Unemployment, Starbucks & Mr. Chambers

Unemployment and lots of time at Starbucks waiting for the hubby to get off of work are good for the blog.

Unemployment and Starbucks typically don’t go together, but hubby got paid today (YAY!), and I have a lot of internet stuff to do, along with other errands in the big city (of Corvallis) so I’m nursing a tall Americano for all the free wi-fi I can get! (Another YAY!)

One thing I am loving about our new life in Oregon is my occasional morning car rides into Corvallis with my man. While we were packing in Austin we unearthed our audio books, a wedding gift from Eric, in New York. This large collection includes one of my favorites, “My Utmost for His Highest,” by Oswald Chambers, read by Michael Card. This morning we were reminded (read: convicted) that the main reason we don’t experience spiritual growth is because we don’t deal with the conflicts that are blocking us from God. Whether we don’t take time to spend in the Word, or we have unresolved conflict in relationships, we simply cannot grow without confronting these things. Simple, yet utterly difficult to conquer sometimes.

Frank thought it wasn’t very nice to be that convicted on his birthday. ;)

In other news, I thought it would be important to let the “world” know that I have a job interview a week from today with the Kidco Headstart in Lebanon, Oregon. They need an Administrative Specialist & a Family Advocate, and I have applied for both. Prayers gladly appreciated. We also have about two weeks remaining before we get to move into our new house, which is actually a very old house, built by my Great grandfather in 1919. If I could make our enthusiasm jump off the page, it still might not be enough to explain to you how excited we are to get into that house and make it a home for our family! I also can’t wait to take photos and start the decorating/renovating process, and sharing that here!

Happy, Happy Friday everyone!

Much Love…
the Bathams

This goofy photo was taken almost exactly 2 years ago, on my first visit to Texas after we started dating.

Texas, New York, Oregon

Sorry to disappoint any of our beloved fans (I know you’re out there!), but the end of April didn’t prove to be a good time to write a blog… apparently the end of May or June didn’t either. But JULY! July is a different story! Let’s catch up on the buzz of the next 3 months and MAYBE next time I’ll be a little more quick on the blogging uptake… maybe… we’ll see… ;)

If any of you have ever lost a close family member or friend, you will know why the end of April didn’t give me a chance to write a blog. On April 24th, we lost a very good family friend, which resulted in an emergency trip for myself to Oregon for about 10 days to be with my surrogate family, the Brocketts, during their (our) time of mourning and loss of our dear, dear, Cody.

The world will never be complete again without Cody Brockett. We do have the hope of seeing him again, for all eternity. And its that hope that keeps his family and friends going these days.

Have you ever had to jump from a time of mourning to a time of rejoicing very quickly? A week after coming home from Oregon, Frank and I flew from Austin to NYC to celebrate our first anniversary with family and friends on Long Island and Manhattan. It’s weird how life goes on. And it’s even more strange to me how quickly we can adapt from tragedy to celebration. My heart still ached while we were on vacation, but I must admit we had an absolute blast together, visiting with Frank’s cousins on Long Island, seeing the Atlantic Ocean for the first time, eating cannolis and pizza, laughing and resting. It was glorious. On Manhattan, we reveled in true NYC glory, staying on the Upper West Side (I feel slightly cooler not only saying that, but knowing exactly what that means) with Brandon (Corey) & Bess Knox in their cute apartment with a killer view, experiencing what it’s like to order breakfast to the front door, walk to the subway to get anywhere we wanted to be and basically, partying like rock stars. ;) Corey & Bess were excellent hosts! Absolutely cannot wait to visit them again, and be able to return the favor ourselves someday!

Dinner in Little Italy with Corey & Bess.

No sooner had we returned from the big city, when we were faced with some big decisions to make. Frank was applying for manager jobs with FedEx all over the country, but he also found a job posting in Corvallis, Oregon. It was a part time courier position, but with more guaranteed hours per week than he was getting in Austin. And it was in Oregon. And it was in the part of Oregon that we had been praying about living in. And he won the bid for the job. He won the bid. I was in shock (and perhaps, still am a little bit). After a year of trying to get better positions in Austin, he put in for a job in Oregon and POOF! Got it, like magic. We waiting a week or so to hear back on some manager jobs and then realized, this is it. Some manager jobs fell through. One never has replied to his resume. The door was wide open in Corvallis, so we put our little trailer up for sale, packed up a Penske with our meager possessions, hitched up the Katie car and headed to the great Pacific Northwest. (It sounds a lot easier now than it felt over the last few weeks!)

Needless to say, the last 3 months have been a whirlwind for these Bathams. A great loss, a wonderful celebration, (can you believe its been over a year now since we said “we will”?!) and a huge move. Life is rarely comfortable, but thankfully it is tremendously exciting. Sometimes I imagine what it would be like to be comfortable: money in the bank, a beautiful home, two nice cars, no death, no debt and then I think, I would probably be bored to death! ;) I’ll take my transition, my parents’ RV as a roof over our heads (for a couple more weeks), a dented up car that needs her oil changed, and broke as a joke! After all, Life is Good & God is even Greater, no matter what circumstances we find ourselves in.

