Grig's Back in School!

Grig started school this week! That's been kind of exciting, but it also means that my poor husband has even less time to himself.

Grig had been thinking about applying at some other places a few months ago, but when he prayed about it, he had been told to stay with his current employer for now. However, he felt really directed that he should focus on schooling.

After a very long story and many prayers, we found out that he was supposed to go to the community college here in town and get his welding certificate. That was not the answer we had been expecting, but so far it's working out really well.

It's been well within our price range, and so far, Grig has really been enjoying it. He's getting to learn the basics of welding from an actual teacher, and not just from the guys at work. Hopefully, this means that once he has a couple of  years of welding experience at his work and his welding certificate, he will be able to get a better paying job that has more stability and fewer unpaid days off.

We know the Lord has a plan for us, and it is so much better than any plans we might have had for ourselves.

I never would have imagined that we'd be living in our own home with a large yard. It is so great to have people over and have room for everyone. There's more to clean and take care of, but it is SO worth it.

I never would have thought that I'd be so happily married with a wonderful son who is nearly two and a half.

I thought that by the time I was 28 I'd have five or six kids and be married nearly a decade, but I wasn't ready to get married by 18. I needed to experience some things in life before I met my wonderful husband. I'm not disappointed at all. I've met so many wonderful people over the course of my life, and I wouldn't change any part of it.

Life isn't going the way I planned, but it is so much better.

Grig's at class right now, and he's a trooper, because essentially he's doing thirteen hours of welding a couple of days a week. That's a lot of welding. He should be pretty good at it by the time he's finished with this beginning welding class. He has a great eye for detail, and he's careful. He's also becoming faster as he works on it.

I think his employers like him quite a bit. I sure do.

Ain't life grand?

Unforeseen Blessings

When Grig and I decided to get married, Grig honestly informed me that he had a school debt. He tried to pay off as much of it as he could before we were married, but we still had quite a bit left when we tied the knot.

That didn't really matter to me. It was important that Grig had gotten an education, and money isn't really all that important to me. We've been able to get by, and we've paid off a lot of the debt already. It was never really a big issue between us, but to my surprise this week...it became a blessing.

We are contemplating moving when our contract expires in a few months. We aren't planning on moving far; we simply want to find someplace cheaper if at all possible.

In our musings about the future, I began looking at homes. I signed up for a site that offers homes for sale, and the next day I was contacted by a representative. He told me he wanted to help us get pre-approved for a loan, just in case we felt like we wanted to buy a home.

I decided, sure. Why not?

He did a credit check on both of us, and to my surprise informed us that only one of us had a credit score, and it wasn't me.

I had helped pay for a car before and I had always consistently paid my bills, so why didn't I have a credit score, and why did Grig have one?

I'm still not sure about my side of that issue, but it turns out that Grig has a pretty good credit score because he loaned money from the government for school and we have always been punctual in paying off our debt.

Who knew that something that seemed to be a trial could also be such an extraordinary blessing?

Isn't that funny how life works sometimes? You spend months trying to rid yourselves of a problem, only to find out that it is a blessing in disguise? We probably aren't going to buy a house right now, but it was nice to know that we could if we needed to. I might have to get a credit card after all, just to build up a line of credit for myself. We don't really like them, so we haven't had them before. I thought my phone bill and everything else I had been paying for would have been sufficient.

Nope.

The Lord works in mysterious ways, and it is always for our benefit and growth. I'm reminded of that every day, but for some strange reason, it still surprises me.

No purpose behind this picture. I just love it.

Kevin is still sleeping well in his bed, by the way. Last night, after brushing his teeth, saying his prayers, and having his dad read him a story, he went and climbed into his bed. It was almost a tear-free thing, except that one point he flung himself backward and hit his head on the wooden bar. He quickly got over it and went to sleep.

We are pretty blessed. I'm a pretty grateful person these days. Compared to so many others, what do I have to complain about?  And yet, sometimes I still do. I'm working on that, as well as on so many other things.

Have a great day and look for those unforeseen blessings!

