Good Ol' July

The month of July started with us returning from our fun trip to Seattle and Portland!

The following day, our first nephew was born! We are so excited to have a new little person to love in our family and we can't wait to meet him!

New nephew!

The 4th of July was really fun. I started the day off at a shower of love for a friend who was getting married. She didn't want gifts or games, so we had a fun brunch and prayed over her. It was a wonderful time with some very dear-to-my-heart women.

 Me and Megh at our friend's shower

Later that evening, we met up with my sister and her husband, and some of our friends to watch the fireworks. We have this favorite spot that we always watch them, away from where most people watch them. It was a lot of fun. I've always loved fireworks, so the 4th of July is one of my favorite days.

The gang waiting for the fireworks

The next day, we celebrated my friend L.B.'s daughter's birthday. She was born on the 4th of July four years ago. It's so crazy to think that much time has passed already!

That evening, we had a little summer bash with some good friends. We played games and ate lots of yummy food.

The next week, I had a fun lunch with a friend. It was good to catch up, as she and I hadn't really been able to hang out in awhile. We also celebrated Josh's grandparents's birthdays that evening. It was a fun time with family.

We were supposed to go the wedding of the friend whose shower I went to, but my back was really hurting me, and I knew I couldn't handle the drive to get there. I was really bummed, but I know it was the better plan for us not to go.

My oldest friend had my second nephew that week! My sister and I were able to go meet him a few days after he was born. He is adorable! And it's always fun seeing my goddaughter, as she is his older sister.

My second nephew

I had another wine get together with some friends later that week. It's always a good time with those ladies.

The following week, I had a fun evening out with my friend L.B. We always have the best conversations when we are together.

That weekend, two of our friends that we went to Oregon/Washington with moved into their first home! We had a great day helping them move (well, Josh helped as I was working that morning) and then we spent some time with friends hanging out, trying to stay cool. We went to a fun restaurant/brewery that we had never been before that evening and went back to our friends's new home and played some games.

The next day, I went wine tasting to celebrate one of my friends's birthdays. We went to all the same wineries we went to in January and added one more. It was a really fun day, even though it was incredibly hot outside.

 We didn't plan the black and white thing. It just happened!

Other things that happened in July:

My sister-in-law and I watched the Bachelorette together on Monday nights. It's always a fun evening together.

My little cowgirl at a family dinner 

Snuggled up with Uncle Josh 

Someone wanted to paint Auntie's nails

I sang for worship at church.

Our friends that moved away last year told us they were moving back, as the husband got a new job here!

My little book club finished Harry Potter and read The Giver. And then we started on a new series, that I am almost finished with.

Overall, July was a good month, even though it was a very hot one.

New Start

Josh and I are SO excited! We are moving into a two-bedroom home in just a few weeks!
I still can't believe it's all happening. Josh is starting his new job in the next couple of weeks and we are able to move into a bigger place! But, I guess I should back up to the beginning of the story...
Josh has been working for the school district for a little over two years now. He went from working at a year-round elementary school to working at a traditional high school, where he also gained another traditional elementary school that he splits his time at. When he switched from the year-round school to the traditional one, he took a pretty big cut in pay. Not that he actually received a lower hourly wage, but he lost days in the year, so his checks were a lot smaller. It was fine at the time for us, because I was offered a job at a flooring company that would pay me about double what I had been making at the church. We prayed about it and felt a peace about him switching schools and about me taking the job at the flooring company.
We did not, however, realize that after four months, I would be laid off from the flooring company due to our lovely economy. Fortunately, I was able to file for unemployment. We struggled to live on a reduced income for quite a few months. The school district then offered some of the employees in Josh's position the option to time sheet an extra hour a day at work, since some of them were also splitting up their time between two schools. It was such a blessing to be able to get a little extra money every month from that. Even when our health insurance went up in August, it still ended up being a nice increase in his pay check. During this whole process, I applied for quite a few different jobs, had a couple of interviews, but nothing panned out.
Fortunately, another opportunity presented itself for Josh. A job opened up in the school district for the position directly above where Josh was currently working. It also happened to be in-house only, which meant that Josh had a pretty good chance of getting the job if he decided to apply for it. After praying about it, we definitely felt like he needed to apply. God proved Himself to be amazing yet again through the whole process. Josh ended up being only one of two people who applied for the job. He had an interview the next week and found out a few days after that he had gotten the job! Not only does the job pay more hourly, but he will also be working year round at the district office itself, which is a BIG increase in pay for him each month. He has not started his job yet, but is supposed to be starting sometime in the next two weeks. And with the other exciting opportunity that was presented to us, it couldn't come at a better time.
Some good friends of ours from church (who are also now related to my sister) own a two-bedroom home they rent out. Their current renters came to them last week to let them know that they would be moving out by the end of the year, possibly sooner. We were offered the opportunity to rent the house and knew that it was definitely a gift from God. The rent is not much higher than what we are currently paying for our apartment, and with Josh's increase in pay from his new job, it won't be a financial burden in the least. Things moved along a lot quicker than we expected and we signed our rental agreement on Sunday afternoon. We put in our 30 day notice at our apartment complex on Sunday as well. We are planning to move in before Christmas, if all goes as planned.
With everything that has gone on in our lives this past year, we really feel like God is giving us a new start. Josh is starting a new job and we are moving into a rental that will feel like our own home (we can paint, hang things on the walls, and plant things in the yard!!). We have also recently had a new desire to really take on our Biblical roles in our marriage in a way we hadn't been before. We really want to serve and love each other the way God calls us to, even when we get frustrated at the little things in life. We are also on a plan to get rid of our debt as soon as possible. I told Josh that I really feel like God is allowing us to have a new start in all aspects of our lives. I know that God desires more from us and we are trying our best to live our lives in a way that truly pleases Him. I am very excited for 2010. It also seems quite fitting to me that Josh just turned 25 and that I will be close behind him in just under two months. Not that 25 is that significant of an age, but I feel like it is going to be for us. I know as long as Josh and I continue to seek God in all we do, whether it be how we spend our money or how to love each other better, everything will be great! And, even if we experience pain along the way, which is inevitable, I know it will only make us stronger in Christ and closer to each other.