What’s going on with you? What challenges and joys have you experienced these last few months?

Much Love,
Frank & Alita

Catch UP!

What have the Bathams been up to?! Our blog certainly hasn’t been “buzzing” lately… for over 6 months, actually! But this is not representation about what we’ve really been up to. Truth is, we are actually buzzing so much we haven’t had time to stop and buzz about it!

So, just in case y’all are curious, I thought I’d break down our buzz by months, since I don’t really feel like writing a bazillion blogs to catch up. Here are the briefs instead:

October 2011 was when all the craziness started happening! Frank went to Oregon for a week to go to deer camp with the Tombleson family. Frank had a blast road tripping from California to Southern Oregon with my brother, Adam. They didn’t get even see a deer, but they did see a bear, which thrilled Frank to death. Another huge highlight was having my best friend, Talla coming for a visit from Portland! We tried to show her the best of Central Texas, which included hot tubbing, a coffee shop hop around Austin, shopping, and a tour of the capitol as well as downtown Austin. On Frank’s day off, we went down to San Antonio, which was a first for us to Oregon gals. We toured the Alamo & went on the River Walk on a beautiful, sunny, warm Fall day. It was truly glorious!

November 2011 was an interesting month of transition for us yet again, as I decided that working at the Boys & Girls Club was not my cup of tea. The compensation wasn’t worth the drive, nor the headache of the job, so after six weeks of working there, I resigned and came to work at the RV park as a work camper, meaning, I work 12 hours a week in the park office and our rent is paid! This job also provides very flexible hours, so I was free to make a trip out West to visit friends and family and launch my Mary Kay business! I had my first party at Shawn Waite’s home, where I did 10 facials and sold a LOT of product! I truly love Mary Kay and the opportunities that I have received as a part of this awesome company. I love that I can travel for my job, I love that I can work anywhere and with anyone, and I love the products themselves, and how beneficial they are to all women. (If you are curious about this career opportunity or in using Mary Kay’s awesome products, no matter where you live, please contact me!!) We capped off November with a Thanksgiving celebration at the Batham homestead with the family & Frank’s best, Corey & his wife Bess and Corey’s family. Great eats, amazing food & lots of memories made. <3

In December, we were very excited to celebrate our first Christmas together. Frank worked a lot, delivering joy & happiness all over Austin, while I settled into my job at the RV park. For Christmas, we got each other small gifts to fit in our stockings. On Christmas Eve, we had a fondue dinner (a tradition I started with my family a few years ago) and then opened our stockings on Christmas morning, before going out to Frank’s parents for the rest of the day. I absolutely love spending time with my husband, and Christmas was no exception. He is an excellent gift giver. I am definitely going to have to up my game this next year! ;)
We rung 2012 in out at the Batham homestead. We shared a sweet New Year’s kiss as the ball dropped on the television, along with Mom & Dad, Tim & Vet, and Michael & Harmony. After a rousing evening of snacks and Settlers of Catan, we drove all the way home, exhausted & excited about what the new year could hold for us. Considering what the last year and a half had been like, we really couldn’t wait to live another year together.
The last week of January, we got to make the long awaited trip to Oregon & California for our “Tombleson family Christmas.” Our tour included stops in Salem, Prineville & Modesto, California, visiting friends & family, eating lots of yummy meals, and building a fence for Adam & Becca’s back yard! All in all, it was a successful trip, although it didn’t really feel like “Christmas”- we made the best of it!

February… February… what happened in February?! Pretty uneventful, I suppose! And this blog is already long enough, so I won’t keep you much longer! ;)

March 2012! I do not understand how time can literally move so quickly sometimes, but March this year was one of those months that flew by hardly without notice. Honestly, the most important thing that happened this month was that we started eating differently and working out regularly, a pattern we hope to continue for the rest of our lives. I mean it. We cut calories & fat, started walking and doing strength training. I have already lost a size, along with 10 pounds and Frank is looking good too (if I do say so myself!). Most importantly, we FEEL better, which speaks for itself! In addition to that excitement, four babies were born into our lives this month as well! My best friend Jenn, in New Zealand and her twin sister in Seattle both gave birth to baby boys on March 1st. My brother’s wife, Becca, gave birth to Audrey Kate on March 4th, and Frank’s brother Michael & his wife, Harmony gave birth to Ivy Celeste on March 15th! Hard not to want to have a little bundle of our own with all these little ones around us, but I think we can manage for now! ;)

And now it’s April 18th! Can you believe it?! I have two weeks to write another blog…stay tuned! Hopefully the buzz will continue in a timelier manner! ;)

Much Love,
Alita & Frank