It's been quite a while since I've sat down to write. The past several months have been, um, busy to say the least! Let me bring you up to speed:
Brad is just about to finish up his first year as a full time PhD student. Last semester went pretty well as we settled in. He was able to manage his time well between classes, homework, teaching (just one class) and a family...all while dealing with a headache that lasted almost 3 months! Thanks to a lot of prayer and some quality chiropractic care, the headache finally went away and he was able to end his semester on a positive note. This semester he had a great opportunity to work on a research team and has really enjoyed trying something new. Teaching comes easily for him and he has a lot of experience so it was great to get experience on the research side. The course work has been a bit more demanding and our time has been stretched pretty thin. It's been a struggle for us to keep juggling everything, work, school, kids, etc., but we are finally at the end of the semester. He is going to be jumping right into a summer class though so we'll see how that goes.
When we decided to take all of this on, we tried very hard to not assume we knew how it all would go. This year has been great with each of us stepping into new roles but as we have gotten closer to the end of the first year we had to re-evaluate what was in store for the next year. I have been working since August in the corporate world but only as an external employee. My job is not guaranteed to last forever and their have been no signs of a position in my immediate area to open up. Financially, this is a bit of a struggle. We were able to make our resources work for us this year but without me getting a better paying full time job, Brad being a full time student wasn't going to be the best option. After prayer and encouragement from our small group one night, we happened to notice a couple of teaching positions open in the local school district. Brad decided to apply and was quickly interviewed and offered a position! So, we are changing things up again! Starting in the fall he will go back to being a part time student and a full time teacher! I'm not entirely certain what my future holds yet. I may return to being home full time with the kids or I may seek other opportunities. We felt like this was the best decision for our family right now. It is our desire to get through this without taking on a load of debts. The steady income will give us more financial freedom. Brad is also very excited to return to the classroom and see what it's like in a different district.
On top of everything else going on this year, we've also had the opportunity to be a part of a church planting team. Bringing The Vineyard with us has been amazing! It's so hard to start over in a new community and have to go "church shopping". We feel very blessed that we've been able to be able to move into a new community and have something to offer. Our church officially launched weekly services in March. It has been so great to have a community of friends while adjusting to a new place and it just gives us a bigger purpose to be here.
This is a lot of stuff to unpack all at once! To those who follow along, so sorry for the long time no update. This season of life has been an adjustment and every time I wanted to sit down and write out my thoughts I ended up feeling too tired to do it!. God has been so good to us on this journey. We are learning more and more to follow His lead and not be stuck in what we think things should look like. We are taking this all year by year or maybe even just day by day! Our goal is to enjoy the journey and not be in a rush for what's next...but be present in the right now.
Brad is just about to finish up his first year as a full time PhD student. Last semester went pretty well as we settled in. He was able to manage his time well between classes, homework, teaching (just one class) and a family...all while dealing with a headache that lasted almost 3 months! Thanks to a lot of prayer and some quality chiropractic care, the headache finally went away and he was able to end his semester on a positive note. This semester he had a great opportunity to work on a research team and has really enjoyed trying something new. Teaching comes easily for him and he has a lot of experience so it was great to get experience on the research side. The course work has been a bit more demanding and our time has been stretched pretty thin. It's been a struggle for us to keep juggling everything, work, school, kids, etc., but we are finally at the end of the semester. He is going to be jumping right into a summer class though so we'll see how that goes.
When we decided to take all of this on, we tried very hard to not assume we knew how it all would go. This year has been great with each of us stepping into new roles but as we have gotten closer to the end of the first year we had to re-evaluate what was in store for the next year. I have been working since August in the corporate world but only as an external employee. My job is not guaranteed to last forever and their have been no signs of a position in my immediate area to open up. Financially, this is a bit of a struggle. We were able to make our resources work for us this year but without me getting a better paying full time job, Brad being a full time student wasn't going to be the best option. After prayer and encouragement from our small group one night, we happened to notice a couple of teaching positions open in the local school district. Brad decided to apply and was quickly interviewed and offered a position! So, we are changing things up again! Starting in the fall he will go back to being a part time student and a full time teacher! I'm not entirely certain what my future holds yet. I may return to being home full time with the kids or I may seek other opportunities. We felt like this was the best decision for our family right now. It is our desire to get through this without taking on a load of debts. The steady income will give us more financial freedom. Brad is also very excited to return to the classroom and see what it's like in a different district.
On top of everything else going on this year, we've also had the opportunity to be a part of a church planting team. Bringing The Vineyard with us has been amazing! It's so hard to start over in a new community and have to go "church shopping". We feel very blessed that we've been able to be able to move into a new community and have something to offer. Our church officially launched weekly services in March. It has been so great to have a community of friends while adjusting to a new place and it just gives us a bigger purpose to be here.
This is a lot of stuff to unpack all at once! To those who follow along, so sorry for the long time no update. This season of life has been an adjustment and every time I wanted to sit down and write out my thoughts I ended up feeling too tired to do it!. God has been so good to us on this journey. We are learning more and more to follow His lead and not be stuck in what we think things should look like. We are taking this all year by year or maybe even just day by day! Our goal is to enjoy the journey and not be in a rush for what's next...but be present in the right now.
When you moved you had to rush intofinding a job. You didnt have a chance to soul search and pray and think about what career would give you fullfillment. Maybe this new change is Gods way of giving you the time to do that as well as spend time with your kids. They wont be little forever. Sometimes it just takes a lot of time and thought and prayer to figure out where you should be in life. Believe me, I know. The same goes for Brad. As brilliant as he is no doubt he couldve gone through the program straight through but now he has a chance to slow down, take his time and really do it right, not to mention gain more knowledge and experiences with his new position. You have all been blessed with your move to Bloomington. Is it any wonder God sent you to where you can still be a part of your church and help it grow with friends you already have and new friends you've made? We know he has a plan for us but we dont always know what his time frame is. You're both still young and have many experiences ahead of you. Take some advice from you're older sister who has always had to come the long way around. Tell Brad to enjoy his learning and teaching. You can once again enjoy being a full time mom. In the mean time, use that time to picture yourself 10 years or so from now. When your kids are starting to figure out lives of their own. What do you see for yourself that gives you purpose, fullfilment and makes you happy. It may take time, there may be other random jobs or even schooling in that time. Who knows. This is your time to soul search and above all have a little chat with God. Keep praying and trust that he'll set you on the right path. He did for me, he has for Brad and he will for you too.
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