Sorry No Pictures, BUT...

Yes, I tried to get pictures on here but for various reasons have been unsuccessful so far. However, we did have a wonderful Thanksgiving with family and got to share with them how excited we are for July 8, 2007. :) Yes, it's true! After waiting (and waiting), the Lord has blessed Jonathan and I tremendously with not only a new house but also a new baby! Words cannot express the joy we are feeling right now. I'm currently eight weeks and, other than feeling exhausted and a little nauseaus here and there, have felt amazing! I go back to the doctor in a couple weeks (December 12) for my exam and tests and everything, so pray that all goes well. :)

We're SOOO Excited!!

We bought a house today!!!!! And it's not the one we most recently put a bid on. That one (the one with the fenced yard) we lost to another bidder. The bank told us that someone else had bid on it and we could raise our bid (without knowing what the other one was). We raised it a bit, but not too much and were outbid still by $500. But that's okay, because God (as always) knew what He was doing! Jonathan called the builder of the new house yesterday and we met with him this morning and signed the buy/sell agreement! He gave us an incredible price--I am so proud of my bargaining husband. :) The closing date is set for December 15--right in time for Christmas. We are absolutely thrilled and can't believe it's finally happened! So, everyone start making your plans to visit us in Michigan. haha

Coming Soon...Pictures!

That's right, folks, believe it or not, we will try to get some pictures on here next week! We'll be in Indiana for Thanksgiving and will be able to use a computer that we can actually post pictures with! It's only been since July that we've had any pictures on here. :) In other news, Jonathan and I bid on another house today. We went to look at it last week and are really excited about it. It's in a good school district and has a nice big, fencedin yard for Peyton. Plus, it has lots of room to grow. It's a foreclosure, so the bank owns it now. It's actually in really good condition for a foreclosure. It just needs some touch-up paint jobs and other odds and ends done to it. We got pre-approved for a mortgage loan on Friday. Right after the appointment there, Jonathan got a call from the owners of the brand new house we previously made an offer on! They want us to come meet with them and "renegotiate" the price! Jonathan left it open with them and told them we were making an offer and possibly already had a house we would go with. But, it's so nice to have options and to have them calling us! God is certainly good!! We are very excited to announce the new addition to the Athearn family. Jonathan's brother and his wife had their second little girl yesterday. Lydia Grace came in at 10lb. 11oz. and 22 inches!! (And, yes, it was a C-section!). We got to go see her yesterday in the hospital and she is absolutely precious. I think that's all for now...

Sorry It's Been So Long

Wow, so it's been a while since our last post. It annoys the heck out of me when people don't update their blogs for weeks on end! :) Not much to report, though. I am working on getting my substitute teaching license for Michigan so I can begin subbing. The extra income will help tremendously, even if it isn't much. I also turned my resume and application in to RBC Ministries in Grand Rapids. They are a Christian organization who produce "Our Daily Bread" devotional booklets, among many other things. The position I was applying for was already filled, but they seemed impressed with my resume and will keep it on file for a year. We'll see if anything pans out with that. Still living with the in-laws while we house hunt. Though it can be difficult at times, we certainly can't complain about the free rent! Our main prayer requests right now would be for wisdom in buying a house (of course!) and also for Jonathan's license. He has called nearly every resource in the Grand Rapids area and the cheapest rate he could find was $75/hr or so (and that was their discounted rate). So, we don't know what will happen, but we are trusting that God will provide. He did not bring us this far to desert us now! A huge praise is that our insurance begins on Wednesday! What a relief that will be. We are very excited because niece number three is due in another week! And we found out that Jonathan's sister, Katie, is expecting her third, which will bring the grand total to eight! And to think that when Jonathan and I started dating in 2000, he had just one niece! These Athearns breed like rabbits, I tell you! :)

