Graduate School & God

When making decisions that will affect my life, my wife's life, and my unborn (at the time) child's life I consulted my Heavenly Father with my decisions. He knows what path I should take and what is best for my family and I. Some people might laugh at the idea that God speaks to his children, but He does. He loves us, He sent his Only Begotten Son for us, He cares what goes on in our lives, and He showed me what I should do.

I knew that when I earned my baccalaureate degree in nursing that I wanted to continue my education. I just didn't know what path I wanted to take. There are a lot of paths a nurse can take after receiving their licence. They can go on to administration work, nurse practitioner, nurse anesthetist, specialized training like life flight nursing, or other avenues. All these areas intrigued me. I am grateful that God helped me with my decision and showed me the path that I should take.

Some people expect that God will do all the work for you, make the answer clear, or you will have some life changing experience. That wasn't my case. I had to research these various paths that I could take, pray, and make a decision. After doing some job shadows, failing to set up others, I knew (70% sure) that I wanted to become a nurse anesthetist. Once, I made a decision on what I wanted to do, God confirmed that I had made the right choice. How did God confirm my choice? By directing me to the school I should attend. 

At the time my wife and I were living in Minnesota and I was working at the number 1 hospital in the US, the Mayo Clinic. I figured that I would just go to school there. One they paid for your schooling, two we had bought a house there, and three Kelsey had a great job teaching math. It seemed like a no brainer! Still I didn't want to put all my eggs in one basket, so I applied to a couple of other schools. I didn't really know which schools to apply to, so I just googled the top nurse anesthetist schools and applied to them. On that list was Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) the number 1 school. 

I was shocked when I received the e-mail to come interview for VCU's program. The best school in the nation wanted to interview me??? My first thought was well at least I can practice interviewing before I apply to Mayo's program. Even though VCU was the best school in the nation, it wasn't my first choice. I mean come on how do you beat free schooling from Mayo! Besides that VCU started in January. My wife had to finish her teaching contract which ended in June. Lastly, Kelsey was pregnant and there was no way I would live 15 hours away when my wife was due in February. With all those cons I decided to interview with VCU anyways. I wanted the practice. 

My first hint that God wanted me to go to VCU was when I learned my cousin was in Richmond VA going to VCU. I have a large extended family and it can be hard to keep up with everyone's lives. Anyways, when I found out he was there with his wife and newborn I was beyond excited! I would be able to see my cousin, who really is a great husband, father, and example to me. I learned so much from him and his wife with my short stay there. Since, they had just gone through having a child I had many questions for what was soon going to happen to me. Also, the other plus was the free place to stay as I was interviewing. Sadly, they weren't able to pick me up from the airport. Which led to my next hint that I should go to VCU. 

My aunt and uncle were in Richmond at the same time I was going to be there for my interview. They were beyond nice to one, get a hotel so that I could stay with my cousin, and two, my uncle was able to pick me up from the airport! He even woke up early to give me a ride to my interview. The things God had to align for that to happen really shows that he knows all of his children. He knows me, you, and loves each and every one of us. 

My last sign that I should go to VCU was my interview itself. It went smoothly, I learned about a place call Abingdon. Abingdon is one of VCU's distant learning sites in rural Southwestern Virginia. Little did I know that Abingdon would become my new home. The last thing I learned was that the first two semesters of the program were online. Which meant I could stay in Minnesota until August. This meant I could be with Kelsey when she gave birth to our little girl, Kelsey could finish out her contract, and I could work a little longer to help with the finances. It was clear the direction God wanted me to take! God speaks to his children. We just have to listen. It is just funny that this whole experience led to our current situation. A baby, dog, school, and living in a 5th-wheel. 

How Zoey Arrived

When I graduated college I always told myself that I would get a dog as a gift to myself. I have always wanted a Great Dane. Sadly, apartment managers generally don't want a mini horse living with you. My wife and I decided to look at rescue dogs at the local shelter. That is when I first met Zoey. Zoey was abandoned by her owners who moved to a new place that didn't allow pets. The landlord found Zoey a few days after she was abandoned. She was adopted once, but she killed the family's cat. The family brought her back after that incident. After her ruff (pun) go to life, I knew I had to have her. So I went and got her the next day when my wife was at work.


When my wife came home from work and found a furry little friend at home she was not the happiest of campers. I guess surprising her with a dog wasn't a decision I should have made by myself. Kelsey really was so mad. I remember to this day that she threatened me that she would go off birth control without me knowing. In that perspective, I could see why she was mad. I was mistaken in the fact that looking at dogs did not mean I was allowed to get one. On the bright side, I got myself a dog anyways.

Kelsey was really unsure about Zoey for the first couple of days. Shockingly, the facility let us bring Zoey home when she was sick. When I picked my furry canine up they handed me her leash and then her pills. I didn't give it much thought because I was too excited to have a dog. I had to leave my pride and joy with Kelsey the next day while I was
at work. I guess that is when Kelsey and Zoey started "bonding".  Zoey started wretching up and had diarrhea. Kelsey was scared and near tears. I felt bad that I had left her such a mess.

Kelsey now loves Zoey. As Zoey started bonding with us more, we found out that she has such a funny personality. She is part dog, cat, and fish. I have never seen a dog chase her tail and do somersaults, but it is quite the site to see. Zoey will attack her shadow, chase light, and loves to swim. You couldn't ask for a better dog! We are lucky to have her in our lives!

The Whipple Family

Hello folks! My name is Evan and I just bought a 5th wheel for my wife, Kelsey, dog, Zoey, and newborn, Lynnie, to live in for the next two and half years; let's be honest-I bought it for myself. What brought us to this point in our lives? Well, sometimes the best way to see how we got here is to look back and see how far we have come. I was born on a summer day...okay maybe not that far.

My wife and I have been married for 2 years, I think. Well it feels a lot longer than two years, because my wife is seriously my best friend. I feel like I have known her for years, but lets just say I met her in February, started dating before Valentines Day, proposed in May, and was married in August of 2014. We may have moved fast for most standards, but when you know, you know. Anyways, ever since we started dating I joked with my wife that I can't wait until we retire, sell our house, and live in an RV. She would always, laugh and say, "I am never selling my home!"

We started our lives together finishing our last few semesters of university in Cedar City, Utah. We loved our time at  Southern Utah University, mostly because of it's close proximity to so many National Parks. We love hiking, camping, and exploring. Sadly, our time there was short, because I had already accepted a job in Rochester, Minnesota as a cardiac intensive care nurse.

Minnesota was a shock to us, because we moved in December of 2014 to a place that felt like Antarctica on steroids. We fell in love quick though with the people and dream job. The Mayo Clinic was like working for the Disney Land of hospitals and Kelsey was diving in head-on into her student teaching as a math teacher. To celebrate the start of a new adventure, I surprised Kelsey with a new member of our family, Zoey, our dog. That is a story for another day though. Let's just say there was anger, diarrhea, barf, and threats made towards me.

Fast forward to where I am now starting graduate school at Virginia Commonwealth University. Another story for later, but one that was directed by the Hand-of-God. My wife and I would be moving yet again to another state farther from family, but with the addition of our beautiful daughter Lynnie May. As we started looking for places to live in Virginia, we weren't thrilled about the idea of buying a home or the renting options. With much discussion and persuasion, I was able to convince my wife to buy a 5th-wheel which we bought today. So with an 11-day-old baby, a dog, and my wife we are going to sell our home and start our new adventure of living in a trailer.