As Madea would say . . .

"Halleluyer!!!"

God has definitely answered my prayer this week.

I received my email this afternoon. I will be a new 5th grade teacher this year!!!

I talked to the HR Director at a local school district yesterday afternoon. She wanted to confirm some details and said she would be recommending me for the position at the board meeting last night. During my last hour of group, I received a call and a text from the principal at another school with whom I've talked for over a month. Their school board accepted the recommendation to hire me for an 8th grade science position. I told her about the other district. She said she understood, especially with all the confusion and as long as it has taken for her to be able to recommend me. I texted the HR director to confirm the board had accepted her recommendation before declining the other position.

All summer, I have prayed and God gave me the feeling that I should accept the first offer I received. I firmly believe I accepted the position He has planned for me the entire time. I would have started with the other district today and would have made more money, but I believe this is where God wants me. I received the email today confirming the position and giving instructions on registering for orientation. I excited beyond explanation. I can hardly wait to begin my orientation.

One of the funniest things about it: Paul knew I had the job before I knew. He went to the board meeting and actually spoke with the Superintendent and the HR Director, who both confirmed that I had the job.

Waiting for God's Timing

Sometimes, just sometimes, no news is good news, Other times, it's just frustrating. I'm still applying for teaching positions, but no job yet. The most recent interview was yesterday in a small town near which Paul and I lived when we were first married. I pray when I apply for a position. I pray prior to an interview. I ask God to give me the words He wants me to say during the interview and I ask for wisdom for the administrators making the decision. I know my life is in His hands. He already has a position chosen for me. I feel disappointed and, sometimes, frustrated when I don't get the job, but I don't want a job God doesn't want for me. I've learned that the hard way; I was miserable almost the entire time I worked for that company. There is a reason I still have the job I have. Maybe God isn't finished with me there quite yet.

It's altogether possible that the position God has planned for me isn't even available yet. Meanwhile, I'm debating whether I should apply for a specific position. It isn't a class I would want to teach long-term, but I could definitely do it to get my foot in the door and become an experienced teacher. There is still one position for which the principal planned to recommend me. However, she may not be able to fill the position due to a circumstance that I do not completely understand. I continue to pray, apply, and wait.

One of the verses that comes to my mind often as I pray, apply, and wait is Jeremiah 29:11 (HCSB) "For I know the plans I have for you"--this is the LORD's declaration--"plans for your welfare, not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope."

I am thankful for many things in my job search. First, I'm thankful for Paul and his support. I'm thankful for my mom and her encouragement. I'm thankful for all my Facebook friends and family members who are so supportive and who tell me about jobs. I try my best to make sure to thank each of them. I hope they realize how sincere I am and how much I appreciate them.

Soon enough, I'll post on here that God has led me to the position He has had planned for me the entire time.

Wow!

Here I am, on the eve of my first day of student teaching. With work, school, and illness, I was a little overwhelmed last semester. God, of course, saw me through and I ended up with A's in both classes. As it worked out, the only course I have this semester is my Clinical Practicum. That's a really good thing. With being at the school from 7:45 am to 3:45 pm Monday through Friday, my full-time work schedule had to change. I found out last Tuesday (yes, December 30) that my proposed work schedule wasn't approved. For reasons of which I am still unclear, I can't work on Saturdays. Less than one week before my new schedule starts, I found out that, instead of going from 40 hours a week to 33 hours a week, I'll only be able to work 25 hours a week. With my job being our only income, we've barely been making it as is.

I have to admit, I'm really unsure what will happen. I've been praying about this semester for quite a while. Actually, since I realized that I wouldn't get an internship. I keep reminding myself of several things. It's only four months. I should be finished with my student teaching by the beginning of May. I still have my student loan coming. I've been praying about it, and Paul and I are planning to switch cell phone carriers to get a cheaper plan. When my loan comes in, we'll pay off/catch up on a few bills. God is in control. He hasn't brought me this far to let me fail now. If this weren't in His plan, God would have stopped me before now. I've prayed the entire way and followed the doors He has opened.

