The Count-Down Is ON!!

So Mark has been in China for 7 weeks now, and there is only one more week left to go. He will be arriving this next Saturday. Each time people ask me about when he's coming home, I can't help but smile to tell them that it will be this week. I don't remember looking forward to anything this much...except for maybe the wedding day, but that's almost 4 years ago.

This last week has been fairly uneventful, except for finishing the quilt, then accidentally ruining it by trying to ensure that the marker wouldn't bleed. Since the center pieces were no longer the beautiful flawless that they used to be, the perfectionist in me decided that I really needed to fix it because I would not be able to stand having the marker bleed into the rest of the quilt when I eventually wash it. After calling around and trying to get as much advice as I could about how to fix it, I decided to pick out the center pieces and create a whole new center label. Sewing it into the middle of a quilt that was already tied together was no easy feat...so the new centerpiece doesn't sit as smoothly, but it's now a new memory to tell as I talk about the quilt and show it to my future children.

Mark has been working hard to prepare for interviews. Yes, the interviewing process is beginning, and he still has 2 more years of school left!! He's applied to over 60 locations through the BU career office, almost 40 locations through the mail, and I don't even know how many through email. So far, he has been invited for 10 interviews with no more than 2 in the same city. He's been trying to figure out what to do (travel arrangements, buying a new suit, etc.) and what to say for these interviews (what he learned from this experience in China, what makes him better than the other candidates, etc.). Just a couple of days after he gets back to Boston, he will already be interviewing for the firms that are his top choices. He is excited to get to interview, but the interview itself does not guarantee the job. We are in need of prayers because there isn't a whole lot else that we can do. We can apply to more places, we can send out more resumes, but we can't secure a position without someone else (namely the law firms) to see that Mark has great qualifications by looking at him on paper. Of course, the more interviews, the more likely we are to find one that will not only offer him a position but also be one that he will want to work.

We know that everything will turn out alright because the Lord has done so much in leading us out here. I know that He will continue to guide us through this phase in our life. It's still hard for me to have faith and take a step when I can't see where I'm going, but when I hold onto Mark's hand, I feel like I can go anywhere and handle anything. I'm very excited for him to be coming home this next week, but I'm more ready to just be taking the next step in life with him.