Sunday Working?!

After church this morning we celebrated our friend Alyssa's birthday by going out to lunch. :) She and her husband are starting the adoption process again, so soon I will have two little ones to take to Avila Valley Barn! This time around I get to be a reference! Probably because I hang out with Josiah so much. :)

In church this morning our pastor encouraged us to use our gifts to bless other church members. Our new nursery director is due in october, and I am now going to make her a baby quilt! The first small one I've attempted. I'm excited! I'm going to use green and yellow (it's going to be a boy), and I ordered a free motion quilting foot, so I'm going to actually quilt this one rather than simply tying it! Trying lots if new things. I am also committing to praying for little Jed as I work on his quilt. :)

Tonight is the Hot House final dinner, and Andrew has to present his work, so we are busy in SLO working. No quilting for me today. :(

New blog...

Since I have been reading blogs and enjoying them, I am inspired to continue my blogging. This lead to wanting a different kind of blog, and it seemed easier to start fresh than to try to change everything around. So to anyone reading this blog, my new one can be found at...

http://cookquiltlove.blogspot.com/

Thanks!

Quilt blogs

I have recently been obsessed with quilting.  I have five quilting blogs that I am now subscribed to, and whenever I have give minutes, I go back into the post history and read old posts (since I read faster than their talented and busy writers can keep up with). I have about ten new quilt ideas that I want to try.

All this blog reading has had one drawback. A few of the writers claim to be fabric addicts and constantly part pictures of their adorable new fabric...which has made me very...excited about fabric myself. Spending $60 on fabric this week was probably not a good idea, given that it will probably take me a few years to go through the fabric I already have. :P

But I also have actually been working on quilts. I finished my sisters (that I'd started almost a year ago) black and white
Log cabin. And picked up the crazy quilt that I started even before that for Brett. I'll post a picture and write more about that later. Also started a red written sized that I bought fabric for probably the years ago now. There are so many blocks I want to try that I am throwing them all together for this one. Will part pictures of that later as well. :)

Busy busy! I work on it whenever I can. Andrew is so great...he let me take over the livingroom. :)

Time is Not Just Money

And another two weeks disappears in the craziness of life!

Had a surprise birthday party for Andrew on saturday. :) His mom and Michael, came down at about two, and we went out to run errands with them, then my parents (conveniently) arrived at a little before 5:30, so we had to hurry back to Atascadero from SLO. I was going a little crazy with how long it was taking him to get out of the car and head up to our apt, but when he finally did, the house screamed happy birthday! :) It was wonderful to see how surprised and happy he was. :) Everyone brought food to share and it was a wonderful evening. :) He felt very loved.

I finished Chrissy's quilt the friday before. It was really big, and she loved it! :) So now I am working on Brett's quilt. :) But then my sewing machine started making loud noises yesterday. I'm going to a if I can get it fixed tomorrow.

This past weekend was great, though it ended rather mopy. Sat night I admitted to Andrew that I'm burnt out on working with Jenny. It is a rewarding and growing job, but it is also very challenging. She tries my patience and I have found myself more and more just trying to kill time during my shifts. She deserves better than that! Burn out. And then Sunday night Andrew got into a funk as well because there is just so much waiting right now for his business and he still doesn't have any prospects for people to work with him. He is frustrated and its trying to be more organized because he has so much going that sometimes he gets home and can't even remember what he accomplished that day, which its very disheartening. So we're just trying to figure out a balance or something. We are trying to get back into reading the bible and praying daily. That will help the most! :)

Andrew is going to Rob's bachelor part next weekend. I'm not really sure what I'm going to do with myself. So weird. And this past sunday I had a meeting before church, and then I had some time before Andrew arrived, and I just kinda stood there, not sure what to do with myself! And Andrew is also going to be out of town the first weekend of October as well, and I just don't know what to do! should I pick up some shifts at work? Offer to babysit sometimes kid? Sigh. Use to love free weekends. But relying on always being around Andrew for the past two years had near crippled me now that he'll be gone! I'll have to work on that.

I think thats it for now. No news on that new job. No letter from Mateus.

I _am_ beginning to dream more and more about staying in SLO. SLO might be my Santa Barbara (my parents lived in SB
when they were first married and always dream of moving back). I hope we can stay, but only Good knows or future, and it is better than I can even begin to dream, so I guess I'll leave that to Him.

End of August

So the promised story about Andrew's new lead...

HotHouse brought in a woman named Joy who calls herself a start-up junkie. She has been involved in several successful technology-type businesses and she really jumped on Andrews ideas for the tablet note taking software because she is interested in education. They met for "coffee" (cinnamon rolls since Andrew doesn't like coffee and Joy is new to the area so I suggested Old West Cinnamon Rolls in Pismo) and had a great discussion. Andrew got fired up and is feeling really excited about the things they discussed.  He is being flexible and working really hard. Joy suggested staying here until there is a reason to leave and there is no reason currently so here we are. :)

I don't remember whether I mentioned applying to a new job or not...but I am. Part time aide position in SLO. I had to get two letters of recommendation, so I asked Alyssa (she taught for 12 years in Santa Maria before adopting Josiah) and Kelly's mom to write them. I got them very quickly after requesting them...very shining and wonderful. I am so thankful for them. :) And I love giving to them and working with them. God has blessed me so much!

