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").
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Friday, July 10, 2009
The end is near... Or is it just the beginning?
Lian, Lavin, & Krissy
Us on the 4th of JulyWow... 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!
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
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!
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!
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
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)
Saturday, April 25, 2009
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. :-)
Thursday, April 23, 2009
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!!
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!!
Friday, March 27, 2009
Wedding Miracles
Well, once April 15 rolls around, Jill and I will have been married for five months. If you don't already know, we were able to see God's hand in a lot of significant ways in the building of our relationship, especially in the way that our wedding came together. Our pastor told us that we should write down the wonderful things that God did for our wedding as a testimony to encourage others (and ourselves, farther down the road). Well...here are the miracles that I (Sam) remember from our wedding!
The first miracle that I remember (other than God speaking to our hearts about one another and sending us to one another) was the way that we got our engagement photos. God has placed an amazing friend named Jennifer into our lives. Jennifer does top quality photography, and we had asked her about her rates right after we got engaged. Well, she gave us the rate, and we put it in our budget. But, once we had taken the pictures (in locations that Jennifer had personally scouted before the shoot), she told us that she would not take any money. A few weeks later, Jennifer gave us the photos (over a hundred, to the best of my recall) after personally reviewing and editing them for highest quality. We still get compliments on the quality of photos that she took for our engagement!
Soon thereafter, we took those pictures to another wonderful friend, straight from the Lord (actually one half of two - Jenn and Josh, with Josh being the friend in question at the moment). This friend happens to be a graphics designer, and he wanted to help us with our engagement by helping us design our invitations. Well, he masterfully designed our invitations and sent them to us several times for our approval and to make sure that he conveyed our ideas. When it came time for use to settle our balance, he refused to take any money from us, and we got excellent professional quality invitations for nothing but a printing fee of about $75.
Another miracle happened in our lives at our Wednesday night church meeting. An evangelist who uses our church as him current home church walked up to Jill with an envelope and told her that God had told him to give her some money for our wedding, then quickly walked away. When we opened the envelope, we found a check for $500! That certainly helped ease our fears about wedding money.
Napkins...not something usually associated with miracles, but hey, God is on His throne! Jill found some reception napkins online that she really liked. They were printed to look like a little tuxedo and a little dress, and they came in two packages at $50 each (expensive napkins!). Well, we bit the bullet and ordered the napkins. After all, you can splurge a little on your wedding, right? Well, a couple of weeks later we get a package delivered containing the tuxedo napkins, but there were no dress napkins to be found. Even more troubling, I could not see a charge on my credit card for the purchase, and I was getting nervous about the order. Jill emailed the company from whom we had ordered the napkins about the issue, and they wrote her back explaining that they had discontinued to dress napkins but sent us the tuxedo napkins anyway. Because the napkins were all one order, they simply cancelled the charge and gave us the $50 tuxedo napkins free!
Cake is another wedding staple that can really run up a big charge. Well, when God is with you and sends wonderful people into your life, even cake gets His attention. My grooms' cake was bought from a bakery where our friend Bethany used to work and our friend Cory currently works. Because of the favor that God has given them in the eyes of the bakery owner, we got that cake at a huge discount. Then, my wonderful sister Jenni and my cousin Ellen came to us asking if they could have the honor of taking care of the bride's cake. To Jill's delight, they got in touch with a baker friend of their own who made 150 delicious and beautiful cupcakes (complete with icing "O's" on top) that sat just right on the amazing stand that Jenni made just for the occassion.
Let's not forget the rehearsal either. That night, my family (primarily organized by Jenni, Ellen, and Kathy) laid out an amazing lasagne dinner! A lot of couples have to stress over things like that, and I am so happy that Jill and I never had to.
In other money news, Jill's parents were able, through God's blessing, to give us $500 more for our wedding than they had planned, which allowed us to give gifts to different people who had blessed us in the course of our union. Then, in addition to so many of our friends and loved ones helping out in a staggering array of capacities, we received so much cash and wedding gifts that we were able to enjoy our honeymoon and start out our new lives together without having to go a penny in debt!
Jill could probably tell you more about the different acts of the Lord that have occurred in our relationship, but I just wanted to lay this out for anyone who might be struggling with concerns about God caring for them, especially as the economy isn't at its best right now.
As Jesus taught his disciples, little sparrows aren't worth anything to the people of this world, yet God does not overlook a single one of them. There is not a single little bird to die that God has not personally attended its funeral. He loves them so much that he doesn't even make them work for his food. They just have to get up, sing, fly, play, and find his abundance on the ground. How much more does God care for you? He knows how many hairs are on your head, and he knows everything about you. He loves you so much that he sent His Son to die for you so that you may be saved from the evil that has overtaken all of our souls. Won't he take care of the little things like our physical needs. If God cared enough to take care of a couple of his kids' wedding, won't he care for your daily needs as well? Of course He will!
