Okay, so first of all I am not pregnant. I am the guilty party that always assumes that someone is pregnant when they make a statement like “big announcement”. And I’ll admit, I am always a little disappointed when the announcement is anything other than having a baby. Now that I have gotten that out of the way let me explain what the less-cute, but still life-altering announcement is.


In the past 2 years that we’ve been mostly unemployed it’s felt like the 40 years that the Israelites wandered in the desert (I almost said dessert. 40 years of dessert wouldn’t be so bad). In this season of uncertainty so many people have told J who he needs to become or what he needs to do. They are encouraging words, but it only makes it more confusing when there is so much conflicting advice. He is a talented musician, minister, carpenter, designer and more. The problem is he hasn’t been able to find a way to make a steady income with any of it, despite everyone agreeing that he is amazing and should be able to rake in the dough just by looking at a job opportunity. Unfortunately that is not the case. As you all know we came to Ohio with our basic necessities and no plan other than to get SJ into a good school with a good audiologist.

Ohio has some wonderful programs for job placement. You can’t get government assistance here without being a part of the workforce coalition, which is the way it should always be (but I’ll try not to get too political here). When a professional advisor sat down to talk with J about our situation, he presented the opportunity for J to go back to school. He could get a grant to cover the cost of tuition, and they would look at his skill sets, entry level pay scale, and projected growth in each field to see what the best career choice would be.

It’s been almost 15 years since J has been in school. Returning to school has always been something he has kept in the back of his mind, but you know how the back of the mind works. Stuff stays back there forever, unless something happens that is jarring enough to jostle everything inside of you. Which is our story. Everything came down to a mathematical statistic of what would be pretty close to guaranteeing us some stability in the next couple years. I know it’s not as simple as it sounds, but after so many doors seemingly shut in his face, this is the open door that we’ve been praying for. I am sure you’ve already figured out what the big announcement is, but this semester J has started going to school full time. He’s going to Cincinnati State majoring in Computer Science and Database Management.


This is a picture of the Library although most of those books are for school. 

 It will definitely be a challenge, but IT work is something that J is good at and enjoys doing.  I love seeing him inspired and motivated again. You can see life in his eyes knowing that there is a light at the end of this tunnel. I am so proud of him. It takes a lot of courage to go back to school at 37 years old. The “it’s never too late” mentality shows the commitment and dedication that he has to succeed. It won’t be easy and we will all have to make sacrifices, especially J, but it will be worth it. If you know Dave Ramsey’s teaching, then you know what I mean when I say it will be a season of gazelle intensity.


Most of his classes are online and since our apartment is way to chaotic to concentrate J goes to school at Starbuck’s.

We are still unsure about how it is all going to work, but I know that it will. Jeremiah 29:11 says God has plans for us to prosper and not be harmed, to have a future filled with hope.


This was his first day going to the actual campus since enrollment. Yay! 

So a big thank you to all have been praying for us, and please keep them coming as we embark upon yet another chapter in our journey.