A Near Heart Attack...

Today I thought I was going to have a heart attack.  I had just gotten out of the shower and was checking my phone to see if I'd missed any messages, when I heard our front door open.  I was overjoyed at first, thinking Michael had come home early, as I asked before I got into the shower.  I waited for him to walk into our bedroom and continued getting ready.  However, after a couple of minutes, he didn't come in.  I began to get worried.  I hid in our closet for a moment, trying to figure out what to do.  First, I decided I should probably get dressed, as I didn't want to have to fight off a burglar in a towl.  I threw on some clothes and thought of my next move.  I looked over our room for something to use to defend myself, but the best I could come up with was a heavy dinner plate (looking back now, the lava lamp might have also made a good choice).  Armed with a plate, I crept out of our bedroom.  I considered letter the dogs out, but then I decided they might not be much help, and I didn't want to risk them getting hurt.  No sign of anyone yet.  At the end of the hall I causiously looked around the living room and kitchen, still didn't see anyone.  Finally, I looked in the dining room, no one there.  By now, my heart is pounding a thousand miles a minute.  I go to the window to see if Michael's car is there, but it's not.  I notice the entertainment center open and an empty shelf on the top and bottom.  I worry that someone has come and stolen stuff and will be coming back for more.  I creep to the door and turn the handle, but it's locked...  Now what kind of thief locks the door behind him.  Now I'm freaking out a little less.  I realize Michael packed up the movies and video games the other day, and that's why they aren't in the entertainment center.  But I'm still confused.  I know I heard the sound of the door open.  I unlock and open the front door and peek out, but don't see anything out of the ordinary.  Then I notice it, a rolled up blue paper in the handle of my neighbor's screen door.  I open up my own screen door and find the same paper.  Turns out, someone from our apartment complex was putting the monthly newsletters in our doors.  The sound I heard was them putting it into the door handle.  I must say, I thought my heart was going to pound out of my chest!  Glad everything was ok.  That's enough excitement for one day!!!

Our New Home

Hey there, friends!  Michael and I had our home inspection yesterday!  It went very well.  There were a few minor problems and a couple things we want to bring up to the sellers, but overall it's in very good shape.  :)  The inspector said as far as home inspections go, that the damages on this home were very light.  We took tons of pictures and are looking forward to closing in another month and a half.  If you haven't seen the pictures on facebook yet, I thought I'd post them here as well.  Enjoy!

WE BOUGHT A HOUSE!!!!

Well, for those of you who haven't heard yet, Michael and I bought a house today.  :)  We hadn't planned on buying one for a few more months, closer to when our lease is up.  But today we went in and looked at it and instantly fell in love with it.  It's absolutely perfect!  5 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, 2800 sq ft, fireplace, huge kitchen, vaulted ceilings, jacuzzi tub, split level deck, split level walk out, yard (still needs a fence put in), and 3 car garage (just to name a few things).  Our closing date is March 30, which is great because it gives us time to get even more money together for a downpayment, and leaves fewer months where we will be paying rent and a mortgage.  We will get pictures posted soon.  Until then, you can check it out online.  Thanks for all your love and support!  We are WAAAAAY excited!!!!!

http://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/1105-S-Bracken-Cir_Wichita_KS_67207_M75278-97149

House Hunting

Hello again, friends!  I thought I would update you on the newest adventure Michael and I are taking on...  We are searching for a house!!! 

Our lease isn't up here until the end of May.  The plan was to begin looking for houses in April (I know, we're a couple months early).  But as we were randomly perusing the houses on the internet, we found one that caught our eye.  We emailed the realtor and asked for more information.  When he told us the master bathroom only had a shower, we decided that house probably wasn't for us.  The realtor then asked what we were looking for in a house.  Now I considered telling him that we weren't seriously looking until April, but then I decided, hey, why should I do all the work looking for houses...  Why not let someone else do it?!?!  So I told him what we would like in a house:

4+ bedrooms
3+ bathrooms
2,200+ sq ft
Basement (walk-out if possible)
3 car garage
Nice master suite
Nice kitchen
No hard wood floors
Wichita

So he did some looking and sent us a list of houses (all with walk-out basements) that met our criteria.  He said it was about all he could find.  We looked through them and found about 5 that we liked.  One of them has gone under contract, so someone else is already in the process of buying it.  The other 4 we are looking at tomorrow evening.  :)

Now, since we're looking so early, we're going to take this time to be EXTRA picky.  We want to get a house that can grow with us and eventually a family.  We want to find a house where we will be comfortable for the next 30 years or so.  And if we're going to pay so much of our hard earned money, we're going to make sure we LOVE the house.  So don't expect to heal that we're closing any time soon.  We do have a decent downpayment saved up already, but we want to have a bigger one and we want to see lots of houses to make sure we pick the right one.

