EdD at University of Northern Colorado

I am happy to report that on Monday I was officially accepted into the Doctorate of Educational Studies at University of Northern Colorado. I had my interview and writing test last Thursday. I was super nervous and didn't know what they were going to ask me. It ended up being a friendly discussion with the admissions committee about my interests and motivations for getting an EdD. Later that day I did the writing test. It ended up being pretty easy and I spent 45 minutes writing about the benefits and drawbacks of school vouchers. I got an email from the program coordinator on Sunday that the program had accepted me and I got the official acceptance letter from the Graduate School on Monday. I am now getting ready to register for classes and apply for financial aid. My first class will be a doctoral seminar in Loveland, CO at the end of July. This has been a huge goal of mine and I am so excited to start this educational journey.

Easter Weekend 2023

It was another weird Easter weekend this year. My mom had her breast cancer lump removed on the Friday I came in from California. Wesley drove down from Boise so we could help her the weekend after the surgery. She ended up being not too happy with us. Wesley also developed cold symptoms on Saturday and we couldn't stay at her house anymore because we didn't want to get her sick. We spent Saturday night at my dad's house and drove back to Boise on Sunday instead of our planned Monday. I was a little upset but it ended up being for the best. We got to have Easter dinner with Tyler and Ashley and have Monday off of work. I was a little disappointed I didn't get to spend a lot of time with the Turleys, but I'll get to see them a lot more when we move to Utah in two weeks.

Disneyland Trip with In-laws

It has been an absolutely crazy week. I went to Disneyland with Wesley's mom and sisters. My mom also had her lumpectomy on Friday and Wesley and I went to Utah to help her afterward. It ended in disaster but I will write about that next week. This week's journal entry will focus on the Disneyland trip. It ended up being a great trip! It was nice to spend some time and get to know Wesley's family on an individual basis. I went with Jamie, Rachel, and Ashley. Ashley and I flew down to Orange County last Wednesday and met up with Jamie and Rachel. On Thursday we spent one day at Disneyland. It was super fun since I hadn't gone since 2010. We went on 5 rides I had never gone on before: Rise of the Resistance, Smuggler's Run, Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Railway, the Monorail, and Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters. The Star Wars rides were definitely my favorite. We also got to do classic Disneyland activities like meeting Winnie the Pooh, watching the parade, and watching the fireworks. It was a long day though. We were in the park from 7:00am to 12:00am. On Friday we did the 10 hour drive to Utah where the terrible Easter saga began. It was a great trip and it was so fun to spend some time with Wesley's family.

My Mom's Cancer Journey

On Thursday morning, I received the news that my mom's cancer had come back. This is the third time that my mom has battled breast cancer. The first time she just had a lump on one of her breasts. This was when I was around 9 years old. I didn't understand it that much because I was so young. My grandpa did most of the help. She had just the lump removed that time. The cancer came back in 2015 right as I was getting ready for my mission. I was living with Katie in Boston at the time working at the Old State House Museum. I moved back to Utah because I was the only one who could take care of her. My mom had a double mastectomy and did 6 months of chemotherapy. The emotional and physical stress of that time was almost too much to bear. That was definitely the hardest year of my life and the year where I felt like a became a real adult, dealing with real issues. This time around the cancer came back at the only place it can come back after a double mastectomy. She definitely needs to have surgery and radiation. Though I am scared at what's to come, there are tender mercies this time around. This time I have Wesley to help me. We will be moving back to Utah in just a month. We are spending this weekend in Utah to help my mom after the surgery on Friday. We also have Leanna and David to help take of her. At least I have Disneyland on Thursday and Wesley is driving down to Utah on Friday. I will update.