"Blessed be Your name, on the road marked with suffering, though there's pain in the offering, blessed be Your name."

I had such an amazing time at the beach this weekend. I went to Orange Beach and stayed with my family for the last weekend of their spring break. Chris and I went to Pascagoula for a job interview and I just stayed the rest of the weekend with my family after we finished and he went back to Auburn. I think that it went well. While he went and interviewed, I was thinking that I could just wait for him in the hotel lobby because I thought he would be finished by check-out time (10 am). After all, his appointment was at 8am. Well, FINALLY, at 2pm, he was able to call me and tell me he was on his way back to the hotel. I sat there for 4 hours by myself. Lesson learned: get some kind of schedule before you go to the interview if you are going to bring your wife. Actually, the woman at the front desk (Maxine) was very friendly. She was from New Orleans and she kept asking me if Chris forgot me. She finally was brave enough to say "honey, I can call you a cab. I think he forgot about you." I just laughed and told her that I had no doubt that he was going to be able to come back and get me after his job interview. She for sure kept me company those 4 hours. When Chris finally came, she was at the front door waving bye to me with both hands. I like to think that maybe her hope was restored in him by the time I left.

I have been thinking alot this week about how faithful God is to put my life into perspective and show me what it means to really praise Him. Often times, I am so stressed and even angry about how busy I am that I just want to give up. In a house of all girls, when hormones were flaring, my mom would just look at us and say "It's not about you." Of course, it was often followed by a reminder about something we could do for others. It is much easier to get caught up in the bad things you go through than listen to God, and follow His word. Since our miscarriage in February, it has been all I can do to remind myself that it's not about me - it's about what God can do through me. Bitterness and loss are the main emotions I am struggling with right now. I find myself dwelling on understanding why a teenager can have a baby and I can't. I know that "it wasn't the right time," and "my body just wasn't ready," but that doesn't make it hurt any less. I even know we couldn't afford it and we don't even have real jobs yet, but the physical pain that I feel is still overwhelming at times. This week, even when I was being depressed and looking only at myself and not looking up to God, He was faithful to bless me. I heard this song:

Blessed Be Your Name

In the land that is plentiful

Where Your streams of abundance flow

Blessed be Your name

Blessed Be Your name

When I'm found in the desert place

Though I walk through the wilderness

Blessed Be Your name

Every blessing You pour out

I'll turn back to praise

When the darkness closes in, Lord

Still I will say

Blessed be the name of the Lord

Blessed be Your name

Blessed be the name of the Lord

Blessed be Your glorious name

Blessed be Your name

When the sun's shining down on me

When the world's 'all as it should be'

Blessed be Your name

Blessed be Your name

On the road marked with suffering

Though there's pain in the offering

Blessed be Your name

Every blessing You pour out

I'll turn back to praise

When the darkness closes in, Lord

Still I will say

Blessed be the name of the Lord

Blessed be Your name

Blessed be the name of the Lord

Blessed be Your glorious name

Blessed be the name of the Lord

Blessed be Your name

Blessed be the name of the Lord

Blessed be Your glorious name

You give and take away

You give and take away

My heart will choose to say

Lord, blessed be Your name

I had no understanding of the lines "You give and take away, My heart will choose to say, Lord, blessed be your name," until I experienced this loss. I know that there is pain in my offering of praise, but I will not forget to praise Him in the hard times. It is my CHOICE to praise Him and more than that, it's the source of my joy.

Keep us in your prayers as we wait patiently for job offers to come in and for Chris to graduate...20 days until he is an Auburn alum!

What's happening this week?

Picture credits to Cari Raymond

I am excited to see everything blooming around Auburn. It was such a dreary winter. When I go to school each morning, I like to look around and see what new thing has bloomed. I think that my favorite thing right now that is blooming is that wysteria. I know that it is a parasite and it is killing everything it is growing on, but I love to look at it. Mostly I love the smells. My parents came for lunch today and afterwards we went to the farmer's market. They had all these different flower bushes that were for sale. One group of plants were gardenia bushes and they smelled so wonderful. As silly as it sounds, it was really refreshing to stop and take time to smell the flowers. When I was listening to the radio this week, there was a song and one of the lines was "You make everything glorious and I am Yours." When I make time to stop and see how glorious things around me are, it makes the hard times seem a little less overwhelming. In my opinion, flowers are glorious and when I think about how even more carefully and wonderfully made I am over the flowers, I am encouraged.

This week we have a BUSY week. We are going to be all over the place and doing a whole lot of things. My last observation is this week! Whoo hoo!! I am trying something that could either go really well or go really bad, so please pray that my class is attentive and listens and follow directions. Chris has another interview this week on Thursday. We are going down to Pascagoula for this one. While he interviews, I am going to be going to the schools and putting in my resumes with the principals and figuring out what I have to do to get my certification to cross over to Mississippi IF he gets the job. This weekend is army stuff for Chris and beach time for me. My family will be there for their spring break, so I am going to take advantage of their condo. Keep praying for us! We appreciate it so much.

A Modest Proposal?

My cooperating teacher was out sick today and it was just the classes, the sub, and me. I must admit that while this cartoon is a joke, sometimes it seems like a great idea. There are times when I think I am NEVER going to get a handle on classroom management. Each class is different and there are so many dynamics about teenagers that I believe I am never going to figure out. It is amazing to me what makes them tick and what their interests are other than English. Now, even though the junior high mascot IS actually a tiger, I don't see them allowing live tigers in the classrooms any time soon. So, until then, I guess I will just take it one ounce of hormones at a time. Although the pay isnt great and it is a thankless job - I couldn't imagine to anything else other than teaching.

JOB UPDATE!!

UPDATE:

Chris got another interview with the another company in Georgia. They are going to do a phone interview this week. His phone interview with Northrup Grummon today went very well. It was more like a conference call. There were 5 people on the phone asking him questions -- terrifying, I'm sure. But he feels comfortable about it and we are going to keep our fingers crossed. He is leaving Thursday for South Carolina.

Keep praying God will order our steps and we will be open and excited to go anywhere He takes us.

Thanks!
~Rachel

Sick, Searching, and Starting Something New

Sweet baby Garrison! This would be one of our best friend's sweet baby who got my week off to a rocky start with a lovely stomach virus. After 4 bags of fluid at the doctor's office on Wednesday for my dehydration, I am beginning to feel alot better. I have to admit that I thought to myself how horrible it would be to have only been alive for almost 6 months and have to experience something so awful. Emily (his mom) and I both decided that if we NEVER get another stomach virus again and only have the coughing, sneezing flu that we will be fine with it.

Chris and I have a very exciting week ahead of us. He has a phone interview with a company in Pascagoula tomorrow at 3:15. We are really crossing our fingers for this one. Chris is leaving Thursday morning to go on an interview with a company in South Carolina. They are flying him there from Montgomery on Thursday morning and then he has a dinner that night. Then, Friday he will be interviewing. We've got his suit ready and his shirts getting dry cleaned for the special occasion. I am really excited for him. Please keep him in your prayers. Please pray that these interviewers will see in him the confidence and integrity that I see.

I am moving on with my internship. I have one more book to cover and then I am pretty much finished with teaching. I am nervous to begin teaching this new book though because I have never read it before. It will be a challenge, but I think my students will enjoy it. Since I am starting it with them on Wednesday, I guess I better go FINISH READING IT!!