Ch-ch-ch-Changes!!!

Change always comes bearing gifts.  ~Price Pritchett.


So True!  Last week was certainly a week of changes for Mike and I.  We both began new jobs!!!  I took on the position of Office Manager at the counseling office I work at and Mike began a new job at a furniture manufacturer.  We are both so excited about these changes!


It was so neat to see how God paved the way for these changes to take place.  Let me share:


I work at a counseling office where 2 agencies share the clerical staff (myself and a co-worker).  Some things happened within the agency and personal life of my co-worker and she decided she would be switching to work for just one of the agencies.  That left the question of what would happen with my job:  would my hours be cut?  would I lose my job?  would they offer me the job with the other agency?  what should I do?


A short time before this change occurred, I was asked to apply for the part-time position of Children's Ministry Director at our church.  I submitted my resume and received an interview. It went well and I was excited for the possibilities.  Two days after my interview, I got offered a full-time position at the counseling office.  Now what?  I had to let the counseling office know in the next couple days, but it would be nearly 2 weeks before I would hear back from church if I got the job.  


Mike and I prayed practically non-stop after that.  Mike and I discussed all the possibilities and "what ifs".  In the end, he told me he'd support whatever my choice was.  Let me tell you, it was not an easy decision.  There were pros and cons for both jobs, but more cons for one than the other.  By that Monday night (the 21st), I had made my decision.  I scheduled a meeting at the counseling agency on Tuesday and told them my decision~ I was accepting their job offer!  They hooped and hollered and clapped; and I knew then that I had made the right decision.


But that's not the end of our story.  Wednesday, I got a text from my co-worker, asking if Mike was still looking for a new job.  (He was working a dead-end and very stressful job).  She said that the place her son-in-law works was looking for someone so he was going to mention Mike's name.  I told her to have him go for it!  A few hours later, she texted me with a name and phone number for Mike to call.  He called and an interview was set up for the next morning.  It went extremely well and when he came home he said we had some things to talk about.  


The job was promising, room to move up, benefits (after a trial period), and a great place to work.  The downside--he'd be taking a pay cut.  We knew that would happen, as he would probably be starting at the bottom and working up, plus he had several raises over the 5 years he was at his previous company.  This is the cool part~ We sat down and took a look at our budget with what we're making now.  It turns out that we can make it work, but only because I'll be going up to full-time as well!  Isn't it neat how God works things out?  


So, like I said, big changes in our household!  We're so excited with where God is leading both of us!

New Job

I started a new part-time job today. I am working as a receptionist at a photography studio, Marc Photography. For right now I am only working 1 afternoon a week with the hopes of getting more hours at some point. We'll have to see what happens. But for now, it's a step towards another job I enjoy!!!

New Job!

I graduated from college in May and for the past 4 months I have been applying for jobs. Now-a-days most job applications are filed online, meaning that if you're lucky the potential employer will get your application. I had 2 interviews in June, but nothing came out of it. So I continued applying all over. I would estimate that I would apply at 1-3 places each day. And applying and applying. Of course, Michigan has a super high unemployment rate and more people are being laid off each week, so there are not too many jobs available right now. I thought I would have a slight advantage, being a recent graduate and all. However I found that can be both a blessing and a curse. It's a nice thing because I have all this knowledge built up in my head right now...however, because I went to college straight after high school that means I do not have any work experience in my field. That in itself can be a good or bad thing as well. Bad because I would have to be completely trained, but good because I can be trained exactly how the employer wants, without me having a set way of doing things. In early July, Mike's mom asked me if I would be interested in putting my name in for a job as an office assistant at a counseling office. Her friend works there and knew there was a chance a position would be opening up soon. I said of course I would be interested, but after a while I hadn't heard anything and I didn't really think much of it again. Well, just over a week ago, Mike's mom's friend emailed me and asked if I was still interested in this job. Definitely!!! It happened quite quickly, I had an interview on Tuesday and another on Wednesday. I thought they went quite well. Yesterday afternoon I got a phone call saying that I had gotten the job!!! I will be working part-time at the office, so I will be able to keep my job at the nursing home as well. I am looking forward to this job. There is a lot to learn and I have been told that it is extremely fast paced and I will be very busy each day. But it will be great to get the experience and be working a lot more than I have recently!