ok.  so we've had a LOT going on and i've been told that i needed to get on here and update everyone.  where to begin...i guess the first thing is that i quit my job.  january 11 was my last day of working for IPS.  as some of you know, i was the parent liaison and i loved my job, but had issues with the people that i had to work with and i didn't like the negativity i received when i wanted to do more, help more.  so i quit.  my friend laura garcia was an ESL (english as a second language) teacher at the school where i worked, and she also started going to the dwelling place after we started working together.  she asked which church i went to, i told her, and she's been going ever since.  long story short, she quit, too; for similar reasons. 

the opportunity presented itself for us to start a new series of ministries at the dwelling place, so we listened to God, stepped out on faith, and feel very confident that He will take care of us.  and since we've made that leap, i've felt so much happier and freer.  what we've started at the dwelling place is called the growing place.  it is a place to receive spanish classes, english (ESL) classes, scrapbook lunches, tutoring and parents' nights out.  we have it set up in semesters, so next semester will be a different set of classes, addressing a different set of needs.  this way, we have the flexibility to help a broader range of people, and we won't have the chance to get bored .  i'm very excited, and have nothing but good feelings about this venture.

also, i started homeschooling the kids.  this is something that i had been tossing around for a few years, now, but just never had the opportunity to do it.  so their last day was also on january 11.  so far they're LOVING it. 

we had a field trip on the first day of school to the new downtown library, and they were able to learn how to use different programs on a laptop, as well as learn how to program robots.

we are further along than their peers in public school, and they are able to learn in many different ways, now.  that was my main motivation in wanting to homeschool.  i didn't like having to stifle their love for learning so that they wouldn't be too far ahead of the class and be bored.  every year i've been told by teachers about how bright my children are, but then they don't have the means or time to tailor lessons specifically for the gifted kids in their classes.  so in result, we've had issues with boredom and discipline.  even over Christmas break they wanted to learn two-place multiplication and start division.  well, calvin's class hadn't even started multiplication tables and emmi's class had just started and both of them were already ready for the next level and i had to tell them 'no' so that they wouldn't be ahead of the class, finished with their work first and then get in trouble for talking and entertaining themselves.  i've been making up our curriculum myself, because it's a little overwhelming trying to sift through curriculum packages in search of the one package that's perfect for my kids.  but it's been a great experience so far, and we're all very excited for what's to come.

lastly, eric is up for a promotion at work, which really is a blessing.  he started working at the indiana juvenile detention center in september and he absolutely loves it.  that was the career move that he had been wanting to make.  in fact, he had applied and interviewed there before, but they weren't actively hiring.  he's always wanted to help to mold troubled youth, so now he is in the position to.  and better yet, after only 5 months, he's up for a promotion.  it's a great relief when you're able to work somewhere that really makes you happy.  it's also a lot of pressure off of our relationship because now we're not both coming home, miserable and complaining about our days at work, so now we're able to just enjoy each other's company.

all of these things falling into place has also encouraged eric and me to start talking about the growth of our family.  that is a HUGE deal.  right now we really feel God's hands in our lives and we're finally over ourselves enough to start listening and being obedient, so we feel that this is the direction that God is leading us towards.  i can actually say that for the first time, in maybe, ever, i'm actually happy with every aspect of my life.