The fact that everything has not gone my way doesn't mean that I'm doing the wrong thing. I think it means that God wants me to wait for Him and trust in Him. If it were easy, I could do it myself. I wouldn't need God. I believe this is another instance where God is proving to me that I do need Him, every minute of every day. Philippians 4:13 has been very important to me throughout this journey. My mom posted Ezra 7:10 on my Facebook timeline today. Not familiar with that verse? I wasn't, either. Here's the post from my mom:

We had this in Sunday School this morning and I thought of you.
Ezra 7:10
For Ezra had set his heart to study the law of the Lord and to practice it, and to teach His statutes and ordinances in Israel.

God helped Ezra and He can help you. We studied the first 10 verses of chapter 7 this morning, but you could read the whole book. It's pretty short.

With the realization that I will only be a part-time employee came the realization that I will no longer have insurance. I don't know if I've mentioned it in a previous post, but I have medical conditions for which I take medications. They're pretty much affordable with insurance. Without insurance, I don't know. I can't even really afford the $35 and $50 copays to see my doctors right now. But God will provide. I guess I'll be seeking medical care at the free clinic with the others in my area who have no insurance, can't afford insurance, and can't afford to see a regular doctor. But I know God is in control. I'm sure some things in my life needed to change. I guess this is a good way for me to change them.

Please don't read this and think that I'm just sitting here waiting for God to do something and make everything okay. I know that isn't how He works. As I recently read somewhere, God isn't some magician that just makes what we need appear. He works in many ways. I'm praying about finding a weekend job. I don't really want to work on weekends, but if I need to for a few months, I will. I'm still praying about my husband finding a job. He's been looking for so long, we're both becoming frustrated with it.

This will be a super busy semester. I'll give updates as I can. And if you're reading this, please keep both my husband and me in your prayers.

Praying for Guidance

Even though school started Monday in Texas, I've been checking the job postings every day. I have applications in for aide positions at three or four schools. (I'm pretty sure it's four, but it could only be three.) Today, I got an email from one of the districts, letting me know that I've been selected as a candidate for the position. I was pretty excited when I started reading the email. Then I got to the part where it listed the approximate pay. Almost $20,000 a year less than I currently make. I knew it would be a big cut in pay, but I wasn't expecting it to be THAT much. I had already realized I'll probably need a second job if I take an aide position. I told Paul and my mom that when I started applying for them. I have to admit, my heart sank when I read those numbers. I'm not sure I can work two full-time jobs and take classes. And I'm almost positive I won't make enough at a part-time job. But a huge pay cut is better than not getting paid at all for my student teaching semester. I can already feel myself starting to stress over this situation. That's where prayer comes in.

I know God already has the answer. He already knows exactly how this entire school year will work out for me. And I know He isn't about to unveil His entire plan to me in the next few days. I have until 3:00 Wednesday to respond to request an interview. As I told Paul, going to the interview doesn't mean I'll be offered a job right then. In fact, I'm reasonably certain that won't happen. And if they do offer me the position, I don't have to accept it. That's why I'm praying for God's guidance. Should I accept the interview? Each interview I have gives me that much more interview experience. Should I start looking for a second job, just in case they do offer me the job? Will the other districts even contact me for an interview? One, way closer to my house, just closed the posting two days ago. Have they even started weeding through the applicants? I have so many questions. So many thoughts are running through my mind. And most of them are probably moot. God's got this. Obviously, I don't. I need to keep praying. I need to keep asking for wisdom and guidance in making these decisions. I need to wait. And listen. And trust God.

If you're reading this, please pray for me.

Ahhh . . .

Another summer semester has come and gone. And I survived. I knew I would, of course. I'm doing what God wants, so He will help me succeed. He's got this. Grades aren't posted yet, but I'm pretty sure I got Bs in both classes. I'm really good with that.

No word on the employment front yet, but I'm not stressing about it, believe it or not. When I talked to the Deputy Superintendent last week, he told me that he had to talk to the Superintendent, who had been out. With the 4th of July holiday Friday, it was a short week for a lot of us. Some school district administration offices were closed all week; I'm sure this one was closed Friday. If I don't hear from him, I'm thinking I will call some time Wednesday. I want to check in and make sure he knows I'm still interested, yet not be a pest. I'll definitely post when I know something for sure.

