Changes

Our family is getting ready to undergo some changes.  Not just the kind where you bring a child home from half way around the world.  One major change will be happening next week.  I'm changing jobs.  Well, actually, I got laid off from my current job (due to government grant funding ending) and I will be finishing up my position this week.  Next week I will be starting a new position with the local Crisis Pregnancy Center I have been volunteering at for a few months.  I will be the Client Services Director.  God has really been opening and closing doors for the past three years to get me to this position I believe.  Actually, I believe God has been leading me to this place since I was in my early teens. 

Honestly, at first, I was a little freaked out by the pink slip and what it could possibly mean to our adoption.  Then when I gave it to God, doors started opening and I decided to trust Him above all else.  The position at the pregnancy center isn't full time and is definately not a money maker (but if I were in it for the money, I never would have went into social work!).  This is more of a ministry than a job anyway and I am SO excited. 

Today we found out how much health insurance is going to cost and I freaked out again.  I honestly can't believe how much it costs to insure a family these days!  We have been blessed to both be covered by the state employee health insurance and cross reference our insurance so it has been extremely cheap.  Now, if we keep the current insurance we have it will cost more a month then I will make at my new position...wow.  So I'm totally open to how other families make health care more affordable!

I also have started my own Tupperware business to help bring in some extra money and Ben is mowing for a few of our neighbors and still officiating soccer and doing handy man type work in his free time. 

So, as I mentioned before, this new position is not full time...meaning more time at home!  Yay!  Which leads us to our next big family change.  Ethan will be 4 one week from today and will be starting preschool in the fall and I have to say, I'm pretty thrilled who his teacher will be...even though this will be her first year teaching.  Her heart is totally in it and I know he already loves her...

Yup!  That's me!  We are beginning the adventure of homeschooling in the fall!  Well, technically, we've been homeschooling (teaching with everyday experiences) since he was born.  If your child knows their ABC's, you've been doing it too!  We are excited and nervous at times too, but more excited.  I have many friends who homeschool, but don't know many locally...but just found out one of our neighbors is planning on homeschooling their 5 year old too!  Yay!  Ethan is such a little sponge right now.  He already knows so many things and is SO good at his memory verses (he is up to 14 verses now!).  We have been doing "lessons" for a year, but I am looking forward to being able to start a more structured routine. 

So here we go!  Job changes, income changes, adoption, homeschooling...how's that for a few changes? 

By the way...

I talked to our social worker and our placement agency and our file is going to Korea today or tomorrow morning!!! YAY!!!

Changes

Our family is getting ready to undergo some changes.  Not just the kind where you bring a child home from half way around the world.  One major change will be happening next week.  I'm changing jobs.  Well, actually, I got laid off from my current job (due to government grant funding ending) and I will be finishing up my position this week.  Next week I will be starting a new position with the local Crisis Pregnancy Center I have been volunteering at for a few months.  I will be the Client Services Director.  God has really been opening and closing doors for the past three years to get me to this position I believe.  Actually, I believe God has been leading me to this place since I was in my early teens. 

Honestly, at first, I was a little freaked out by the pink slip and what it could possibly mean to our adoption.  Then when I gave it to God, doors started opening and I decided to trust Him above all else.  The position at the pregnancy center isn't full time and is definately not a money maker (but if I were in it for the money, I never would have went into social work!).  This is more of a ministry than a job anyway and I am SO excited. 

Today we found out how much health insurance is going to cost and I freaked out again.  I honestly can't believe how much it costs to insure a family these days!  We have been blessed to both be covered by the state employee health insurance and cross reference our insurance so it has been extremely cheap.  Now, if we keep the current insurance we have it will cost more a month then I will make at my new position...wow.  So I'm totally open to how other families make health care more affordable!

I also have started my own Tupperware business to help bring in some extra money and Ben is mowing for a few of our neighbors and still officiating soccer and doing handy man type work in his free time. 

