Still Struggling

Hello my wonderful blog followers! Sorry if I've disappointed anyone by not posting in a while. I guess I just haven't felt like there's a lot to share. This was a hard week. Erik started school and his 20-hour a week graduate assistantship. That means we've had a lot less time together, which is difficult after getting used to spending all day, every day with each other. Plus, I still don't have a job so this was a rather lonely week for me. Erik has his assitantship from 9-2 on Mondays and Thursdays and 12-5 on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. He also has class from 6-9 Monday through Wednesday, so this means on Tuesday and Wednesday, I was really bored being home alone all day. I've been applying to jobs and even had an interview on Thursday, but so far it is not looking so good.

I received a phone call Wednesday night shortly before Erik got home from class from a gentleman over at Full Sail University, where I had applied for a job. He did an on-the-spot phone interview, which I think went pretty well. He asked if I could start Monday because they really needed people so I agreed to another interview with his bosses the next day. I went on an hour-long tour of Full Sail and then sat around for a half an hour waiting to be interviewed. At the end of the interview, they said their training course that starts on Monday is all full, but that if they decide to hire me I could start at the end of September. That's a long ways away! I didn't get that great of a vibe after it was over, so I'm not too hopeful. It could be for the best though because the hours were from noon to nine and I would have had to work some weekends, so I wouldn't have been able to continue going to our church small group and that would have meant even less time for Erik and me.

The job I really want is at Campus Crusade for Christ in their Jesus Film Project department as a writer. They're taking forever though, so who knows how that will turn out. I think I am going to really pursue getting hired at Applebee's just so I can have something to do during the days and make us some money. Please pray for me, because I am really not looking forward to working there again. ::Sigh.::

We've been going to H2O every Sunday and their small groups on Friday nights. It's going pretty well, and we're starting to make some friends. We really like the services and although the Friday groups are different than what we're used to, we like the people and are starting to fit in a little more. We're actually going to hang out with a few of them in a couple of hours. I found online that Tears for Fears (you know, the popular 80s band) is playing in downtown Orlando for free tonight! We were planning on going because I enjoy their music and it would be something fun (and did I mention free!?) for us to do together. Some people from our home group were talking about it last night, so we're going to go with them. It should be a good time! I'll post some pictures later.

Speaking of pictures, the apartment is really starting to come together. I finally got some photos printed to fill the frames we got as wedding gifts. I still haven't taken pics of the apartment yet because it's not quite as "together" as I'd like, but I will get that done eventually...I promise! Thanks for reading, all!

An Ocean View

Tuesday was four months Erik and I have been married! Even though it sucks being unemployed, the nice thing is that it has allowed kind of a second honeymoon. He hasn't started school yet, so we've had plenty of time to do things together. In honor of being married four months, we decided to take our first trip to a Florida beach!

We went to 27th Avenue Beach in New Smyrna Beach, about an hour from us.

It's beautiful, isn't it?

After weeks of just sitting around indoors or running errands, we were excited for a day of fun in the sun!

The tide was pretty high and we had lots of fun splashing and getting tossed around in the waves.

This is definitely the coolest beach I've been to. The beaches in Mississippi were dirty and boring. The beach in Mexico was just boring, and the water even a little dirty. But the water here is so active and provides a great time! Volusia County does a good job of keeping the beaches safe and clean. I had a little bit of a scare...got knocked down by the waves and sucked in for a minute, but I think I was just extra spooked because I didn't have my ear plug and wasn't supposed to go under. Oops, I'll be sure to bring that next time.

After the ocean, we stopped at a small ice cream place in town. Then we went home, ate some homemade burritos, and watched "Finding Nemo." We got a little sunburned in random places, but nothing terrible. Lesson learned: spray sunscreen should be applied inside, away from wind. All in all, it was a great day!

Shivering in the Heat

With the heat index it is almost 100 degrees, and yet here I sit shivering and covered in goosebumps. Apparently, Starbuck's likes to keep their stores at the same temperature I keep my refrigerator. And of course I can't step outside for a blast of heat because it's pouring outside. Boo hoo, right? At least it won't snow in the winter. Blah blah blah.

