Job Hunting With God

I have been job hunting for a while now. I'm looking for a position because, while we can make it on what Jason is bringing in it's SUPER DUPER tight. It would be nice to have a little extra cash to help pay down debt more aggressively, save, and perhaps buy some desperately needed new clothes and some gifts for people this Christmas.

However, I still struggle with wondering if I'm trying to control the situation and take matters in to my own hands by looking for a job. And while I do pray a lot about it, I still wonder if God wants me to just stay home and concentrate on Jason and Ella and increase my faith by trusting Him for finances. On the other hand I wonder if He has some great plans to continue to use me and teach me and grow me working with people. I've got no clear cut answers. I just keep putting one foot in front of the other, following His voice as best I can hear and Believing (capital B) that He will work it all out. So really, I can't go wrong.

The process has been interesting to say the least. I need to find something that is nights or weekends so we don't have to do childcare because that would just cancel out the extra money if we had to pay for that! I want something that is only a few nights a week. And I want something in the social services field, preferably working with adults with mental illnesses because that is where my heart is and I'd like to keep my foot in the field. Needless to say, there's not a lot out there and (shocker) they don't pay well.

I hadn't found opportunities to work with adults with mental illnesses. So I have taken two interviews for working with the elderly, gotten offered both jobs, and turned the first one down and have been agonizing over the second.

Just tonight as I prayed about whether or not to take the second offer, I pleaded that God give me a clear answer. Hearing nothing but silence, I went looking for more jobs. And low and behold...there were FIVE new listings for jobs working with adults with mental illnesses, all per-diem. PERFECT. Just finished applying for all five. God is good.

Ready

My last day of work was last Thursday. It still has not sunk in that I'm not headed back to work this week. I got my first job was when I was just about 15 I think...teaching ski lessons at Hermon Mountain...and from then on I was always employed, and in school and sometimes doing an unpaid internship in addition. It's not that I won't be working (any stay at home mom will tell you it's one tough gig!)....It's just so weird to think that I won't be on anyone's payroll or punching a time clock. I am beyond grateful for the amazing privilege of being able to be a full time mommy. I have felt like my energy is so split between work, and Jason and Ella that none of them really get the me that I want them to get. To be able to not be pulled in so many directions will be wonderful. To be able to focus solely on my family is beyond amazing! Focusing on her spiritual, emotional, educational and physical development as well as the spiritual and emotional health of our family and my relationship with Jason is a hearty task. One that I do not take lightly, one that I think is worthy of all that I am and one that I am anxious to begin without other distractions.

I feel like I am in waiting. The place we are in now has always felt like a holding take to me. It feels that way even more so now with boxes piled high, things strewn about, plastic tableware and all the homey-ness packed away. I cannot wait to be settled down south. To greet the day by picking up my beaming child, to send Jason off to work with lunch and a kiss, to take walks to the park, to play in the backyard, to eat dinner together as a family and discuss our day, to relax with my hubby each evening, to have weekends together where we're not just trying to catch up from the week before, to be rooted in a church there, to serve in the community, to build great friendships....

I know it may seem idealistic to some of you, and no it won't be perfect, but we will have those things and it will be imperfectly great! I feel like I've been loosening my grip on the life we have up here and shifting towards a looking forward to what is in store for us ahead. I feel ready. I feel like once we get settled we will be "starting our life" as a family with children. It's like we haven't been able to start it yet because we've been in such a state of constant flux since before Ella was born. I long for stability and simplicity and a slower pace. I long to plant roots, to begin this new chapter in our lives that will hopefully be a very long one. I am so sad to close this one...but I can now truly say I feel ready to begin the next...

FYI: The movers come June 16th! In case you're doing the calculations...Yes. That is 8 days away!

The Rest of the Story...

I said a while back I'd post the whole story about Jason's new job and this new transition in life. Well, here goes. It is amazing to reflect on God's hand in this whole process. I'll try not to be too long winded...but who are we kidding...this is me here people!

When we first transitioned out of CCC in late 2007 Jason looked for Engineering jobs. He did not get job offers from any that he would like doing and/or would pay enough. So he went back to school for his masters. Instead of finishing his Masters straight through, he went into teaching, taking a masters class here and there, because our babe was on the way.

Two or three months ago, after another "family blow up" shall we say (Those of you who know us know what I am speaking of and know that these episodes are far too common, and truly heartbreaking for Jason.) Jason was at his wits end. He announced to me that he wanted to get as far away as possible. I thought he was just blowing off steam but he actually put in applications all over the U.S. We're talking, Alaska, Oregon, Washington, Minnesota, Idaho, Montana. I mean, the man wanted to get FAR away!

Although I told him I would support him wherever he wanted to go and would go with him if he really thought it was the best thing...(and I really would have)....After much discussion he decided not to move us cross country. Whew!

