Our Journey "Home"

I have been thinking about this post for weeks...but let me tell you life has been crazy! To sum things up, in the last three months we have moved across the country, started two new jobs, sold one house, and are in the process of buying another...oh, and just for fun we are also excepting baby Sotomayor numero dos!
I'll go back to May. God promptings are real. And sometimes He really wants to test our faith. And two things are for sure: His grace is enough, and His mercies are new every morning. We were in the midst of selling our Arizona house, and had accepted our second offer after the first fell through. We had no idea what was going to unfold in that process, and I am glad we didn't or we may have quickly changed our minds! I was also wrapping up my school year at Dreaming Summit with very mixed emotions. I was excited about our new adventure, but I was also feeling torn about leaving a school I loved. And I was questioning my career as a teacher. I didn't know what my next steps would be...continuing in public education or moving on to something new.
We also learned at the beginning of the month that my Grandma Thelma's health was quickly declining. The night I learned that she had gone to sleep and wasn't coming out of it, I also learned that I was pregnant with our second baby. By the next morning I received a text from my mom letting me know she had passed away early that morning. Talk about a range of emotions. I battled through the next few weeks of packing to move across the country, tying up loose ends in Phoenix, saying goodbye to friends, and finishing a school year...all while in the early weeks of pregnancy and feeling less than energetic and only slightly hormonal.
Saying goodbye to the only place you have called home in your entire married life, the place you built your first home, started your career, welcomed your first child...all while pregnant...is emotional. Especially not knowing when we will return. My parents and Santi's family were life savers. They came out and took over a lot of the packing and moving so I could focus on finishing my school year. They also entertained Luca as we quickly sold almost everything we owned and were left with no more than a few boxes. That was not easy! On my last day of school my mom was a trooper and crashed with Luca and I at my sister in law's apartment while my dad and Santi got on the road with Tevez to drive both of our vehicles to Indiana. After I finished my last day of school, which is exhausting enough in itself, we headed to a hotel for one last night in our Arizona home before flying out to Indiana the next day. Of course as luck would have it Luca ended up with a fever of 102 that evening in the hotel...so I didn't sleep, which is all I really wanted to do after that week. We boarded a flight and quickly headed off with a sick kid and heavy heart. I was missing my husband and puppy, worried about them driving, and worried about a sick kid. All while not feeling so well myself. My mom was amazing. Thank goodness that women is so calm..I am not. We made it to Indy thankfully, and my brother was there to pick us up. Poor Luca was pretty miserable, but still excited to see his cousins. We got him to urgent care, then crashed at the Hughes' before making the last leg of our journey to Bloomington.
I have never been so happy to have all of my family back together again in one place! It was an enormous feeling of relief pulling into my in-laws driveway and seeing Santi, Tevez, and my dad. While we were so incredibly relieved to finally have reached our destination...our journey was not over yet, and God still had big plans for us as we began to plant roots in Indiana.

That Moment When God Speaks

At the start if this year I blogged about our prayers for God to WOW us. For Him to show up in a big way. Things have been stirring in my heart since August and my prayers have been continual. I feel God asking us to take a huge leap of faith yet again, not unlike our journey to start our family. This calling is familiar. And yet still scary at the same time. When I stepped out in faith as we let God have control over when we would begin to grow our family, it was scary. And the path He lead us on was far different than I could have imagined. But through the challenges and stumbles He was there, and it changed my relationship with him in a major way. My faith grew beyond anything I could imagine. I never felt so close to Him. This calling is again going to lead us down a path of uncertainty, and the only thing I can be certain about is His promise to honor our obedience by being faithful in return. Our WOW time is coming...

