I'm Still Alive!

8-18-13

Hello Everyone!
  God has blessed me so very much over the last year and I'm so excited to share what he has been doing in my life!
  My last post was after Thanksgiving last year, so I'll pick up from there. We were able to spend Christmas Eve with my parents, siblings and their families in Tillamook, OR, and then got to spend Christmas Day with my hubby's dad's family near Scappoose, OR. It was such a blessing to spend the Holiday surrounded by family and the joy of the season. Christmas has always been one of my favorite times of the year, because of the wonderful warmth and joy the season of giving invokes in everyone. I didn't listen to Christmas music nearly as much as I normally do surrounding the holiday, mostly because I was so busy with work and spending time with family (I don't recall even watching any Christmas movies *shocked*). For New Year's Eve/Day we got to go spend the couple days with my sister and her family near Salem, OR. As usual we had a blast playing games and just enjoying each others company. Family has always been a very important part of my life and I'm constantly disappointed with myself for not being able to spend more time with them or even just contacting them to talk. I know many of them understand my busy schedule and that I have a life and family of my own that occupies much of my time, but I still wish (as many do) that I had more time to do everything I want to be able to do.
  My pregnancy progressed and I continued to grow, but did my best to hide my belly as I began to show so that my clients didn't become uncomfortable and worry about my continuing to work. My husband had many difficulties in trying to find a job. No matter how many places he applied in the area that we lived, no one hired him. Finally he decided to apply at a factory out near his parent's home in Eastern Oregon. We were so happy and excited that they called him back right away asking if he would be able to come in for an interview! He felt like the interview went very well and they seemed to like him a lot, mentioning something about being over qualified for the job. A couple of days later we received a call asking him to go in for a drug test and asking when he'd be able to start. By this time is was mid-March and we eagerly gave two weeks notice at our places of employment in Hillsboro, OR and prepared to move to Eastern Oregon. 
  We celebrated our 1 year Anniversary rather sedately by going to a movie and dinner. We reminisced about our wedding and all that had happened over the past year and how our life was changing so drastically. We were so excited to see how God had blessed our marriage and where he was taking us. Our saddest thought was that with all the positives we saw in moving away we would very much miss our church family and small group, along with all the dear friends that we'd made during our time in the city.
  April 8th my hubby started his new job and for the first time since I was 16 years old, I sat at home while someone else went to work to support me/us. It was an incredibly hard thing for me to adjust to. I was greatful that my husband had a job that could support us and enable me to stay at home (I still am), but learning to not feel guilty for being able to stay home and be "lazy" all day was very hard and something I struggled with up until the week I went into labor. We have now lived here for over 4 months and I'm loving getting to live in the country again. The weather is so very different from what I've known throughout my life and it has been quite a pleasant transition. 
  Since this post has gotten a bit long, I will end here and write another post with the story of my baby's arrival and the adjustments that has entailed.
Blessings!