I am so excited for Christmas! This year, I was actually able to get people some decent gifts, which felt amazing, because last year we only had pennies to spend on gifts! I am excited and I hope everyone likes what I got them. :-)
There are many other emotions that I am feeling during this holiday season, though. I am missing my family immensely. I miss hanging out in the kitchen with my mom while she makes all of her candies and cookies, and I miss joking around with my brothers, and talking philosophy, and I miss photo shoots with my sisters, and laughing until we cry. I just miss their company, really. This will be my first Christmas away from my parents and my siblings. Even when I lived all over the world, I always came home for Christmas. At least I have some awesome in-laws to hang out with and spend this special holiday with. They are family too, after all. They make me feel loved too, and we have tons of fun. But I still miss my family. There's no avoiding that :)
Jackson has been fighting a cold for the last 3 weeks. The last week, he has had a high fever. At times it go up to 103-104+. Luckily, Tylenol and ibuprofen helped to keep it lower, like 100-101. He still has a low-grade fever when he isn't doped up, but when he is, his fever goes away! And he has been MUCH happier today. Thank goodness he was sick with the fever nastiness before we started our road trip to Florida. Can you imagine how miserable it would have been to be on a road trip with a fever-stricken-screaming-clingy-monster of a baby? Awful. I can only imagine that it would have been totally AWFUL.
Saturday, December 22, 2012
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
Housing... CHECK!
So the last couple of weeks, I have spent nearly all my free time in search of the right place to live.
At first it was so exciting to be looking for housing, but after about a week, I was so totally DONE with it, but I hadn't found the right place yet. There were a few places that looked good on paper, but I just didn't have the warm, fuzzy, happy feelings that you get when it's JUST RIGHT. Ya know?
I felt like I'd looked everywhere.
We were on the verge of applying to one apartment complex, but nothing seemed to be going right, and then I discovered that the crime rate was quite high in that area. And then I discovered that the utilities and washer/dryer were not included in the rent. The rent was already close to our max budget anyways, and those extra expenses for utilities and renting a washer and dryer would put us significantly over our max for housing expenses.
So I kept looking.
I found a townhome that seemed to have all the right things, but I just couldn't bring myself to make such a big commitment long-distance. At this point, I was at the peak of frustration. So I decided to go back to my list of apartment complexes and see if there wasn't another one that fit the bill a bit better. I went back to my first pick that I had rejected because they didn't have playground, and because it had 100 less square feet.
Going back and taking a second look, I discovered that those reasons were foolish to reject it for! It had everything else we wanted! Washer and dryer are included in rent, as well as utilities! The crime rate is low, not to mention that it is less than 2 miles from David's work, which will make sharing one car a lot easier. It is first floor, without any extra cost, which is AWESOME. Rent is also significantly less. That is my FAVORITE part!
Now I can check that one off my list and focus on all the other things that moving entails!
(I really hope not to have to move again ANY TIME SOON.)
:-)
I felt like I'd looked everywhere.
We were on the verge of applying to one apartment complex, but nothing seemed to be going right, and then I discovered that the crime rate was quite high in that area. And then I discovered that the utilities and washer/dryer were not included in the rent. The rent was already close to our max budget anyways, and those extra expenses for utilities and renting a washer and dryer would put us significantly over our max for housing expenses.
So I kept looking.
I found a townhome that seemed to have all the right things, but I just couldn't bring myself to make such a big commitment long-distance. At this point, I was at the peak of frustration. So I decided to go back to my list of apartment complexes and see if there wasn't another one that fit the bill a bit better. I went back to my first pick that I had rejected because they didn't have playground, and because it had 100 less square feet.
Going back and taking a second look, I discovered that those reasons were foolish to reject it for! It had everything else we wanted! Washer and dryer are included in rent, as well as utilities! The crime rate is low, not to mention that it is less than 2 miles from David's work, which will make sharing one car a lot easier. It is first floor, without any extra cost, which is AWESOME. Rent is also significantly less. That is my FAVORITE part!
Now I can check that one off my list and focus on all the other things that moving entails!
(I really hope not to have to move again ANY TIME SOON.)
:-)
Friday, December 7, 2012
Orlando or Bust!!
So last time I wrote, David had phone interviewed with a company that seemed fairly promising. Over the last year, we've learned not to get our hopes up after such an event because we had endured so many rejections. It felt like 3 a month on average. Sometimes it was a rejection after two interviews and a design test. Sometimes they would take more than a month just to get around to sending a rejection email-- a month of high hopes only to be crushed with those painful words "We regret to inform you..." or whatever clever way they had of telling us that David wasn't the right man for the job. This was especially hard each time the interviews went so well and it was a position David really wanted.
The same day I wrote last, they called and emailed to ask David to come to Orlando for an on-site interview. This was the first time anyone wanted to meet him in person! What an exciting feeling!! They had to set the interview ten days out because of Thanksgiving. That was the LONGEST ten days ever, having to just pass the time until the much anticipated trip. I helped David pull all of his travel documents together, and even helped him pack. He was so nervous that he hardly wanted to think about the logistics of getting down there, so I did all that I could so that he could just focus on impressing them.
