Life as Adults

I have had a lot of down time over the past month so I figured it was time to give in and enter the world of blogging. I used to blog quite regularly in high school and the beginning of college before it was the hip thing to do, but I've been out of it for a few years.

I don't plan on this blog being a place for me to fill you in on recipes or to use as my spiritual journal. This will simply be where I come to unwind and discuss the important happenings in our lives and day to day activities. Welcome!

As you all know, Josh and I got married in October, and we have loved married life, thus far. It was interesting at first getting used to sharing a bathroom and cooking for two, (Josh needs much more food than I do), but it has been a fun learning process for the most part. Luckily we know nearly everything about the other, (You can ask our pre-marriage counselor... our tests showed we knew each other better than any other couple he had counseled! We basically rock!)Therefore, there haven't been any surprises. Just adjustments.

When we first got married I was finishing up graduate school, so Josh and I had to postpone the honeymoon until December. We spent 8 days at an all-inclusive resort in Jamaica and loved EVERY minute of it. We got to experience delicious, gourmet food, raft down a river, climb water falls, zip-line through trees, go scuba diving and knee boarding, and we wrapped it all up with massages and mani-pedis. It was a week of compelte bliss. We also celebrated Josh's birthday while we were there.

After our trip, we came back just in time for the holidays. We spent Christmas with my family in Boerne. It was a lot of fun to have all of the kids, spouses, and grandkiddo there. The new year was rung in with some of our dearest friends in College Station. It is always such a blessing to go back to the place where "we" first started and be with the people who know us inside and out... and still love us anyway! We really miss having friends like that around. We are slowly but surely meeting new people here and making some friends. We have a fun group of young marrieds in our Sunday school class and we are starting up a weekly bible study, as well. Hopefully some good fellowship and friendships will form out of those. I also have a new friend from working in the hospital last semester. We are both just sick of having surface-level friendships with those around us.

The new year has brought a lot of new for ME. I just started my first real, grown-up job with a pediatric rehab clinic in Austin. I have loved it thus far. I only work Monday thru Thursday and I get to play with kids all day. I have already learned a lot in the two weeks I have been here, but also realized how prepared Baylor made me for this job. It's a good feeling to be able to walk into each session confident that I can make a difference in that child's life. The people around me are wonderful, as well. Everyone is so supportive and encouraging. It's a fun little family. I am very thankful that God dropped this job in my lap. I am absolutely certain He placed me here for a purpose.

Josh is in the midst of some changes also. He spent the fall taking courses to get his alternative teaching certification and passed the high school science test. Unfortunately, the teaching market in the Austin area is pretty shabby. There aren't openings for anyone at this point. Hopefully he will only have to stay where he is until the next school year. Prayers are always appreciated for his peace and contentment. We know this is where God has him right now, but it's just so hard to find joy in a place that breeds frustration and resentment. On a positive note, he has developed a new passion in his life. My family bought him an SLR camera for his birthday and Christmas and he has been shooting ever sense! He literally takes that thing with him everywhere we go. He is taking pictures of the food we eat, sunsets we drive past, things in his work cubicle or the parking lot, and even pictures of me when I get ready in the morning. (Without my consent!) You should check out his album on facebook with his pictures of the day. It's an album designed to keep him shooting on a regular basis and to show off his favorite pictures of each day. I'm glad he has something to bring joy to his days!

Lastly, as we are jumping into life as REAL adults (married, working, blah blah), we have started taking a course on how to manage our money and be good stewards (sp??) of what God has blessed us with. There is just so much to plan for and to learn in terms of finances. Learning all of this, however, brings us a sense of pride and comfort to know that we are getting it down now so we don't look back in 20 years with regrets.

All in all, life is treating these newlyweds quite well. We love what the past few months have brought us and we are looking forward to the rest of our months together. I don't know how frequently I will post on here. Probably only when big things happen. Feel free to check back, and thanks for reading!