Well, we survived last week and now that we’re moved in to our new place everything seems much more relaxed. It was a nightmare getting Justin off to D.C. and everything packed and cleaned and out, mostly because of Mr. Mac. They messed up Justin’s $500 custom made suit, ordering it too big and not ordering his shirt at all, and were unable to fix it before he left. It still makes my blood boil to think about it and makes me a little sick to my stomach when I think of all that money spent for that one day only not to get anything close to what we wanted. Not to mention the time spent running around trying to fix the problem and the money spent to get him a new shirt since they never ordered his.

Almost everything off the checklist was accomplished, except that, unfortunately, Justin didn’t pass his oral exam. He got heartbreakingly close to the cut-off, but, alas, it just wasn’t meant to be this time around. We’ve realized it’s a blessing in disguise after Justin talked to his aunt and uncle with whom he stayed in D.C. and they explained to him that without a master’s degree it’s impossible to be promoted in government and the last thing you want to be as a federal employee is unpromotable. So, the focus has turned from the State Department to grad school. In my usual fashion I’ve been very carefully researching every public policy/affairs/administration master’s program in the country, trying to find the right fit for us and I’ve narrowed it down from 100 to 7. Next I’m going to try to do the same with International Relations programs. And, no, BYU is NOT on the list. Provo, we love you, but it’s time for something new. In the meantime Justin will be eligible to take the test again next March and he will definitely be doing so.

For the present we’re both very happy that last semester is over and that it’s summer. The streets of Provo are empty and we love it – we don’t have to wait to get a table on Sushi Tuesday’s at Demae, the lights on University Ave don’t change nearly as often, and we can actually see a movie at the dollar theater on the weekends. Our new apartment is fantastic, we couldn’t ask for anything more, and Justin is only taking two classes which has made our lives infinitely more peaceful. Now all we need is to resolve things with Mr. Mac and life will be good.