Squirrels, a Cooper, and boxland

We're mostly settled into that apartment we mentioned- you know, the one that's a six (6!) minute walking distance to work (for scott). it's pretty good. we're on the lookout for furniture, but the picking it up may pose a problem without a pickup truck... we'll find a way, i'm sure.

at the moment, i'm between fantasy hockey drafts. i've been waiting for this day for about a month now, and it's getting me going for hockey that much more. that old saying, "you don't know what you have until it's gone" is SO true- especially when it came to the 03-04 season, and the lockout was in effect. ever since that fateful, un-hockey filled season, i've grown a ferocious appetite for anything hockey.

our weekly renaissance meeting at UVM is tomorrow night, and we're definitely hoping for the core group to continue attending, possibly laying foundations for the 4-year future of XA at UVM. did we mention that most of the attendees are freshmen looking to further their understanding and solidify their faith in Christ?! what a blessing, and a neat dynamic too! not something abbie, joe, rachel or myself has had the pleasure to experience.

the squirrel count out here is something to take note of- roadkill count, of course. coming from the pnw, everyone knows its the opossums that take the majority of hits on the road: i just didn't think squirrels could/would take the place of those nocturnal creatures! it's got to be something in the nuts or water, but these little guys are COURAGEOUS! they dart out, then skip, canter, and flip gracefully across the road before BAM, flat squirrel on rye! kinda reminds me of the black ninja squirrels in bellingham, but less black and more dead.

did i mention the apartment we're in is AWESOME? spendy, but WAY worth it!

i'm excited for winter- and the signs it's coming are here. some trees are still green, while a vast majority are part green, part other color(s). we'd post pictures, but someone has our camera hostage. (we actually have another camera that we recently re-introduced to its long lost recharger, so pictures are yet to come)! it's been overcast and drizzly the past couple days- nothing we can't handle. i'm just looking forward to a winter wonderland of countless days (rather than the amount you can count on one hand).

abbie is attending a working interview at the humane society on wednesday- she's ready to do something outside of box world, aka our stead. she'll have fun playing with cooper et al.

'til our next news,

-s

Okay, funny thing that happened right after I posted the last update.  Maybe ten minutes after I posted it, Scott called to tell me the landlady for that nice apartment near Scott's work had called him and offered the apartment to us! Hurray! We move in on Wednesday! I can't wait to see all of our stuff!!!! :)

job interviews and apt. searches

Hey all! We are now officially moving into the fall season here in VT.  The temperature has definitely lowered quite a bit and the summer humidity has completely disappeared (hallelujah for that!).  

After countless resumes and applications handed out/filled out (I lost count), I'm (Abbie) finally being called back for interviews.  I had one this morning at a vet in Milton, which is about a twenty minute drive north from Burlington.  It was a very nice facility with five doctors on staff and maybe five or six technicians.  From what I gathered, what they would offer me is maybe a little technician work with a little reception work thrown in.  I'm not a licensed vet tech (yet), but they seemed very pleased to hear that I'm seriously looking into schooling to be licensed.  It would be a great hospital to work at, I could see myself learning a lot from the staff.  The only downside is the commute; I'm holding out for a job in Burlington, which might come back to bite me in the whole job searching process, but I have my fingers crossed.  They said that they will make their decision in a couple weeks which will give me time to do more searching (ugh!) and time to pray about it.

(haha! notice the "come back to bite me"? It's a vet and the animals can do a lot of biting! Well, I thought it was funny :) )

Some extremely good news from my searching is that I got an email from the humane society here in Burlington to do a group interview next week! Now this would be a job that I would LOVE to do! The interview is the 25th, and if that goes well they said they will ask some back to do working interviews the next couple days.  I'm trying not to get ahead of myself in this, but definitely trying (and sometimes failing) to be patient and let it rest in God's hands.  I just can't stop thinking of how this would be the perfect job.  Please pray that I won't consume my mind with this and be able to keep my mind open to what God has planned for me.

As if job searching hasn't been quite enough for me, we have now moved on to apartment searching.  We have seen three apartments since yesterday, all of them with their funny quirks and funny smells.  The two we saw yesterday were, I think, definite no's.  However, the one we saw this morning would be perfect! It is literally a five minute walk from Scott's work and also on the bus line, which would cut down on transportation costs drastically.  Also, the inside is beautiful! So many windows letting in natural light, a TON of storage; I'm talking three closets in the main room with a closet in each bedroom (2), not to mention our own storage room downstairs with washer/dryer hook-ups.  To have a place where we can finally have all our stuff with us and not split up, for me there is really no words to describe that.  Did we mention before that it has been almost two years since we have seen about half of our belongings??? We filled out the application on the spot and handed it over.  It would be a huge blessing to have this apartment, please pray for this too!

