Happy Thoughts

Training was exhausting mentally and physically, but I am officially CALM trained and I've passed the test!! My legs are tired and my muscles are thankful for a rest, but even more than that, I'm just glad to be done with it. I still have a LOT more training ahead of me, but this was a big step toward being official. I turned in my hours for the first time today, so I'm incredibly thankful that my first check is on its way with 88 hours on it! I have the weekend off, and I'm working 40 hours next week in one cottage! Being in one cottage means they want me there, which means they might be looking to hire someone in that cottage full time. Even though I'm working 40 hours, I'm not officially full time yet.

Walker got his business cards, name tag and first pay check at Havertys today! I can tell he's really excited, even though I haven't talked to him yet. I've just gotten picture text messages. He gets off at eight, so we are going to go to the Japanese steak house for dinner! I'm pretty excited, and I'm super happy for him.

I'm really thankful for the things that have been happening in my life. I have a great job, where every day is different and I'm surrounded by Godly, caring staff and kids who just need love and attention.

I want a puppy. I've officially decided that I need some kind of companion to keep me company in my apartment. I have the lowest pet deposit I've ever heard of, so I might as well have a pet, right?! I saw a picture of a labradoodle on pinterest last night and fell in love with it. They are soooo cute. I'll probably rescue a dog from the pound, but one day I want a labradoodle. and a bulldog.

Rejoice In Hope

For everything there is a season...tis the season for training!

Monday through Friday this week is my CALM training for the Methodist Home. It has been really good so far. I've learned a TON about de-escalating crises. Every children's home in Georgia is required to have a program for crisis intervention and physical restraint, and ours is CALM (its an acronym for Crisis something something something...I forget). The past two days have been "theory" classes; learning the ideas on paper. Tomorrow and Friday are the "physical" days. This means learning how to properly restrain a child without hurting them or allowing them to hurt anyone else. It's a last resort situation for any crisis, but I'm really really hoping I never have to use the things I learn outside of the class room.

Honestly, I'm kind of nervous about it. Going into an arm hold at a 45 degree angle and setting a child down safely...kids have dyed at other institutions for the way they were restrained. If you turn their head you could slowly cut off their oxygen supply and kill them or just traumatize them permanently. Most of the kids we work with already have PTSD from the things they've experienced in their past; they're basically little war veterans. Sometimes when I see it, the trigger from their past, I just want to hold the kid and tell them their past doesn't define their future and they are loved unconditionally. Unfortunately, their past often does define their future and they are stuck in a rut of never wanting to grow up or never facing their fears. It's sad, but it's my job to give them hope.

I saw a few kids in the dining hall today and they asked when I was going back to their cottages. I love that. The kid who said I reminded him of Adele continues to call me Adele when he sees me, and the girls hug me when they see me. I think I need their hugs just as much as they need mine.

Walker got off earlier than he thought he would today, so we got to have dinner together and watch a Red Box movie. It was really nice :) Well, the pizza was delicious, the movie was mediocre, but the company was excellent.


Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. -Romans 12:12

Phillippians 4:12

Saturday and Sunday, my shifts were changed so that I wasn't shadowing someone, I was working the shift. Saturday I was in the cottage with little boys, which was my first experience with boys at the Methodist Home. Can I just say ohmygoodness. So much energy....and so much back talk. The youngest kid was precious though, he told me that I looked like Adele, then added that she is pregnant (I decided to take it as a compliment because I think she's pretty). He started playing her music on the computer as if he thought I wouldn't know who she was, so I sang along...he said "see! You are Adele!" haha I spent most of my shift chasing the boys and watching them play outside. Only one kid really acted up, but he was mad at the world, so he got upset at the drop of a hat...

