When it rains it pours...

Well, some good news...Ande finally was able to convince the director that he had to have that number to file for unemployment. She gave it to him, and when he called to give the number to the unemployment agency, they discovered they DIDN'T need it afterall. Apparently because it's a non-profit agency, it doesn't count towards unemployment. But they had to have that number before they could find that out. Go figure. Ande, being the good guy he is, called the director after finding that out and explained the situation to her, and thanked her for giving him the number. I love him so much.

Now, some not so good news...my brother-in-law called tonight from California and told Ande that both he AND his wife got letters from the military calling them back up for duty in Iraq. They're both former Marine MP's, and my BIL already served once in Iraq. His wife suffered a premature birth of their first daughter at 24 weeks and he was allowed 10 days to come home for the baby's funeral. Then he went back, because it was what he knew was the right thing to do. Now they have 2 little girls, one 1 1/2 and one 4 months. Needless to say, they don't want to have to go to Iraq. Fortunately, it's highly unlikely that they will send both of them, but if my BIL pleads his case and they tell him he can stay home, it's VERY likely that his wife will have to go.

My poor MIL is on the verge of a breakdown. Here are her sons, who she loves to a fault, and both of them are going through some really tough stuff. I mean, in my BIL's case, how do you choose? Do you put yourself in harm's way (even though he's technically disabled because of a back injury) to protect your wife? Or do you plead the disability and make it an almost guarantee that your wife will have to go to war? I know my BIL will lay his life down to keep his wife safe. That's not even an issue for him. But I also know it would be incredibly hard for him to leave her again, and now with two small children to care for? My heart goes out to them both.

I am reminded of the 23rd Psalm, which is an awesome reminder of how God is there for us, no matter what trials we have in our lives.

The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me besides quiet waters, he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever. (NIV)

Many times we hear that psalm in relation to someone's death, but it also applies to our lives. I WILL FEAR NO EVIL, FOR YOU ARE WITH ME. That should be a daily affirmation for anyone who believes in Jesus Christ.

The lives of Christians aren't made easier by believing in Christ - sometimes it makes things harder because we have to not get caught up in the world. But we need to remember that Christ is always with us no matter what, and whatever garbage we have to deal with in life will be replaced with the glorious eternity in heaven. I don't know about you, but I'd certainly rather live a sometimes crummy life on earth, knowing I have a mansion I get to spend eternity in. And to think there is NOTHING I've done to deserve it? How awesome is that?

Back to School

Well, like many families out there in the US, today was the first day of school. If you listen closely, you can almost hear the cheers of joy from parents everywhere. At our house, I heard "I want to ride the bus. I want to go to school. Bubber! Ash-we!!" Poor Puckey was heartbroken when her bubber and sissy got on their busses today. (I think Bubber was pretty broken up over the whole thing, too. He's not exactly a fan of school.) I had to force Bubber to let me take the picture of him, although Bug was more than happy to pose. She's a bit of a ham. Both kids reported that school was "okay", so I figure that's a good start.

On the job front, I'm not sure what Ande's heard today, as he's been gone since about 10:00am. He had to go to Detroit to drop off his laptop & cell phone and pick up his personal items from the office. I'm sure that wasn't much fun for him. And since he doesn't have a cell phone, he can't call me while he's on the road. Not that it would matter much anyway, since I spent most of my day sitting at the bus stop. (yes, I waited for a total of about 2 hours at the bus stop today. I wasn't a happy camper).

A tough road ahead

Today started out nice - the Jib slept until about 6:30am, Puckey until after 8:00am. (So I got a decent night's sleep) Ande got out the door on time to make his monthly drive to the main office for his employer, which is about 2 hours from here. So at about 9:30am he calls me and says, "Well, I'm on my way home..." (Which means he might have spent, oh, 10 minutes at the office) So I asked, "What happened?" and he told me that when he got to the office, the owner of the company asked him to come into the conference room. When he went in, the owner and the two co-owners were in there. The owner told him he was being laid off indefinitely, effective immediately, and that he wasn't going to give him an explanation. (Nice form, right?)

Needless to say, I burst into tears. Ande was very calm and said that he figures it must be God pushing him to move. (Ande has not been happy with his job recently, and we have been looking for other opportunities for our family) After I got off the phone with Ande, I was still crying, and my sweet little Puckey looked up at me with her dark chocolate eyes and said, "It's okay, Mamma. Don't cry." That, of course, made me cry even harder. Babies are so sweet, and right there was proof that they can sense when you're hurting.

To top things off, Ande talked to his ex today, and she is moving about an hour and a half away with his daughter. Poor Nans cries for her mom just about everytime she's here (I think because she doesn't really feel like this is "home" because she's only here 4 days a month), so what's going to happen when she comes to visit now and her mom is an hour and a half away?? We don't know when it's going to happen, but I would imagine soon. Her husband already took a job there. Ugh.

So now I sit here thinking of what God wants me to do with this situation. I know I need to trust in Him, and I am really trying hard to do that. I've never been in a position like this before, and it's freaking me out. I am thankful that my best girlfriend in the world told me that she would be happy to help financially if we need it, and my MIL said she would, too. I am just praying that it won't come to that. It's good to know that we have some support out there, though. I know our church would help out if needed as well (which is so awesome, especially since we have a REALLY small church).

Ande looks at it like it's a blessing, because he has been wanting to find something else for a while, and this is going to force him to move on that. He's got a lot of talent for doing just about anything he sets his mind to, and I know that will really work to our benefit in this situation.

For anyone reading this who prays, please include us in your prayers. It's going to be a challenge for us, but we will get through it. Thanks a lot. I hope I have good news to post here soon.

Maybe she's trying to tell me something?

Poor little Jib. She was playing on the bed this afternoon while I was taking pictures of some stuff to put on eBay. There was some laundry on the bed next to her, and I looked over and she had a pair of socks hanging out of her mouth. Of course, by the time I got the camera into position, she had dropped the socks, so I made an attempt to re-create the moment. The above picture was the best I could do. I wonder if I should start feeding her more solids?!? LOL