16 Going on 17

Ok, so it was more like 33 going on 34, but who is counting? (Besides Crys!)

I had a GREAT birthday! Hubby and I actually celebrated last Saturday. We went to eat at MELT in Cleveland! Yum! We ran a few errands, shopped and ended up going for ice cream at Mary Coyle's. It's an honest to goodness old-school ice cream parlor. Loved it!

I got breakfast on the morning of my birthday (hubby made omelets and toast) and he made homemade pizza for dinner. Holla!  I ate a free lunch at First Watch and I bought myself a new skirt and top. I had a very unexpected visit from a special friend of mine who stayed for dinner.

About a bazillion people called, text me, or messaged me on Facebook. I felt very loved and blessed.

As I reflected on the past year, I realized a lot has changed. I lost my job in Cairo. I got married. I moved to Ohio. I've watched my mom fight cancer. I was diagnosed with MS. (I've done a ton of craft projects.) I have laughed and cried - sometimes within 5 minutes of each other. It has been an 'emotional roller coaster' sort of year. I have made new friends and mourned the fact that I can't see old friends as often as I would like to. In the end, 33 was a HUGE year in my life and I'm sad about some things coming to an end, but excited about all of the new things. 33 was bittersweet. I'm sure 34 has a lot in store and I've decided that I just want it to be a year where I ultimately spend time investing in people and in what God has for me. Here's to another year!

My New Favorite Places

The Root Cafe is located on Bath Road in Cuyahoga Falls and is my favorite cafe in Northeast Ohio.

The Rail is located in Fairlawn and has delicious food!

The Fairlawn School of Music is a great place and I am excited about joining their staff!


Blake's Cafe & Cupcakery - BEST CUPCAKES EVER!

Beginnings

So, Precious started his new job today. This company has been spectacular, ya'll. They offered him $2000 more a year than he asked for. They flew him to Ohio for an interview. They flew both of us to Ohio to find housing (and paid for meals and lodging). And today they told Precious he needed new boots with steel toes (kinda expensive, right?). They gave him a coupon for $100. He found $140 pair on sale. Using the coupon, he paid $22!

God. Is. Good.

These blessings are so undeserved. I feel like we're so unworthy, yet God just keeps pouring it out. Standing in the middle of His will is a little scary and extremely humbling.

Moving Update

Still packing. I was doing a little while I was getting ready Sunday morning and I injured myself. I was trying to take a picture off the wall, dropped it and it landed on. my. face! There was blood. But it actually doesn't look terrible. Vaseline (which my mom will always swear keeps things from bruising) and an ice pack saved the day.

I took a couple of days off, but resumed packing hard core yesterday - until I ran out of boxes...need to make a Lowe's run. Saturday was spent with my mom and bro and my girls. My mom and bro and I headed to the bridal shop to meet the girls. They have pics of my dress, but I have no pics of them in theirs, so you are gonna have to take my word when I tell you they looked stunning! SILTB cried - not because my dress is the bomb (even though it is), but because we're moving. It's still all new and I don't think the full extent has sunk in yet for me. I'm so busy packing and finalizing wedding plans that I don't have a lot of time to think about it (this is on purpose people - I have to get through the wedding and the move...I'll cry while Precious is at work).

Right now, Precious and I know that we will be flying to Cleveland on September 12 and coming back on September 16. We are hoping to be packed before we go. When we return, we will hopefully have a place to call home. Ideally, we will head back to Ohio and move our stuff. SO. MUCH. STUFF. (mostly mine). Precious will start his job around the 26th and then come back for the wedding.

So, wedding plans are coming along nicely--almost done. Pray that we find an nice yet affordable place to live in Akron and that we can find a church (we have a checklist people).

Prayer Monday - August 22, 2011

I know that I am a blog slacker, but so much has been going on in my life. My Precious got the job that he interviewed for and while I am freaking out a little about everything we have to get done in order to move and then wedding stuff on top of that, I'm really at peace. There are so many things that just scream, "Hey, God is smack dab in the middle of this!". 

When Precious decided to go back to school, he was intending to finish a major in Physics. However, he sort of stumbled upon the Center for Advanced Friction Studies at SIU (GOD) and ended up deciding that Mechanical Engineering was the way to go (that was the shortened version). Through this, he ended up gaining experience with carbon-carbon friction materials (the CAFS lab does research for F1 racing teams) and that was exactly what Meggitt (the company Precious will be working for) was needing. Apparently, it's difficult to find someone with this experience...once again - GOD! 

I lost my job at the end of the school year. They cut the music program in Cairo. (door closed) Nothing full-time was going to be open around us until January. So, this summer I have just been drawing unemployment and teaching part-time at the studio. Precious had a friend come and tell him about this job. The friend is not a US citizen and you have to be to work at Meggitt, so the friend puts Ronnie in touch with the job recruiter. (open door).

Precious and I have just been praying that God would close doors that need to be closed and open ones that need to be open - that He would make things so abundantly clear that we made no mistake in knowing that we were in HIS will. That happened after the interview. Precious flew to Ohio and interviewed on Tuesday of last week. They told him it would be this week sometime before they contacted him because they would need approval from the higher ups. We knew that he had a 50/50 shot - only 2 people were interviewed during the 2nd round. On Thursday - 2 days after the interview - Precious received an offer. Here's where it gets interesting. They offered him $2000 more a year than he had asked for. They offered a moving package that included flying Precious and I to Ohio for 3 days (accommodations and meals included) to find housing. The recruiter said that he has NEVER seen them offer to pay for the couple to come and find housing.

God, people. It's totally God. And it's abundantly clear that we are supposed to be serving in Ohio. Please pray for us as we attempt to find housing. Pray that it is as abundantly clear as everything else has been. We have to move everything before the wedding, so pray for Precious as he goes to live in Ohio and me as I stay here to finish up wedding plans.

Big Day

This guy has a BIG day tomorrow! Feel free to pray for God's will in our lives to be accomplished. Tomorrow could definitely change a lot of things in our lives.

  Good luck My Precious! You'll do great!

All Dressed Up

So, Precious let me take his picture and I must say...he cleans up really well! ;-)

I get to marry him!

An Interview and a Suit

Precious has a 2nd interview with a prospective employer. We are excited, scared, nervous...my emotions are all over the place. This is a BIG deal for us. It would require a BIG move (him before the wedding and me afterwards). We have prayed over this situation and it just seems like this is the direction God is leading, so we are preparing for whatever He has in store for us - taking life one day at a time.

I have to be honest, though, I had to have my "kid in the cereal aisle fit". You know what I'm talking about. Anytime something comes that I am not expecting, I have to have my spoiled rotten kid moment except mine ends up looking nasty like a kid in the cereal aisle who isn't getting the cereal that they want. Sad. I know. Don't judge me!

So, Precious had an interview a few weeks ago via Skype. It went well. I was really feeling like the move was a very good possibility. We waited for a call. It never came. I finally encouraged Precious to email and we are so glad he did. They had apparently been trying to contact him (or HR was supposed to have contacted him). Either way, contact was made and the 2nd interview will take place a little over a week from now. The company is paying all expenses for the interview. Everything just seems to be falling into place.

Yesterday we went shopping for a suit. Hopefully I can get him to put it on for a photo op before he goes. He looks super dapper in it! Somehow the suit just makes it more official. We are trusting God to continue opening doors that need to be opened and close the ones that need to be closed. Please pray for us as we approach this new chapter of our life together. A new job (a LONG way from home), a wedding, a move...it's a lot, but we want God's will and if He says "GO" then we will go.