Weekend Update (Free stuff, Eye Candy & Expensive exams)

Okay, so it's not technically the weekend, but I meant to post on the weekend and came up with the clever title to be a throwback to the Saturday Night Live Weekend Update, so I'm keepin' that part of the title. I know I haven't posted in a while. It's been a BUSY week! But I must forge ahead and give my like 5 readers a reason to keep checking my blog before they give up hope!


Update #1) LIQUID FENCE. I'm sure you all are dying to hear if I ever actually got my free product from Liquid Fence. Well, I'll have you know that I certainly did. I finally found time to call within normal work hours and got a hold of Deb. She was SOOoo sweet. Both she and her husband work for the company. Her husband is actually the one who found my blog and they refer to me as the girl from Maine! She told me how they have visited Maine and absolutley love it and had actually considered living here. Apparently they think my life in Maine sounds pretty wonderful. Well, Deb, if you ever want a change of pace, you and your hubby just pack your things and make the move! There's a reason why one of our motto's is "Maine, the way life should be!" So she got my address and I got my Just Pump & Spray with some Liquid Fence conentrate in the mail the other day! I love getting packages! Especially when I don't pay anything for them. If you wanna be my new best friend, all you gotta do is give me something free! Even if it's just a magnet!


Update #2) JASON: Jason did not get an assistantship. It was too late, none left...bummer, but never fear! He recieved conditional acceptace into the graduate program. He is taking two graduate courses and really liking them. As long as he does well in these courses, he will have full acceptance with an assistantship in the spring semester. Meanwhile, he continues his hall monitor job, and apparently he's more eye candy for the highschool girls than he is an authority figure they respect at this point. (You see, another hall monitor informed him that he's the new highschool crush.) But he takes his job seriously and enforces the rules of the school and the students are learning that he's not a push over. He loves to come home and recount stories about the repeat offenders, and having to chase students through the halls that are trying to throw him off their trail. And stay tuned, I'll let you know if they ever find out who the bathroom smoker is! Jason also continues to help out with Lifelines trips, guiding rafting and helping them run programs on some Saturdays.


Update #3) ME: One month done at work! I'm really getting the hang of it and really enjoying the families and children that I work with. There are still some very trying situations that I cannot discuss in detail but I'm sticking it out so far. This weekend I took my exam in order to become a liscenced social worker (LSW) and passed! They allow you 4 hours to take the exam. I was in their, finished and out to my car in 1 1/2 hours! And let me tell ya...for what I paid to take that test...that was the most expensive 1 1/2 hours of my life. I think I should have drawn it out a little longer just to feel like I got my money's worth sitting in front of that computer in the small, sterile, cold enough to be a meat locker testing room. Now I just have to actually apply for the liscence...and pay more money...and I'll be an LSW. Wahoo!

Liscence, Registration and Proof of Inusurance...

If you don't know what the title of this blog means, then you've never been pulled over because these are the first words out of the officer's mouth as he mosies up to your window all serious like. Now this is not your typical, "I got pulled over" story so you're gonna wanna read on.


Our memorial day weekend started off great, we spent Saturday celebrating Jason's grandmothers 75th birthday down at camp with all the family and friends you could ever want. It was a lovely day, tons of kids running around, great food and great weather.


The next day we headed off to Greenville to camp and fly-fish. We got out of the door right when we had planned, the weather was awesome, not a care in the world...then...flashing blues as we cruised through a happy little town on Route 15 (Jason doesn't want me to name the town, or the officer because he's afraid of some kind of reprecussions if they ever read this blog! I think that's absurd, but I'll respect his wishes :) And apparently Jason, yes he was driving, was cruisin' a little too fast for Mr. Officer's liking. The speed limit drops to 25 near the school...who knew!?...and Jason was going right around 40, innocently thinkig the speed limit was still 35.


Oh, it gets better! Here I am feeling sorry for Jason and then, as the officer is strolling up to our window, Jason says, "Man, and the truck is unresgistered." I say, "WHAT!? The truck is WHAT!?" I went from sypathetic to flamin' mad in about 2.2. In order for you to fully understand, I have to back up just a smidge. Last week at church some really nice, anonamous person, put a little card on the truck that says, "Just want to let you know that your registration has run out. Best wishes from THE MAINE MOOSE." Jason told me about it and I was all, "That's so awesome! I wonder who that is. So will you register the car this week because I'll be at work and won't be able to get in there during business hours, and Oh yeah , you're not doing anything this week because your job doesn't start 'till next week?!" And Jason was all, "Yeah, definitely." And then, as I find out, HE DIDN'T! So that's why I was rippin' mad. (By the way, a big thanks to the Maine Moose, whoever you are.)


Oh, there's even more! So the officer goes back to his car and he's in there for SOOOOOoooo long, we know we're getting the ticket. So I took the extended wait in the truck as my opportunity to tell Jason just how mad I was and spell out how much it costs to register the truck verses pay these huge tickets and ask him questions like, "Do I need to be in charge of registering the vehichles from now on!?" (Yeah, not my finest hour.) To which, Jason told me he didn't need that from me right now and then randomly said, "Argh! I think I forgot to put on deoderant today. Darnit!...(long pause)...How 'bout I rub my armpits all over your face! And then people will be like, 'Aww Sarah, your face smells like B.O.! That's disgusting!'" And then we both started cracking up.


