You know you've spent a lot of money at the mechanic

We dropped $500 or so fixing one of our cars.
We got this from the mechanic:






Isn't that the cutest thing? Never gotten a thank you note from a mechanic before. Maybe it's because we paid for them to go to Hereford House for lunch, who knows!

worst movie ever

On Thursday night we celebrated Hubby's new job. We went to see The Black Dahlia.

I decided that it was the WORST movie EVER.

Why was it so bad? Jerky writing, gratuitous, nasty sex (not even good sex, it was just bad....), couldn't follow the storyline nor understand what the actors were saying, it tried to be ambitious but failed. There were so many loose threads and threads that wound around side stories I lost track, it gave me a headache. It was based on a book, so Hubby thinks they tried to pack in too much from the book without making it concise. I needed a shower after I saw that movie, made me feel dirty it was so badly done.

It's so frustrating! "R" rated movies seem like "NC-17" to me. I am sorry, maybe I'm a prude (no, I am a prude), but I really don't want those images burned into my head, especially if they're badly done. I am all about artistic freedom, but jeez, it really burns me when people throw in sex in a movie just cause, where it really has no bearing on the plot, and it's just for shock value. I really need to read up on a movie before I see it, because, man, that was a waste of my time.

This is what Scott Huver says from Hollywood.com : The result is more of a parody--indeed, an unflattering caricature--than a modern commentary on a classic noir style. Add in his ceaseless, camera-swooping swipes from Hitchcock and his ongoing fixation with meaningless gore--ham-fisted homages and hemorraging hemoglobin, to ape Ellroy's alliterative gossip-rag riffs--that distract from the intensity of the source material, and all that remains is a bloody shame.

Yea, it's bad. I wouldn't have even given it half of a star. So, save yourself, see something else. Anything else.

check out Speedy and Princess

Please check out the blog, they have recently gotten some good news!

God is Faithful!

going towards a goal

Well, it's another month gone. Oh well. I'm upset, but not terribly upset. I just am tired of waiting, but I know it's a process and it takes a while to move toward this. I know God's timing is perfect, and I am comforted that God does have scriptures that discuss infertility.

I am glad that we are moving towards a goal. Though we are not filling out adoption papers yet, we have one thing out of the way.

I have a promotion, and my hubby has a full time job.

Next step, we need a bigger home for children with a yard. We are moving towards getting our home ready to sell and then we will purchase a larger home, possibly this spring. Then, we can begin to fill out home studies and pursue adoption.
Now, whether we will pursue adoption through Foster Care, international, or domestic, I am really not sure.
Honestly, I am leaning towards domestic or international. I am not sure if adopting through Foster Care is something I want to do, but I am continuing to pray about that. I am praying God will turn my heart, open and close doors, and lead us in the way He wants us to go. I am praying that He makes it clear to us, and we listen to Him.

ovetime

Working 9am-9pm this whole week to try and gather extra money to prepare for the income gap for the next month or so.

Won't be blogging much, just sleeping and working, have to leave by 8am and get home about 10pm.

Sometimes, most times, I hate commuting!

I got it!

I got the promotion! I was offered the job for Office Claims Representative on Monday.
I am not sure what my schedule will be, but the latest I will work would be 11am-7:30pm.

All I know is that I'm going to be on an all Spanish speaking team. I believe I will be handling coverage disputes and also liability decisions in car accidents where there are no injuries.

Very excited, thanks for your prayers, this will give us additional income and flexability to help us prepare for the next step as far as adoption goes.

My husband's job is over in less than 2 weeks, so please be praying for him and his job search.

lots of babies at church today

Isn't it funny when you're going through infertility babies seem to creep up everywhere?

At church today, I counted 6 babies in our church that have been born in the past month or so. It was just interesting to see them all go up in waves for communion.

My pastor's wife has mentioned that our church is probably a difficult place to be when one is struggling with infertility, as there are so many babies being born.
Babies are a blessing, and I'm so glad that so many people are able to birth their own children without problems! It's just difficult sometimes, wondering when it's going to happen for us.

Still haven't heard about the promotion yet; they said it would take a while. Hopefully, I will get some news this week!
Even if I don't get a new promotion, my schedule will be a lot better beginning tomorrow. I used to work 2:30-11pm Monday-Friday, and now my schedule will be 10:00am-6:30pm. Yipee!

finances

My husband I have been meeting monthly with someone from our church to go over our debt. This is usually a good time, and for the first time yesterday we brought up the adoption equation.

