What Next?

A few of you have been asking what is next for us, now that Mr. N has been accepted into The Grand Central Academy of Art in NYC. We are, now, more certain of our future than we have been in the past, but nothing is set in stone yet. Mr. N still is applying to The Florence Academy of Art (FAA) in Italy, so we should know by the middle of May whether or not he is accepted there. Obviously if he doesn't get in to the FAA, our decision is made. If he does get in, then we have a decision to make. Italy takes more students than New York...so there is a good chance. The Grand Central Academy of Art only accepts 15 students a year, including international students. Pretty amazing. I think Italy takes 30-ish, but I'm not sure.

If we go the New York route, we would be moving to New Jersey to live with my parents in August. That makes for a busy summer for us. Mr. N is going on a humanitarian mission for the military to Morocco in June, the baby comes at the beginning of July, and then we move in August. Yikes! Mr. N is hoping to fund a lot of his schooling by selling his temples and other art work. I am looking into different options for work that I can do from home too. We will probably have to stay with my parents for the first school year, but we are really hoping to get out on our own quickly. We don't want to impose too much.... Either way we will probably live in New Jersey the whole time. Its cheaper that way (shockingly), and Mr. N will be like everyone else who lives in NJ and commute to another state to work.

After the first school year (there are 4), students are usually able to start selling the work and entering competitions to win money and scholarships. Mr. N also is going to try to get a job as a janitor or something like that at the Academy. If he is employed by them, tuition is cut in half.

Right now that's about all we know. We both can't believe that we may be moving to the east coast. When I left NJ, to marry N, I was sure I would never live there again. Mr. N doesn't like the east coast. He's more of a westerner. In another way, it's kind of cool. Our first date was to NYC, so in essence, we'll be returning to the place where it all started. That is kind of cool. Either way, we'll make the best of where the Lord takes us!