Speaking of the 4th of July holiday, the long weekend was really relaxing for Paul and me. We pretty much did nothing. We stayed in our pajamas all weekend, chilled out, watched Netflix, napped, and spent time on our favorite websites.

My eyes look weird, but this is the only pic I took of us.

We watched the movie "Lawless" on Netflix.

I really am relieved to have a few weeks with no classes, just work. I can read what I want, now. Hmmm . . . What first?

At least all that's over.

So much has happened since my last post, but I don't really have time to catch you up at the moment. I finished the semester with a B in both classes. I was happy about that, believe it or not. I'm still working on watching the observation videos to officially be admitted to the ACP program. The month of May has really flown past. I planned to finish the videos and answer the questions before I took the TExES 4-8 Generalist. That didn't happen. I also didn't get to study for the blasted exam like I had planned. I took it yesterday. I studied and prayed all week. I prayed before the test and during the test. I actually feel pretty good about it; I know God didn't bring me this far, only to fail now. My mom always taught me to study like my grade depended on me and pray like it depended on God. If I don't get the required 240 on this test, it would be the first big standardized test on which I didn't score well enough the first time. I should have my results by 5 pm Friday. That means I'll be checking my account all week to see when my score is posted.

Last week, I took a course and am now a certified Youth Mental Health First Aid Instructor. (Paid for by my employer, thankfully!) After I updated my resume last night, I uploaded it to my profiles and decided to check out the latest job postings. I'm glad I did! I applied for a few new jobs. I already know I didn't get one job; thankfully, it was one I didn't really want.

Summer classes start Monday. I'm not positive that I'm ready, but at least the semester will be complete by the 4th of July.

I'm taking a little fun time tonight to watch a movie or two with Paul.

Is it Summer yet?

Spring semester has come and almost gone. I'm pretty dang happy about that. I think this may have been the toughest semester of my entire college career. I was sick for almost an entire month, which got me behind on assignments. (I'm still trying to catch up on a couple of those.) To be honest, I haven't really felt good since. Maybe it's just the added stress of being behind on my assignments, plus work and being human. My nephew, Alex, started playing soccer, too. I'm also trying to get my resume and cover letter perfected so I can apply for teaching positions for this fall. I found out that I won't be eligible for financial aid if I only take one class in the summer, like I had planned. Since the only classes I need are offered in Summer I, I'll have another 6 credit hour Summer semester. (At least it doesn't start until June!) I'll be taking the TExES 4-8 Generalist exam on May 30, so I have most of the month to prepare. I also need to finish my last 9.5 hours of observation videos and answer the obervation questions to be accepted into the Graduate Program for Initial Teacher Certification. No stress, right?

Here're the good parts. My research anthology and PowerPoint presentation for one class are due no later than April 28. Then there isn't much left for the end of the semester. In the module posted yesterday for my other class, the due date for the research paper was pushed back to May 7. (I got a little breathing room this weekend!) The only other thing I know of there is the final exam. Totally doable, especially since everything for the first class is due by May 2. I feel pretty confident that I will come out of both classes with a B, so not really damaging to the GPA. Summer I is only a few weeks long. After July 3, we're done and I'll have the rest of the summer to concentrate on applying for jobs and, hopefully, setting up my new classroom. Once I pass the 4-8 Generalist exam, it should be easier to find a job. It broadens my certification, which means I won't be limited to Social Studies only. GOD'S GOT THIS.

Paul was in a wreck Saturday night. The short version is that he was blinded by the bright lights of an oncoming vehicle. When he could finally see again, he didn't have time to stop the car from hitting the pickup in front of him. He wasn't badly injured, just "strained, sprained, and bruised", as the ER doctor said. Our insurance should cover the other guy's medical bills and his truck, but we didn't have full coverage, so it will only pay part of Paul's ER visit and nothing on our car. Now we're being shuttled around by my mom and stepdad or my baby sister and brother-n-law while we're figuring out how to get another car. GOD'S GOT THIS.

