Pinteret Day!

Today, I tried a few things I found on pinterest just for fun. First, I shaved my legs with Baby Oil. It was surprisingly effective. I felt like it was a closer, cleaner shave than using shaving cream or soap. Plus, baby oil is really moisturizing, so its good for your skin.

Then, I made a sugar scrub! I used regular sugar mixed with the pink Dawn soap that has Olay hand cream in it. (2 parts sugar to one part soap). It exfoliates while you scrub, and it smells delicious!! It was nice after shaving with baby oil too. I put a jar of the scrub in the kitchen; I hate the smell of post-dish washing hands!

Now, I have cucumber lemon water cooling in the fridge.  I made a glass as I was making the gallon for the fridge, and it tastes really refreshing. It's a nice addition to just drinking water, and it's healthier than all those pour in powder packets!

I LOVE TOMS, and I've been thinking about buying another pair since I wear mine to work everyday, but I found this site via pinterest, and I'm getting ready to buy Greg's Purple Paw Canvas Shoes. They are cheaper than TOMS, they still give shoes to the needy, AND they give food to hungry animals! I love supporting organizations like this, and it's nice to switch it up every once in a while.

I also made a few headbands from old T-shirts. It's super easy, and they don't squeeze my head too tight!

I also made a headband out of an old tie that I bought at Goodwill. I don't have a link for this one because it was just a random idea I had. I bought a few ties for Walker, and he just really didn't like one that I bought. haha. It's a brown paisley tie, and I like it, so it's mine now! haha. I cut the tie so that the headband is just the skinny part of the tie. Then I ironed the cut end to make a hem. I used an old earring like a tie pin where the pieces overlap so its totally adjustable.

I'm still on pinterest....so who knows what I'll do next :)

2 Corinthians 12:10

Yesterday was my first day off in 12 days, and I spent it in my apartment ALL day. I literally didn't unlock my front door until like 9:30pm when Walker delivered some rolls from O'Charley's for me. After tackling one room at a time through the apartment, organizing and cleaning, I found an old notebook with notes and stuff from some devotions I did a long time ago, so I spent all afternoon today transferring those notes into my current journal. It was nice to read back through the things I've learned and other things I've forgotten. I try to do that with the journal I have now, but sometimes it hits me in the middle of a sermon that I'm taking notes on that relate to something I've written about before.

Anywho...one thing I wrote about was ministering in weakness. This is one of those things that I know but I don't always remember, if you know what I mean. I know that God chose people in the Bible who weren't exactly the best looking option for the job at hand, and he used them for His glory. That's the point though, its not about us or anything that we can do. When we accomplish things that we can't normally do, we can know that God is working through us. It's hard, though, when we go through the motions that we're used to without any struggle, to remember that God is still working in us. Someone once told me that if you're doing anything that you could have done without God, you aren't being faithful. Having faith is acting with the knowledge that God will provide and protect.

Last week, I was facing situations at work that were new and different to me and I questioned my worthiness for this new job. I wondered if maybe I wasn't really cut out for it. If God can use a man with a speech impediment to lead an important movement, or a weak man to rule an entire nation, then He can use me to face uncertain circumstances and love the seemingly unlovable. I cannot do this job without Him, well I guess I could, but I would probably lose my mind.

I can't do anything without Him.

We crave affirmation from relationships and people, but only God can give it to us. We run to so much for validation, when we don't need anything more than His love. We are all broken and weak, but God is our strength.

I will rejoice in my weakness because "When I am weak, then He is strong."

His grace is sufficient and His power is perfected in weakness.

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!