In this whole process of looking for jobs "as far away from here as I can get" Jason found numerous engineering jobs that sounded exciting to him. With curiosity peaked, he decided to look, again, for engineering jobs in Maine. He applied for several that looked good, but he'd been out of the field for too long. Although he really didn't like the Shipyard when he worked there last he decided to call and see if other departments were hiring than the one he'd previously worked in. They were!

Hurdle #1: Get an Interview: One in particular sounded good. He was told that he was being recommended for the interview but 10 or so other people were being recommended as well and a group of supervisors would have to agree on the candidate. He got the interview. Over hurdle #1.

When he went for the interview the person who was supposed to interview him got called away an hour before. The stand in interviewer turned out to be a Christian. Not only did Jason nail the actual work/job part of the interview with his mad skills, but they got to talking about personal stuff afterward and shared their testimonies, found out that they know a ton of the same people and determined they have a lot in common. I won't list all the details but it was uncanny and definitely a God thing!

Hurdle #2 Get the Job: He also had an interview for another department. We were praying for Department 260 because the Christian guy would be his supervisor. He could work 4 10's. It's a more family friendly environment. It's a more hands on job that he would like more. There is no forced overtime. The pay raises come quicker. And occasionally he might get sent to work at other shipyards....like San Diego or Pearl Harbor! A few weeks later he got the job offer for the one he wanted! Over Hurdle #2.

Hurdle #3 Break the News: He now had to tell the people at his work which he was very nervous about. Everyone ended up being very supportive and understanding. Telling him that they knew he was doing the right thing for his family. Over Hurdle #3.

Hurdle #4 Sell the Dirt Patch: Now we had to sell our house (a.k.a. trailer on a dirt patch) in one rockin' housing market! Jason knocks on our neighbors door and asks if he wants to buy our place. He says yes. He gets financing. We close whenever we want to. Crushed Hurdle #4.

Hurlde #5 Fill One Tall Apartment Order: Now we need to find a place to rent in Southern Maine. Oh, did I also mention it needs to have 2 bedrooms, storage, a W/D hookup, a yard, be in a nice neighborhood, allow pets, be a decent drive to the Shipyard, not be a dump AND be 800/mo or under...and we don't want to start paying rent until June? And after one LONG day of hunting, the very last one we looked at had everything on our list and MORE! Hurdle #5 obliterated!

Hurdle #6 Afford the Move and Keep Health Insurance: We needed to time the getting done of our jobs and the start up of his new job so that we can afford to move and so that we keep health insurance for the babe. (Ahh the carefree days of only having to worry about yourself are over!) It just so happens that both of our paychecks will carry through to exactly when Jason's new paychecks start coming in. And my health insurance will cover us until exactly when Jason's new health insurance kicks in.

Coincidence? Absolutely not! I would be remiss if I did not say that fervent prayers for guidance and provision were offered up every Day! You see, God can take even the most discouraging of circumstances, and some initially rash decisions and turn them into something wonderful! God is Good. All the time. All the time. God is GOOD!

Permission to Speak Freely Sir!? Permission Granted!

Okay, we've told most of our family, the people at our workplaces and some friends...to the rest of you this will be a complete surprise....

LONG STORY SHORT:
Jason is going back into engineering. He got a job at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard. He worked there before training to be a nuclear engineer but did not like it. He will not be going the nuclear route this time, jut mechanical and he thinks he'll really like it. We'll know in a couple weeks exactly when he'll be starting, but the month being thrown around is June. AHHHH! That's a little faster than we had originally thought.

MY THOUGHTS/FEELINGS:
The cons are:
~This means yet another move (you know how much I LOVE moving).
~We'll be moving away from my mom and sister who we are so close to now, which means we'll see them less and Ella won't get to be around them as much.
~We'll be moving away from our amazing church family, some super close friends and my beloved mommy group.
~I'll be leaving the clients and staff team at work that I ADORE.
~Jason won't be able to deer hunt the places he really likes to, or fish all the places up north he's gotten to know so well.
~The cost of living down there is more expensive, we'll have to rent for a couple years.
~We'll have to find new baby sitters.

The pros are:
~I will be able to stay home with Ella and concentrate on trying to start a little home business Jason has forever been encouraging me to do (Or perhaps just work one day a week at first).
~Money will still be tight at first, but with raises over the next few years it will put us in a place financially where we'll be able to pay off debt, build up a savings, put money away for Ella's college and save up for a down payment on a house.
~The department Jason is going to seems very family friendly, he'll be able to work 4 10's so he'll be home with us 3 days a week, and he won't ever have to bring home work!
~I really like the Southern Maine area...lots of stuff to do....lots of beaches close by.
~As Jason thinks about having to rethink his outdoor adventures, he is getting jazzed about getting back into striper fishing, learning how to fish the Androscogin River and exploring the beautiful Bethel area.
~We have an awesome church family in York that we can return to with great people that we had only begun to get to know when we left. It will be an easy place to start back up and build deeper friendships and a great support network.
~When you rent you don't have to worry about any yard work, snow plowing or maintenance.....
~We're still in Maine so we'll still see family. And we'll be closer to one Auntie Erin!
~Even though I adore moving so much....we've vowed to each other that this one is permanent!