Even though Paul was sore, Easter was pretty good. My sister and brother-in-law picked us up so we could go to lunch with everybody. Alex told us "I asked Jesus to move into my heart and he did." The best Easter news since Jesus rose!

The best part of everything is GOD'S GOT THIS. He protected Paul and the other guy involved in the wreck. He already knows what car we'll get and how we'll pay for it. All we have to do is thank Him for what He's done and what He will do and have faith that He will provide in His perfect timing.

Here are the pictures I took of the car at the tow yard yesterday and of Paul's injuries Sunday.

Being sick is making me sick.

Before this week, I was sick for pretty much two straight weeks. I started feeling better this week, but still lacked energy and work gets in the way of me doing much homework some days. Needless to say, I got behind. When I started to work on everything today, I realized that I had not only missed deadlines and was submitting some things late, but there were a few things I no longer had access to, including a test. I knew the test had to be taken by end of day on February 22, but I got my dates mixed up; I thought today was the 22nd. It's not the end of the world, but definitely not how I want to operate in my classes.

I hope to get everything caught up and get ahead this week. Hopefully before Friday. Even though I missed almost an entire week of work, I'm taking off some much-needed time, starting Friday. I have to work next Wednesday and Thursday, then I'm taking off Friday again. That weekend, we're going to D/FW with Nancy and Alex; little man wants to see a hockey game. It took me a few hours to find something, but there's actually a minor league hockey team in North Richland Hills, the Lone Star Brahmas. On Sunday, we're going to Grapevine for a bit of fun at Legoland Discovery Center. If Alex knew, he'd be just as excited as Paul and I are. Maybe I'll post a few pictures of the weekend.

But next weekend, I have my last face to face class session this semester.

No matter what, I just have to trust God. He made me well and, because of Him, we're able to take a little vacation. Without His guidance, I wouldn't even be a student right now. He is in control and will help me with the rest of my work this semester. All I have to do is let Him help. Give it to God and don't take it back. He's got this.

Click!

So, I had Paul take some pictures of me after work today. After I cropped them, these were my favorites.

I went with the last one. There was one more picture that cracked me up. It's my Faceboook profile pic at the moment. This is what happened when I told him I wanted a pic I wouldn't have to crop too much:

I actually like it.

Oh, and on the second day of classes, I have both of my assignments for this week submitted! Now I just need to read ahead.

Spring is here!

Sort of. Today is the first day of the Spring semester. Believe it or not, I've been waiting for it. Book vouchers started last Monday, so we went to the university after I got off work Tuesday. I was shocked. For six books, only two of which were available used, my voucher was a grand total of $175.15. One class is web-enhanced, the other is web-only. I sent in my introduction for the web class. Dr. H, the professor of the web-enhanced class, wants us to include a picture with the intro. No problem! As soon as I have Paul take a good one after I get off work tomorrow. I have pictures, with no makeup, from Thanksgiving and Christmas. Since this is for something professional (or at least professional-like) I want to be wearing makeup. And not have a zebra print Snuggie pulled up to my chin. These were my options:

October 2013. I took this one on my phone while I was at work. (I was documenting how well my hair held up throughout the day.)

Thanksgiving 2013

Christmas Eve 2013

January 2014. I had Paul take this for a digital scrapbooking challenge, then I cropped the pic in PicMonkey.

None of these are what I want to portray to my professor and my class. I'll post the one I use, hopefully tomorrow! 

There don't appear to be any reading assignments for this week, but I want to start reading for next week. TTFN - Ta ta for now!

God's got this and He is in control.

Like I mentioned before, Paul has been sick since Halloween. The past couple days, he's been feeling better. We were even able to go to a restaurant Friday night to celebrate my sister Nancy's birthday on Saturday. He felt pretty good yesterday. This morning, he was nauseous and sick to his stomach and complained of being cold. (If you know Paul, you know that he's probably cold about as often as he's sick. He even wears flip flops out when it's cold.) Why did I tell you all that? To get to my point. But, before I get there, I need to rewind a little more.

