A Whirlwind of Blessings

This past week has been incredible. As I mentioned before we spent last week moving into a new apartment with a much better landlord... this apartment is beyond amazing. Now of course we have neighbors above us so we have to get used to the creaking of floors and such, but beyond that it is SO much better than our previous home. Boogie's room is much much bigger, we have a normal sized kitchen, a back patio with a fence... and we are finally moved in and everything is unpacked (with the exception of some decor). We love it! I'm sure you could tell from pictures of Boogie in our old apartment that her toys had overrun the living room... well in our new apartment her room is big enough to fit almost ALL of her toys, including her new kitchen! We have one shelf of toys and a few of her bigger toys in the living room, but other than that everything is in her room. It's amazing having a living room not cluttered with a multitude of toys!


If you have read my posts then you know that in December a new company took over the food services department that J works in and he got promoted to a cook's position at that time. You also know then that J has been working towards getting his certification as a CDM (certified Dietary Manager) and completed the class in December. Now we are just waiting for him to complete the exam in October. Well, this past week a position opened up for the Assistant Manager in the same department he was working in (I think the technical job name is Production Manager or something like that) so he decided to apply for it. We were hesitant to get excited because we didn't know if they would be willing to hire him without having his certification complete. We were hopeful though because it would mean significant pay increase and better benefits..... well J got the job! I'm so proud of him! He's worked so hard to get here and he has a lot more work ahead of him, but this is a step in the right direction. He's gone a lot now because of his new schedule, but like I told him last night, it won't be like this forever. Currently he works from about 8:30am-6pm Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, and then he works 5:30am-6pm on Fridays and Saturdays. He's off Sundays and Mondays thankfully. Another exciting thing about this new job is that once his certification is complete he will have the opportunity within the company to get a CDM position, this company is spread across the East coast, so we could go anywhere!


Boogie is doing so well with all these changes we've made. She's really grown a lot in the past week and has learned more and more new words. She completely blows my mind most days with how much she learns so quickly. My favorite words she says right now is "milk, please?" and she signs it at the same time. It comes out more as "milk, pwease", but it's SO cute. Love her!


I will take some pics of our new apartment as soon as I can, and hopefully I'll get some pics of my girl as well. Until then.... God bless!

Change is in the Air

Change is wonderful. I LOVE CHANGE. Ask J, I love to rearrange our furniture, I love to change up our decor, I like to try new things, explore new places.... change rocks. J made a BIG change today, he got a new job! It pays a little more than his last job, we get affordable health insurance, AND my favorite part.... he will be home for dinner EVERY night! His schedule goes something like this: every work he works from 5:30am-5:30pm and he has a set schedule. He works Monday, works Tuesday, off Wednesday, work Thursday, off Friday, work Saturday, work Sunday, off Monday, off Tuesday, work Wednesday, off Thursday, work Friday, and off for the weekend.... and then you start all over again. He's excited, I'm excited... and Boogie is ALWAYS excited! I guess you can tell when I'm excited in my blog posts because I do THIS! LOL!


The only not so fun part about this new job is that we're having to change up our vacation plans. We originally had planned on taking a week long vacation in Gatlinburg with a day trip to Knoxville... but now that he no longer works doubles on weekends with week breaks in between that just isn't possible. So. New plan. We'll leave on a Sunday night after J gets off, spend Monday morning in Knoxville, Monday evening in Gatlinburg (with a fun dinner at the Melting Pot!), and Tuesday will be spent in Pigeon Forge and driving home. Justin will work Wednesday, be off Thursday, and then work on Friday. That night we'll drive to Asheboro, stay the night, and then wake up on Saturday morning to spend the day at the zoo! Then we'll drive to Concord, stay the night, wake up and spend the day shopping and then drive home. It's definitely more driving, and not what we were hoping for in a vacation, but it will be fun nonetheless!



What else is changing? Boogie took 2 crawling "steps" today... and I missed it. Lamesauce. So hopefully that means she'll be mobile very very soon! She's also on the verge of cutting her second tooth! You know what else all this means? I've had a cranky, tired, non-sleeping baby this week! This whole sleep thing is hard. I'm stuck in the middle of wanting to just co-sleep and enjoy the baby cuddles and lovings I get... and wanting to somehow get her to sleep in her own bed, in her own room. It's a tough decision. I'm not a fan of cry it out methods, I hope to find a method that won't involve so much hysterical tears and crying. The way I see it... no matter what happens, she's not going to be sleeping in my bed forever. Someday she will want her own space... until then, I'm just along for the ride!


Guess what else is changing? THE LEAVES. No, really. It's not a drastic change yet... but a tree in our yard is slightly turning and there were leaves in our yard today! That means FALL is just on the horizon! Hallelujah! I can't wait!


