Why???

Why must I struggle so much? Why is it that my family struggles just to keep one car in good working order while everyone else around me has 4 in great shape? Why is it that my dad can just barely make enough to pay the bills while other pastors at churches around here make over $100,000 a year? Why do I have to work so hard to pay for school and loans while my friends parents pay for every cent of their schooling? Why? It's so unfair.

Summer and Emme

Starting yesterday at about 4pm, I began my 4 day experience with my two cousins Summer and Emme. Summer is 4 years old and about as active as 10 5 year old boys, or at least close to it. Emme is 2 years old and about the exact opposite. She could play with string for 2 hours and be just fine. Summer reminds me of Dash from the Incredibles. They're both incredibly sweet kids, just with completely different personalities. Here are some brief events from the weekend:

Wednesday:
Bathtime results in Jen quite wet and bubbles in her hair.
Popsicles are used as bribery.
Emme wants more "Oot Nacks" = Fruit Snacks
Summer tells me, "I like your boobs." Jen is left speechless, unsure of how to react


Thursday:
Jen is woke up at 7am after a very restless night of sleeping on the couch and the bedroom floor.
We venture to Walmart where I get many, "You've got your hands full!" ya think?!?!
Emme uses the remote control as a phone
We dance in the living room and I teach Summer how to dance ghetto ;)
During bathtime, Summer and Emme both give me a good 'Holla!'
When petting the dogs, Summer wants to see the doggy's boobies.......what in the world?!?!?

Friday:
Up again WAY too early
We venture to the zoo where Summer yells "Hi!" to every animal and tries to venture inside the fence.
When looking at the gorillas, one turns its butt towards us and Summer proceeds to crouch down and try to look under it in search of only God knows what.
We see this antelope/zebra looking animal and Summer announces that it's a cantelope.

Saturday:
Jonifer comes home!!
Summer yet again makes a boob comment only this time it's about Jonathan mowing the lawn with his shirt off.
We play in the sprinkler and Jonathan frolics like a fairy through it.

Sunday:
They leave for home at 9am and peace returns to the Bell household.


Wow....what a hectic 4 days! It was fun but I needed a break. I have a new found admiration for single mothers.

Hello real life

So I'm back at home.....it's summer....June already. And the tentative 'plans' I'd made for my future as of a year ago are completely out the window. Yesterday morning I officially accepted a teaching position at Aurora Christian School up near Chicago which means in another 2 months I will be moving into my own apartment.....not working at a local school living with the rents. God definitely had other plans for me. The last week has been one of the most overwhelming and stressful weeks of my life as I was faced with deciding between two incredible schools. The other that I didn't choose is a public high school about 30 minutes away from home. That school is great but I just didn't feel that was where God wanted me. Sure, the pay was better and the benefits were better but God doesn't always call us where it's gonna be easy. Living in Chicago is gonna take a lot of faith and trust in Him to provide, but isn't that what I've had to do for the past 4 years living at school? If I've learned anything while being at college, it's that when we seek and follow God's will for our lives, He will provide. And He already has. He's provided a great job analyzing data for a research project being conducted by a woman who works for the county court system. I will do all the work on my own here at home whenever I want to which means that during my last summer here at home, I can go on the full family vacation!! It also pays well and almost completely makes up for the pay difference between the two schools I was choosing....amazing how that works. So right now I'm still trying to soak it all in.....living in Chicago....on my own.....teaching middle schoolers......wow. That's a lot but I'm excited to see what God does! :)