Happy New Year From the Newly Weds!

Happy New Year Everybody!

We hope 2010 is a great year for all of you. Just a few highlights from 2009:

May
-Andy graduated from UW-EC with his B.A. in Psychology
-We got MARRIED! :D

June
-Hannah started full time as a nanny for an amazing family! They were such a blessing, and I miss those kiddos so much!
-Andy's best friend got married- it was so much fun seeing college friends and being able to share in their special day!

July/August/September
-The never-ending job search began for both Andy and I. I was looking for a part-time job, and Andy was looking for ONE full time job. This time was extremely stretching for us, but through it, our reliance on and trust in God grew, and our relationship continued to strengthen.
-Hannah got to visit some family in Ohio- the road trip with my sister, R was really great, and it was so much fun to be able to spend a weekend with my sister, brother-in-law, and nieces. It was sooooo much fun!

October/November
-Hannah got a job! It has been an amazing blessing for us, and I thoroughly LOVE my job! God's timing and providence was perfect....as always.

December
-Andy got a job! And, as of today, a promotion to supervisor!
-Hannah teamed up with the Creative Arts staff at church and helped with the Christmas Pageant. It was so much fun to watch the little kids be little kids. One of my favorite parts was during rehearsal when my "niece" M, decided to walk on stage and entertain us by singing "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star", complete with hand motions. Too cute!

We have been so blessed by our time with family and friends this holiday season. Hannah is enjoying the break from school, and is eagerly anticipating graduation on May 22, 2010! Andy loves his job, and enjoys not working three jobs. :) We love being married and seeing how God works in and through us. I have an amazing husband who spoils me, and even though I don't think I spoil him nearly enough, he might have something different to say about that.

Happy New Year!

waaaaay overdue update!

Sorry for the delay in posting!

I'm loving my new job and school is going really well- there's only one week left of classes and then it's finals! I can't wait for the semester to be over- I am beyond excited to graduate in May! :) Andy started his new job on Tuesday- he is a security officer at the Oakwood mall in Eau Claire. We're really thankful to both have full time jobs, and that both of our jobs utilize and stretch our strengths. A lot of you have been asking what exactly my job is so....I will attempt to provide an accurate description. :)

1. I am a firefighter...not really, but some days it feels like I am continuously calming ruffled feathers from impatient, and sometimes rightfully upset customers.

2. Our company puts on seminars mainly for lawyers and accountants. Lawyers and accountants need to attend so many classes within a two-year period to renew and keep their licenses.

3. It is my responsibility to mail out certificates verifying attendance at the seminar, reporting the attendance to state boards, and to also keep our records updated.

4. I also schedule and instruct coordinators for these events.

I do some other random things, but above is a brief summary of my position requirements. I love this job and the people I work with. Unfortunately, we have been put in a very rough situation, and are attempting to clean up a very large and tangled mess. All and any prayers would be appreciated for us to meet the December 31 deadline for all of our reporting...right now, it seriously looks like it will take a miracle for that to happen.

Over the semester, I have been going through Romans 6-8 with a dear friend. We have both learned so much, and have grown a lot closer to each other and God. I am excited for her, because next semester she gets to study abroad in Greece, but I'm also sad because I will miss our weekly discussions and time together. Have fun in Greece, Steph, and know I will miss you lots!

We had a WONDERFUL Thanksgiving! We were able to share the holiday with a lot of family, and were greatly blessed by this time. My aunt and uncle came to town Thanksgiving day, and treated us to a Thanksgiving buffet. It was so great to see them and be able to spend quality time with them. Later that night, Andy's dad came to stay with us for a couple of days. We deeply love Jerry and so enjoy spending time with him. On Friday, we were able to go up to my family for the afternoon/early evening. It was really great to see my siblings again and be able to semi-catch up with them over the day. It was bittersweet to see my parents and siblings for such a short time, but it was still great nonetheless. We had surprise visitors at my parents, and I was able to see my aunt and uncle from IL! We hardly ever get to see them, and it was such a treat to briefly catch up. As I said, we were extremely blessed by all of the family we were able to spend time with! :)

For Christmas, we will be able to see Andy's brother and sister-in-law for a couple of days, as well as his dad and some extended family. Q & C live in SC, so it is not often that we get to see them! We are EXTREMELY excited to be able to spend some time with them!

On Friday, our women's ministry is putting on a Christmas celebration at church. I am super excited for this, and hope a lot of women from all generation come! I'll have to let you know how it goes after the semester is over. :)

I feel bad because whenever I blog, I don't write a lot about Andy, but he is doing well, and is enjoying his new job. We are both constantly praying for God to reveal His will to us and to keep our hearts moldable. We do not know what the future holds for us, if we will stay in Eau Claire, WI or if we will move to who knows where, but our hearts are ready and willing to do God's will. For now, we are striving to serve God and bring Him glory throughout our daily lives. Please join us in praying for God to continue to guide our lives.

Blessings!

