My New Job

We have received blessing after blessing from God, and this job is no exception.  An old friend I used to be in a Bible study with owns his own web development company. His business is growing and he now needs an assistant to take care of a lot of the administrative stuff. Funny thing, I needed a job. The way we connected was a bit unconventional, but I guess it is on par with the current times: facebook.  I had posted that I was looking for a job in Chico.  Ryann, Jason the business owner's wife, saw my posting on facebook and mentioned to her husband that I would be a good fit for the job.  A few emails later I was filling out an I-9 form. Check out the business: www.sitehatchery.com

This job has its perks. First of all, I can work anywhere - at home on my couch, or at Starbucks.  Lately, Starbucks has been my choice. Jason gives me a Starbucks card to use when I'm working = awesome!

The second perk is that I get to work with Jason.  He's an awesome guy who's very gifted and talented.  He's releasing me to do a lot of fun stuff like test websites, accounting and billing, and write marking material for his websites in development.

The third perk is that the flexibility allows me to focus on my school work while still earning some extra money.  Thanks Jason for offering me the job!

Illegal? We sure had fun!

Dave and I were enjoying our steak dinner with red wine we had bought from a vineyard in Paso Robles, and we just didn't want it to end.  I was in need of some fresh air and the dog was in need of a walk.  So, what's wrong with combining the two? Dave and I really enjoy walking the neighborhood behind our duplex. It's quiet and dog friendly. It's off the beaten path, so it rarely gets any traffic.  The wine tasted so good, we decided to finish it on our walk with the dog!

First Day of School

And he's off!  Dave's first day of school is today. He's a bit nervous seeing that one of the teachers informed him that the 8th graders like to fight on the first day. Time to jump in with both feet and learn the ropes!  I'm so proud of him for all he's accomplished. So, I packed his lunch, made his morning tea in a travel mug, we prayed together, and he drove away!  I snuck in this picture as he was looking in the mirror making sure his tie was straight. GOOD LUCK DAVE!

Trading the Truck, for a Car

He did it. He made the trade. He relinquished his baby for fuel efficiency. Dave has a 30 minute commute to work at his new job, and the money spent in gas just didn't make sense, or cents, whichever way you look at it. For all of you nay sayers who think the woman made him do it, I can put your accusations to rest. It was his idea. I am really proud of Dave for making a selfless sacrifice for the betterment of our finances. Since we bought a Toyota Rav-4 a month ago, we have a vehicle with 4WD, making the need for a truck obsolete. It was time, so we made the plunge.

We love the new Prius. It gets 41mpg on the freeway and over 50mpg in the city. It really beats the 16mpg on the freeway and 12mpg in the city the truck was getting. We'll use the car as much as we can to save on gas. The car was previously owned by butte county air quality control, its only owner. It was meticulously maintained, and we are thankful for the blessing from God.

When I went to pick up the car this morning, time at the DMV was required to pay for the registration, transfer the title, and get new plates. I haven't been to the DMV in a while, and let me tell you, it was a cultural experience.  The following were my observations:

1. All 20 workers seem to be middle-aged women with deep smoker voices.
2. The man who took me on my driving test STILL works there, and he looks EXACTLY the same.
3. They now have posted a sign that says they can't receive gifts or gratuities - apparently people were bribing them to cut in line. Can't say the thought didn't cross my mind.
4. All forms are now in English and in Spanish
5. They give driving tests to 90 year old women who can't even walk.
6. They now sell beanie babies.
7. Although shirts and shoes are required, apparently unbuttoned Hawaiian shirts that reveal large, hairy, overweight bellies are acceptable as well.

I guess I have a few things to learn! 

1st Year Anniversary

Our anniversary celebration this year was awesome.  Before Dave obtained his new job, our plans were to get away for a romantic weekend together.  After we had to pack and move our entire house in 1 week, move into a new place, and start a new job, we were a little worn out.  Going away for the weekend was a little much, so, we spent the weekend together enjoying some down time.

The day consisted of waking up to a bouquet of flowers and eggs and toast made by the husband, church at 10:30am, followed by Kinder's sandwiches (the best pulled pork around) in the park by the creek.  The weather was in the high 80's - perfect for a Sunday afternoon picnic down by the water. After our picnic, we returned home only to both fall asleep on the sofa for a few winks.  Have I mentioned we're still recovering from the move?  After our snooze, we headed to Sierra Nevada for dinner - a favorite of ours.  We rocked some anniversary shirts - a tradition we intend to keep up. We received many compliments on the shirts =) At Sierra Nevada, we ordered the beer sampler - a fun way to try their custom brews.  After dinner we retired to the house to open up a bottle of Asti Spumante - the champagne we drank on our first date, at our proposal, and at our wedding. 

We have been so blessed this year by all of the things God has provided us.  We wanted to take time to reflect on all the Lord has blessed us with, so we started a tradition which we hope to continue of every anniversary, writing down all that the Lord has blessed us with.  It took us a while as I typed away on the computer, but the reflection time of thankfulness was awesome!

After reflecting, we played cards - whoever lost a game had to drink a sip of champagne.  It was a blast!

Thank you Dave for choosing me to be your bride.  I am so lucky to have married my best friend.  We have had a full year of learning what it means to work as a team.  I look forward to many more years of teamwork.  I love you!!!

Our New Place

We have not completely set up our place yet, but here's a few pictures of our new pad!  There are pros and cons about living in a duplex half the size of our house:

Pros:
1. One Airwick fresher makes the entire house smell great!
2. Less to vacuum!
3. No yard maintenance - Dave's especially excited about that
4. You definitely don't have to walk far to borrow a cup of sugar
5. Water and garbage are paid for

Cons:
1. Only one bathroom - going in after Dave uses it is a BAD idea
2. Our backyard consists of a patch of dirt =)
3. No more Costco bulk shoppping - freezer space is limited
4. We are currently eating off of a card table with camping chairs and are without a coffee table
5. The king sized bed is a little bit large so we're snuggling up on a queen - that's actually not so bad =)

More pictures to come when pictures are hung!