Rushing Waters

(Cumberland Falls 7/26/09)

Ever since we got to Barbourville, I feel like I've been caught up in rushing waters. I guess I should say nothing is what was expected. The town, the people, the area is exactly what I expected, probably even better really. The job situation and the church situation have been somewhat frustrating. First off, there are still jobs open. It seems as though the jobs go to people who are local though. School starts next week, and I'm still waiting to get a phone call. I'm trying to be patient, but it's so frustrating when I see jobs getting filled, knowing that I'm qualified and not even being given a chance to interview. I have been calling and going to schools, but just seem to be getting the run around....seems like it must be time to just sit back and wait on God.

Part of the reason we felt called here too, was to help bring younger families into the church. We both have experience working in the ministry, and planning outreach events, so we were very excited to start this aspect of the ministry we feel God has for us here. Sunday, however, was a horrible blow. Jason and I sat there with 17 other people (no joke) the only people under 50 (most were in their' 70's or 80's) and that was it for Sunday morning. I cried...I literally cried. "God, you want us to bring young people into THIS?!" That's the only thing that continued to go through my head. As the congregation sat there and barely made it through singing three hymns, while the piano player was yelling the chords across the stage to the 79 year old electric guitar player....I cried and begged God to tell me why He took me across the country, away from my family...to a place where I had no job, and to what seemed a dead church...

So, I feel as though I'm drowning. At least, I was on Sunday. I'm better now and over my initial "shock" and am ready to press on to whatever is next. They definitely need young people at this church...and maybe Jason and I are just the one's to rock the boat in this rushing water...

Last

Today we are taking the last leg of our move, from the West side of Kentucky, to where we will be living on the East side of Kentucky. The trip will take about 6 hours, and we will get to yet another time zone. I have no clue when I'll have internet again, so until then....

Back in the Saddle

I am back at it, today at least. Our move so far has gone well. There was a little bit of stress and heartache as we were loading up the Uhaul and realized that there wouldn't be enough space. It is hard combining two homes and then moving it across the country! We had to make some tough calls on what to give away, or throw away, or have shipped out. Because of this bump in the road, we left a day later. We had planned to leave bright and early Thursday, July 16th, but ended up leaving the Friday instead. I was fine with this, because I was able to spend a few more minutes with my mom and brother before I left, which I didn't really get a chance to do before since we were so busy.

The road trip across the country went fine. My husband and I decided to break it up into shifts of 3 hours driving, that way, neither of us would get tired. After driving though, Jason realized he didn't want me to drive because the trailer was so shaky, sometimes he was having problems controlling it. So, we made an alternate plan that we would break it up into three days instead of cramming it into two. This put us even more behind schedule, but it was a good decision, we were able to drive shorter days, and rest more. Which made for a happy three year old, and happy parents! Jonathan did great on the road, we loaded up a MP3 player with his favorite songs, had toys, and books....he was set. Not once did he complain! The only time we had a bathroom emergency, was about 15 minutes after our "scheduled" stopping time, and we realized that neither of us had taken the poor kid to the bathroom. I assumed Jason took him, he assumed I took him...oops.

When we made it to Sikeston, Missouri, we met up with Jason's brother and his family at a restaurant we absolutely love called Lambert's. It's about an hour or so away from Paducah, where Jason's family is from, and it was a nice treat after a long trip. We finally made it to Kentucky later that night and had fun visiting Jason's dad and his family.

We are officially leaving tomorrow morning for Barbourville, Kentucky, which is where we are going to live. It is on the complete East side of the state, about 6 hours from where we are now. I'm not looking forward to getting on the road again but I'm excited to get to where we are going. I'm ready to get out of the Uhaul and unpacked!! We have had fun here visiting family and places though. The picture above is from across the river in a very small town in Illinois called "Metropolis" they claim to be the home of Superman. Since Jonathan is a huge fan of anything superhero...we knew we had to take a trip there....and he loved it! For the rest of the night, he was "flying" around.

As far as the job situation in Kentucky goes, I'm trying not to be discouraged. There are still a very few openings left (3...I think.) I know something will work out, it's just frustrating. I really want to teach at least one more year!

