Changes........again :)

Ok, so I posted a couple of days ago that there were some good changes happening...well I need to apologize for getting people overly anxious since its probably not going to seem all that exciting to some of you out there, but here goes.....

Josh  (took a break from the automotive industry)  has been doing landscaping for a few months and enjoying the work, being outside, working with friends etc...the down side was that he took a slight cut in pay.  I started selling jewelry as a second job to try to make extra money to put toward the kids tuition etc (which is harder to get started than I thought)...we had been praying about what he would want to do , where to apply etc...feeling kind of discouraged and honestly a little stressed out seeing the money in the bank become less and less while the bills stayed the same.

Tuesday afternoon (July 3) Josh got a "random" phone call. It was one of the guys that he worked with at tire kingdom. The store manager (that had,had issues with Josh when he was there last year) tossed his keys at the desk and walked out.  They wanted to know if Josh would come back and be the service manager......Josh came home and we talked about it, and decided that yes he needed to talk to them, and at least apply. If nothing happened it wasn't meant to be, (but what a compliment to Josh that they guys who were there thought to call him when they needed someone)  but if it worked out, that would be great, he LOVED working there, and the guys that he worked with are great guys.  he did the online application and had a phone interview scheduled for Friday. He was offered service manager position (IF he passed an aptitude test online) which would be a raise from what he was making before when he was there, plus commission and bonuses. If he didn't pass the test he would be hired for sales which would be close to the same pay he is making right now, but with commission and bonuses.

We decided either way he should take the test and accept either position there.  He needed to find a 'career', and this seemed the way to go.  He took the test saturday night. Sunday afternoon he heard from his district manager that he not only aced the test but aced it with flying colors :)  So we became even more excited about this "random" phone call that was turning into a career move for him.

Monday he gave his 2 week notice, and it went ok.....no one blew up at him, or threw him out of the shop, or cursed him out (yes all those things have happened in the past to Josh) .

IThe atmosphere in our house feels calmer.....The level of stress feels like it decreasing, and our happiness feels as if it is increasing....please do not misunderstand and think that our happiness is dependant upon money.
 There are just things that we were starting to get nervous/frustrated/discouraged about: we were not able to take our vacation to Michigan to visit family (hopefully sometime late fall we might make it out there) kids school--there was no way we could add school and preschool tuition to our bills and had not yet enrolled the kids for the fall.  Now we will be able to enroll the kids for the fall in school where we know they will get a great education, and they will be safe while they are in school too!

Even Joshs demeanor has changed.  I know that he had been feeling discouraged about the lack of money, and it was affecting him more than either of us really realized.  One of the first things he said Sunday after we heard he got the manager position was "I feel like I can actually take care of my family again"  I didn't realize how much it had been bothering him until he said that.  I know it might sound silly, and maybe even petty but I am so excited that we will be able to go on a real date soon.  We haven't really had a dinner and a movie while paying a babysitter kind of a date in ....well I'm honestly not sure, its been that long!!  :)

So, in a nutshell, Josh was offered a great job, doing something that he not only loves, but is good at too! a week from Saturday will be his first day back at Tire Kingdom, so go see him for tires, oil changes and  anything else your car might need!   :)
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I put the word random in quotes because we realize that nothing that happens, happens randomly.  We have been able to step back and see how God has been working and showing us that he will take care of us no matter what, we just need to trust him.  It wasn't random that the store mgr quit, it wasn't random that the sales team called Josh to see if he would be interested in coming back, it wasn't random that Josh not only passed that test, but aced it, it wasn't random that when he gave his notice it went ok, and no one tried to kill him lol!  seriously though, and I'm not trying to be preachy, if nothing else, this has been a lesson to me to trust God more.

So, that was my news....and thanks to all of you out there who have been praying, and I know will continue to pray for us. we appreciate it!