MLK Weekend in TX/OK

We had one helluva MLK Day Weekend, so hold on folks because it was a crazy one!

As I blogged before, the McVay family started out the new year with a TDY to Texas. It felt really hard leaving my husband after he’d only been home for four months, but we didn't have a choice. {Putting on big girl panties in 3…2…1…} In all reality it’s a relatively short time apart compared to what we've been through before, it’s just bad timing. Any who, we worked a way out that my husband could come visit me for a week while I was in Texas! The visit was a quick whirlwind, but so worth having him here while I could.

First, we had the opportunity for my husband to meet our 1 year old niece Elise for the first time!

First picture together!

Elise with Uncle Kitty

Then after about 8.5 hours of driving we made it to his parent’s house, which my husband hasn't seen since they bought it while he was deployed. It was a great reunion, and the first time his parents have had their home so full of family. You could see how full of happiness they were in their eyes. That alone made all the driving worthwhile. We relaxed, played with the pups, shopped and even got a good family run in! The only thing that would have made that weekend perfect was if my brother-in-law could have been there too, stupid deployment! We definitely missed him. We didn’t want to leave, but my quick-thinking husband scheduled a law school interview last minute with a school in Oklahoma as soon as he found out we’d be in that area anyway. He either could have done the interview over Skype or in person, so the stars aligned and it just worked out perfectly that they could see him on the last day we’d be in Oklahoma.

Us McVay women are lookers!

Play Time

Visited Kit's Grandma, the sweetest.

Cal and Rip

Never short on attention!

Yes our McFamily is all in sweats but that's not important. What's important is that we're TOGETHER. Celebrate it when it happens!

Back on the road again! I was way more nervous than he was about his interview. He’s so confident, intelligent and knows himself so well that it left little room for pesky nerves. He told me not to get my hopes up, so I didn't but it was hard quenching my excitement. I dropped him off, gave him a good luck kiss and sent him on his way! While he was touring the campus and fighting with words for a chance at an opportunity of a lifetime…I headed to meet a friend for coffee!

My friend and I don’t have a lengthy history together, but sometimes that doesn't matter. We connect on many different levels, and sometimes it’s just so refreshing to talk to a strong, independent, fight-for-want-you-want, driven woman. Especially when I’m surrounded by men all day back home. She gave me a tour around the city, much needed woman time and it was wonderful. Thank you girl!

Afterwards, I picked up my husband and he’s smiling. Good sign! He liked the campus and said in many more words then what I am, that the interview went very well.

Lastly, she’s recommending me for admission!

AH!! He always builds it up and leaves the best for last! Now, this doesn’t mean he’s accepted, just that she’s recommending him to the board of advisers. The entire drive home (8 hours to be exact), we talked about what if’s, how are we going to do’s, and can we’s. This road trip came at the perfect time given we had so much running through our heads.

The next day, I come home from class and my husband tells me those three words I’d been dying to hear since he decided to pursue law school…

I Got In!!

WHAT!?! Hell yes! He officially got accepted into Tulsa’s School of Law.  What are the odds he’d get accepted so quickly and while we’re still in the same city? I’m so grateful that we got to be together to celebrate this incredible news. This doesn't mean he's going there quite yet, we still have time to decide, but excited nonetheless! Along the same line, and within minutes of each other, we found out a military family that we’re really close with is getting PCS’d (moved) back to Tulsa OK! They've been overseas for a while and have tried hard to return, but it’s been impossible until now. Looks like Tulsa is the place to be! Finally, we went out for our last date night that we’ll get for the next month and enjoyed our favorite eats and drinks in Texas.

Our FAV pub

Cheers!

"He's Accepted" Face!

The McVays say, "Challenge Accepted".

What a chaotic, exhausting, incredible, milestone of a weekend. Many firsts, 19 hours total of driving, over 900 miles, new faces and some great memories. It was all flying by so fast I had to force myself to drag out my camera to capture the “firsts”, but I’m sure glad I did. I always tell my husband, “I want our family to celebrate the little things.” And that’s exactly what we did. Celebrate the little wins in life because it helps you stand stronger against the losses. I’m very proud of our little family right now.