This is what's up

Hi everyone. This is my first post. It'll be short and sweet. I leave the long, sentimental ones to my better half. Not much is new in Michigan. We're still just trying to get settled in and make our residency official. You would have thought we were illegals by the way the state treated us. I'm starting to think maybe we are...Michigan said they don't have any record that I had a past driver's license in Michigan (those crack-heads). So now we are trying to buy a house. I'm sure Amanda said something about that. Suprisingly, it's harder than one would think. You want the perfect house, ya know. The problem is Amanda's perfect house is way different than mine. I'm thinking of posting possible houses online and letting friends vote on them. Hey, in the mean time I guess we can't beat the rent of living in my folk's basement. That's all for now.
-Jonathan

Road Block

Well, we ran into a slight road block in everything. As many of you know, Jonathan has received his master's degree in clinical psych. He applied for his temporary license for Michigan a while back. There was some confusion then because there were two different licenses he could apply for. The one that he wanted to apply for most, he apparently didn't qualify for (why, we're not sure--but he was denied it). So instead he was issued another kind of temporary license. Under this license, Jonathan will have to be supervised one hour a week for a year by a licensed psychologist (at a doctoral level) before he can receive his full degree (which hopefully will mean more job opportunities and a little more moola!). Where Jonathan is working now, however, there are no psychologists--only master's level social workers. Jonathan wrote a petition to the state of Michigan asking if he could be supervised by a social worker instead, as that is what is offered at his job. He received a call yesterday that he had been denied his request. As it turns out, Jonathan must be supervised by a psychologist. This means, he must hire a psychologist to do this. Basically, it would be like Jonathan was going in for an hour session once a week. And yes, he has to pay just like a client because he is using the psychologist's time. Psychologists generally charge anywhere from $100-200 per hour. So this means that (potentially) for the next 52 weeks we may have to pay that amount every week! To top it off, Jonathan found out that this particular license he is working toward requires him to be supervised by a licensed psychologist for the rest of his career. Basically, he will always have to meet with a psychologist at least once a month for the rest of his life (or at least as long as he practices). He was so discouraged last night, it really was hard to see him like that. We know that God did not bring us this far to leave us. Jonathan is really questioning, though, what God's plan is. If Jonathan were to have a job at a counseling center with psychologists, he could just be supervised there for free. So, we are praying that he can find someone who will be willing to supervise him for a sliding scale fee (or for free!!). Please just keep this in your prayers as it is something that is weighing heavy on our hearts. We still have not made a decision about a house. We have an opportunity to buy a new house for a decent price, but money would be super tight on our budget as it is now. We don't see how we can afford to pay anywhere from $400-800 per month just so Jonathan can be supervised. It doesn't make any sense! We can't figure out how counselors with this license make it! How do you afford to live when you are making next to nothing and paying someone to supervise you?! We're just really frustrated right now and appreciate your prayers. The good news is, Jonathan loves his job so far and we are having a great time being so close to family. I'm sorry all our posts have been so long and wordy lately--we have no access to post any pictures yet. Hopefully soon, though!

Still Searching

Here's a quick update for those of you who like to be updated. :) Jonathan and I are still searching for a house. We've looked at quite a few and I'm ready to start making some offers! But Jonathan wants to check on a couple more before taking the next step. So, I'm trying to be patient with him. ;) He is liking his job so far. His hours are pretty flexible and he gets out early sometimes, which is great! I've been looking for a job half-heartedly. I'm not sure what I want to do. I'm not getting bored yet, what with all the babysitting and stuff my in-laws keep me busy with! Last week I learned how to make homemade applesauce. Wow, what a chore! It was worth it, though. I made about 18 jars for myself, so hopefully that lasts me the year (yeah, right). If any of you come visit us in MI, I'll be sure to let you try some. Just so long as you rant and rave about how wonderful it is! Jonathan and I also signed up to help with Awana, which begins tonight. That should be fun. As a side note, we do have a prayer request. Jonathan's cousin, Gabe, is fighting over in Iraq. We received news the other day that he was injured in a bomb and received second and third degree burns on 30% of his body. He has been flown back to Texas where he is recovering. The good news is that he seems to be in good spirits and that he is safe now. He is a couple years younger than Jonathan and has a wife and two small children. Just pray for them, too, during this time. Other than that, things are going pretty good. Our closing went wonderfully in Chicago. We couldn't believe how smoothly it went. God is so good! We feel so much better having that taken care of. It makes it easier to buy a house when we don't have to worry about selling ours first! We're hoping to get a great deal, seeing as how it's a buyer's market right now. Until next time...

