Tell Me Something Good

Let me just start by saying God is good.

So good.

I've definitely had some good news come my way this week that has blessed me immensely.  God is truly working in the lives of my husband and I and Ohio is where we are supposed to be.

First off, I entered the Toledo Museum of Art's ekphrastic writing poetry competition back in February with an ekphrastic poem I wrote about Mark Rothko's Untitled (1960).  Justin and I studied this painting in an art class we took together in college, so it was exciting to see it in the museum's collection here in Toledo.

I was contacted last Wednesday by the museum and I am a finalist in the competition.  There is an awards ceremony on May 1st at the Glass Salon at the Toledo Museum of Art and I will be introduced and will read my poem.  Since I'm a "finalist," I won't actually know what place I've won until the ceremony.  I'm hoping for first place, but we will see!  I'm excited to be a part of it and I'm proud of the city of Toledo and all they're doing to advance the local poetry community.  You can view more about the ekphrastic writing poetry contest here:

toledomuseum.org/learn/writingcontest

Rothko's Untitled (1960), the painting I based my poem on for the competition. 

Aside from the poetry competition, I have some very exciting news that I just found out today.  Let me start by giving some background information.

After graduating with my undergraduate degree in 2011, I started grad school two weeks later.  (I love school.)  I knew I needed a break after completing my masters in 2013, so I waited about a year and then started seriously thinking about going back to school for my doctorate.

During that time, I taught at two different colleges and I wanted opportunities for advancement, something that I would need a PhD for.  So last July, I started talking to my husband about it.  Nothing was keeping us in South Bend, IN, so he told me to apply to the schools I wanted to go to, even if they were in a different state (did I mention my husband is awesome and amazingly supportive!?).  I started searching for schools and came across Bowling Green State University in Ohio.  I had never heard of it before, but their PhD in English program was everything I had been looking for.  I talked to my husband about it and he encouraged me to apply.

This was in late July/early August of 2014.

I started filling out my application, sending in the necessary paperwork and transcripts, and working toward finding people to write references for me.  I spent a week with my husband and his family in Missouri and Arkansas last summer, and I remember sending emails to potential references on my smart phone as we ate breakfast in the hotel lobby.  I was determined to get my application materials in early.

I had all of my materials in, including my references from three of my favorite grad school professors, by October.  I submitted an application and a statement of purpose for full funding with the program along with a teaching assistantship so I could earn a stipend.  I was very nervous about the whole process because of how competitive it is.  When I was preparing for grad school, I applied to five schools and was only accepted to one and the rejection was hard.  I ended up having an amazing grad experience at IU and I know God placed me there, but it was still a reminder of how competitive it is to get into these programs.  I continued teaching and waited (im)patiently for a response.  The English department secretary said they would start reviewing applications after the January 15th deadline and would inform applicants of their admission decision and who they were giving scholarships and assistantships to by mid-April.

In the meantime, since I applied to a school in Bowling Green, OH, my husband began searching for a job in the area (apparently he really believed in me and knew I would get in!).  God blessed Justin with his dream job as the youth director at St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Maumee, OH, and we moved here last November.  This is a wonderful story and a tribute to God's amazing love.  You can view that story here:

kristinlafollette.blogspot.com/2014/11/how-we-ended-up-in-ohio.html

I definitely thought we would be moving because of my schooling, but God had other plans.  Clearly, Justin and I are meant to be here in Ohio.  We moved in November and I have since taken a job at the Boys and Girls Club working with the after school homework help and tutoring program.  It has been great so far, but I have been awaiting a response from Bowling Green since I began my application process last July.  The past two weeks, I have been checking my email and the mail obsessively, hoping for a response.   

And today I heard from them.

I have been accepted into the PhD in English program at Bowling Green State University with a full scholarship and a teaching assistantship.

I'll say it again - God is good.  So good.

I don't have the words to thank God for this amazing opportunity he has blessed me with.  After eight months of waiting, I finally have my answer, and it was definitely all in God's timing.  This was a prepared blessing for me, as was Justin's job here, and when I look back on the past year, I am amazed.  God orchestrated this entire move for us so Justin could have this job and I could go to school.  Wow.  Our God is a God of love who truly cares about our hopes, dreams, and desires.  He wants us to thrive.

So dream big and pray boldly.  Thrive.

I can't wait to begin my doctoral studies this fall.  Thank you God for this opportunity.   

"Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer."
-Romans 12:12 (ESV)