It was a really long day from 2 to 10, but the boys eventually settled down and watched the Hunger Games before bed. I got back to my apartment and found a single red rose on my coffee table with a container of nutella, a really sweet card, and a note that said "look in the refrigerator." In the fridge was two packages of chocolate pudding! Walker had come by after his last day at Big Lots and left me a surprise because he knew that I had had a long day with the boys.  All day at work, I kept thinking that I should do something for Walker because it was his last day, but instead, he did something super sweet for me. I'm spoiled :)

Sunday, Walker and I joined Martha Bowman Memorial United Methodist Church, aka Martha Bowman. It's really nice to officially have a church home now. In the membership class, a lot of people were saying that they came to Martha Bowman for their kids, because this was the only church they really felt welcomed and a part of a nurturing group. I think that says a lot about a church, I certainly know what its like to have your family become members of a church where I didn't feel welcome or wanted at all by the youth. Another woman and her fiance joined the church with us too. The pastor's wife told me about a Bible study that she is starting soon for women, and told me that I should come. I'm hoping to make it to dinner at the church Wednesday night too, and corporate prayer afterwards. I am so happy to finally really be committing to a church family and I'm excited about some of the things that I want to be involved with.

Sunday afternoon, the little girls were a little less crazy than the boys on Saturday, but I think it was just because there was more that had to be done. Other than some cat fights it wasn't that bad. I did have to talk one 8 year old into an understanding that throwing a hard, sharp object is not equal to throwing a pillow. They had chapel at 6pm and watched the second half of Facing the Giants, which is actually a really good movie. Then they did their chores and went to bed. The two 8 year olds asked me to pray with them before they went to sleep, and one had a lot of questions about Jesus and the devil. It was really cool to me that she chose me to be the one she talked to about it and she really good questions for an eight year old. She showed me a picture that looked like it was on a card with a memory verse, and she asked me if that was what Jesus really looked like. She also asked where Hell is and if the devil is dead. In those moments, more than ever, I was thankful for my upbringing and education. It was a really nice conversation.

My first paycheck is the 7th, so I'm impatiently waiting to be less dependent. I worked out a good budget, but I'm afraid that my student loan payments are going to kill it. I got a call on Saturday telling me that if I didn't pay the 800 dollars I owe, I would be forced to pay $20,000 at the end of the month. Debt collectors and student loans are so stupid, and they're such a burden. It doesn't make higher education seem worth it to me. I hope that when I have kids, they wont have this problem, or at least they wont have to deal with major debt on their own. I don't even know what most of the stuff means, and I'm expected to understand the best ways to handle tens of thousands of dollars of multiple loans?! I brought my loans up in Sunday School because we were talking about worry and the things that we need to give up to God. Our Sunday School teacher's wife told me about a book she read that helped her understand more about loans and debt collectors. She offered to let me borrow it, and I'm definitely taking her up on it. I'm tired of being bullied by people over the phone because I don't understand what my rights are and what I should do about my loans. I told Walker on Saturday that I should just declare bankruptcy and move on with my life...

Today I'm working with the little girls again. The rest of my week is full of training, so I'm glad I get to spend a couple days with the kids this week. I have Saturday off, so I'm planning on sleeping a lot to make up for the crazy hours I've had lately.I'm looking forward to doing nothing for a day.

"I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need: I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."

Certifiably...rambling

I'm officially CPR certified...again...for the fourth time. This class was full of other people who had been certified before, so it was more like a review class and recertification than the full blown deal, so it was better than I expected.

The training was supposed to end at 4pm..then she said 2pm at the latest...and we were out by 1pm. I love that. Since I was out early, I drove to Haverty's to meet all the lovely people I've heard about from Walker. Everyone seems really nice and they LOVE Walker, so I approve.

Walker walked me around the showroom and told me about his favorite pieces. They have the coolest bedroom suits with hidden jewelery trays and hanging places for necklaces...like behind a sliding mirror or in the weird gap between drawers in your dresser...it's really cool. Since Walker gets a hefty discount, we're totally getting a bedroom suit when we get married...it's already been decided. :) haha

The rest of the afternoon, I've been on pinterest. I've been reading blogs, finding inspiration for future investments in my apartment and my wardrobe. :) I was on pinterest last night when I decided to go to bed by 11...then 11:30...then midnight...then I finally had to close my computer...at 1:30. ha! I'm addicted.

Tomorrow is another early morning. One cool thing that I forgot to mention in my blog yesterday was that I love the kids. It's officially a fact. I have worked in two cottage for one day each, and I already have kids yelling "hey, Ms. Courtney" when they see me walking around campus. It's really cool. There was a sweet girl with CP in the first cottage I worked in that was just precious. I wish I could adopt her as a little sister. She loves reading and has pretty good taste in music too.