So Long ChiTown...

We're selling our condo today!! Sometimes I seriously wondered if this day would ever come. But it has, praise the Lord! Jonathan and I looked at a couple houses in MI yesterday. It was a lot of fun! We'll try to keep this thing updated as much as possible to let you know what's happening with the house hunt. Okay, we need to head out and go to our closing...

Answered Prayers!!

God is so faithful and good. Today Jonathan was offered a job at Arbor Circle in Grand Rapids!! He, of course, accepted their offer and begins Monday, September 11. It is so amazing how fast it came together. Just a few days ago Jonathan found out the lady was out on vacation until after Labor Day and so we assumed that meant we wouldn't hear anything until then. But she actually called Jonathan while on vacation to offer him the position! When he got the call we had just come from the mall where we had picked up a free home catalog with listings in the area. We had no idea when we picked it up that we would be able to use it so soon! We've been highlighting houses and looking online and hope to start house hunting next week. Thanks to all the prayer warriors who have so faithfully prayed for a job for Jonathan. I am so proud of him!

Home Sweet Home in MI

Well, we have successful moved to Michigan! And in true Michigan spirit, we've typed this blog in U of M colors (you're welcome, Jonathan). The move went smoothly last Saturday with only a couple slight hang-ups. (Like when Jonathan missed his exit and everyone else--but me--followed him; and when I got stung by a friggin' bee which hurt like crap, but anyway...) Both our families came to help us with the move and we also had Tom and Susie helping us load the van. Thanks again guys--we really appreciated it! So now we've moved into Mom and Dad A.'s place and are trying to adjust. Jonathan called back the lady from Arbor Circle last Friday only to find out she's on vacation til after Labor Day. We're at the Moline library now and he's applying for more jobs on line. Who knows how long we'll be staying here. Peyton is having a blast with Tigger, Jonathan's parent's dog. She thinks it's great to have a playmate all the time and a huge yard to play in! So, all in all, things are going fine for now. Maybe with all this down time we can get lots of visiting in with family and friends!

T-Minus 9 Days!

Well, we're back from nearly a week in Michigan. We enjoyed relaxing up north with both our families. It was a enjoyable time, although my brother had a rough "vacation". He tipped twice while kayaking down the Sturgeon River and had a horrible bike wreck in Petoskey. Thankfully, he's okay, but I know it wasn't exactly the vacation he had in mind! We were able to go to the U.P. and visit St. Ignus one day in addition to Mackinaw City. All in all, it was a great time. Now that we are back in Illinois, we've got a lot of loose ends to tie up. We are moving to Michigan next Saturday (that's the plan anyway), so we are packing, packing, packing to try and get everything ready in nine days. Jonathan heard back from the job he applied for in Indiana and they have recommended someone else, which means we can move to Michigan now with more certainty. He did finally hear back from Arbor Circle and they informed him that he is still in the running and they are checking his references. We're hoping he could start working in August because that would mean insurance would begin October 1st. Otherwise, if he doesn't start until September, we're looking at November 1st, which just seems so far away! Our closing date has been changed to September 7th now and we had our place appraised this morning. Things are definitely moving!

SOLD...almost

Well, our condo is sold--almost. They could still back out, but we have an official buyer and are starting the process. The couple is coming over tonight to see the place again and to get the contract to take back to their lawyer. Jonathan's been making tons of calls today (we're back in Illinois for a couple days) to figure out what all we need to get done. The closing date is set for September 8 right now. Of course, we may move before then if Jonathan gets a job lined up. He still hasn't heard back from Arbor Circle, but we are trusting that things will work out. It's back up to Michigan later this week to hang out with both our families, which will be so much fun. We're very much looking forward to that! Thanks again for all your prayers. Things are finally starting to piece together!

