April Showers bring May Flowers.

So, it turns out, I'm terrible at keeping a blog. And it's not even because I have nothing exciting to share. I guess it's because typing from an ipad takes FOR.EV.ER. but then I can't even use that as an excuse as I now have an external keyboard. So now begins the hard part of where to even begin.

As I came back to my blog, this was a post I had started, and never returned to...for 6 months! Whoops. But for my own sake, I'm going to do a quick version of what I think I had intended to share all those 6 months ago.

April began with a bang. KU won their first game in the Final Four against Ohio State and were playing for the National Championship in New Orleans against Kentucky! We had toyed with the idea of going to the Final Four, but my mom and dad couldn't really get away, and I was nervous to spend that much money on tickets, only to be stuck with tickets for the Championship game if KU lost...I mean, I knew they could do it, but this team had already far exceeded expectations for the season, so yes, I did have my doubts. However, they did win and were playing for THE National Championship. In true O'Donnell fashion, we made a trip of it! My dad had to preach on Sunday morning and my mom had to get lesson plans ready for a sub, so they didn't leave Wichita until Sunday afternoon around 3. They came to Springfield, and we (my parents, Tyler and I) piled into our Suburban and drove through the night. The extra space allowed us to spread out and get decent rest when it wasn't our turn to drive. Andrew's sister and her family live on the Northshore of New Orleans, and they graciously allowed us to sleep a few hours and shower once we arrived at 6 am. They had made awesome signs welcoming us and cheering for KU along with us! It was so sweet! I'll never forget this trip. Before the game, we got caught in a rain storm and were soaking wet, but it just added to the insanity of the trip! Although KU didn't win, it was an amazing experience! I am so glad for such spontaneous and passionate family members...the only thing that would have made it better is if Andrew, Michael, and Katie would have been able to go with us. Oh, and KU winning, too, I suppose!

April also meant Easter. And a weekend in Kansas City with my mom, mother-in-law, and best friends seeing Beth Moore. This is also the only time I've ever slept in between my mom and mother-in-law, but it makes me smile every time I think about it. April also meant Andrew's birthday...the last blog I managed to post.

 The May flowers began with an actual trip to a seed store in Mansfield, Missouri with my mother-in-law and a dear friend. We bought zinnias and planted them in my in-laws front garden...they turned out to be a sight to behold this summer! Andrew and I spent Mother's Day weekend on a road trip to Dallas with his parents which was so much fun! Then, on May 15, our hard year of not knowing what we were supposed to be doing and wondering why Andrew hadn't found a job came to an end. Andrew did a Skype interview with a professor from the University of Nottingham who was interested in his research proposal, and during the interview, she offered him a place to begin his PhD work under her supervision! We were ELATED! We have always had a heart to go overseas, but we never really knew what God wanted us to do. We knew that this was His will, and were excited to embark on a new adventure. May ended with me getting to be home 3 weekends in a row, which is the rarest of treats for me! It was an exciting time in our lives!

The dark, heavy clouds were being lifted, and we were surrounded by signs of hope. A new adventure. The showers had brought bouquets of flowers bursting through at just the right moment. God is so good. We still don't fully understand why we had to wait so long, or exactly what He was teaching us during that year and 2 days after Andrew finished his Master's, but we are CERTAIN that it was not in vain, and that His goodness goes above and beyond what we deserve.