Greetings everyone!
Our family trip happened in March instead of August this year, so I’ve all but neglected the blog for the summer. I’ve sort of been looking for even the slightest excuse to publish something, since there are a lot of updates to give! It’s been a summer of exciting changes, so I thought I’d take the opportunity to share a bit about the happenings.
Major Events - Graduation
I guess I should go in order…
First of all, I graduated! If that sounds like déjà vu all over again, it is. This was my third [and likely final] time graduating from ASU. This was my official graduation with two master’s degrees: a Master of Science in Accountancy, and a Master of Business Administration in Applied Business Analytics. I graduated as the top MBA student, and was invited to be the student speaker at graduation! This was a huge blessing, and I’m very grateful for that opportunity.
You can watch my commencement address in the video below:
Major Events - Employment
After an extensive job search, I accepted a position with Lowe’s Companies, Inc. in Wilkesboro, NC. I will continue to live in Boone, and commute off the mountain. I’m on the projects team in the accounting department, so I’ll be working on a wide variety of material, including a good bit of data analysis, so I’ll be making good use of all my degrees.
Major Events - Engagement
Last, and certainly not least, as most of you already know, I got engaged this summer!
A quick fun fact rundown:
- Faith and I have known each other for a little over 6 years, but only dated for a very short time! We both knew very quickly we wanted to marry each other.
- She is from Valle Crucis, and is a senior violin performance major at ASU (think professional weddings/symphony/teaching lessons).
- We are getting married in Boone on December 15th.
- You can find more info on our wedding website, isaacandfaith.com.
We are planning on taking a short honeymoon in December, and later (maybe in the summer) will hopefully travel somewhere awesome together! So, stay tuned for a blog series featuring the adventures of Isaac and Faith…
Major Events - Power Tools/Soccer/Website
In other less exciting news, the Church Family’s lives have consisted of wedding planning, yard care (our weedeater died, and Dad and I are very excited about the opportunity to use new power tools), the occasional picnic, and the occasional Saturday road trip. In the fall, I’m also going to be playing on a High Country Soccer adult league team in the Appalachian Mountain Brewery Premier League.
Also, you might–or, more likely, might not–have noticed that my website is slightly revamped and significantly faster. I finally gave up on my pocket computer server in my living room, and am now hosting the site via AWS Lightsail. In simpler terms, this means it will be faster, and less likely to go offline.
I basically recreated the site by hand because my old server was too decrepit to do any kind of data transfer, so there might be a few bugs or inconsistencies here and there. I was also unable to transfer any comments anyone may have left on posts. However, the email newsletter should still work, and I hope this site will last for many years to come!
Major Event - Football Season
I mentioned I needed a reason to fire up the blog again (other than just to give a life update), and what better excuse than Appalachian State football? So, finally, the reason that I’m posting on my travel blog: it’s road trip* time for the Church Family^!
*Note: by ‘road trip’, I mean a one and two-halves day trip.
^Note 2: by ‘Church Family’, I mean Dad and me, but that’s no surprise to those of you who know Mom’s football game attendance record.
On Labor Day weekend, ASU opens their 2018 football season at Penn State, and Dad and I are going to make the trip to Beaver Stadium in State College, PA to see the game! We plan on leaving NC Friday afternoon and driving to Hagerstown, MD (about 5h 20m through the never-ending Shenandoah Valley), and then driving the remaining 2h 30m to Penn State University the next morning; kickoff is at 3:30pm. After the game, we’ll return to Hagerstown, and will journey home Sunday. On our way home, we might stop in Shenahdoah National Park, or somewhere else along the way.
That’s all the life updates for now! Thanks for following our travels (even if this round will be brief). You can click the button below to subscribe to posts, if you haven’t already.
4 Responses
Much to look forward to, much to be excited about, much to be thankful for. We are so proud of you and we love you.
Cheer those Mountaineers on! Enjoy your trip. That is a beautiful drive and if traffic is bad, you may get to enjoy it at a super slow pace. Be safe.
OK, so I went back and watched your speech! Great job. I’ll bet your mom cried. And maybe dad, too, just a little. A couple of things: it was the Gold Room when I was there. I can’t believe you lived in Cone 319. I was in 318 for two years. Loved your fearless reference to your salvation–good boy. And lastly, it’s great to be a Mountaineer. Always.
Isaac, I always love reading your travel blog posts and am enjoying the beginning of this short trip as well. Thanks for sharing the highlights of your life the past few months. Congratulation on your graduation from ASU and being the top student. I was not surprised by your top ranking but very happy for you and proud of you too! I know your mom and dad are the most proud as they should be seeing their son excel in academics Lowe’s is an awesome employer with lots of growth opportunities. Lastly, congratulations on your engagement. She’s one very lucky lady. Blessings to you !