God Provides

This past week was an interesting one that has definitely shown us just how blessed we are. After several months of long days, frustrating circumstances and poorly communicated changes, Kyle decided to quit his job. I completely supported this decision because we had talked about it long and hard, and I told him on multiple occasions that if it were happening to me, I would have quit long ago. (I'm sure that's easier said than done.) He was with the company for nearly four years and although it was no longer the place he wanted to be, I know it was very hard for him to leave and say goodbye to his coworkers. I am so proud that he the courage to make a change even though it meant some insecurity for a while.

Thankfully, he started a new job at Ron Shirley today! That's a GMC dealership in Stillwater, so if you're looking for a car/truck/SUV, give Kyle a call and he can find you one. :) There are several perks to this position, but the one I'm most excited about is the fact that he gets off at 6:30 instead of 8 every night. What will we do with all that extra time together?! I can't wait to find out. However, insurance isn't one of those perks, at least not for a little while. This really wasn't an issue because his insurance at the other company was canceled since it switched hands. Kyle and I received a notice from Blue Cross and Blue Shield just days before the deadline to add him to my insurance, but thankfully my HR person was able to get it all worked out in time. (Thanks, Erin!)

The drawback to all of this is that instead of taking one month's worth of his insurance out of my next check, they had to play catch-up and take out three months' worth! That's $850 we weren't planning on, which is kind of a big deal since we are still getting used to the fact that we don't have as much in savings as we used to. I had the option of spreading it out over a few months to lessen the strain, but it just so happens that the same day I found out about this, the Foundation awarded bonus checks to their employees. Mine was enough to cover this cost and make life a little more livable this month.

With that hurdle out of the way, the news that Kyle had a new job, and the fact that we received our new home buyers tax credit in the mail, we were on cloud nine last night! After watching Bachelor Pad* with the girls, I brought Kyle home some ice cream and got a bad surprise. Something smelled like it was burning, possibly electrical. So we called the fire department and they showed up, lights flashing, to investigate. Three men spent an hour looking around and flipping switches to figure out the problem. Finally they told us we would need to call an electrician in the morning and that it was "probably" safe to stay there over night. That wasn't exactly the news I was hoping for, and doesn't make for a peaceful night's sleep, but we followed his advice, and Jay Thomas (my coworker's husband, who just happens to be an electrician) came to investigate this morning. He fixed several things and thinks the solution to our problem is going to be relatively cheap.

It's funny how great things happen just when you need a break. Some people call it fate, but I know God is definitely responsible for our blessings this past week, and we are so thankful for that!

*After the first episode, I give Bachelor Pad 3.5 out of 5 stars. It's all the drama you expected, with plenty of good looking people to keep you interested. Sure it's mindless television, but if you're looking for a guilty pleasure that will take your mind off your day-to-day troubles and remind you just how much you love to make fun of Chris Harrison, this is the show for you.