kleenex mountains

Last week Jeremiah and I went to playgroup and there was another baby Jeremiah's age there who was sick. Jeremiah and this baby played together and most likely slobbered on the same toys since they are both in that phase. Two days later Jeremiah got sick. One day later, after holding the sick child, I was sick. Now it has been five days and Jeremiah is finally getting over it and I am hoping for an end to the stuffy nose and the coughing fits.

Though it is sad when Jeremiah gets sick it is cute as well. Sickness is the only time he will slow down enough to be held and cuddled with and when he is sick all he wants is to be cuddled. That is why my mom and dad are now getting sick as well. They couldn't resist his little sicky eyes and runny nose. My sister is also sick because she made the mistake, I mean choice, to come over here and then my mom kept telling her that Jeremiah wanted her to play with him. So sickness abounds around here and hopefully will end soon.

On another note we finally heard back from Indonesia after two long weeks of waiting. The verdict...keep waiting. They said that they really liked Evan's application, references, and interview but they had to give the economics position to another candidate who was more qualified. But they also said that they would love (actual word used) to have Evan as part of their team. The principal was going to look into a couple more possible positions at the other campuses so we shall see. We are hoping to hear back tonight. I know that it boosted Evan's self esteem to have them really trying to find a place for him because they want him to come. Since we are married and are a team, even though I will not be teaching I feel like their acceptance or rejection of Evan is an acceptance or rejection of me as well.

We both really want to go...to have a little bit (or a lot) of adventure, but it is also incredibly scary. Knowing soon would be nice, things here are getting a bit tense.

Many mouths to feed

The other day we saw another show with the Duggars a Christian family with 17 children. The show we were watching was an earlier one called "Raising 16 Children." Every time we watch one of these shows we get fascinated with the family and Evan does all the Google research he can to find out more about them.

There are a lot of people who disagree with the fact that they have so many children, but really what right do you have to say that they should or shouldn't? It is their life. Their children seem happy, well mannered, and well provided for. They live debt free for goodness sake! Shows like this make me think of our possible future of who knows how many children. Our philosophy on birth control and how children are a blessing is very similar to the Duggars. To us they are an inspiration.

One of the things people like to point out is that having so many children is bad for the kids because they don't get enough attention or one-on-one time with their parents. I don't like that reasoning at all. In America, even families with only two children are not guaranteed time and attention. There are many families where both parents work and the kid is in daycare. I think that whether you have 17 kids or two it all depends on how you raise them.

I only have one sister and growing up I was lonely. I don't have a huge bond to either of my parents and my sister and I are very different. As a young adult I don't remember my mom ever coming into my room and having deep meaningful conversations with me. My parents were always there for me in the ways that they should be, but to this day my parents still miss out on a huge chunk of my life because we don't have the relational part of our relationship down. So despite the fact that we only have two kids in my family there are still many things missing.

Anyway, I think I kind of got off topic and opened my heart a bit much. That is all for now. I just really appreciate these families who stand unafraid against a society that does not agree with their lifestyle. Plus all 17 kids have names that start with "J" crazy huh?

God and His sense of humor

I have to love God and His sense of humor. The day I posted my previous post I was at the end of my patience when it came to waiting for direction. I just needed something to happen...anything! I blogged about my frustration and by the end of the day two of my frustration blockades had been torn down.

1. Evan got his substitute license.
2. Evan received a time for an interview.

I was a little bit ashamed at the end of the day that I had so lacked patience in these areas. I am convinced that God chose that day for these events to happen to show me that He is indeed still working behind the scenes even when it seems like everything is at a standstill.

Since then Evan has had his interview and we are waiting to hear back from the school in the next week or two. He has also registered with the school district here and is awaiting their call to substitute. This is where we are in life at the moment.

Since it was Evan's birthday yesterday we get to go out for dinner and a movie tonight...baby free. Let me just say that I am quite excited about this. If we were to move away I think I would miss the baby-free date we go on every week the most. Because it was his birthday we should get to stay out a little later than usual. My parents should be able to get Jeremiah down to sleep since we have resorted to the cry it out method. While I hate putting him in his crib and leaving him to cry, he is 11 months old and still cannot go to sleep without us "holding his hand" or continuously laying him down for an hour. It has worked for the last two days and he has been crying less and less so we are crossing our fingers that this is our final solution.

That is all I have to post about today though I heard through the grapevine that I need to post more often. Getting more comments which would show me that people actually read this would help me to have the desire to post daily (which Evan said he would provide time for). We shall see.

" I'm stuck in the middle with you..."

I feel like I am stuck in a place where I don't want to be or maybe, where I don't know how to be.

Part 1: We are still living with my parents (six months and counting) and will probably be here until the summer at least. While I love my family it is just so stressful for me to have to live here. I am in desperate need of my own space to have some control over. My parents were gone for the weekend and we had the house to ourselves. Let me tell you, I was so much more relaxed and less stressed.

Part 2: The people that do the licensing for teachers still have yet to get Evan his substitute license. While Evan reminded me that it has only been three weeks or so, it feels like forever. He has been at home, jobless, since the middle of December. That is a long time for us to just be sitting around the house...together. When he was working I felt like I had a routine and some purpose for my days. Now I just feel like I am wasting my precious moments to television and sitting. I can't stand it.

Part 3: Evan has applied at many International schools and has gotten many responses in the negative. He doesn't have the two years of teaching experience that every school wants. We have however heard favorably from Sekolah Pelita Harapan, a Christian school in Indonesia. They have looked over Evan's application, checked his references and are now wanting to schedule an interview. If he were to get the job he would be teaching Economics to grades 11 and 12.

It is just so hard to continue waiting and hoping and being scared. What if they say no? We have been trying not to get our hopes up, but it is a little bit difficult. What if they say yes? We will be embarking on a huge, scary adventure. Plus there is the fact that I am having a baby in September...in Indonesia? I know that the Lord is directing all of this to whatever His will is, it is just getting so hard to wait. I don't know how to live my life in the waiting process. It seems like everything is at a standstill and there are just so many unknowns.

Lord give me patience and wisdom to know what to be doing now while I wait.