So all in all, the conclusion is...it's bitter sweet...but we really believe it's the right thing for our family and we have seen God's hand of confirmation all along the way.

Smokin' !

You gotta spice things up once in a while right? Get out of the same old hum drum routine....well that's kinda what I did at work yesterday night.

I was helping cook dinner (tacos) and the tortillas were still frozen, so I popped 'em in the micro for 2 minutes to get them thawed out, went and did something else and then came back and started chopping veggies.

I heard the microwave still going behind me but thought nothing of it. I thought someone else had popped something in there...because surely what I had put on for 2minutes was not still going 15 minutes later.....Ummmmmmmmm WRONGO!

My co-worker said, "Do you smell something burning?"

"Yeah," I replied, "I think it's just something on the burner." Then I turned around. AHHH!

Thick smoke coming out of the microwave! I shut it off and open it up. Good. No fire. Just smoke. Then the hardwired alarm starts going off. Blaring WHAA, WHAA, WHAA! Emergency strobe lights flashing! Residents start streaming out of the house looking at me with big eyes as I explain, "Everything is okay, but we still need to go outside."

Everyone gathers out front. It take the firemen 10-15 minutes to get there and the station is LITERALLY around the corner. (Maybe this was a blessing in disguise, finding out and being able to be proactive in remedying response time.)

The firemen are nice. I explain what happened. They clear the house, open windows, put a fan on. Everyone has a good chuckle and life resumes as normal....only a little stinkier from all the smoke.

Apparently I hit an extra zero and those taco shells were cookin' for a good 20 minutes!....and I'm supposed to be helping the clients learn kitchen safety skills!? Wow. Good one!

Working Mother

"Working mother"...someone called me that today...it was the first time I had heard that in reference to myself. Surreal. Can't say I like the ring of it. Because that was never the plan. Let's be honest. If I had all the money in the world of course I'd be a stay at home mom! But life isn't so.

Work week number one is over. My team makes it easy to be back. I did miss them and the clients. I'm getting back into the swing of things there quicker than I expected.

Surprisingly enough there were no tears. I cried a little the day before going back, thinking about leaving Ella, but there were no tears during the actual workdays or even the drive to and from. There was a lot of praying, and a lot of singing along to worship tunes in the car to distract myself. And a lot of trying to stay distracted enough in general so I didn't really think about missing her. So maybe I'm just repressing all the feelings. Hmmm healthy for a social worker! :)

My first day back wasn't hard because I had seen Ella all day the day before. And it was exciting like your first day back to school after summer break (So maybe I was a nerd! So what!?). It was day number two and three that were killer and double killer.

I got home at 8:30pm Wednesday and Ella was already asleep. I hadn't seen her all day and didn't get to interact with her except to nurse her. In the morning she was still sleeping at 9am. I was so bummed that I wouldn't get to see her sweet waking up smiles and exchange those adorable coos with her before I left for another 11 hours... so I selfishly woke her up so I'd get to have like 15 minutes with her...it was SO hard to go to work Thursday.

Got home Thursday night to yet again, a sleeping baby and again only got to interact with her to nurse her and had to leave the next morning to be away from her for 13 hours this time. It was KILLER to leave her Friday morning. So now, here I am at 11pm on Friday night and I feel like I haven't seen my child or interacted with her in 3 days straight. Crappy, Crappy, Crappy! (That's the nicest word I can think of right now.)

Ella, of course, did just fine. My mom, sweet woman that she is, had me write sheets of instructions so that she could be sure to honor and follow the way that we raise Ella and the routine that we have carved out for her. So wonderful. And Friday Ella was with Jason because he's a super sicko boy! Here's hoping Ella and I don't get it.

I guess that's all for now. Just needed to process my first week back. I guess it can be summed up with, "I miss her like crazy!"

Minor Detail...

Umm yeah, I forgot to let you all in on a minor detail....I'm not looking for other employment anymore....right now. Why? Because the situation at work has resolved itself, quite abrupltly and unexpectedly. I know, I know I sound so secretive! But I'm just trying to protect the innocent and not be gossipy. If you know me well, you probably know what I'm talking about. If you don't know then you can ask me and I'll fill ya in. But needless to say...YAY!

That's all for now...I'm bordering on being late for Ugly Betty! Yikes!

Stay tuned for details about how the dancin' went last night. I have a feeling I'll have a blog for you after EVERY Wednesday night! :)

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!

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!

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!

