Oh Goodness Gracious

It has been two months since I've posted anything on here!! My apologies... I just kind of got out of the habit. Well, let me update you all on some things....

Okay, so the first is that Kiff's baby is due in a week and a half - on Labor Day of all days. :) She is doing just fine. She's a little small (she really does not look 9 months pregnant) and hasn't gained as much weight as might be normal, I guess, but the doctors say there is nothing to worry about. Wesley will just be on the small side. So that's his name - Wesley Adam Case. Wesley is just cause she likes the name, and Adam is after her mom whose maiden name was Adams. She has had two baby showers (one here and one in NJ) and has nearly everything that she will need. She really has been blessed by so many generous people in her life. And I must say, watching her during this time has been really neat because I'm seeing her become so much more mature. She's making great decisions and is getting her little nest ready and is more responsible around the house... She's going to be a great mom. A month or so after Wesley makes his appearance is when they will move to NJ to live with Kiff's Aunt Alice (who is her mom's sister). She is also going to be Jeff's parents' caretakers. They just need someone to help transport Jeff's mom (who can't walk) and to cook and clean for them. This will be a source of income for Kiff (Jeff and I are paying her a stipend for this service) and a wonderful answer to prayer since Jeff's parents are at the point where they really need daily help. Plus they live within walking distance of Alice's house, so all in all it's a perfect fit. We are so grateful for God's leading in this and for his provision.

That leads me to a prayer request!! I had thought that I would be working as a full-time middle school math teacher this fall, from which Kiff's stipend would come. Things have not gone as planned, however...

Over the summer, after I had distributed my teaching portfolio and applied for all posted middle school math jobs, I found out why I wasn't getting any calls for interviews. Apparently, middle schools in Loudoun County prefer that their middle school math teachers have an additional Algebra endorsement - which I do not have. Algebra is being taught more and more in grades 7-8, and a regular old Middle School Math 6-8 endorsement just isn't enough in their eyes. The problem is that to gain this additional endorsement, I would need to take the Praxis test for math grades 6-12... which includes trigonometry, calculus, probability and statistics, linear algebra... all that higher end math that I either haven't ever studied or would need to study for a long time before I could pass that Praxis test. It simply wasn't going to happen by the beginning of this school year.

I finally was able to interview for a 6th grade position but did not get the job.

So. Basically, even though this program I've been in all but promised that I would get a math teaching job, I am stuck with a certification that is almost useless in this area of Virginia. It has been a lesson in the wonderfully efficient and sensible world of the public school system.

I have decided to become certified in English for grades 6-12 as well, which they say is a also critical need area. I am taking that Praxis test three weeks from today. I've already taken the practice test and passed it with flying colors, so I'm feeling confident about it. Unfortunately, however, the first day of school is on Monday, and all English teaching jobs have been filled. And although they say that jobs can open up even on into October, I would think the chances of that are pretty slim.

The bottom line right now is that I kind of need to find a job; it would just really help with our financial obligations right now. I did apply for a study hall monitor position at a middle school in Ashburn. That would get my foot in the door and provide an opportunity to familiarize myself with the school system without actually being a contracted teacher; but I honestly don't know what my chances are of getting even that. I'm discouraged but trying to keep my chin up. (And yes, I realize that I just ended a sentence with a preposition. Don't worry... I won't do that on the exam.) :)

I know God will provide.

Oh, one more thing: our house. We had put it on the market in late May, and although we've had a lot of traffic, we haven't received any offers. Lately traffic has really dropped off. (Oops... another preposition at the end of a sentence.) We are probably going to take it a month at a time; then, come November, if it's not sold we'll likely take it off the market and maybe try again in the spring.