Still here

I'm still here. I've been busy. But, I haven't really gotten anything accomplished. I look through the stuff I need to be packing, and I just don't have any motivation to do it. I've been loving staying home with Jonathan though. He truly is amazing. I know every parent says this about their child, and that's fine with me...but he really makes me smile.

Grandma Charlotte and Bill are coming into town tomorrow (well, at this point, seeing how it's past midnite, I guess that would be later today...) and we are very excited to see them. I hope they are ready for the heat! Speaking of heat: people from back east keep saying "Oh, you're not going to like this humidity we have here...it's not the same as that dry heat you're used to."

People listen to this...That is the biggest line of crap I have ever heard. HEAT is HEAT...110 degrees is 110 degrees no matter how dry or humid it is. I grew up in Ohio, which had humidity and I never felt like the back of my neck was on fire, just by walking outside. I never was afraid to drive my car due to the 3rd degree burns I would get from touching the steering wheel from the car being outside...at least back east, when the sun goes down, it gets cool...out here, it's still 100 degrees right now, and it's midnite!

I am looking forward to the cold weather though, I am a cold weather person, I could deal with rain and snow all year, I love cloudy-cold weather...so, guess I'll have to invest in some sweaters...seeing how I haven't bought any for about 7 years....

Father's Day

What a great pic, huh? Jonathan sure loves his daddy, and as it turns out, Jason is a wonderful daddy. I've spent a lot of time lately thinking back to when I was pregnant with Jonathan. It was a horrible pregnancy, pretty much anything that could go wrong, did. Yesterday, I was looking through pictures of Jonathan when he was about eight months old, it seems forever ago. Life has gone through many seasons since then, but again, God has brought us to this season. There was a time, when I couldn't imagine even being nice to Jason on Father's Day, let alone spending the whole day with him, ha ha. And now, here we are married again, and it's like we've been given a whole new lease on life. I am so happy at where we are at this point, together.

We've come a long way, and we still have a long way to go...but I'm happy to be going with the person I love most...

Happy Father's Day Jason! You're a wonderful father, and I am so glad that we are in "this" together...

I'm Unemployed Today

I resigned from my job today. It was kind of unexpected, and last minute, yet something that I had been thinking about for awhile. I spoke with my principal and we cried and hugged, it was very emotional. In the words of Julie Andrews: Let's start at the very beginning:

A few months back, Jason and I started talking about the pull towards ministry. We didn't know what would be appropriate, or what we would do, but we both felt the need to help somewhere. After talking with Jason's grandfather, he mentioned his ministry in Barbourville, Kentucky. Out of his small church of 40 or so members, he serves over 3,000 hot meals a week. He drives all over Kentucky to pick up donated food, and brings it back to the church's small pantry. After talking about it, and finding more details, we found out the need there is tremendous. Many of the areas that the food pantry serves doesn't have running water, or electricity. The pantry is thriving, but could be so much better, with more resources. For instance, one day, the church has to call people in to eat ice cream, because they didn't have enough freezer space to store it! Simple needs, yet with the resources, they are not accessible. We felt what they needed, we have the experience necessary to help and serve.

We felt the call to go. (Ok, so I argued with it a bit...but it soon became very clear we needed to go!)

There are many reason ultimately why this is a better "fit" for us. After our divorce, we both struggled financially, and the results of a divorce are devasting on one's credit. We have made goals to have our loans paid off in five years. A goal we can only accomplish by moving to a place where we aren't "working to survive" and we will actually have that extra money to pay off debts. It's a good feeling to have a plan.

As far as teaching goes, there aren't very many job opportunities ever available in this area. We struggled with knowing what I would do...we prayed about starting a daycare, doing in home daycare, doing at home data entry...all things that would work, but maybe logistics of it all would take some time. Within two days of us deciding we would definitely be going, the job openings in the school district there went from "zero" to about seven available positions! It turns out that a lot of teachers retired this year after 30-35 years of service! It seems as though doors are being open for us. I have applied, and sent my resume...just praying for some results. Would you mind praying for me?

In the next few weeks, our lives will be changing drastically. We are moving to Barbourville, Kentucky on July 16th. I am both scared and excited. I'm sad about leaving my mom and brother here in Phoenix, but know it's what I'm supposed to do. Well, I should say, we know it's what we are supposed to be doing. For the first time, we have goals, and we see a way of accomplishing them. We see a way to serve others in their time of need, which is something we both have always had the desire to do.

