Never done that before...

I started a new job last week - and called this morning to give my two weeks' notice. It felt very strange - I've never, EVER quit something that abruptly. I think the only other times I've ever quit a job were because of moving out of town or starting YoungLives! Most of the other jobs I've had have ended before I did. :-) Kidz Own PlayZone shut down because of money issues, the tutoring center closed because of money issues, summer jobs were usually just seasonal, etc. Maybe I did quit Wendy's... but I only worked there to raise money for a missions trip, and then I didn't need it any more.

Anyways - this job involved going to two different schools for two hours each before school and after school, four days a week. Between the commute, getting Bethany ready for a baby-sitter (or for Daddy), staff meetings, and extra classes that they wanted us to take, it was a much bigger time committment than I was ready for. Plus, it was really hard on Bethany to have Mommy coming in and out twice a day every day.

I did get my teaching license in the mail (after one and a half weeks, not eight like they said), and because of this teaching job, I had the connections to also be able to sign up to become a substitute teacher. I think I got about five subbing calls over the weekend, so I'm pretty sure that I'll be able to sub once or twice a week (or even half-days). Plus, the pay is better for subbing - I'll actually earn almost the same amount by subbing one day a week than I would have earned by working before and after school four days a week. And if I have a rough class, at least I only have to be there for a day! I have never had any desire to be a substitute teacher, but right now it's sounding pretty good. :-)

In other news, Bethany has started saying her own name (Bet-doddy), and she LOVES to mimic me when I say "Okay" or "Just a minute". She's starting to understand bigger concepts, too, like "heavy" and "loud" and dark/light. Todd and I have been pointing out colors and counting objects with her, and she's just about got "yellow" down. Sometimes we overhear her "counting" to herself (wuh, doo...). I think she's a 16-month old genius. ;-)

Todd is in his "Reading Weeks" now - two weeks of no classes, but lots of studying. It's a nice change of pace, but we'll see how it goes trying to study full-time with no set structure or schedule. Classes provide a nice "finish line" each day where you know that everything needs to be ready to discuss/turn in.

No pictures this time, but one of my neighbors did just post some picture of our Seminary Village "Fall Festival" yesterday on facebook. There a couple cute ones of Bethany in there!

Fall, winter, and other changing seasons...

A few pictures from our brief fall...

Bethany and her friend Maddie

My little explorer - has stick, will travel... into the marsh!

Hello, winter!

Bethany's first real snow experience. She looked a lot like the little brother in

Christmas Story when she tried to walk in the snow!

"Wheee!"

Yes, winter came much earlier this year than it has in the past 20 years! We don't mind though... yet. In March we may not be so happy that winter has lasted for 6 months!

Bethany is completely fascinated with "Noni" (Noah), the 4 year old who lives down the hall. She asks about him pretty much every day, and races for a hug when he comes to visit. We'll have to get a picture up soon... she's over-the-top excited about him! Bethany likes to play with his little sister, 2 year old Taylor, too, but she especially likes to play with her toys. ;-)

I had an interview for a part-time job helping to teach at a program for elementary age ESL students, so I'm waiting to hear back about that. The hours would work well with Todd's schedule, and it's nearby, so those are both pluses.

I've been getting more and more discouraged about having so little monthly income... I knew it would be a shock to go from two incomes to one part-time income, but I guess I didn't realize how frustrating it would be to not have the security of a stable income. Welcome to the real world, Rebecca! We've been so blessed - so much more than even many Americans are. 

The community here is just incredible, the classes are relevant and interesting to Todd, Bethany is having a blast, and we're making and growing lots of new friendships. If it weren't for the gnawing "Where is the money going to come from? But I don't WANT it to come out of our savings!" in the back (or front) of my mind, this would be like heaven.

So why do I let this bother me so much? Why can't I just relax and be comfortable knowing that God provided us with a scholarship to pay for tuition and the ability/savings to go without a big income?
Todd and I did some personality/emotional assessments during orientation week, and we went to our first "interpretation" of those assessments with a clinical psychologist this morning. It was great - she helped us to see our personal strengths/weaknesses, how they relate to each other, and how they relate to future ministry. But one thing that it revealed was my high anxiety level and Todd's very low anxiety level. He is so calm in the face of stress, and I freak out a little too much. So I can just keep reassuring myself that my tendency is to overreact... so it's not as bad as it seems.

Plus, God ironically placed a devotional in yesterday's Daily Bread that I'm sure was just put there for me. Check out your Daily Bread - it's probably not there in yours. :-) Anyway, the point was that although we don't need to be thankful FOR everything, we should be thankful IN every circumstance, because God is always behind the scenes to work things out for good. "Giving thanks in difficult circumstances is a small detail that makes a big difference." I'm trying. We really have SOO much to be thankful for, and nothing to worry about. (The only thing "difficult" about this circumstance is my own stubbornness in wanting even more financial security than we already have). There's a thankful seed that I need to just keep watering...

Rainy here...

This wet weather makes me feel like I'm back home in Pittsburgh! That combined with the gorgeous trees changing color all over campus... I really don't feel too far away.

Mom & Dad and Ben came to visit last weekend, and I have to admit that I cried when they left. When Bethany saw "Nana", she reached for her and gave her the biggest, longest hug ever! Then she just sat in her lap and cuddled... which is NOT normal for my very wiggly child. It makes me so sad that Bethany can't go over to Nana and Papa's house every week for dinner or just for some playtime. But it sure was nice to have them here for three whole days! We toured the Mall of America, ate out, showed them around campus, watched home videos, and even played some frisbee golf. It was a GREAT weekend.

I took my completed application over to the Minnesota Department of Education today, and they said it would be 6-8 weeks before I get my certification. I can't even substitute until I get that piece of paper, so I'm back to looking for other options for the next month or two. Todd had an interview at a temp agency last week, and he is now on their roster - but they told him to keep looking on his own as well, since they can't guarantee what openings they'll have.

I also talked to the Young Life Regional Director up here, and he definitely sounded interested in getting YoungLives going. There is only one YoungLives in the whole region right now, and that one is about an hour away from me. The only catch is that YoungLives only pays if I raise the money... which also takes time. But I can't stop noticing teen moms everywhere I go, which tells me that this ministry is still definitely on my heart!!

Let's see... in other news, this past Sunday we drove 40 minutes to see our friend Nick lead worship at his (huge) church, but we were ten minutes late - and we missed the worship! They had so much else going during the service that they had had to cut worship down to 12 minutes. Hehehe... we couldn't believe it. Anyway, Nick's going to get us a copy of the worship, and we got to have lunch nearby with Todd's grandma, so it was still a great day. :-)

Todd is studying a lot now for classes, but it is SOO nice to have him home so much! Even though he is studying, he's still here, and we can talk and eat lunch together, and he can take his homework and Bethany down to the playground. I know that farther on into the quarter he will be busier than he is now, so I'm just enjoying the low stress levels for now.