Most Needed Update: Part Two

Before I begin, I would like to wish our puppy Jacques a very happy birthday! He turns one today. I realize how very blessed we are to have gotten him--not only did we get a glimpse of Gary as a grandpa (and let me tell you, that dog was spoiled!), but we have also found great comfort in him over the last four months. Funny how you can feel sad, look down at a cute little puppy, and feel so much better! So, happy birthday little Jacques--we love you so much!

As I left off, our lives after Gary and Tony died became almost unrecognizable. We went back to Bellingham a few days after the memorials. The weekend of Gary and Pete's memorials I would have graduated from WWU with my Master in Teaching. While I still received my diploma, I couldn't attend graduation. However, my awesome friend Chelsea made sure I could attend in spirit!

Yes, that is me... or a doll with my picture glued onto its face! So I still "attended" graduation. The most important part, I was able to finish my Masters paper and get my degree!

But, by late August, I was still without a job, and Eric was working the same job he had last year, a retail supervisor for Sodexo at Western. We had anticipated staying in Bellingham for the year. We wrestled with that decision, wanting to be in Vancouver for Eric's family, but at the same time loving Bellingham and our new apartment. We again put it in God's hands, and on August 30th, everything changed, again. My English teacher from high school and friend, Mrs. Riley, called me with news of an opening at Shahala Middle School in Vancouver. It was a perfect situation: part-time, French teacher at a middle school--pretty much exactly what I wanted in a teaching job! I was not too happy with sitting around waiting for sub jobs. It left me alone with my thoughts all day while Eric was at work.

So I applied. Then, through a crazy string of events, I got an interview. They had tried to contact me but were unable to reach me. And I had no idea they were calling me. Luckily, again, Mrs. Riley met with someone who worked at Shahala, who knew they were trying to get in touch with me! See, I said it was a crazy string of events. Finally, I was able to get a hold of them and went down for an interview. At this point, school at Shahala had begun already.  A sub was teaching until they could find a permanent replacement--and that permanent replacement was me!

I was excited for teaching my own class and own materials. This meant, however, Eric and I would need to be apart for a while. We decided that Eric would work through the end of fall quarter. So, from September to December we would be driving back and forth on weekends, living apart during the week. Not what a couple is expecting in their first year of marriage, especially after what had happened over the summer. So on Monday, September 13th, I packed up my car and left for Vancouver. I was going to be living with Eric's mom, Patti, and Eric's brother, Mark.

I love teaching. With all of the frustration with finding a job, I began to question if it was the career for me. I began to think about going to back to school--law school in particular--and thought that maybe I had been following the wrong path. A week after I had this conversation with a friend of mine, God provided me with direction, and a job! I am so glad that I gave Him the opportunity to speak to me. I love every part of teaching--the students, the lesson planning, the scorekeeping at volleyball games... my students make my day, every day. In the words of Ted Mosby: "All that stupid crap they tell you about how fulfilling teaching is, it's all true."


In another sudden turn of events, the day after I started my job, Eric received an e-mail from Starbucks. He had applied for a manager position back in May. CRAZY they would be contacting him almost four months later! A few weeks later he had an interview and the next day they offered him a position as an Assistant Store Manager at a store in Vancouver. Yet again, God brought us to where we needed to be! We had been praying about living apart, and He provided us with being together again. Eric left his job in late October and started at Starbucks November 2nd. He does a fraction of the work for more pay! And best of all, he isn't constantly stressed out.

So that brings us up to now. We are still living with Eric's mom, but saving money, helping her out (or at least we think so!), and searching for our perfect apartment/condo/house. It's out there, somewhere!