10 Things

After a week in Texas there are a few things we have learned:

1. Apparently people in Texas freak out about rain. For those of you who missed it, there was a big rain storm here on Friday/Saturday and we got 10+ inches of rain and people freaked out a little (lot). Don't drive in the water people! Braden and I didn't even realize it was a big deal until we saw it on the news and got texts asking if we were ok. Blame it on the Arkansas springs

2. Fire ants still suck. Seriously.

3. There are definite pros to living in a hotel, like towel and linen service and not having to pay utilities, and cons like paying $4.00 to do ONE load of laundry and not having a dishwasher. Paper plates and plastic utensils it is! Macie has finally adjusted and is doing much better, and I think she actually likes riding the elevator now! Although she has really scared some people when she runs out of the elevator right when the door opens.

4. When going to see a movie, you need to arrive really REALLY early. We tried to go see a 1:30 showing of Iron Man 3, showed up 10 minutes early, and there were no seats left in the theater. We ended up being able to switch the tickets out for a later showing and really enjoyed the movie.

5/6. I have become a news junkie again. I really enjoy listening to the Fox News XM station on my way to and from work, it's a 45 minute beautiful reverse commute in the Texas hill country. Which brings me to number 6- Reverse commuting is really the way to go, no traffic!

7. Texas people drive crazy. When you drive into the state, the sign says "Drive Friendly- The Texas Way". Haha, yeah right. Driving in Texas traffic is definitely something we have to get used to!

8. I still love my job. When I say goodbye to my patient and she grabs my hand and says "Thank you for visiting with me today" it makes the bad and frustrating days worth it.

9.  HEB is awesome.

10. We are really loving the access to all the different restaurants and 'things to do'. There are some really amazing sites and things to do here and we are so excited to experience them!



God Bless Texas!

Wandering Nomads

Wow! I can't believe that we made it. It has been a crazy few days. Moving was...difficult. and stressful. A normal move you pack everything up and throw everything in boxes and unpack them a few days or weeks later. We however had to pack our stuff up to store it in a POD (pretty much the coolest thing ever) for an indefinite amount of time so we had essentially 4 categories of stuff: 1-pack it in the POD 2-take it with us 3-get rid of it 4-throw it away. It was harder than it sounds to do this, especially since we really don't have any idea different things we will need while we are traveling. But we ended up getting everything separated and out of the apartment (barely!!).
It is a strange feeling though. We were joking that we were homeless, and I guess we are kinda like the children of Israel, wandering until we find our "promised land", except we get to wander places much more awesome than the desert, and for that I am thankful. It's going to be an exciting journey and we are excited for wherever we will be in the next few months and years.
We had a nice weekend in Little Rock hanging out with Braden's family and friends before heading down to San Antonio Monday morning. It was a long 9+ hour drive but we finally made it!
I really like being back in Texas. I love getting to shop at H-E-B (for all you non-Texans you're missing out) and I really am enjoying the 75 mph speed limits all the way to work! One of the biggest differences between Arkansas and Texas so far is definitely driving. "Keeping up with the flow of traffic" is going 85+ instead of 5 under the speed limit.
Work has been going well I am working at a long term care/rehab facility in Kerrville which is about 45 minutes north of SA. I am still working with geriatrics, so my job is essentially the same as it was before.
Living in a long term hotel has its perks like free breakfast, house cleaning, and towel and linen service, but it's also been an adjustment from being in a 2 bedroom 2 bathroom apartment. Our room is essentially one big room with a small kitchen, bed, dresser, desk, and table, with a small bathroom. I think the one who had had the hardest time adjusting is our dog Macie, who still seems worried that we might leave her, and has had to learn how to ride on the elevator, which is apparently really really scary. The location is great though, as we are 15 minutes from downtown, right near Fiesta Texas and SeaWorld, and also relatively near to Schlitterbahn. We are excited to explore the area!
We also celebrated our second wedding anniversary! Cheers to an adventurous third year of marriage!

Melissa

And the place we will be is...

.....KERRVILLE, TEXAS!

