God is good

If you haven't heard already, I (Lindsay) got a job! I just finished my first week as an Administrative Assistant at D.R. Saur Financial (www.drsaur.com - my picture will be on the website soon!) and am exhausted =) God provided this job in such perfect timing. I've been without a job for about four months...so you're probably saying "and it was perfect why...?"

Well, first of all, because i had so much time to get unpacked, organized and settled here in Dallas...and unwind from the craziness of planning a wedding! It was such a blessing to have that time. Also, because it took so long to get our marriage license, I interviewed for this job about one day before finishing everything related to the logistics of getting married and moving. Not sure how I would have gotten that stuff done if I was working sooner. And as a bonus, we just got back from a trip to Missouri that I would have had to take off for (or maybe not have been able to go at all) if I had started working just one week earlier.

I spent 3 solid months job hunting and this is the only job i interviewed for, and pretty much the only company I even heard back from. Within a period of about a week and a half, I turned in my resume, interviewed twice and was offered the position. It is very close to home, close to David's work this summer (which has made carpooling possible), a great salary, they offer health insurance for me, and the people all seem awesome.

As perfect as it seemed...I still struggled a lot when it came down to deciding if I wanted to take this job and give up looking for something in the social service field (for now at least). It took some thought and prayer - although I didn't have a ton of time to process since everything came to fruition so quickly! Obviously i knew I couldn't turn down the only job offer I had received, especially in this economy and considering the salary & benefits, but I needed to feel good about my decision. After some prayer and wise counsel, I felt confident with the choice and excited to have a job! Right now, my priorities are:

1. Getting stable financially
2. Supporting my husband while he is pursuing his career
3. Enjoying being a wife =)
4. Trusting God with my/our future

After a week, I still feel good about my decision =) It was a stressful first week, as it tends to be when learning a new job and making tons of mistakes, but better than expected. I felt like I fit in well with my fellow employees almost immediately and I really like the mission of the company, to not only provide honest, wise counsel regarding financial investments, but to share the gospel with their clients and potential clients. I'm looking forward to feeling a little more comfortable with the job responsibilities over the next few weeks, getting into a more normal daily routine and already my first company party on the 4th of July!

o ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ o

In other news...


We got our Texas plates!



We've been hanging pictures....



We got our antenna hooked up =)



Thornhill Reunion!!!

We drove up to Missouri this past weekend and had a great time with family. We spent Friday night in a trailer with David's aunt and uncle, eating barbecued salmon and playing imagineif till midnight. They were so gracious to give us the bedroom in their huge camper! Saturday all the Thornnhills came to the lake and we took turns going out on the boat and getting pulled by a three person innertube. Good fun =)

Saturday and Sunday night we stayed at their house, and spent the day on Sunday playing games (the Thornhill Olympics). It included a Thornhill family scavenger hunt (which team Brett, David & Lindsay won!), softball, basketball, water balloon throwing, board games, the Wii!, and a film festival. We got lunch with David's aunt and uncle on Monday before heading out of town and I entertained David on our 8 hour drive home (even though it took only 6 1/2 to get there..) with singing the entire soundtrack of Wicked & car games. Sunflower seeds also were a big help in keeping us awake - thanks for the advice Kathi and Charlie! It was so fun meeting David's family who I've heard so much about, and it wasn't too overwhelming =) I love them all, and how much they love each other and strive to stay connected (David's dad has 5 siblings).





We are doing well, loving marriage, and resting in the provisions of our Lord, as well as in the coolness of our apartment (yay for a working air conditioner!) in the heat of this Texas summer. Thanks for your continued love, support and prayers. We appreciate you!

Update

It is mid-May and summer is upon us already! David finished up his semester at DTS a week ago and started work at the elementary school he worked for last summer today. We are very excited that he will be working there again - he loves the job, the people he works with and the hours. He will also be keeping two shifts a week at the Sheraton, so hopefully he will only be gone two nights a week!

We spent the weekend after David's finals (Mother's Day weekend) on the East Coast celebrating David & Andrea's wedding in Pennsylvania. We were also so blessed to be able to stay with Kendra & Greg in Virginia while we were there, which is only a couple hours away from the wedding site. Such a blessing to be able to get away for a few days and spend some time with friends. Kendra and Greg took us to Baltimore to a Yankees-Orioles game and to the harbor for dinner - so much fun!