So, as I mentioned before, this new position is not full time...meaning more time at home!  Yay!  Which leads us to our next big family change.  Ethan will be 4 one week from today and will be starting preschool in the fall and I have to say, I'm pretty thrilled who his teacher will be...even though this will be her first year teaching.  Her heart is totally in it and I know he already loves her...

Yup!  That's me!  We are beginning the adventure of homeschooling in the fall!  Well, technically, we've been homeschooling (teaching with everyday experiences) since he was born.  If your child knows their ABC's, you've been doing it too!  We are excited and nervous at times too, but more excited.  I have many friends who homeschool, but don't know many locally...but just found out one of our neighbors is planning on homeschooling their 5 year old too!  Yay!  Ethan is such a little sponge right now.  He already knows so many things and is SO good at his memory verses (he is up to 14 verses now!).  We have been doing "lessons" for a year, but I am looking forward to being able to start a more structured routine. 

So here we go!  Job changes, income changes, adoption, homeschooling...how's that for a few changes? 

By the way...

I talked to our social worker and our placement agency and our file is going to Korea today or tomorrow morning!!! YAY!!!

"So... now what are you going to do?"

I've gotten this question a lot since we announced our plans to move from Huntsville, where I was home-schooling my brother, to Birmingham.  People seem to think that now that I'm not teaching Chris anymore I won't have anything to "do" in my new home.  Sometimes the question has even been framed as, "So, will you get a job now?" in that assuming sort of tone that really thinks the answer will (or should) be "yes."  Individually these questions were innocent enough, asked out of curiosity in most cases and concern in others.



But they added up.  And they revealed a subtle (and usually unintentional) cultural mind-set about what exactly the worth is deemed to be of a stay-at-home-wife... with no kids:  not very high.



I'll be the first to admit that there are hours that aren't filled to the brim with productivity.  In fact, last Wednesday I didn't do much at all.  I needed to rest... so I did.  Isn't that wonderful?  Because my husband allows me to stay at home, I don't have to be moving 90 miles a minute.  I don't have to be the do-it-all Super-Woman of feminists' dreams.  I can just sit down and rest!



The idea that visible, tangible results are the only measure of the worth of someone's day is false.  I am not a machine.  Spending time with God, improving my mind through learning and self-education... these are two things that don't produce such results, yet I would argue that they are two of the most important habits that can be developed in my life.



Now--as I wait for children--is the ideal time to develop skills and grow in my knowledge in areas like cooking, decorating, gardening, sewing and other handicrafts, using herbs, financial management, music, foreign language, and reading.  (Not to mention basic organization skills... sheesh.  I need a LOT of work in that area.)  Some days I am overwhelmed by all the things I want to learn about that I despair over not having enough time.

And I haven't even mentioned house-work yet.  Or meal planning and preparation.  Much less volunteering my time in the community, if the opportunity and occasion arises.



So what am I going to do now?  Well, besides all the projects we're doing in the new house, I am going to...

• spend more time in prayer and worship.


• learn to order my day so that I can serve my God and my husband.  


• develop weekly meal plans and actually start cooking real dinners again.  


• tackle the stuff-monster and the dirt-dragon that like to hang around.  


• take violin lessons again as well as continue my visits to Curves.


• begin a Great Books reading course and pick up my Latin studies from high school.  


• continue my attempts at sewing and crocheting.


• start a kitchen garden and learn how to use herbs.


• kick my blog back into action. 

That's what I'm going to do, and I don't need a paycheck to make it worth my while.

"So... now what are you going to do?"

I've gotten this question a lot since we announced our plans to move from Huntsville, where I was home-schooling my brother, to Birmingham.  People seem to think that now that I'm not teaching Chris anymore I won't have anything to "do" in my new home.  Sometimes the question has even been framed as, "So, will you get a job now?" in that assuming sort of tone that really thinks the answer will (or should) be "yes."  Individually these questions were innocent enough, asked out of curiosity in most cases and concern in others.



But they added up.  And they revealed a subtle (and usually unintentional) cultural mind-set about what exactly the worth is deemed to be of a stay-at-home-wife... with no kids:  not very high.



