All right, I'm going to try my best to get us all caught up, even though that inevitably means that something important is likely to get left behind.
Based on my photo record, April was a pretty selfish month, event-wise. We had a lovely Easter, attending Calvary Lutheran's beautiful Easter
service once more, as well as a lovely holiday celebration with the
Heins. Then, as the kids and Aaron kept chugging along in school, I started getting some acceptances to schools myself, along with invitations to visit. I was able to visit the University of San Diego Law School, California Western Law School, UCSD School of Global Policy and Strategy, and even Indiana Tech Law School. I really had an interesting time learning about each institution, what they have to offer in terms of education, giving plenty of food for thought in considering which direction to turn in the coming years, and what that will mean for our family. We also squeezed in the traditional late birthday party for Emerson and Sera, which they celebrated together at Get Air, a trampoline park nearby.
May was mostly more of the same, but with several major decisions required, followed by a wonderful trip to Utah for an event celebrating the beginning of the rebuilding of my great-grandparents', the Swensons', home near Utah State University. On the decisions front, I decided to accept an offer from UCSD to begin a graduate degree in International Affairs this fall. It was difficult to tear myself away from the idea of law school, which I think I would very much love, but at the end of the day I have to admit that the idea of law school appeals to me rather more than the idea of actually practicing law. UCSD has offered me a full fellowship for my studies, and I couldn't be more excited about the post-graduation opportunities afforded by such a degree--recent graduates are working for the World Bank, the UN, and in various international companies and for the US Government and State Department in capacities that I find very interesting and exciting. Since I also learned that my own application to be a Foreign Service Officer for the State Department has passed the first two rounds and I have been invited to the final oral assessment in Washington D.C. in mid-October, this feels like the right course for both me and for our family.
As for our trip to Utah, it was an awesome one! We stopped in Las Vegas on the way down, then drove into Logan on my great aunt May Swenson's birthday, May 28, enjoying a really lovely afternoon luncheon and presentation on the Swensons and their contributions to Utah State, followed by fun and games and ice cream outdoors, as well as a "poetry walk" focused on May's poems and ending at the location of the now-demolished Swenson home, which will be rebuilt over the next few years. After all the festivities, we drove up to Bear Lake to meet my mom and some of my siblings for some family time and some time on the lake. Then it was back home just in time to celebrate Cora's first birthday (again, since my mom had a cake and presents for her at the lake as well). I can't quite wrap my head around how quickly this year has flown by!
