A Little Note From Jeff

So Jeff sent out an email to our families explaining our situation the past couple weeks.  I thought I would copy and paste it here for those whose emails we didn't have.  Before I do that, I wanted to give a quick update on my health.  So while recovering from mono, I get the flu.  However, it is a blessing to me because all my symptoms that I felt from mono are going away aside from a stuffed nose.  I was talking to a friend of mine who also had mono and she said she got strep instead of the flu so count my blessings!

Anyways, without further ado....

Hey guys,

For those of you who don't recognize this email, this is your brother-in-law Jeff Fletcher.  I just wanted to tell everyone how things are going for us, because we have been receiving a lot of blessings since we moved out here.  I just got a job working for a construction company, and Ali is working at a steak house called Flemings.    

Since the government jobs were taking a while to respond to me, I have also been looking for a lot of random types of jobs in the city where we lived.  So I applied to work as a driver for a construction company.  Just moving materials back and forth.  I talked to the guy a bit before I came back for Dad's wedding, so i told you guys that I had an interview when i got back.  Well, when I came back and had the interview I showed up, and met the guy at his warehouse.  He started showing me around, and the more we talked the more he seemed to like me.  Right off the bat he said the driving jobs pays 8 an hour.  I had been hoping for at least 9 or 9.50.  He said that he had two positions open, so i asked him what the other one was.  He said that he was also looking for an administrative assistant, to help him with all of the paper work, and sending emails.  I told him that I am good with computers, and between school, work and the army I have had my fair share of writing papers, and sending emails.  So he was interested more in having me help him out on the administrative side.  When I asked him how much that paid he told me 12-13 an hour.  I was pretty psyched.  I showed up planning to get a low paying job, and got offered one that was much better.  I definitely felt like it was a huge blessing.

Ali had a similar experience with her job.  She got a job as a hostess at a nice steak house in Michigan when we were living there.  She liked doing it, and she was able to do it even though she was still recovering from mono.  The reason why she got it was because she had found that they had a second location in Northern Virginia not too far away from where we live.  So she transferred her job and she was loving it here to.  When she had been working in Michigan she had been making about 9 an hour, so I was expecting her to make at least that if not more when we moved out here.  Well she finally got an answer from her boss, and we found out that she is going to be making around 12 an hour as well. 

We found out her pay as well as me getting offered the job around the same time.  So we were feeling really blessed that week.  I have now worked there for a week, and it is fun.  I basically am just in charge of talking to his crew of cabinet installers and making sure that they have everything that they need, while he is busy running back and forth between the job site and his ware house.  Plus doing reports, and sending emails.  Pretty easy.  Apparently I was doing a half decent job, because when we went to finalize my paperwork, he said he was going to pay me $15 an hour since I was taking care of a family.  So the blessings keep on coming.  Ali had a baking job lined up as well, but when we found that we were both making good money we decided that she didn't need a second job.  She had been turned off by how unorganized they had been through the interview process, and how they didn't seem to care that much about her, even though she hadn't even been officially hired yet.  Since it might have interfered with her job at Flemings (the steak house), and it didn't sound like she would enjoyed it she was glad to know that she didn't have to have a second job.  So she just told them that she had changed her mind, and didn't want the job.  

I have been trying to get my job at target transferred down here as well, but that whole process has been a pain, and I don't really know if I want to work there anymore.  I still might get another second job, since I get off work early enough to have a second one, but we are in a good enough position that I am not in that big of a hurry to get one.  I am still working on getting a government job, that is still our main goal.  I even met a guy on the airplane ride out to Utah that does government contracting that I am going to get together with and talk about any opportunities.  Our ward is also full of people that do, or have worked for different agencies, and they all seem willing to help me out.  So I am feeling pretty confident.  

Ever since we moved out I just feel like we have gotten one blessing after another.  I know that we are in the right place, and that the Lord is looking out for us.  It has just been surprising me how much we are getting helped out here, so I wanted to tell everyone.  We love all you guys.  I hope that the lord is looking out for you to.  

Jeff and Ali.