In a nutshell. God loves you. He took care of our wedding because He loves us. He loves you too, and He will take care of all of your needs if you let Him into your heart.
The first miracle that I remember (other than God speaking to our hearts about one another and sending us to one another) was the way that we got our engagement photos. God has placed an amazing friend named Jennifer into our lives. Jennifer does top quality photography, and we had asked her about her rates right after we got engaged. Well, she gave us the rate, and we put it in our budget. But, once we had taken the pictures (in locations that Jennifer had personally scouted before the shoot), she told us that she would not take any money. A few weeks later, Jennifer gave us the photos (over a hundred, to the best of my recall) after personally reviewing and editing them for highest quality. We still get compliments on the quality of photos that she took for our engagement!
Soon thereafter, we took those pictures to another wonderful friend, straight from the Lord (actually one half of two - Jenn and Josh, with Josh being the friend in question at the moment). This friend happens to be a graphics designer, and he wanted to help us with our engagement by helping us design our invitations. Well, he masterfully designed our invitations and sent them to us several times for our approval and to make sure that he conveyed our ideas. When it came time for use to settle our balance, he refused to take any money from us, and we got excellent professional quality invitations for nothing but a printing fee of about $75.
Another miracle happened in our lives at our Wednesday night church meeting. An evangelist who uses our church as him current home church walked up to Jill with an envelope and told her that God had told him to give her some money for our wedding, then quickly walked away. When we opened the envelope, we found a check for $500! That certainly helped ease our fears about wedding money.
Napkins...not something usually associated with miracles, but hey, God is on His throne! Jill found some reception napkins online that she really liked. They were printed to look like a little tuxedo and a little dress, and they came in two packages at $50 each (expensive napkins!). Well, we bit the bullet and ordered the napkins. After all, you can splurge a little on your wedding, right? Well, a couple of weeks later we get a package delivered containing the tuxedo napkins, but there were no dress napkins to be found. Even more troubling, I could not see a charge on my credit card for the purchase, and I was getting nervous about the order. Jill emailed the company from whom we had ordered the napkins about the issue, and they wrote her back explaining that they had discontinued to dress napkins but sent us the tuxedo napkins anyway. Because the napkins were all one order, they simply cancelled the charge and gave us the $50 tuxedo napkins free!
Cake is another wedding staple that can really run up a big charge. Well, when God is with you and sends wonderful people into your life, even cake gets His attention. My grooms' cake was bought from a bakery where our friend Bethany used to work and our friend Cory currently works. Because of the favor that God has given them in the eyes of the bakery owner, we got that cake at a huge discount. Then, my wonderful sister Jenni and my cousin Ellen came to us asking if they could have the honor of taking care of the bride's cake. To Jill's delight, they got in touch with a baker friend of their own who made 150 delicious and beautiful cupcakes (complete with icing "O's" on top) that sat just right on the amazing stand that Jenni made just for the occassion.
Let's not forget the rehearsal either. That night, my family (primarily organized by Jenni, Ellen, and Kathy) laid out an amazing lasagne dinner! A lot of couples have to stress over things like that, and I am so happy that Jill and I never had to.
In other money news, Jill's parents were able, through God's blessing, to give us $500 more for our wedding than they had planned, which allowed us to give gifts to different people who had blessed us in the course of our union. Then, in addition to so many of our friends and loved ones helping out in a staggering array of capacities, we received so much cash and wedding gifts that we were able to enjoy our honeymoon and start out our new lives together without having to go a penny in debt!
Jill could probably tell you more about the different acts of the Lord that have occurred in our relationship, but I just wanted to lay this out for anyone who might be struggling with concerns about God caring for them, especially as the economy isn't at its best right now.
As Jesus taught his disciples, little sparrows aren't worth anything to the people of this world, yet God does not overlook a single one of them. There is not a single little bird to die that God has not personally attended its funeral. He loves them so much that he doesn't even make them work for his food. They just have to get up, sing, fly, play, and find his abundance on the ground. How much more does God care for you? He knows how many hairs are on your head, and he knows everything about you. He loves you so much that he sent His Son to die for you so that you may be saved from the evil that has overtaken all of our souls. Won't he take care of the little things like our physical needs. If God cared enough to take care of a couple of his kids' wedding, won't he care for your daily needs as well? Of course He will!
In a nutshell. God loves you. He took care of our wedding because He loves us. He loves you too, and He will take care of all of your needs if you let Him into your heart.
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