Sure has been a while.....

It has been such a long time since I have blogged and so much has happened.  I wrote my last post in the spring.  I was waiting to get some new pictures up and my job was really busy......and then the unthinkable happened.  In June, my boss called me in after a meeting to let me know that they were downsizing and I was losing my job.....that day!  After the total shock set in, I went back to my office and cried while I packed everything from a job that I loved.  I left a job of 5 years to take this job.  After I was all packed up, I drove home.  Andrew was at the store buying groceries and when he came home I told him the news.  To my surprise, he was calm.  He told me that God had a plan for us and that we were going to be OK.  The very next day I started my job search.  The benefit to this was that I got to spend the whole summer with my wonderful family playing outside, learning to budget a little more and how wonderful coupons REALLY are!  I learned how to find all of the free activities we could do in our little community.  I also learned the love of our church.  Even though money was tight, we were managing.  When the church heard what happened they graciously (and without our knowing) took a love offering for us to help with a bill.  Our families stepped in and helped out here and there and we made it. 

Fast forward to August, and I found and applied for a job.  A good job.  A job with wonderful benefits, good pay, and a way to reach out a help people.  I am now working for the state of Indiana as a Family Case Manager for the Department of Child Services.  It's a hard job, but so rewarding.  And I really do think God had this planned for me all along.  I was hired in September and I am currently still in training, which will last until December 7 when I officially graduate.  It has been trying for our family as I am out of town about 3.5 hours away often to attend this training.  Many of my days and night are spent in a hotel room when I am not training.  It is lonely, but this Tuesday is that last day that I have to be away from them!  I am thankful for that!  I do talk to them everyday, usually more than once, and life is a little out of the ordinary right now.  I can not wait to get back on a normal schedule!  But I believe God knew that since I was going to be away he let me have that extra time in the summer to just be with them.  Just playing and having a good time.  This job is giving us things we never thought about before.  I have a retirement account now!  We are saving money for a new house in the future!  And most importantly we are paying off debt!  Praise the Lord.  But the biggest blessing is that I am helping families reunify with their children and get the help they might not get without me being in the picture.  I am doing my best to reach out to them and let them know there is hope!  And when I can, I squeeze a little God in....if we are comfortable enough!  It is awesome to get to glorify the one who made this all happen!!!!

During the summer, a lot happened:
-Calleigh turned 4
-Calleigh cut her hair-oh  yes, all by herself
-Addie turned one
-Addie began to walk
-Calleigh learned to swim
-Calleigh started her second year of preschool
-Addie started to talk
-I had Pochontas and a Scarecrow for Halloween
-and life just got better! 

Here we are in November and we have big plans!  First, we are of course excited for me to be done with this training and get home!  I do have most of my Christmas shopping done, but just a little more to purchase.  For Christmas, we are getting new floors in our house and new counter tops in the kitchen!  Can you tell how much this excited me????  Next summer we are planning a trip to Disney for the girls(and maybe mommy too!) and they are so looking forward to this!  In January, the girls are moving in together and getting new bunk beds! 

Life has been a lot different than I could have predicted a year ago, and yet, I know it was all part of God's plan.  Since I now have Internet access, will try to blog more frequently.  More for myself than others, but maybe a few of you out there do read about my little simple life.