Yesterday, I decided to go ahead and go to Starbucks to work on my chapter review for Human Growth and Development. I got my test corrections for the educational research class done, but I only wrote maybe another page on the chapter review. I just couldn't seem to focus on it. Anyway, since Paul woke up sick again, I decided to stay home today and just work on my homework here. Not going so well. I ate lunch, checked Facebook, downloaded some more of my digi scrapping supplies (I'm redoing the entire way I organize my kits. Long story, which would probably be even more boring than this one.). I was only going to do that while I ate lunch, but I decided to check my university email before I got started. Then, for some reason, I decided to check Pinterest. Two hours later, I realized I needed to start the chapter review. I tried to start it in the bedroom, but the overhead light just glared on the pages of the textbook. Polly and Court were running around and Paul kept pulling the blanket I was under. None of that was helping me focus. I decided to go to the living room. I packed up the laptop, my book, my phone, drinks, and snacks. Now, here I sit in the living room, still not able to focus on this chapter review, which is due Tuesday night. I'm worried about Paul; he was doing so much better, now he seems to be getting worse again. I absolutely cannot miss class again this week to take him back to the doctor. I'm not even sure if I'm doing the darned review the right way; Dr. R really didn't give us much instruction on what he wanted.

I had a little blow up last night. There are lots of things around the house that Paul has been saying he would take care of for the last year, since he was laid off his job. None of them have been done and it's only getting worse. To him, this stuff isn't a big deal. To me, it just adds chaos that I don't need. After I came home last night, we had already discussed watching Parkland and Grown Ups 2. One little thing happened as I was putting the Parkland disc in the blu-ray player and off I went. I even threatened to unregister (is that even a word?) for my Spring classes and quit my job so maybe I would have the time and energy to do the stuff myself. I don't really know why I said that. I'm not going to quit school. If I don't get my degree, I'm jumping right off God's path again. I know I won't quit my job; I like having a place to live and all the other things my pay allows us to afford. I calmed back down, almost as quickly as I had blown up. Then I had to apologize. I wonder if my blow up had anything to do with Paul feeling worse again today. I hadn't even thought of that until now.

As little as I am accomplishing today, I would usually go to Starbucks. Or, at the very least, go to the university. I just don't feel like getting ready to go out in public. I am exhausted, mentally and physically. I don't feel like showering and washing my hair. I don't feel like pulling out clothes and getting dressed. I don't feel like driving across town. All I really feel like doing is laying down, watching TV, and doing something that doesn't take much mental or physical effort. I guess this chapter review that I seem to be avoiding doesn't take much physical effort. Not much more than typing this blog post, clicking around Facebook, or downloading and organizing digital scrapbooking kits. The main problem with doing the review today seems to be my lack of mental energy. As I sit here typing this post in the living room, which shares a wall with our bedroom, I can faintly hear the TV. I'm the only one in here; the furbabies are in the bedroom with Paul. It's almost peaceful. I haven't had many peaceful times lately. It seems that my mind is always busy--reading a chapter or some research article, working on an assignment, thinking about what needs to be done, or thinking about work. My mind always seems to be going. And when I'm scattered like this, I forget to take my meds, which only makes the anxiety and depression and lack of energy worse. It's times like these when I think things like "No wonder God hasn't given us a child. When would I have time for him or her? How would I be able to take care of a child when I can barely get up early enough in the morning to get to work on time?" I know this is all temporary. I just need to pray more and have more faith and trust in God. He's already got all this figured out. I don't need to stress about my missing Test #1 in my research class. I don't need to worry about Paul like I have been. I don't need to worry about my own health like I do. God's got this and He is in control.

Ah! Spring! And Meet Noelle

My research has been going okay. I'll probably end up changing my question for my Research Proposal a little bit, but I think I have almost all the articles I need. (I need to go to the library at Texarkana College for the last two articles.) My research paper for Human Growth and Development is on hold until I finish my Chapter Review, which is due next Tuesday. God's got this, so I know I'll do fine.

