A Year in Review

Despite having taken out nearly all personal ramblings several months ago, I feel the need to share this with the internet. This year has been an incredible journey.

In January of 2013, I had been "laid off" for 3 months and unable to find a job. The owner of the store I managed sold it with no warning and my job was gone. My husband worked part time for a movie theater, but it wasn't quite covering everything. There had been hope of better work in Tulsa, but nothing had panned out, and we were sinking fast. The last of our money was spent on a trip out to see Josh's family in Colorado and on rent. When we got home, we were broke, broken, and I was sick. The rest of the world might have survived the End of the World, but ours was about to implode.

I spent a day driving around the city applying for everything I could (except McD's. NEVER AGAIN!), and on my way home Josh called. One of the doors that had been slammed in our face on the Tulsa thing was open, and JD (we'll call him that, anyway) had made sure that no one else could walk through it this time because he wanted Josh. DONE! We jumped on that, and 2 weeks later moved in with my parents. A month later (February now) we were still with them, and things had been wrapped up with the complex we were living in.

We were, by government standards, homeless. Mail for us went to my parents' and everyone knew we were staying there, but our names were not assigned to any sort of dwelling place.

That was February. I was still unemployed, but Josh was bringing home nearly double what he had been making in OKC. We were able to get our student loans in deferment and could finally start living again. Saving people, hunting things. Saving money, getting back on track.

In May I picked up a part-time job near Tulsa. In June we moved into our own apartment in Tulsa. In July I got bumped up to full time. Things were getting better.

But now? In February 2014? We are able to do for a friend what my parents did for us. We have booked a cruise. We are paying extra on our debts. And I just moved into a position at work that's higher than the one I was in. In just over a year. Things have changed so drastically from where we were a year ago that I almost can't believe it. I've been dancing around at work and at home from the sheer joy that God has brought us and all the blessings He has given us. I know what life is like at the bottom of the ladder. We were there for 2 years. I also know that it is not impossible to climb up.

Ok. I'm done.