Today's Coffee: Aldi Brand Kona Blend with Nutmeg

So here we are... almost done with October and many new updates from New Haven. One of the most exciting things is that I am now strings teacher at a local elementary/middle school here in New Haven. The school is about a mile from our apartment (eek!) and I hope to be able to start next Monday. There is a ton of paperwork to get sorted out but needless to say this is VERY exciting! The Lord has blessed me again! I have learned so much about patience and trust through this whole journey. :) So, this also means that this is my last week at my jobs right now. It's bittersweet - I am happy to be doing what I have spent my life training for, but I have met some amazing people at my jobs. I know that we will all continue to be friends even after I leave.

I have decided to cut my hair short as well. It's high time to donate again and I really want to try something different. I've had long hair ever since I can remember and I think that I am going to do something else. I hope to get an appointment in for Friday morning. The weather has been quite temperamental here: rain, sunshine, rain sunshine. We took some lovely pictures yesterday of the beautiful fall colors. I have also been baking like a fiend. After we went apple picking (and got 20 lbs!) I have decided to make an apple pie. It's almost gone... and I baked it last night. It was INCREDIBLE! Also, cherry pie, sweet potato pie and the usual weekly brownies. I'm either a great cook or a little homesick... or both! ;)

Thomas and I are very excited about this new job - for one we will finally have a schedule. With both of my jobs that I have now we have hardly any time for each other. Now, we can begin running again and eating at normal times and practicing. Sigh. It must seem like I have gone through jobs so quickly, but the Lord was providing it all for me. He taught me to be content and trusting in His plan when I originally didn't get a teaching job - and I did. I trusted Him - and looking back, what an amazing lesson He taught me. I don't need everything that I think I need to be happy. I just need Christ. :)

Seth is coming for Thanksgiving (and hopefully Gregory for a day or so) and we are so excited to be seeing him. It will be nice to see a family member here for a holiday. Speaking of holidays... this new job also changes our visit home plans... I don't know exactly what we are going to do, but I think that we are going to drive down to see my Granny on Christmas day and then leave early the next morning for Greenville. We would then fly back to Hartford on January 2. This means paying a hefty fee for changing tickets, but we have decided that seeing family is way more important. I miss everyone a lot. I don't think that we will permanently live anywhere other than the good 'ole South. And we are excited about the new plans because that means we will get to come to Second! We try to listen to as much as we can on the live broadcast before we go to church - and we miss our church family!

Well, the dishes and laundry don't wash themselves... so I am off to finish cleaning.

In Christ,
The Russells

Today's Coffee: Aldi Brand Kona Blend

Today is October 2nd and the cool weather is really beginning to roll in here in CT! Many things have been going on the past month. I have now started another job in the mornings: I am a receptionist for a local dentist (about 5 blocks away). It all started because I teach him violin lessons and he offered me the job. The best part is that my schedule works out to where I didn't have to change anything with my retail store job. So, now 3 days a week from 8 am to 11:30 ish I am a receptionist. Last week was my first week - and it's pretty tough. Let me also note that I have a TERRIBLE fear of dentists. Like none other. Just ask my parents - nurses usually have to hold me down, I cry, I bribe them to let me go... sad really. So, I'm hoping that my fear will be eased away as I make appointments, call people on the phone and enter data... all while hearing the going-ons of a dentist office.

Also in great news: Mary Nobile is coming to visit us on Sunday! She was my roomie in college for only 1 semester but we became really great friends. She was a bridesmaid at my wedding and basically she's awesome. She's driving up to see her grandparents and will be stopping by to see us! :)

Other things... we are becoming friends with many of the organists at Yale. Concerts are by the plenty so we are getting to hear a lot of great things. Thomas' birthday is coming up on the 15th. So, that is going to be exciting. Thomas and I have a new website: http://www.thomasjulierussell.vpweb.com/
We are hoping to drum up some business for my studio opening in February and such. The weather - yesterday we hung around 55 degrees all day. We are waking up to 45 degree weather ... so yea.

Thomas is enjoying his classes - he stays busy all day and seems to be practicing 50 hours a day. (It's not really like that...) and we were not lining up in our schedules which was really sad. So now every week we have a coffee date and once a month he plans a surprise date for me. We have been learning a lot about marriage now that we are over 800 miles from our families. We make it part of our day to do personal devotions before getting on the computer in the morning and also changing our Facebook habits. We now try to not use FB to make ourselves look super cool or impressive, but simply using it as a fun tool to let others know how we are and things of that sort. I just had realized that I used FB to puff myself up or seem super awesome through statuses and other parts - and I need to become less and God more. That's the simplest way I can think of saying it. It's been a personal battle for me to worship God and to stop worshiping myself. So, anyways - that's what I've doing spiritually. Also, memorizing verses through the Fighter Verses series - it's tough but I have about 24 minutes of walking a day I do to get to work... prime time to spend with the Lord.

Speaking of walking - in October I walked over 31 miles just getting to and from work. Awesome!

I need to go get lunch ready for Thomas and I. Then off to work! Let us know how we can be praying for you.

In Christ,
The Russells