Even though I signed up for an appointment on the 12th to get internet installed, we somehow got signed up for the 15th. That's right, they're going to install our internet on a Sunday. So much for the Sabbath, huh? At least I won't have to keep crashing coffee shops.

I've been feeling discouraged lately because I haven't heard anything about jobs. It's only been a couple days, but I'm getting antsy. I'm just really worried that I will have to work at Applebee's again. I know everyone keeps saying, "At least you'll be bringing money in!" Those people don't understand just how much I hated it there. I'm not complaining and I'm not trying to whine. Really. My job wasn't all bad, but after a year I just don't think I can continue taking people treating me like dirt. The money is so inconsistent, and I just need to find something better. Please continue to pray that I can. I've applied to a few jobs that I think I will like and am confident I will do well at. Let's just hope they think so too, and at least call me for an interview.

On to happier things...we are attending a Home Fellowship tonight for H20. I'm excited. I hope we can meet some really great people who we feel comfortable being in a community with. Maybe I'll even make some friends. =)

Thanks for reading everyone! Hopefully my next post will be from my own home with my own internet...and I'll try to make it a little cheerier, I promise. Love to all of you!

Taking a Drink

Hello everyone! Here is another update, as promised! As many of you know, Erik and I were active members of a ministry at Illinois State that belongs to Great Commission Ministiries, a global missionary organization. One of the reasons we decided/were excited to move to Orlando is that GCM's headquarters are in Winter Park...just minutes from our new apartment! We heard they had a pretty cool church called H20 in Orlando, about 15 minutes away, and we couldn't wait to check it out. We attended this Sunday's service and we were pretty encouraged by it. We were excited about attending a more community-based church. There is a wide variety of ages, and we seemed to fit in. We were introduced to one of their pastors, who introduced us to a few people before the service. The service was very similar to the ones at Cornerstone's, and the worship band was great. I can't wait to see their second band next week. There were even two baptisms after the message, which I always love to see. After it was all over, we met more people and even went out to lunch with a few couples. There is a life group (kind of like a home group, for you Cornerstoners) that meets on Friday nights for young singles and married couples that I think we will attend this week. There are other options, but we're kind of limited because of Erik's nighttime class schedule. We got to know the leaders of this life group a little bit though, and I think it will be a good place for us. I'm excited to find a community! I can't imagine it will be as great as our previous one, but all I can hope and pray for is that we find a place that will invest in us and where we will feel like we belong.

In other news, we bought a couch yesterday! We decided to get a brand new one and even got their five-year protection plan. We're so grown up! We also got a coffee table and end table at Ikea for a great price! We've still got some de-cluttering we need to do to make room for the couch, but as I think about friends who have recently moved and how long settling in can take, I think we're doing well. We're pretty much down to all the little where-should-this-go? stuff. Those things are always the worst to pack and unpack. Once we get some furniture and decorating done, I will post pictures. We still don't have internet, but I've been at Starbuck's again for a few hours (thanks to free wi-fi and a gift card we got for our wedding). I even managed to apply for two jobs. In addition to prayers about us finding a community, please also pray I can find a job that will not only provide for Erik and me, but fulfill and satisfy me.

Thanks for reading and for your thoughts and prayers! We love you all!

Settling In

I'm sitting in the nearest Starbuck's as I type this update. Thank goodness Starbuck's now has free wi-fi, because we don't have internet yet. I just set up the install date though, yay! Bad news: they can't come out until next Thursday, the 12th. I should be able to get on to Facebook and stuff for short amounts of time, but no Skype til late next week. =(

Anyway, Erik and I are doing pretty well. We slept in our new apartment for the first time last night. We both agreed this morning that our bed somehow seems much comfier than it was in our Bloomington apartment. Good news? I think so. =) Our kitchen is all unpacked, as is the bathroom and the bedroom is mostly done. I've even made the bathroom look "appropriately feminine" as Erik would say. We've still got a few boxes and random stuff in our living room, but we've made good progress so far. It's starting to look like a home. I can't wait to get some pictures printed and start hanging things on the wall. I finally get to decorate; I am so excited!!