It's all happening so fast, and there is so much to share about it all, there are so many opportunities for all aspects of our lives, and we are excited to step out in faith and see what is in store for us.

Thank you all in advance for your prayers and encouragement! Stay tuned for more updates regarding the "big move."

Love you all~

He's the Lyrical Gangstah

"Baa Baa Blacksheep annuany wool? Yeth thir Yeth thir free bags full. One for my masta, One for my dames, One for the little boy....who goes down the drain"

-What was heard as Jonathan was singing in the back seat of the car.

Rain Down Your Love on Me

It's amazing to think of where my life is headed. This time last year (and probably the year before) I was very discouraged....not much has "gone right" in my life the past few years. I've had a weird couple years of what I could call "small, awkward occasions."

Let's recap: Tried to move into a house, everything that could go wrong, did, such as: no electricity, carpet that smelled like dog butt, broken down car, rain (for once in AZ it rained when I was actually trying to move and had to have my stuff outside.) Not to mention, I got locked outside, in my underwear. I tried to put that behind me, and be more positive so I joined a gym. Whew...that was a lot of work. First, I fell down a whole flight of stairs in front of everyone at the gym....then I got up and pretended it didn't even phase me...even though it hurt a lot. On another occasion, a strange lady smacked my bare butt in the locker room, she was mistaking me for one of her friends....awkward. A few other trials later: my debit card number was stolen and used in Canada...this list could actually go on and on...but no one would really believe the majority of things that have happened.

I said that 2009 was going to be my year. 2009 had to be the year my life turned around. Needless to say, things haven't gotten a whole lot better. Weird things keep happening, but God has been teaching and stretching and preparing me for something. In February, Jason and I got remarried. After three years of being divorced God kind of knocked our heads and we saw the light. It's been nice having someone to deal with these trials with. I have always known that I could go to God, but sometimes it's nice to have some "earthly support."

God has blessed us and has provided in ways that we could never imagine. We made some decisions the first time we were married, that we are having to resolve now. Student loans, and other loans are catching up with us, and we have made goals probably for the first time we have ever been together to handle this. It's exciting and scary.

This week I was listening to some music and a song really stuck out to me, the lyrics said "Rain down your love on me, Rain down your love..." It really seemed clear that that was what God is doing to us. It's been a strange journey spiritually. My faith has been shaken, I have doubted, I have turned my back away, I have been angry...and yet, God has still been there, showing me love, no matter how much I didn't want to see it or accept it. My life hasn't been ideal, my circumstances grim, my faith limited, my love for others non-existent, my patience thin and the whole time, God has rained His love down on me.

What I think about Curriculum Planning:

I am having a very hard time staying on task today.  I'm busy thinking of all the things I need to get done.   Plus, there is a lady in my group who is driving me nuts.  I kind of want to kick her in the head.  I know this is the wrong feelings to have towards a person, but it sure would make things more interesting...

Tastes a lot like Tasty

I heard it through the grapevine that Sonic is giving away free Rootbeer Floats tonight. I think I'm going to go check it out...afterall, I did run this afternoon. Ok, so it was more like a trot-walk-shuffle...but still, it burned calories.

Today

Today I sat in a curriculum planning committee all day, I wish I could say that I had a blast, but it really is hard work. All for nothing, I'm sure, as most teachers will probably complain that the work isn't good enough, or the calendar isn't right, or whatever....teachers are some of the most impatient and unforgiving people I know. Trust me, I am one. Three more weeks, then I will officially be on Summer Break...well, I'm on Break now...but with all this committee stuff, I'm starting to feel like I have Summer Detention...it will be a nice paycheck though. Every time I start feeling sorry for myself I think in my mind "Cha-Ching...Cha-Ching..."

I was really hungry for rice today. Not sure why. I'm down 3 pounds though...not bad. I'm not doing anything drastic, just making small changes. Trying to make smarter decisions. Back to the rice...Basmati, it's so good. I also like Brown rice. I may be a little slow getting on the school bus, but today my mom told me there is Brown Basmati Rice. I never knew that. She made my day.

I think I'm going to go paint my toenails...green...

Top things I love...right now....

In no particular order:
1. Sushi
2. iPod Touch
3. Google Reader
4. Delicious
5. Beads
6. Etsy
7. My new organic cotton skirt
8. My new contacts
9. My new glasses
10. Raw Zucchini
11. This picture of Jonathan, taken a little over a year ago