One Day at a Time

A new year is upon us and as I reflect on the previous year, I am thankful for the lessons learned and the memories made. It wasn't the easiest year, but we got through it and I am ready to set some big goals for 2014. I mean WOW goals. Goals that I know can only be possible to reach if God shows up in a big way. And I like that. Last year as we welcomed 2013, I prayed for an easy year. I wanted just one year without major life changes. Since we were married it seemed as though life was crazy and every year we had something big going on. Wedding, moving across the country, starting careers, building a house, grad school, travel, pregnancy loss, bringing Luca into our lives, new jobs. While I can say we didn't have major life changes in 2013, we had our share of challenges. But those challenges have helped us to reevaluate our goals for our family's future. And I don't think I will pray for an "easy" year again. It felt like we were stagnant. If big things aren't happening in your life on the regular, it's too easy to fall into complacency. I am ready for God to move this year!
So, what exactly our our goals for 2014? I don't like resolutions because they seem to cliche, so I am just setting a goal to take things one day at a time. How's that? I feel like if I can take each day as it comes and do the best I can with what I have in that moment, God will take care of the rest. But part of that means making different choices each day than we have in the past. One of our biggest goals this year involves our financial situation. While I know we have the power to make some simple changes to improve our situation, I also know that we will be praying for God to intervene in some areas. Part of changing our financial situation involves a potential BIG move for us...so stay tuned for that one.

Thankful

This fall has been a blur, and I can't believe Christmas is just around the corner! I need to take a minute to catch up with the blog, and really life in general. We just enjoyed a week long visit from my parents for Thanksgiving, and it was so wonderful to have them here. They took Luca to the zoo and he loved all the quality time with them. It's always so special to watch Luca with my parents, and I hope that soon we will be closer so we can spend a lot more time together. It's getting more and more difficult to be away from our families and every time we do get to be together it just motivates us even more to find a way to get back to Indiana. We are hoping that it will happen soon, and I know that if it's in God's plans for us that He will make a way. For now we have to keep on trucking and wait for His response to our petitions. It's hard sitting here alone with Luca in front of the Christmas tree waiting for Santi to get home from work. I wish I could just pop on over to my parent's house or my brother's house to hang out. But for now I have to be patient. So I will try. I feel that He has big things on the horizon for us. I believe that. Aside from being able to spend Thanksgiving with my parents here, we have many more things to be thankful for this year. So I want to put out the many many positives in our lives and take a moment to truly be thankful where we are in this very moment.

1. Our son Luca-He is such a sweet and loving little boy, smart, funny, and always keeps me on my toes. We struggled to start our family, and there were many many days I cried and cried praying for a baby and worrying that it would never happen for us. But here he is, and he is HEALTHY and HAPPY and every day with him is a joy.

2. Our marriage-We have been together almost 10 years, and married for 6. We are best friends, and we make a great team. I love the couple we have become and our relationship continues to grow each and every day. Our differences really bring something unique and special to our marriage and I am thankful for that.

3. Our dog-Tevez has been a part of our lives since he was a puppy, and he is our first "baby". For the last 6 years he has shown us what true unconditional love is. His carefree and happy-go-lucky attitude always brings a smile to my face.

4. Our home-We built this home together the year after we were married, and while we have had our ups and downs with our decision to build this home, it has severed us well and we have made many special memories together here. I am so thankful that we have been able to own our own home at such a young age, and that we were able to weather the real estate storm here.

5. Our families-We both have incredible families that love and support us in everything we do. We both have parents that are still married after 30+ years who have been excellent examples to us. Our families are truly a blessing.

6. Our jobs-While they may not always be easy, we are thankful to have income that supports our family and even allows us to do some special things once in awhile. And I am thankful for a flexible job that allows me a lot of time off to spend with Luca.

7. Luca's Childcare-It's not easy being a working mom, and every day I struggle with that decision, but we are so blessed with childcare that is like family to us. Every day I know that Luca is thriving at Great Beginnings with teachers that show him the love of Christ each and every day.

8. Teaching-(I guess this one only applies to me) Being a teacher is the most difficult job I have ever loved. Every day brings new challenges, and sometimes heartaches, but my students over the last 7 years have taught me more than I could ever imagine. Sometimes I feel that I get more back than I give. I have been blessed with some truly special students whose names and faces will have a special place in my heart forever. I have also been fortunate to work with some amazingly inspirational and supportive colleagues.

