This summer has been a whirlwind! We're normally pretty boring and hardly ever busy, but it seems like so much has happened in the past few months. Here's the rundown in a few chronological bullet points:
- Hawaii/LA trip & Michael news - At the end of May we headed off for a vacation to Hawaii then LA with my family. While on this trip, Michael found out he did not get into the physical therapy assistant program he was going for. I guess a Bachelor's degree, observation hours at a good hospital, and straight A's in all the pre-reqs just isn't enough. It was disappointing news after he had worked so hard the past two semesters, but we trusted that God had it all figured out - in His sovereignty, nothing is wasted.
- Bryan housebuilding trip & Cheryl news - A week after getting back from LA, we were off to Bryan/College Station for two weeks to help frame a house for a church who has a ministry to women in need. Michael and some guys from our church worked tirelessly for two weeks to get this house framed to perfection. It was a really fun and productive trip. We made some new friends and strengthened existing relationships. While on this trip I found out that my hours with CHF would most likely be cut back from full time to part time starting in August. We said, "Okay, Lord" and started praying for a job for Michael. It's actually all worked out though. Even though my hours are being reduced, I'm going to independent contractor status, giving me more freedom in when and how I work - a definite plus!
- Schlitterbahn! - A week after the Bryan trip we took a short overnight trip to Schlitterbahn, a giant waterpark near San Antonio, with a family from church. We hadn't spent a lot of time with them and enjoyed getting to know them. The husband is an astronaut and Navy pilot, so it was neat hearing about some of his experiences. Oh and we had SO much fun at the waterpark. Who doesn't love waterslides? Only crazy people.
- Family time - Michael's parents came in from Saudi Arabia around this time so we spent a couple weekends hanging out with family.
- Moving! - Throughout all this, we've been putting together plans to move onto Michael's grandma's property. She lives about 45 minutes south of us on about two acres with a house and a couple large storage spaces separate from the house. Through a long process, it was decided that we would clear everything out of one of the garages (which is about the same square footage as our current apartment) and build out living quarters so Michael and I could move in and be just 50 feet away from his Grandma if she needed anything. The whole deal will be a blessing for her and us! Michael got to draw up the plans and everything, and it's been fun to design the space. It's exciting because it'll be the first "house" Michael and I live in. We've been in apartments since we've been married, so I'm looking forward to having our own place, even though it's not "ours" and we'll have to move out in a few years when they sell the property. Anyway, the construction will be done in the next couple weeks and we'll be moved in by September 5.
- New job - God is gracious and has (relatively) quickly provided a job for Michael. It's a job with an oilfield services company and we'll see where it goes. For now though, we're just thankful that Michael has a job! We just returned from a three day trip to Victoria, Texas, (there's nothing to do there) where Michael got some preliminary safety training for work. Safety first!
In all this we've been thankful to God for his faithfulness in providing so many things over the past few months and look forward to whatever lies ahead!
