Couches, TVs, and Coffee Tables

I think we are going to reorganize our living room today. Which is exciting. Right now, it feels sort of crowded. The couch is in the middle of the room because there is a sliding glass door along the north wall, and a fireplace in the north-west corner. We are going to move the couch to the south wall and the tv to the north wall. Similar to what the layout was when Tory and I were dating. It will hopefully create the illusion that there is more space in there than not. Tory also wanted to use the coffee table I had while in college. I'm excited because I like it a lot better than the cheapo one we got as newlyweds. So much more sturdy and nice looking.
In all honesty, our condo is a giant mess. Since we both work full time, it's hard to keep clean. As introverts working with the public, coming home burned out is a daily occurrence. At that point, it is so much easier to ignore the piles of dirty dishes and the growing mound of empty pop cans and just sit on the couch watching television. Maybe when my sister moves in with us, I'll have more of an incentive to keep the place at least presentable.

Perfect Timing

Ohmigosh. So here is a story (about my own life) that perfectly shows how amazing God's timing is. Last February, Tory lost his job. The owner of the company where he worked found out that he was searching for a new job and let him go. Thankfully, he was able to collect unemployment, but here, it only lasts for about six months. Well, he couldn't find a job anywhere. He got a fair amount of interviews, but nothing ever came of them. It was difficult because we were constantly getting our hopes up, talking about all the things we could do if he got the job: where would we live, how great it would be if we lived closer to family, what we would be able to do in the new city. Sometime in the middle of the summer, he applied for a job at a credit union, but he got a rejection email. After this, his brother-in-law was able to get us interviews with the company he worked for down in Florida. It seemed like a for sure thing. We were even looking at apartments online, and trying to figure out what we might be able to afford. Then rejection letters arrived in the mail. Mind you, during the summer I was working two jobs. At my original sales associate position I was getting about 25 hours a week while nannying for about 18 on the side. (Fyi, at the beginning of the summer I was their favorite nanny. At the end, I was apparently the devil, because I made them do what their parents wanted them to, e.g. violin practice and eating a banana for breakfast. I kid you not, the oldest drew a picture of me as satan.)

This is supposed to be me...

Anyway, my nannying job ended and Tory had still not found a job. We were getting pretty close to the end of the unemployment as well. I think he had maybe one more week left. He changed some of the wording on his resume, and decided to apply for the same credit union job he had applied for earlier in the summer. This time he got an interview. And then another. And another... He got the job. Right when my second job and the unemployment stopped. There was no way we would have been able to live on just my customer service income. But God provided. Crazy, right?

Resolutions

I don't normally make New Year's resolutions because, honestly, I'm not that great at sticking with things. There are numerous projects collecting dust that are maybe a quarter of the way finished. One of them is a cross-stitched penguin I started over a year ago for a friend. Anyway. This year I decided to make a few. All of them are easily attainable; they just require me to actually get off my butt and make a genuine effort.

1. Read through the entire Bible (find a reading plan. I like this one so far.)
2. Read at least 12 fiction books
3. Read at least 4 non-fiction books
4. Tithe more consistently
5. Stick to a budget
6. Go to the gym at least twice a week
7. Lose 15 lbs. (This one may not actually happen since we sort of want to get pregnant this year...)
8. Find and stick to a cleaning schedule*
9. Journal more often. (Hopefully this guided journal will help)
10. Call grandparents more frequently

See? All of them are mostly easy to achieve. Right? Back me up here guys, haha.

* Sunday: Laundry
  Monday: Clean master bath
  Tuesday: Clean guest bath
  Wednesday: General straightening
  Thursday: Sweep and mop
  Friday: Dust
  Saturday: Vacuum
Dishes every day