Wonder Woman!

So I wanted to boast about how amazing my wife is and give her some much deserved credit. She is an incredible woman. Caroline works full time as an assistant manager leading about a dozen workers in retail. Her store is one of the busiest of its kind in San Diego and she manages to run it smoothly and effectively. She is an incredible leader and the employees all love her. Oh, and did I mention she's pregnant? Caroline is due in May and she still continues to work hard to support our family battling all the fun things that accompany pregnancy. And this is not the first time she has done this. She did the same thing with our first child Sawyer. 
You see, I am a full time law student and part time intern and I can't do much to support the family yet, so she carries the weight. As I mentioned, we already have a kid and she is an amazing mom. She loves Sawyer so much and I love to watch them play together. I hate that she does not get to spend all day with him because she has to go to work but she grins and bears it. Even though she has a big uncomfortable baby bump, swollen feet, and works full time, she has a great attitude and still shows me lots of love. Caroline is wonder woman in every way and makes me so proud. I love her.

Miracles

Someday I am going to get good at this blogging thing. As for now, it’s one day at a time.

I am about 35 weeks pregnant and I have not a single thing to complain about. Sure, I have had my moments but compared to a lot of other women I have had it very easy. If they are all like this one, then the Duggar family might have some competition. (What is it now? Like 21 kids and counting) Anyways, a couple pounds gained, (well a little more than a couple but who’s counting) and some annoying acne but really I have been a blessed pregnant woman.

I honestly believe that because of the hell Sean and I went through trying to get pregnant, the Lord is making it possible for me to bear the burdens of pregnancy unbelievably well. My heart goes out to many other women struggling with infertility. It is a long journey of heartache, loneliness, and depression that I wish upon no one. After 1 year of trying to get pregnant, the doctors start using the “I” word. Then, it becomes a life of tests, pills, and examinations if it has not started already. Sex becomes less intimate and more of a chore. Feelings of worthlessness and loneliness creep in and tears become a close friend, yet an enemy at the same time. I know because it took a long time for us to get pregnant.

I have such a deep testimony that God is watching over every one of His children and even in our darkest hours when we think all is lost, He is there opening His arms. I never understood why Sean and I had to go through almost 2 years of heartache but I know that God has a plan. We are counting the days for our little miracle to come into our lives. Here is to the last 5 weeks of a wonderful journey!

If you're gonna go through hell you might as well do it for free...

So you know that feeling when you feel really good about something you should be doing and you know its the right thing for you? When Sean returned to his mission area in Spain , he came to a realization that he should be a lawyer. It was so profound that he remembers where he was, who he was with, and what he was doing. So he always reminds me about that day and that light bulb moment in his life.
You can imagine how good it feels now that that feeling he had four years ago is finally coming to be! However, its easy to look back on those past feeling and forget the wonder of the moment, especially when the stress of the decision weighs on your shoulders. (where to go, the cost of tuition, what to study and job market after graduation)
Needless to say, Sean was reminded today that God has a plan and will take care of us. We already got accepted into some great law schools but there was still some worry about tuition and the rest of the stress involved with law school. We have been hoping and praying for news for weeks so you can imagine the excitement we felt when an additional package came from Cal Western. When I saw a big envelope from the law school I picked up my phone and called Sean. He was at work and he excitedly said, "bring it over!" Unfortunately I couldn't so I read it to him over the phone.
"Dear Mr. Murphy:
I am delighted to inform you that you have been awarded the California Western Faculty Scholarship Award."
He was very happy to hear what they had to say. This scholarship covers tuition and includes a book stipend for the first year and 50% of tuition for the second and third year unless he is in the top of his class then he will get more. This is such a relief and a blessing. This scholarship will save us more than $80,000 in student loans over the next three years.
We were happy to hear what they had to say. This pretty much solidifies the next three years of our lives starting the end of August and we couldn't be spending them in a better place. San Diego here we come!!!

