The Past Few Weeks... :-)

Okay... where to begin...

Nolan completed roughly two weeks of Rifle training and qualified on both the rifle (M-16 - marksman) and the pistol (sharp shooter) YAY Nolan!

This past week he completed martial arts training and earned a tan belt that he now wears with his cammies - not to mention he learned a ton of cool Ninja like moves! Yay for Nolan again! :-)
-- ((Feel free to ask Nolan about more details - I hate to disclose too many details about what he's up to, on the internet)) --

I have been working at Huntington Learning Centers now for two weeks... Week one of 14 hours was a bit stressful trying to learn how things work and dealing with kids who complained about the work and being there in general. Week two of 27 hours has gone MUCH better! Yay God for only giving me as much as I can handle, so I didn't quit! I volunteered to be in the math, rather than the phonics area and I'm much more comfortable in that position! I spent half of my time this week in math and the other half working one on one - that's nice too!

My birthday was last Saturday; Nolan fibbed and said he had a meeting at 7am (which I believed, b/c it's VERY possible), and really went to a neighbors in our complex to bake me a cake! He is the most amazing husband! :-) After chocolate cake and Dr Pepper for breakfast... we went to King's Dominion, a theme park, just south of where we live. It was a lot of fun - lots of FAST rides!! One was like you were taking off of an aircraft carrier, then you went straight up and then straight back down and around to the left and it was over! Super fast! My favorite was like Excelerator(?) at the old Astroworld in Houston; just 10 times better! We would definitely go back! :-) Next is likely Busch Gardens as we can get one free ticket each per year - Whoop! We might go with another couple we've met sometime soon! We also got dinner to-go at Olive Garden... the last time we ate Olive Garden was the last night we lived in College Station :-( we reminisced about how awesome things were there and how they've changed so much, but are still so wonderful! :-)

Sunday, 8/20, I was in my first real car accident! I had backed over a Z-3 way back when in Alvin, but I was only going 1 mph! Anyway, out on 95 I was rear ended by a Ford Expedition...the guy said he "glanced down".... ya, not a good idea in stop and go traffic (10 mph) on a 65mph freeway! Oh well... we are supposedly getting a $946 check to fix my rear bumper that my insurance guy said they could fix for $440.. so it seems we'll make a few bucks on the deal... In what interesting ways God works - there is always a silver lining! Thank goodness Nolan was with me, because I was in a bit of shock there for a while! AND thank goodness we weren't in the Neon... things may not have been as minor!
WHOOP! I added a picture of my poor, but not too badly bruised, bumper! :-)

On the note of being rear ended: I have seen 2 accidents of this type and had a friend who was also rear ended this past Monday... this is only in one week!!! So, BEWARE if you drive in Virginia! We're obviously not in Texas anymore!

Don't get me wrong, we really love it here, except for the driving conditions... the on and off ramps are crazy too! To go South, you have to go North first... um ya... okay because that makes PERFECT sense?!:-) haha

Last night I got a phone call from Quantico Schools and they would like to start "in-processing" for me to be a substitute on base! WHOOP! God provides again! I THINK once I'm in the department of defense's education system for subbing, that will make it a bit easier to get a full time teaching position at our next duty station... I'm ELATED! :-)

Josh, the best man in our wedding is coming to TBS soon, I think he is going to come a bit early and stay with us for a few days while he gets settled in! Yay someone to stay in our guest bedroom! :-)

We will be visiting Texas for Stephanie and Justin's wedding the first weekend in October! Fun times! So if you are in the Pearland, Angleton, West Columbia area, let's try to get together?! :-)

God bless... until next time!

Paige is Employed Again!

WHOOP!

So after turning down 4 FT jobs, I have accepted a PT job as a tutor at Huntington Learning Centers in Stafford, just 10 minutes from where we live! :-) I am super excited to soon have an income again - small, but nice!

Also, VBS is going GREAT! The kids have been really fun - we have done LOTS of crafts! I have also met a wonderful new friend, my fellow 3 yr olds teacher, Jessica, whose husband is also at TBS, yet he will be done soon!

It's The Small Victories...!

Howdy all!

It has been brought to my attention that I/we have yet to post since I sent the link to everyone... keep in mind, I knew I wouldn't be THAT good at posting on a regular basis, but I will do so now and try to do better in the future as well! :-)

Small, but exciting victories since we have moved to Virginia:
To start, moving here was a victory in itself! Yay for Nolan sticking with the U-Haul and car trailer behind it with the "tail wagging the dog" going on for quite some time! By the time we made it across the country he definitely had the hang of it! WHOOP! Depending on where we move in January, we may play that game again. We will have to see if the so called financial gains are what they were presented to be! :-)

Nolan passed the swim qualifications! WHOOP! To be a pilot, there is another one he will pass, so we'll have to keep you posted about that one... Right now they are out at the rifle range, well this week they will finish up out there for now. "Every Marine a Riflemen"

We got ID's! WHOOP! What an accomplishment! The VERY short story is that we went to an ARMY (HOOAH) base north of us and God was on our side for sure, because we got out of there with ID's! YAY! I can now get on base with ease, shop by myself, go to the free gym, etc. It's great! :-)

I have signed up with Stafford County to be a substitute, after turning down 4 full time teaching positions; I couldn't decide whether to teach full time or sub, which would make my schedule more flexible... I finally decided and am happy with the decision; this way I can easily go back to Texas for Stephanie and Justin's wedding and such, participate in Warrior Day here in January, be off when Nolan is, attend his TBS graduation, etc

We have found a church that we really like... we visited the Presbyterian and Lutheran when we first got here and for about a month now we have been going to St. Peter's Lutheran Church! :-) This week I will be teaching 3 yr olds there for VBS... that should be a learning experience, more for me than them!! haha

I have met a few other wives, one that I seem to have a lot in common with, so that's very nice! Nicole and I are planning to volunteer at PetsMart this coming week and other places, as well in the future.

Okay I think that is most of the big stuff that I can think of for now... I will try to post again soon! :-)

Have a great week!