New house, New job, New school

The next two weeks of my life consist of moving, starting a new job, and starting grad school. Add the baby that I am having in November and can you imagine what my score would be on a stress test?? I am going to be 45 by the time this year is over.

New House

Derek and I are moving to Raymore, MO (south Kansas City) next weekend. It was an answered prayer finding a place that is spacious enough for us to gain an office and add a nursery at an affordable price that will not require me to go back to work after our baby is born. We are renting from a couple at church who have several properties on the street so we already know a few of our neighbors.

Our new place is a townhouse, all one level, with 3 bedrooms, two baths, a kitchen, dining room, and living room. Moving from our one bedroom apartment this place feels like a mansion. Aside from the blue carpet, it really is the perfect place for us. The location is great-- we are at the very end of the dead-end street and we are the last unit, so we don't have much traffic our way. Sometimes it is hard because I want to keep up with the Jones's who have nice big houses, but I know this is perfect for us and we are very excited. We also ordered new a new Sofa and Loveseat (or mini couch in Derek's terms) and I am very excited to have them delivered next weekend. Hopefully we'll get some pictures up soon.

We chose to move south of the city in our attempt to cut down on all the driving that we do. Derek drives about 25 minutes to work, I drive about 20 minutes north to work, plus church is an additional 30 miles from home (making it a 50 mile drive from my work to church) and I will be attending school in the south too. This decision was made when gas was $3.00/gallon, so we are very happy to be cutting down as prices keep getting higher. And its hard trying to stay active in the church when it requires so much driving! We have a handful of friends in the Northland but a majority of our friends are further south so we are looking forward to being able to hang out more with friends.

My Dad feels like he will never ever get to see his grandbaby, but I kindly remind him that we will live only about 45 minutes away and that he took us kids 12-15 hours away from our grandparents.

New Job

Since we are moving south and I currently work so far north, I had to tell Dad that I couldn't work for Trickel Construction once we moved. He has hired Kristie in October and she is now ready to take over my job when I leave in the next couple weeks. Looking for a new job was majorly stressful especially knowing that I would be quitting in November, but still needing a job that could cater to my evening classes. Through much indecision and a few interviews, I ended up taking a job at North American Savings Bank in Grandview as a teller. I think I will do alright and that I can enjoy the job. My hours are 8-5 Monday through Friday and then 8-2 every other Saturday. On the weeks that I work Saturdays, I'll get one weekday off. I start on Monday, June 2nd.

New School

I also begin school on Monday, June 2nd. I will be taking 7 graduate hours in only 2 months. Things will be very busy. My classes are Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday from 6-8:30pm and include one weekend in July. Technically I have class on Thursday evening as well, but I will log in online to contribute to discussion and to turn in class assignments. I can't help but be overwhelmed with my new schedule, but I keep reminding myself that this will only be for a couple months and when I'm done with the summer I will have 10 of the 60 hours I need to complete my Master's. At least its a start! Right now I am waiting for my FAFSA to make it to the school's financial aid office so I can get the ball rolling on getting the student loan money in and so I can buy my books. Man, are they expensive or what?!

And I guess I should mention I am actually enrolled at Avila University out of Kansas City and not MidAmerica Nazarene as I had previously been planning on. The Master's programs are similar, but the class schedules are different. MidAmerica's program is a cohort 2 year program where you and your cohort (class) move through the program together and all graduate at the same time. Their program begins each summer in June and the problem with this schedule is that after I have the baby, if I don't go back to class right away (the next week) and finish the class, then I would be behind and unable to move forward in the program until the following November. The scheduling at Avila is like that of a typical college schedule, where a handful of classes are offered I can enroll in classes (as many or as few) each semester and make sure that I meet the requirements of my program. After I take classes this summer, I will not be taking classes in the fall semester. If in the spring I feel up to taking a class or two, then I can enroll at that time. And I suppose I should also mention that I am going back to school to get my Master's in Counseling and I will also taking a few electives to achieve a certificate in Child and Adolescent Therapy.