And the icing on the cake....So, after an exorbinantly long period of time the officer comes back to the window and says, "Sir, can you drive down to the little meat store up ahead and pull your vehicle into the parking lot?" And I'm thinking...Oh my crap! He's going to impound the car and take us to jail! But then he continued, "Here's what happened sir. Your liscence seemed to have dissapeared on me. I don't want to get hit looking for it, so we'll go up to that parking lot so I can look for it." So we go to the parking lot, he looks for it for a while, he comes back, "Well sir," His tone growing more sheepish by the second, "I think your liscence fell down between my radar unit and the console and I can't get it out. If you could just follow me back to the station, I'll get some tools and take the radar unit out and then I can get to your liscence. I was going to write you a summons but because I am now inconveniencing you, I'm going to let you off with just a warning."


I am NOT even kidding you! Jason said that he had been praying away that if there was any way to not get this ticket to please make it happen, becuase we can't afford it. But I'm very reluctanct to chalk that one up to God because we totally deserved the ticket. Of course He can do whatever He wants and if it was His doing then he definitely showed us mercy that day...mercy NOT grace! Either way, it makes for a very cool story!

The Waiting Game

I'm stealing this title from my friend Esther's blog because it's totally appropriate. Sooo, Jason will apparently be accepted into the masters program that he wants, but the latest glitch is that they are not sure if there are any assistantships left. The assistantship is what pays for the tuition and gives him a small salary. Because it is Labor Day weekend and all the professors have run away from campus to avoid the crazy freshman arrival and savor their last few days of solace before chasing over sized children around for another school year, Jason is unable to find out if he's going to get an assistantship until Tuesday probably. He's been calling and calling and visiting offices but getting no answers and so he waits. It's a hard thing to do, but we know it will all work out. He's signed up for at least one class to start him down his teaching path so that's exciting! Pray for an assistantship!

On the job front....week three is done. It's definitely on the upswing for now. I think I'm begining to hit my stride. I pretty much know what people mean when they talk about documents and procedures. I know how to do most of the paperwork, and let me tell you...there's A LOT! I think I'm even ahead on my training and orientation reading and such. And I'm just one case away from a full caseload. Now that the techincal details are falling into place I feel more free to begin focusing more energy on planning theraputic activities for when I'm in the homes. I do believe my supervisor has told me at least 3 times how impressed she is with me and that I really know my stuff and that I'm catching on quite quickly. Not gonna lie, that kind of positive feedback is music to my ears and does quite well for my self esteem!

Oh, and last but not least.... last friday I took Hunter to work with me and everyone loved him! (How could you not!?) He did really well. He only barked once...when he got really excited about one of the two guys that work in our office walking by and he also begged for a piece of my partner's candy bar but I think she was okay with it. Good boy Hunter!

The Announcement You've All Been Waiting For...

Okay, listen up. If you're a punk kid that thinks you can take the bathroom pass and just roam the halls freely instead of walking your bum directly to the bathroom and back to class, think again. If you're a drama queen girl that thinks you can throw a milk carton at the chick who kissed your guy at last weeks school dance and get away with it, you better watch out. And if you're the dude who cuts class to go smoke a joint out back, consider yourself warned! Cause you're gonna have my husband to deal with MmmHmmm that's right!

If you haven't figured it out already I'll let you in on the secret that is Jason's new job. Jason is going to be...Drum roll please.........A HALL MONITOR! Well, technically they call it an Ed Tech position. But it's totally not. It's a hall monitor. So it's not exactly what he thought he'd be doing with his 40,000 dollar degree in Mechanical Engineering, but it's all about baby steps. Stepping stones, if you will, on the path to his new career in teaching...it's all about stepping stones.

So funny how God always seems to answer our prayers, but never in the way WE imagined. I swear He's got quite the sense of humor. If were a contestant on Last Comic Standing I know He'd win...and not JUST because He's God...but because He's darn funny! Let me outline all the ways that this Hall Monitor Job is a specific answer to prayer:

1.) IF Jason gets into the masters program this fall, he will not feel badly about quitting this job. They basically already told him that it would be fine to do so.

2.) If he does not get into the masters program this fall, he will need to take 2 classes at the university and get above a 3.0 in order to get into the program in the Spring. This job ends at 2:30 every day. All classes for the masters program start at 3pm or later!

3.) The Job is one where he will never have anywork or preparation to do at home so he can spend plenty of time studying to get good grades.

4.) The Job will actually reimburse tuition for one college course per semester!

5.) My job pays all my benefits but it's way to expensive to add my spouse. CCC insurance runs out super duper soon and Jason was just going to go without. BUT...his new job gives him full benefits for a very, very low cost!