So please keep us in your prayers as we start this exciting new adventure of house hunting.  God has been so good to us giving Michael a great job and keeping us more than afloat the last few months.  I'm just praying He continues to bless us and make the way easy as we look for the perfect house.  :)  Thanks everyone!  We'll keep you posted as we do more searching.  Love you!

-Jen

Full Time!!!

Hey there!
Couldn't remember if I updated the blog and told you guys, and I'm too lazy to look back and see, so I thought I'd write a new post saying that I am officially full-time at Belden's!!!!  Woooohooooo!!  What this means is that I will have to average 30 hours/week over the month, I will begin accumulating paid time off and vacation time, I will have benefit options (including a stock option in Sterling Jewelers, the biggest jewelry company in the United States), and I will have the option to enroll in company insurance!  Pretty sweet, huh??  :D  The reason I really wanted to go full-time is because of the insurance.  Our company offers some really nice insurance and the insurance Michael and I have right now is basically like not having insurance at all.  Here's the difference in the plans, for those of you that care:

Current Insurance
$150/month
$5000 deductible
80/20 after deductible
Maximum out of pocket: $20,000
Beldens Insurance
$185/month
$1000 deductible
80/20 after deductible
Maximum out of pocket: $4,500
Vision and Dental included

So, as you can see, the new insurance will be much better.  After having to have my Gallbladder removed, I'm leary of having bad insurance.  But I just couldn't keep paying $400/month on school insurance when they ripped me off so bad after I did have to get my Gallbladder taken out.  Stay away from Prefered Health Systems!!

Anyways, I got my sales up and have been doing well, so our district manager finally agreed to let me go full-time.  I think he's worried that I don't have much sales experience, but I am learning quickly and am going above and beyond my goals.  So I think I will do just fine in a full-time position.

Because I'll be putting in 30+ hrs/week at the jewelry store, I won't be subbing quite as much (Until March).  I will go ahead and take jobs for people who put them in early, because I can request evening shifts for those days if I know plenty in advance.  Between the jewelry store, subbing, and Pampered Chef, I'm sure I'll stay plenty busy!!  Not to mention, I might be doing a little babysitting here and there....  :)  One of the girls at work has a 4 month old baby boy and her and her husband's schedules vary quite a bit week to week, so they might need someone to watch William here and there.  :)  I can't wait!!!!

March-May is going to be interesting and very busy!!  Sis is due March 28th, and I will be her long-term sub.  That means I'll have to work 40+hrs/week at school, then still average 30+hrs/week at the jewelry store in order to keep my full-time status and my insurance.  It will be quite the juggling game!  So don't expect to see me much during those 3 months, because if I'm not at one job or the other, I plan on being asleep.  ;)

Well, this has gotten way too long, so I'll sign off now.  Hope you all are enjoying 2012.  :)  I know this year is going to be an excellent one!

Pampered Chef

Well, many of you know that I had a Pampered Chef party yesterday.  I was a little worried about how the party would go.  I'm in kind of the wrong age group to be hosting a Pampered Chef party, because all of my friends are young and just out of college and none of us have any money.  I understand that!  We haven't had money for so long, I was starting to forget what it looked like!  But Amanda assured me not to worry and to get excited about my party.  I had only family show up (again, my friends are poor, I understand), and Cathy invited her friend Tony who loves to cook and loves Pampered Chef.  Well, turns out that having just family at your party can actually work out quite well for you!!  Everyone bought LOTS of stuff!!  Which meant that I got LOTS of FREE stuff!!! 