I don't know a lot about the Methodist Home, aside from it's history since 1872, but I think that my dream job would be over one cottage. I forget the official title, but there is one person in each cottage who knows all the kids and oversees everything that goes on. You can tell who they are because, aside from having their own office in the cottage, they are typically suit-wearing men or women. If you saw a group of staff at the Methodist Home you could divide them into groups of who-does-what by looking at what they wear...It's kind of interesting to me.

It's 4pm, so I'm officially off the clock! haha...T-5 hours till bed time!

Hump Day

Yesterday, I was scheduled for training from 10am to noon in a class called "coaching the van driver." The teacher was an older man who spoke really quickly. He was wearing denim overalls, which he said were for getting under the vans to check the tires. There were probably 8 or 9 of us in the class, all sitting around tables in a U shape in the art room at the Methodist Home. On the tables were blank pieces of paper for notes, stabled copies of a slide show, and a packet of general information. Two of the women in the class work the night shift, so the teacher said he would make the lesson brief...and boy did he. He told us that before taking a van out we should check the oil and tires, asked us about our attitudes when driving with a van full of kids, and mentioned several times that everyone should always wear a seat belt. Ten minutes later, we were out the door to the parking lot to drive. There were three vans: two 15 passenger vans and a mini van. A seasoned employee took the night staff in one 15 passenger, the teacher took three guys with him in the other 15 passenger, and told the girls to take the minivan. We took turns driving, pulling over every couple of minutes to change drivers, then headed back to the Methodist Home. At 10:40, I was walking out to my car to go home. I never even got to drive the 15 passenger van.


Today was another 4:45 morning. I was in another girl's cottage with middle and high school girls. They were sweet, and the staff I met were really nice. The night staff makes breakfast in the morning while the day staff wakes the girls up and makes sure they get everything done that needs to happen. Each girl has a hygiene box that they get in the morning to shower and do their hair and stuff, they eat breakfast, do their chores, and on their day, they take their laundry to the laundry room. The day staff is responsible for getting the girls to school. Of the ten girls today, they went to four schools. One school was picked up by another day staff, we took some girls at 7:30 to another school, I walked a girl to the school on campus at 8:40, and we took another group at 8:45. Talk about a lot to remember. The girls all wake up at different times because they go to different schools, and the day staff know exactly who to wake up when like clockwork.
When they were all at school, we rotated laundry, wrote reports, and went to CALM training, which is the crisis training program. I will be getting trained in it next week. We ate lunch in the dining hall and headed back to the cottage, where I organized paperwork until I was off.

Tomorrow I have CPR and first aid training all day. I've been CPR certified a few times before, so I'm not worried about any of it. I just need some sleep. This back and forth 4:45 to 8am stuff isn't nice to my body. I'm drained and I've been taking naps every day. I am hoping that once I am trained, I will have a set schedule that I can get used to. Even if its 4:45 every day.

The manager from Kohl's called me to see if I wanted a job yesterday. After some consideration, with help from Walker, I decided not to take the job now, I want to focus on the Methodist Home and its potential for a long term career. Adding another job with not help with my lack of rest and it certainly wouldn't help me find free time to spend with Walker. It's hard enough as it is. I go into work and he is just going into work when I get off. He usually closes at night, so he's tired and needs to study his stuff for work and spend time with his family and Lucky. It's hard right now, not really knowing people and not being able to spend a whole lot of time with Walker. Plus having not worked for a month is hard on the financial situation. I wish direct deposit could work daily, like when you clock out, you automatically get paid for the day...that'd be nice.

I'm still looking up. I'm excited to learn more about my job, and I'm happy to be in a city I love near people I love. I just miss the simple little things that come with being near family and being involved in a lot of things. It will come in time.

New Beginnings

I feel like I have a ton to write about today...

