Trick or Treat!

Happy Halloween! We had a lot of fun out trick-or-treating this year, as the kids were both very into it. Here's a few pics from our evening:

Moira as "Silvermist" - one of Tinkerbell's fairy friends from the upcoming Disney Fairies movie

Ian was Diego (the animal rescuer) this year and had a lot of fun with his nifty "rescue pack"

Our two trick-or-treaters ready to start the night!

Making our way around the neighborhood with Diane, Kindra (ghost) and Ben (Batman)

We had perfect Halloween weather this year, as the fog started to roll in just around sunset! Talk about setting the right mood!

The kids counting their loot after a hard night's work, with the puppy watching very carefully!

A quick update

I just wanted to give a quick update on the job situation with Frost & Sullivan. John got back to us to let us know that the Analyst position in Aerospace & Defense is still a possibility, but it's hit a bit of a snag. I guess the hiring manager is trying to decide whether he wants to hire another Air Force guy into a team of all prior Air Force, or if he'd like to try to get some representation from other branches of the military (Army, Navy, etc). That's delayed the time frame a little for now.

The good thing about it is that John took Collin's resume to their Human Resources person, and she suggested he take it to Jon in the Technical Insights division, because he's looking for a few people. So, John took it to him, Jon looked it over and said Collin's resume looked really good. He asked what our time frame is and how soon Collin would be available, since the position is open right now. He told John to please tell Collin he'd be calling him in the next couple weeks (by the end of the month) to discuss the opportunity with him. This position is for an Analyst in the Technical Insights division, which Collin is really interested in. One day he could be researching SATCOM systems and the next day it could be heart monitors... and for those of you that know Collin well, you know that would be PERFECT for him! He's so smart and always interested in the way things work and will get these urges to go research the way things work, just because he wants to know. :)

Please be in prayer over this opportunity for us! We decided yesterday to try to move our separation date up to the 12th of January, which after 6 weeks of terminal leave, would put us in San Antonio around the 3rd of December. It's a bit of a risk, as there's no guarantee we'll have a job by then, but we're just at the point where we need to be in San Antonio soon, and we can't do as much from here. It means forfeiting about a week and a half of pay, but we think in the long run it'll be worth it. We're very excited to get home and start making a life for ourselves there! We know God is in control of this whole thing, and we're so thankful that He is. Thank you for all of your prayers, support and encouraging notes and e-mails - God blessed us so with such wonderful family and friends!

Silly kids...

Here are just a few fun pics of the kids from this last week that I thought I'd share! (Thanks to Janessa for taking them and sending them to me.)

Here's Ian out to lunch with the girls (Mommy & Janessa) enjoying his spring roll! Janessa just couldn't believe that he was eat Thai food!

(I think Ian's face says "What? It's still food, right? Then I'll eat it!")

Moira being "beautiful" for the camera in Mommy's new scarf from Iraq that Mommy's best friend sent for her birthday! (Thank you Aunt Dara, we love it!)

Here's Ian finally getting to wear Moira's poncho in the car, preceding a bit of a hissy fit after being told he's a boy and boys don't wear pink ponchos! ;)

A "hot" iron in the fire...

Well, as much as I'm trying to keep from obsessing over the job search, I figure it's about time to update y'all (I'm getting back into Texan mode, can you tell?) since we have some news, and lots of you have started asking about it again.

Last week, through "coincidental" means, we got a lead on a possible job for Collin. My dad teaches a couple computer courses at Northwest Vista College and has an older student, John, that had been absent from the last few classes. When my dad asked him what was going on, he explained that he's been really busy with work. That lead to a discussion where my dad found out he works in the aerospace defense division of a consulting/market research company called Frost & Sullivan. Dad, as a gee-wiz, asked him if there were any job openings, and told him a bit about our situation. According to my dad, John's eyes lit up when he heard that Collin was a Space & Missile guy and said he'd been interested in getting Collin's resume. So, John e-mailed us with his contact info, we sent off Collin's resume and cover letter to him, and they had a good hour+ long conversation last Thursday on the phone. John told Collin he looked like a good candidate for the Analyst position and then he hand-delivered Collin's resume to his boss for us on Tuesday. According to John, he expects we should hear from his boss by the end of next week, so we're now trying to wait patiently and hoping for the call. This looks like it could be a very good opportunity and Collin would be great at this particular position, so we're feeling cautiously optimistic.

Now that I've caught you up, I sincerely ask for your prayers over this job opportunity. As I've said, it seems to us like this could be "it" but we don't know what God has in store for us. I would ask (so boldly) that you pray this would be the job God's been planning for us all along, that I'll be patient and wait on God's timing, and that God will continue to give us His peace. We know God is in control, that He has a plan for us and that He'll continue to be ever faithful! Thank you for your prayers for us, loved ones, we count each and every one of you as blessings in our lives!

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." - Philippians 4:6-7

Birthday Weekend

Thank you so much to all of you that remembered my birthday today! I'm sitting at home enjoying a relaxing day with Collin and my kiddos home - it's quite convenient to have your birthday fall on a federal holiday!

We've had a great weekend, starting with our day at the Avocado Festival in Carpinteria on Saturday, and finally getting to go to the drive-in movie theater last night! We took quite a few pictures to document the weekend, so of course I'll be sharing those with you!

There were so many funny things to do with avocados at the festival! Everything from arts and crafts with avocados to vendor booths to avocado growing contests...

...and of course, it wouldn't be the Avocado Festival without lots and lots and LOTS of guacamole!!! Yum! (Wish you could've been here Mom Wilhite!)

Can you believe there's such a thing as avocado ice cream?! How was it, you ask?

Ian's face says it all - quite yummy! It was very creamy and a touch sweet, but I did have an overwhelming desire to finish it off with some tortilla chips! ;)

Our little family at the drive-in!

My boys snuggling up in the crisp autumn air, watching "The Game Plan"

My sweet little girl asleep in her carseat on the way home!

It's been a wonderful weekend so far, and I'm going to go enjoy the rest of my birthday with my family! Much love to you all!

Gloria

I haven't written in a few days because I've been working away on a project for a dear friend in my Tuesday morning bible study. Gloria is one of the wonderful Christian women that God has brought into my life recently. She was diagnosed with Ovarian cancer a little over a year ago and while it went into remission, it's now come back, and so she's started another round of chemotherapy.

God has put her on my heart so much over the last couple weeks, that I really felt God's pull to "do" something. I found some information online about a prayer shawl ministry, and knew that that was it. I started this shawl for her in prayer, knit it while praying for her and said a final prayer over it and her once it was complete. My bible study group and I had the joy of giving it to her today before we started, along with a handmade card that we all signed.

Written in the card was this: "May God's grace be upon this shawl...warming, comforting, enfolding and embracing. May this mantle be a safe haven... a sacred place of security and well-being... sustaining and embracing in good times as well as difficult ones. May the one who receives this shawl be cradled in hope, kept in joy, graced with peace, and wrapped in love. Blessed Be!" My prayer is that God will heal this loving child of His, and give her many more years to bless others as she's blessed me.

If you'd like more information on prayer shawl ministries, you can visit: http://www.shawlministry.com/.