9. Health-After many health struggles in the last year, I am thankful that we are all currently healthy and doing well. Aside from a few colds here and there, we have made it through the start of cold and flu season unaffected and I pray this continues.

10. Our God-This is last on my list but that is not indicative of His place in our lives. I am so grateful for a God that loves us unconditionally and blesses us beyond measure each and every day. His presence in our life is a blessing each and every day, and even though too often we fail to recognize His daily gifts, they are abundant every day of the year.

A New Season

Not only are we experiencing a new season outside (FINALLY fall has arrived in the valley), but I feel like we are moving towards a new season in our family. In August I turned the big 3-0. It kind of slipped right by me with little acknowledgement. Having a birthday in the first week of school (on the second day none the less) really makes celebrating and enjoying it difficult. On top of that, shortly after my birthday we were hit by some pretty serious medical issues with Santi that left him out of work for 7 weeks. Thankfully we are now getting back to normal, but it was a rough time there for awhile. But I feel like I need to go back and dive into my feelings about turning 30, look back on the last decade, and talk about what I feel that God has in store for me and for our family in the coming months. I can't deny the fact that over the last couple of months since all of this has happened, God has come in an shaken up our family in a HUGE way. Have you ever experienced one of those big God moments in your life? Suddenly everything is clear, even when your world feels like it's been turned upside down and inside out. The last time our lives were shaken up like this and God worked through our pain and fears was when we were going through our pregnancy losses. While dealing with medical issues is extremely stressful, not only because I was worried deeply about the person that I love so much, but because I was also tasked with being two parents at once while working full-time. But despite how exhausting and overwhelming the last 7 weeks have been, I can look back now that the smoke has cleared and say THANK YOU God. THANK YOU! Not only have our eyes been opened to God's plan and purpose for our family in the coming months as well as the desires of our hearts, but we have grown closer together and developed a deeper love and understanding for one another. While the desire to return to Indiana has always been there (especially since Luca was born), it was made very clear that we need to adjust our priorities in our lives right now and be close to our families. We realized just how desperately we want Luca to have his grandparents and cousins around. How important those relationships are, and how much our lives would be changed if we were closer. Not only that but we strongly desire to have more children (God willing) and we know the value of having family nearby when we take on that endeavor. We don't know yet what this will look like for us in the months ahead, and all we can do at this point is trust in Him and allow Him to guide our decisions. I know that if this is truly His will for us, He will make a way. We will get more serious about the job search and selling the house come spring, but for now we are truly excited about the possibilities that lie ahead.
Even though I turned 30 with little thought, I know that it is a big milestone and that the next decade is going to hold a lot of big things for our family. I know it's going to take a lot of hard work, but I can't wait to see what He has in store. Looking back on the last ten years it's crazy to think about everything I have accomplished and experienced. Ten years ago I had just turned 20 and was settling into my first apartment. I was in my second year of college and still trying to find my way. At 21 I let go of some of my past that was holding me back and I took a big chance and went to Mexico alone for the summer. It was one of the most amazing experiences of my life and I am so thankful I did it. Shortly after I returned from Mexico I met Santiago, and from there my life really began to change. At 22 I was engaged to be married and graduated from college. At 23 I married my best friend and we began our journey together as husband and wife. At 24 I began my teaching career in Arizona. At 25 we moved into our first home together and traveled to Ecuador for the first time. At 26 we lost our first two pregnancies. At 27 I completed my Master's degree and became pregnant with and gave birth to our first son Luca. At 28 I landed a new teaching position at one of the best districts in the state. And here I am now at 30, waiting to see what exciting things my 30's will hold. I can hardly wait!

