Giant Trees and New Jobs

Keeping up with these photos has proven to be a weakness!  I just don't think of posting every day, and most days I forget that I even started this.  This probably shows how good I am at keeping New Year's resolutions, right?  I'm SO good that I even forget to make them!

I think I'll just pick up where I left off.  Day 12. A Photo of You

This is probably the most recent picture taken of me.  Last week Grant and I used our final Wedding Target Gift Card to purchase a new Christmas Tree.  I have been wanting a full size tree for a long time now and I finally got my wish.  Gosh, it's good to be married and to have an excuse for these things.  The conversation in the store went something like this:

Katie: "This is the one I wanted!  Do you like it?"

Grant: "It's beautiful... but looks awfully big."

Katie: "It's not that big"

Grant: "I don't know about that."

We proceeded to put the HUGE box into our cart.  Once we got home we had nowhere to store the big box, so we just decided to put the tree up (even though it was before thanksgiving).  We had to rearrange a bit of furniture and in the process we realized that we really did get a big tree.  Or maybe I should say that I realized that we had bought a big tree.  Grant was being dramatic about it and I collapsed on the floor laughing about it.  I laughed so hard that I cried.

Needless to say, the tree is big but it is perfect.  That is once we moved the extra chair out our living room.

In other news... GRANT GOT A NEW JOB!

This has been a long process for us, but Grant was offered a part-time position as a Youth Minister at Immanuel Presbyterian Church in Warrenville.  We first heard about this position in the summer through our friend Amy (who also works there).  It was a pretty exciting opportunity, but at that point we were not able to think about what we were doing next week, let alone for the next few years.  Grant decided not to pursue it for many reasons.  We have been set on picking up and moving after we finish Grad School and our time in Res Life here at Wheaton with hopes of moving closer to one of our families.  What has happened over the last few months as we have settled into marriage is that we've also opened up to different possibilities, ones that even include us staying here in the midwest a little longer.  Then we heard in October from someone else that it was still open.  Suddenly it seemed like perfect timing.

We are both very excited about this opportunity.  I am excited to see Grant do something that he is so gifted at (and yet doesn't always realize it).  I am excited to be a part of a small church and to build new connections.  I am also excited that we already have friends in that church and that we're not starting totally from scratch.  At the same time, this transition is bittersweet.  We have both loved and appreciated our church that we've been going to for the last three and a half years here.  It has not always been easy, but it has been home for us.