cards galore...

so i finished with my big order of christmas cards this weekend! woo hoo!
and here are some of my favorites that i've made over the past few weeks...









and here's one i made last night for a non-christmas order, too: =)


hope everyone had a nice weekend! i'm enjoying having today off of school for veterans day... the only thing that could make it better is if ben was home!! =/

big news!

well hello friends!
i have been waiting til ben and i could talk and make the final decision before i shared with all of you... but this week while i was subbing at the elementary school (on base), the principal interviewed me tuesday (on the spot - caught me totally offguard!) and wednesday the HR office called and offered me the job! -- a full-time position to start in january, because the teacher is leaving in december. so after freaking out and shedding some tears and sending up lots of prayers and talking to my sweet husband and my parents, we have decided that it's a great opportunity that the Lord kind of just laid in my lap, so i'm going to take it! i am so thankful that ben and i were able to talk yesterday! and they wanted my answer by today, so i told them this morning that i accept (even though i'm scared out of my mind!!) =) i really feel like the Lord blessed me with this, because i absolutely HATE interviewing, but i didnt have any time to stress over it because she interviewed me on the spot without any warning, and then they called the next day to offer me the job! i know it's going to be a huge learning opportunity for me, but i'm thankful in how the Lord worked out all the details. =) so yeah! you guys can pray for me as i start preparing to take over. it's a combined 5th/6th grade class, and i will hopefully get to meet the kids and see the class and talk with the current teacher sometime in the next 2 weeks while i'm there subbing. =) God is good, and this will DEFINITELY keep me busy this spring when ben is gone again. just wanted to share with you all! now the next thing is for us to buy a car so we dont have to keep walking to work everyday! hehe.

ps: i know you've seen this picture, but i think like it portrays quite well how i feel about this big new job and undertaking! haha. =D


hope everyone enjoyed their extra hour of sleep!!

week 3...

3 weeks almost down, about 6 more to go... and well, its been a busy and hectic week!
i went in for my first day of subbing at the elementary school on tuesday, and before i left that day had already been asked to sub wednesday and thursday of this week, plus a 2 week special ed placement for an aide who's having surgery on her wrist! so between now and thanksgiving, i will be at school everyday! =) but what a blessing, because i've really enjoyed it... and even gotten over my intimidation of doing high school. (i did high school science and PE this week!) i told my mom that i keep forgetting... i keep getting older, but they stay the same age! haha. =)

also i've been keeping busy making cards! i have gotten a few smaller orders to work on in the midst of the 200 card order, and have really enjoyed it! this is one of my favorites of all the ones i've done so far:


and, i'm writing this blog to you on our new DSL connection! for those of you who have tried to talk to us on the phone over the last few months, you know it's been spotty at best. =/ but this connection already seems to be quite a bit faster than the cable we had here, so i am so thankful! it's definitely worth the extra cost if it means we get to talk to all you, who we love!

ben and i haven't had much of a chance to talk this week because either the ship phones/email have been down, or our connection made it hard for him to hear me... so that's been a bummer. and work is still super busy and stressful for him, and he keeps getting woken up in the day time and then having to stay up from then until his night shift is over. so pray for strength and rest for him, if you think about it. he's such a trooper and does such a good job. i'm so proud of him. =)

well, just wanted to update! hope everyone has a nice weekend!

one week down...

eight more to go! oh how depressing. haha.

but on a brighter note, this first week was definitely better than the last first week that he was away (back in may). i was telling ben before he left that last time i was just AFRAID. i wasnt sure i was going to be able to do it! but at least this time, the fear is gone because i know we can do it. it sucks, and we hate it, but at least i know we CAN make it... and thats because the Lord gives us strength each day to get through.

part of the reason this week was a bit better too, is that i made a new friend here! her name is jen, and she is a sister in Christ and has been a big blessing already. she and her husband sam live here, about 5 minutes from our apartment, and have a precious little 10 month old named lola. =) jen took me up to this great lookout where we could see ben's ship in the water as they were leaving... so here are a few pictures:

this is me: (ben's ship is behind my head!)


and this is jen:


also, i just keep busy trying to get this big christmas card order finished, and i called the school a few days ago and finally got a few days to sub at the end of this month and during next month! so that is a big blessing. =)
here is my favorite christmas card that i have made so far:


as for ben... he is doing alright... staying super busy with school and work and sleep. thats pretty much all he has time for. (and eating!) let me know if you want the ship's address so you can write him, because i know that mail really brightens his day! and we definitely still covet your prayers as these times are always challenging. here we are right before he left... on a "date night" =)


lately i have gotten into reading a passage first in nasb, and then in "the message". sometimes i think it really gives a neat perspective to a sometimes familiar verse. well i read psalm 27 in the message, and here is verses 13-14:
"I'm sure now I'll see God's goodness in the exuberant earth. Stay with God! Take heart. Don't quit. I'll say it again: Stay with God." =) hope you all are seeing God's goodness and staying with Him. have a good weekend!