A list of blessings since the last post:

1. YAY FOR HANNAH GETTING A JOB!!!!!!! :)
2. YAY FOR ANDY GETTING A FULL-TIME JOB!!!!!! :)
3. School is almost over for the semester
4. I'm connecting more and more with women at our church
5. We love our small group on Financial Peace!
6. Thanksgiving is ALMOST here! I can't wait to see family! :)
7. We're going strong with not eating sugar
8. We have both been extremely blessed through seeing our chiropractor
9. A friend and I have been learning so MUCH through our study on Romans
10. THE WEATHER HAS BEEN AMAZING!

Sorry it's so short...more to come later! :)

How to Comment!

Hello Readers!

I'm not giving a tutorial on giving comments as a hint to comment, but it has come to my attention that some of my readers (I LOVE SAYING THAT!) don't comment because they either don't know they can and/or don't know how. Receiving commnents are really encouraging because it tells me that I'm not just typing my thoughts into cyberspace and that people actually read this stuff. ;)

Steps to Commenting
1. read the post
2. at the end of the post there is a link that looks like this: 0 comments (sometimes the number is greater than 0, but so far it really is 0 comments)- click on this link!
3. there is a box entitled "leave your comment". Write in this box
4. there is a rectangular box with random characters above it. In the rectangular box, type in the characters above it
5. Choose the ID that best represents you. If you have a google account, sign in to leave a comment. If not, click "anonymous", and be sure to write your name in the comment box so I know who you are!
6. Click "publish your comment"
7. Yay for commenting!

I hope this was helpful!

Overdue Update!

Sorry for the delay in posting! The last two weeks have been nuts with school and job searching! An update on the job search:

Andy: We received a letter in the mail saying that there are not enough positions available at this time to offer a training class for the Correctional Officer position. Frustrating at first, but comforting knowing that God has a plan for us, and right now that isn't part of it. Andy's been on the hunt for a full-time position, but in the mean time, he's picking up a paper route. Thank you, husband for how hard you work to meet our needs!

Hannah: Well, this week started off with a rejection e-mail from a retail store for a seasonal position...I just had to laugh. Somehow, I was unqualified for a seasonal position at a retail store...I said to myself "I have reached the epitomy of my job search! This is so ridiculous, it's hilarious!" However, I received a call from a company I had interviewed at for a secretarial position on Tuesday. They called to ask if I'd be interested in meeting with them to discuss a full-time position opportunity within their company. Um YES?! Based off my original interview, they are confident I would be able to fulfill the duties of the position within 25-30 hours. We're having a lunch meeting at noon on Monday, so please be praying!

I have a cool verse/passage to share, but I'm in class right now (sneaky, I know!) so I'll have to share later!

Have a great Thursday! :)

Despite Chaos.....

Hello my Faithful Readers!

Wow-ca-zow. The last week or so has been NUTS! Ups and downs have been quite extreme, but through it all, God's peace remains. Between finding out again that a job I interviewed for has already been filled to experience complete restoration in a rocky relationship, this last week has been full of surprises! I've been challenged to put into practice the well-known verse "do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:6-7. However, as I was looking at this passage today, I was looking at verse 5. "Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near."

Wow. Despite my circumstances, I need to be a bright, shining light of gentleness. I love the concept of gentleness. Sometimes, we mistakenly equalize "gentleness" with timidness or weak-minded. But having a gentle spirit during a trying time requires a vast amount of strength that only comes from the Lord. I have been challenged to live this way despite our financial situation, how demanding school is for me, or work for Andy, despite sickness or sorrow....I am to let my gentleness be evident to all.

Thanks you Jesus for Your Word!

Happy Monday!

Laughable moment: I made a to-do list last night, and couldn't find it this morning. Pure ridiculousness!

Okay...I think I'm one of those weird people who actually LIKES Mondays. I think I see it as a challenge to have a postivie outlook and influence on the commonly dreaded day of the week. Sometimes I worry about myself- I get a weird high off of realizing I've conquered "the mondays"...I'm joyful and in awe/appreciation of my surroundings....it's a pretty sweet feeling!

Update on Andy: He's been in the process of applying for a Correctional Officer postion through the state of WI. We really believe God has His hand on this situation. Andy did really well throughout all phases of the interview, and was expecting a phone call on Friday about whether or not he wouold be placed. But, the state has decided to postpone the hiring process until the end of October. Kind of disappointing, but like I previously stated, God has His hand on our lives, and we know that nothing is out of His control.

Update on Hannah: I'm close the the middle of my last fall semester at UW-Eau Claire! HALLELUJAH! I'm so thankful and excited to be so close to having my BA in Public Communication! And, here is the question I've been asked a thousand times a week since starting this semester: What are you going to do after graduation? Well, I'm so glad you asked! Here is my current answer (please note, I have every right to change my mind/realize this may or may not be what God has planned): apply for my substitute teaching license to use in the Eau Claire Area School District unless I find a full time position somewhere else. Secondly, I'm praying through this idea, but feel lead to just put it out there (please be nice...I'm being REALLY vulnerable) I want to go into women's ministry and Biblically counsel women one-on-one. I also plan to pursue becoming a conference speaker. Please join me in prayer, as I am starting to think this might be "IT"...what I was created to do.....so exciting! :)

Alrighty, well that's probably enough updating for everyone...I wish you all a very happy Monday! :)