Quick Update

Jonathan's second interview was this morning at Arbor Circle. He feels it went well, so that's good. We should hear back sometime later this week. In the meantime, we are enjoying some vacation and relaxation in Michigan! :)

Good News!

We had a young couple come look at our condo Tuesday night. By Wednesday, they had made an offer! We counter-offered and are now just waiting to hear back from them. How amazing would it be to finally get our place sold?! Jonathan also got a call back from Arbor Circle today and they want him to come back for a second interview next Tuesday!! Things are finally starting to look up. My last day of work is tomorrow and Jonathan's was supposed to be next Wednesday but that may change to Monday since he has this interview now. So please continue to pray for our place to sell and for this interview coming up. We are very excited about what may happen...

The Wait Continues

Jonathan's interview at Arbor Circle was yesterday in Grand Rapids. He got home safely last night and reported that he felt it went well. Of course, they are just in the beginning stages of the interviewing process. They told him it would be a few weeks before they decided and then he may get a call to come in for another interview. Jonathan knows this isn't his dream job but he does think it will be a good way to get his foot in the door. The benefits look pretty standard and the pay is about what he expected, too. So, I guess we just sit back and wait (and pray!) for a call. We are still waiting to hear back from the guy who came to see our house last week. He still sounds interested, which is good. Only a week and a half of work left for me! Even though we will lose some security when my job ends, I am soooo excited to get out of there! It will be such a relief to be done with this job. Maybe we'll have some time to take a vacation before the summer ends--we have tons of people we need to visit!

Kick Back and Relax

After all that eating and basketball at the reception, we were pretty worn out. What better way to relax than to pop open the bubbly? (Sparkling white grape juice, that is.) Our table consisted of my siblings and crazy cousin John and, needless, to say, we may have had a little too much of that sparkly juice!

Hoosier Hysteria

Jonathan and I headed to the Hoosier state for my cousin's wedding this weekend. The reception was possibly the coolest one I've ever been to (if you are a basketball fan, which I am). The reception was held in the Hoosier Gym in Knightstown, Indiana where the movie "Hoosiers" was filmed. By the way, if you have never seen the movie, it is a classic. We all enjoyed eating popcorn, pizza, hotdogs, and nachoes and also playing a little b-ball on the same floor that was home to the Hickory Huskers. (By the way, the "Go Hickory" sign and the team picture are originals from the movie that are still in the gym.)

Good Times, Great Friends

This past week I've been fortunate enough to get to see two people whom I have not seen in a long while. Last week Jonathan and I met my youth pastor downtown for some good ole Giordano's pizza. Pastor Jim officiated at our wedding and we haven't seen him for a couple years. His family is now in Florida and it just so happened that he and his youth group were in Chicago on a mission trip. It was SO good to see him again. And to think...if we had moved to Michigan already, I would have missed seeing him. Funny how those things work out, huh?














I also was able to see one of my best friends, Elisa, this weekend. She has been teaching English over in China for the past year and she is in the states for a few weeks before heading back there again. Elisa has given me so much insight into this ordeal Jonathan and I are going through. She is a beautiful person and I am so happy that God brought us together as friends. She has truly been a blessing from above.

A Day at the Beach

On our way home from Michigan over the fourth of July weekend, we stopped at a beach in Michigan to climb the dunes and play in the water. It was Peyton's first time to see Lake Michigan! She was a little leery at first about the waves, but she did alright! She loved the sand and was covered in it by the time we left.

Needless to say, after five days of nonstop play and swimming, Peyton was a little tired!

Pictures from the Fourth

We thought we'd share some pictures with you from our time in northern Michigan. We are convinced we have the cutest nieces and nephews around!











Caleb is an avid fisherman!










Jacob and Micah













Emily

Peyton had a blast, too! She loved swimming in the river and even learned how to climb the ladder! (Kind of) She played and played and played with her other dog friends. She and Bullet may have had the most fun together, though.