Sick

For those of you who follow my facebook, you all know that I am sick. I don't get sick very often, but when I do, it makes up for all the time that I wasn't sick (or so it seems). And with everything else that has been going on, this is the last thing that I want right now. I probably got sick because I am so stressed...I tend to do that to myself. My stress basically rules my life and I hate that...

So Josh went yesterday to his old job at the bus company to see if they would hire him back. They all said yes right away but he had to go today to get refingerprinted, take a drug test, and do a few other things before he can start driving again. They told him it could be three weeks before all of it comes back...so there goes a quick fix for that.

Some of my stress will hopefully be leaving here soon because Josh just went back to Social Services. The lady that we were working with the last time we were there called him back and said that we were approved for a part of TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) where we take our bills in to her and they pay up to a certain amount. And if we don't use the whole amount, they write the rest of it into a check for us...getting our bills paid and caught up will definitely take away some stress...but if he doesn't get a job soon, we are just going to be right back in the same boat.

We should be getting food stamps and unemployment within the next week or so, and that will help out too, but it would be so much easier if he could get a job...and one that pays halfway decent. (And yes, I know, there are a lot of people in the same boat, but we aren't talking about them haha) He has an interview with the railroad tomorrow and I am basically praying for a miracle....that they love him and hire him on the spot...that would be amazing, but I know that won't happen. He applied for Dish Network too. He would be driving around and installing the dish and he would be making good money. And, the good news with that is, that if he does get the Carilion job, he can still work the Dish Network job because the schedules are opposite times of the week. That would be awesome!

So, thank you all for your prayers so far and please continue to keep us in your thoughts and prayers.

Update

I guess I should start from the beginning...Josh didn't work all last week and when he got his paycheck, we were hurting quite a bit because it was half of what he normally makes (which is barely enough to begin with). He went to apply for Unemployment just for that one week that he didn't work and more if we could get anything while he worked as much as he could and also tried to find a better job. He had an interview with Carilion and then a second interview and we were really hoping that he would get this job this week so he could quit. His boss didn't have the same thing in mind.

She fired him on Monday night.

Now, I am a stay at home mom. We have worked it out from the beginning so that I could stay home with our son (and other children if we decided to have any more), so Josh was the only one bringing in any income for our family. It has been pretty tight for a while because he hasn't been making a lot of money and it really hurt us when she didn't work him for an entire week, but now...I don't even know what to think.

It has been a pretty stressful week for us...(and I would appreciate some prayers)...so we have been back and forth between the unemployment office, social services to get food stamps and anything else we can apply for, and Josh has been applying for jobs anywhere and everywhere he can. He has an interview with the railroad on Wednesday and we are really hoping he gets some good news. (He has been hoping to get a railroad job for a long time now...we both have) So, please keep us in your thoughts on Wednesday and I will update you guys on that too.

I'm not sure what is going to happen, and to be honest, I am terrified, so please say a prayer for us...thanks!

Overdrive!

Josh has a job interview tomorrow and we are keeping our fingers crossed that he gets it. We aren't exactly sure what the pay would be (he will find out tomorrow) but the benefits are amazing and it will give him an opportunity to move up fairly quickly to better/more interesting/better paying jobs and more what he wants to be doing. Everyone please keep us in your prayers that he gets this job if it is the best thing for us (and if it will pay our bills). My fingers are crossed.

On slightly the same topic, I have been doing a lot of thinking about my job (my almost dream job) that we can't afford for me to begin the process of getting...so I am doing everything in my power to get as ready for it as I can, so that when we do have the money, I can jump in with both feet.

This job is, of course, Scuba Diving Instructor. I have to have all of my scuba equipment (and a lot of it before I even start taking the classes) so that is really what I am saving up for...and then of course I have to take the classes and work my way up to instructor (and I also want to do underwater photography)...but it is going to be a while before I can really get the ball rolling.

The Scuba shop that I am probably going to be getting a job with once I am an instructor (and also the place I am going to be doing all of my classes through) has a link with divessi.com to do a lot of online pre-classes. I have been doing those like crazy and I have been researching and reading and anything I can to be completely prepared.

I have also been emailing my instructor that I am going to take at least my first class with to let him know that I am still interested but we don't have the money to do it right now. He has been very understanding (it also helps that my dad knows him and most of the other instructors that work there) and very helpful with any questions I have about anything.

I can't wait to really dive in...haha...and Josh is completely supportive. I can tell that he wishes I could start right now and I know it bothers him that I can't, but he is doing his best. (And for those of you who know...that is high praise coming from me). I feel like, even though things are moving pretty slow right now, everything is finally starting to fall into place.

If Josh gets this job, or any better paying job with a better boss and more stable hours, the stress that is bothering both of us will all float away. And of course it will never completely go away...at least for me...but it will definitely help.

Thanks for all of the prayers and I will definitely update as I can! :)

Twilight!!!

All right...I know there are a lot of people out there that hate Twilight, but I am not one of those people. Now, I am not obsessed with it like all of the 13 year old girls out there screaming, "MARRY ME, ROB!!!", but I like it nonetheless. I liked the books and I was excited to see the movies when they came out, and I enjoyed them. I have not gotten Eclipse on dvd yet because we don't really have the money to go spend it on something that isn't a necessity, but I own Twilight and New Moon.