I decided that 2 jobs isn't enough for me, so I went ahead and signed up to be a Pampered Chef consultant!!  :D  I'm very excited about it!!  It cost a little money to get started up, but I figure that with all the perks and free stuff that the company gives away for being a consultant, that I'll never have to spend my own money on the products again!  Plus, I'll get great deals for friends and family and plenty to give away as gifts!  So what I need from all of you, is to host a party!!  There's no cost in hosting a party, just invite your friends, I will come and show the products, your friends buy, and you get tons of free stuff!  (I got $190 in free products from my party, and that doesn't include any of the extra bonuses of being a consultant!!)

So if you're interested in hosting a Pampered Chef party, please let me know!  I will travel to you to make things easier for you to have your party where you live and close to your friends.  Just tell me when you'd like to have it and I will work it out with my schedule!  Can't wait to get started!  Thanks guys!!

Michael's Birthday!!

Hi Friends!

I've been dieing to update the blog and tell everyone about Michael's birthday, but of course, since it was a surprise party, I couldn't!  Now that it's over, here's how it went!  We had 18 people there celebrating Michael's birthday!  Thanks everyone who was able to show up!  Michael loved seeing all of you!  A big thanks to all those of you who came from out of town, we appreciate you giving up your evening and traveling so far.  :)  We had people from Manhattan, Topeka, Kansas City, and Wichita all there!!  It was a great success!  THANK YOU!!!

I thought I was pretty sneaky about the whole thing, turns out, I wasn't as sneaky as I thought.  Michael started getting suspicious when I told him we had reservations....  4 days in advance...  Oops!!  Didn't even think about that!!  He also thought it was a little strange that I was cleaning so extensively for my Pampered Chef party.  Then, after Glenn and Linda had come down for the afternoon and taken us out to lunch, Michael didn't really feel like going out to dinner the same night.  I had to twist his arm a little.

He was very surprised when we got there and everyone shouted Surprise!!!  He was really excited to see his friends who live out of town who he hadn't seen for several months.  It was a great night!!  Thank you all for helping to make Michael's birthday truly special for him.  :)

New Year's Eve

Wow!  I can't believe it's New Year's Eve again!  Where has this year gone??  It's been a somewhat rocky year for Michael and I, but God saw us through and we are looking forward to what He has in store for us in 2012.  Here's a (not-so-quick) recap of our year...

I completed my second year of teaching in Junction City.  The second year went MUCH smoother than the first, and by the end, I felt like I finally had my feet underneath me.  I had a great staff to work with and an amazing parter in Tracy.  It was tough at the end of the year leaving her behind.  We went through our new-teacher journey together and I couldn't have asked for anyone better at my side.  :)  Miss you!!!

Michael finished his engineering degree this year.  After working at it for 5 years, he finally got his hard earned piece of paper!  What a proud moment!  The job search had begun months earlier, leading to a few interviews but nothing sticking.  Still, there was a great deal of relief in knowing that the degree was completed.  :)  Love you, Michael!  So proud of you!

Michael and I moved to Wichita shortly after Michael graduated.  The idea behind the move was that Wichita would be an easier place to find an engineering job.  Too bad Wichita was laying off teachers when we got to town.  :(  I took a couple interviews, but nothing surfaced in the way of a teaching job.  The plus side to being in Wichita was that we are now MUCH closer to my family!  Sis and Adam are literally less the 5 minutes from us!  It was a great summer spending time with them!  We spent most Thursday nights over the summer in Old Town at the wine bar and watching free movies at Rock Island Studios.  :)

In June, while Sis and Adam were on vacation for Sis' birthday Michael and I helped Mama work on Sis and Adam's flower bed in their back yard.  We spent several days in the hot sun weeding, hoping we weren't pulling things that were actually flowers, and planting all sorts of new flowers.  :)  In the middle of the week Michael and I went to the Humane Society to look around (like we've done for months) but when we got there, a little girls stole our hearts.  :)  This summer we added Gabby to our family, she's been SO MUCH FUN!  :)  What a personality!!!

We've been through quite a job ordeal this year.  Michael began looking for a full-time engineering job in January for after he graduated.  He spent time working 10-15 hrs/week at Toys R Us, and he spent a week at Bunting Magnetics working as a drafter before landing a GREAT job working on Ag Equipment for Dell.  Definitely not where we thought he would be, but this job has turned out to be a huge blessing! 