Missing School

I've almost been out of school for a full year. That's quite strange for me.

Some children, especially lately, seem to abhor school. They long for summer vacation and when it ends they groan in reluctance as they're forced to trudge back to the dreariness of the prison called school.

(That was a good sentence. Congratulatory pat on my own back.)

I've never understood that. I was always excited for school. When I was younger, they used to post the class listings on the front door of the school as summer was coming to a close. I eagerly anticipated when my teacher would be chosen, and I remember riding my bike to the school every day during summer so that I could to read my name and my class over and over.

We only lived a block from the school, but still! I was excited for school. I loved learning and I loved my teachers. The social aspect wasn't always fun for me, but it didn't really matter either. I excelled at my classes because I enjoyed it so much.

When I graduated, I immediately entered into a study-abroad semester that took me to the east coast of the United States. I immediately loved college. The other students were a ton of fun and I became part of a group of very close friends.

We actually met during a painting class. We were drawing some historic buildings and we struck up a conversation. Soon we were laughing and talking so loudly that we were bothering some of the other students. We tried to quiet down, but we were having a great time.

I spent the majority of the semester in their company and the time flew by. I began college the spring of 2006 and continued with only a small year and a half break for an LDS mission until the spring of 2013.  I could have had a Master's by then, but my mission caused some serious reflection and I decided to change from an Animal Science Major to a Teacher's Eduction Major. I love animals and kids, but the killing (or putting them 'to sleep') aspect of being a veterinarian didn't appeal to me.

Continuing school did. I wouldn't mind spending the rest of my life in a classroom. I love seeing kids' eyes light up when they figure out something new, and I love learning new things myself. However, after we were married and I found myself pregnant, I had a decision to make, and it was a very easy decision for us.

When I was a baby, my mother was working and trying to rear three children while my father was going to school. It was hard, especially with a baby like me. I was an absolute fountain after I nursed, and I wouldn't nap unless I was being held.

My mother and Father weren't sure what to do, until President Benson spoke up in conference and said the following words:

Brethren of the priesthood, I continue to emphasize the importance of mothers staying home to nurture, care for, and train their children in the principles of righteousness.

As I travel throughout the Church, I feel that the great majority of Latter-day Saint mothers earnestly want to follow this counsel. But we know that sometimes the mother works outside of the home at the encouragement, or even insistence, of her husband. It is he who wants the items of convenience that the extra income can buy. Not only will the family suffer in such instances, brethren, but your own spiritual growth and progression will be hampered. I say to all of you, the Lord has charged men with the responsibility to provide for their families in such a way that the wife is allowed to fulfill her role as mother in the home.

 

At these words my mother and father decided that my mom needed to stay home to be with their three children. It was hard, and they were very poor, but they were able to get by as they followed the counsel of the prophet.

Though my school was hiring new teachers and I was on the top of the list because I had been student teaching there, I wanted more than anything to be a stay-at-home mother. My own mother had told me this story many times and so Grig and I prayed about it and asked the Lord what we should do.

We felt very strongly that I should stay home. I was grateful, because I couldn't imagine allowing anyone else, including my family, to raise my son. I wanted to be there when he took his first steps, said his first words, and learned to be excited about nature and animals. I wanted to be there when he climbed on his first chair and fell off for the first time. I wanted to be the one to comfort him when he was sad or sick, and the one that he laughed and told his first joke to.

So, I finished my degree and then I left the world of jobs behind me. Being a stay-at-home mother has been everything that I dreamed. Sure it's hard sometimes and sometimes I miss school and helping my husband monetarily, but Kevin is worth it to us, and the Lord has provided as we followed his commands.

However, after having worked so hard to earn my teacher's certificate, I am not planning on letting it expire. I am excited because I have to take some college credit before I renew it, and that means that I get to continue learning and going to school. I'll probably end up doing online classes.

Once the kids are out of the house, I plan on becoming a teacher again, but for now, I'm being a different sort of teacher. I do miss school sometmes, but I'm learning an awful lot in the school of how to be a good mom. Kevin is a great teacher, and the classroom never ends.