Nothing too new to report on the job front for Lindsay except that she is still looking! She has been looking for positions in the social services and administrative fields and has one interview pending for an administrative assistant position. It is a full-time position that is very close by, with decent salary and possible benefits. So it seems like a good position, it would just mean the possible closing of the door to pursuing a job in the psych field, at least for now. We are praying and confident that God will provide in his perfect timing and know that wherever it may be it will be a blessing, especially with the current job market.

David was also recently in a minor car accident (hit-and-run, but he is fine!) which resulted in the loss of his car, so we are down to one for the time being. It has been a challenge, but is doable so far. We are praying that Lindsay might find a job that is close by.

We also just started attending a young couples group at church and are excited for the friendships we will hopefully build through that. And we are attempting to start running/exercising on a more regular basis, although we will see what happens now that David will have to leave for work at 7:45am...=)

If you'd like to be praying for us, here are some bullet points for you:

- Lindsay's job situation
- Car situation
- Enjoy & honor God with the time we have now before Lindsay is working
- Keep spiritual growth a priority
- Finances
- Forming new friendships

Thanks, we love you all =)

Here's some pictures from our weekend on the East Coast:

Firsts

David and I just celebrated our first birthdays together as husband and wife. How good it is to be here together! David's birthday was on Easter this year, so we started off the day at church, followed by a relaxing afternoon at home, including present & easter basket opening, napping, and making desert for later that evening. We went with some friends for a steak dinner at this great restaurant downtown, came home and played Settlers of Catan with the group, ate my grandma's famous apple crisp, and David & I finished off the night with a movie in bed.

For my birthday, David woke up and fixed me breakfast before heading to class. I spent the morning on the phone with birthday calls and when David got home he surprised me with a year membership to the Dallas Arboretum. We spent the rest of the afternoon there, and it was a gorgeous day. Then he took me out to Cheesecake Factory for dinner (yum!) and we spent the evening at home, playing games, eating ice cream and watching movies.

Other firsts...

- first "husband" & "wife" cards =)
- first Texas sunrise
- first Dallas Mavericks game & also first NBA game for David
- first time shopping together (I got David new shoes, shirts and pants!)
- first time making chili from scratch
- first time playing the piano for David
- first time being unemployed without the excuse of being a student since high school
- first round of tennis as a married couple
- first apartment with a doorbell AND an awesome peephole
- first time making David fried eggs
- first time cutting my husbands hair! - not just one number ;)
- first taste of Grandma Mac's green jello on a hot night


On the road, the morning of the day we arrived in Texas


Our friends David and Andrea at the Mav's game


Our new shoes


Our front door


Seconds on the jello - it was better than he expected =)

Rainy day

We (mainly Lindsay though) love rainy days =) This is our third thunderstorm since Lindsay has been in Dallas - praise God for his bigness. Never fails to amaze and they really do just somehow seem bigger in Texas.



David had the afternoon off of class and work (yay!), so we spent the day working (Greek & Cover Letter writing), napping and playing Scrabble, while listening to the rain, the awesome thunder and some rainy day tunes. David was very content with his tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches; Lindsay enjoyed her PB&J. Simple days are so great.


Now David is off to work, the results of the scrabble game left up in the air - although Lindsay is currently in the lead - and the rain beginning to subside. I feel like i should say something profound, like my friend Melissa has a way of doing, but I really just wanted to share my excitement in a simple rainy day at home with my husband =) I think I'll go make some pudding, yum.

Welcome!

...to our new blog! Both David and I have attempted blogging in the past...and lets just say we have hope for the success of this one ;) We wanted a place where we could keep everyone who is far away from us updated on our life here in Dallas. And hopefully include some pictures so you can have a window into our life - maybe this will help me stay on top of documenting!

Here are a few pictures of the apartment:



I'm still learning how to use the electric stove


David hung a cabinet in the bathroom for me to have a little extra storage space =)


We found room in the bedroom for both dressers and a desk!


My mom helped me decorate the dining room

We are enjoying getting settled and having the place feel a little more homey with a few pictures on the walls and only a couple boxes still to be unpacked! God provided a free couch for us through a ministry on David's campus and I am currently working on getting a slipcover on it and making some pillow cases. It reminds me of the flowery couch we had in San Luis Obispo, only someone described this one as looking a bit like Florida, South Beach =) But it is in great condition, comfy, huge and has a pullout mattress! All the boys seem to like it, so i think we found a winner.

More to come =)