossed).
2. We will then go to NC for a wedding for one of our friends that we actually got to know while living in Pittsburgh.
3. Visit John's family for a quick second.
4. Officially begin our road trip around the United States!!!!  I'm so excited that we are doing this!  We are going to be driving a big circle around the US, visiting lots of state and national parks as well as cool places along the way.
5. In the middle of the road trip we will be taking a couple of weeks to hike the John Muir Trail.  I am excited and scared all at the same time.  I've never done anything like this before.  But before you get worried for me please know that I have been training and planning for this for months.  A lot of physical, mental and emotional effort has gone into the preparation for this trip.  And I really hope that it will be amazing!  It will be, it will be.  
6. Visit family a little more at the end of our trip and finally arrive in the DC area where we will hopefully have a place to call home.

Phew!  I'm a little exhausted just typing all of that.  So now you know why I've been MIA and why I will continue to be for the next couple of months.  I might be posting things on here but you're more likely to find updates on Facebook or Instagram (jessilailkelly).  Thanks for sticking with me and check back here in a couple of months!  I plan to have plenty of pictures and stories to share with y'all!  Love ya!!

quote

Young girls need to learn that sexiness isn't about being naked.

Marc Jacobs

AMEN!

quote

We can't jump off bridges anymore because our iPhones will get ruined.  We can't take skinny dips in the ocean, because there's no service on the beach and adventures aren't real unless they're on Instagram.  Technology has doomed the spontaneity of adventure and we're helping destroy it every time we Google, check-in, and hashtag.

 

Jeremy Glass, We Can't Get Lost Anymore

 

(This quote gets me very excited about our trip across the US this summer!) 

dr. kelly

I am thrilled to announce that  John has completed his PhD!!!!  That's right, I'm now married to a doctor :)  I am so incredibly proud of him! 

This actually happened a week ago and life has just now slowed down enough for me to sit and write about it (sorry for the delay, but if we're friends on Facebook then you learned about Dr. Kelly soon after I found out). 

It's crazy to look back and fully grasp that he's finished.  That our time here is done (well, in about a month).  That all of those ridiculously long hours, sleepless nights, time with each other sacrificed, homework, teaching classes, projects, papers, endless hours of research have all paid off.  I don't think I've even been able to slow down enough to process it all.  But what I can say is that I'm ridiculously proud of him and what he's accomplished.  I cannot imagine being that dedicated to something in the academic world.  To push through all of those years of work and study is truly an accomplishment.  But somehow "accomplishment" doesn't even do all of that effort justice.  It's more like "huge honor, award, superstar, way to go you're amazing and dedicated and really awesome!!".  Clearly we see who the more academic one in this marriage is :)  My excitement translates into smiles, bear hugs and shouting my pride from the rooftops.  So I think I'm going to keep doing that until I feel I've sufficiently shown him how proud and happy I am.  And probably embarrass him in the process but who cares because my husband is now a doctor!!!

mirror wars

Very powerful message, you should take the time to read it.

Mirror Wars--RELEVANT Magazine

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Keep doing the right. God is building character in you, and you are passing that test. Remember, the greater the struggle, the greater the reward.

Joel Osteen

5 types of friends everyone should have

Great article!

Five Types of Friends Everyone Should Have