Stressful happiness

This is a picture of me and Josh at the fireworks show on the 4th...

This past week has been really stressful trying to figure out our renter situation and balancing school with trying to get a part-time job. Sometimes everything happens at once and you feel like you don't even have time to breathe. Well, the good news is that we did pick a renter and are signing with them on Saturday. Please say a prayer for us about this because renting has been nothing but trouble for us in the past and I will be way too busy in the fall to deal with another rental disaster like this past year. I have been taking applications to places that I think that I would enjoy working. (None of those places are in or near the mall!!) I am also on super overload trying to get all of my school work done this week because on Sunday, my sister and I are driving to Chicago to pick up my cousins and then turning around and coming home. The original plan was to meet them in Padukah but it got messed up and now we are making two round trips to Chicago in one week...wow...It will be worth it though because we never get to see them. I have to go tomorrow and run errands. I have to go turn in a few applications that I have filled out at home and then I need to go to UA library and return books from last semester (and pay their ridiculous late fees) and borrow a bazillion more books to write my 2 research papers this semester. I am oficially registered for fall and for my internship and waiting for my Praxis results. This is an increadibly stressful period in my life and this next year is going to be tough with my living half of each week in a hotel halfway across the state from my husband and my bed...but I know that God is taking care of us and we are so in love that nothing ever really gets me down. I am truly blessed and I am thankful for my stresses because they are the reason why I have a home and a wonderful life. No complaints.

Our new church

I never knew how it felt to be new at church until now...I've never really had to be new at a church before. When I started to Mount Vernon I was young and I had Morgan to introduce me to everyone...and I already knew a lot of people from school. It was just easy and I really started to feel at home quickly. Now we are the new people at church and it is not nearly as scary as I thought it would be. Josh and I spent a loonngg time trying different churches after we moved to Tuscaloosa and we got really discouraged when we couldn't find a single service that even remotely reminded us of Mt. Vernon. We both LOVE Mt. Vernon and have called it home for most of our lives. We have a church family there and a history and were both VERY involved there. So, it has been a rough year trying to find a church where we could see ourselves belonging like we do at Mt. Vernon. We prayed each week that God would lead us to the right place where he wanted us to go and where he needed us. We are so willing to go where God wants us and we want him to plant us somewhere where he will REALLY use us.....and guess what? He did! We started to First Baptist Church of Tuscaloosa a couple of months ago. We found it online and the first thing that struck our attention was all of the oppertuinties to get involved. They have an amazing music and drama ministry (and for those of you who know me...you know that music and drama is a big deal for me)...and they have a softbal team (that's Josh's favorite thing). Those were the reasons why we watned to visit that church but God gave us reasons to think that we might someday call that church home. We fell in love with the chruch on our first visit. I knew that I loved it but I didn't want to influence Josh's answer so I asked him first and he loved it too. We have been going there ever since and we are really enjoying it. This morning we talked after church about how we can really see ourselves becoming a part of this church. We are going to continue to pray about it because we want to be SURE that this is where God wants us before we transfer our letter of membership... I'm just really happy that we have found a church that we love and that we can grow in and become involved. I feel like we are where God wants us to be and that we did move for a reason. I know that God is going to use us to do great things here and I'm so blessed that I have such an amazing Godly husband to serve God with.

Extended-Stay Hotel

I think we have figured out what I am going to do about college in the fall. We found an "Extended-Stay Hotel" in Hunstville (which is about a 20 minute drive to Athens) and we have decided that I am going to stay there three nights a week for the fall. I have to go to school 4 days a week and it's a 3 hour drive one way from home so I have to stay there. I really dread being away from home but I know it will be best for me to be close and comfortable while I am at school...The bright side is that the fall is my last semester of classes! Yay!! I can't believe that I am in my last year of college. I hope it goes by FAST!! Josh found me a hot pink laptop online that we are going to get so that I can do my school work there. In the meantime...this summer semester is kicking my butt!! I have more work than ever this week and I am (yet again) avoiding it by blogging....Well, that's all I wanted to tell you today. Have a safe and happy 4th!!