Registration for the Spring semester started today for Grad students and Seniors at A&M - Texarkana. After talking with a nice gentleman in Financial Aid, I decided to register for two classes instead of three. It won't hurt my future financial aid and I'll be awarded aid based on the number of hours for which I register. I was looking at three classes, two education classes that my adviser had suggested, as well as a reading class she had suggested for next summer. The first seven weeks of this semester were pretty hectic. I am thankful that the tech class lasted only seven weeks. I'm hoping next semester will be a little less hectic. It will definitely be less hectic than if I had decided to take three classes.

While I was at Target last night, I found an Elf on the Shelf. There were only two left, both girls. Meet Noelle.

I have all kinds of mischievous and cute plans for her this holiday season! I'll be sure to post some of her adventures. 

One last thing. Paul almost never gets sick. He's been sick since Thursday. His fever keeps going up and down. He has a constant headache, apparent sinus problems, and his appetite is pretty much non-existent. Not that I want to be sick, but I almost wish it were me that's sick. At least I have medical insurance. I was able to add him to my vision and dental insurance, but medical was almost $300 out of each paycheck. We can't afford that big a hit twice a month. Any prayers for him would be greatly appreciated. 

Group Projects and Turkey Hats

Today was not my typical Saturday. Dr. L assigned us to groups of two or three to do presentations when we meet again next Monday. This morning was pretty much the only time the three of us could all meet face to face. Now, if you know me at all, you know I am not a morning person. Most Saturdays, I don't even get out of my pajamas, much less leave my house by 9:30 am. But, there I was this morning, leaving home at 9:30, heading to Starbucks for some caffeine before I went to TAMU-T for our meeting. One of the other girls needed to change the time to 10:45 instead of 10. Fine with me; the drive to the university takes me 30 minutes, so I was gonna be late. Then I realized that I had to buy gas before I headed out there. Fortunately, I was the first one there, so I had time to set up my laptop. Since I was there anyway, I decided yesterday that I would go ahead and work on some other homework. I got my paper for Mr./Dr. G's class written and submitted before I decided to leave so Paul and I could get some lunch.

After lunch, we did a little shopping. I was happy with the few movies we bought at Best Buy and the book (Si-cology by Si Robertson) and silicone bracelets I picked up at Lifeway. My favorite purchase of the day came from Target. A few weeks ago, I bought Paul a turkey hat to wear for Thanksgiving.

I found another one and I had to have it!

I am set for all my Thanksgiving festivities this year!

Another amazing thing has happened this month. I have apparently lost more weight. My size 18 pants are practically falling off of me. Now the size 16 pants I bought last month are looser than they should be. I bought a pair of blue jeans the other day and decided to try another size. I was a little shocked when these actually fit!

I thought maybe it was just because they're a little stretchy. Today I bought a new pair of pants for work: size 14! I even tried on a pair of skinny jeans that were size 14. (I didn't realize they were skinny jeans when I picked them up, but I decided to try 'em on anyway.) They fastened perfectly, but I didn't like the way the legs fit. The annoying thing about it is that I still wear at least a 2X in shirts. (I have an apple body type, so my top is bigger than my bottom.) I have some tops that I really like and some of them are getting too big. I guess that's the downfall of losing weight. 

God is continuing to bless me in ways I don't even realize. And probably don't really appreciate. Tomorrow we're planning to visit a church. I'm planning to pay my tithe there, something I haven't done in far too long. I know from experience that my life and my finances are better when I tithe faithfully. When I don't, I know it is at least partially due to a lack of faith. There's a part of me that says "I won't have enough for everything I need if I pay it." But God has proven me wrong many, many times. Since I'm leaving the big fish, it's time to practice my faith.

It's not been my week . . .

Before I can tell you about this week, though, I need to rewind to last week. I knew last weekend that I had developed a urinary tract infection. Since Monday was Labor Day, I couldn't call my doctor's office. One of the first things I did when I got to work Tuesday morning was call the office and leave a message on the nurse's voice mail. Before class, I called to see if they had called in a prescription. I called again Wednesday. Still no meds. I'm almost positive I called and left the nurse another voice mail Thursday. I never got a call. 

