It has been some time, hasn't it? I'm so very sorry to those of you who check in on me/us. There's been so much happening and so many plans that we're making, and unfortunately for practicality purposes, I can't post what those plans are on the internet until all the details are ironed out... So I was avoiding writing anything at all, for fear that I'd continuously sound like a braggadocios jerk.... "oh look at me! so much is happening... I'm so excited!! but I can't tell you anything" seemed so.. RUDE.
Well..... Unfortunately, I'm about to be rude again. *shrugs* Not much I can do about it. I'd hoped by now that I could put everything out in the open, but there seem to constantly be little hitches that become giant roadblocks with our plans, and we're backed up another few weeks. Trust me, as soon as all the details are in place and set, I will be shouting our news from the mountain tops!!!.... ok.... Facebook, at least (honestly... me climb a mountain?? pfft, yeah right!).
So, onto the things I CAN discuss. Well. My job has ended. I had a fabulous time with it, and I enjoyed the kiddos SO very much. I had one or two I definitely could've done without, but I just kept reminding myself that I needed to be Jesus in their life, and tried to love them as best I could. Sometimes it meant loving them through structure and discipline (which oddly enough, got a not-so-bad reaction), and other times it meant loving them from a distance and asking for help from outside sources. My second grade boys had my heart from day one, for sure and certain. I miss those guys more than any of the other groups, with the only possible except being my kinder kids. When people found out that my jobs was over, some wondered if I had been fired or what... Essentially, I quit. The part I hired on for was a 12 week reading intervention program. I went in knowing there was a chance for more work after the 12 weeks were up, but that I didn't have to continue with it. I primarily got the job to pay down Frank's student loan... Mission accomplished there, and with the plans we have in the works, I couldn't tie myself down or commit myself to doing something that I couldn't get out of. (By the by, Frank's student loan has gone from over $8,000 in November to less than $3,000 as of this week.... So I did what I could to help knock it out.) So when it came down to the last couple weeks of interventions, I kindly let my wonderful supervisor know that I wouldn't be continuing. She understood completely, and is happy and hopeful for us with our plans (I did explain to her what we're working on). So last Thursday was my final day on the job. :) It went well too. I only had one class all week last week, and it was a reading class. Throughout the course of this class, we read a book called A Single Shard (not a bad book, but not one I'd waste my time reading, personally) and discussed the dilemmas the main character faced. Well, the book was worth a total of 6 points on the AR (advanced reading) scale for the students, and that's actually quite a lot of points for one book. So when class was over, we set aside enough time to go over the sample test for the book, and the students answered the questions on the test together. They came out with a 100 on the sample test, so I'm hoping they did just as well on the real test (I won't ever know, because I can't go back into the schools... *insert sad face*).
Right now, I'm not feeling too swift. Frank had some junk over the weekend... he ran a flight fever one day, and then had a cough and congestion and felt generally achey. I thought maybe I'd avoided the whole mess.... outside of being tired, I didn't feel too off. Today however, that all changed. I feel like I got run over by a freight train. I can't breathe out of one side of my nose, my lip is split (in two places, since I sliced it last night with a dental floss pick.... yeah, laugh. Frank did too) from breathing through my mouth so much, and I just feel achey in all my joints, specifically my neck, shoulders, and hip. We were over at my friend Angela's house (the one with 7 kids... ooh, I should update that, too) last week, and she had quite a few sick kiddos. We were there Thursday, and then Saturday (well, Friday night) Frank started feeling yucky. Just got a text from her (she braved the doctor with all 7 kids..... BRAVE woman!) that her kiddos have flu type B... Happy happy happy, huh?? Anyways, really hoping that's not what we picked up.
Ok, so the update on my friend, Angela. February 12th, her mother (that she had been so lovingly and sacrificially taking care of in her home) went to be with the Lord. It was hard and it was a blessing, all at the same time. Oh! Big God story there. Before her mom had gotten really bad, they had gone to the funeral home to take care of all the details. They were under the assumption they had all the fees paid and everything ready. Well, the Thursday she met with the funeral home they informed her that there was still something like a $2700 balance outstanding (the apparent fee to both dig and cover the grave.... ridiculous, no?) and if it wasn't paid in full by Monday, the funeral and burial wouldn't take place. Horrible thing to say to a grieving family, right?? Well. There was no way Angela or any of her siblings could come up with that amount, and there weren't many people they knew who could give them that kind of money either. So we prayed. Now, not a lot of people knew what was going on. There were less than maybe 12 total, including her family members and close friends..... and none of us could afford it. Friday evening, just before 5 o'clock, she received a call from the funeral home saying that someone had stopped in and anonymously paid the balance in full. Now, you tell me what you make of that.... I personally think there is no other way to explain it but God. Anyways, the service was actually really beautiful. All of the grandchildren were on stage and sang her favorite hymn, and Angela gave a beautiful eulogy. Frank and I sat with the family to help with the 8 children during that time. It was emotional all the way around. It was the first funeral Frank had been to since his Gram had passed, almost a year to the day. God is healing Angela and is apparently giving her a lot of things to keep her mind busy (as evidenced by 6 out of 7 kids with the flu!), and she's doing much better nowadays. If you're reading this and you're a praying person, say a prayer for their family please. They could really use it.
And that's about all there is to say. Job's over, I can't breathe, and Angela lost her mom. Yup. That about covers it! Heh. Hopefully there will be more to write about soon, though. Keep your eyes peeled. Who knows when it will work out.....
