Is this...normal?

I think we are finding our normal. I'm shocked and very thankful!

We are still searching for jobs and that is still a HUGE prayer request for us and at times, worrisome. However, we balance that with the joy of being together, the blessing of having our needs taken care of and the realization that LOTS of people need jobs. This is a normal part of our normal life. :)

We have begun entertaining and it is so much fun! On Saturday we had our friends A and M over and it was such a blessing! George and M are getting closer and it's so good for them! We women love to watch them interact-it's very funny and so cute! I've never understood why people seek out friends who are just like themselves. I always thought it was boring and closed minded. I still feel that way, but I also think it's great to have some friends who are very similar. My friend A and I over the past several years have become a little more like one another and there is something comforting in that. A is bi-racial and her fiance M is from Italy. Having friends who really get the adjustment of moving from one country to another (as well as the stress it takes to have kept up that LD relationship), and the racism we have recently experienced is a real blessing! [Side note: I had hopes that in this progressive world, especially having so many Christian friends, that racism would not be something we dealt with. I was wrong.] Last night we got to hang out with them again when the guys played indoor soccer-too much fun!

Then on Sunday, after we had pretty much the best church service EVER, my parents came over and we had a very fun Raclette meal. If you don't know what Raclette is, click the hyperlink. When I visited my friends in Germany, we had a Raclette dinner and it was so cool. As a wedding gift, they gave us our very own grill and we are so excited!

Our huge news for Central TX is that it is SNOWING!! This is the biggest/most snow we have had in this area for at least 25 years. G is loving it and I'm excited too! It's very pretty.

This week is my sister's wedding (That's right, mine was a month ago and hers is this week. For those of you counting, my parents have married off 5 of their children in 21 months). We are excited to help and host my family at our apt after the event (though I'm ready for weddings to stop!). We have this weird tradition of getting together after a wedding. We eat fried chicken, unwind and talk about the day. It sounds weird once I write it, but I'm excited that we get to host!

So I think that's it, we sound more like a boring married couple now than the dramatic, bi-continental couple we were before....awesome!

1 month

Today is the one month mark since G has been in America! I can hardly believe it! Now that we have begun our forever, we don't really count days or anything, but I wrote this date on my calendar a while ago. ;)

Things are really wonderful! So much has happened in such a short amount of time and we are truly blessed. It feels so normal to be together here and to be living life, it shocks me that it's been such a short amount of time. This has been a packed month for George especially. He has experienced so much and has handled everything so well! I knew he would do well, but he has surprised me with how smoothly and quickly he has taken up life here. What a man!

The job hunt continues, we have faith and hope for good things to come! Please keep praying.

We are settling in just great and we may or may not be turning into homebodies! Ha! G is great at helping me be more water and electricity conscious, which for an American, I already was and I now find myself telling other people to turn the water off! He is a huge help around the house (I hardly do dishes, never iron and don't really clean the bathroom anymore) and he ALWAYS makes me laugh! Life is so fabulously different. Aside from just being in the same place- we are enjoying cooking together, grocery shopping, going to the gym (I have joined the ranks of really awesome wives who do their workout time and watch their husband for the rest...I like that system) making life plans and watching the Olympics! Life is so good and we are very blessed.

Wedding PICTURES!!

They're in reverse order, but whatever. Here are a few of my favs....

An update...

I'm slacking in my blogging lately. Oh well, life is wonderfully busy and fabulously less dramatic!

The job search is in full swing! The job seekers network at our church wasn't quite the best fit, so we are searching alone for the time being. G didn't really fit into their box of what a job seeker is, wants and needs. If someone doesn't understand or even sympathize with the whole new immigrant thing, then they tend to do more harm than good and be a discouragement. We don't need that right now! The down side of not going to the job thing anymore is that my dad spent time taking George and that was SO SWEET! I would hear how wonderful my dad is about as much as I heard about the actual job meeting! Adorable! We are very thankful for the support we get from my family.

We have tremendous faith that God will show us what to do and come through for us. We also understand it may not be as fast as we'd like or look the way we think it will. Before G arrived, the thought of both of us looking for work and how two new jobs would logistically fit in was pretty daunting. However, now that he's here-those worries are on the back burner! Please pray with us that God would provide the perfect jobs for both of us and that the transportation (1 car, 1 driver, 2 people going to 2 jobs) would work out smoothly!

It is cold! Not snow on the ground cold, like the DC area, but for an African and Texan...it's about as bad!

Things are so wonderful right now. I know it's the honeymoon phase and whatever, but truly, life is good now that we are together. I hope I always remember the struggle and prayers to have George here and never take it for granted. My worst of days when he's here are still better than my best days when we were apart. I'll stop the mushy stuff now.

Our wedding photographer is uploading pictures tonight and I am SO excited!! He posted one and it beautiful! You can see both of us! George is brown, not black and I am my normal white, not a ghost. Amazing. I'm so pumped! We have empty frames waiting for wedding pictures and I can't wait to fill them.

George is discovering new American things everyday and I love watching it. Last night, he pumped gas for me since it was so cold-it was quite the sight! G had only gotten the run through on how to pump gas once (it's all full-service in Ghana with OLD gas pumps) and the station we went to had new machines. I was particularly classy, twisted around in the driver seat shouting directions to him through the back window which was open about 2 inches-I had to shout because he couldn't hear me otherwise. When he finished, all we could do was laugh, it truly could have been a comedy sketch! He also discovered Jerry Springer (I didn't know that was still on!) Dr. Phil and Oprah yesterday. Thankfully, he didn't like any of them!

Marital bliss...

As you probably guessed from the absence of blogging, (or from facebook stalking me or actually being there) last week was the BIG DAY! It was so completely wonderful and I really cannot imagine what could have made it better, other than the impossible-having ALL of our family and friends there! It was a bit chilly here, but we got through just fine. I can’t wait to get the pictures! We had a blast, we felt so loved and we ATE! Here are a few fun things before the picture post…

When I was waiting in the lobby of my hotel with my dad to go out to the ceremony, this guy kept telling me how beautiful I looked and was going on and on. It was a bit weird, but my dad and I just laughed it off. Then, he came back (for like a seventh time) and gave me a rose, which didn’t go with my bouquet, and introduced himself. It was Eddie Vedder, front man of Pearl Jam. Haha! That’s Austin, people!

One of the things we had at the wedding was a more personal guest book. It had individual pages with questions for the guests to answer and to give advice. Reading it this week was SO MUCH FUN! G and I laughed and laughed. Nearly everyone said something about us having babies, lots of babies or beautiful babies. The advice was my favorite part. From a couple who was career focused and started their family into their 30s, Have kids while you’re still young! From a couple who struggled to have kids and that was a big focus in their lives, Enjoy your time getting to know each other before you have kids. From an old family friend who has been married 30+ years, Settle all arguments while you are naked-they usually settle pretty fast. I guess that’s the secret to a long and happy marriage! Ha! Seeing everyone’s perspective was a lot of fun and I’m glad we have this memento to keep for many years to come.

We’ve had a wonderful week settling down and settling in (thanks a TON to my mom who filled in for me at work this week!!!!). We have been able to relax and have been productive as well-it's been great! We are just so happy about life and are looking forward to our future! We are so thankful to God for taking us this far and to all of our family and friends who have been so supportive.

This is bliss…