Update on Life...

I guess it is about time I should post another update on life.

The family is well. Nobody has been sick for a while. (Watch...because I just wrote that, someone will come down with something in the next few days. Lol, I shouldn't even joke like that.) Shylie is growing and amazing us daily. She is so cute and so smiley. Poppet and Lolly have become crack-ups! They are always together and always getting into trouble! (And always tattling on each other! lol)Though they fight and bicker a lot...they truly are best friends. Lately, Lolly has become so animated!! She's become an avid story teller and is very detailed in facial description. She's very entertaining. (Next time you see her...ask her to tell you about dinosaurs. Ask for details, as in: "Are they scary? What sound do they make? How do they act?" It's very cute.)Um...what else?? I think that is about it for latest family news. (Oh!! I was wrestling with Shannen the other day...he begged for mercy!!! WOW!! Shannen has NEVER begged for mercy before!!)

I just started working on my final test (again) for my master herbalist course. I've been "working" on it for months now. "Working" meaning...work on it faithfully for a week or so, then drop it for a few months...then start "working" on it again. It is 360 questions long and very hard! I'm half way through it, but it still feels like I will be working on it forever. But, I've vowed to get it done and over with so I never have to worry about it again. It's such a drag to have hanging over my head! For those of you who don't know, it's a CMH course (Certified Master Herbalist) I've been working on it for a little over a year, when I finish my final test I will be a CMH (certified master herbalist), CMT (certified muscle tester) and I will be certified to teach the course. I could use my certification to get a job at a health food store, become a natural "doctor" (don't know what they are called) and I have a few other options. Basically, it's college at home. But I don't plan on doing any of those options. My goal when I took the course was to use my knowledge to benefit my future family. So...lucky Jeff! He gets "Vitamin C and B-12 soup with sauteed zinc and mashed melatonin" for dinner every day of his life. (Of course, on special occasions, I'll make him "Creamed Clary Sage and bbq-ed Licorice Root with a side salad consisting of Horsetail, Corydceps and Fennel with a Pine and Peppermint Essential Oil dressing.) Ha, ha...I'm totally kidding. (Don't worry sweetie, I'd never do that to you.) By the way...you can't saute zinc, bbq licorice root, nor cream clary sage. They were just the first few things that popped into my mind. LOL. When I started this course, I hadn't met Jeff yet, and my plans were to take another CMH course that covers more and possibly go into Midwifery. But now that I'll have a husband to cook and clean for in a few months, I'm not sure if I will continue in my education on the subject. We'll see. I guess I will probably have enough free time to study, plus, I'd still be doing it at home, not at a college. But anyways, that's all I have to say on this subject.

Jeff and I are still working out; he's lost 10 pounds so far. I've lost...2 pounds...on a good day. (WAAAA...) We're trying a new approach. Instead of walking, we're calorie counting and brisk walking/jogging. My daily diet consists of: Breakfast...Granola bar. Lunch...granola bar. Snack...nuts/cookie, pretzels--no more than 140 calories for snack. Dinner...I allow myself to eat 700 calories for dinner. Then, I usually have another small snack before bed. I'm chewing a lot of gum (which supposedly is good to do while on a diet, because it keeps you from eating) and drinking a lot of water. So ya...walking a lot, recently jogging, and doing a lot of sit-up competitions. ("Who can do sit ups the longest"...usually he quits first, but he's done the most...so, actually, he probably would be considered the "winner.")

I've been feeling a little discouraged lately, and I think I've exhausted Alyssa with prayers to add to her "friend prayer request journal." LOL (I do appreciate it, Lyss!) I know a lot of what has happened lately is happening for the good, but it is still disappointing in the present time. I will fill you all in on the details, so that whenever you think of Jeff or I, you can pray a quick prayer for us. 1st off...Jeff needs a better paying job before we can get married. Right now, because the job market is so horrible, this is a very tricky thing. Everyone needs a job right now. He recently had a job opportunity, which he has been pursuing aggressively, but found out today that the hiring is closed. :( Though there is still a slight possibility that God could work a miracle and he could get the job. If he did...it would be awesome! It's a great job, pays well, and he could retire at this job. If he doesn't get this job...then it wasn't God's will. But we will most likely have to postpone the wedding; until he gets a new job, we can not afford to get married. So I have been very stressed and bummed about that.

