Farewell, University of Iowa!

I can't believe it. I have now taken the very last exam in my MBA program! The exam wasn't too bad, although it took me over three hours to complete. I thought this day would never arrive, but I no longer need to spend most of my free time sitting through evening and weekend classes, doing homework, reading textbooks, or having class team meetings!

I give God all of the credit for giving me the energy to make it through this program. It has definitely put a strain on my family life over the last 32 months, but it's been worth it. I've gained a lot of knowledge that I can not only use at my job, but in my areas of ministry and home life as well. I'm very thankful that I had this opportunity to return to school. I don't think I'll be seeking any further education in the foreseeable future, however.

Heather and I are flying out to Oregon tomorrow morning for 11 days alone. This vacation is much needed after a hectic semester. I'm really looking forward to a time of reconnecting with her and enjoying this one last big trip before baby arrives. After we return, I have to get busy on finishing our improvement projects at home! I guess I'd better enjoy the time away while I can! :-)

Magnet Mania!

Well, the enginerd in me must really be coming through this week. A coworker just got an order of "rare earth" (neodymium) magnets, and they're amazing. They're like 1/3 the diameter of a penny and a little thinner, but they each have a pulling force of 2.88 lbs! All of a sudden, magnet mania broke out around here. From chatting with some coworkers and friends, everybody thought these were the coolest things ever. There are over 300 different types at the website he used! Check 'em out at www.kjmagnetics.com.

I came across one that weighs under four pounds, but it has 368.22 lbs of pulling force (see the picture with this blog entry). That could easily hold a small person wearing a suit of armor to a metal beam... which I guess is practical at $195 if you have a need to perform such a task.

Long story short, eight other people and I went in on an order, and I placed it last night for 492 various magnets! Big surprise, we're all engineers or former engineers. The company has a cheap flat shipping rate no matter how much you order, so the prices are great for a group like this. I feel so geeky, but at least I know I'm not alone in my geek fascination with these things.

I also just have to mention that I'll be taking my final-final exam in four days. I'm a little worried about remembering the entire semester worth of material (finance), but the light at the end of the MBA tunnel is practically blinding me now!

In the Home Stretch!

It's really hard to believe that I will be done with my MBA in less than two weeks! My team gave our final presentation in our business strategy course last night, and it went really well. That course took up an insane amount of time, but it was pretty fun. I had a great group to work with, which made all of the difference.

I realized this morning that I'll never have to write another paper or give another presentation in an academic setting! I only have one more lecture to sit through next Monday, and the following monday will be a three-hour final exam in Finance (bleh). Eleven more days to go!

PS: What is up with all of this snow in mid-April??? I want our Spring weather back!

It's a Girl!

We had an ultrasound appointment this morning, and it looks a little girl will be joining the Adolphs household this August! We didn't see any boy parts, so the doctor was pretty confident. The little bugger was pretty stubborn, though, and she wouldn't give us a clear shot of her face. She kept her arms crossed in front of her face the entire time, and then it looked like she fell asleep at the end. Now that we can start picking out names, what's a pretty word that means "Stubborn & Lazy"? :)

Heather and I are really excited that this little one appears completely healthy. We saw all of her fingers and toes, her heart was beating strongly (134 bpm), and her brain looked like it was developing perfectly, according to the doctor. She weighs about 11 ounces right now. I can't believe we're at the halfway point already!