Keeping It Real

We've been busy. That's an understatement. My blogging has slacked (yet again). The beginning of a new school year always seems to get the best of me. Oh, and our summer was pretty jam packed as well. With that being said, it's time to get real. We are currently experiencing one of those God moments in our lives. You know, the kind that stop you in your tracks and make you "get real" with yourself? Yeah, that kind. I keep telling myself that the end result of this is going to be good. God has a plan. Sometimes I just fail to see that plan until he hits me with a wake up call. Like three years ago when I was pretending like I didn't hear him calling me to take that leap of faith and start our family. Going through our miscarriages and fertility issues was by far the most difficult thing we have been through as a married couple, but wow that was a life changing time. I have never felt so close to God, or seen the evidence of His presence so clearly. So here's what's real:
A couple of weeks ago Santi had an episode of feeling really dizzy while we were out to eat for Andrea's birthday. We went to the ER and his blood pressure was really high, and medications didn't seem to bring it down. We were sent home with orders to see his doctor the next day. After two weeks of doctor and specialist visits and time in and out of the ER (thankfully Santi's wonderful parents were able to fly out to help), we are still waiting patiently for the results of several tests he had done last week. The thought is that it may be a problem with his adrenal glad that is causing all of his issues, and may have even been the culprit for his high blood pressure that he has been dealing with for years. Hopefully tomorrow we should have more information. In the meantime he is still off work per doctor's orders, and I am playing mommy, nurse, teacher, chef, and housekeeper. Now I realize just how much I value my dear husband and what he does for our family. Being a single mom is rough! I am exhausted, and I am trying to keep a clear mind and firm grasp on the peace that surpasses all understanding. And it's not easy holding it together. But the show must go on. I am so thankful in all of this for the truly amazing people in our lives that have jumped in to help and support us while we work though this. Meals, prayers, help with housework and Luca...it's humbling. Through all of this, God has brought a lot of clarity, and I have realized the need for a shift in priorities in our family, and it's been an incredible blessing. I know that He is working in our family right now, and "I will remain confident in this, I will see the goodness of the Lord."

In the meantime, we seriously have the cutest, sweetest little boy in the entire world. I don't know where I would be without that kid. I really and truly don't. Even when he is a total two year old tyrant. I just can't get enough. I know this hasn't been easy for him either, but he's a trooper, and I love him for it.

7 Months and So Many Changes

Wow. On Sunday our precious little baby turned 7 months old. Not only that, but in a matter of days he became an expert at sitting (no more toppling over), learned how to wave hi, and started army crawling forward and backward. I think it's time to finish the baby-proofing. I cannot believe how fast he is growing. My heart melts when I see pictures of him as a newborn. It seems like I blinked and that tiny baby doubled in size. Life has changed so much since he arrived, and even though balancing the demands of motherhood and a full time job is exhausting, I would do it over and over again. Luca has filled our lives with so much joy. He is such an incredible blessing.
While Luca is busy reaching milestones and changing every day, I am dealing with changes of my own. I have been praying for a long time for God to provide a way for me to stay at home with Luca. It makes me sick knowing that half of my paycheck goes to childcare and that I could be spending my days with him instead of other people's children. I struggle with this every.single.day. While I love teaching, I don't want to look back and regret the time I have missed with him. I am thankful that I am in a career that gives me 3 months off every year, but it's still not enough. So, as contract time approaches I am spending a lot of time praying for God to guide my decision and give me peace about it. I don't know what the future holds, and I am trying to remind myself daily that He is faithful. That He knows our deepest desires and has our best in mind. I am feeling called to take yet another leap of faith in life, and just like the last one, I am sure it won't be without struggles, but I know that He will provide. He is good. He is faithful. I am reminded of that every day when I look into the eyes of my precious rainbow baby (a rainbow baby refers to a baby born after a loss).

