a little background. in college i studied social work in grand rapids, mi at Calvin College and then moved to lexington, ky to be closer to my man, justin. while he finished up undergrad at UK (yes, i am older) i attended the advanced standing program (it was a fast track one year program) at UK for my masters in social work. as soon as i completed my grad work and passed my final exam we packed up a uhaul (our moving story is for another post...it was bad. i called my dad crying. we had only been married 3 months. we were not off to a good start when it came to moving). anyways, we moved to chesapeake, va for justin to begin young life staff in august of 2007. YL interns do not make a ton of money...it is no secret. so after being a nanny for a couple months and a lot of interviews i was finally hired to work for a therapeutic foster care agency. i was excited for my first "real" job and ready to doz3 what i love...care for people and build relationships and advocate for those who have no advocate. i did not last long. i worked there for about 8 months. although i enjoyed the relationships with the children and our foster care families i was not very good at leaving my work at home and after many late nights and lots of tears we decided to save as much as we could and in june of that year i left my job and spent the entire summer with high school girls. doing ministry alongside my husband and that was my heart. it was a very special summer. in the fall of 2008 i started substitute teaching in the chespeapebe public schools and nannying for two families. although it was not as financially lucrative (like social worker is to begin with...all perspective i guess) i loved the flexibility that this offered and the burdens were not as heavy. it set justin and i up to do life alongside students at grassfield high school and really invest in our new community. it was a joy and i am so thankful the Lord blessed us in that time and made it all possible.
this continued up until january of 2010 when little ava was born. i tried to nanny and substitute teach whenever possible. then july came and everything stopped and sped up at the same time. our focus became our family and beating cancer. thankfully because of you and so many other incredible people (most we have not met and how i urn to thank you all individually) who loved us when you did not have to...the potential monetary strains of medical bills and various incidentals never became a reality. thank you. thank you. thank you. we are blessed. we are loved. we were carried.
beat cancer. done and done.
spent some months healing and babysitting a little bit and then we moved.
after a few months of settling into our new home...the financial strain of me not working (for payment) became real. we have been praying forever about the perfect job for me: one that allows me to be with ava, really flexible, and i would even get paid. one night in december i sent out my resume to several social work type jobs in harrisonburg. within a week i heard from a counseling agency that provides therapeutic services to children and families in harrisonburg and the surrounding counties. after an interview where i felt confident and natural i was hired. i am much more confident in my skills now than i was right after i graduated five years ago. i am older, wiser, a mother, and i beat cancer so i now put myself in a special category i call: i am potentially tougher than you.
this job is ideal in that it is around 5-10 hours a week and is pretty flexible and i can do most of it from home (aside from the actual therapy). i have a small case load of one and it is perfect. wonderful college girls take care of ava while i am gone so i know she is in good hands. you all make it possible. thank you. knowing your child is safe and with people that love her provides justin and i with such a sense of peace and gratitude.
so there you have it. my working career or lack of...
this continued up until january of 2010 when little ava was born. i tried to nanny and substitute teach whenever possible. then july came and everything stopped and sped up at the same time. our focus became our family and beating cancer. thankfully because of you and so many other incredible people (most we have not met and how i urn to thank you all individually) who loved us when you did not have to...the potential monetary strains of medical bills and various incidentals never became a reality. thank you. thank you. thank you. we are blessed. we are loved. we were carried.
beat cancer. done and done.
spent some months healing and babysitting a little bit and then we moved.
after a few months of settling into our new home...the financial strain of me not working (for payment) became real. we have been praying forever about the perfect job for me: one that allows me to be with ava, really flexible, and i would even get paid. one night in december i sent out my resume to several social work type jobs in harrisonburg. within a week i heard from a counseling agency that provides therapeutic services to children and families in harrisonburg and the surrounding counties. after an interview where i felt confident and natural i was hired. i am much more confident in my skills now than i was right after i graduated five years ago. i am older, wiser, a mother, and i beat cancer so i now put myself in a special category i call: i am potentially tougher than you.
this job is ideal in that it is around 5-10 hours a week and is pretty flexible and i can do most of it from home (aside from the actual therapy). i have a small case load of one and it is perfect. wonderful college girls take care of ava while i am gone so i know she is in good hands. you all make it possible. thank you. knowing your child is safe and with people that love her provides justin and i with such a sense of peace and gratitude.
so there you have it. my working career or lack of...
I majored in SW during my first year in college. The very first practicum proved that I was not made of tough enough stuff to be a social worker. ugh - the tears!!! Every night on the way home from just being at the local community center as phone help - that's all it took. Switched my major to education and found my true spot in the career world. (And that only lasted a few years before another true calling, Motherhood, came my way.) I so greatly admire those, like you, who can help people untangle their lives. God bless you!
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