I'll be the first to admit that there are hours that aren't filled to the brim with productivity.  In fact, last Wednesday I didn't do much at all.  I needed to rest... so I did.  Isn't that wonderful?  Because my husband allows me to stay at home, I don't have to be moving 90 miles a minute.  I don't have to be the do-it-all Super-Woman of feminists' dreams.  I can just sit down and rest!



The idea that visible, tangible results are the only measure of the worth of someone's day is false.  I am not a machine.  Spending time with God, improving my mind through learning and self-education... these are two things that don't produce such results, yet I would argue that they are two of the most important habits that can be developed in my life.



Now--as I wait for children--is the ideal time to develop skills and grow in my knowledge in areas like cooking, decorating, gardening, sewing and other handicrafts, using herbs, financial management, music, foreign language, and reading.  (Not to mention basic organization skills... sheesh.  I need a LOT of work in that area.)  Some days I am overwhelmed by all the things I want to learn about that I despair over not having enough time.

And I haven't even mentioned house-work yet.  Or meal planning and preparation.  Much less volunteering my time in the community, if the opportunity and occasion arises.



So what am I going to do now?  Well, besides all the projects we're doing in the new house, I am going to...

• spend more time in prayer and worship.


• learn to order my day so that I can serve my God and my husband.  


• develop weekly meal plans and actually start cooking real dinners again.  


• tackle the stuff-monster and the dirt-dragon that like to hang around.  


• take violin lessons again as well as continue my visits to Curves.


• begin a Great Books reading course and pick up my Latin studies from high school.  


• continue my attempts at sewing and crocheting.


• start a kitchen garden and learn how to use herbs.


• kick my blog back into action. 

That's what I'm going to do, and I don't need a paycheck to make it worth my while.

Change is only the beginning of a new adventure...

On December 15, 2010, I wrote in my prayer journal:

I pray today about Trevvor's work.  Bless the work of his hands and may it bring him a measure of fulfillment at the end of each day.  Show him what Your work is for him and give him the strength and courage to do it.  Teach him to do all that he does for Your glory alone.  Let him be content with the job he has if it is Your will for him.  Show me how I can best help and support him in this area, Father.

The next day, I asked for the same things, adding:

If this job is Your will for him, let him find fulfillment, contentment, and even enjoyment in it.  If it is not Your will, then direct him to where You want him to be at the proper time.

I need to stop being surprised when God answers prayers in BIG ways, because about two weeks later, Trevvor got a call from PricewaterhouseCoopers, the Big 4 international accounting firm that he'd interned for in Birmingham last spring.



They wanted to offer him a position as a first year associate, starting ASAP.



Last spring he had an opportunity to have a position there starting this coming fall, but first he would need to do a 12-month masters' degree program in tax accounting and then sit for the CPA exam.  He didn't relish the idea of going straight back to school, and wanted to try management accounting for a while (which he's been doing since last summer here in Huntsville), so he turned down the position at that time.



But apparently things have changed, both on their side and ours.  On our side, Trevvor was realizing that he enjoyed tax accounting much more than management accounting.  On their side, they needed an incoming associate with or without a masters' degree and a CPA.  Trevvor was their first choice, despite not having either of these.



Long story short, a few days after the initial call, Trevvor accepted the position.  Since then, we've kept busy by interviewing (and now training) replacements for his position at my dad's company and traveling the hour and a half to Birmingham once a week to look at houses.



It has certainly been an adjustment, shifting my future plans from a Huntsville local (close to my family and high school friends) to a Birmingham one.  To make things more difficult, only two months ago did we place membership at a wonderful church of Christ right down the road from us, and now we'll have to begin the "church search" all over again!  *sigh*



But overall, we are sure that this is a very positive move (literally and figuratively) for us.  Trevvor is thrilled about his upcoming job--which starts February 7, a week from today--and I am so proud of him.  I'm mostly excited about buying a house:  it will be so wonderful to call a place "home" for more than a year or two!  (On the housing note, we think we may have found one we'd like to place an offer on, but we're seeing it for a second time this afternoon before doing so.)



