A Job Hunting I will go

Well the time as arrived and it's time for me to start trying to join the working force again. I think back when we first moved to Scotland and me not being able to work there and I thought for sure I was going to go insane not working. The first six months were brutal! I would literally sit there day in and day out and look for something to do. It took about six months of that for me to adjust and decide that it would be okay if I found other things to do and it wasn't earning a paycheck. For me, I have never not worked. I started working when I was 15 (Sonic was the only place in Brenham that would hire anyone under 16 and you had to be 15) and I have worked everyday since then until right before we moved to Scotland. And I loved my job! Not the one at Sonic, but the one I was doing before we left for Scotland. However, like most of America, the economy is bad and there aren't a lot of jobs in my chosen profession right now. So I am a little nervous to get out there and see what I can find and if it will be something I like. I am likely not going to be doing the same thing, but we will see.

And I can say that if I didn't work I think I would be okay too. But working seems to be the most logical thing to do right now. It's not as if I have a good reason to stay at home, like being a mom or having a super busy day of taking care of the house, etc. So wish me luck as I start this journey. It might have taken me six months to start enjoying not working but I definitely got use to it from that point forward. :)

New Church Home too!

Jeff and I are very excited to have found a new church in our new home town. It's a very personal choice to me and I don't believe in pushing my beliefs off on anyone. I think to each their own but Jeff and I are very excited to have found a church that we feel very comfortable in and look forward to going.

Personally we feel we both have a lot to be grateful for and we've wanted to find a church together for a long time. It was extremely difficult in Scotland because we just never felt a place was the right place. It was just important to us to try and establish that once we got back to the U.S. And thankfully we found a great place. We look forward to growing with this church!

A typical day?

The pictures are hung, we finally have blinds and all the furniture and our belongings are in place. So this week I actually had a "typical" week, or what I envision will be a typical week for me until I go back to work. You know the usual, clean house, do the grocery shopping, do the household balancing of bills and just everyday things that fill your day up when you do have time off and are at home.
The first couple of days were kind of odd. I felt as if I was suppose to be unpacking a box or maybe putting something away or organizing something! I did get a chance to do those things I've been meaning to do since we moved and haven't. But mostly I found myself actually having to think about what I needed to do for the day rather than looking at my long list and trying to decide what I could get done in one day.

The house looks great and all is in place. We bought a few new furniture pieces and those were delivered yesterday and so to me, short of hanging curtains, the house is the way we like it. It feels cozy and comfy and I hope that it continues to feel like home.

I did find myself this week thinking back on Scotland and wondering what my friends were up too there and wondering what the weather was like and just reflecting on our time there. As happy as I am to be back home, I do miss the friends we made there. And I do cherish the time we had. With it being the end of September I figure that its starting to get pretty chilly there and that the long hours of darkness are starting to inch toward the longest night of the year. There is all the holiday things to look forward to with the American Women's Association and I am sure that they are all busy planning away for the things to come.

Scotland will always be a part of Jeff and I, the wonderful memories and the great friends we made there. I keep on our table two gifts we received from some friends there. One is a Quaich. It's a pewter cup/dish. We were told by our dear friends that gave it to us that you put Scotch in it (or whiskey as they call Scotch) and you share it with a friend, each friend drinking from a different side.
The other gift is a beautiful piece of slate with a soft bottom that you place on a table as a serving platter. Slate like this is used for so many things there. Mostly you find it on roofs there as that is what they use for shingles. But we have some lovely coasters made of it too and of course this fantastic serving platter that our wonderful friends gave to us. I've seen even chargers made of it that you will find in restaurants and such there.



So everyday there is a piece of Scotland in our home and we will always having the great memories of our friends. Thanks friends! :)

A Home Complete

Finally! After weeks of moving, unpacking and trying to do the little things that need to be done like hanging pictures, we have finally finished the long list of "to do's" that seem to go on forever. It's been a very busy couple of weeks and each day I work around the house putting things away and each weekend Jeff spends the days putting things up like shower curtain rods and shelves, etc. But you know it feels great to know that all that is behind us. Grant you we still have some blinds to be put up, but the blind company is coming on Wednesday to put those up since our order just now got in. And we want to put up curtains after that, but honestly that is the least of our concerns right now. All in good time.

I love this house! And Jeff keeps telling me how much he loves it too. Which believe me, is quite the relief since I had to pick it out without him around to actually see it before making an offer. I was worried he'd not like the house. There are so many things we'd like to do one day, but it's just that, one day. Like one day in the fall I am going to rack up all the pine needles they used in the flower beds and put down some nice red mulch. And one day when it's cooler outside I think Jeff is going to get that paint that you can put on the garage floor. And one day we will get an irrigation system put in the front yard and do something special with the backyard. One day! lol

So here you go......the long awaited pictures of our new home in Louisiana. I love it!

The entry

Living Room

Dining Room

Kitchen

Bedroom

Home Sweet Home

Well moving day has finally came and gone and we are settling in. The house is still not quite settled yet but we are making much progress and I think by the end of next week we will be completely settled in. It's really coming together and Jeff and I both really love this house. It's nice and cozy in some places and a bit more open in other places. I am looking forward to having the time to just know it's all together and it's home.

Jeff's been working a lot, which is good but makes it hard to get those things taken care of that involve both of us. He's loving being busy though. I am hoping once we get settled to start looking for work but I'm kind of toying with what to do now and if I want to go back to doing civil engineering or if I want to pursue something different. I guess it will just depend on if the work is there and which direction God leads me.

It's good to be back and we finally got to spend a few days with family in Houston recently. I've missed everyone and it was so good to see everyone and get to visit. I hope we get to make it back down there soon and do some more visiting.

I know I keep saying I'll post pictures of the house soon, and I will......promise! But its still not in order just yet, so we are hoping to get it in order before we start snapping pictures. Soon.......very soon!