whew, you'll have to excuse me.  i'm out of breath.  i've been dancing and screaming and running around for the past few minutes.  most of you have probably already seen this on facebook, but for those of you who haven't, steve got offered a new job today!    he starts next week.  i'm SO excited to see my husband so excited.    i think it's going to be a great fit for him.  the job is at a machinist company that designs and creates custom parts, mostly for large-scale bakeries and food production companies (think Hershey chocolate, etc.).  he will work part-time on first shift until he graduates in may (at which time he will work full-time on first shift).  do you know what this means??  he will get off work at 5 PM everyday!  we will be able to have dinner together -- EVERY night!  we will be able to go for walks and watch TV and get together with friends!  what an ENORMOUS blessing and answer to prayer!  we are absolutely in awe of God's provision.

other news (all of which seem to pale in comparison):

• no job news for me.  i'm doing my best to be open-minded and to send out my resume fervently, but i've come to a place a real contentment and peace.  i'm really enjoying being unemployed for the time being.  i've dedicated this time (however long it may be) to finding my new passion.  i firmly believe that when God has the next job ready for me, He will make it clear.  i'm waiting for His timing.  He's never let us down!
  
  
  
• this is a little embarrassing, but being unemployed has taken a bit of a toll on my exercising and eating habits.  as it turns out, i am a schedule-driven person.  (shocking, i know.)  so when i was put into the position of not having a schedule, my eating habits became atrocious and exercising kind of fell by the wayside.  i got on the scale over the weekend, and it was SCARY.  so, it's a new week... a new month... and i'm ready to start anew with healthy living!  wish me luck! 
  
  
  
• and finally, here are a few pictures of my recent pottery.
  

hey everyone!  just though i'd check in for my weekly update. 

no major progress in my job search.  i've applied to a handful of interesting jobs, but to be honest, there just isn't a lot out there right now.  i'm pretty excited about a job possibility for steve, though!  he had an interview on monday, and it seems really promising!  we're definitely praying like crazy for this opportunity!

so, it's been exactly a month since i got laid off.  i'm trying to figure out what i've been doing for the past month...  under any other circumstances, a month off of work would be freaking awesome!  however, i've really been battling depression and discouragement during the past few weeks.  as a result, i've lost interest in just about everything.  i spent most days on the computer or in front of the tv.  i was tired all the time.  even leaving the house to get groceries became a taxing chore.  it didn't dawn on me until sometime last week that i was wallowing in self-pity and allowing myself to become consumed with myself and my own "bad luck." 

so now that i recognize the poor habits i've developed, i'm trying to make some positive changes.  i'm trying to be a little more deliberate with my time.  even though the circumstances are less than ideal, i can still find enjoyment in this "time off" -- sitting around and worrying about it is not going to change anything.  so, i do spend quite a bit of time online job searching, but i've also tackled a few cleaning projects, done some scrapbooking, spent some extra time with my family, figured out how to save money when grocery shopping (hello coupons!  hello local country market!), and crossed a few other things off my "i'll get to it when i get to it" list.  so yeah, my attitude is getting much better this week.  praise the Lord for that!

anyway, time to get this day rolling.  have a good one!