I've been through a number of jobs this year too.  After leaving Junction City I tried to find a teaching job, but with no luck.  In the middle of the summer I got a part-time job at Belden Jeweler's, which has turned out to be an amazing job with great, understanding, and helpful people.  I spent a month and a half as a para in Augusta before finally turning to subbing.  It's been quite an adventure getting our jobs figured out, but we've got them settled now.  Praise the Lord for ALWAYS providing for our needs.

Through everything we've been through this year, Michael has always been there at my side, staying positive and looking for the silver lining in everything.  I'm so thankful for having him in my life.  He is an amazing blessing and I don't know where I'd be without him.  :)  Love you, Sweetheart!  :)

I'm VERY MUCH looking forward to 2012.  I have a feeling it's going to be a big year for Michael, the girls, and I.  I hope you all had a safe celebration ringing in the new year.  I wish you all much health and happiness this year.  God Bless!!

Love,
Jen, Michael, Harlee, and Gabby

Fall and Winter in Wichita

Hello again, friends and family!  :)  I do appologize that it's been so long!  My oh my, how life can get busy in a hurry!!  Holy smokes!  Here's what's been happening the last few months in our lives....

October:  Michael and I had a great plan to be pirates for Halloween!  We started getting stuff ready for costumes and everything, and then life took over and those plans went down the drain.  Maybe next year.  :P  We DID manage to make it to the Ren Fest on the pirate weekend!  It was the weekend that Wichita was the sponsor city, so both of us got in for the price of one.  The trip set off our fall nicely.  We love going every year!  I had a big greasy turkey leg and regretted it 2 hours later.  :P  We also saw Nick and Maggie while we were in KC.  We went with them to a bar called the Flying Saucer where they have nearly 100 beers on tap!  It was a nice little trip.  Michael continued to work at Toys R Us and continued to ask for lots of hours, but they continued to schedule him only 10-12 hrs/week.  Michael interviewed with 4 different companies in October and November.  On Oct. 26 he was offered a job at Bunting Magnetics in Newton.  He was VERY excited to have a real job and a purpose each day.  It was exciting to see God providing!  We also found out at the end of October that Sis and Adam are having a BOY!  So we will be getting our first nephew at the end of March!  :)

November:  On Nov. 11, after working only 1 week at Bunting Magnetics in Newton, Michael was offered another job at Dell (the computer company).  He accepted the job and gave Bunting his 2 weeks, but they decided he could go early, because after only 1 week of work, they were still training him.  Michael started working for Dell right after Thanksgiving.  He was driving with a group of guys to Heston every day to work at AgCo on a project.  You see, the small office Michael is working in was originally called E-Serve and was an engineering contracting firm.  Then, Ross Perot's company bought out E-Serve.  When Ross Perot retired as CEO of his company, Dell bought out everything that he owned.  And that is how Michael works for Dell, but is actually working on farm equipment for Pioneer and AgCo.  He LOVES the new job!  He's learning a lot and they treat him very well.  I am still subbing and working at Belden's.  The 2 jobs are working out very nicely.  I found that I like to stay busy between the 2 of them.  I sub 4-5 days/week and I work 20-30 hrs/week at the jewelry store.  Definitely keeps me on my toes.  In November I also bought our next set of Christmas dishes (pictures to come).  The puppies are doing great!  (Pictures and videos to come)