ALS Challenge

Is it just me, or is anyone else pretty tired of the ice bucket challenge?  It's great that we are raising awareness and all, but how many of these people that are dumping water on their heads actually donating?  I dunno but to me the challenge shouldn't be to withstand cold water that would probably be put to better use.  If you think about it, if everyone of these people doing the ice bucket challenge donates just a dollar, I think that would help research and stepping closer to a cure than just telling people about it.  I mean, I've seen at least 50 people on my facebook page taking the challenge so just with the people I'm connected with, that would be 50 smackaroos right there and out of the thousands of people doing it, I think it would make quite a difference.  I would like to think that some of them donated as well.

So What Now?

So tonight is the first night that Jeff and I are spending the night apart in our married life.  And I must say that it pretty much sucks.  Jeff and I have made it a goal to go to bed at the same time even though I might be up on the computer or he is watching some shows.  The point is, we are next to each other every night when we go to bed and I must say, it's pretty awkward and lonely.  I don't know how some people do it.  I do not handle these situations very well and I take my hat off to my sister-in-law whose husband is in the military and sometimes has to leave for work.  I should have started work this weekend to keep myself busy.  But I didn't so it is what it is.

Anyways, on a lighter note, we had a spiritual dump this week.  The first week here, there was a baptism confirmation during sacrament on Sunday, and a woman in our ward invited us to her endowment and sealing to her husband and two children.  It was a sweet experience.  The woman looked so incredibly happy and so grateful to be sealed to her family for eternity.  I am grateful and blessed to be sealed to my wonderful husband and that our children will also be sealed to us forever.  I am truly blessed.

Why Hello There

So we made it.  We got the internet up and running.  Sadly, that was the first thing we did besides unpack.  Well we didn't even finish unpacking yet.  Utensils are all over the floor and countertops and clothes have taken up residence on the floor.  But we did get the TV set up.  You know, the important things.

The apartment is nice and the neighborhood seems good.  We have a lot more space than we did in our last place in Utah.  We have stuff spread out over the apartment and we have an echo still.  That really isn't saying much since we have close to 0 furniture.  I believe tomorrow we will hit up some garage sales and see if we can get some cheap stuff around here and get some food.  Food is good.

I'll post some pictures when it isn't a huge mess.  But we are both happy and well.  Just relaxing in between boxes.

Preparation

So we have a move date now.  We will be moving to Maryland on the 13th this month!  We are both excited to finally start this part of our life.  All of our stuff is still packed from when we left Utah so we don't have to do much packing.  It has been a bit of a drag living out of one suitcase though so I'm excited to open all the boxes up when we get there to remember what we still have.

As of right now, I have my job here that is transferring me over so I will have a job when we get there.  It's only part time but a job is a job, right?  Jeff is also looking to transfer as well but we haven't heard much about that yet.  I also might be working as a part time baker at a grocery store if I get a call for an interview.

In the meantime, we are setting up a garage sale for my parents this weekend to help de-clutter a bit.  I haven't been too much help with this since my energy isn't quite back yet.  But I'll be the one stationed there doing the selling and bargaining (which I'm not very good at).

But we are just relaxing before the storm as I'm sure both of us will have to work a couple jobs to start out with.  At the moment, I'm watching our cats chase a fly around the room.  Mew eventually caught it and Charlie then ate it.  I guess we won't have to worry too much about a bug problem since these boys got it down.  Not sure how they handle mice though.  I'm hoping to not find out.

Just an update

Nothing really going on in our lives that is particularly exciting.  I'm working at Fleming's and Jeff is working at Target as well as painting the house for my dad.  I'm gonna start a little gardening tomorrow.  I have a doctors appointment on Tuesday and I hope I don't have to keep going back.  Our apartment is being fixed up and we are both pretty excited to get out there.  But again, not much going on with us.

Family History

So we had a lesson in church a couple days ago about doing our family history.  So I decided to give it a go since my only grandparent alive is my grandmother and she is 92.  So I talked to her to try and get some information down so I can find her ancestors and my grandfathers ancestors.  I went on the computer and I got all excited and I was finding people and others have already found others.  YES!

And then there was the set back.  Well I have a problem with my great-grandfathers ancestors.  He changed his name at one point while he was in the states, which is kinda annoying to track down.  Also, my mom is in possession of two of his birth certificates.  That's right, he has two of them.  'Aint he special.  One says he is from Germany and the other Russia.  And there is some speculation for Poland as well.  All my excitement is on a halt until I get over this little bump.