My Bad! :)

Sorry, once again, that it has been so long! I have been traveling so much over the last few weeks that as soon as I got home from Indiana, I had to hit the ground running! Things are coming together, slowly, though and I am (again, slowly), starting to get back into the swing of life in Philly. Of course, there are some hiccups...

First, though, my time in Indiana was AMAZING! I had SO much fun catching up with April, getting to know her husband, Matt, better and especially hanging out with their 3 beautiful and FUN little girls! I would have stayed much longer if I could and I REALLY hope I get to see them more often now. A bunch of my friends from high school are trying to plan a beach vacation/reunion for next summer, and this trip really motivated me to start saving!!

I left Indiana feeling so encouraged in my walk with the Lord. We did a lot of fun things (trip to the zoo, day at the park, eating lots of ice cream), and spent a good amount of time just hanging out...and laughing a lot. April has always been someone who I can laugh with, and her husband just added to the fun. It was awesome!

I got back from Indiana on Tuesday just in time to check the girls' school work and then start to unpack. I missed one day of AIM work, and when I checked my email I realized that I had missed a lot. So, I got right to work and basically haven't stopped. It's a really busy time at AIM, so I am thankful that Cornerstone stuff is slow right now. I am praying that things at AIM will slow down in the next 2 weeks as I get ready for Cornerstone to kick into high gear. I don't remember fall being this busy before! Thankfully, fall also brings FOOTBALL SEASON!!! So, I have an outlet for my stress. :) (As long as Tech plays better than they did last weekend).

Another exciting event from this week was Ashley getting a job! She is working at a Christian Foster Care center, which will be stretching for her, but she is really excited. She has been job hunting for several months now, so this also came as a huge relief!! Yay!!

Unfortunately, my house hasn't sold yet, so we are still just praying and waiting. I have to admit, a lot of doubt has been creeping in, but I am really trying to seek the Lord in the midst of it. The girls and I are just ready to move and get settled in!

We also discovered this week that Gizmo has worms. He caught, and killed, two mice while I was away (yay Giz!), but apparently they gave him worms. I am taking him to the vet in the morning. We had to get a stool sample to bring in, so the girls and I have been keeping a close eye on him for a few days trying to catch him "in the act". (Its gross, I know. That seems to be a running theme in my life right now, haha). Finally tonight Linda saw him going and we were able to get what we need before he covered it all up. Yay for cat poop! I am looking forward to seeing the look on people's faces when I pull my 18 pound cat out at the vet. :)

In addition to the bad news about Giz, I got some REALLY bad news yesterday. I had taken my car in to get it inspected and got a phone call late in the afternoon from the mechanic. He informed me that the entire front end of the car (the part that holds the engine up) was completely rusted out and would cost over $1000 to replace (more than the car is worth). In addition to that, I needed new brakes and a few other things that would bring the total cost to over$1500. He told me that my best bet was to just have the car scrapped.

So, I no longer have a car. I MIGHT have some money to get a car if my house sells soon, and if it sells for a good price, but that is a HUGE if. I can't complain at all, the van was an EXTREMELY generous gift and has served me well for over a year. (I am kinda bummed about the $500 I put into replacing the battery and alternator about a month ago...). And, now that the girls are older, and there are only 2 of them, I can start looking into smaller cars since I don't really need as much space as before. Right now, however, my bank account is hovering near zero, so the actual buying of a car won't happen any time soon.

I'm sure the girls and I can manage most things without a car. Now that they live with me, I don't have to drive to pick them up, and its still warm enough to walk places. Ashley is getting a car in a few weeks, so we can do grocery shopping and stuff with her car. Honestly, the only reason I really drive anywhere is because we are usually coming home late at night and I don't like walking at night. (Well, actually I do, but I know it isn't safe). But, I think we can get rides home from other people if its too late, and its no problem at all to walk to the church. So, we'll adjust and do what we can! I'm very impressed with how the girls are handling it...not complaining at all and just saying, "Well, something else to ask Jesus about". I love them so much!!

Alright, I think you are now sufficiently updated on things. I am working on my newsletter tonight and tomorrow, so hopefully that will be in the mail by Monday. Its been 5 months since my last one. Whoops!! (I will definitely argue that I have been busy though, not lazy!). I also need to do some grocery shopping, but we'll have to wait and see how expensive Giz is tomorrow to find out if I can buy more than just tuna fish, haha. I am very excited to be in town, and staying for a few weeks. Hopefully I can get back on a schedule soon! I love schedule!!

Oh, and there is someone coming to see the house tomorrow. We haven't gotten any feedback so far from the few people who have come to look at it, so I don't really know what else to do but pray!