Sunday Blessings

Before Luca arrived, I set a goal to blog more regularly and to get more creative with my blogging. I also wanted to have some regular weekly posts. To be honest, I am not great at keeping up with regular posts like some of my blogging friends, but I really want to make an effort. I love blogging. It's my outlet. Since I began this blog four years ago I have had periods that were just uninspired and other times when I had so much going on all I wanted to do was blog. Now as a new mom I feel like I have recovered my passion for blogging. I have so much on my mind and so much to share. This new phase in life is so full of new experiences and inspirations.
One of the "regular" posts I tried to start before Luca arrived was Sunday blessings. I wanted to take a moment each Sunday to come up with at least one thing I am thankful for. One blessing among many in my life. One "shout out" to my awesome God, full of mercy and grace.
Now this particular Sunday I have finances on my mind. Not too different from any other day of the week honestly. When we found out we were expecting Luca, we began saving for my maternity leave because I knew I wanted to take the full 12 weeks, even if it was unpaid. We decided we would just put away enough money to live off for those weeks, plus cover the expenses of the hospital bill and any baby expenses we might encounter. We thought we had plenty saved up and I was feeling good about taking all this time off work. Well we all know things don't always go as planned...in fact, they rarely do. Since Luca's arrival, in addition to the couple thousand dollars we had already dropped on the hospital and doctor bills (the amount they had given us initially as an estimate), we have received additional doctor or hospital bills almost every other day in the mail it seems like. Partly because of the issues I had towards the end of my pregnancy that resulted in extra ultrasounds, and party because when it comes to doctors they are never up front about what you really are going to have to pay. What we had estimated for medical expenses has doubled easily. Additionally, we have had not one, but three incidents with our cars that required repair. Tack on another thousand. The money we had saved for my leave is quickly disappearing, and part of me wants to feel really anxious about how we are going to pay the bills for the next 10 or so weeks of my leave. But then I remember that I serve a generous God...and He provides. I have to remember that. So, my Sunday blessing for today: our fridge is full of food, we have clothes on our backs, and a roof over our head. I am not sure how we are going to stretch out our savings until I get paid again...but I do know that He knows. We have been faithfully tithing for over a year now, and I know He will take care of us. He can do more with 90% than we can with 100%. I am ready to watch Him work. We are blessed.

Leap of Faith

Psalm 34:18
The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit

This blog was intended to be a way to share our journey together as husband and wife with those that love and support us. On the journey of life, there will always be ups and downs, and as husband and wife we have vowed to see one another through those ups and downs. This is one of those times. I am reminded in this moment of weakness of a song sung during the lighting of the unity candle at our wedding, "Tomorrow morning if you wake up and the sun does not appear, I will be here". I know we will pull through this together, and the sun will appear again.

On February 28th, we were pleasantly surprised with a pregnancy that we hadn't really planned for, but were absolutely thrilled about. We went through the whole, "Do we tell people, and when?". While Santi was excited and ready to tell the world, I felt anxious and uncertain. I had this instinct that maybe letting our little secret out wasn't the best idea just yet. We waited. We saw one doctor for the basic blood work. All was well, but we decided we weren't fond of that doctor and wanted to switch. We had an appointment with the new doctor during my 10th week. It was the earliest we could get in. On that day, we had planned to let our secret out after the doctor's appointment. I had felt it would be okay then.

During that appointment, we discovered two things about our surprise pregnancy:
1) It was twins

2) It was not a viable pregnancy, both twins had stopped developing at around 6 weeks

While we went through a range of emotions after receiving that devastating news, I felt as though I had known all along. It was instinct.

It didn't matter that we hadn't "planned" that pregnancy, we wanted those babies, they were our babies, and we were lost without them. I was instantly taken back to December, when we had taken a "leap of faith".
In December, we had the big "baby talk". While Santi was more than ready, I was hesitant. I wanted more money in savings, a better job for Santi, I wanted to be finished with my master's degree...the list goes on an on. But I felt God calling me to take a "leap of faith" and trust that He would provide for us and for a child if we would only trust Him with the timing of children. So, I agreed that we could "let things happen", but we weren't going to try to make anything happen. It was up to God.
Well, I took that leap of faith and it took me down a path I could have never imagined. All that worry about how we were going to afford a baby, daycare, finishing my master's, etc. disappeared. Instead, it was replaced with heartache and longing for a baby, and fear that we may never have children. I felt like the whole world was pregnant and everywhere I went there were babies. It was a constant reminder of what we had lost. For awhile, and sometimes still, I felt angry with God. It just didn't seem fair. One day towards the end of the school year, one of my kindergarten students came up to me in the morning and told me she had something for me. She of course knew nothing about what I had gone through. She handed me a little stuffed frog that she had obviously found somewhere around her house, and it said "leap of faith" on the front. It was like a reminder from God that He is in control, and that He is going to honor my leap of faith by being faithful in return and blessing us not only with a child, but with the financial peace to comfortably raise that child. I felt relieved. Tevez has since eaten that little stuffed frog (of course), but I will always remember that sign from God.