We are really excited about our first assignment. I attached a map for those of you who don't know where Kerrville is. It is in the Texas hill country!
It is kinda crazy how I ended up with this position. The position near Houston, my first choice, completely fell through, and this position was offered to someone else who turned it down. I was interviewed, offered the contract, and accepted! I start May 21st, so it is a quick turn around! While I was born in San Antonio, I don't remember it and have never been to Kerrville. We are currently in the process of locking down temporary housing, and our POD came yesterday. Let the craziness of packing and moving begin!

Cheers!

God is Good- Reflections on our time in Arkansas

It's hard to believe we have been in northwest Arkansas for two years already, well three if you count the time I lived here before we got married. As I was thinking about everything that has happened over the past three years, I had this overwhelming reminder that God is good. He is so overwhelmingly undeservingly GOOD.
I moved here three years ago knowing no one. God provided me with a wonderful apartment which had been full until I randomly called one day when they had just had one open up (I signed the lease blind-I had never seen it before the day I moved in). It just so happened that a friend of a friend lived in the same complex. She quickly became one of my best friends, and I am still blessed by this friendship today! (Love you Hannah!) I also adopted our little dachshund Macie. God is good.
After moving to NWA I needed a job fairly quickly, and after lots of searching, a job at the athletic department tutoring athletes with learning disabilities fell into my lap. Not only was I completely blessed by sharing life and mentoring my students, after a semester, my hourly position turned into a graduate assistantship which allowed me to complete graduate school relatively debt free. God is good.
Looking back on the amount of money we made in our first year of marriage I'm really not sure how we made it. But we did and often had extra every month. God is good.
As I started applying for jobs my last semester of graduate school I applied all over the country, and we prayed for God's direction as to where we should be-not thinking in a million years it would be NWA. It just so happened the nursing home where I was interning at the time had an open position which I was offered and we decided to accept. It has been a wonderful year with my company and I have grown a lot as a professional and SLP, not to mention getting to work with my amazing co workers. God is good.
We joined First Baptist Church in Rogers and joined a wonderful young married Sunday school class. We have been continually blessed by the leaders, the friendships we have made, and the fellowship and community we have experienced at church and at bible studies. God is good.
Graduating from a private school for my bachelor's degree was very expensive, even after graduating in three years. As a result, I had pretty substantial student loans. I had some anxiety about being able to pay off the loans, and having to pay on them potentially for 10 years. After praying about it I felt God told me all my loans would be paid off within 2 years of my graduating from graduate school. I didn't know how He was going to do it but I believed He could do it. Within 8 months of graduating every student loan had been paid in full. God is good.
After having some unexpected expenses and needing to save for upcoming expenses of moving and traveling, God opened the door for me to work PRN (as needed) for another therapy company which has provided the extra income we have needed. God is good.
Last but certainly not least God has given me an amazing spouse who loves me, cheers me on, and is willing to go on this exciting adventure together across the country! I can't wait for this adventure. God is good!
Life has not always been easy or has gone as we expected it to go. There have been times of frustration, anger, and tears, but looking back on the past three years it is really incredible to see how much God has provided for us and our needs. I love that we can laugh at the future and be comfortable with uncertainty because we serve a God who loves us so completely, and because HE IS GOOD!
We are so thankful for our time spent in Arkansas and are excited for wherever we will be in the near future!

Melissa

Drumroll Please....

A big announcement!

Today, after months of prayer and consideration, I have given my 30 days notice at my job here in Arkansas. I have accepted a new position as a traveling speech language pathologist with Advanced Medical, and my last day at my current position will be May 17th. It is difficult to leave my amazing job and coworkers, but we are very excited about this opportunity, as we will be able to travel all over the country!
As a traveling therapist, I will take 13 week assignments wherever there is a position opening and I am licensed, and then after 13 weeks we can accept another position in another location.
Our lease on our apartment is up soon, our POD arrives next week, and we will begin packing up all our things and store them for however long we decide we will be traveling. We will only have the things we can fit into our car and will be living in corporate housing/long term stay hotels.

Our first assignment is in.....TEXAS! My official job won't be finalized for another few weeks so we aren't sure exactly where in Texas we will be, but I requested Houston area. I made this blog so everyone can keep in touch with us and wherever we are nationwide.

We appreciate your prayers during this exciting time!


Braden and Melissa