Coming Clean

In the spirit of coming clean, let me say that these first few days back in Texas have been more overwhelming than I expected.

Putting some stuff in storage and arranging a living space at my parents wore me out more than I'd like to admit. Or maybe it was the 4 year old who looks to me for most of his daily activities. Or maybe it was the 2.5 month old who likes to bond with me in the wee hours of the night. So, I'll admit that I've been online less than an hour in 2 weeks. For me, that's SO ODD. I won't qualify it as good or bad; it just is.

Thanks to you who have been waiting patiently for updates. I'll break them down into smaller parts over the next couple of days. For today, here's what's happening with housing and jobs:

Michael's internship with Kaiser was over August 7, and we loaded up the truck August 8. (Thanks to Nathan and sweet girlfriend, Gretchen, Matt, Detrah, Peter, and Jenn for coming by to encourage and/or take boxes to the Penske truck. It saved us HOURS of work.) Now that we're here, what's the plan?

Our work with Apartment Life (approx. 70 hours a month) begins when we are placed in an apartment complex. The length of the placement process can vary, depending on the availability of participating complexes and how accurate of a match it is with the team. And because it can take from weeks to (gulp) months, it would be difficult for us to find an apartment with a leasing agreement that flexible. What to do, eh?

Well, we're back with the best landlords we've ever had...Mom and Dad. Both sets of parents were willing to have Owen and June live with them, but we figured the transition would be easier for Owen back at my folks because he's lived here before. So, on the housing end, we wait...and pray...and wait...and pray.

And on the job end? Wait...and pray...and wait...and pray. Are you seeing a theme in our lives?

Michael does have a part time counseling job that he can build up through networking with other local psychologists, churches, schools, etc. Until those hours build up to full-time, he will need another job, so he is looking at more psychology jobs in the area. The paperwork side of Apartment Life (reports, etc.) will be my part time job as I stay home with the kids for now.

It's all good, but I must admit it's a little difficult for me right now. So, I looked for the rainbow amidst it all...and look, it was right in the backyard. ;)