One Year in Knoxville: The year of countless blessings

Andrew and I have been living in Knoxville for about a year now and our time is rapidly closing to an end.  I thought I would post a LONG entry about some things we have learned, fun trips we have been on, and people and places we will never forget!

(This picture was taken at 5am before we were moving; we are not 5am people.)

We have been in Knoxville, so that Andrew could pursue his dream of going to medical school.  He was enrolled in what is called a post-baccalaureate program, which is for people who already have a degree in something else, but want to go back to a medical related field.  There is only a handful of these programs across the U.S. and Carson Newman College was the one we chose, more importantly, the one God set out for us. 

Carson Newman has been such a blessing to us.  Andrew received sound teaching that prepared him to take his MCAT, he received great encouragement from fellow believers (his teachers), and worked harder this year than I have ever seen him work at school.  (Side note... there is something very attractive about a great work ethic!)

While I have been here, I have been working at a Pediatric Otolaryngology office (Ear, Nose, and Throat surgeons) that has been both challenging and wonderful.  I have made some life long friends there who I will be sad to leave.  The most amazing part about this job is that GOD PROVIDED it for us.  I had been looking for jobs and was feeling so discouraged.  So Andrew, lovingly started looking for me. Within minutes, he found this job and told me to just give them a call and see if I could get an interview.  Well sure enough, I got an interview that next Monday (a week after we had been here) and then began work the following Monday.  TWO WEEKS and I had a job.  God. Is. Good.

Everyone told us that getting away from everything and everyone for our first year of marriage would be great for us.  Well, let me second them and say, "Absolutely!"  It has been such a blessing to be away from all of our friends, family, and comfort zones for our first year of marriage.  Andrew and I learned to depend on one another and God.  I knew how to depend on God before we were married, but depending on him as a couple was a wonderful new experience.  Andrew and I have grown so much in our first year of marriage.  It has been a year filled with joy, challenges as well, but those were quickly turned into joy for us as well.  Another lesson Andrew and I are leaving with is how to "play together."  By this I mean, when we first got here, we did not have any friends to call to hang out if we were bored.  We had no family or friends to go visit for a weekend.  We had to entertain ourselves, and we had to do that with little to no money.  For anyone that didn't already know, we are living "The poor newly wed dream."  But, it has made our marriage that much sweeter.  Andrew and I know how to just be content with one another, reading books, playing games, doing anything you can think of that is free.  I know Andrew and I have only been married about a year, but it has been a very sweet year; a very challenging year; but most importantly a very blessed year.  And I will cherish it with all the other years the Lord gives us together. 

(This was us on our one year anniversary trip to Washington D.C.)

Now, our year in Knoxville would not be complete if I didn't mention all of our wonderful friends and family at home.  Andrew and I were so blessed to get to talk to several of our closest friends on a weekly basis and our family as well.  We had wonderful friends and family come to visit us. (Andrew's sister, Amy, drove about 9 or 10 hrs on her own to come see us.) We feel so loved by all of you.  Thanks for continuing to invest in us even when we are hundreds of miles away.  This year was increasingly blessed because of all of you.  And I cannot express enough gratitude for your love and support ALL THE TIME!  I am fairly certain that Andrew and I have the best family and friends that anyone can find.  You could search the ends of the earth and you would be hard pressed to find  friends and family more faithful.  We love you and are thrilled about coming home to all of you!

Something that is currently going on with us right now, is that we are waiting to find out Andrew's MCAT score!  We find out sometime at the end of July!  We are excited!  We know that no matter what the outcome of the score is, we can praise God!  He knew Andrew's score before we even knew Andrew was going to be applying for medical school; he knew before we were married; and he knew before Andrew was ever born.  We feel comforted and protected that God knows the score and has a plan mapped out for that score!  Praise Him!  Also, thank you to everyone who sent in support and encouragement to Andrew while he was preparing for the MCAT.  I had asked all of Andrew's family and friends to send a text, email, call, or mail to him with encouragement and prayers to keep him going on his studying!  And let me tell you... THE SUPPORT FLOODED IN!  Andrew got something just about every day I am fairly certain!  THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!

Well, Knoxville it has been a wonderful year with you!  You will always hold a special place in my heart!  Thank you for all the good times!  Thanks for providing such an exciting adventure for us!

Another post coming soon about all the places we have gotten to travel this year and some of my "favorite things" in Knoxville!

(Andrew and I at the Smoky Mountain National Park.)

Sincerely, A+A