Well, I think that is about it. I'm sitting outside, in a lawn chair, enjoying a nice, cloudy day. Seeing how almost every day in Phoenix is sunny, I am really enjoying this cool weather! Oh...and I'm wrapped up in a blanket! I am actually quite giddy about it....

Road Trip

Well, I'm connected again (sort of) and in Kentucky (kind of)

We made it to Paducah, Kentucky (on the complete Western side of Ky) and we are visiting my husband's family for a few days, then we will make our way to the Eastern side of Ky in a few days.

The move went ok...a few bumps in the road...I'll blog about that later...

I found out most of the 6 teaching jobs have been filled...I'm disappointed, but know that things will work out..it hasn't been for my lack of trying...it's hard to nail down a job in a place across the country, that doesn't use voice mail, email, or fax machines! ha ha!

More later...

32 Hours Away

I haven't had the chance to blog, and I promise I will soon...but our big move is about 32 hours away now...

We are packing the last of the last things, and spending time with family and friends...

Our internet will be turned off soon, so I'm not sure when you will be getting an update...Just know, we're on the road!

Still no word on the teaching jobs, say a prayer, I'm starting to get nervous...

Busy Up in Here

Ok, I know I can't pull off "up in here" the same way I can't pull of things like "girlfriend" or "holla" but...you get my point....

Thank you all so much for your comments and encouragement the past few days, it's really been fun hearing back from people, and reading your blogs too!

I am so busy with our move just days away...not sure how much I will be online, but know that I appreciate your comments and feedback....I'll be checking in when I get a chance, but probably not as frequently as I have been...

So, keep in mind, our move takes place July 16th...if I'm not back here before then, you'll know why..I'm frantically and hysterically packing...keep my hubs in your thoughts and prayers that I don't accidentally kill him with my nagging and bossing around.....

Thanks everyone!


By the way...GUESS WHAT I RECEIVED IN THE MAIL TODAY?????????

......My Kentucky teaching certificate!!!!!!!

Civilization as we know it...

So, lastnight I couldn't sleep, and wanted to do some more "research" about where we are moving, I was sad when I found out these statistics. Some of my favorite places, and how far away they now will be...(in no particular order)

1. Costco: 135 miles away

2. Target: 106 miles away

3. Ross: 56 miles away

4. Staples: 62 miles away

5. JoAnn's: 106 miles away (do you hear my heart breaking?)

6. Michael's: 67 miles away

7. Olive Garden: 66 miles away

8. Chevy's: None in KY or TN (we will be about a little over an hour from Knoxville, TN)

9. Bass Pro: 121 miles away

10. REI: 121 miles away

And here is the funny one:

Starbucks? In the middle of nowhere? Yep: in the next town over, about 15-20 minutes.

One week.....

Serious Public Service Announcement

This made me concerned, I mean, I've been a teacher for five years, and I've never had my vaccine...I could be infected, and not even know.

Double Lung Transplant Fundraiser!!

A year ago, my mom's husband was given the gift of life...a set of lungs. In honor of his one year anniversary, we are inviting all of our friends and family around the world to be a part of this Virtual Spaghetti Dinner...Doesn't that sound delicious?! If you are able to donate to this fundraiser, we would greatly appreciate it, as they are still needing to raise funds for costly and continuing medical expenses. Any questions? Please send me a message, or contact Monica Zelei (information in the flyer, click on it to enlarge it.) You can also check out Marty's blog here.


Spread the word....this is the best food you can imagine...and you can even wear your best white shirt while eating it...

Thanks everyone!

Arizona History

Today we were lucky enough to experience the Arizona Natural History Museum. I had been there before on a field trip, but this time I as able to enjoy it a little bit, without having to worry about where 25 kids were. We went with Grandma and Bill, and it was a nice little museum to go to before we move away from the area. Jonathan was very excited to see "Rexy" he said. Jonathan is a little bit obsessed with the move "Night at the Museum" and one of the characters in the movie is the bones of a Tyrannasaurus Rex named "Rexy." He said this was his favorite part. Jonathan also insisted on taking a small Mag-lite (Ben Stiller's character in the movie carries a Mag-lite as part of his job, the night security man.) It was cute to see Jonathan getting his flashlight out to "check on things." The flashlight really came in handy during a particularly "scary" part of the museum, where we could walk through an old mine they had set up. At the end of our visit, we went to the gift shop, where Grandma told Jonathan he could pick a small toy...it melted my heart when Jonathan didn't pick a toy, instead, he chose a book...based on the movie "Night at the Museum." Gosh I love that kid.