Do YOU have an EAO workplace? I DO!

Look at that face! Wouldn't it make you happy to see that face when you walked into work in the morning? Well, at Families United that could very well happen! What was I greeted by today as I walked into work? The lovable face of a 7 month old chocolate lab. "Dogs are allowed here!?" I exclaimed. Yup, they sure are. Aparantly my office is "very dog friendly". They weren't kidding. Later, as I sat reading more policies in my office, I heard the jingle of a dog collar, thinking it was my little chocolate friend, but no! It was another adorable pup named Rusty. And still later, one ginormous long haired grey hound (I don't know what they're called) went trotting by as well. I mentioned I didn't know how well my dog would do because he loves people so much I think he'd be too excited. At which point two people piped in and told me I should at least try it and see how it goes. That's very very exciting. So I'm thinking that Hunter might be coming to chill at the office on paperwork fridays!



What's that? You feline friends want to know if my social work agency is descriminating against the kitties? Of course not! Aparently one woman brings her cat to work, and he keeps her company sitting right on her desk as she types away. We're an EAO (Equal Animal Opportunity) workplace. I think it's very progressive...should catch on like wildfire!

You'd Think an Hour and a Half Would be Enough Time to Get Ready...

...But no. Apparently for me it is not. You see, I had a plan for my first day at my new job. I laid out my clothes the night before, packed everything I would need in my bag and even went grocery shopping to stock up on all the food I would need stay fit and save money by bringing a well balanced lunch to work each day. Ideal me was going to get up, shower and do my hair, pack my lunch, have a bite to eat and spend some time in the Word and prayer, then kiss my husband goodbye and happily jaunt out the door. Too bad the world is not still in it's ideal, before the fall, state! The real me got up without even hitting the snooze button once (a miracle in and of itself and a for sure lifetime first) but reveled a wee bit too long in my nice hot shower. Then went all perfectionist on my hair, eventually using three different styling tools to acheive the final product. And by the time I stumbled out of the bathroom I was shocked to find out that I had already used up ONE WHOLE HOUR of my precious time! Then, in my nervous wreck state, I didn't help matters by deciding to diverge from the already laid out clothes and change my outfit. I barely had time to make my lunch, leaving a mess in the sink as I tornadoed (it's a word!) through the house. So what got left out? Yup, breakfast, and time in the Word and prayer. As I drove I reasoned that my prayer time with Jason last night totally counts and singing at the top of my lungs to 105.7 in the car on the way there is definitely communing with God! (Actually, I think He's just answering the prayer that I prayed to allow myself to not be perfect, and still move forward in His grace and not give up. So tomorrows a new day!)


All that anxiousness for nothing. Even after my chaotic morning I managed to head out the door on time and looking like this. (Yes, I did ask my husband to take my picture as I left for my first day of work and yes, it IS reminiscent of your "first day at kindergarden" picture in your baby book and no, I'm not ashamed!) I arrived to find out that my new work place is actually quite laid back and casual. The people were friendly and inviting and super helpful. I spent my day very relaxed, getting to know some co-workers, signing lots of papers, reading policies, and watching orientation videos. Oh, what is my job you ask? I am a Family Specialist. Along with a partner, I will be going into homes of families that are at low to moderate risk for abuse or neglect with the goal of helping the families function better so that they can stay together. I am excited about this work and will get the oportunity to meet with clients as early as tomorrow!




And Jason, what is he spending his days doing? You're lookin at it. No, he's not laying around on the couch. He's literally studying all day long in preparation to take his GRE's on Friday. He only takes breaks to go out in the driveway and work on fixing our car, that sounds like a souped up Harley with all of it's exhaust issues. Please pray that he does well on his exams, particularly the vocabulary and essays, (not his strong points) so that he will get into the masters program for teaching!

It's Official...but where does this trail go?

Well, it's official. Jason and I will no longer be on staff with Campus Crusade for Christ. Although it's a decision a long time in the making and one that we've been praying about for a year, it's still a little hard to wrap our heads around. However, the fact that we sent out 25o letters to our ministry partners to let them know about the decision and I just emailed off all of our contacts to our other staff friends, makes it a little easier to grasp the concreteness (if it wasn't a word before, it is now!) of the situation! Scary? You betcha! There is no sign in sight of a teaching job for Jason, which is where he truly believes the Lord is leading him. And the whole professional work world runs very differently than a family oriented Christian missions organization and we often find ourselves wondering where this new trail goes and if we're gonna like it! But is it exciting? Yeppers! There's something great about heading out down a new path and waiting with anticipation to see what new things it will bring. God has already provided a great career opportunity for me that I start in one week and even if things are crazy for a little while, we believe that we will be provided for and that the details will be worked out! So if you want to know what happens next and where God takes us as we embark on this new trail...stay tuned...we'll let you know as it unfolds!