Update

I've been feeling prompted to return to blogging for awhile now, but I always put it on the back-burner. I guess today I'm going to try to come back to blogging. I want my family to know what's going on in my life. I want to share things with them.

I guess this post will be an update on everything that has happened in the past couple months. We moved in with Mitchell's mom, Ellen, the beginning of April. Mitchell is taking this time to work on his art so that he can progress in his career.

I am 10 weeks pregnant with an "Oops!" baby; I had applied to attend BYU in January, but now I'm having a baby in November, so that's not happening. I was on a mood stabilizer for bipolar II disorder, but had to stop because of the pregnancy. I also can't take Xanax any longer. 

I am in the process of getting into the Mental Health system here so that I can get things figured out, but I've probably got a few more weeks before I get to see a psychiatrist. With all the moving and then medication changes, I've been struggling a bit with my mood and functioning and such. I'm just trying to take things slowly right now. 

Joseph is attending school at the "same" elementary school Mitchell went to; I used the quotation marks because it's a new building with none of the same teachers, but it has the same name, mascot, and location. He is doing pretty well. Some days are better than others, but that's how things always are.

That's the biggest stuff that's happened, and the basis of my life right now!

Craziness

Everything has been so crazy in our lives lately.

Last week, we decided to take one last trip to visit Mitchell's family in Virginia before our move to Texas. Late at night, smack-dab in the middle of Richmond, our car died. Thankfully, Mitchell's mom was driving through Richmond at the same time, so she was able to come pick the kids up. We were able to arrange with USAA to have the car towed to a nearby, reputable repair shop. There was a motel close enough for Mitchell and me to walk to and get a room for the night. In the morning, we found out that our engine was broken, rendering the car useless. So Mitchell's brothers, Grant and Ross, were able to pick us up and take us to their brother, Sam's, house where the kids were.

We arranged for my cousin, Amber, to overnight the title to our car so that we could sell it to a junkyard. And we were able to relax for a week in a small town in Virginia. The kids had the best time with their cousins, and spent hours outside every day. It was so great to kind of get away from all the stress of regular life. On Friday, Ross drove Mitchell back to Richmond, where Mitch was able to sell our poor, little car for $300. On Monday night, his mom took him to get a rental car, and we left very early Tuesday morning. We were able to use the car for less than 24 hours, which made it a lot cheaper, and the price was completely covered with the money we got from junking our car.

While in Virginia, we spent a lot of time pondering, praying, and discussing our situation. We came to the conclusion that Heavenly Father wants us in Georgia for a while longer, so we have decided not to move to Texas. Even though this seems like a very difficult path, as soon as we made the decision, my heart felt so light that I thought I would float away. I know that Heavenly Father is going to bless us to find a way to make things work.

Mitchell has already started applying to pretty much every job within walking distance. We walked to Walgreen's to get some milk and juice, which is 2-miles roundtrip. We have been working closely with several members of our ward, including the Bishop and members of both the Elder's Quorum and Relief Society. We are going to find ways to coordinate rides to grocery stores, places to do laundry, and maybe help getting a bike and/or wagon. We feel so blessed right now as we are learning to stand on our own feet for the first time ever.

A New Job

A few weeks ago, I put in a job application with Merry Maids. Shortly afterwards, they contacted me looking to interview me, but it was right when we were leaving for Virginia, so we had to wait. I went in Yesterday for the interview and the Branch Manager wanted to proceed with the process, so I did the mandatory drug test and signed the forms for the background check. I got a call today and everything was approved, so I can start as soon as Monday. 

I'm a bit scared about having a job. I haven't had a job on 5 years, and even then I only worked about 10 hours a week. This job is full-time, Monday through Friday, plus every other Saturday. I start at 8 am and work until around 2 or 3. That's a lot of work! And it's hard work, too. The pay isn't the greatest either.

What I keep reminding myself is that it's a job, which we sorely need. I was hired even though I have almost no work history, no traing, and no education. Where else would I get a job? I feel like this will be a good time in which I'll be able to challenge myself and really work on my own personal progress. I want to prove that I can be strong and useful. I also need this time to help me remember to turn to The Lord in everything I do. I've been really grateful for the support, encouragement, and love I've received from family and friends.

Change

I'm going to deviate from my recent format today.

I'm pretty sure I've talked on here before about how I have a difficult time dealing with change. Friday was Mitchell's last day of work, so now he's home all the time. And it's really throwing me off. I love having him here just because I feel like I've hardly seen him since we moved to Georgia, but I can seem to stay focused or on task. I've spent most of the past three days reading Mitchell's Dragon Ball comics (it's weird, I know). And my house is becoming an even bigger mess. I've suddenly lost all my motivation and I can't seem to stick to the routine I had finally gotten settled into.

All of this isn't helped by the fact that I started my period this week (sorry if this is TMI!), so I'm moody, crampy, and cranky. I'm not used to this whole period thing; it's only the second one I've had since I got pregnant with Charlie over 2 years ago.

If I try to look at things from another standpoint, it's not so bad, though. I've made dinner for my family, the kids had a bath today, we've been grocery shopping and got gas, and we've had a lot of fun together as a family. I guess the "moral of the story" is that I need to be a little more lenient with myself and remember that I just need time to adjust, but I can do my best while that's happening.