December:  As Christmas approached, Michael and I got more and more busy.  I went up to 40+ hours at the jewelry store, and was still subbing quite a bit.  Michael continued to drive to Heston, and even went to Manhattan for a few days to work in the machine shop on the Pioneer project (which he will be on full time starting in January).  I ended up selling $20,000 in jewelry in December!  It was a great month!  We had/have (1 to go) 5 Christmas' to schedule this holiday season!  We went to Mama's with Sis and Adam and I got boots, some new Christmas decorations, a new food processor, and a creme brule set (just to name a few).  On Christmas Eve Michael and I ate junk food on our new Christmas dishes and played lots of games.  We also gave Harlee and Gabby their big bones that we bought them.  Gabby chewed on one bone continuously for over 3 hours.  She ate over half the bone in that time!  Michael and I did Christmas together on Christmas morning.  Michael gave me some new socks, a black and white diamond ring, and a gift certificate for an hour-long, full body, hot stone massage (just to name a few).  Michael's big gift from me was an extra large hammock complete with a stand and all!  It fits both of us and is the width of our living room!  (Pictures to come)  It's been a fun gift so far!  We also went to Topeka on Christmas day and did Christmas with Michael's family.  I got another creme brule set (someone forgot to take it off amazon, so I ended up getting doubles), a new blanket, candles and candle holders to use as a centerpiece on our new table, and a crockpot cookbook (just to name a few, pictures to come).  It was nice spending some time in Topeka.  Last night Michael and I went to Grandma and Grandpa Counterman's and had supper.  We visited for 5 hours and didn't get home until Midnight!  It was good to spend some quality time with them.  We have one Christmas to go, tomorrow night we'll have Christmas at Grandma and Grandpa Heorman's house.  Then our holiday season will officially be over.  I'm looking forward to some rest!

Well, I hope you all had a great holiday season!  Sorry I don't blog nearly as often as I should.  I'll try to work on that for my New Year's Resolution.  We love you all very much!  Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from us here in Wichita!

Love,
Jen, Michael, Harlee, and Gabby

What we've been doing the last 2 months...

Wow!  I can't believe it's been 2 months since I've posted here on the blog.  There is so much that's happened!  I'll try to keep the updates short and sweet.

Jen's Job Situation
I got a job in Augusta as a para.  Butler County Special Education didn't treat me well, so I gave them my 2 weeks and left.  Now I'm signed up to be a substitute in over 13 different school districts all within 30 minutes of our apartment.  I'm also working 20-30 hrs/week at Belden's (a jewelry store in the mall).  I love it there and can't wait for the Christmas rush!

Michael's Job Situation
Michael looked for months before getting a part-time job at Toys-R-Us.  In the past week 4 companies have been calling and interviewing and talking to him.  Bunting in Newton offered him a job and he accepted.  It's a drafting job, not a mechanical engineering job.  Other companies are still looking at him, and if they will pay more, give him an opportunity to work as an engineer, have opportunities for him to work up and advance his career, and give him some job security, then he will take one of those jobs instead.

Harlee and Gabby
The pups are doing well.  Gabby got bit and had a fairly deep puncture wound on her bottom from a mishap at the dog park.  She has since healed and has returned to the dog park with no fear or anxiety.  Harlee continues to be antisocial but enjoys her time in the wide-open to sniff around.  Harlee has even begun playing with other dogs occasionally.  Gabby has gotten taller than Harlee and is causing a bit of a power struggle here at home.  Both girls still weigh around 30 lbs.

Other Important News
We found out that Sis and Adam are having a baby boy in March!  We are very excited to have a little nephew to play with!

Food Stuff
Michael and I have been getting creative with our food on a budget lately.  We have some great recipes for baked potatoes and ways to dress up tomato soup.  We have also been eating a lot of Amish Friendship Bread lately.  If you would like a starter, just let us know.

That's about all that's been going on with us for a while.  See??  I did keep it short!  Hope you are all doing well!  I'll try to remember to update again soon to let you know more about Michael's job and what doors the Lord opens!  :)

Dinner

we are having fried cornmeal mush and homemade hashbrowns and onions for dinner.  i feel like we are living through the depression.  at least its going to be tasty.

Turkey, Noodles, and Mashed Potatoes! Oh My!

