slackers

Ok so we've been slacking off on the whole updating thing besides my photography, so I thought I'd fill you all in.

David is still working at Nationwide, same job. He wasn't selected in the initial wave of applicants for the other job he would like to get, so he'll be reapplying in the first quarter. We're trying to look toward our future including David's journey through different Nationwide positions, he's hoping to go to commercial underwriting to get some experience, then move on to field underwriting, and eventually some sort of consulting job (he can tell you more about this), and finally he'd like to have his own consulting firm one day. We're thinking next year that he could start on his Masters degree in Industrial Organizational Psychology through Kansas State University, which can be partly paid for by work. We're excited about the excellent job David does already and I can't wait to see what more he does as he gets experienced.

I am graduating in about a week or so. I don't plan to go to the ceremony (BO-ring) but I'm hoping to share my joy in bits and pieces on the road with family when David and I are on vacation next week. So the story is that I will have my Masters in Education & Education Specialist Degrees in Counselor Education for both the Marriage & Family and Mental Health Counseling tracks. Next up for me is finding a job to start preferably in January so I can start working toward licensure and paying back the government for loaning me money to get through school! I'm looking in Gainesville right now. David and I were definitely set on Colorado for a while, but so far, it hasn't been extending its hand to us, so we're just keeping our feet here for now unless God shows us something else.

We're pretty satisfied in the house we're in. It's a good deal for a detached home (aka not sharing walls with other renters) and a fenced in yard. We love this part of town and even though the place isn't fancy by far, we may stay here another year or so. We'll know more once job situations start falling into place.

I've definitely moved into doing more photography even a little bit for hire. It's very exciting and I'm hoping that it will continue to take off. I quite enjoy the process and the fun of capturing life in action. I'm just now editing some photos I took of my friend Alan's art. He's going to be selling some online in the future and will need photos to advertise it. Check out his website at www.alansfolkartrevival.com

It just started to rain, so I better let the dogs in. Ok, they are frisky and only slightly wet. Now they are convinced a big bad criminal is outside and are patrolling the windows on the front of the house. Vera has to stand on her tippy toes to see as high as the other dogs. I grew some mustard greens (Florida Broadleaf) for Killian and it turns out that all the buddies like them. We have sooo much of it, it's ridiculous! I can bring some up to GA if you want! Don't know how they keep... Anyway, my garden is winding down a bit but I think I'm going to plant me some red potatoes and maybe something else... definitely more green peas. I need to eat the ones we just picked the other day. I'm really bad with vegetables like that, I tend to buy them or grow them in this case, and then I don't eat them and they go bad. That's why frozen veggies are the bomb!

So, the itinerary for our vacation & family trip is as follows:

Saturday, December 8th
6am depart Gainesville, FL
10am potty break/lunch in Savannah (you NEED to know!)
3pm arrive in Lake Wylie, SC
hang out with Joyce, visit Daddy in the hospital

Tuesday, December 11th
2pm depart Lake Wylie, SC
4pm arrive Columbia, SC, putz around until we can chill with Daniel & Mary K

Thursday, December 13th
6pm depart Columbia, SC
8pm arrive Augusta, GA at Aunt Dianne & Uncle Jimmy's (they offered us beds, sweet!)
hang out with the fam

Friday-Saturday Augusta & Hephzibah
sign up to hang out with David and Jemma! ;-)

Sunday, December 16th
1pm depart Augusta, GA
7pm arrive Gainesville, FL

prayer request follow ups
*Daddy is still in the hospital and it's looking like he'll be needing a liver transplant and possibly a kidney transplant as well. He's getting better but has a ways to go before he can come home. Please continue to pray for him.
*Tara found out that her brother is a match for bone marrow transplants when the time for that arrives, so that is definitely a praise!