In countdown mode...

I've been in Winona, MN for 13 days now, but guess what? Only one week to go! I'm getting myself into countdown mode. I'm so anxious to get home to Martin and Grace. Being away has been even harder than I expected.

My grad school experience has been really positive though. I've been learning a lot and have met some wonderful people, in addition to the awesome group I already knew in this program. It's just the homesickness that has made it a rough few weeks.

I've watched Grace on the web cam quite a bit, and that's been so great! She is learning all kinds of new things. She showed me her belly button the other day, and that cracked me up. I'm so proud of her and how clever she is :-) When they say absence makes the heart grow fonder, they aren't kidding. I love and appreciate my family even more after this time away. I feel like the luckiest girl in the world to get to share my life with Martin and Grace.

Now I need these next 7 days to fly by so I can get home...because that's where my heart is!

p.s. Happy 2nd Birthday to my niece, Madison :-) We love you and wish we were there to celebrate with you!