And life happened...

It has been almost six months since last I visited my tea party. I knew when I began the blog that there would be times such as these. Optimistically, I hoped that there would never be as significant a gap in posts as there has been this time. But, as my title depicts, life happened. Moving on.
So much has happened since my trip to Disney last Christmas! I shudder at how long this post could really be were I to go into detail concerning every significant moment that has brought me to where I am today. I'm challenging myself to provide as many updates in as brief a manner as possible!

• Molly, the dogs and myself traveled to Charlotte on Christmas day to spend a few days with my family. This was the 1st time my sisters and I had all been together again for quite some time. And I loved every minute of it! Molly had all of her aunties on my side of the family to herself, at least for the few hours that Kat was able to stay before heading back to Asheville. I miss them all dearly!
• Mark's parents paid for the three of us to fly out and spend New Years in Nebraska. Molly was able to see and play with some of her many cousins who continuously doted and waited upon her every, beckoning call. We were fortunate not to catch the stomach bug that was rapidly passed around through the whole family shortly before we had to go back home. We all three had already had and recovered from it, having brought the unwanted souvenir virus from Disney World.
  
• My internship took on a whole new life of its own following the holidays. I was concerned about how many hours I still had left to meet the requirements for my degree. Once we returned from Nebraska, I took on my intern responsibilities with a renewed gusto, as reflected in my midterm evaluations. What contributed mostly to this change in work pace was the end of breastfeeding for Molly. That was one of the saddest transitions I have ever had to make in my life. But it was time for her to move on to the nutrition she needed as a toddler. I am happy to report that I completed my internship with 10 extra hours past the requirement of 998!
• Mark is no longer in Charleston. He detached from the command here on March 19th. After a brief trip to Nebraska and back to deliver the GTO to his parent's house, we said our official goodbye to him on April 4th, Easter Sunday. My heart was breaking, especially for Molly, as we watched him pull away. He arrived in Washington State a few days before his report day later that month. I enjoyed hearing about his travels when we spoke on the phone and looking at the pictures he took along the way. As of right now, he sings nothing but praises about his new command and the area he is living in now. When our house does sell it will be an extremely difficult move for me. However, I am anxious to have our family back together again. And truthfully, I'm excited to live in a completely new place no matter how scary it may seem.
• Our house is on the market. It has been for about a month now. Many people have come to look. No one has made an offer. It is a patience demanding process that I'm ready to have behind me. As my parents keep reminding me, it only takes one person/family. I just need to trust in my own ability as a seller and homeowner. I know I can handle it on my own. I've done it all before when we transferred to Charleston 4 years ago.
• In addition to completing my internship I have taken my certification board exam...AND PASSED! I am now, officially, Angela Danae Ogren MT-BC (music therapist board certified). And I couldn't be any more excited and relieved! To add to the good news, I participated in the university's graduation ceremony this past weekend to celebrate this accomplishment. What a journey it has been!

Molly and I now find ourselves enjoying some hard earned relaxation and cuddle time at home these days. I relish the time that I have with her, especially since I had to work so hard for it while I was still a student/intern. It's amazing how much she has grown in so little time! I have a few definite plans for the summer involving additional music therapy training and working at a local camp as a paid MT-BC. And of course, I plan on making frequent trips to Charlotte so that Gran and Pops can get in as much Nae and Molly time as possible! Other than that, we are taking each day as it comes. I feel like Mr. Rogers.