Newest Updates

Hey there, everyone! Well, again, I did some posting and then I put this blog away again, since I had no news of a pregnancy. I still don't have that news to report, which is sad but at least I can update everyone from my last post in April. Okay, YES, we got the house, despite all the craziness that we had to go through to get there, we are home owners and have been since July 1st! So, we have been busy this summer with packing, moving, moving in, and company! It has been really nice to have friends and family over now that we have room. Patrick, my youngest stepson has had his friends over at least once a week to play Xbox or Magic overnight so I know that he is liking the freedom of a bedroom and a game here. It took a month for us to settle in and we are doing little things as we go to improve what we have. Patrick had his first day of his Senior year of high school yesterday and Nate starts back at SWIC for his second year on Monday. I did get in for my Masters degree and start next week- Mon and Thurs classes this semester. I am excited but yet, unsure about how everything will go this year, as always. I go back to work on Mon for a week of disability training, which is optional and then have 2 days off the next week until Sept 1, my actual first day back. This year will have a lot of changes, it seems and I am not completely sure how it will plan out at work. But I believe that God will have something figured out for us because we have a house now and extra responsibilities, as well as going back to school on the university's dime. I need to be with SIUE until I am done with my masters in 2 years because I can't pay for it all on my own. BUT then, I am out of there!! I will figure out what I am going to do and move on... I will love to say that I will just be at home, working part time on my own hours, doing prek lessons at my client's homes around my baby's schedule! I pray that will be it!

Welcome to my world...

So, here I am at work, after running around most of the day, starting my blog to my family and friends about my life at the present. Oh, where do I start? I guess I will just give a beginning blurb on our family and where we are at/where we are going. Bruce and I have been happily and blessed to be married for over 2 years now. My oldest stepson, Nathan is just finishing his freshman year in college, majoring in Criminal Justice to be a police officer. He lives with his mom, about 10 minutes away but is a frequent visitor in our home! He is applying for an internship at Disney World for the fall soon and hopes to get it. He always has a few jobs he is working and is very busy with activities with his friends. My younger stepson, Patrick is finishing his junior year in high school. It is hard to believe that next year at this time, we will almost have BOTH boys out of high school! I have only known them almost 4 years but they have grown up too fast! (Also, they are 17 and almost 20!! Yikes!) Pat has a girlfriend at the present so he is quite busy with her during the week, as well with some other friends. He is interested in the computer field for college so he will be looking soon at where he wants to pursue that training. Bruce is busy as ever at work for Client First Financial, a brokerage firm that uses many companies for life insurance, money markets, and annuities but mainly ING. He is with a great group of people who really care about clients and each other. The Managing Partner of the company, John has really helped us out when we have needed it as well as helped others. Bruce is currently the Sales Development Manager; He trains the agents, supervises 5-6 agents who report to him, as well as sells his own business. Each month, God seems to give him a new option to tap and he is loving it. I am currently working for Southern Illinois University @ Edwardsville in their Head Start program as a Second Step Curriculum Teacher. This is my 2nd year in the program and though there has been quite a few challenges with staff, I enjoy the flexibility that I have during the week. I collaborate with 14 preschool classes in the public schools of East St Louis, teaching social-emotional skills (ie. how to handle emotions, how to identify them, how to calm down, etc..). I also have 2 home visits to do on each child every school year- this is the challenge because parents in this area do not like to be available! I have a total of 320 visits each year and that is the majority of my job. I also help out in the the regular Head Start classrooms from time to time at the location where I have my office. Right now, I am awaiting word from the college on if I am accepted into the Masters of Education department! Being an employee of SIUE, I can go to school tuition free so I am biting the bullet and trying for a Masters of Education in Curriculum & Instruction: Early Childhood. We will see what happens! The last bit of news (I know I am going on and on....) is we are feverishly in the process of trying to buy a house!! We looked at one last week and have been sending forms in to our lender all day, it seems with more to come. Everything is in God's hands...we will do our part and then wait on Him. We are currently in a tiny apartment and a house is needed for not just our current family's needs BUT when God gives us more children. So, it is a step that will happen sooner or later and maybe it will be now, if it all goes through. Both the masters program and the house have possibilities of not working out so I am not making it solid in my mind yet. Pray for us as we seek these new challenges. LOVE TO YOU ALL!!!

Back in the saddle again!!

Greetings all! Well, I started this blog back last summer, in hopes to be sharing my pregnancy journey with family and friends. Unfortunately, it didn't happen- the pregnancy or the blog! I just deleted the old posts that no one ever saw (but me) and decided to start it out again now and journal whatever is going on in our busy lives at the moment! So, to all my friends who I will be sending this to, welcome to my random thoughts! :-) Enjoy!