well, you all remember how well i did on my new years resolution of trying new recipes...  turns out its expensive to make two new recipes each week.  who knew?  anyways, i wanted to post about our dinner tonight because my good friend amanda from washington asked for my recipe.  its nice to hear that someone still reads our blog.  i will have to be better about updating from now on.  our meal tonight was inspired by our lack of funds and our need to make food and meals last for a while.  i bought a medium sized turkey breast and a bag of potatoes, those are the only things aside from the basics that you will need for this recipe.  the turkey was extremely easy.  put the turkey into the crockpot and fill up to half way and no more than three quarters of the way with water.  turn the turkey on low and leave overnight or during the day while at work.  when you wake up or return home your house will smell great and your turkey well practically fall off the bone.  michael took care of the potatoes for me, peeling three potatoes and cutting them into medium sized cubes, the smaller the cubes, the quicked the cook time.  cover the potato cubes in water and bring to boil.  continue to boil potatoes until they are tender and ready to mash,eight to twelve minutes.  mash potatoes with a heaping tablespoon of butter, a little milk, and a healthy dash of salt and pepper to your tastes.  for the noodles, scramble three to four eggs in a medium mixing bowl.  add flour to the egg until you form a dough that you can work with your hands without being too sticky.  roll dough onto a floured surface as thin or thick as you would like your noodles.  use a pizza cutter to cut strips into the though to form noodles.  seperate and toss noodles to fluff them.  allow noodles to sit out and dry for an hour or two, i made them the night before and they ended up a little too tough, i would make them the day you plan to eat them.  to cook noodles, scoop out two cups of broth from turkey crockpot.  add noodles to the saucepan, add more water to make sure noodles are mostly covered.  the flour on the outside of the noodles will mix with the broth and create your gravy.  i tried maiking gravy a different way, but it didnt work, so we used noodle goo as gravy.  taste noodles to ensure that they are cooked through.  serve everything with a little salt and pepper.  hope you enjoy this homecooked meal.  a special thanks to grandma for the recipe and guidance in my cooking endeavors.  talk to you all again soon.

A Little Bit About Me

i know youre tired of reading while i complain about jobs.  so if you dont want to hear it, go ahead and find another website to visit.  i know everyone means well and wants to help.  i know everyone wants us to have jobs, but we are struggling.  all this is is a vent.  if it comes down to it, we have ways to pay our bills.  im not going to accept money from you, because im too proud to do so.  i have stock and would rather sell that or take out a loan.  i dont want help or pity, i want us both to have jobs.  if you dont have a job to offer us, i dont want to hear about it.  i dobnt want to hear that cessna is hiring, because you arent offering a job.  ugh.  i wish i could pay my bills every month without this stress.  grrr...

A Great Day!

We were very busy today! Glenn and Linda came down for the day because they hadn't seen our apartment yet since we moved to Wichita. So they came down and we had some lunch. They got to see our girls again, who continue to grow every day. The girls enjoyed the extra company and were a little ornery around lunch. Gabby did what she always does and peed on the floor, so she spent a good deal or time in her kennel. After lunch we went to the Sedgwick County Zoo to show Glenn and Linda what they were missing in the puny little zoo in Topeka. I think they had a good time. I know I did. It'a been a while since Michael and I have been to the zoo. We bought our membership about 6-8 weeks ago, but haven't gone since because of the hot weather. Since the weather only got up to 102 today it was a much cooler day for the zoo, still pretty warm, but getting better. After the zoo we drove around and showed Glenn and Linda some more of our favorite things and places here in town. We decided on Logan's Roadhouse for dinner. It was delicious! After dinner they headed back to Topeka and Michael and I got ready for MTW (Music Theatre of Wichita). We went and saw The Little Mermaid tonight with Mama, Sis, Grandma H, and Aunt Darlene. It was a fun show! Next year's shows look really good as well, I'm hoping we can go see Fiddler on the Roof. In the mean time, Young Frankenstein is coming to Wichita in the off season, maybe I can swing some tickets as a Christmas present. :) Well, that's about all I have. :) Just wanted to update you all on our nice day. Now I have to go to sleep because I've got a busy week ahead! Details to follow! Much love and goodnight!

