Hello Again,
I was wondering what to share with you all today. Then it came to me!

So many people ask me what I do all day, and do I like staying home for a 'living' now. That makes me laugh so hard!

Let me say this, it was very difficult for me to learn to be content with staying home, those comments did not help things out. Not. One. Bit. You see, I have had a long and adventurous employment history! I had begun my first employment in the eighth grade at Art's Parkway Market in Brooklyn, Ohio. I loved working there and made so many friends. My brother also worked there. We would ride our bikes there in the summertime and I only got one flat tire the entire time! Sometimes my dad or mom would pick us up after work and toss our bikes into the trunk of the car. 

Those were the 'good old days!' We would unload trucks of produce and flowers and then sell to the customers. I loved working in the air-conditioned deli / amish cheese area. I learned how to 'cut the cheese' correctly!! Hahaha  No, but really, there is a science to slicing it and also wrapping it so that it remains good for a long time. We didn't have to bring our lunches either. For almost a dollar we could buy deli meat, cheese, fruit and veggies, and then there was always the 'oops' watermelon that was 'accidentally' dropped when unloading the trucks. Someone had to eat it!! Then when we worked into the evenings, there was always the Homemade Honey Ice Cream stand next to the market. 

I worked at Art's until I graduated High School (11th grade for this over-achiever) and headed to Cleveland State. I also had gone to Cosmetology School after my regular school hours so that I could pay my portion of the private school I attended. My brother paid a portion of his private school too. We truly appreciated being able to attend these elite schools and worked hard both scholastically and physically to be able to do so. My weeks resembled this:  Monday - Friday: Nazareth Academy until 3:30pm; Mon/Tue/Thur Cosmetology school from 5:00pm - 9:00pm. Weekends at the Market from 9:00am - 6:00pm, then hurry home on Friday and Saturday night to go to the CYO or local school dances. Gosh it was a busy existence! And I loved it!

Then I worked full time at several different styling salons. Though I was very gifted as a stylist, my personality did not fit as well and I knew that there was more out there for me to conquer. Hahaha!! Then I got a job at Bearings, Inc in the accounting dept reconciling books (before online spreadsheets kids.) There I transferred to the Computer Department and learned computer operations from the bottom up and worked so many different odd shifts I hardly knew if it was daytime or night time. I became a lead operator and worked on creating flow sheets for all of the programs so that we didn't have to do it by pure memory. During that time I was also the Worship Leader for Freedom Chapel, and I taught middle school Sunday School classes. 

When we moved to Tulsa in 1981, I worked for several different companies in their Computer Operations departments, and finally with Sooner Federal Savings and Loan as their Data Control Supervisor and Computer Operations Mgr. I worked there when Roy and I married and until Rachel was born, then my 'working' career took on a different look for awhile. When Roy and I moved to Seattle, I was blessed to be able to be a stay at home mom to raise my children until they all started school. Now there were times when I needed to take on temporary work to help out, which I did gladly, but we always worked it out where one of us was with the kids, and maybe only had a babysitter for an hour at the most. That was important to us! We were always very involved with church as well, and we volunteered in many different areas. God had also conveyed to Roy and I that our kids were to attend private Christian schools through the 12th grade. Great. I thought where would that money come from?? And you know what, God always saw to it that I had a position either with the schools that my kids attended, or was able to volunteer on my time off at the schools they attended.

When Aimee entered kindergarten, I was asked to become the Children's Pastor at our church, Mill Creek Foursquare. I was so honored to be able to serve the children and their parents and to teach the teachers how to teach. I would go into work after I dropped the kids off at school and work until Aimee was picked up at 12:30pm. That way I was home with the kids after school. On Mondays I was the 'Lunch Lady Monitor' at the school. As they were eating I would read a story that never seemed to end and then off to the playground to run off some energy! On Thursdays Aimee would come back with me to the church in the afternoon because I had a staff meeting. She would rest and watch videos (and nap) during that 90 mins. In 1995-1997 I also was blessed to run an after-school program at the apartment homes that we had moved into. I was able to utilize the extra curriculum that we had from our church and the apartment management also purchased all sorts of game materials for us to utilize. My children helped with this and we all looked at it as our Family Outreach to our community. So many kids came to know Jesus through that time. I had the privilege of working at Mill Creek Foursquare and the apartments until we moved back to Tulsa in 1997. 