First of all, today was my first day shadowing ("on the job training") at the Methodist Home. My alarms started going off at 4:45am and I was out the door by 5:45, I'm pretty sure it's been a really long time since I have had to get up that early (except a lovely to to visit Asbury two years ago). I worked in a girl's cottage today; waking them up, making sure they did their chores, eating breakfast, and getting out the door for school. I think it went really well, but I know that I have a ton to learn in my training. There is a ton of paperwork. Very few middle or high school girls get up early (voluntarily) and get ready for school, so putting eight of them in one cottage just adds to the drama, but it is fun, loving drama. Tomorrow, I have training on van driving, which shouldn't be bad at all, since I've driven these kinds of vans before. Wednesday, I'm back to 4:45 mornings and children, though.

One exciting thing that I have yet to blog about was two very special visitors on Friday. Jackie, my best friend for the past five years, and her husband, John, came to Macon after spending a day in Atlanta. I am super jealous of their time in Atlanta, but I am so glad that I got to see them both. Next time they come I'll have to show them a little more of the city, but I'm hoping to get my butt to Birmingham before then.

Sunday night, Walker and I went to a new members class at church. It was two and a half hours of history of the church. It was basically an entire semester of Dr. Jeffcoat's Methodism class squished into two hours. I sent him an email when I got of of the class thanking him for teaching me so much, I could have taught that class; but it was a nice little refresher course. I'm hoping that I'll discover more ways for me to get involved. Tonight, Walker is going to a men's dinner at church. Apparently, they eat steak and listen to a speaker. The women's dinner is over salad next week....I think the women need to rethink this one...

Anywho, I think it's nap time! It's been a long day!

First Day Jitters

Tomorrow is my first official day of on the job training at the Methodist Home and I am super excited and a little nervous. My shift starts at 6am, so I'm going to bed now...to wake up at 4:45am...ugh. I'm seriously wishing that Joshua Cup was still open now, but I have a feeling I will be perfecting the ratio of coffee to water in my new manual drip coffee system (I'm sure it has a name, but I dont know what it is) very soon.

I had a great weekend though, and will be blogging about that tomorrow after work along with details as to what exactly a job as a PRN is like...I don't even know what I do yet!

So, good night friends.

Hurry Up and Wait

Ok, so I have a job, but the training to work in a home for children, especially working directly with the kids, is extensive. That means that there are theory classes, physical classes, van driving lessons, medicine administration classes, and tons of things to be learned about before you actually work with the kids. Since the training doesn't start until the 21st, I still feel like I don't have a job yet. I've been doing everything that I can do keep myself busy...

The anticipation of starting this job is gonna drive me crazy. I'm really excited about it, and I'm ready to learn about everything.

I have watched all the available seasons of several shows on Netflix. Heroes, Eureka, Warehouse 13, The Glades, Life, Pretty Little Liars, and now I'm looking for something as interesting...If you have any suggestions, please let me know!

A Walk in the Park

 Sunday afternoon, I took a walk down the block to the park. There's a man made river and waterfall that flows through the park. There are always people there taking pictures for their engagement photos or senior pictures. It was warm out, but it wasn't too hot. 

I took a book to read, but there was so much going on that I mostly watched people instead of reading. A woman was there with her grandson who was running around in his little Chuck Taylors with a plastic toy boat.

 His grandmother's phone died so she couldn't take pictures of him, so I volunteered to email her pictures from my phone. The kid was precious and fearless. I'm sure he was totally soaked by the time they left.

 For a while, he stood at the top of the waterfall and let his boat float over the edge. I was standing at the bottom rescuing the boat and delivering it back to him.

 This was one of my favorites that I took of him. I don't even know his name.

I finally got a hair cut the other day. I was starting to feel like there was nothing that I could do to make it look decent. I got a shampoo and cut for $16. Thats my kind of service! The girls who did it was really nice and she did a really good job.

 This is the front of the Catholic church around the block from my apartment. It's beautiful. I love when Walker and I walk Lucky past it in the evenings. It's always lit up and glowing. The sides have beautiful stain glass windows. It's on the top of a hill too, so you can see down into down town from there. I just love it. I told Walker that I would be Catholic for a day if they would let us get married there. I haven't been inside, but I can imagine it's gorgeous.

Sunday Heartache

I love Macon. I don't miss very much about Montgomery, but the one thing I do miss is Sundays. For as long as I can remember, Sunday was the day that my parents and I would go out to lunch after church. When my brother lived with us, it was a family affair. Even when I was in college, I would still meet my parents for lunch, Even when I went to a different church that got out at a different time than theirs, I would still meet them for lunch.

