What's New with You?

We've been so busy I haven't had time to blog in FOREVER!

Last month, I went to a national training workshop in West Virginia for work. I had a layover in Atlanta, so I got to visit with Momma and Patrick for a few hours. It was GREAT but way too short! We had planned my flights so that Alan and I would not miss a day seeing each other, but when I got to the airport to head back to Denver, they told me my flight was cancelled and they couldn't get me home until the next day. The airline paid for my hotel and dinner/breakfast, but I was pretty upset about that for awhile because we had never gone a day without seeing each other since the day we said "I love you" to each other. Maybe that sounds corny to some people, but we like it that way and don't ever want to go without seeing each other.

Shortly after I returned from WV, I came down with an awful cold. I didn't have time to go to the doctor (thanks to none being open on the weekends and a conference that I HAD to go to during the week). It took a few weeks to finally get rid of the cold, but I'm still having some lingering effects from it. I haven't really been able to go running since I got sick and I'm having to gradually work my way back up to running because my lungs still hurt pretty badly when I run.

We started re-evaluating our finances a few weeks ago and realized that Christmas in Alabama wasn't going to happen if we didn't get some more money coming in! After talking about it, we decided that I needed to look for a part-time job (Alan can't work because of law school regulations). I applied at a few different places and have a few interviews and ended up working as a cashier. The pay is good (almost what I was making working for Extension in AL!) and I get some great discounts! I get my first paycheck on Wednesday and it is MUCH needed! It makes me feel really good to know that I am helping us financially.

Speaking of me being the breadwinner, recently I've noticed little comments from people and in conversations insinuating that I was a "career" woman. Boy! I don't even know where exactly to start on that one! First off, if you think I am a career-driven woman or a feminist, you have OBVIOUSLY never had a conversation with me! Yes, I am currently working 45-55 hours a week and in grad school and considering getting a paralegal certificate, so just looking at those things, I could see how I might seem career-driven. However, consider these facts:
1. I'm working hard right now so my husband and I don't accumulate very much (if any) debt while he is in law school.
2. My husband is going to law school so that, hopefully, when he graduates and gets a steady job, he will be making enough money so that I don't have to work and can stay at home and raise & home-school our children. (Note: this isn't the only reason he's going to law school, it's always been a dream of his, it just happens to fit well with me staying home).
3. I want to stay at home and home-school our children (when we have children).

Also, I've been told recently (this isn't directed at any one person, just at people as a whole) that because my husband and I don't want to have children right now, we aren't following God's will for our lives. Well, I have to say, you aren't God so you don't know His plans for my life either! I've been told I don't have enough faith that God will provide if we do end up pregnant. I have loads of faith! I know that He will provide! I also know that He provided me with wisdom and foresight to plan ahead and know that, if I want to stay at home and raise my children, I could do it without financial hindrance if I wait a few more years. I also know that I am not ready to be a mother and Alan isn't ready to be a father. We know ourselves well enough to know that we aren't ready for children in our lives at this stage. "But aren't you worried you might not be able to have children if you wait?" I've been asked. Well, not really. I believe that if it is in God's will for me to have children, I will get pregnant when He sees fit. I also know that, even if I can't have children, there are so many children out there who need a loving home, that I don't have to worry about that. God knows that it is a deep desire in my heart to one day be a mother and I know that He will provide for me, whether it is through natural methods or not.

Well, I guess I'll get off my soapbox for now. This is just something that I've been thinking about lately and needed to get off my chest. Just because I'm a married woman in my mid-twenties does not mean that I want to have babies right now, nor does it mean there is something wrong with me because I don't want to right now. Any questions or comments? Please, let me know :)