gratitude

It sure has been a hectic week!

For starters, there was some kind of confusion or mix-up with time cards at Dustin's work. Getting paid is tricky when you work for America Reads like Dustin and I--- the employees turn in the time cards to their supervisors, who turn them in to their supervisor, who gives it to someone in charge of payroll. Well, this month, for some reason or another, Dustin's time card got lost in the shuffle. The result: he didn't get paid on the 25th of October. When you're living paycheck to paycheck like we are, this is a disaster. Dustin talked to the man in charge and figured out why, but there was nothing anyone could do about it. They told him he'd just be paid twice the amount next payday. Luckily, I did get paid, but we were counting on Dustin's check (which is larger than mine) to pay rent. To make matters worse, due to our recent purchase of a car, our savings account is still almost zero. For the first time since we've been married, we really didn't have enough money to cover our bills.
To make matters worse, Dustin and I have both been fighting off illness for a month or so, and finally last week we both lost the battle. I tell you, being poor and sick is very stressful. After a free (thankfully!) visit to the Student Health Center, we got prescriptions for my sinus infection and his flu. The problem was that we had no way of paying for the medication.

Of course, it is in times like this that the Lord truly shows how much he loves us. We have been blessed abundantly in the past two weeks, and I am so grateful! Last week we were worried, for the first time in our marriage, about paying our tithing. We had enough to pay it--but that was pretty much the last of our money. Well, we paid anyway, and I really believe that is part of the reason we have made it through the past two weeks. The other reason is because we have such loving friends and relatives. Dustin's mom helped us with rent, my parents helped us buy our medicine, my aunt Lauri came up and pampered all her sick kids and nieces up here in Logan with yummy hot drinks and soups and other stuff, and our friends have made us dinner so often that we haven't had to worry about not having enough for groceries. Truly, we have been blessed beyond words! Thank you to everyone who has helped us out--both the last couple weeks and the last six months since we've been married.

Yes, today is our six-month anniversary! We have had a wonderful time together since May. We are learning more about each other and we are so happy! Thanks and love to everyone who reads this--we love you!