It's not the places that we would eat that made it special, although, I did love the places we went; we usually ate at Dreamland BBQ or Panera Bread. It was simply enjoying a meal with my parents that we didn't have to make or wash the dishes from. I miss my parents, of course, but I really miss talking with both of them at the same time (without being on speaker phone). I miss being able to count on that meal.

There's something I want even more than that Sunday meal with my parents, something that I've lost for a really long time. I want to feel like they are proud of me. People have told me "Oh your parents must be so proud of you" or "I'm sure your parents love you so much." I'm sure that those things are true, because that's what family is for, but I the wost part about growing up in a family that doesn't do a whole lot of communicating with each other is that you don't hear it very much. That's not to say that I have never been told that my parents are proud of me or that they love me. I can't think of a specific time, but I feel like in one of those moments when my mom was aware that I didn't want to do something but I did it anyway, that she would have told me that she was proud of me for it. She texted me that she loved me the other day, although I'm pretty sure that it was a response to my "I love you" first. My dad told me that he loved me as he hugged me goodbye before I moved to Macon.

I've written this blog several times, but I've never posted it for fear that it would hurt my parents or seem like an attack. Please don't take it like that. I love my parents very much, and no parents are perfect. I am blessed to have my mother and father and I am aware of that blessing every day that I wake up and know that I am a child of God.

My confession is that I have sin in my heart for not letting this out and not getting over the jealousy I have for my brother and the jealousy I have for other families like Walker's who tell each other that they love each other multiple times a day. When Walker's mom told me that she loved us both, as in me included, the first time, I froze. I didn't know what to say. I hate that. I felt weird telling her that I loved her when I hadn't told my own parents that, but I felt bad not telling her that I loved her because I do. She is the mother of the man that I love and I love her for the way that she raised her children to love and to show love.

I love my family and I miss them very much. I am incredibly proud of my brother for getting a great job, surrounding himself with amazing Christian people who love him and hold him accountable, and for intentionally seeking to live a faithful life every day. I am proud of my father for starting a ministry on his own, for seeking help in new employees, and for doing what he loves to glorify God and to further His Kingdom. I am proud of my mother for juggling multiple jobs my entire life, for making dinner every night (or almost every night) with a joyful heart, for her passion for crisis pregnancies, and her devotion to loving women who sought love in the wrong places. I am incredibly blessed to have such an amazing family, and although sometimes I feel like the black sheep, I know that they love me and ultimately, my Father in Heaven loves me enough to let His son die for me.

HAVE a good day

Today was Walker's first day at Haverty's and it apparently went very well.

I went over to his house this morning to help him decide what to wear (and tell him what looked good with what). He also needed someone to iron his shirts because the poor boy doesn't know how to do it. He is so excited to be dressing nicely for work, it's really cute. Today, he wore black pants with a white shirt with blue squares one it and a blue tie. You might think my opinion is biased, but you can ask anyone, he looked spiffy! Tomorrow he's wearing grey pants with a yellow shirt and green tie :)

The lady who he has been talking to the most at Havertys has been Ms, Bonnie, who I hope to meet soon. She apparently let it slip tonight that they are hoping to get Walker into management eventually. They LOVE him.

I met him for drinks after he got off work, and he was ecstatic. I love that he is happy, he loves the people he is working for, and they love him back. That is such a big deal, especially in our society with our economy!

I am so incredibly happy for him! Things are really looking up for him. The only thing that I would ask for prayers for him is for this coming Tuesday...he is going back to the dentist after a visit last week which was his first in a few years. He has some cavities and might even need a root canal, so I'm praying that they look at it more and see that a root canal isn't necessary. He doesn't do well with dentistry, so he'll be drugged and I'll be driving him. God has certainly been answering our prayers with both of us getting great jobs and we are both so excited to tell people about how God is blessing us!

God is good.

Pre-Employment To Dos...

Today was a little crazy. For fear of not waking up on time, I went to bed earlier than normal...which meant that I woke up at 5am and 5:30 and 6:00 and 7:30...I had to get a physical this morning for my job, and I wasn't sure exactly where I was going. The physical went well, I'm healthy and drug free! I think that doctor spent more time with me than all of the doctors at pri-med combined. There was one minor problem that they found and he told me that they weren't too concerned about it, but he would let me come back next week to retake the urine test. I thought that was pretty nice.