In conclusion, keep us in your prayers as we make this transition.  It will be hard for my family, especially since they've been used to having us right down the stairs for the better part of a year now.  And buying a house, moving, and being a tax accountant at this time of year can all be stressful things.  But with your prayers and support, we can handle it.

Change is only the beginning of a new adventure...

On December 15, 2010, I wrote in my prayer journal:

I pray today about Trevvor's work.  Bless the work of his hands and may it bring him a measure of fulfillment at the end of each day.  Show him what Your work is for him and give him the strength and courage to do it.  Teach him to do all that he does for Your glory alone.  Let him be content with the job he has if it is Your will for him.  Show me how I can best help and support him in this area, Father.

The next day, I asked for the same things, adding:

If this job is Your will for him, let him find fulfillment, contentment, and even enjoyment in it.  If it is not Your will, then direct him to where You want him to be at the proper time.

I need to stop being surprised when God answers prayers in BIG ways, because about two weeks later, Trevvor got a call from PricewaterhouseCoopers, the Big 4 international accounting firm that he'd interned for in Birmingham last spring.



They wanted to offer him a position as a first year associate, starting ASAP.



Last spring he had an opportunity to have a position there starting this coming fall, but first he would need to do a 12-month masters' degree program in tax accounting and then sit for the CPA exam.  He didn't relish the idea of going straight back to school, and wanted to try management accounting for a while (which he's been doing since last summer here in Huntsville), so he turned down the position at that time.



But apparently things have changed, both on their side and ours.  On our side, Trevvor was realizing that he enjoyed tax accounting much more than management accounting.  On their side, they needed an incoming associate with or without a masters' degree and a CPA.  Trevvor was their first choice, despite not having either of these.



Long story short, a few days after the initial call, Trevvor accepted the position.  Since then, we've kept busy by interviewing (and now training) replacements for his position at my dad's company and traveling the hour and a half to Birmingham once a week to look at houses.



It has certainly been an adjustment, shifting my future plans from a Huntsville local (close to my family and high school friends) to a Birmingham one.  To make things more difficult, only two months ago did we place membership at a wonderful church of Christ right down the road from us, and now we'll have to begin the "church search" all over again!  *sigh*



But overall, we are sure that this is a very positive move (literally and figuratively) for us.  Trevvor is thrilled about his upcoming job--which starts February 7, a week from today--and I am so proud of him.  I'm mostly excited about buying a house:  it will be so wonderful to call a place "home" for more than a year or two!  (On the housing note, we think we may have found one we'd like to place an offer on, but we're seeing it for a second time this afternoon before doing so.)



In conclusion, keep us in your prayers as we make this transition.  It will be hard for my family, especially since they've been used to having us right down the stairs for the better part of a year now.  And buying a house, moving, and being a tax accountant at this time of year can all be stressful things.  But with your prayers and support, we can handle it.

Songs in the Morning

We had an emotional morning today as we discussed our family, church, and home. After talking together, I had this song singing in my mind as I fixed Trevvor's lunch and long after he departed for work, so I thought I'd share it with all of you.

The Lord knows we want a baby to raise up in the nurture and admonition of Him. He knows we're searching for a church where we can serve Him. He knows we want a home of our own before too long.  He knows we desire an income which doesn't take Trevvor away from his family every day, all day.  He knows our hearts desires.

But while we are waiting, He has us in His arms.

Songs in the Morning

We had an emotional morning today as we discussed our family, church, and home. After talking together, I had this song singing in my mind as I fixed Trevvor's lunch and long after he departed for work, so I thought I'd share it with all of you.

The Lord knows we want a baby to raise up in the nurture and admonition of Him. He knows we're searching for a church where we can serve Him. He knows we want a home of our own before too long.  He knows we desire an income which doesn't take Trevvor away from his family every day, all day.  He knows our hearts desires.

But while we are waiting, He has us in His arms.