Life Outside of Jobs

hey friends.  seems like all ive been posting about all summer is our job searches.  so this post will not talk about our jobs at all, but instead will focus on life here in wichita and what we have been up to this summer.  as you might have seen in  a previous post, we got a new puppy in the middle of june.  her name is gabby and she is a pointer mix.  gabby will be four months old in a couple of days.  shes been lots of fun and a great addition to our family.  her and harlee get along great and love each others company.  gabby learned sit and down very quickly, then our teaching slacked off, so we need to work on training her some more.  we put some bells by the door and gabby is learning to ring them when she needs to go outside to potty.  the crate training is getting better easier every day.  shes a great puppy and a wonderful addition to our family.  we have also been spending a lot of time with sis and adam this summer.  i forgot how much i love being close to sis and being able to hang out with her frequently.  we have dinner together once a week, all four of us, at either of our houses.  its a fun time to get together and hang out, sometimes we play board games too, which is always fun.  for a lot of the summer our thursday nights meant wine bar, appetizers, and a free movie downtown in old town.  we would go and enjoy some drinks, get a cheese plate or various other appetizers, then head next door to watch a free movie put on by the people who do the tallgrass film festival in october.  we saw some good movies this summer, like the birdcage and the crying game.  and we saw some not so good movies like the third man.  but at least it got us out of the house and didnt cost too much.  the summer heat has been brutal, we want to find a dog park for the girls, but itks too hot to be out for very long, so well have to wait until the fall for that one.  speaking of the fall, we will be joining the wichita catbackers then so that we have a group of other kstate alumni to get together with to watch games.  we are looking forward to having other kstate fans to get rowdy with.  my colleague tracy, my fourth grade coteacher, came to visit this summer.  it was great to see her and to catch up with her.  its not going to be the same this year not teaching with her.  i hope we will still get several opportunities to see each other this year and to hang out, i miss working with her already.  well, i think thats about all we have been doing this summer.  im sorry we arent more entertaining.  i hope you all are doing well.  stay tuned for more info as michael continues to look for a job.  we love you all.  thanks for your thoughts and prayers as we have moved here to wichita, we are enjoying it.

Another Opportunity

well folks, im here again to update you on the job front.  i have been working at the jewelry store for a little over two weeks.  im learning a lot about the pieces in the store and the jewelry industry as a whole.  its not extremely hard work, most of the time im standing around waiting for people to come in, or inspecting pieces, or cleaning pieces.  i get three percent commission on sales also.  so far ive sold a two hundred dollar mens wedding ring, an eight hundred dollar necklace, and a four hundred dollar watch.  that brings my commission to about fourty dollars.  not much, but it does help a little.  i will start my para job in august when school starts.  hopefully i will get my paperwork finished this week, then be ready to go for the start of the year.  as for michael, hes applied for over two hundred jobs in just the month of july.  hes been working tirelessly to find something.  it was humbling for him when he had to start applying to places like home depot and best buy, but hes still trying.  this morning he got a call from a drill bit company in ponca city, oklahoma who would like him to come down for an interview.  they are a division of slumberger who is a tough but great engineering company.  of course, i have mixed feelings about this job.  i want him to have a job, but i dont enjoy the thought of my husband living an hour and a half away for the next ten months.  however, i know many military spouses and other people who have to deal with their spouses being gone for significant amounts of time, and when you look at it that way, an hour and a half doesnt seem so bad.  anyways, please be in pray for us.  we would take anything at this point.  i will keep you updated.  much love, jen

Wanted: 1 Mechanical Engineering Job

if you have a mechanical engineering job in wichita that you need filled, please let us know.  if you heard that bombadier, hawker, boeing, or beech is hiring, we dont want to hear it.  wekve already applied for every job they have, however, since we dont have ten years of experience, none of them will hire us.  right now im kind of hating wichita.