Right after the physical, I went to the Methodist Home for my 4 hour orientation that mostly consisted of directors and vice presidents talking about what their particular department does. I took 5 pages of notes and completed a 13 page test, all before 1:30PM.

Right after that, I had to go get my finger prints taken at the UPS store (that I didn't know existed, and had a bit of trouble finding, despite the lovely directions I got). It was a really quick process, but it was super awkward to have the UPS dude (without verbal instruction) give me a squirt of hand sanitizer, and hold each of my fingers one by one to the little scanner pad. He wrote a number on a sheet of paper and said I was done...ok...

Walker had been out buying a new wardrobe for his new fancy job (since its officially official). So, I drove out to Kohl's to see how he was doing. He had a handfull of ties, three shirts and two pairs of shoes...the total came to over two hundred dollars to start with....but it's tax free weekend, Kohl's is giving ten dollars off for the back to school sale, and Walker was approved for a Kohl's credit card which got him 30% off. It was like 150 dollars when they were done taking off money for him. He was so cute about how much money he was saving, it was precious. Plus, the cashier was new and it was her first time ever signing someone up for the card, so she was really excited about it. It was really funny. I'm just glad no one was behind us in line because we were there for a while while they were deducting money from the total!

Walker had to be at work at 3, and by the time we got out of Kohl's it was pushing 2:30, so he sped home to change. I realized that I didn't know if I was supposed to turn in the sheet with the number that UPS Dude gave me, so I went back to the Methodist Home to see about it...turns about I didn't need it, but better safe than sorry, right?!

On my way home, Walker called me on his way to work and we ended up stopping next to each other at a stop light, so we had a little awkward conversation over the phone, face to face :) that was fun...

When I got home, I realized that I hadn't eaten anything all day, so I made two servings of orzo pasta and had myself some spaghetti :)

I feel like my life suddenly took off, but I would much rather be multitasking and running around town than sitting in my apartment all day!

Busy Busy Busy...

I didn't post a new blog yesterday because Walker and I were so busy. I felt like we both had really productive days, but honestly we didn't do that much. After he got done building a tv stand or something for a lady, Walker and I went to the Social Security office to get new SS cards printed. Thankfully, they are free, but unfortunately, you have to wait to weeks to get it in the mail...

After that, we bought new windshield wipers for his mom's car and replaced them in the parking lot of the Auto Zone. We had lunch at Panera, which was delicious. I felt like I hadn't had a salad in forever, so I got the Greek salad :)

After that we went shopping. I need collared shirts and khaki pants for work and he needs nice work clothes too, so we went to Old Navy, Marshall's, Ross....Neither one of us like shopping very much, so we are pretty good about making the trips speedy. (only, I'm gonna have to go to Target soon, which will be a little more dangerous for my bank account)

He dropped me off at my apartment so I could get a head start on a birthday present that was giving me some difficulty (I can't tell you what it is or for who, because its a secret!) and he wanted to take a nap! After I had a small mental breakdown over the website I was using, Walker decided it was time for dinner, so we went to Chili's to celebrate our new jobs. We ordered drinks and chips and salsa while our food was cooking (or so we thought). A while later, we got more chips and more drinks...the people around us were coming and going while we were waiting on out food, so finally we mentioned it to the manager, since it obviously wasn't our waiter's fault, he was really nice and checked on us a lot. We ended up being there for two hours, and Walker said the steak he ordered at medium that came medium rare, was the fattiest, worst steak he had ever had. It was sad. The manager did comp our meal, so we only paid for our drinks, but still our bill managed to be over thirty dollars thanks to the mojitos, strawberry mojito, beer, and margaritas :) I think out waiter was still happy with his tip :) Even though it took forever and Walker's steak wasn't very good, it was a fun night and a really nice break from cereal and ramen noodles!

I'm about to head to the Methodist home to turn in my stack or paperwork! Hopefully I'll know a little more about my job and when I start later!

Walker is at the dentist, praying for a call from Haverty's so they will have to take a break from the torture of cleaning his teeth to get some good news. If he passed all his tests, he starts Saturday!! I'm praying this call brings very good news!