We are both trying to save up so much money in so short of time! We need $3,000 for our honeymoon (which we still haven't decided where it will be. We can't come up with any perfect ideas) we need $5000 for a house downpayment or an appartment downpayment. Pluse, we need a $1000 emergency savings in our account. (Yikes...talk about stress!...we need $9,000 dollars in 6 months.) Not to mention, we'd like to buy a couch now (to put in storage, just so we have it when the time comes, and so we don't have to have a blowup couch when we marry...lol.) and we have a list of other things that we won't be getting for bridal shower gifts nor wedding gifts that we'd like to start getting now.

On top of all of that, my hours at work have been cut in half due to the econonmy. (Such bad timing!!) I came home crying, lol, but my parents were trying to encourage me. Possibly, this is the Lord answering my prayers. Jeff and I had already been talking about whether I will keep working when we get married or not. Right now, the Brooks are trying to sell their house, and I told him when it's sold, I'd like to quit. (I don't want to drive to Modesto twice a week for 4 hours of work.) So we had already decided that if they moved, I'd just quit and take care of our home. But if they stayed, we hadn't yet decided what I would do. When I came home that evening, we both realized that maybe this is the Lord answering our questions. I went out the next day, looking for another part time job, but was turned down everywhere I looked. My mom and I talked that night and she asked me to take a week and just pray before I get another job. I agreed, and though my week is not up yet, I already feel a peace about just staying still, and not getting another job. I make enough to pay my bills and have a little extra "mad-money." I might not be making enough to put a ton into savings, but the Lord provides enough for today, and will provide for tomorrow-when tomorrow comes. So right now, I'm just trying to trust in Him, He knows what He is doing...and it's all for the good. Jeff and I talked about it on Saturday and both agree that I should sit still for a while. Our goal, is to just make sure that even if I continue working after the wedding, that I don't make so much that we start depending on my income, and rely on me working.

So I'm not really sure what the Lord is trying to do right now. Whether he is just trying to teach us to trust Him, or if He is trying to speak to us. We have a lot of decisions to make: whether we should postpone the wedding (it'd be postponed until March or June 2010...and I would be SO crushed), our job situations, and all these other little things we are trying to sift through. So if you could all just pray that we could be very sensitive to his voice and hear him above all else, that would be great.

Oh, yeah! And we just found out today that his cousin (who lives in Washington) is pregnant...and due August 14th. (If he gets a new job, we are planning on an August 15th wedding.) The reason we had to wait until August was because his sister Jen (who lives in New Hampshire) is pregnant and due middle June. Now, his cousin is pregnant. So...we're also trying to decide if we should postpone the wedding until September 12th (providing he gets a job) for his cousin. LOL, if we plan the wedding around all pregnant family members, we'll never get married.

So...on a happier note...Jeff is buying a new car. (He's down at the car dealership right now, negotiating with the dealer.) So, we're praying that the Lord works this situation out. Debra (his mom) is moving next week (Jeff is moving with her) and I will be helping them move. I'm looking forward to that--to be able to help her and spend some time with her. I've recently topped my tpying speed (it was around 80-90 wpm)...and now I am a fluent 100+ words per minute typist (with less than 8 errors)!! How many wpm can you type? I called on a apartment today and got all the info on it. We are getting excited about finding an apartment or a house. (Our goal was to get into a house, but since he will be getting a new job, we probably won't be able to get into one, as you need anywhere between 6 months-3 years at a job before buying a house, and he will only have a few months at a new job under his belt no mater when we are able to marry. So while we are still hoping for a house, it's looking doubtful.) We're thinking we'll officially nail down a place in July, and Jeff will move in early August before wedding. But, if we postpone the wedding, we'll wait a little longer before we get anything. We are still working on our pre-marital counseling book. We are half way through it, but we haven't met with Pastor Steve yet. So, we need to start doing that soon. And finally, on Saturday (Valentine's Day) we are going to San Francisco with my parents. We're going to spend the day walking around and then go out to dinner. That will be fun!

That's all for now, hopefully the length of this post will redeem my lack of blogging. :)