Counting Our Blessings!

Happy August! I can hardly believe how quickly the months are flying by. We are creeping ever closer to baby Elizabeth's due date, and still have SO much to do! But bit by bit we are settling into our home, and our new neighborhood, and we are loving being so much closer to family! July was kind of a bumpy month for us, a lot of unexpected surprises, but a lot of blessings too.

Thankfully those little unexpected surprises however have lead us to wonderful new opportunities. About 2 weeks ago, Kevin came home from work with some dis-heartening news, he and all of his co-workers had received a pay cut due to the acquisition of a nearby store in the Salt Lake City area because the owner of both was struggling to keep the two locations afloat. Now, I don't know about you, but being 6 months pregnant this is not the kind of news you want to hear, especially when the initial paycut is only 5% but may eventually become a 10% cut, and the auto glass industry experiences a natual slow down in the late fall and winter months ( just when our little girl is due). So, we talked about it, and considering several other red flags from the past we felt strongly that Kevin should seek other employment. Our search brought us to the internet of course, and upon consideration of other auto glass companies in the area we were lead to the Safelite website to see if there were any job openings nearby. To our great surprise, we found a position listed that was not yet a week old, for just the opening Kevin had the experience for. Hooray! So, Kevin applied. We got his resume together, and he worked hard to complete the online application and then we waited . . .

Meanwhile in our little town, our summer festival was taking place called Fiesta Days. It's a time for carnival rides, carnival food ( a favorite summer treat of mine ), parades, rodeos, many FREE family events, fireworks, and more. I love being able to celebrate summer with a little local fun, so Kevin and I went to the FREE movie in the park on Friday the 22nd which was "How to Train Your Dragon". We made the evening a complete event with a blanket laid out on the grass and lots of dollar store treats. What a good time! My mom and I also celebrated on the 24th by watching the grand parade, going out to lunch, and even heading to the local pool in the afternoon with my brother and nephew to cool off. And you know what was exciting about that? I still fit into my swimsuit :) Not bad for being 6 mos. pregnant! Anyway, between going out to lunch and heading over to the swimming pool I came home to check messages, well at least caller ID we don't have voicemail or a phone machine and guess who had called??? Exactly one week after receiving Kevin's application we got a call from Safelite! I quickly returned the call and called Kevin's work cell to share the exciting news, and he was luckily off in enough time to reach the guy in charge and set up an interview :)

He interviewed the following day during his lunch break ( he was clocked out - so as not to break any rules) and at the end of talking together, he offered Kevin a full time position as an auto glass technician. Kevin called me, so excited and bubbly after the meeting so I knew it had gone well. He told me a few of the best details - like how long we'd have to wait until we had benefits again, and the pay would be better, his tools were provided etc. . . and then we talked more about it when he came home. We talked about what this change would mean insurance wise for us ( our insurance is better than nothing - but not really that great at all), commuting ( which would cut his commute down to 10 min. from about 30) and all the other aspects of it and decided that because of the opportunities for advancement, bonuses, steady work, working for a world-wide company, getting paid more than 2 times a month, that this would be a great change for us all!

Since then, everything has seemed to fall into line with him being able to go and have his drug screen test completed, meet with the manager of the location he'll be working in, and move through the hiring process smoothly. He got the all clear from his drug screen and background check yesterday and gave his 2 week notice yesterday with his current company. It will be so nice to have him closer to home, have the use of a work vehicle to and from work so I can have the car for a BIG change, and also have way better benefits with this company! There will be a slight lapse in coverage from 1 job to the next ( which may lead us to being self pay for a few appts), but as of Oct. 1st we'll have a new health insurance company and dental insurance too. Which compared to most job transitions is not a long wait at all. And the coverage will cover my labor and delivery, maybe even at another hospital * crossing fingers* So yes, that is a huge blessing!

We have also been extremely blessed to be able to outfit Elizabeth in the cutest of garage sale clothing finds. She has a wardrobe of mostly pink ( with some aqua, turquoise, green, pale yellow, and lavender thrown in) but she is basically set in the clothing department with a mix of outfits in size 0-2T in some cases. Last weekend, upon my sister in law Kim's insistance ( that we hit some more yard sales) we were also able to find her some very adorable dresses to wear to church, and best of all an ATS ( All Terrain Stroller ) suitable for even occasional off-roading, that was originally about $400, for the low low price of $25. It is the type that can be flipped around to either a carriage ( for infants ) or a sit up stroller for older kiddos. It's a Zooper Kroozer, and is a nice neutral Navy Blue in case God wants to send us a little boy someday, and is the perfect height for both Kevin and I push without crouching over! Not to mention because it's not just a cheapo travel system I know we can hold onto it for a long time. It came with a bicycle pump to ensure the tires stay filled, and a sleeping bag attachment for a chillier day when we still want to take Elizabeth out into the cooler weather. They also said it had a rain fly, but couldn't find it at the time we purchased it. I love getting great deals! And I feel truly blessed that we found such a good yard sale find, even though I was really tired from having a super busy week, that stroller find on Saturday made our yardsaling trip all worth it!

The last little blessing I am excited to announce is the wonderful news of my sister in law Cathy's baby boy! I was lucky enough to get to go to her 20 week ultrasound with her on the 29th and see the little fella in action. She was so hoping for a boy, and was so very excited to see his gender finally revealed. She is not into all the girly stuff that I adore, so God sent her a little buddy instead of a little miss. Isn't that cool? I, on the other hand love all things pink and frilly and girly and I think He knew that and sent me a little girlie that I could doll up and adore. Not to mention, Kevin is so very sweet with little girls. Way back when in Idaho when we worked with the 18 mos- 3 yr. olds in nursery at church there was never a Sunday that they weren't all heaped into his lap ( at least 3 at a time ) for a story. He is going to be such a wonderful daddy!

Anyway, consider yourselves updated on life in the Robinson home. It's been a month of ups and downs, but now that it's August we are looking forward to our 5 yr. Anniversary on the 10th, and most especially the start of Kevin's new job on the 15th! Wish us luck :)