Traditions

I didn't know moving across a giant lake that I would find a new Christmas tradition that I've never even heard of.  Apparently here in WI, families get kids excited about Santa Claus coming with stocking gifts from St. Nick.  I was confused because I thought the 2 were one in the same.  I asked my husband and he said that Santa is a fictional character based on the real Saint Nicholas.  Ok, so I was kind of right.  But then there's another family I work with who does a tradition from Holland where Bell Snickels leaves little treats/toys in kids' shoes to get them excited about Christmas.  I also learned from Wikipedia that these festivals relate to the Feast of St. Nicholas on December 6.  I felt silly this week when I had no idea what people were talking about, why celebrate St. Nicholas?  Isn't Christmas about Jesus' birth?
I guess that's what people celebrate when they don't know Christ.  It kind of made me sad in a way, that the families I work with are missing out on the joy of the real meaning of Christmas.  It's a strange atmosphere to work in, especially coming from a non-Christian preschool/day care where most of my co-workers were Christians.  I don't know why it's bothering me so much this year, when I knew in years past the kids/families I worked with weren't in any way religious at all.  Maybe it's because I am in my clients' homes, I see there traditions and how they interact as a family; or maybe it's because I am trying to show Christ's presence in my life without being too offensive to those who just don't care to hear about him.
This also makes me grateful to have Christmas traditions that center around Christ's birth.  To have Him in my life and know that I won't face an eternity of torture, but one in paradise.  My family traditions included Santa, but my parents focused on Christ as well.  We left cookies and milk, and carrots for the "reindeer;" we woke up to presents on Christmas morning, but we also heard the story of Jesus' birth.  We did the advent calendar too, and now that I'm older I want my kids' Christmas to focus on the real reason.  Yes, I want them to enjoy presents, to even believe in Santa, but to make certain that they know Jesus Christ was born on Christmas day.
We don't have any present traditions, as Steve and I have only been married for 3 years, living away from our families and don't have any kids yet.  But one day we will, and I am looking forward to the joy that will come when we read the story in Luke and bake cookies and wake up really early to celebrate a little baby as well as open presents that "magically" appeared.

I don't know why I felt the need to write all of this, but it's been on my mind lately.  Traditions...it's the time of year when we talk the most about them, and yet all of mine seem to have slipped away with time.  I'm getting older, I'm not a child or a teen anymore...soon I may even have a child of my own and I seriously cannot wait to start new traditions with our family.  In God's time of course...

Aquiring a New Sister

Yes, my "little" brother got married.  2 weekends ago.  Steve and I were both in the wedding so we had a mini vacation to Ohio.  It was a beautiful day.  Lovely ceremony, perfect weather, and a very late night at such a fun reception!  I cried more at his wedding than my own too...all because he's the baby and is now all grown up.  I also danced more, as did my husband, at their wedding than at our own.  Maybe because we were part of the wedding party that we felt required to dance, or maybe because he's just loosening up some and wanted to make his wife happy by dancing (cause she surely CANNOT dance by herself, she feels silly).  Anyways, it was a great weekend, and I am so excited to have a new sister added to the family.  

She is great for my brother, and my brother is great for her.  The pastor shared some of the things they love about each other and how each challenges the other and it was a really great message shared at the ceremony.  I love that Kristen has similar interests too.  We both have a bachelor's in psychology, and when we met we were both headed along the school psychology path.  Now we both work with kids who have Autism.  How cool is that?  She is headed to get her master's in school psych too, though I've yet to make up my mind if that's still the route I want to go, or if it's more related to Autism.

I'm so happy for the two of them.  I sure hope we get to live close in the future, cause being this far apart is not going to be fun.  In MI it was possible to do a weekend trip, but now it's going to be a lot harder, especially with work and school and life in general.  In time though, hopefully we'll be closer, but for now at least there's texting and FB and phones.  I'm just glad to have another sister cause I've always wanted one...

Now for some pics of the celebration...


Well, blogger is not letting me upload photos tonight...or my computer is just being dumb.  Anyways, pics will come later this weekend since I have to work from 8 - 5:30 tomorrow and then drive 40 min home.  Fridays are even more full than they used to be...

DIY Projects...The Beginning

I have several thousand ideas for projects to spruce up our home, but only have a handful in mind to actually complete (and the funds to do so).  My husband asked me the other day why I don't do things like scrapbook or sew or work on DIY projects when he's gone at work.  My response was I'm either doing household chores, working,or couponing/planning meals/grocery shopping...  In reality though, I spend a good amount of time online too.  I don't watch a lot of tv when he's gone, but I do search around on Pinterest for recipe ideas, project ideas, etc.  Therefore, I am going to set a goal of actually completing one of these found ideas, as well as one project that I've already started in the next 2 weeks.  (Small steps right?)  

