The Refiner's Fire

My last post was rather depressing, and I hate to say that darkness continued on for 6 months after I wrote about it. Thankfully, I was eventually delivered from that evil to another job on campus in June and I don't have to let it take over me any more. I have cast off those demons. I have emerged a stronger element from the refiner's fire.

Where do I start after a 9 month absence? Catching up in one sitting could take me hours, so I will have to highlight the important stuff until I have more free time.

My husband graduated with his degrees in Respiratory Therapy and Health Sciences in May. We had a little setback in an elective course and he wasn't able to get his bachelor's degree until August, but he was at least able to start taking his RT licensing exams and start looking for a job. Our summer consisted of many trips to Boise, because the hubs had to take his licensing exams there and because that's where we take our son to see the eye doctor. We probably filled out 30-50 job applications and he didn't get any interviews until summer was almost over. In one week he interviewed in Logan for a part time job, in Idaho Falls for full time and Jerome for full time. He was offered the jobs in Logan and Jerome on the same day, but since the Logan job was only part time and not guaranteed any hours, he decided to take the job in Jerome. He has been working there since the beginning of September and he loves it.

I had been planning on going back to school to become a Massage Therapist, but since we would be moving to Twin Falls I wasn't able to do that, and now I am going to be a stay-at-home mom. I'm not sure how to feel about that yet. I know I want to be with my children and I should be excited about not having to go to work anymore, but to me being a SAHM is not something that should be underestimated. It is a lot of hard work and I will probably be more responsible than I have ever had to be in the working world. I have a lot of friends who are SAHMs and I know I can reach out to them if I need to. My last day of work is next Thursday and while I am excited, I will also miss the people I have met and worked with. I have been on this campus 10 years, since I left high school and became a college student. A lot of people ask me if I will miss my family when I move away, but my honest answer is that I know I will get to see my family again, but the friendships I have created through work and school...those people I may never see again, and that will be the hardest thing for me to accept.

At the end of September we finally said goodbye to apartment living and got a house to rent in Twin Falls. It's a bit older, but it has so much space than in any place we have ever lived. I even get to have my own crafting room (it is the only finished room in the unfinished basement). When we get it all set up, I will make sure to post pictures of it. I should have a lot of time to blog once I don't have to go to work anymore. We decided that I needed to continue working after we moved to Twin to save up more money, so I have been living out of a suitcase for 3 weeks and I am SO ready to be done with that.  Now that the kids have been in the house they really like it, and they are curious why we keep living with grandma and grandpa when we have a big house to play in. I will forever be grateful to my parents for putting up with us for a month in their house that's big enough for 2 but barely big enough for 6. Uriah started first grade and has been doing excellent, but he will be going to a new school in a week and I'm not sure how he will handle. He is very good at making friends, so I'm sure his adjustment time will be short.

I'm not really sure where to go from here. The last few months have brought a line of firsts that I am going to have to get comfortable with and accept. However, having emerged from the refiner's fire of the last year, I know, with the Lord's guidance, I can weather any storm.