here are a few things that i've been up to lately...

painting furniture

 frames

 pots

 chairs

 and mirrors

i mostly just work on our house all day and i'm really liking how it's turning out. it is nice to have so much time to just work on it. i've learned a lot about painting and crafts and such, all those things i never had time or energy for when i worked.

it's weird to think that if i was in utah i'd be starting a new school year right now. i am glad i'm not teaching - it really was not my favorite - but i'm also so eager to work, to be busy, to have purpose to my day. i'm still on the job search...

i've really been thinking a lot about trials lately and i can say from first hand experience that i know God allows trials in our life because they draw us closer to Him. i've thought more about Him and my relationship with Him lately than i have in quite some time because of hard things in my life, and that is a great thing.  

this last little while has been hard. we're finally in more of a "house" rather than an apartment and i've been anticipating making it a home. since we'll be here for four years i came out here with all sorts of ideas of what to do with it and how i can actually make it ours. well it's been more work than i thought. i don't think i thought it out actually. painting is not fun. painting furniture, yes, is ok. but rooms, no. every wall in our house has now been painted except the small bedroom. whew.

on top of all the house work, i can't find a job. i've applied to about 40 jobs and haven't heard a single thing back. i thought teaching for 3 years would have qualified me to do something, even secretary work, but apparently not.

i also just found out that i have an eye condition that doesn't allow me to be in the sun very much. me, no sun?? just when i move to florida! there are other things going on too that just aren't working out. the repeated disappointments and struggles have really been pressing down on me.

but i am getting through it and every day is a little better. a lot of prayer and blessing-counting is helping.

we've met a lot of the lds students that go to nova and most are from utah and really fun. they all have 2+ kids though. our ward is really interesting. i'd say it's about 60% haitian and the rest is latin american or white. some of the accents are so thick i can't understand them. they have baptisms every week but a lot of inactivity.

tyler's in his 3rd week of med school now and he's liking it. he's gone all day, except for an hour when he comes home to eat dinner. he's working hard and i'm proud of him.

dania beach, 15 mins from our house

 

we are in florida! it's been such a chaotic month: packing, moving across the country, unpacking, painting, tyler starting school...i'll write more later when my mind is more put together. the beach is beautiful. it's humid. and wonderful. we're busy and happy.