Getting settled!

It's been snowing for what seems like days! LOL! It's only a little bit falling, but boy does it pile up quick! I ventured out in it today to run some errands. It was only 18 degrees. How fun is that! I'm enjoying getting all bundled up and stuff. It's been fun! I've learned how to scrape the windshield and shovel snow. I also learned that you can't forget to scrape the side view mirrors. haha!

Charles is still loving his school and became his class leader for the SAC (student advisory council) today. I'm so proud of him. He basically listens to his fellow students and brings stuff up to the council every week. He also helps plan fun things for them to do. He was voted in by his classmates and got 48 out of 52 votes. Pretty impressive I must say! He came home very excited! It also will look good on his resume.

I'm still looking for a job and have a couple of leads. I know that I'll find the right one soon! :0) Trusting the Lord that He will provide!

We went to our second church this past Sunday. It was a lot bigger than what we are used to. It's very multi-cultural, which I loved! The worship was amazing and the teaching very real. We still have a couple more to visit (yes, the list has grown) before we decide. We know that the Lord will lead us in that too! He's faithful and has a place for us! A place where we can get involved!

We hung out with my friend Jon's parents the other night and watched the Steelers game. They are really an amazing family! We felt so comfortable talking with them. Even Charles jumped right in feeling at ease. You know that's a miracle! George and Dee are really a great blessing to us. Dee even gave me some wool socks to keep my feet toasty! While we are away from our parents we have stand-in parents who are willing to be there for us. It's really a great feeling! Nothing could ever replace the real deal (we love you mom, dad and ms karen) but it's nice to have a parent figure close by. George and Charles really hit it off too... they had lots to talk about.

Anyhoo, I guess there's not much more new to share. We miss our friends and family so much! I've been crying a lot... and trying not to smother Charlie when he gets home from school. He's longing for some guy friends too! Hoping to make some more friends soon! One of Charles' classmates is married and wants to hang out with us. He also gave my number to his wife so we can get together for coffee or something. She's in her mid 20's and is looking for a job too. I'm excited and hope that we can all become friends! We've got big plans for the steelers game this weekend! GO Black and Gold!!!! (people are the craziest i've ever seen about football here!!) Can't wait for our precious team to go all the way! (no I haven't forgotten about my Jags...)

Okay, I think that's it! We miss you guys and hope to talk soon! Love YOU!

The New Year Update!!!!!

Our new year has been really exciting so far. We have met new people, seen snow, made some new friends, gone to a new church, and had a lot of time together. For our new years, we got invited to go over to one of Casey's friend's brother's house. It was a little disconcerting for me at first because I did not know what to expect and had been acting like a jackass in front of said friend the day before. It turned out to be a very good night for the both of us. I got to entertain and be entertained by their Wii. It turns out that I'm pretty bad at MarioKart. I kinda rock at Star Wars though, (so watch out). Casey got to meet some girls that it looks like she might hang out with in the future. I certainly hope so. She needs friends like I need a new set of tires :-). All the time. We ended up leaving there around 2ish. Good thing we didn't have to get up early.

We have had to spend so much money getting our apartment into liveable shape. It just felt so old that we had to go out and get those little things that made it ours. We got a sweet carving of hibiscus flowers that we got to paint and make our own. She does the big stuff, I do the details. We had to make a screen for our shower because all the hot air escapes and made it pretty uncomfortable. Our bathroom is missing the top foot and a half of wall so all the air that usually stays in and makes it comfortable to get out into, just floats away. Not anymore though. Mr. Incredible, AKA me, modified a shower curtain so that it would contain the heat and keep my baby comfortable. We had to buy a few other things like shelves, a microwave, random crap that you don't know you need until you need it. Things like that. Thank God we had a $500 gift card to Bed, Bath, and Beyond. Made our life a lot easier. (Thank you cousin Kay) <--Casey told me to put that in because its one of those things I don't normally think about :D

We went out with some guys from DriftPA.com last night to a really awesome place called the Rose Tea Cafe. Its a small place on the outside of Pittsburgh that serves authentic Chinese, Cantonese, and Taiwanese cuisine. Thats a lot of "nese". LOL . We had a great time meeting the people that I am probably going to be spending my free time with. Casey liked them too which is a good thing. She rated them as "Non-Jackasses", for now at least. They seem like a pretty cool group of guys and I already am starting to get hooked up with parts and stuff. Makes daddy happy!!

Went to Cornerstone Ministries Community Church today. Seems pretty cool. More info on whether or not we'll go there will be put up later. We still have 2 more churches to try out before we make up our mind. ;)

School starts on Tuesday!!!!! Can't wait. I am so ready to be back in a learning environment where I am expected to ask questions instead of being expected to already know what they're talking about. I'll be learning a lot in an accelerated course. It starts with the basics and moves on into advanced automotive diagnostics and electronics over the course of 6 months. After those 6 months are over, I'll be starting my first elective, High Performance Powertrain. Basically making things go faster reliably. After that Elective I am taking two more, Hot Rod and custom sheetmetal fabrication, and High Performance Chassis Fabrication. So when I'm done in 15 months, I'll be able to design a car, build the frame and body, and then build a motor for it. It will be awesome!!!

Can't wait to see all our friends when we get back.