Personal Attention

Alex, Jamie, Jeff, Tyler, and I were invited to have dessert with some of the faculty and students of Emmanuel tonight. This soiree was at one of the faculty member's houses. It was great!! The house was amazing and filled with many different artifacts and furniture pieces from different cultures. There was a really good selection of sundae goodies, which I took pretty good advantage of ;). We went around the Sweeney residence living room and made introductions. Along with our introductions, we had to state one thing that brings us satisfaction. Naturally ;), I stated playing bass guitar. It was fun to hear the others satisfactory hobbies/desires, especially the teachers. It was good to hear that they truly enjoy seeing people learn and grow by something they taught. It was awesome. As is becoming usual, Tyler was the center of attention and stole their hearts. Everybody loved him :). Lots of good times. I especially felt warmed by the idea that these faculty members are devoted to a personal relationship with each of their students. I really feel like this is going to be a great experience for Jeff and I can't wait to be a small part of it.

The Search Continues...

15

Not my favorite number, but awfully close.

Currently, this number represents the number of times I have emailed my resume out to prospective job openings.
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6

The number of times I've received an email back, stating that the position had already been filled or I wasn't what the company was looking for (not to sound haughty, but, really?).
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I don't understand. I don't know what I'm missing or what God's doing, but whatever He's doing, it's, obviously, driving me nuts. I don't like applying this many times and only hearing back from half of the companies. That's just not fun. That makes me feel like people are reading my resume (maybe...hopefully), then discarding it and not emailing me with an appropriate rejection response. The positions that I've applied to so far have all been full-time positions. I realize that I *might* be asking a bit much to receive a position like this, but a full-time job (with benefits, no less) is, essentially, what I need. If I can't get a full-time position, then Plan B is two part-time positions. It would still be, generally, the same amount of income minus the benefits. Please, please pray that God's will would be done here, and not mine. I know He's driving me nuts, but that's His plan and I know He's got an "after" plan waiting for me.

Technology

I got the chance to talk to my mamaw and papaw (dad's mom and dad) tonight via webcam. I've been talking to dad since last week. We had to iron out a few kinks, on both ends, before we could get everything to work right, but we finally got it. What's funny about talking to my mamaw and papaw via webcam is how amazed they are with it. To someone, like me, who's been using one for a few years now, it's nothing that spectacular. To them, it's "like the Jetsons. Remember that cartoon, Tosh?". How could I forget the Jetsons? That was one of my favorite cartoons to watch growing up. I loved the fact that, even for a kids show, the positive and negative sides of technology were portrayed. In fact, I think the Jetsons is the reason I became so interested with our computer when my parents bought our first one. I was extremely glad to see the huge smiles on my mamaw and papaw's faces when they could see Tyler and I on dad's computer screen. What a sight! I was glad to make their evening that much brighter.

Best birthday ever (so far)? Maybe...

Though I didn't really do much, yesterday was a great day. I woke up with Tyler at 8:30; started getting tired around 10, so I took a nap until 1:30 :P; got up, worked on my icons for a bit (yes, they ruled my life, but it was a fun and educational ruling); showered; went to Walmart to buy myself the newest Third Day CD :D and a few other odds and ends; met Jeff and Tyler at Applebee's and burnt the roof of my mouth on my favorite dessert (it was soooo worth it, though); came home and threw a football around with Jeff while Tyler giddily (?) ran around us; read some more of Breaking Dawn :P; crashed in bed. All throughout the day I received about 20 (I think...maybe more) birthday wishes on facebook and my phone. It was truly just a great day. Oh, and I should note that Applebee's wasn't just for my birthday. Jeff received a letter in the mail Monday stating that he was one of four recipients to receive a one year scholarship, from Emmanuel, paying his entire tuition. Needless to say, the both of us were incredibly shocked, but we know it was God's way of saying, "You belong here. Keep looking for jobs, but, in the mean time, I've got school covered." We're both still a bit in shock about it, but it's a joyous shock. Please, though, be praying that I can find a job swiftly. I've been doing my fair share of searching (I didn't do any yesterday since it was my birthday ;) ), and have found a few that might work out, but they're in Kingsport (which is 30 minutes away). I'd really like to be able to find a job in JC. I know God's watching. He's waiting to spring His perfect will on us (whether or not I find a job in JC).

Thanks, again, to everyone for the birthday wishes!!!

Job vs. Dream

Because Jeff will be focusing on school for the next 4-5 years, it will be my turn to be the breadwinner. I'm completely fine with this notion and I'm actually looking forward to getting back into the working world. It was great to be with Tyler for the first year of his life, but it's time to switch gears. Plus, if (and most likely) Tyler is sent to a daycare, he's old enough now that he won't be as vulnerable to certain illnesses that could've affected him more as a newborn. During my job hunting this morning, an ad for a bass guitarist caught my attention, naturally. The ad said, "Bass guitarist for local Contemporary Christian band". Now...here's where things get tricky: I'd LOVE LOVE LOVE to be in a band, even if it were just a church worship band, because I truly miss the atmosphere, but what happens if the band were to, say, make it big? Would I follow my dream and leave a steady job behind? Or do I check out the band with a job already in the works and make the band gig a back-up? If the bass position gets filled next week, then I don't have a chance with them, but another chance may come up. I really feel like God wants me to do something musically because everytime I play, my heart goes nuts and my soul gets satisfied.

Any thoughts?

Happy Friday!

Settling

We finally made it down to Tennessee this past Saturday. We've got mostly everything set up, but there are still a few odds and ends that need to be addressed. I knew that we'd end up buying quite a bit of new stuff, once we moved down here, but I never realized how much we'd get. We got curtains for almost all of the windows, rugs for the downstairs floor (it's all tile), blinds for the 1/2 bath, stair gates, shower curtains, bathroom rugs, etc. Don't get me wrong: I'm not complaining that we accumulated so many new items, but stuff does tend to take a toll on one's budget after a period of time. We were fortunate enough, though, to have Jeff's parents help us buy a few of said items. I can say, though, that it's finally starting to look, and feel, like home. Sure, the apartment in Muncie was home for 2 years, but I never really felt like it. We've been down here since Saturday and we're already getting a few "Hey, Yoders!" as we drive by on our way out of the Village. It's a wonderful feeling. Sarah, Waylon: you two have been great to us the past few months. We're really going to miss you guys (especially once HP6 comes out :P ), but we promise to keep in touch.

I hope everyone's having a fantastic day!