More Job Updates

so sorry i havent updated in a while.  heres whats been going on...  i heard back from the jewelry store last week, they went ahead and hired me.  i began on monday, making seven dollars and eighty cents an hour plus commission.  i havent made any commission yet because for the first two weeks that im working that im working there i wont have any goals or be expected to sell anything, im just getting used to the job aand the expectations.  its an easy job and fun because i get to walk around and look at beautiful jewelry all day.  also, i get a great discount.  the discount varies by item, but i will usually get between fifty and eighty percent off the customer price, which is amazing discounts.  i can buy gifts for other people, but not buy something then have someone else pay me back.  so if things are reasonable and we have two incomes by christmas time, you might all get jewelry.  we will just have to see what happens.  in other news, i had an interview yesterday in augusta, which is about seventeen miles east of where we live.  they had two para openings, and were interviewing six people for the two jobs.  a para is another adult who comes into the classroom and works with a small group or even just one student in order to help them succeed.  they could need assistance monitoring their behavior or academic assistance.  the interview went well and they told me that they would know by the end of the day and call me.  well, they called me yesterday evening to offer me one of the positions.  so i officially have two jobs now.  now some of you may be wondering, how will that work since i already have one job.  well, i disclosed to both jobs at my interviews that i was looking to do something like that.  at the jewelry store i will probably work nights and weekends during the school year, i am only part time anyway, so it shouldnkt change the number of hours im working each week very much.  the para job is just during the school day, and i will have to do little to nothing on professional development days, as those are designed for the teachers, not the other staff.  so basically, if there are kids in the building, i will be there from eight to three every day.  i dont know what my pay will be yet as a para, they told me that the pay starts at seven dollars and fifty cents per hour, but it goes up with experience and having a degree.  i think with working both of these jobs at around sixty hours each week, we should be able to make ends meet and pay our bills and still have a little money for gas and groceries, even if michael doesnt find anything.  so im less worried about money right now, but not super stoked about sixty plus hours per week.  but we will make do.  i thought it was tough getting by on a teachers salary, minimum wage is even worse.  i guess thats why youre supposed to get a degree and not have to work at a job designed for a high school student.  ugh.  oh well.  this too will pass.  your prayers are always greatly appreciated, especially for michael as he continues to search for a job.  thanks everyone.  much love.

Interview Updates

yesterday i had an interview for an administrative assistant job.  i heard about it because when michael went to his audition for playing violin at church, one of the secretaries at church suggested the job for me.  it was the shortest interview i have ever had, so i have a hard way of telling if it went well or not.  they took my interview and read through it, i explained how i had been a teacher and why i was looking for a different sort of job now, they asked me if i was looking for a career change, i explained that if this job gave me more opportunities to grow and increase in pay, i would be willing to, and that was about all they said or asked.  they told me that they would be in touch.  it was weird that it was so short, but an easy interview.  seemed like a very low key company.  we will see what happens.  in other news, i have an interview today with the regional manager at beldens.  i will let you know how that goes later today.  this will be my second interview with beldens.  finally, the last thing i have to report is that i got another call this morning from a school in augusta who saw my application for a para position, so i set up an interview with her for that job on next thursday.  after everything thats been going on lately and all the different interviews ive had, i think that having a minimum wage job with no benefits like a para job might not work for me.  i might have a better chance pushing my luck with subbing and hoping that i stay busy that way.  we will see what happens.  thats all i have to report today.  thank you again for your love and support and prayers.  i will keep you informed as i know more.  love you all very much.

Job Fair Update

Well, no need to beat around the bush...  The job fair was basically a failure.  There were a lot of military recruiters and colleges advising people to go to college.  That really frustrated me, because I have a college degree and it's not doing much for me right now.  There were a few companies that dealt with children and youth, so I got some information on them and applied with them when I got home.  Michael talked to the same companies he's been talking to since we decided to come to Wichita.  One of the men at the Leerjet booth recognized Michael from the other career fairs he's been to.  That man did mention that someone in the company had recently grabbed Michael's resume and was looking at it, we'll see if we hear anything back about that.  Michael also applied online at Best Buy, he thinks that if he can't get an engineering job, that Best Buy might not be a bad option.

In other news, Michael had an audition today at the church we've been attending (Countryside Christian Church) to join the band playing his violin.  The lady loved him and the tone of his violin.  She's excited to get him into the band in the fall.  She said she would maybe even try to get him in a little this summer.  Michael's very excited to be back in a band.  While he was there the lady asked him about me and what I did.  He explained that I am a teacher, but hadn't found a job yet.  She knew of 2 jobs, a 4th grade job at Bethel School and an administrative assistant.  I called both people.  I then submitted a resume to Bethel and set up an interview for the administrative assistant job for tomorrow.

So, what's coming up...
Tomorrow - Interview for an administrative assistant job
Friday - Meeting with the regional manager from Belden's
Wednesday - Going to see the new Harry Potter movie!  :)  (What?!  I'm still going to enjoy my summer a little bit!)  We also get paid today!  (That will leave the August paycheck from USD 475, then we're completely broke...)

As always, keep us in your prayers.  We're looking in much different places than we planned on, but we need to pay our bills and keep our puppies fed.  So we'll take most anything at this point.  Thanks for all your thoughts and prayers!  We'll keep you up to date as we learn more.