When we arrived back in Green Country, I took the first school year off of searching for 

employment to ease the transition of the family from Washington to Oklahoma. It was quite the adjustment for some of the kids (and me). But we knew we were supposed to be here. God knew what he was doing! Then the following year, Chris Yenni, the Children's Pastor at Grace Fellowship (whom I knew from hosting Children's Seminars in WA) hounded me until I accepted the position as his secretary and Pastor Mike Goolsbay, the Youth Pastor was stuck with me too! The position was with both of them! Oh my goodness we all had a blast! I secretly felt pulled to and loved working with the Youth so much!! While at Grace, I worked for both the school and church at different times. After the Youth and Children's Dept, I transferred to the IT Dept. I went full circle from where I started years ago in Cleveland. This time I was able to do the Help Desk as well as be secretary. How fun!!! I loved it too!  Then I transferred several years later to the school side and was kind of the IT liaison for the school and church while assisting in the High School office for Mr. West. I needed 4 more hours a week to substantiate my position, so they put me in as assistant librarian to work (annoy) Alice Sheth too! Alice and I became fast friends, and to this day if she needed me, I would be there, and visa versa. 

When it was time to move the kids to Victory, God opened up yet another position for me. Secretary to the Athletic Director. That was an amazingly busy job! Nowadays they call it Admin Assistant. I think it should be named Jack of All Trades (right Rachel?)!  I loved the diversity of the position. From one hour to the next you could be doing a plethora of things! There again I was able to serve the kids and families of Victory. Then when all of our kids graduated, I moved onto computer things again, this time in Web design and brochure designing. I worked at Cox Media for almost 4 years, and loved my evolving position there. I was a Web Producer and Web Content Specialist for 4 of the major radio stations in the Tulsa area. Then I was laid-off in Oct of 2011 when corporate moved all of the Web Producers to headquarters in Atlanta, but not the people. Nice severance package though. 

Now I am a stay at home wife. I am a kept woman. I love it!!!  Now it took me almost 3 years to get into that mind frame. I always loved cooking, but now I really love cooking and figuring out new recipes. We have 3 diabetics in the family here, and one is Type 1. So I am constantly trying to find and tweak recipes that give the most flavor and least amount of carbs. I have really come up with some great ones too!  Check out my Recipe page on this blog. We are mostly gluten and grain free here, so most of my recipes will follow that trending.

I also started a Stitching Group titled: Saved By A Stitch. Right now we are on Summer hiatus, but will beginning back again soon!  I love having people over and love teaching, and love crocheting and knitting and doing needlework, so this is such a win-win for me! I just wish I had the room to have mom's with young kids! But right now I do not have anywhere for the kids to play. Some day. It will come. I know that in my knower.  

Ok.. all that to say... I love an adventure and my life has been one awesome adventure so far!! How many people can say that they have been a: Cashier, Salesperson, Hair Stylist, Accountant, Computer Operator and Programmer, Children's Pastor, Teacher, Secretary, Web Producer and Content Specialist? (and race car driver.. but we will address that at a different time).

You know of all of the things I have done so far, there are 3 that I am most proud of:

• Wife
• Mother
• and most of all... Daughter of the King of Kings 

Blessings on you! 

Signed...... Christine

A Muse of the Remnant

Prayer Corner:

Psalm 37:23-24 – “The Lord directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives. Though they stumble, they will never fall, for the Lord holds them by the hand.”

Thank you Lord for my journey so far. I know that at times I either stepped off of the path or zigged when I should have zagged. Thank you for being faithful even in those times. I cannot wait to see what the next 55 years hold for me. Thank you for the adventurous nature that you placed in me.