Back in late May, I wrote a blog post about all of the changes that were going on in the lives of Ben and Sandy Johnson. Then in July, I posted about how these changes were a cause of some major stress in my life. In mid-October, I gave a quick update of some of the things that were going on without going into much detail.
So here’s some more detail.
- On October 9, Ben and I officially moved out of our house at Camp Gilead and back into our condo. We had the help of a great group of guys who didn’t complain hardly at all about moving some really heavy stuff up a flight of stairs and into our condo. Having grown accustomed to a four bedroom house with lots of extra space, adjusting back into a two bedroom condo has proved a little bit challenging. However, for the most part, things fit without looking too crowded. We did manage to downsize our stockpile of possessions. It took Gus about two weeks to get used to living in the condo again, but he seems happy now and has a couple of places where he can lay down and look out windows. That’s all that he requires to keep him happy. And since we’ve moved back, I feel a lot more connected to family, friends, and our church. We get to see people more often, which is really nice.
- The same week that we moved, two fairly significant things took place. First, Ben got a job. He’s working at a local running store that has three different locations; right now he’s working at two stores – one about 10 minutes from home and the other in Tampa. It’s not full time, there are no benefits and the pay isn’t great, but he really likes it. I guess I would rather he love a job that doesn’t pay well than absolutely hate one that does. He’s getting more than 30 hours a week and he’s supplementing our income by substitute teaching. The second thing that happened in early October is that I started teaching online undergraduate classes through a local Christian university. I’m teaching Media Ethics right now and will teach the same class in January. In March, I’ll start teaching an Intro to Mass Comm class. It’s a little bit of extra money but a great experience and way to get my foot in the door to do more teaching at the college level.
- After we moved out to camp in May of 2008, it took several months to get our finances situated. That was one of the most stressful times of my adult life. Leaving camp has put up right back in that same place again. August through the end of October were extremely stressful months as we figured out (and continue to figure out) how we can make ends meet. We’ve had to ask for help, which is much harder for me than for Ben. My prideful and independent nature make it really hard for me to accept things from others. Fortunately, things are starting to look more positive right now. I said back in July that I can’t think of a single time that God hasn’t provided exactly what we needed when we needed it. That is still true. The way we get what we need isn’t always what I want (i.e., accepting help from others), but someone once told me not to rob others of the blessings they want to give.
On a less serious note, we have a lot of things to look forward to in the upcoming months. This coming Sunday I am running in my 2nd half marathon in beautiful St. Petersburg. We’re going to spend a couple of days with my parents in northern Florida during the Thanksgiving break and will celebrate with Ben’s family on Thanksgiving Day. Over the Christmas holiday, my oldest sister and her family will be visiting Florida. This will be my first ever Christmas that isn’t spent in Indiana and when I haven’t seen my entire family. It’ll be different and a little sad, but I’m thankful that I had 28 Christmases in Indiana and with my family. Many aren’t that lucky, which helps me keep things in perspective.
Well, that’s all for now. Have a great Thanksgiving!
