A Home!

After 4 Long months of weird transitioning...We found a house! No, we aren't able to purchase anything, but it's a cute little rental, and affordable enough that we will be able to save up for a down payment for our future purchase!

We are NO LONGER homeless!!!!

God is good...and why must I continue to test HIS timing??

:)

What's Wrong With ME??

There has been Reese Cup ice cream in my freezer for five days now and I have no desire to eat it.

Expectations

It's funny how life goes on without a care about your own personal expectations for it!

The journey we're on has been a strange one...I've always wanted a few months off to spend time with my family, and now, I've had it! Moving to Barbourville has been such a growing experience for my husband and I. We came to serve, and we were served. Absolutely nothing has worked out since we have been there, which amazes me, because I know I have great plans for my life. I guess that's where I'm mislead...I have great plans for my life. There is where the problem is...I have the plans.

Our mission was to serve others, live frugally, and become self reliant. We served others, and we now have more of a desire to do so. We lived frugally, it's amazing how frugal one can be when there isn't any income for FOUR MONTHS! The self reliant thing, is something we still have a big desire for, but for now, we're just living day by day.

As if we haven't had enough transitions in our life, we are now feeling a push on, I'll elaborate more on that in another post. For now, I'm going to post some projects I've been working on. Yes, the title of this blog is "Mostly Making It" when I first started it, I had big dreams of posting some of my crafting projects as well. Since most of my crafty things are still in storage, my projects are very limited...so I'll start with the small projects I've done to keep myself busy.

Thanks for your encouragement through this strange transition in life...

Life

I haven't updated for awhile, because there really hasn't been much to update. My birthday came and went, pretty uneventfully, which I was happy about. We went to Laurel Lake to go fishing for the day. It was very nice and relaxing and made me want to live on a boat in the middle of the lake! The job situation has been dire....and after a short breakdown, I am ok with not working right now, and am really enjoying my time with Jonathan. I start subbing in a few weeks. Because of the job situation, we are still temporarily staying in a small apartment at the church, which at first was difficult, but we have adjusted, and are very thankful to have a place to live until everything gets settled.
The church is another matter entirely, and we didn't really know what we were getting into before we came. It is very small, and very old fashioned. We weren't prepared for how much of an extreme of either. We are again, adjusting and looking forward to continuing to help move this church into the "new millenium!"
That's pretty much it, in a nutshell. I've started scrapbooking again, which brings me a little bit of a creative outlet. It's been fun! Next week, Jason is taking me to Cincinnati to meet up with my grandma and Jonathan and I are going to spend a week up North with my family and go to our family reunion, which I haven't been to in over 12 years! My mom and her husband are also coming into Ohio from Arizona the same week, so it will be a nice visit with them as well.

Seriously, that's about it....everything is good, and there is much more to report :) I can't wait to go catch up on all of the blogs I usually read...it's been a long time....

30!

Well, I turned 30 today, and it wasn't so bad afterall........

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.....

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!

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....

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...

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

Diamondback Game

Last night, I got to go down on the field before the Arizona Diamondback game. I have done this for the past few years as part of a program through the Rodel Foundation called Math Achievement Club-Rodel (MacRo.)  The foundation provides extra math help for Title I schools in Arizona.  It, as usual, was fun.  This picture is kind of funny, because I'm the only dork who is looking at the camera...all the other teachers are looking at the screen. Overall, it was a nice night, Jason and I were able to have a "date night" because Jonathan went to spend the night with my mom!  Even though we missed him, and the Dbacks lost tremendously...it was so much fun!

Finally

I've been blogging on and off since 2005. I began blogging my first year teaching, and wanted to record my first year struggles and victories.  It soon became a blog about my troubled pregnancy, and the difficulties relating to that.  Then, it evolved into a dark and painful place where I posted the raw emotions dealing with a painful divorce and child custody battle.

I decided to start again, and this blog is dedicated to a new life of reconciliation, restoration...and my new life.  How I spend my days, and how I'm going to make my 30's so much better than my 20's.

My goals are to journal about life in a way that no matter what is going on, I can laugh, and maybe you will too.  I want to record the precious moments of my son, the reconciliation and renewal of the relationship between my (ex) husband and I, our journey to raise a self-reliant family, and our quest to become healthier, wiser and financially secure.  

Stay tuned...I promise to keep up with this one!