So here we are, still waiting for another opportunity to be blessed with a child, but not forgetting the angel babies we lost. While I have found a lot of comfort in an online support group for pregnancy loss, as well as through talking with friends and family members who have been through the same thing, it is still a struggle for both of us. Every day we must rely on strength from God and one another to get through this trying time, and I know the sun will shine again.

We debated for a long time about whether or not to share our loss with others. Of course our immediate family knew, and friends from Bible study, as well as colleagues out of necessity, but we weren't quite certain about sharing  the loss of a pregnancy with anyone else when we had not even shared our pregnancy news to begin with. To some miscarriage is a taboo subject. It's not something people talk about, despite the fact that many deal with the grief of pregnancy and infant loss.  After our loss, so many people I was close to, and even those I didn't know very well, came to me and shared their stories of loss. Although it was disheartening to know so many had suffered the same pain, it was also comforting to know they understood and were there to support us. I hope that maybe sharing our journey can help others better understand where we are coming from.
In my time with my online support group, I found a lot of things that have helped with the healing process, and some of these things explained my feelings better than anything I could have written myself, so I thought I would share them here as well.
The first is a poem that I really liked

Tiny Footprints on a Mother's Heart

When a baby arrives,
be it for a day, a month, a year or more,
or perhaps only a sweet flickering moment-
the fragile spark of a tender soul
the secret swell of a new pregnancy
the goldfish flutter known to only you-
you are unmistakeningly changed...
the tiny footprints left behind on your heart
bespeak your name as Mother.

Some more things you should know about what I am going through:
1) It will take time to move on, it's not going to "all go away" in a few weeks or months
2) A new pregnancy will not help me forget
3) My life will never be the same, even after I have a healthy baby
4) My grieving over a life that was only known to me does not make me weak
5) It is really hard to hear about new pregnancies or healthy births of friends or family members. I usually feel jealous, hurt, and angry. I will tell you congratulations, and I mean it. I am truly happy for you, but I am not delighted to hear it at a time when I am dealing with my own loss. I sometimes avoid situations where I will be around pregnant friends or friends with babies, which is not always easy. This does not make me a bad person. I am human, and I am trying to move past these feelings and emotions with the grace of God. I am being totally honest here.
6) I am not upset that you are pregnant, I am upset that I am not. 
7) It doesn't matter how far along I was in my pregnancy, we bonded with the babies from the beginning, and our grief is no less than any other.

I know that now I have gotten all this off my chest, I can move forward with the healing process. For those who love us and actually read our blog, please know that we love you all and your support means so much to us. We are sharing this not in a search for sympathy, but to share a part of our lives that has affected us greatly. We will keep you posted on our journey to becoming parents, and hopefully our second chance will come quickly.

Blessed

“As you do not know the path of the wind, or how the body is formed in a mother’s womb, so you cannot understand the work of God, the Maker of all things.” Ecclesiastes 11:5

It's been awhile, I know. We have been BUSY. I know I always say this, but we are ALWAYS busy. Since the last time I posted we have had some major life accomplishments worth celebrating!!! On March 21st, Santiago became a United States citizen!!!! What an amazing gift from God. I got teary eyed during the ceremony. Just looking back, just thinking of all Santi and I have been through together. Thinking of how long he has waited for this moment. Thinking of the weight that has been lifted off his shoulders. Thinking if how proud he is to have reached this point and have this opportunity. While he is now a U.S. citizen, he will always been an Ecuadorian first. I know his pride for Ecuador will never fade, but I also know he is just as proud to be an American. God is good!
So that leaves us with working on his parents immigration status. Practically as soon as we got home from  the ceremony, we got rolling on all the paperwork for his parents. We are really looking forward to being able to lift this weight off their shoulders as well. They have been waiting over 13 years. It's been a long time coming. I will keep everyone posted on their status as well. It will be yet another moment to celebrate.
At the end of March God brought us to another milestone, and Santi completed his bachelor's degree! He has worked so hard and I know it has not been an easy road for him. We are so grateful he had this opportunity, and not only that but it was completely paid for. I know he is so relieved to be finished, and I know he feels truly accomplished. He is actually thinking about pursuing a Master's degree already! I am so proud of my husband. I have the best husband in the world, and God truly blessed me when He sent Santi my way.