The Ts Have Been Crossed

It's officially official. I have a job! I signed the employment agreement today and am currently working on a huge stack of paperwork!

I'm really excited about this job, and I am so incredibly thankful for all the people who were my references! 

I don't even know what to say. 

The job is at the Methodist Children's Home, and it's part time for now, but it has the potential to be a lot more. For now, I will be a PRN, working in the cabins with the kids. When I know more, I'll post more!

Psalm 32:8

 I'm starting to get even more excited about my interview at the Methodist Home today. I know that I'm covered in prayer between the ladies at First Choice, my extended family, and friends. It's really nice to know that so many people are supporting me and praying for me right now. I am confident in God's plan for me, I just don't know what it is right now. I'm hoping to see it revealed this week.

 Last night, Walker and I took Lucky for a walk around my neighborhood. It had cooled down a lot since the afternoon, so it was really nice out. We walked a little over a mile past the beautiful Catholic Church downtown and three or four parks. I love this neighborhood and all the old historic houses.

Thanks to some little hooks from Big lots, I found a solution for my jewelery...The earrings are just stuck in a piece of left over cork board I had from college that I put in a picture frame. The necklaces are hanging from "cup hooks" like the kind you hang coffee cups on in a cupboard. I screwed them onto a piece of art that was on wood. I think it turned out pretty cute :)

"I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; 

I will counsel you with my eye upon you."

God is Good

Walker and I have both been praying for good jobs and for our process of finding a church home, and I really feel like this week holds a lot of answers for us. Walker got a call back from Haverty's today and is finishing up the red tape before starting the job. He has to pass a background test and drug test, but rumor has it, he will start working full time soon. I am so incredibly excited for him! After a little while, he will get paid on commission, and he is a very good salesmen so I have no doubt that he will love this job. He even gets benefits after 90 days, which is perfect timing for his 26th birthday (in time for him to get kicked off his parents insurance.

I am also excited for my interview tomorrow! I'm praying that it goes well. I'm also hoping to visit one of the women's Bible studies at the church we are visiting. The church that we have been visiting is actually the one he grew up going to as a kid, called Martha Bowman. It's a a lot like St. James back in Montgomery, it just feels a lot smaller. All the people are super friendly, and after meeting the minister once, he greets me by name every time I see him. Walker has been going to a men's Bible study for a few weeks now, and he is really loving getting involved with other Godly men.

Everything seems to be falling into place, which is really helping my anxieties of moving to a new city...honestly, it's just teaching me more and more about being reliant on God, rather than my own ability or ideas. A few weeks of anticipation just makes this time so much more exciting and meaningful to us. I am sure that if things had gone the way I had hoped that they would, it wouldn't be this great. God has a way of surprising us with His plan that is always so much better than anything we could have imagined. 

I am soo thankful and so incredibly blessed!

Interview #2 and things to come

I got a call yesterday from the Methodist Children's Home asking if I wanted to interview for a job!! I have an interview with them Monday at 4pm, and I'm really excited about it. This job is the one I was really excited about before I moved to Georgia. I'm glad the interview at Kohl's was first, just so I could have one under my belt. This interview is a little more important to me. Walker's sister, Courtney, works there and she just got a raise. She and I both have a bachelor's in psychology, so I feel like I would be good for this job, the only problem is that they thought she was over qualified for her job. Maybe that means that I could be promoted quickly too, though.

I feel like my double major really helps with a potential job at the Methodist Home. I have a BA in psychology and religion from a Methodist school, so that has to mean something, right?! I really think this job could lead to a career. The other places I applied were more like fillers until I found something better, but this is something that I would enjoy for a long time, I think.

I feel like it's getting to be crunch time as far as my finances go. Walker, the amazing man that he is, has been working his butt off to pay my bills for me. I got a call the other day from Discover that just bought out the student loans from Citi Bank. I have to pay 144.66 by the 20th of August or something bad will happen (I'm not really sure what they will threaten to do, but they make it sound grim). Citi Bank used to call every day, five times a day, but after that one really nice conversation with someone at Discover, I haven't gotten any calls. Now I just have to get all the masters programs to stop calling me and my phone battery will last a little longer.