We've been very busy lately-still. Work has been busy (but I am thankful for both my jobs!), and Andrew had been working hard, but that's not all we do. We went  out with friends a couple Monday nights in a row for drinks and hors devours at Applebees. Those same friends came over last night for dinner, though I actually spent several hours Sunday making it. We love our friends! :) It's been so great being able to be here and spending time with people we stopped hanging out with when we got engaged. I don't think it was a conscious thing, and we were trying to be so careful with spending time with people...but with work on Tuesday nights (eliminating my college group time) and Andrew trying to finish his thesis, some people just got left out. :( So it's great to hang out with them and catch up. Now to dial in on all the other friends we've left out...with all the time we have. :P

I don't know if I mentioned that Andrew and I are now supporting a child from Mozambique through Food for the Hungry. We got our welcome packet last week and a letter he wrote to his support family. :) He drew a picture of his dream house. I don't think he has a dad around. I wrote him a letter, but it can take almost
two months to get a reply. :( I think I'll write again sooner than that. Everyone loves getting mail and I'm sure Mateus is no different.

Turning in my application tomorrow for the aide position. Pray that I get it!

Mid august already?

I haven't written in a while but I'm hoping the new app on my phone will help me keep up with it!

Almost two months into being married and still loving it. :) So many people warn of the tough times in marriage and how it's so much work...I'm thankful for the one or two that got exited and said it's worth it and it is wonderful and rewarding - because I enjoy this more without as much fear of the future. God is growing us and teaching us so many things.

We wanted to read the bible together. That worked really well on the honeymoon when most days we'd just lie around and sleep in til noon, but with both of us working and my work schedule so different throughout the week, it's been pretty tough. I've been reading Psalms and Proverbs on my bible app every day and yesterday Andrew said he was jealous that I would read the bible and not do it with him...so we started a plan on our phones and read last night and this morning. :) It's all a growing-and-finding-what-works-for-you process.

This week I am working 63 hours. Normally I work 34. So I almost doubled my time with three extra shifts. My first overnight! I worked my normal Tuesday evening shift from 4-12 but then also worked the 12-9:30am shift. Kelly doesn't like mornings and I've heard rough stories about trying to get her out the door...but I bribed her with starbucks mocha and we had a great morning. :) So Andrew and I survived our first night apart since the wedding. He was so great to let me do that. My first (though hopefully not too often) overnight and he let me take the car and he stayed home so I could do the job I am blessed with and enjoy.

I guess another story for this week is the fact that we only have one car right now. Normally we try to carpool into SLO anyway because we don't like having to drive 20 miles to work (we were spoiled by living in SLO so long where everything is within five miles), but this past Sunday we were driving up to Paso with some friends (Andrews old roommates actually) for another friends wedding, and...well, long story short - sunset honda said we need several things done involving the ac...and they asked more than we thought they should so we're gonna take it to a friends mechanic someone this weekend...I think.

What else? Well, amazing blessings from God involving Andrews business, but this'll just be the teaser for next time cause Andrew is finally coming to bed.

Middle of the Quarter...

Hello all! Sorry it's been so long...

Finals went well. Good grades. :)

This next quarter started slowly, which was nice. I thought it would be a tougher quarter than it turned out to be. State mandated furlough days for teachers have been a blessing. :) Classes make up 14 units instead of 16 (which somehow I had miscalculated...).

The first weekend after school started was Easter and went back to Watsonville, took Andrew along. Great time to spend with the family. :) Second weekend went camping with a whole bunch of old church people (old as in graduated last year and have since moved all over the place) in Yosemite. It was COLD! The third weekend I went up to Stockton with Andrew and met his sister and went to his church, his favorite high school Mexican restaurant, spent time with his mom and step dad. Three great weekends...but exhausting for the first four weeks of school! Thankfully the quarter is easy!

Right now I am taking: Math for Elementary teaching II, Computer Based Curriculum, Psychology of Learning, and Art in the Elementary Classroom. Enjoyable for the most part, and I have kept up with the homework. But this week is going to be CRAZY! Just lots of midterms and projects due. Even had to cancel the family coming down on Saturday so I can work on stuff. Sad day! But by this time next week, lots of stress of the quarter will be over!

Roommates are great. Today is Brett (friend since freshman year)'s birthday, tomorrow is Ana's (roommate). Lots of fun! Been busy with biblestudy on Wednesday nights, catching up with friends (since I was out of town five weekends in a row with the two in NY), and spending lots of time with my favorite boy. :P We're praying together daily, enjoying our separate biblestudies, and, of course, spending a lot of time together and hoping the three months this summer will go quickly (he's going to be in Kansas from June 21 to Sept 10th).

God is great. He has been blessing and leading my life. I have so many wonderful people around me, and so many great experiences and classes, etc. I am so BLESSED!

Love you all.