Now that he is finally finished with his degree, the job search begins. It is a little scary and overwhelming to be looking for a new job in this economy, especially because he needs to find one that matches or exceeds his current salary, which isn't too shabby. What he really needs is regular hours (weekends off so I am not stuck home alone every weekend), and a job that fulfills him. I know his current job is stressful, and it's not where he wants to be. We could really use your prayers that God sends the right job his way at the right time. I just have to remember that God's timing is impeccable.

Along with all of these blessings, we have also had some personal struggles this month. And while I know things aren't always going to be easy, and life is full of ups and downs, I find comfort in knowing that God is in charge. My strength is in Him and Him alone. He gives and takes away. In the end, we are truly BLESSED.

Can't Buy Me Love

The picture is our sweet puppy after surgery to remove a baseball hat from his stomach. The adorable black dog is his friend Nahla who was staying with us for the weekend.

Ever since we returned from our big trip to Ecuador, we have been working hard at being better stewards of the money and resources God has blessed us with. This began by stepping out in faith and starting to tithe...meaning giving 10% of our income to the church. It felt great to know that we were being obedient to Him, and it strengthened our faith as we counted on Him to provide for us each month.
I would like to admit that while we have seen God provide for us in many ways, it has not always been easy to trust that He has things all under control. Sometimes you have to really take a step back to see Him working. The month of August was especially difficult. Things seemed to be going quite well, although I will admit we were not doing the best job at budgeting our money and spending wisely. I had received a nice bonus for my teaching portfolio, and that was mainly used to pay off the credit card that we used while we were in Ecuador. Well, we went slightly over budget on our trip, but we still managed to get it paid off with my bonus. Around my birthday we decided that we could finally afford for me to replace the car I have been driving since I was 16. We found a great deal on a new Nissan Sentra, and the best part was that we qualified for an interest rate of 0.9%, which is next to nothing. It was a little more than we had planned on spending, but the thought of having a car that is under warranty for three years made it seem worth it. We knew that with two cars over 95,000 miles, we were going to start running into expensive problems sooner or later. The month of August was a little slow for Santi, and his commission check was not as high as normal...no big deal...we were still more than fine. We have emergency fund for these purposes if need be. Then...one day our lovely dog decided that a baseball hat seemed like a delicious lunch while we were at work. I came home to find no more than a couple of tiny pieces remaining. I thought surely he had destroyed it enough that it would just make its way out naturally. Well, that was not the case. $2,ooo later the hat was successfully removed via emergency surgery, oh, and there was also a toy in there. Following that hit to our budget, my mop also decided now would be a great time to break. This is not just any mop...it is a steam mop. When you have mostly tile floors in your home, it is not practical to just mop the old fashioned way. So...I had dirty floors and no mop. When it rains it pours. All of this was in light of our already planned trip to Indiana for my fall break in October...so tack on $500 in plane tickets and another $250 to board the dog. In the grand scheme of things, these minor setbacks may seem like nothing. We are very blessed, and we can work around them. They may be a pain, and they may mean we have to sacrifice here and there...but they are manageable.
After feeling a bit frustrated...I was able to see that this must be God's way of telling us it was time to get serious about budgeting our money and start being better stewards of what He has given us. “For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required; and to whom much has been committed, of him they will ask the more.” (Luke 12:48)
So...as of September 1st...we are back on track with our budget and so far doing better than we ever have. We have been out to eat once in over a week...and it was to Taco Bell! We have also been under budget on groceries...and my cooking skills are quickly improving:) I will keep you all posted on how this new budget works out.