Seriously

I'm not computer savvy, but I'm trying like heck to change my template...still working...

COME BACK SOON!

Yay!

After much anticipation, I found out today that my Kentucky teaching certificate application was approved! No testing or additional courses needed! It was so much easier than the Arizona Department of Education, who gave me the run-around for two years. It's a relief to know that I am now officially able to get hired...so...someone, give me a job!

Independence Day

"It's a DRY HEAT...." I sure won't miss that phrase. I didn't blog yesterday because we got home very late from fireworks. We decided to go to Schnepf Farm for fireworks this year. We had gone there before for their Pumpkin Patch, but never for Fourth of July. Online, they made it sound like a big deal ($10 for wristbands for the rides) but it wasn't. During the Pumpkin Patch, they have small carnival rides, and fun things to do, so we thought it would be similar, but it wasn't. They had two bounce houses, and two waterslides (which, the water in them looked disgusting) pony rides and a hay ride. That was it. It was so hot and humid, and the mosquitos were horrible. For some reason though, I was the only one they were attracted too... I literally had over 50 mosquito bites. Once the sun went down, it was a little better, the mosquitos still wouldn't leave me alone, but it was better. I think Jonathan's face in the one picture describes it all! We kept getting in the car and turning on the AC! We had good seats though, front row parking, and where we were parked we could see where they were setting off the fireworks, so we just put our chairs behind the car and sat there...then once they were over we were one of the first out of the parking lot...it was great! Over all, it was a good night...even though Jonathan had to have his ears covered....

And here are some more pics from the day. We went to mom's for lunch with Grandma Charlotte and Bill...

Homesteading

The picture is a little crooked....story of my life. For the past year or so, even before Jason and I were officially "back together" we started talking about the type of lifestyle we want. In our first marriage (to each other, of course) we never really had goals, or plans, we sort of just lived day to day. Now that we have a son though, we have come to the realization that there is a bigger picture, and we have to plan for it. We hear so much today about "living green," and our impact on the earth, and the disaster that has become the food industry, the horrible economy, people losing jobs...so on, so forth. At the risk of sounding like fanatics, we wanted to be smart and prepare for whatever future was in store. We struggled with wanting to protect the earth, without worshiping nature. We wanted stability without having to depend on the economy, the job situation, or any form of natural disaster. I'm not sure what this involved entirely, but we decided we want to live as self-reliant as possible. Living in the city of Phoenix, it can be done (check out these urban homesteaders) however, we have never really enjoyed living in the city, and we love seasons and green...and we just miss being back east. So, after careful consideration, we are moving back to Kentucky in just a few weeks. Eventually, we plan to have our own "homestead" but we are going to take very small steps to accomplish this goal.

Our goal is five years. Let it be known, that I cannot sew...I am a horrible cook...I don't know the first thing about gardening. But this isn't going to stop us! A few summers ago, I tried my hand at container gardening on the patio of my small apartment. It was going good, and I had a lot of growth...until the neighbors cat came and ruined all of my beautiful plants! This little attempt proved that I had somewhat of an ability to grow...so, I am convinced that I can make it happen with a little bit of trial and error. It's going to be a learning experience, no doubt, frustrating...but we are excited to make this transition.

I have been doing so much research on the topic, and here are a few websites I have found that I've enjoyed (I have about 50 bookmarked...but only decided to share a few!) I decided to include these because they either have great resources/links or great pictures!

Backwoods Magazine
Frugal Homestead
Living off the Grid
City Boy Moves to the Country
Going to the Country


I hope you stay tuned to this crazy adventure we are about to get into...

Aw, Man

Tonight Jonathan told me he didn't want me to take him to the bathroom anymore because he is not a girl, he doesn't go in the girls' bathroom...instead he needs to go into the mans' bathroom, because he is a man, just like daddy is man.