Good Morning Illinois

Okay....so I (Sam) realize that we haven't posted at all for the month of September, and I thought that it may be a good idea to post today, before the month runs out. Oh, and I also got a year older in September, which was nice! Jill surreptiously organized two birthday events. The first was at some new friends' house (we met them at church), and we basically had a football party. They officially made me a Bears fan with a nice new t-shirt! That was the day before my b-day. On the night of my birthday, Jill took me out to Macaroni Grill with some friends from school as well as some other new friends from church, and we had a good time. Jill also got me Risk (Vintage Edition, with wooden block armies instead of men, horses, and cannons), which we played for several hours over two days. I am very thankful to the Lord that He has blessed Jill and me with such good friends and surroundings at this time in our life.

Other than that, we have pretty much spent our time getting acclimated to the area. You know, finding out which grocery stores are best, going to the library, getting involved in church, making new friends, adjusting to the weather, etc.

On the weather note, this August and September were probably the most comfortable Summer months that I have ever experienced! We generally had weather in the 70's, with cool nights. Then, a day or two ago, we got in a little storm that blew in some cold weather, and I was wearing my heaviest coat to go outside yesterday morning! It's a little warmer now (supposed to be in the high 50's today), but I have a feeling that we will soon be getting a taste of this famous Illinois Winter!

So, that's pretty much what has been going on. We are planning on flying back home for Thanksgiving, and hopefully one of us will publish before then :-)

Good Night, Texas

Well, it became official today. Jill and I headed down to the local Secretary of State's Office and, after several lines and a written exam, traded in our Texas driver's licenses for a set of new ones...we are now residents of Illinois (registered to vote and everything). It is weird to be changing states, but we are probably going to be here for at least the next four years, so one can imagine the difficulties involved in trying to stay Texans that long!

We left Texas last week and made it to Illinois after a two-day drive. The rest of the week, as well as pretty much all of this week, has been one long vacation. The vacation ends Monday, when Jill will have to go to work, and I will have to start school. I need to find a part time job as soon as I figure out what my schedule will be like for school. There is a family style diner near our place, and I have a feeling that going back to the restaurant scene may be the best-paying part time job available to me at this time. There's been a little sticker-shock on some of the prices of goods/services, as well as some of the taxes, but that has already started going away, and we are beginning to realize that the differences are not really that great once we know where to look. Jill's parents have also been with us since we came up, and we have a new GPS for our car, compliments of Jenny O. The weather has also been very agreeable.

Well, it is about time for bed. In short, we can see the hand of the Lord in our move here, and we are happy and excited to be here. We'll try and keep you updated, especially if we start seeing any of that mythical white stuff reported by many to mysteriously fall from the sky to the earth in these parts (I have heard that this substance is frequently referred to as "snow").

The end is near... Or is it just the beginning?

Lian, Lavin, & Krissy

Us on the 4th of July


Wow... things are crazy right now. There are so many decisions to make and not enough information to make them. I guess that's just how it is when you are moving to a place that is 1,000 miles away from where you are. Right now we are trying to find the cheapest truck rental.

We took a trip up to Chicagoland last weekend. The goal was to hopefully find a job and a place to live. I had a job interview and they scheduled me for a second interview over the phone (which I just now completed). So, I think I got the job. When we were wrapping up the interview, Melinda (my possible new boss) said she was pretty confident that I would be hearing from Amanda (my other possible new boss) with a proposal of a position and pay so that we could negotiate it. I was so excited and relieved when I got off the phone. Phone interviews are so nerve racking.

And we looked at a few places to live while we were in the area. It's expensive up there! So, we just have to wait and see about the job and how much money we'll have and if someone else takes the cheap basement apartment we looked at... Maybe I'll have more info in a couple of days.

The pictures are from the 4th of July. We celebrated it with Lian & Krissy in Granite City, IL.

Well, I better get back to my school work. Adios!

Could You Spare Some Change?

Well,

Jill and I are getting our hair cut tonight (together). It's been a while for both of us, and we figured that it's about that time. I guess that we just waited so long because we, like most people, don't really care for change.

Isn't it interesting how we resist change? Jill and I went to a Dave Ramsey conference in Dallas last month, and he spent several minutes pointing out the changes that most people never make for no other reason than a dislike of change. We drive the same way to work, even if there is a better route available. We shop at the same stores even though one next door has better deals and better customer service.

Sometimes, change causes us to mourn. I was really sad when I came to realize that Bible study, as it formerly existed at the girls' house, was no more. I get nervous and down sometimes thinking about how much will change when Jill and I move to Chicago. Today, I, along with several co-workers, expressed serious discouragement over some sudden personnel shifts at work that will probably lead to changes in the way we do our jobs.

But, when I get so sad over change, I forget that God is really in control. Jesus told us to not worry about anything but to trust God in faith, knowing that he loves us more than we can imagine and that he is not going to forget about us. I shouldn't look at change as a time for everything to go wrong, but rather as a chance to see what God is going to do. So from now on, I'm going to work on seeing change that way and living in Thanksgiving to my Lord!

OUCH!

Well, it was kind of a rough day at work today. The kids I work with were not very happy with me. If you don't know, I work with children with autism and noncompliance is a very common issue with them and it was definately true today. It is part of my job as a behavior therapist to develop discipline and teach the kids to "obey first time." My rules were not appreciated today and as a result I was the target of a lot of ... well, we'll say "aggressive" behavior. So, it was kind of rough... But it's okay. It's all part of the job and it definately pays off in the long run. Of course a little prayer would be greatly appreciated if you think about it... Thanks!

(The picture above isn't really one of my kids...just one I found online that seemed fitting. lol)

Sweet victory!

IM FINISHED!! I just completed my final and I am finished with my Spring semester. I'm so happy. I finished two days early. Now I can relax and do whatever I want with my time (well, kind of). I'll be beginning another class mid May but until then, my free time is my free time. :-)

The Holy Spirit and Surprise Sick Days...

Sorry it's been so long since our last post... Life has been pretty monotonous, not much to post about. My parents have been out of town this week on a camping trip so I taught my mom's missionette class last night. It was fun. We learned about the Holy Spirit. The girls are in 1st and 2nd grade so it was a pretty basic lesson.

My boss is sick so she decided that she needs to stay home tomorrow. She is a board certified behavior analyst (BCBA) and the overseer of all the therapy that happens at the clinic. So, when she takes a sick day, we all take a sick day. We called to cancel all of the clients for tomorrow. I'm still going to go into work for a couple of hours just to update some of the kids' programs. I'll get to spend the rest of the day working on my school work.

My spring class ends on Monday so I have to finish up all my work by then. I'm doing pretty good. I think I will have the classwork stuff finished up Friday and then I can spend the rest of the weekend studying for the final.

Well, that's what's happening in my life right now. I'm gonna run now so I can get ready for a date with my hubby. God Bless!!