The Owen Family

Hello everyone. Just wanted to give a quick little update on what we've been up to in Montana.

This past week was a very stressful one but I guess exciting at the same time. Stressful because we had two tests, one on Monday and one on Friday. We just finished up Nephrology, the kidneys, and believe it or not it was very interesting. I never thought it could be, but it was. Exciting because we learned that our program is OFF probation and has received their full accreditation. Some of you may be asking, you moved all the way to MT to go to a school that was on probation? And yes, I did! It would not have affected me either way, I still would have been eligible to get certified, but now it's just even better. As Jeff said, "Now you can hang your degree in your office!" Our program has gone through a lot of changes in the last year. A new director and quite a few new staff members, who are dedicated to making this the best program it can be. I am very confident that I am getting a great education and am very happy that we have accreditation. When I got accepted to this program it was a struggle for me to decide whether or not to come here. I put my faith in God to lead us to where it was we were supposed to be and I think MT is the right place. Our experience has been a very fulfilling one and has helped Jeff and I to grow as individuals and as a couple. The other day I went for a run up on the Rims, and I stopped and was staring down at the city and the Mountains in the background, and it hit me that I was in Billings, MT running with my dogs and how beautiful it was. I never would have thought that is where I would be today. It was a surreal moment and it really helped me to appreciate how amazing life can be.

Anyways...sorry I got a little emotional there! So Friday after class a group of us went for a bike ride to decompress from the crazy week.

This weekend we fixed up our backyard. It has been a muddy mess all winter because there is one area that never gets any sun. Well as you can imagine with two dogs what a mess that creates. So Jeff and I took the dump truck to the rock quarry and got 7 1/2 tons of washed river rock. We spent all Saturday moving rock. It was actually really fun to be outside working. A nice study break. And as always Jeff did a very nice job on the project! We're hoping the rest of the grass fills back in in late spring. Landscaping is a little different here :-)