I'm praying that the interview goes well on Monday, but until I hear about a job I'm just cleaning and organizing my apartment. I think I've vacuumed a million times since I moved in (which reminds me of my aunt Kim and her vacuum) :) and I've taken two trips to the Salvation Army to donate stuff. When i run out of ideas for things to do, I just look on Pinterest for another idea. Right now I'm trying to find a good solution to storing a million necklaces. I found a few ideas, but I want to use things that I have already, and I don't have a rake or a spare towel rack just laying around.

Once again, prayers are greatly appreciated and I will definitely be posting more on the job front when I have more to tell!

Budgeting....

Life without a job, living on my own, has inspired me to do a little research on planning the future of my budget, especially since I'm looking for a good job. There are literally millions of websites and books on the subject, so there's no way you could read them all or even make a dent.

While looking for some tips, I found a blog that was pretty inspiring, it's called Blissful and Domestic and the woman who writes it talks about what to buy at big stores like Costco and things to avoid. She only buys groceries once a month, saving her from those "quick" trips to the store for a "few things" that always end up costing more than you expected because you see something else you want.

My personal shopping habit is to go to the Dollar Tree first. They have all kinds of food, cleaning supplies, beauty products like shampoo and make up, school supplies, gift supplies, and kitchen things like utensils, ziplock bags, plastic wrap, and dishes. The store near my old house even had a refrigerated section. The only problem that you have to watch out for there is the amount you're buying. Paying less often means getting less, but not on everything; you just have to pay attention. I've been getting pasta, canned veggies (two for a dollar), and little snacky things like crackers.

Until I am actually traveling to my job everyday, I won't know about a few things I need to budget for, like gas, but I'm still working on a flexible budget. I'm gonna be honest, this is pretty intimidating.

Ultimately, I think I've learned that planning is the key to it all. Planning meals, planning what to buy, planning room for a little splurge, planning a schedule...I have a feeling that until my student loans are paid off, I'll be planning like this for a while.

Pretty Little Life Lessons

When I was an intern with a youth group in college, all the girls talked about the show Pretty Little Liars. I didn't have cable at my parents house, and in my dorm room, I was always too busy with class work to think about watching anything on a scheduled basis.

Now that the first two seasons are on Netflix, I thought I would check it out and see why all the girls loved it so much. I have officially watched all 47 episodes, and I wish that I would have made a point to watch them back then. The show is definitely addictive, the plot makes you want to watch the next episode immediately after the previous one ended, but thats not why I wish I had watched it sooner.

I wish I had watched it so that I would have had conversations with the girls about it. These characters are "high school" girls dealing with the normal hardships of teenage life on top of some crazy personal issues, all while being blackmailed by someone they don't know (or know but aren't sure of).

If I still worked with youth, I would make a point to talk about each one of the issues that the characters face in the show. Bullying, someone being gay, parents splitting up after an affair, an absent father, a father in the military, self esteem, a girl dating her teacher, innocent people being accused of crazy things, people being framed, murder, and so much more.

Thinking about the shows that kids watch these days makes me want to write a Bible study about the issues they talk about and the crazy gap between TV shows and reality, especially as a Christian. It makes me wonder if its better to not watch these shows, or watch them and make sure to talk about them with your kids.

photo journaling

 Saturday, Walker's twin brother, David, got married. It was a sweet little wedding with close friends and family. Walker was the best man and Kayli's friend was her maid of honor. Kayli is really crafty, so she made most of the decorations and arranged her flowers. It was really nice.

 Walker had the day off yesterday, so we took Lucky to the dog park. It was a really nice, overcast day so it wasn't too hot. Lucky might be a lab, but he hasn't always been fond of water, so its nice to see him wading through the little creek that runs through the park. We even gave him a bath when we got back to Walker's house.

I'm testing my green thumb with two tiny pots of flowers. I got the pots and seeds for Valentines day, but I'm just now getting around to planting them. If I can keep these a live for a while, I want to put some herbs in the little green pots above the fire place.

I love having a fire place with a mantle. When I have some source of income, I plan on having one of my photos from my photography class printed on a huge scale to put up here. Until then, I'm painting and repainting old canvases in my spare time.