Anyway, I need to use my time a little bit more productively when he's gone because I was so excited to be able to have so much time to scrapbook since I'd only be working part time and my husband would be working 48 on/48 off and every other weekend.  How many pages have I completed since we've been here with all that extra time?  NONE!  Absolutely ZERO pages.  I've made 2 cards, but I need to get some creative juices flowing again in that area if I want to stay caught up to life in scrapbooking (which I know is practically impossible, but I would enjoy if it were so).

So here's to the beginnings of do-it-yourself creativeness in our household.  

Project #1 (that is 3/4 finished): sand/prime/paint wooden lighthouse for our back porch.  It's been sanded and primed and painted blue.  Now all that's left is to paint the white parts, find some rope/small chain for the top and a new battery for the light and it will be complete.

Project #2 DIY Dry erase calendar and/or To Do List/Menu planner.  I have plenty of scrapbook paper for this, I just need to find a good 12x12 frame to finish this project.

Another goal of mine is to Finish Steve's CG graduation pages before Christmas, as well as OBX pictures and stones/shells.  I found a neat way to scrapbook the shells, and they need to get out of the plastic container in the guest bedroom.

Hopefully taking time to create will put me more at ease in this struggle to become acclimated to a new state with only a handful of friends.  I know come winter I will have a ton of time on my hands, so these DIY projects are only the beginning.  Maybe by then I'll have another job too, I'm probably going to need something just to get me out of the house during those long winter months.  Not going to think about that though...it's 80 and sunny now.  I'll choose live in the moment today.

*I apologize there are no pictures.  I planned to post some , but then I realized that I have not put any of my before pictures on my computer yet...oops!

Random Thoughts About Our New "Home"

We've lived in WI now for a month and a half.  I've never felt further from home than I do now.  It's tough being away from family and close friends.  Our apartment feels like home, but being out and about in the town...not so much.  Surreal I think is the best way to describe it.  I don't see familiar faces anymore.  Even in Michigan I recognized a few of the Target checkout people whenever I went in.  Here, they're all different.  Each store seems to have a different person every time I go.

I've made friends here.  I hang out with said friends too, and not just occasionally.  I think I've actually done more things with other women my own age in the past 47 days than I have since we've been married. This is very strange for me.  I'm an introvert, but as long as someone asks me to do things with them I'm all for it.  Like garage sale-ing, beach going, walking, softball games. (Is this my shell breaking away?)

Driving home from work yesterday, I got this odd feeling looking out over the horizon while waiting on the drawbridge to go down.  The boats, the bridge, the marinas...these things do not exist in my hometown.  But they're here.  They're all over, almost in our backyard even.  

I asked Steve if he felt like this was our home yet when we went on a walk down to the marina last night.  He said no.  I'm glad we agree on that.  Don't know when it will start to feel like home though...or if it ever will.

My in-laws are going camping this weekend with Steve's brother and his fiance.  I feel a bit jealous...and sad we're not there to be able to join them.  I hope they can get a chance to come up here sometime this summer to visit us in our new "home."  I hope my parents can come up soon too...they've said the 4th...we'll see what happens. 

Another thing I was thinking about that's so different here (which relates to a severe lack of family in the area) is not being able to go over to someone else's house for dinner.  We can't just say "Hey let's go visit your grandma."  We can't make plans with our friends to go out to eat or to a movie.  I miss our families so much...yes both Steve's and mine.

The weather here...I don't even want to start.  BIPOLAR it is...severely.  Just last week we had a 30 degree temperature difference in 24 hours 85 down to 55 the next morning.  Yesterday to today...55 w/rain to 70 w/sun.  The weather is the worst part.

The mail lady...doesn't come until 3:00 or after.  I'm used to mail by 12 or 1 at the very latest.

Cereal is super expensive...even at Walmart, which isn't even a Super Walmart (though they're adding on).

Now I'm just complaining, but these are the things I've thought of and discovered about our time here in WI so far.  I sure hope things get a better.  They're not horrible, they're not even bad.  We have been blessed abundantly; I just never thought I'd miss family and friends as much as I do (and it could just be the day, Steve's on this weekend so that leaves me home alone with Sherman).  Though I know I will look back in a year and see just how great this town is when I give it a chance.

New Friends and New "Teaching" Job

This weekend we went to a barbeque at one of the guys' houses from the station.  I was a little nervous about meeting new people, but it was a lot of fun.  I got to meet 3 of the guy's wives (and their babies too) and it's definitely nice to be making some new friends.  It's tough moving to a place where you know no one, and don't have a job right away to be busy with.  I've spent a lot of days home alone with just the dog.  I'm so grateful we have him or it would be so much worse!  So hopefully over the next 2-3 years I will develop some close friends here.  I definitely have a good feeling about this now that I've actually met some people.

The whole job situation will be changing tomorrow too!  I was told last week that the family I would be working with didn't want to start until after school gets out.  Here, that day is June 9.  So I wasn't expecting the phone call I got today.  My senior therapist called to let me know I've been put on a case with a little boy, and I need to be there tomorrow morning at 8am.  She apologized for it being such short notice, but I told her my schedule is free so it wasn't a big deal.  Now I'm super nervous though.  I've never done this kind of work.  

