Brothers

This week our weather has been so lovely; we have eaten meals outside several times now.

The boys have been having a grand time in the backyard. But they are a little too brave in their explorations ~ they love to climb the stairs and venture out on the steep hill and across the top of the high retaining wall. Nanas don't like to see them up there alone.

They each have their own tricycle now and they love to ride all over the patio, one chasing the other. Patrick can't reach the pedals so he runs his little feet faster than a blur across the patio. It is really funny.

My New Job

My "Office"

I'm the third family member to get a new job recently: I started in March. I'm working about five hours a week at church, as assistant to the Childrens' Ministries director. My responsibilities are varied, but first the backstory.

Four years ago, our church started a new Sunday School program for Pre-K through grade 5. It takes hours of prep for our 100 students; too much work to expect volunteer teachers to accomplish during the week, and then teach their class on Sunday morning. Our director wisely asked a team of ladies to stay late on Sunday afternoons to help do the preps for the following Sunday. I am part of that team. As time went on, we saw that there was still a lot of work to be done (some weeks needing more time than others), so two years ago I volunteered to get a headstart on it and work during the second hour of church in preliminary preps. Then in March I was hired to do even more of the work.

Now, my duties for the paid portion of my work include:

• Make photocopies of worksheets, memory verses, teaching aids, and craft projects
• Laminate, cut apart, and punch memory verse cards
• Make sample crafts so teachers know how they are to go together
• Color in some of the b/w photocopies to add a little color to hold interest
• Measure and cut yarn or string for crafts (and other time-consuming preps)
• Cut out crafts projects for the youngest children
• Shop for elements needed for crafts
• Hunt up props for the Bible stories
• Keep the colored pencils sharpened
• Keep the tape dispensers filled
• Redo the file system in my spare time
• Make new file folders
• Refile unused supplies for the next go-round
• Process all unsolicited donations: decide if we want it then file it, or dispose of it
• Keep the resource room clean and orderly

For the Easter season, I have a few added responsibilities:

• Bake 14 dozen palm branch cookies
• Design a paper lamb centerpiece for children to recreate
• Solicit free paint stirrers from Home Depot
• Make a "palm branch" sample craft for children to copy
• Find a source for inexpensive hot cross buns without the fruit

There is probably more too, but I can't think of it right now.

It's a fun job that I enjoy. I like the varied activities I do, and I like the opportunity to use my creativity. I also like to be able to clean out and purge!

David's News

Amidst all of the April Fool's Day fun, I'll post something that is not a joke. I'm excited to be starting at Symantec (the largest security software company, for those who don't know) in a couple of weeks, as an information security consultant. I'll still be physically working at Coca-Cola Company, helping to manage their threat and vulnerability management side of information security. And I'm happy to not be "just" the intern now!

Mom adds: This is a salaried, real career job. David managed to land this while he still has over a year left before he graduates. Congratulations David!

A Phone Conversation

The woman on the other end had a thick accent. Although she was difficult to understand, I eventually caught on that she was doing a background check for a potential employer. She stated: I am calling to verify that David ___ graduated from "Homeschooled" on (date). Then she asked my name and position at "Homeschooled". Apparently, she never noticed that we share the same last name, and therefore, I am his mother.

Hmm, you think the company uses cheap labor from India?

Later~

Several companies are vying for David's attention. Today he had two lunch dates, both wanting to employ him. His second lunch date was at Ruth's Chris. Poor guy.

Jared's new job!

Around the beginning of the year, Jared decided he needed to apply for a job on the local police force. We weren't thrilled about the schedule or the possible dangers of the job (or the no beard requirement - I almost cried when he shaved it off for first time in 10 years!), but the starting pay was decent and we knew we could adjust our family life to accommodate Jared's work schedule. In late January, he easily passed the preliminary test and obstacle course, and then prepared for a 2-month wait to see if he would advance to the next round.

An unexpected phone call came later that week. Jared had sent his resume to a benefits enrollment company last fall, but despite several friendly phone calls, it seemed nothing was going to come of it. The phone call came out of the blue: "We just created a brand new position in the company. Can you come in for an interview this Friday?"

As the hours ticked by that Friday morning, I was simultaneously worried, excited, and trying not to get my hopes up. Even if the interview went well, our experience told us it would probably be weeks before they would be ready to make a decision. Finally, Jared called. "They unofficially offered me the job. I should get an official offer this afternoon."

The overwhelming, undiluted joy and excitement (and relief) I felt at that moment puts it squarely on my top 10 list. (You know, in there with moments I will remember forever like driving away from the church after we got married, holding my newborn boys, realizing I was on. my. own. at college, catching the first glimpse of Notre Dame in Paris)

The official offer did indeed arrive, followed by the offer letter. Jared started his job on February 14 - a great Valentine's Day gift! - and quickly acclimated to his new position. He is in charge of computer and printer hardware, as well as training and enrollment supplies. He spends most of his days fixing printers, installing printer drivers onto laptops, fixing people's computer problems, and shipping things all over the country.

The boys had to adjust to Daddy's new schedule. He used to spend the morning with them before work (his schedule at the bookstore was noon to 8 pm) but now he's gone before they wake up and home in time for dinner! The commute seems long for someone unaccustomed to typical rush-hour traffic, so we are looking at apartments in an area that's closer to his office but still no farther from church than we are now.

A week after he started the new job, he did get a letter from the police department saying he would not be continuing in the application process. Oh well! We only needed one job offer, and we are happy with the one he got.

Early Spring

We got a little taste of spring last week. The temperature was nearly perfect, the sky was bright blue, the cherry tree was clothed in clouds of pink. So sorry it didn't last long. We're back to cold winter temps.

Poor Little Head

OUCH! The little one took a tumble head-first into a metal door jam at church...and came up bloody. We tried to put a towel on it to contain the bleeding, but he fought and screamed and shook his head hard. Blood flew everywhere ~ something like a sprinkler spraying back and forth.As friends mopped up the mess on the kitchen floor, the hallway carpet, the door jam, the walls, and the refrigerator, we ran to the car with wads of paper towels; his face was covered in blood and pouring down more by the second. Off to the ER, a four-hour wait, and then four dissolvable stitches in his forehead.

All is well now.