This weekend, I knew the UTI was getting worse because my back was starting to hurt. I called again Monday morning and left yet another message for the nurse. By 10:30, I was hurting so bad I could hardly even sit still. A little after noon, I asked my supervisor if it was okay for me to leave to go to the doctor. I had Paul come get me and take me to an urgent care clinic. Then it was off to Target to get my prescriptions. We still had plenty of time to stop for lunch and I made it back to work half an hour early. Let's just say that the side effects of the meds started pretty quickly. I considered contacting Dr. L to see if I could miss class and take my exam later. But, we were learning about the library before the test, so I really wanted to try to make it. That was not my best decision of the day. I made it almost an hour before I had to ask to leave. (Now I just need to figure out when I'll have time to take the test.)

Today didn't start out much better. I got up for work and quickly realized that I wasn't going to make it. I went back to bed. I knew I couldn't miss my class tonight. Dr. R made it pretty clear the first night that missing classes is not acceptable. Fortunately, I started feeling a little better this afternoon. One side effect went away, another started. At least this one isn't as disruptive. I almost had the chapter read by the time we needed to get ready to leave. Then my day started to get worse again.

The porch by our back door only has like three steps. When I was stepping off the bottom step, I fell. I don't know how it happened. I just know I ended up laying in the dirt on my right side with my books and purse laying right there next to me. My faded black jeans looked like I'd been rolling in the dirt; I couldn't brush all the dirt off. On the positive side, I didn't really seem to hurt anything and I didn't get my shirt dirty. And it was the first time I've worn my TobyMac shirt from Winter Jam. This was definitely another instance of God watching out for me. I've hurt myself with what seemed to be a less dangerous fall. I'm sure I'll be sore and bruised tomorrow, but I'm thankful that's it. 

And, best of all, my student loan for this year has finally been awarded. I checked after I got home from class tonight. To my surprise, there it was. I accepted the whole amount and signed my master promissory note, so, hopefully, I'll be getting my refund soon. Maybe I'll be able to find out by the end of the week when it will be disbursed. That's one stressor gone, another prayer answered. 

In the morning I'll go back to work and I have group tomorrow night. I hope my week continues to improve.

Let there be books!

My textbooks came in today! It was kind of a funny story. On our way home for my lunch break, Paul and I had to stop at a red light to turn off the highway into our neighborhood. There was a UPS truck sitting across from us, waiting to turn the same direction. Paul says "I think you're about to get your books." I thought it was more likely that he would be going further down the street we turn off of, then coming back. Once we made the first turn off the highway, we made our second turn. I looked in the rearview mirror and saw the UPS truck turn, too. Then we turned onto our street. Again, I looked in the rearview mirror and saw the truck turn, too. We got out of the car and met the driver in the front yard. I was so happy I finally got my books, I had to take a picture. If you look closely, you'll see Bevo, the only one of our kitties that I named, checking out my human growth and development book.

I was somewhat relieved in class last night to hear that I wasn't the only one who didn't have my books yet. Now to read Chapter 2 for my human growth and development class and read the first five chapters for my research class. That has been worrying me a little. I looked; I'll be reading about 87 pages.

I really think this experience was another lesson from God. He was, again, telling me to wait when I prayed about it. It's just another reminder that He has this all worked out. I just have to trust and follow Him.

I'm so . . .

Anxious. I think that's the word I'm looking for. My first fall semester class is at 6:00. Work was not the typical Monday with all kinds of craziness and chaos. It was too quiet. I had a grand total of two, count them, two clients show for their sessions. At lunch, I went home to eat and print the goodies for my web based class. My printer wouldn't print. I guess the poor thing's rebelling because it wants more ink. At least that's what I'm hoping the problem is. I guess I'll find out when I get home tonight with a nice, full ink cartridge.

In the midst of all my anxiety and night-before-first-day-of-the-new-semester freaking out, Paul calmly says "I'm proud of you." I look at him like he just told me he ate my chocolate. He says "For going back to school and working full-time." He knows how to calm me down when I'm a nervous wreck. One of the many reasons I love him so much.