1st Semester DONE!!!

My oh my, where has the time gone? Has a whole semester already passed? Mark is just beaming with the confidence and a great sense of accomplishment, having just successfully completed the first semester of his Master's in New Testament Program. There is still a long road ahead of him, but none the less, he has gotten this far and has LOVED every moment. As eager as he is to start back up again (only one day into Christmas break) we both are ready to spend LOTs of quality family time. Our plans are to stay close to home near friends and family through Christmas, and then head out to Colorado for the New Year to visit family and some of our dearest friends. I am so thankful for this time of year. The warm cozy nights by the fire will be a nice change for a bit. Then, Mark will be back in action, and up until all hours of the night, working hard to conquer the tasks that face him. I am so proud of my husband for giving 100% in his commitment to his education. God will surely honor him in his diligence and faithfulness. The kids and I miss him when he's at school or studying, but we know that God is preparing him for amazing things to come. We will all reap the benefits of this endeavor. In fact I believe we've begun reaping what's been sown already. How does a man, who's in full time study of God's Word, not become more like Christ? I began seeing evidence of this in Mark's life in just days after his classes started. So, needless to say, as Mark is the head of our household and leading our family, the kids and I have been wonderfully affected as well. Our marriage has been refreshed, and our parenting has seen changes for the better. We are so excited to see what the Lord has in store for us in the months to come.