We went out looking for a couch today, but didn't have much luck. We were hoping to get one today because we have our Penske truck until tomorrow. We decided that we want to get a new couch though, so we will be able to have it delivered. We're finding that we are a little limited in the size we can get, but we don't want just a loveseat. Hopefully we will find something soon!

For those wondering about the weather, it is HOT. According to weather.com, it's currently 91 degrees but feels like 100. I don't think I've sweat this much in my life. We're both soaked after standing outside for 5-10 minutes. Luckily we have central air. Plus this Starbuck's is overly air conditioned, so nothing to complain about here. The good news is we keep hearing July and August are the hottest and worst months here, so it should be getting better in about three weeks.

Still no job but  no worries, I will post as soon as I get one! Speaking of jobs, we got some really good news about Erik's job. Because he is an employee of the university he is considered a resident of Florida, and will only have to pay in-state tuition!! PLUS, his assistantship will pay for a portion -if not all- of that tuition. The Lord really does provide! Since he is a student, all of his loans are being deferred, so all we have to pay right now is my loans, which are very manageable.

Well, I think that's all there is to report right now. I'll wait to post pictures of the apartment until everything is looking nice. I'm hoping that will be by next week, so hang on just a little longer!

Welcome to the OC

Well, we made it to Florida!! It was a long trip and there were definitely some bumps along the way, but I am pleased to announce that we found an apartment!!!

We got to Atlanta, GA at a little after 1 AM (EST, so midnight in IL) late Sunday night/early Monday morning. We left at a little before 11 AM Sunday morning, so it was a long drive! We stopped along the way to eat and get gas (that truck is such a gas guzzler) but we were exhausted by the time we checked in at our hotel. We all took a long nap and were back on the road by 7 AM. We made it to Florida in pretty good time, but got stuck in traffic once we hit the Orlando area. We parked our truck at Judy (my aunt's mom)'s house and hustled over to two properties we had already applied to and been approved at. One of them was priced well, but a little rundown (all of their cool amenities won't be ready for 4 months!) and just didn't seem like a place we would fit in. The other place was nicer, but more expensive even though the apartment was smaller. The first place was very pushy about us deciding by 6 PM if we wanted to live there, and it was already 4:30! We were sooo overwhelmed that we decided to just go back to Judy's and sleep on it.

We had a rough evening and even shed some tears, but we got plenty of encouragement and even got a tour of the area. Judy's friend drove us all around UCF, where Erik will attend school, as well as Orlando and Winter Park. It's a really nice area, and we're excited to explore it ourselves and to make this our home.

After being very discouraged, we did some more researching last night and came across a property that had great prices and decent resident reviews. We went there first thing this morning, and although it took us all day, we got approved!!! There were plenty of glitches in the process and we weren't sure if it would work out, but it did and we are so grateful! It's very affordable and seems like a nice community.

We decided to go with a one bedroom because it is still very spacious and a great way to save money. I still don't have a job so we can use all the extra money we can get. There's no washer and dryer in the unit, but it's got a laundry room super close to our apartment. There's also a swimming pool, exercise room, tennis courts, volleyball courts, gazebo, and even a playground. Safety was one of our top priorities, and this place has nightly security guards as well as a 10 PM curfew. It's also a very manageable distance from UCF. Traffic is pretty much unavoidable in this area, but the commute shouldn't be terrible, even in traffic. We can't get electric turned on until Thursday, but we'll be able to move all of our stuff in tomorrow, which is super exciting. Hopefully we'll even have enough time to go look at furniture while we still have the moving truck. The apartment community is called Santa Barbara and is located in Winter Park, which is part of Orange County. I live in the OC now...how cool is that!?

We are very grateful that we found a place, and we hope we continue to love it. Thanks to everyone who's been cheering for us, you are all so great!! I will leave you with some photos on the web site. I will try to take some of my own and post them in the near future.

Pool, complete with palm trees!

All of the units have screened in porches!

Workout room that I'll probably never use, but it's nice to have the option. :)

Pretty property!

Here's our floorplan!