The Mountaineer's Journey

This week has been a busy one for us.  I've finally started packing for the big move next week.  It's been hard to get motivated, and Kevin has been gone a lot which I think adds to my lack of motivation.  I decided that my plan of attack would be to pick a room and start with the easiest items, so I began to conquer our bedroom first.  The majority of the "stuff" in our room consists of clothing and books, so I began sorting through them and labeling boxes that should stay in storage until we get to our next house, and things that should be unpacked for use in Morgantown.

As I was sorting through the shelves of books, I came across a book that was a gift from a friend titled "The Mountaineer's Journey Through West Virginia."  I know I read it as soon as I received it, but I honestly couldn't remember exactly what it was about so I decided to open it up and take a peak.  The first page I happened to open it to was actually the last page of the story.  It read "Finally, the Mountaineer made it back to Morgantown and WVU's beautiful campus.  He was happy to be home!" and I couldn't help but think about my own journey.

It's crazy to think about how I left Morgantown so abruptly in 2008, not knowing what was in store for my life.  It all happened so fast that I really didn't have time to think about if I would ever be coming back.  Months later I know that I had moments of sadness when I thought about the fact that I would probably never hold the title of WVU Alum, even though I felt that I would always be a mountaineer at heart.

I continued to read... "As he rested comfortably in his bedroom, he thought about what a wonderful vacation it had been.  He was proud to be a West Virginian." This sentence also seemed to parallel my life. 

There is no denying that the past few years of my life have been wonderful, despite the ups and downs.  It has been a long road, but I AM proud to be a West Virginian and I cannot wait to take those country roads back to what I will always consider my home a week from today.  I am so thankful for the opportunity to live in both Alabama and Maryland for a period of time, and I wouldn't trade my experiences living out of state for anything.

The final lines of the book read "The Mountaineer was ready for another year of learning and cheering the Mountaineers to victory.  Holding a football, he thought, "Let's go Mountaineers!!!"

And as I read those lines I couldn't help but get excited for what the next year has in store for me.  As sad as I am to be saying goodbye to Kevin, I feel like our lives have led us to exactly where we are supposed to be.  Things have fallen into place and I know that this temporary separation is going to be beneficial to us both.  It will give me a chance to finish my degree, and it will give Kevin a chance to gain some very valuable experience that I know will help him reach his future career goals.  God has decided that this is the right path for our family, and I am trusting him and trying to view this deployment in a positive light.

So with this newfound peace I feel ready to start off where I left off as a WVU student and tackle 12 credit hours this fall.  Please continue to keep Kevin, Kerriann and me in your thoughts and prayers during our move next week and as we adjust to life in our new home.