Valentine's Day Happenings

Happy Day of Love, to you all!

Felt like I need to write an update. Many of you have been asking how things have been going and the job situations. Have a feeling this might be a little bit random.

It is a typical day here in Houston...that is, it would be if it were a weekDAY. But it's SATurday, (and also one of those little Holidays people like to celebrate!) So today feels completely strange. Not routine at all. I actually got up around 7:45 a.m. and went to work--tutoring--for 4 hours. It was my first Sat. to work, and I was originally scheduled for only 2 hours but then got the opportunity to cover for someone and get an extra 2 hours in. So, 9a-1p. I'll take the extra hours on Sat. every chance I can get, because Matt can be home. Today, however, soon after I got home, HE was out the door to go work at HIS job, getting things ready for tomorrow. He has lost so many "work hours" this week being with Noah in the afternoons that he had quite a lot left to do for tomorrow--Sundays are very busy in the world of ministry, as many of you know...here, it's Student Leadership team meeting at 9:30a, then his main speaking time at 10:15a, called The Edge, and then a sunday school type meeting at 11:35 called Parents 411. He had a little bit of each of them to finish up. (Er, a little bit of the Edge and All of the others, i think) I guess I'm a bit disappointed because after the BUSY week we've had of passing Noah back and forth and seeing each other only after (basically)10p each night, I thought we'd get to spend most of the day (afternoon and evening) together. But, again that's the kind of communication we've had going this week...not always exactly what you have planned.

As for Valentine's Day, well, we are not doing anything terribly romantic or alone tonight, because Babysitting is pretty hard to come by (and at premium pay!) for a day like this and we don't like to fight the crowds anyway. So we had decided to just go out NEXT weekend together to celebrate, since Matt was able to score us some Chris Tomlin tickets to the pretty much sold out concert here in town. It's a smaller venue and will be sooo cool. We are both NEEDING it! --Tonight, he just called to get my order for Chile's--he's picking it up curb side and then I rented "Fireproof" at the Redbox that we're going to watch after we get Noah settled in bed...(we'll see about that). Since we just got the Chile's GC in the mail, I think that tonight's festivities will basically cost us $2. We'll go out with a GC next week, too, and so it'll just be the cost of the tickets. Not bad.

Hope ya'll had great plans with your significant other/snuggly little kiddos/friends tonight.

And for the rest of the randomness...

1) We haven't reached any monumentous decisions on my working dilemna. I have cont. to look for jobs online everyday and have sent off my resume/apps to 4 or 5 every day for three weeks or so and have heard back from ZERO. So, at least for now, we're taking this as a sign to keep going in the direction we had planned: working at the tutoring place as much as we can balance and go for subbing a few times a week. My first full week of work has gone well--we're still working on the childcare end of that but next week looks to be better. I have finished my application for subbing--the online process and then all the paperwork only took me 4 HOURS or so! It was a ridiculously long app. Hopefully I will get a good amount of work from that before summer. Problem with that tho is that I don't begin for AT LEAST 3 more weeks, because I have to attend an all-day New Hire training, which happens to be on the 3rd of March--Noah's 2nd birthday. Not too thrilled about that but he'll be going to MDO anyway, and I should be able to take that evening off. If I don't go then I'd have to wait another whole month. So I guess that's a decision made for me!

2) Noah's 2nd Birthday is fast approaching! It is in the middle of the week, so we will probably go to dinner somewhere with a play place that night, like ChickFilet, and then celebrate with a VERY small party that weekend. Carrie is flying in on Friday to spend her spring break with us, so maybe we'll go to the zoo that Sat. I have to talk to Matt about it still. BTW, if anyone is thinking they want to send Noah toys for his birthday, please try to refrain! Unless you've already bought something...books and shirt size 4T--yes i did just say that, his 3Ts are too short--would be better received! We are soooo out of room for toys of any kind right now!

3) Church things are going well. Just busy. We started our new Life Group (small group) last Sunday and think we will enjoy the group we've been placed with. Most of the couples are older than us, signicantly, but there is one other couple our age (Matt puts US "in our 30s"!) and one right at 40. There is a little girl Noah's age and several kids/teens who hopefully will be able to play with N and keep him busy while we meet. Youth group things are settling down to a normal weekly pace. The Friday night Event was down in attendance a bit this week, due to the rain probably (skateboarders were mostly absent) but Matt's scheduling some bands to play on upcoming nights so that should pick up again. There's been around 90 each night since we've been here. Sunday attendance is a strong 50, and Matt is doing a good job leading the kids thru basic habits of the faith. We've heard good responses from parents, saying teens are coming home talking good things. So that is encouraging.

4) We met with a realtor from the church this week to officially begin our housing search. He's a guy our age and seems really great. We had a good initial meeting with him, despite the fact that we most recently broke like 4 out of 10 of his "ten commandments for financing a house"...that is a bit discouraging...but we know that if this move was truly God's leading for us, then He will cont. to make a way for us ...when there seems to be no way! We'll look at meeting with financial people this next week, if we can find the time. Keep your fingers crossed--or pray, rather--that the gov. and banks have/find favor with us. Because we need it!

5) Finally, last thought on my mind tonight--Noah has been enjoying going to "school" and church much more the last week and a half/2 weeks. No more crying or desperately hanging on to my leg when I drop him off--in fact, the trick seems to be letting HIM walk down the long hallway by himself, instead of letting him be carried all the way from car to door. I did this previously to keep him from running straight to the playground, then having a fit because he can't go there yet...but if we park on the other side of the church it's been better. He talks about his new friends Eeeee-than and Neeeeeeely all the time now. We DID have a pretty rotten night dropping him off at the Friday night babysitting (during the teen night) last night---a total meltdown/tamtrum on the floor in front of 20 people, but I hope this to be an isolated event. I think we're on the up and up. I got to buy Valentines for his first little Valentine's day party at Mother's Day Out on Thurs.--they had pizza, valentine's card baggies, candy, and all. It was quite cute, even for a nearly 2 year old who had no idea what it was about. And this, my first Valentine from Noah, will be kept for years to come...