I hate to think of kids in terms of finances, but my husband and I are in a lot of student loan debt and other misc. debt. (Though, thankfully, the credit card debt and misc. we've whittled down quite a bit.) We are trying to be wise in our spending and follow the Crown financial principles, but my heart really aches for a child NOW. I don't care how much it costs, or how much debt we get into, I just really want a child!

Our friend that discusses finances also brought up the fact that adoption not only has upfront costs, but the cost of parenting as well. Clothing, feeding, educating and caring for a child. I guess I feel torn with wanting to be financially responsible and have enough saved up for a child, and feeling as if I'm getting old because I will be 30 in March.

Also, a lot of our family and friends are in the Illinois/Indiana area, and we are considering moving there someday, especially if we have children. If I get a promotion here in Kansas, I will be locked in for 18 months until I can promote up into another job in Illinois (where there are more job opportunties).

Our friend from church that works with us on finances also said that maybe we aren't meant to have children, but maybe we are just to be people who help children that aren't necessarily our own. (I can't remember the exact phrase he used, but it was something to the affect of maybe we aren't meant to be parents by birth or adoption.) I guess that's something that I've been praying through, if we are meant to be parents at all.

I don't know why I want to be a mom, it's just something I want! Maybe that's just a selfish part of it, I can't even explain it. I just know there are a lot of kids out there that need parents, a lot of orphans that don't have homes, a lot of kids whose parents just don't have the ability to care for their children. I know my husband would be a great dad, and I want to see him as a dad, and I guess that's a big part of it. I want to be a mom, but even more than that, I really know my husband wants to be a dad.

I guess we're just going to keep moving forward, and see where God opens and shuts doors. That was such a tough talk yesterday.

thanks for your prayers!

Job interview went great. Thanks for the tips, Lori. They asked a couple of questions on your list so I was prepared.

I think I interviewed well, I got stumped on one question, "Give me an example of something that demonstrates your analytical thinking skills." I said "Well, a lot of that has come with the insurance tests I've had to take, for example, the test I took on Tuesday about figuring how many square feet of shingles need to cover a roof." I felt pretty goofy with that answer.

They told me I won't have to interview again, they will just give me a yes or no answer probably in the next week or two. The only thing they have left to do is talk to my current supervisor there and run a "performance matrix" that I guess analyzes how well I do on my current position.

Very excited! I really hope I get it!

Interview on Friday for promotion

This will be quick, as I want to take a nap before I head to work.

Friday at 3:00pm I have an interview for a promotion to an Office Claims Representative.

I haven't interviewed in a while. What are the questions that you usually get asked in interviews? Anyone know any good websites that I can look at to refresh my memory?

I passed my NY adjuster's test!

Today, I passed my NY adjuster's exam.

Let me tell you about New York.

Most states are reciprocal in their licensing. For example, I am licensed in Texas, therefore a lot of other states accept a Texas license and just give me a license in their state. To name a few, I am licensed in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Wisonsin, Kansas, Oklahoma, Washington, Oregon, California, Conneticut, North and South Dakota, Lousiana and Georgia.

Not New York. To be licensed in New York, I have to be bonded for $1000, have five people vouch for my character that have known me five years or longer, and pass an extremely hard test. Some of the doozie questions are, for example:
What farmowners coverage type would cover graneries and outbuildings?
How much percentage of coverage A on a homeowners policy covers debris removal?
For liability purposes, when is someone considered an airline passenger, when they enter the airport or board the plane?
How many squares of shinges do you need for a roof that is 10 feet by 20 feet if the shingles are 5 inches long?
How are kitchen counters measured?
What type of insurance covers a broken jaw rehab? Major medical insurance or disability insurance?

Thank goodness it was multiple choice. I got a 79%. They want you to know ALL sorts of random facts about all types of insurance, from auto, to commercial, to airline, and you have to know casualty and property. It is nuts.

Now, what can I do with this wacky New York License? I can say "Ma'am, your deductible is $500. Now, do you have a shop in mind or would you like a referral to a shop that works directly with Farmers insurance?"

Thanks, New York! You picky *$&%*@(# !

my posts are boring....

order of events
I may not be blogging for a while until something changes, my blog is depressing myself.

1. I get a higher paying job
2. Hubby get a steady job
3. We get ourselves a house (probably move to Olathe, KS)
4. Decide if we want to adopt international, domestic, foster care.
5. Take the appropriate classes.
6. Fill out paperwork
7. Pray a lot
8. pray some more

OR, someone could put a baby on our doorstep. C'mon! Email me, I'll give you my address.