I'm changing in many ways as well... I don't feel much like writing about it though because I'm not exactly sure how to put what is changing in my life into words. But it's good. VERY good! So... anyways, I'm going to leave you with some of Boogie's 8 month pictures. 8 months... hard to believe!

Ahhh! Real Monsters!!!

Ok... not really. Do you remember that cartoon? I do! I wasn't allowed to watch it, but I snuck and watched it anyways....and it wasn't even that good! Why monsters? Because my husband and I have been monsters today... cruel, mean, short-tempered, and perhaps a little condescending. We're stressed. We're tired. Justin more so than me... isn't that always the case?

Had to refile our taxes today because the turbo tax mom used apparently didn't send our federal return through... yay. So we went to HR Block where we discovered that our taxes weren't right in the first place.... we're getting more back but now we have to amend our state taxes. Yay? Ugh.

I'm also praying for guidance, thinking about taking classes this summer and still praying that someone I love will accept the path I feel is right when it comes to the rest of my education. Coughumjusitncough!

Yea. Stressed.

Oh. And I had a job interview today, would have been perfect.... except for the tiny part where it's only 9 weeks long. Yay me! No thanks!


"And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose." Romans 8:28

Things Are Possibly Looking Up!

I might have found a really great part time job!! A girl I graduated with (and worked with for a LONG time at Montreat) posted a facebook status about a part time receptionist position opening up at a local nursing home. I go for the "official" interview tomorrow at 2pm, and I am the only applicant thus far and they want to fill the position ASAP! So praying that I get it! I would be working 4 hours on Saturday, Sunday, Tuesday & Wednesday... then 8 hrs on Mondays, which first perfectly around my already complicated schedule! This also means that we might be able to afford a nicer place to live until we move to Cullowhee. Yay! So I'm excited that I actually found something that fits my life right now... that's very rare!

I don't feel much like blogging today, plus I'm ready for lunch.... so....

"I will both lie down in peace, and sleep; For You alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety." Psalm 4:8

Way Overwhelmed

I wish things could be easier... just for even a week. I need a job yesterday. Yes, I have had many many interviews, I even got offered a few positions... but what good is a job if I'm driving across the county and only working enough hours to pay for the gas to get to that job and home? Or what good is a job that requires you sell credit cards to earn your hours... that is so unreliable! I put in two resumes/applications in the past week. One application was for Aldi, they pay REALLY well. The other I sent my resume to was for a church about 45 minutes from here for a position that consists of helping with the youth, worship and administrative duties. I'd love either job. I called Aldi this morning, and apparently they are still taking apps and not ready to call anyone just yet. I have gotten several emails from the pastor at the church, but they are all emails with additional questions about my work experience and history. I am so frustrated, overwhelmed and exhausted with applying for jobs. And honestly life is just pissing me off right now. I love my husband. He is GREAT. But I don't think he understands how much work I'm putting into school right now. Going to school is a full time job with overtime. If you add up the hours I am in class with the hours I am studying and doing homework... on average I'm working almost 60 hours a week. NO KIDDING. I was a little alarmed with that number when I added it up! And I have to get a PT job. I have told my husband over and over, please keep looking for a PT job in case I can't find one... and obviously I haven't found one yet. But apparently it would be too much for him to work 2 jobs... but its NOT too much for me to do my 60 hrs of school AND work a PT job? I'm sorry but I think that's a little backwards. I know he blames me for the situation we're in. He says it's not my fault, but I know that he still blames me. I'm the one that took the job in TN, I'm the one that got laid off, and I'm the one who has yet to find a job. My decision to go back to school was a long thought out plan, I prayed about it and talked with my friends and family about it... and I came to the final decision to go back to school to make a better life for my husband and I... and our future family. But I don't think Justin realizes that I can't just breeze through school and get my degree. I have to work my butt off! I am so tired of everything that is going on right now. There are some days when I just want to throw up my hands and say "I quit!" to school, to church, to all the things I have commited myself too. Today is just one of those days that I want to quit... and give up. Days like today are days when I feel like God is testing me... and frankly I hate it. I'm ready for a new life. I'm tired of looking at other people's lives and saying "Why not me?" Why can't we get out of this rut? Why can't we get out of this hole we have dug for ourselves? I have cried out for my Lord so many times, and even though I know He hears me... it doesn't feel like He's listening. I need a day of good things. Why does earth have to be so crappy? Days like today I want to grab Eve and slap her a few good times. I'm just ready for some changes. I'm thankful we have a roof over our heads and that we have food to eat... but I'm just hoping we continue to have those things.
Also, two days from now would have been my Papaw's 84th birthday... I miss you Papaw, Happy Birthday!