The Life of Emily, as of Monday, September 14.

LIVING AT HOME:
I'm really enjoying being back at home with my parents. According to popular culture, moving back in with the folks after graduation is pretty lame, but I'm having a blast! My parents are cool, funny and insightful people that I love very much. And it helps that I have a specific end-date for my stay with them: May 22, 2010. I know that when I marry Gordon, my relationship with my parents will change, and I won't see them as often (especially if we have to move for his residency). Because of this, I am enjoying every moment with my beloved Mom and Dad, so happy that I can be close to them while planning a wedding!

It's been fun doing the simple things like going grocery shopping, cooking dinner, and doing the dishes (I commented to my parents one evening that it was nice to be at home, since I haven't lived in a place with a dishwasher for 6 years. My father replied "Neither have we, you've been at school!"). I love just living life with the people I love, doing everyday things and just being close to them.

JOB:
This is my 6th week as a full-time nanny for Reid, my 16-month-old next-door neighbor. Although the first week or so was exhausting, I am amazed at how quickly we both adjusted to each other! He is such a sweet, cute and smart little boy, who only seems to grow more so every day. I've had many people assure me that "it's easier with your own children" but I have a tremendous amount of affection for Reid! I find myself missing him over the weekend, and in the evenings, if I hear him crying (remember, we're right next door), I want to run over there and help! I absolutely adore Reid and couldn't ask for a better job! If taking care of your own children is even better than this, I can't wait!!!

I am amazed at how much he learns and develops every day. It's little milestones like being able to stack blocks, matching shapes to the correct holes, or learning a new sound to babble (he is so close to talking!) that get me so excited! I am fascinated to watch his physical, cognitive and verbal skills develop, and it has been even more astonishing to see his personality develop! Taking care of Reid has proven to be an incredibly fulfilling job!

MUSIC and ACADEMICS:
I've been playing violin with a local community orchestra, and I get to solo with them in March, playing "Winter" from Vivaldi's Four Seasons! I'm also playing in my church orchestra, which plays for service about once a month. I have 3 private students that I teach in the evenings, all of whom are fun to teach, and I even have a private theory student! I get to spend 2 hours every week teaching him written and aural theory as well as giving him some historical context. It has been a great way to keep up my teaching skills and brush up on some of my music history as well!

In an attempt to keep my mind from atrophying too much now that I'm out of school, I am trying to find the discipline to read. Now, this is not an easy thing when most of your day is spent wrangling a toddler, and when you do get a quiet moment, you'd rather just crash. I'm much more motivated if it's a topic that I find to be relevant to my life. As such, my current reading projects are Suzuki's "Ability Development from Age Zero," and "The First Two Years," a parent's guide loaned to me by a friend from church. I'm thinking that my next reading project should perhaps be something music cognition related... I have a book on musical comprehension in children, maybe that's next! ;)

CHURCH:
I am so glad to be back at the Moody Church! It really feels like coming home. When it came to picking a group to be part of, my first instinct was to go to the class I was familiar with: the university ministry. Of course, now that I'm no longer a student, I wasn't so sure that I belonged, but Gordon and I share a heart for college ministry, so I wanted to stay involved in some way. After meeting with the pastor who runs the ministry, I've been asked to continue coming to Crossroads, acting as sort of a "big sister" to the undergraduate girls. I don't have an official title, but the goal is for me to be intentional about getting to know the younger girls and building friendships, with the hope that next year, if Gordon and I are still in the area (Lord willing), we can take on a more official role as "adult mentors."

I am also getting ready to start teaching SUNDAY SCHOOL in the 1st-3rd grade department! I loved teaching Sunday School while in Bloomington, and I can't wait to get started here in Chicago!

RELATIONSHIP:
It is SO NICE to finally be close to Gordon!!! Even though he lives in the city and I live in the suburbs and we both have busy schedules, we see each other a lot in comparison to what it used to be. When you're used to seeing your fiance once every 2 months, seeing him once or maybe even twice a week is such a treat! We usually get to see each other Sundays at church (if he's not working in the hospital, that is). My train gets me downtown really early, so we like to meet for coffee before service. Our Sunday morning coffee dates are always something to look forward to!

Our big exciting news is that we officially start PRE-MARITAL COUNSELING next week!!! Moody Church has a 10-week course that all couples have to take if they want to be married at the church. We are looking forward to taking that next step on the path towards marriage, and I am excited for the opportunity to learn even more about each other. There's something about this class that makes our upcoming wedding seem that much closer and more tangible, which is really exciting!!! :)

WEDDING PLANNING:
We have a photographer!!! I'm so glad! It was kind of becoming a headache: We found someone we really liked, but he turned out to be too expensive. We found someone we liked in our price range, but he was unavailable. But I guess the third time's the charm, because we found someone we liked in our price range who was available, and we met with them last night and they're awesome! It's a husband and wife team. They both graduated from Moody Bible Institute with music degrees (!), and the husband is a youth pastor. They're really nice, and it turns out we even have several mutual friends! I am so thankful that we persevered in our search!

With a little over 8 months until the big day, I still feel like there is TONS left to do, but I've already finished a lot:

I have a groom (Hooray!)
We have a wedding date
We have a ceremony and reception location
We have a pastor to officiate
We have an organist (woohoo!)
I have a dress (waiting for it to arrive...)
We've chosen our bridal party
I'm close to choosing bridesmaid dresses
We have a (very long) guest list (now to find addresses...)
We have a photographer

That's a lot! The big things remaining are food, flowers and invitations, I think.
This is totally do-able!
It helps to remember my hopes for the day:
1. To get married
2. To be able to celebrate with family, friends and loved ones
3. to praise God, from whom all blessings flow!!!