6.) The Job is at the best public high school in the area, and it is great to have your name anywhere on the payroll. There are others who have started as hall monitors, gotten their teaching degree and moved up the ranks to be a teacher there.

7.) It pays stinkin' well! WAY more than you'd ever, EVER expect a hall monitor position to pay! With his income and mine combined it will meet all of our financial needs!

So there you have it. Specifically answered prayer...not as we would have imagined it...but once again, fully sufficient and then some! Thank-you God!

Miracle in a Bottle Gets me Free Stuff!

I was going to post about Jason's new job, but something much more fun has come up so I'll keep the anticipation building for a little while longer on that one.

I love comments! (So please, load me up with those comments. Build up my self esteem. Give me hope that it's not just my mom, my husband and my friend Amy reading my blog over and over!)

You see, it's mostly just my mom commenting on my blog right now, (Love you mom!) but yesterday a total stranger commented! Wahoo! Who you ask? The Liquid Fence company! At first I thought it was a gag comment from my friend Amy, (who by the way has a super hilarious blog that you just HAVE to check out here) but no...it's real! Somehow they found my blog and want to thank me for the kind words I wrote (see previous post) about their all natural deer repellent spray. They want to send me a free "Just pump & spray combo pack". Umm, yes please!

And I'm not just writing about them again so that I get something else free. Anyone who gives me free stuff is automatically fantabulous in my book. So I now think that, not only their product, but their company and anything associated with them is super duper! I went and checked out their website and apparently they also sell all natural bug spray and growth accelerator and stuff to repel just about everything! So check 'em out here, they rock!

I Don't Want to Talk About It

Had I posted on Tuesday I probably would have told you all I was quitting. But yesterday was what I called "a shining ray of hope amidst the darkness" and so I maintain a slight grasp on optimism that things might work out after all. Can't go into details, just pray for me at work, and other than that...I really don't want to talk about it! I want to talk about happy things!

Hmmm, happy things....Jason took his GRE's and got a 730 out of 800 on the math!!! He's so smart! He didn't do quite as well as he had hoped on the verbal but he thinks he did really well on the essay which he has to wait for his results too. He submitted his grad school application the day he took his GRE's and no word yet on that.

Other happy things: Jason got a job! Wahooo! Not quite what he was expecting but it seems to be a huge answer to prayer. More details on that later as it is quite funny and will make a good post!

And other happy things: Deer. Yes that's right. Deer. You see, techinically we live on an island. There is a river that splits and goes around a big chunk of land and we are somewhere on that chunk. This results in a very high deer population because they are all essentially stuck on the "island". I enjoy this because it means that pretty much every day we have deer walking through our yard. (And we don't live in the country. We live on a dead end street in the middle of town.) I didn't enjoy this so much when they were eating my plants, but now I've found a little miracle in a bottle called "Liquid Fence" that solves that problem and now I love my little deer. Jason wants to be able to shoot them, but I love them. I look forward to the pleasent suprise of looking out my back window and seeing them strolling through the yard or eating at my bird feeders. I like seeing them walk in single file right down the middle of the road. It's comforting to be able to wave to them each morning as they graze on my neighbors lawn. It's fun to see a glowing set of eyes in my headlights when I pull in the driveway. It's not creepy at all when they sniff around our windows at night. It's envigorating to be jumped out of my skin when I lay down in my hammock and two deer jump up from laying in the woods and bound away. So in honor of my little deer friends I thought I'd post some pictures I've snapped of them. Enjoy!

Week One...Done!

Yup, week one of my new job is finished. Verdict is still out. There's good and there's bad, as with everything. The quantity of good things far outweighs the bad. But I'm not sure yet if the severity of the bad outweighs the good. We'll wait and see. But one thing I am sure of is that God always comes through for me just when I need it.

Remember my post about my first day at work? (If not, then you can scroll down and read it again.) How chaotic and rushed and frantic it was? And how the things that got left out in my hurry were my time in prayer and the Word? Well, things were much better the rest of the week. The next day (when I managed my time much more efficiently and didn't stress out about my hair and dress so much) I did fit in that time for devotions. And let me quote part of the prayer at the end, which will give you a good idea about what the devotion and scriptures were about, "...Help me to turn from hectic, frantic activity that often makes even my time with you so hurried..." And remember how I said I thought it might be God trying to teach me it's okay not to be perfect and that I can move forward in His grace? Well, here's one of the scriptures that went along with the devotion... "But you oh Lord are a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness and truth." ~Psalm 86:15.

To finish out the week, this morning I was anxious about going into work and having to deal with certain things. My attitude was negative and I was focused very much on this world. Driving the truck (which I don't normally do and only am because the car is broken) comes with the perk of satatlite radio. And just in the nick of time a song came on that I had never heard. It is BEAUTIFUL!!! It is by Jeremy Camp and it is called "Give me Jesus". Esentially the song says over and over, "You can have this World, Give me Jesus." It brought an unspeakable peace to my resltelss soul! I won't go on and on with the details, but suffice it to say that He has met my needs and given me His truths just as I need them, each step of this week! Isn't He Amazing!