Thanksgiving came and went with much gratitude in our hearts for the opportunity that God had given us. All we could do was pray that they liked him and wanted him to be a part of their team! Finally the day came for him to leave, and he went to interview. I was amazed at how calm David was the day before his interview. It was so unlike him for him to feel so peaceful before such a huge event. Usually he is so totally nervous and beside himself that it makes him sick. Even the morning of the interview he was calm. It was truly amazing. He went and interviewed and they kept him from 9am to 2:30pm. He met just about everyone that was in the office that day. What a crazy day for him! He called me as soon as he left the interview and he was so nervous! He told me he wasn't sure how it went and he was nervous about the impression he had made on them. If he had told me all the things they had talked about that day, I would have told him that were going to hire him! I am still discovering more things that they talked about that he never mentioned. They talked to him insurance options, cities that are nice to live in, what time their workday begins and ends, and a lot of other details about working there that they would never share with someone that they didn't intend to hire.
They didn't even let 3 hours go by after he left the interview before letting him know that they wanted to hire him! What a blessing for David's nerves (and mine!) for them to be so speedy about letting us know! I literally squealed and jumped up and down when David told me the news! It took days for the good news to sink in. We finally got a job!!! Oh my goodness, I could hardly believe it! I kept asking myself, "Am I dreaming? Is this for real?" I can't even tell you what a huge relief it is to think about having our independence again and being able to pay our own bills and to be able to put food on our own table. And to have our own place. And to be able to start paying off our student loans and get out of debt! What an amazing thought it is!
It is overwhelming to think about all the things that have to happen in such a short time in order to get us and all of our stuff moved down to Orlando, but I am not about to complain about it! We have waited for SO LONG for this change! It really is a miracle. He is so talented, we've just been waiting for the right company to come along and recognize the amazing talent that he has been blessed with. I know that this job will be just right for him and the location and the timing will be perfect for our family. My heart is so full of gratitude!!
And an update on Jackson--
Jackson got his second tooth on his 8 month birthday! He also slept through the night for the THIRD TIME!
He has started army crawling, but only when he REALLY wants something. He'll usually book it for my cup so he can knock it over, or when he spots the cord to the lamp, or his sippy cup. He really likes paper too. It's so fun to see the things that excite him!
He is REALLY good at walking around the kitchen in his walker. He likes to follow people around in the kitchen, and it really hurts when he runs into your toes or your heel!
Generally, he is a very happy baby. I feel like I am FINALLY beginning to figure him out a little bit. I can tell when he is tired enough for a nap, and when he isn't. I have finally figured out how to help him sleep better at night. Or maybe he is just maturing more in that department. Either way, I am glad for the longer stretches of sleep!
The same day I wrote last, they called and emailed to ask David to come to Orlando for an on-site interview. This was the first time anyone wanted to meet him in person! What an exciting feeling!! They had to set the interview ten days out because of Thanksgiving. That was the LONGEST ten days ever, having to just pass the time until the much anticipated trip. I helped David pull all of his travel documents together, and even helped him pack. He was so nervous that he hardly wanted to think about the logistics of getting down there, so I did all that I could so that he could just focus on impressing them.
Thanksgiving came and went with much gratitude in our hearts for the opportunity that God had given us. All we could do was pray that they liked him and wanted him to be a part of their team! Finally the day came for him to leave, and he went to interview. I was amazed at how calm David was the day before his interview. It was so unlike him for him to feel so peaceful before such a huge event. Usually he is so totally nervous and beside himself that it makes him sick. Even the morning of the interview he was calm. It was truly amazing. He went and interviewed and they kept him from 9am to 2:30pm. He met just about everyone that was in the office that day. What a crazy day for him! He called me as soon as he left the interview and he was so nervous! He told me he wasn't sure how it went and he was nervous about the impression he had made on them. If he had told me all the things they had talked about that day, I would have told him that were going to hire him! I am still discovering more things that they talked about that he never mentioned. They talked to him insurance options, cities that are nice to live in, what time their workday begins and ends, and a lot of other details about working there that they would never share with someone that they didn't intend to hire.
They didn't even let 3 hours go by after he left the interview before letting him know that they wanted to hire him! What a blessing for David's nerves (and mine!) for them to be so speedy about letting us know! I literally squealed and jumped up and down when David told me the news! It took days for the good news to sink in. We finally got a job!!! Oh my goodness, I could hardly believe it! I kept asking myself, "Am I dreaming? Is this for real?" I can't even tell you what a huge relief it is to think about having our independence again and being able to pay our own bills and to be able to put food on our own table. And to have our own place. And to be able to start paying off our student loans and get out of debt! What an amazing thought it is!
It is overwhelming to think about all the things that have to happen in such a short time in order to get us and all of our stuff moved down to Orlando, but I am not about to complain about it! We have waited for SO LONG for this change! It really is a miracle. He is so talented, we've just been waiting for the right company to come along and recognize the amazing talent that he has been blessed with. I know that this job will be just right for him and the location and the timing will be perfect for our family. My heart is so full of gratitude!!
And an update on Jackson--
Jackson got his second tooth on his 8 month birthday! He also slept through the night for the THIRD TIME!
He has started army crawling, but only when he REALLY wants something. He'll usually book it for my cup so he can knock it over, or when he spots the cord to the lamp, or his sippy cup. He really likes paper too. It's so fun to see the things that excite him!
He is REALLY good at walking around the kitchen in his walker. He likes to follow people around in the kitchen, and it really hurts when he runs into your toes or your heel!
Generally, he is a very happy baby. I feel like I am FINALLY beginning to figure him out a little bit. I can tell when he is tired enough for a nap, and when he isn't. I have finally figured out how to help him sleep better at night. Or maybe he is just maturing more in that department. Either way, I am glad for the longer stretches of sleep!
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