I let my mom borrow Twilight (the movie) when it first came out and I was surprised that she actually liked it. Even though she isn't a huge fan of the paranormal, she loved the love story between Bella and Edward.

So last night, Gabriel and I were over at Mom and Dad's house and Twilight came on Showtimes so, while my dad was watching Gabriel, Mom and I watched Twilight. New Moon came on right after Twilight, and since my mom hadn't seen it, we decided to watch that too. Now, we all know how New Moon ends...Edward asks Bella to marry him, she gasps, and the movie ends.

I get a text message this morning from my mom and this is exactly what it said..."So I'm about to die to see the third movie"...I busted out laughing! I told her I didn't have it yet, but when I did I would let her borrow it. A little later on in the day I get another text message...she went out and bought Eclipse!

I have created a monster! And I love it!!!

She told me I could have it once she watched it, but she had to see it. And she was NOT HAPPY when I told her the fourth one doesn't come out until November and then that is only the first half of the movie...and the second half doesn't come out until the following November. She was definitely not a happy camper haha and she even said, "Well, I'm glad I didn't get into it earlier than now because I hate waiting." :) And then she told me that she would be going with me to see Breaking Dawn in theaters!

Oh, and guess what Team she is...

*pause for effect*





Team Edward!

I thought she would like Jacob better, but she surprised me once again! I just love it! We are going to have a Twilight marathon once they are all out on dvd! :)

C. S. Lewis is a genius

So, I have been reading the Narnia books to Gabriel at night. We finished reading The Magician's Nephew last night and it was so great. It really explains the next book. We started reading The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe last night too and it is so great. So far, the movie follows the book pretty closely. I always wondered if it did.

Reading these books makes me want to watch the movies and I'm really sad they didn't make a movie of the first book. It was so great. And, like I said, it explains the second book so well. You understand it a lot better if you know what happens in The Magician's Nephew. I can't wait to read all of them.

I love the way he writes. It's funny and smart and endearing all at once. I usually read one chapter a night to Gabriel and he falls asleep but last night I read four chapters (the last two of The Magician's Nephew and the first two of The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe) before he fell asleep. I think I might enjoy reading these books to him more than he does haha.

Once we have read all of the Chronicles of Narnia, I will have to pick another series of books to read to him. I have Inkheart by Cornelia Funke and I thought that I could get Inkspell and Inkdeath and read those to him as long as the content wasn't bad. I skip over whatever I don't want Gabriel to hear anyway so that wouldn't be a problem...like one of the characters tells another one to shut up in The Magician's Nephew and since I don't want Gabriel saying that (and since we have had a problem with him saying it and getting into trouble) I just said "be quiet" instead. But I'm not sure...I might try to find another series of books to read to him. Any suggestions? I want to read books to him that he can understand but not kiddie books...books that are longer than fifty pages and even better if it is a series.

I love reading to him and it relaxes him enough to go to sleep. He fights sleep and he gets so worked up sometimes when I leave him in bed. I used to just let him scream in his crib because he would eventually go to sleep, but then he would climb out of his crib and I was having the hardest time keeping him in there. Now that he is in a regular bed, there is no way he would stay in it...at least not without him getting out and me taking him back a million times. But now, I put him in bed, give him a kiss, and then sit down and read to him until he falls asleep. It is less stress on him and me as well, and it's so great to read to your kids when they are growing up.

Anyways, I went on about this a lot longer than I thought I was going to haha. I will write more later.

So far, so good

Well, I have only been on my lifestyle change kick for 5 days and I have already lost 7 pounds! I stepped on the scale yesterday morning and just stood there for a few moments to really let it sink in. I was in shock but in a very good way. I went to weigh myself this morning too and the battery on my scale (that has been low and on the fritz for the past little bit) decided to give up on me...so I don't know if I have lost even more weight, but I already feel better.

I got a Primal Cookbook from my dad and there are so many great recipies in there that I can't wait to try. There are desserts in there that look amazing and with those, I won't even miss the things that I really love. And I can't wait to try the coconut pancakes...they look amazing!

Anyways, this is going to be a short little entry because I don't have a lot to write and I won't be able to update my weightloss until we get a new battery for my scale...but So Far, So Good :)

It's not a diet...It's a lifestyle change

Haha. It really is a lifestyle change. After feeling like crap all the time, having no energy, and being fat for too long, I have decided to take some drastic measures to get skinny again and to stop filling my body with junky foods.

I have started following the Primal Blueprint. It is a healthy way to eat that mirrors our ancient ancestors. Eating lots of plants and animals, simple exercising, and a more positive outlook with less stress.

The biggest thing that I am having problems with is giving up my Diet Mountain Dew. I wanted to give them up anyway for my New Years Resolution because I drink way too many of them and I know they are what is making me feel like crap most of the time. I haven't had anything to drink but water since Friday...so I am having some pretty crazy caffeine withdrawals, but it is all worth it. (I'm also on my period and having killer cramps, so this year so far has been a bit of a pain.)

I have been doing really good with following the Primal lifestyle other than exercising. I just want to get the eating down before I throw something else in there.

It isn't a diet, because I am going to eat like this for the rest of my life, it is a lifestyle change that is only for the better! :)