A New year and a new...

I have some bad news and good news.....

I am loosing my helper.....

but that means Josh got a JOB!

Josh got a job offer two days before Christmas... talk about a great present! As much as I have enjoyed our 4 month vacation.. it will be nice to have income and insurance. He starts next Thursday and will be doing computer programming and database development for NOAA... plus they offered him more money and better benefits than his previous job. Isn't God good! I was really starting to doubt and get worried because he had several interviews that went great and then would get the call that they hired someone better qualified. We are both excited about this new adventure but I will admit I'm kind of bummed that he won't be here. It's been nice to go run errands without kids or run out to the grocery store mid day solo. Isaac won't miss Josh because of course he's at school during the day.. but Eli and Olivia are going to be sad. Eli has missed a LOT of pre-school in the last couple months because he always says, "Mom, please don't make me go to school, I want to help Daddy today." How can I resist that? I honestly can't because I know that very soon he will be in kindergarten and will have to go everyday.

We can't see the reasons for things sometimes. At the time I was distraught, but now I can look back and see God's hand on the situation. Josh was too loyal to leave to leave his old job even though he had been unhappy and underpaid for years. Sometimes a nudge is needed to get us out of the comfort zone and where we are supposed to be. The timing of his job loss was pretty awesome because Josh was here to work on our pool project which both saved money and kept a catastrophe from happening. Plus he was able to spend four months here with us, be with me to go to my Aunt's funeral and be there for his mom when his grandmother died.

Because it was too outrageous to pay for COBRA insurance, Josh and the kids have been uninsured except for a catastrophe plan. That's scary. I've always taken for granted the ability to go to the doctor and pay a co-pay for a visit. Thankfully everyone has been healthy and no doctor visits were needed! Olivia isn't needing hearing testing as frequently so that worked perfectly. I was able to get her in for testing in September while she was still covered and I've just been hoping and praying that by the next time she needed testing, Josh would have a job. I scheduled her new appointment this week. We have had to have new ear molds made but of course that's always an out of pocket expense because insurane doesn't deem them 'medically necessary'.

Unemployment benefits have been held up since he lost his job. I had accepted that we weren't going to receive a dime from the government (which we have both worked in and paid taxes for years!) when I checked out our account this week and realized they came through and they back paid us. How cool is that!

So my final thoughts.. don't be discouraged because even in the midst of what seems to be a bad situation... things work out!

Jeremiah 29:11
For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.