We know there is already several people out there praying for us everyday and for that we are truly grateful! To reward you all we'll have to get some pictures up soon, some of the leaves are already starting to turn! Fall is my favorite of all the seasons and to be in a place where they have some of the most spectacular fall colors is exciting! 

Happy Friday and National Talk Like a Pirate Day! :)

-Abbie

It's not duck season yet, just apartment/job season

More of the same, but different...

the news said 20s as a low for tonight...we'll see. it has cooled off quite a bit in the last week, (79* on the thermostat last week), and now it's about 60*. very pleasant.

-Abbie's still job hunting, but she's on the scent of some possibly awesome opportunities.

-scott's still driving, but now he's by himself (and usually encountering something new in his self-training).

-we're both looking for apartments to move to (maybe separately-we've been in close quarters now for about a month). we are getting anxious to finally see what we packed away in boxes 1 and 1/2 years ago, and don't want to venture down the unpacking road until they're in their semi-final resting place.

i was out on the road yesterday, on one of the busiest areas in the greater burlington area, and my bus decided to lock the brakes on me, causing me to appreciate east coast chivalry at its best, when a bus breaks down in one of the two lanes in one direction (i learned new gestures of displeasure, and a couple variations). fun situation- only to get more fun, right? i was thinking if anyone has quit for less a reason than that, i'll be at the company until 2050!

our weekly renaissance meetings are under way, as previously stated, though this last one was very reflective on creation and where it is we come from and what we could be/should be/are thankful for. it was definitely a good time to let the inner reflections of a new chapter in our lives (ours and the students) take its course. 

pray for positive outcomes in abbie's prospectives and modest accommodations to be found in the very near future (for oct. 1)! thank you for your support and taking the time to see what's all going on in the green mountain state!

First meeting done!

This last Monday we had our first Chi Alpha meeting on campus, and for the first one, I think it was a very good turn out.  A total of twelve students attended from both UVM and Champlain College.  All of the students were either from our prior events held on campus or through follow-ups done after they filled out our info card.  We ate together, sang together, and Joe cast the vision for the semester.  Now with the first meeting over, all the nervous jitters are gone and we are optimistic for the rest of the semester! Tonight we have our first Theology on Tap discussion on-campus where we will study the Apostle's Creed and what it means to believe in God.

Nothing else to add other than Scott's job is going well.  He is already driving some routes on his own.  I am still hunting for a job (yuck!) and getting really antsy about it.

Until next post!

-a

A job, a hunt, and a church

Much has transpired since we have last posted to this cyber stalking technology! Included in the following:

Scott's Job

Abbie's Jobhunt

A Church Visit

A Visit to Church St.

1st Event on campus

S's J

it's been a week since i was hired on as a driving trainee. I've driven just about all the different buses CCTA (Chittenden County Transit Authority) has to offer, and started driving routes with their normal driver sitting beside me, walking me through the steps. It was pretty good- being the "new guy", as everyone seems to know me by, has its perks, like being nice to people, saying goodbye, thank you, etc.... all the stuff a normal driver sometimes seems to lose over a career. (at least, i've noticed this from some drivers in the past)

A's JH

abbie's still disappointed with the application process- there are no jobs in this town. zip, zilch, nada.... unless you want to work 40 hours a week! tcha.... (<---name that quote) we don't need a second income at the moment (thanks joe and rachel for a relief in the finances dept!), but abbie's getting stir crazy in an already hot and humid environment. pray that the job she's been looking for calls soon.

C.V.

we went to the church joe and rachel are a part of (or members..) and it was nice. we'll probably end up back there from time to time (assuming i'll be working weekends), and hopefully be able to call a church our home once again.

VaC

in the middle of burlington, is the BTC, or burlington town center. the "street"/pedestrian walkway that runs down it is called church street. almost anyone who ventures down to the retail center of downtown burlington will find themselves on this street. we're headed there tomorrow night for our 2nd XA event of the year to taste coffees and ice creams (and determine which is best). pray for a good turn out.

1st E, 

our first event went amazingly well! wow is a word i'd use to describe it as it was happening. it was a social event called mugshots where the attendees got to choose a mug (from about 200 available) and fill it with a milkshake, coffee, lemonade, root beer float, etc... and take it home with them. a good way to get our name out on campus, anyway!

and lastly, we'd like to wish you all a very happy newspaper carrier day! shalom.

-s & a