Future Plans?

So yesterday I went VTeaching and we all talked about what our plans are, since most of the people in the ward are graduating this April. One family is going to grad school in Ohio, another is taking a job offer in Washington, and what are we doing? We have general plans, but no particulars as of yet. We've thought about staying here, or moving to Idaho, Western Montana, or Alaska. We hope to eventually experience living in Alaska, but we might not be able to do it right away since Alaska is pretty expensive.

After we went to that lecture by Barry Cunliffe W said to me "After hearing about how Dr. Cunliffe has been known to stand at the top of a metal platform to get a picture during a lightening storm, remained digging down in a burrow in pouring rain because it was the last day of the dig, and the other crazy things he's done I thought why wouldn't S want to go on and study in this field?" Then he went on to say that if I wanted to go to grad school he would fully support me in it. I told him that I don't want to go on to grad school right away because I have been in school since preschool and need a break. I was also concerned about our family plans and how grad school might affect our having children and W said that plenty of people have kids while they're in grad school - he didn't know how they did it - but he was sure that we could figure it out if grad school is something that I really want to do.

It was so wonderful to hear these things, I have felt so supported and free. I don't have to try to fit myself into a pre-made mold where I have to be a mom and my kids have to be the most important thing in my life. Don't get me wrong, I love kids, and want them someday, but I don't want them to be "my whole life" that title has already been given to W and he's the person that deserves to bear it. I certainly want kids to be a big and an important part of my life but I don't want to feel like I'm defined by them and by my role as a mother. I want myself to be defined by me and what I choose for myself. And I think that I would really enjoy going on in my field, to do that I need to learn a whole lot more Norwegian and German since those are the main languages that are used in the field I hope to go into. Because of this, the idea of staying somewhere here in the area is looking much more appealing. The Norwegian Instructor here would be happy to let me sit in on Norwegian 201 and 202 next year, and the library here has plenty of archaeology books in German and Norwegian, it also has a really good inter-library loan system. So as I consider what I want to accomplish in my future and what W and I want to accomplish in ours I think that staying in the area might just be the best option for the coming year.

I look forward to the time when he and I have definite plans, and I look forward to continuing my life with him after graduation, he's my best friend and I can't wait to spend more time with him!