#1. Harlo Turned One Years Old
It is hard to believe how fast she is growing up. She is a very comfortable walker now, and she recently started talking a lot (they aren't words in English...just a lot of baby noises).
She laughs a lot. She is a very happy baby, which is a huge blessing. She is a lot like me in that she loves to hear and see other people laugh. She is very healthy and is very tall for her age.
We are trying to have her eat more vegetables. We keep telling her that if she doesn't eat vegetables, she is going to end up like Jonny T! (just jokingg...lol) :)
#2. New Job(s)
This will be my fourth week at my new job at The Bivings Group. I'm really liking things so far, and it is a pay increase from what I was making before. The company is located in Washington, DC and I am able to work out of my home office.
But this doesn't account for the three other jobs I've had in the last 6 months. I was working for a web development company in Billings called Zee Creative. When I moved to Helena, I first worked for the State of Montana as a general programmer. That was not stimulating enough, and so I took a job as a contract project manager for Up and Running. That job fit me a lot better than the state job, but I was working VERY LONG hours and on the weekends and was not getting paid for all of my time. That leads me to my current position at The Bivings Group.
What I like about my current job is that I am on a salary, but they do not expect me to work more than 40 hours per week. The benefits and PTO time are also incredible, which is always nice. But the best part about it is that I really enjoy how they have the company setup. The programmers are setup to do what they do best, which is program and everything else is handled by other people (project management, client contact, etc...). I'm excited at what I will learn and where I will go with this company! I am making quite a bit more than what other people in my field would make in Montana, which is a great blessing. I am able to stay Helena, but work for a company in a much more populated area. I will need to fly to Washington, DC once in a while, but I actually like doing this once in a while.
#3. Andrea Got a Job
During the summer it became very clear to us that if we were going to make significant progress on our debt and get out of debt for good, than we really needed to increase our income. I was looking for a new job at the time, but it became obvious that it would help out greatly if Andrea was able to bring in income.
She ended up getting a nanny position that watches kids from two different families. She doesn't bring in a lot of money, but all of the money she does bring in will go towards debt, which will help out a lot. We also like the fact that she is able to watch Harlo, instead of having a daycare do this. We already notice the benefit of watching Harlo, by comparing with with a one year old who has bee at daycares most of his life, and noticing how needy he is (which we know that this can't always be prevented, but we can't help but thinking that some of this is probably due to Andrea watching Harlo during the days).
It was tough at first, but she is starting to get a routine down that gets her through the day. This is not a permanent solution, but something to help knock out the stupid debt. I am very blessed to be married to a woman who could do this...I don't think there are many that could (including myself)!!!
#4. Narrate Church Launched October 1st
This will be our 8th month of living in Helena, MT. Narrate Church officially launched earlier this month. We are now having two services every Sunday morning.
Things seem to be going great (at least from my perspective)! I am currently helping out with the setup/tear down crew. My responsibility is setting up the lights for the stage. I don't mind doing it, but my real passion is to help out Jason with the High School ministry. I will most likely transition out of my current setup obligations in early June.
Due to switching jobs and having a job that required late hours, and with Andrea starting the new nanny position, things got very stressful (more stressful than we have ever experienced before). On top of that, we were both serving at Narrate church and still getting familiar with being in Helena. There were some nights that I worked until 3:00 AM in order to get a project done, and I know there were some days where Andrea got very tired and frustrated. But they are now behind us, and they are nothing more than a memory. I am able to help out more with the house and with Harlo, and I even have time to go workout after work (I work from 7:00 AM - 4:00 PM). Our income has become consistent with me getting a new job and Andrea's job is settling down as well. The Lord has provided me an awesome job that I am very grateful for.
Next year our goals are to get out of debt once and for all (which includes credit card and car loan debt) and buy our first house (the Lord willing)!
