Wednesday, September 7, 2011

Just another old married couple...

I honestly did not intend to let this much time pass before posting again, but life for us has been fairly uneventful during the last month. We are officially an old married couple! Matt has settled into a routine with school, and seems to be having a pretty solid semester thus far. Cross country season is now officially underway, and since Matt is coaching, the majority of our Saturdays will be spent at meets. I am very thankful that I can tag along to most of these events, since we do not get to spend much time together during the week. So far I have enjoyed going to the races, though I am definitely missing Saturdays in Tuscaloosa. Fortunately, Matt and I are trying to find tickets for games that fall on days when he does not have a meet.

Things for me have changed very litte, and I still have more free time on my hands than I would prefer. Though a full-time job has yet to present itself, I have been getting a fair amount of substitute work in the Madison City and County systems. These jobs have been a Godsend, because they do not only get me out of the house, they also provide us with a little extra money to help us through the month. Though I could probably find a part-time job in retail or waitressing, everyone has encouraged me to stick with subbing. Since being in the schools regularly is the best way to get my foot in the door, subbing is truly my best option. The fact that the work is so sporadic is a bit frustrating, but I am praying for patience and for an opportunity to arise as a result of my time spent in area schools.

Matt and I are continually asked how we are enjoying married life. To give the short answer, it's great! I can't speak for other newly married couples, but Matt and I simply enjoy spending time together. We have had a lot of fun participating in various school functions and finding things to do in our new town. Matt has also been a huge help in household matters. I brag on him frequently, but he deserves it! He has been eager to help me with the cooking (okay, well, he pretty much does all of that!), the cleaning, and various other chores. The fact that he has such a servant's heart has definitely endeared him to me even further. We both have made a concerted effort to put the needs of the other before our own, and though we sometimes fail, I think it is a large part of the reason that things have been so smooth for us thus far.

We have also had many prayers answered over the course of the last month. As I mentioned earlier, my sub work is slowly picking up. This in and of itself is a HUGE answer to prayer. Though I still sit at home a few days each week, subbing has helped to break up the monotony in my day to day life. Being in the schools has also been a great way for me to network, and I am so thankful that so many teachers in  both systems are willing to go to bat for me. Another prayer that was answered this month, is that we seem to have found a church home in Huntsville! If you have read my other blogs, you know that leaving our church in Tuscaloosa was difficult for the both of us. We met virtually our entire group of friends at Calvary in Tuscaloosa, and it is also the place where we met and were married. Calvary was also the church where Matt came to Christ, as well as the place where we spent the vast majority of our time during our college years. There are so many incredible people in that church, and we were very cynical about finding a church in Huntsville that would even remotely compare. After visiting 6-7 churches in the Huntsville/Madison area, however, I think we have found a pretty good fit! The church that we have attended the last several weeks is HUGE (roughly 3,000 members), and initially we were very intimidated and turned off by the sheer size of the congregation. After attending a Sunday School class at the church, however, we realized that this is the place God intended for us to be. Of all the churches we have attended, Willowbrook is the only church that has a class for young married couples who are yet to have children. Though this may seem like a small thing to some, this was a huge thing for us. Since we left such an incredible group of friends in Tuscaloosa, we really wanted to find a Godly group of friends in Huntsville to essentially "do life" with. We quickly realized, after visiting a few churches, that we had a very tough time relating to young adults with children. Matt and I do not have to worry about potty training, babysitters, or feeding schedules at this point in our lives, and we had a hard time making conversation with those who do. For these individuals, their children pretty much dictated their schedules, as well as their conversation topics. The couples that we met with children were incredibly kind and welcoming, but Matt and I wanted to find a group of people who were in our stage of life. We wanted friends who could easily hangout on the weekends or who would understand the issues that sometimes arise in our new marriage. Fortunately for us, we found what we were looking for at Willowbrook. We love out Sunday school class and have enjoyed getting to know all of the couples, even though most of them are Auburn graduates! I do not want to give the impression that we chose a church based off of a group of people, because the group was only a small part of the reason that we have continued to return. Both Matt and I have been impressed with the overall vision of the church, as well as their commitment to missions and doctrinal teachings. It has been wonderful to finally find a place to plug in again!

The past two months have gone by so quickly, and before we know it, the holidays will be upon us. Matt and I do not have a lot planned for the next month or two, but we do have a few things to look forward to. As of now Matt and I are seriously considering making the trip to Tuscaloosa for the Vanderbilt game, and potentially others. Regardless of which games we make it to, it will be wonderful to be back in Bryant Denny and visiting with friends. In our attempt to visit every SEC stadium together, we are also planning to go to the Alabama/Ole Miss game. We are hoping that a few friends will join us on the day trip to Ole Miss in October. Matt has Fall break in less than a month, so he and I are considering taking a weekend trip (location yet to be determined) during his time off. We have a voucher for a free two night hotel stay, so we could probably take a trip at little cost to us. Matt has been trying to come up with fun things for us to do since I am homebound most days, and I love him for that. Wherever we go, it will be nice to get out of Huntsville for a few days. Another thing on the horizon is my dear friend Brittany's wedding! Brittany and I have been friends since we were toddlers, and she was one of the maids of honor in my wedding in July. I can't wait to stand beside her on her big day! I am definitely looking forward to the festivities surrounding her wedding. Below is a picture of us (and two other friends from high school) at her first shower.


Brittany will make a beautiful bride, and I cannot wait to celebrate her wedding on October 21st! Weddings are much more fun when you do not have to worry about the stress of planning!

Matt and I returned Monday from a trip to the mountains with my mom's side of the family. Most of my mom's extended family is from the Knoxville area, so we make the trip for family reunions each Labor Day weekend. It is always fun to stay with 15+ people in a cabin, and it is also great to spend time with family that we only get to see once a year.  My mamaw is one of ten siblings, so you can only imagine the number of people that show up each year! On the whole, it was a fun and relaxing weekend.

Hopefully the next time I update this thing an entire month will not have passed. Hope you all had a great Labor Day! Until next time....