Washington DC!

DC celebrating our final decision :)

I am so excited about this part of moving to DC

We're really excited about the American history that we'll grow to love

Well, we have finally come to a decision.  We're going to go to George Washington University right in the heart of DC.  It was probably the hardest decision we've ever had to make.  We were completely torn between BYU and GW and almost every hour of the day we were leaning towards the other.  We will miss BYU and we will definitely miss the people who are close by.  I actually cried quite a bit when we decided (pregnant emotions i think...) because of the distance, but we are excited.  What an adventure it'll be!  It'll be wonderful to be so close to Dave, Nikki, Hallie, and new baby as well.  I'm excited to get to know them, I think we'll become very close and that will be one of the greatest blessing we experience out there I believe.  My old roommate Ginny and her husband, Matt, will also be starting in the fall at GW.  Hopefully we'll be able to see them around.  I'm glad that there will be some familiar faces for me.  I'm most definitely a people lover and it's hard for me be away from the people that I love.  Some things that helped us decide on GW are that GW is #3 for patent law, which will give Steve an edge on other candidates for the jobs/internships in the future.  The education there will be outstanding and the opportunities right there in DC will be incredible.  We figured it was maybe time to leave our little comfort bubble of Provo.  With the exception of our missions, we've both been here since our freshman year in 2004.  BYU would have been the safe, comfortable decision.  In the end, our decision was made because we felt that Heavenly Father approved of our desire to learn and take advantage of opportunities.  We prayed hard to do whatever would best prepare us to serve the Lord and to serve his children throughout our lives.  And we truly felt that the experiences we have in DC will teach us some things that we couldn't experience here in Provo.  Missionary opportunities will be everywhere!  We will grow close to each other as we have to depend on each other and the Lord rather than our siblings and parents.  We will struggle a little more financially than we would have in Provo, and we're excited to master coupon collecting and being wise with our budget.  I feel so good about this decision, even though there is a bit of fear, anxiety, and mourning from being far away.  It's definitely a decision of faith and we are both excited to go forward with it.  I'm grateful for family who supports us and I'm so glad that both Merrill parents and Burrup parents helped us make a decision by the spirit :)  So, I'm going to put on by big girl pants and prepare for a huge adventure on the other side of the country :)