all the cards are on the table

This week we finally heard from Thunderbird. They said that since Grandpa Big Dad was a Thunderbird, and Uncle Bill is a Thunderbird, it would be a shame for me not to be one too.

So we've been crunching a lot of numbers and trying to look at all of the possible implications of going to the three schools where we were accepted. Here's a quick run down for anyone interested. If not, skip to the end.

BYU is the cheapest in terms of tuition - a little under 10k/year, but doesn't really offer any scholarships.

Rice is the most expensive, coming in at close to 45k/year for tuition and fees. They offered me a 15k/year scholarship, plus the added benefits of staying here in Houston with the twins coming.

Thunderbird is just under 40k/year in tuition and they offered me a 1/2 tuition scholarship.

While all of these options are interesting, each has its drawbacks. With either BYU or Thunderbird, we'd have to add in the costs/effects of moving the family, having the babies within a month of relocating, the increased costs of living, etc. Rice is the most expensive and the tuition deposit is pretty steep at a time when all of our money is going to pay the doctor and the hospital up front for the twins.

So one thought is that we hold off a year. That way we make sure the babies arrive safe and sound, and if the schools we've been accepted to won't defer the offer for a year, we can always apply again and this time get them in at beginning of the cycle rather than at the tail end.

Thank you for all of your thoughts and prayers on our behalf. We'll let y'all know which way we're headed as soon as we're sure ourselves.

Being pregnant with twins has been an eye opening experience for me. John and I have been very blessed in that we have had no complications in the previous pregnancies. I am sure that we have taken for granted all the many little miracles that take place leading up to the birth of any child. When I found out that I was carrying twins I immediately started reading any book I could get my hands on - a feeble attempt to feel some control over the situation. In reading these books I have become very grateful for the ease of my previous pregnancies as well as for how well things have gone so far with this one. We have felt the blessings of all your prayers and are very grateful for them.

This past week we got a call from the doctors office saying that my thyroid panel had come back abnormal and they would need to re-do the blood work. So I ran to the lab with the girls to have some blood drawn. After waiting 3 days the nurse called again and said that sure enough my thyroid count is off. Apparently I have hypothyroidism. I had no idea what this meant other than my thyroid is under active. Truthfully I still don't fully understand the condition. It seems to be fairly easy to treat. I have to take a prescription every day and have my blood drawn every 6 weeks to monitor the levels. At this point I am thinking about going to a specialist. There are a few risks involved with the condition and I would like the problem to be taken care of ASAP.

I am grateful for the opportunity this pregnancy has give me to more fully appreciate the miracle of life and every little miracle along the way that makes it possible!

a narrowing field

Now that we are getting into April, the time to make a decision about where we'll be this fall is getting closer. While still early, there is some news to report. I received an acceptance letter from BYU last week. That good news was balanced out with a notification from UT that I will not be a longhorn. I'll admit, it came as a bit of a surprise since my test score and undergrad gpa are both well above last year's class averages. So Joy and Darrell, I'm sorry we won't be moving to Austin any time soon. I guess there is still a slight chance I might be a longhorn - UT has a weekend program here in Houston which could work out well since we wouldn't have to move right after the twins arrive, but we'll see.

Friday was the day that Harvard sent out most of their Round 3 interview invitations and I was not one of the 100 to receive an invitation. They say that they will probably send out a few more in the coming weeks, but I am not counting on it. Last year's class size was right around 900 and they sent out at least 750 interview invitations in both rounds 1 and 2. I guess that's why they recommend you apply early, n'est-ce pas?

So at this point we are down to waiting on 3 more schools. I already interviewed with Rice and Thunderbird and now await a final decision. Cambridge, probably the biggest long shot of them all, will be sending out interview notifications on April 9. So if my mailbox is empty on Thursday morning, we'll have our answer from them as well.

All we can do at this point is pray that the Lord guide us where He wants us to be. One by one, the field of options is narrowing. The last (of our pre-application short list) was the first to accept and perhaps the first to accept us shall be the last option left. Maybe I was meant to get a degree from BYU after all...