Cal Western

Sean started applying to law schools in the beginning of Jan after he got his LSAT score. We didn't expect to hear back from schools for about 6-8 weeks. He applied to 20 schools, I believe. A lot I know, but we got fee waivers so we didn't have to pay the application fees. Sean only wanted to apply to Cal Western, USD, and USC but I told him to apply to more. He apparently misunderstood me because I only meant a few more. Sean sometimes goes a little overboard. Now the waiting game begins... again.
As we waited I grew worried because I knew if we heard bad news for the first couple of schools Sean would start to get discouraged. Thankfully we immediately heard good news! He got an email the following week from an excellent law school in Washington D.C saying he is on the wait list. He expected to be denied by this particular school so being wait listed was a great sign of what was to come. Then 2 days later we got an email from California Western School of Law in downtown San Diego saying he got accepted! It is our # 2 school behind USD. Someone going to school there said, "law school is hell so if your going through hell it might as well be in paradise." Plus the fact that our family is there is a bonus! On top of that Cal Western said in a letter they sent us that they even submitted his credentials to the scholarship committee so in a few weeks we should know if we get a scholarship! So happy! Now the waiting game doesn't seem so bad... Congratulations Sean!

Some great things of 2010

July 2010

I was looking online at cute doggies and I fell in love with the boxadors. (boxer/lab mix) I wanted something to cuddle with and be so cute! We went to Petco and there was a lady who runs an adopt-a-pet center. We fell in love with the cute black puppy with the white patch on the her chest. And so we bought her. We named her Juliet because Sean was taking a Shakespeare class the semester before. The week after we got her, we had to drive unexpectedly to San Diego because Sean's mom had a heart attack. She learned right away the joy of being in the car!
We love her!

DEC 2010

Sean Graduated! He also completed the LSAT on Dec 11. He put a good 8 months of studying for it and it paid off. We are now applying to schools and waiting to hear where we will spending our next 3 years. I am so proud of him!

Nearly a year later.. Pictures of my triathlon I completed on May 15, 2010 in St. George.

Right before I started my race.. I was smiling but instead I was shaking!

I was kicking so hard because I thought I was in last place. I seriously thought I was swimming so slow. Turns out I was fifth in the swimming part. (BTW its not that bad)

The transition is one the hardest parts. Some people have it down to a tee. Me.. I was still struggling with the wet suit clear until I made it up to by bike. (I guess there was a huge dead fish next to me. My mom was freaked that I would touch it.)

On my way to transition to running...

At the finish line. Yeah I cried. My mom cried and I swear Sean cried. It was such an emotional thing to complete something I worked so hard for. I would definitely recommend doing one in your lifetime.

Sean congratulating me after my race.

Probably the coolest thing about my triathlon is my parents drove 6 hours up to St. George to surprise and be my cheerleader. It meant so much to me!

How it all started...

It all began a couple years ago when I watched a Scrubs episode. J.D was turning 30 the following day and pulls out his list of things he wanted to do before age 30. Since it was too late for his #1 goal to invent a cereal he was left with #2, complete a triathlon. Fortunately for J.D. there was a triathlon the next day and the whole episode was him finishing a triathlon. From what I remember I even got a little emotional at the end because a normal triathlon takes a few hours and the minute before he turned 30, he completed his goal.
I could count on my hand the # of things I have wanted to do that I actually completed. One of them was to serve a mission for the church. That dream started at a young age and finished at age 23. Of course I had the norm goals of getting married and starting a family. (My mom wishes that would happen sooner) And now thanks to Scrubs, my newest one was being in a triathlon. A goal I put in the back of my mind, only to collect dust…
Until 2 months before my 25th birthday. I remember thinking “Someone stop pushing the fast forward button!” I was going to be a quarter century old soon! At the rate my life was going age 30 was walking onto to my porch, ready to knock down my door. I remember an old goal of mine and decided to go for it. I signed myself (and Sean without his consent) up for the SGTRI which stands for St. George Triathlon, on May 15, 2010. I signed up for the Sprint Distance which is .75k swim/ 20k bike/ 5k run.
I knew nothing about it but I was going to do it. I could swim and bike, but running was my biggest mountain to climb. I don’t like to run but I do like my body better after I run so that became my biggest motivator.
I started training January 1st when I returned home from my Christmas trip. I have always been active so I knew I was going to enjoy getting into shape. But training has certainly not been easy. The problem was I couldn’t bring myself to part from my Zumba class. All that dancing and fun atmosphere is SO addicting. I kept telling myself I will run later because Zumba will help me transition to getting in shape. I made a goal to be able to run a mile by Valentine’s day. I had 4 months. May 15 was not going to be a problem.
It’s now March 23 and I can run a mile. I can bike and I can swim. The key word is can. I didn’t say can do it well, I am a ridiculous runner because my feet are always hurting. Biking hurts my inner legs and swimming is depressing because I used to be fast. Thankfully I still have two months left yet I wonder how much I am going to improve.
-Caroline