Old Gypsy Wormen

So my dad had a fundraiser for the Community College he works at in AZ. Here he is as an old Hungarian Gypsy Women. Take a look!

Testing turned to Choices

Well, after three interviews this week it looks like I might have my choice as to where I want to work. Strangely enough, the company I was determined I didn't want to work for, due to weekends, is the one that is offering the best money and schedule. I would be working 36-40 hours a week, usually 7-8 hour shifts per day and making quite a bit doing so. Plus the store is really close to our house so there isn't any commuting involved. I have a second interview with the store manager today to discuss the details of the position.

The other company is in Tualitin, about 22 mi. from our house. It's a 8-5 mon-fri job, however because of the distance I would be gone from 7a.m. - 6:30 p.m. at night. It's a cabinet job that doesn't sound like it will be offering good money. I am, however, the top candidate for the position out of 12 so far. They will be calling me to schedule a second interview at the end of this week.

The final company sounds overwhelming. It's a commercial furniture dealer who specializes in office design. It would also be a mon-fri 8-5 job. However, it's located in the middle of downtown which means I would have to take the bus or drive and park. Fortunately the company gives their employees bus passes for free, however the bus ride from our house would be over an hour one way. So, again I would leave at 6:30 or 7 and be home around the same time at night.

So far I have decided the first choice sounds best. It just seems like a much more relaxed envrionment and I would have the potential to make a lot of money. Much more than I have been making or would make with a standard salaried job. Basically I have to decided between traveling for hours or working weekends. As of now, the weekends seem to be the lesser of the two evils. I will let you know when I find out more about the jobs! God Bless!

Corn?

So, Aaron and I spent a few weekends over the summer ripping out all of the periwinkle in our yard in hopes of planting veggies in the Spring. We then hand tilled the soil and added chicken manuer and hay. For the past couple of months we have just let it sit and do its thing. So far we have a grass-like plants growing all over the area. Plus, there are these two huge plants that have sprung up near the concrete. I think they just might be corn. Take a look!

The grass that has grown by itself.

Corn? Possibly? Time will tell!

With Faith Like a Child

Well, so much has happened since my last post. On Thursday of last week my boss told me he can no longer afford to keep me on at full time. Basically, the jobs are just not coming in. He explained that is has absolutely nothing to do with my abilities, there just isn't enough to keep me on. I was crushed. I suspected it was coming, but I didn't want to believe it would happen. I somehow, by the grace of God, managed to hold my tears until I was in my car and driving around the corner. I called my husband and started bawling. Even though I was told it was not a reflection of my abilities, it still felt like I had completely failed. Aaron, what an awesome Godly man, said he figured that's why I had called him and told me to go home and get into the Word. He also told me not to worry, God will provide. That I know in my heart. He has seen us through financial hardships before and has never let us down.

It's been four days since I was layed off and today I'm hitting the pavement to find a job. Over the weekend I posted my resume on Jobdango. I applied for 6 jobs and this morning I recieved a phone call from one of them. The company, who shall remain nameless, a large, nationwide chain of furniture stores, called me back this morning and gave me a phone interview. The woman I spoke with was very interesting in me and will call me back to set up a second interview. One major drawback is their employees have to work weekends, Sundays included. I am praying that God will bring me something that doesn't require weekends and holidays. But I know it is in His hands, if He wants me to work Sundays, then I'll work Sundays.

Right now Aaron and I are being tested. As hard as this is, I'm thanking God for the trial. I know this will build my faith and bring us closer to Him. God is in control and I have nothing to fear. Pray for us! God Bless!

A Wonderful Weekend

My parents, Dave and Jenny, came to visit us over the weekend and it was wonderful. They live in Lake Havasu City, AZ. For those of you who are unfamiliar with AZ, it's in the middle of a dessert, by a lake, and the summers are around 120 degrees, on average. I grew up there!

They arrived at our house at 3:30 Friday afternoon and they left around 6 a.ms Monday morning. On Friday night we went to the Cheesecake Factory at Washington Square Mall. It was great! However, Aaron was sick and started losing his voice that night.

On Saturday my mom, dad, and I headed to Washington State planning on visiting Mount St. Helens. Aaron, poor guy, spent the day studying and trying to get better. Well, it was so cloudy towards the mountains we changed our mind, mid stream, and headed towards the coast, where the Columbia river joins the Pacific. It was a beautiful drive. Along the way we stopped at a wildlife refuge so my mom could take pictures of birds. As usual, the birds were in hiding, but there were a slew of wild blackberries! I had a small feast of the last fruits for the year. YUMMY! After our little birdless excursion, we head towards Astoria, OR.

Astoria is an old shipping town, established in 1811, that marks the point were the river and the ocean meet. There is a huge bridge, called The Bridge of the Gods, that crosses the Columbia! It was impressive. We then proceeded to eat lunch at a little restaurant that's been around since 1916, and walked around the town. We got back into Portland around 4:00 or so.
Sunday my parents came to church with us, and it was awesome. They just loved the music and it was fun having my parents in the congregation again. After church we hung out at the mall, went shopping, and ate at the Old Spaghetti Factory. It was a whirlwind trip. Now, there back home in "good ol'e Havasu, and we're back to school, for Aaron, and work, for me. It was so nice having them home. I'm just excited for Christmas to roll around so we can see everyone, especially Mr. Zachary!

Mom and Me

Dad and Me

The "Hollywood" Pic (as my mom calls it!)

One of the Docks in Astoria, OR

Back to Flagstaff?

Jan. '05 Behind Aaron's Parents House in Flag.

Well, Aaron and I have been doing a lot of thinking lately, and it sounds like we may end up back in Flagstaff after he's through with school. He has a wonderful opportunity to possibly work into taking over an established dentist's practice in Flag. Plus we're both a bit home sick. We really miss the open spaces and lack of people there. In Portland, don't get me wrong we love it here for now, you have to drive for miles before you are out of the city. We miss driving five, ten, or fifteen minutes to get out of civilization. We also realized how much we miss our families and how much we have missed of Zach's life. Well, we still have 4 years before we leave. As for now we are taking each day at a time and trusting in God to guide us to the next step. God Bless!