Yeah I've been in early childhood education for 2 years, but this is different.  I don't know what to expect with the little boy I'll be working with. 

Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are just that...a spectrum of symptoms and behaviors as well as at times other diagnoses.  But he's just a kid whose parents want him to succeed.  As do I.  I love teaching and seeing how children pick up on the lessons and apply them.  No matter the subject.  

So really, I've done this before.  I've been a teacher for years if you look at it like that.  Sunday school.  VBS.  Softball.  Kindergarten (I was a mentor/tutor for a year with a kindergarten girl).  Youth group.  Basketball (Super Streaks).  Devotions.  Small group.  Toddlers.  Track (leading by example, and encouraging my younger teammates).  And most recently Preschool.  Looking at the things/activities I've been involved in since high school, a lot of it has to do with teaching.  So I can do this, I'm excited to teach this little boy, and I'm even more excited to see how he learns (because I know the "what" can take a long time to see in ASD kids) so I'll be able to help him the best I can.

Now I've got myself psyched up for my new job tomorrow.  The one who loves psychology and knows the power of the mind often has to remind herself of the positives.  Oh well, as long as I do what I say in my head.  Plus it's only 3.25 hours.  I can handle that.  It's a time to get to know him and his family, as well as my senior therapist and the one other therapist who will be there as well.  This is a good thing, a new "teaching" job is all it is.

I also must remember that God will not give me anything more than I can handle.  He is clearly at work in this whole move and job situation and I need to continue to trust in him.  He's given me the abilities already to work with children, the passion to see them succeed, and the patience to deal with whatever situation comes my way.  God is good all the time!

Now That's Odd

Hmmm.  I'm very confused.  I wrote a post Wednesday night about my big day that was yesterday, and it's gone.  Vanished.  Into the cyberworld of lost posts...  I published it even, and it's no longer there.  Honestly, I guess it's better that way because I was down.  I was a little bit scared about the adventure that was yesterday.  But now I can write from a different perspective.  A more positive one if you will.  

I was very nervous about my interview and training, but I had no reason to be.  (I think there were a bunch of underlying factors that caused this anxiety such as leaving the dog alone for 4-5 hours, driving somewhere I'd never been, and Steve's 48 hour shift at the station.)  Anyways, looking back I DEFINITELY had no reason to be worried or nervous.  

1. The office was really easy to get to

2. The staff was super friendly

3. The interview was informal, I was there mostly to fill out paperwork before the training

4. The training itself was only a little over 2 hours (I was told originally it'd be 3)

5. I'm excited about what I will get to do in this new job

6. I got to go to Hobby Lobby for scrapbooking supplies (since training got done early, I was able to go and not worry about leaving the dog any longer than necessary)

7. Sherman was fine when I got home

So I am now officially employed at Applied Behavior Analysts as a line therapist.  I just have to wait on a call from a senior therapist so I can start working with a child.  I'm excited, and a bit nervous.  I was talking to my mom about how this job is something I could see myself doing in the future, and progressing to a senior therapist maybe.  While I loved my previous job, I knew going in I wasn't going to be there forever.

This new job is more a career kind of job.  A more professional type of job, (not that my other job wasn't professional, it was, but I felt more like a babysitter than a teacher most days and that's not exactly why I got  a college degree) one where I can use my psychology degree and even advance in schooling.  I still don't know what I want to get my master's in.  I'll probably know more after a few months on the job whether special education and/or early childhood special education is the route I'll go or if I'll focus more on the counseling/clinical/therapy side of developmental disorders. 

Who knows, but this is what God has in store for me right now. And all I can say is "Praise God for this opportunity!"  I haven't had much experience with Autism spectrum disorders, but I clearly recall a time at camp a few summers ago when I had a few kids throughout the summer with some level of the disorder.  I thought, God, what are you trying to teach me?  What are you trying to show me?  At the time, I was thinking of my own future children, that maybe I'd have one with autism (don't ask me why, no idea!).  I also recall how a lot of my classmates in a psych class that next fall were doing their practicums with kids who had autism.  So it definitely was all around me.  

Now here I am 4 years later, and I will be getting a lot of experience.  Maybe the Lord was teaching me something else that year, or maybe I still will have a child with autism.  There are many things I don't know about this life, but I do know that He is bringing things together in my life that I never would have thought of.  He is in complete control, and for that I am so very grateful to be able to call him Abba, Father.  I am so thankful Jesus died on the cross so that I could live despite my sins.  Now I just need to lay my life down to show others Christ.  To love others, especially these precious children who I will meet in the next few weeks.

I don't think it's odd at all now that my post disappeared, or that autism surrounded me in 2007.  Call me crazy, but the Lord works in mysterious ways.  He always wants things to work for the best...and they certainly have!