Place #2 and #3

While we lived here, we decided to obey God and move. Casey wanted to go back to school to get his Masters. He applied to the University of Oklahoma {OU}, and things were looking great. I was thrilled to be moving to Norman, what's cooler for an OU fan than to go to school there and live in Norman. Not much. About a month before we were moving, we learned that OU dropped their Sports Administration program. Ouch! Casey started the research process over again. God provided yet again. Casey was accepted to Wichita State University {WSU} in Wichita, KS.

With little time left we made arrangements to move. I called around {yep you read that right...called} looking for housing that allowed dogs. We had Harley and he was not going to be left out. We found an apartment, sent in our deposit and then called U-Haul. After a 6 hour drive we made it to Derby, KS. We pulled up to the apartment complex {which we had never seen} and realized how good our God is. Who rents a place without seeing it first. I guess we do! Neither one of us had jobs lined up, we only had money to last us for 3 months.

Derby was awesome. I loved Derby. It had the best parks and such a small town feel to it, but yet I didn't have to drive 30 minutes to the nearest grocery store. We would take walks around the neighborhood, one time Harley found a huge stick...er, branch at the beginning of our walk and carried it the entire time {a good 45min.}

we felt safe here. It would be a great place to raise kids.

Our apartment was on the top floor {terrible idea when you have a dog}, next to a really nice young couple. We lived there for about a week when we had our first snow storm. I've never seen so much snow, it was crazy! I don't think we left our apartment for days. The first day we moved in I mistakenly put bleach in our washer to clean it, but the hose was not hooked up yet. Yep I bleached our floor. Also we had a burning log fall out of our fireplace and singed our carpet. We thought for sure we would lose our deposit. Our apt. had a dishwasher...I was in love!

As soon as we got settled in, we started looking for jobs. Casey was going to start school in the Fall and we needed money to come in. We took a leap of faith leaving camp with out jobs. God provided! We grew closer as a couple and closer to God. We had nothing else to rely on. I had applied at several childcare centers and had MANY offers but the pay just wasn't what we needed. Then after about 6 weeks without a job, I had an interview at New Song Academy {NSA}. NSA is a private school not affiliated with a Church. I was hired as a replacement for a teacher that was being fired. I taught 3 year olds and loved it. I had about 12 little persons running around and enjoying life. I got to teach about God and the kids loved it. I loved all my parents, they would constantly tell me how much better their kids were acting at home. They wanted to come to school. What a blessing those little kids were and they were so cute! I worked in that classroom for 4 months. At that time I was approached by the owner to see if I would head up their summer program. Of course I was thrilled. So I headed on over to the upper school {Pre-K - 6th}. I had about 20 kids in my summer program. We went on several field trips and just flat out had fun! When the summer was almost over I was once again approached by the owner to teach 1st and 2nd grade. I got a raise, and 9 wonderful kids. These kids made my heart happy. They loved me and I loved them. I was the teacher who would laugh with them, play basketball, swing, jump rope, and really teach them. I will never forget those kids. I am sad to think that they are all now in 8th and 9th grade. I wonder if they remember me.

During this time Casey was working for the Wichita Stealth Arena Football Team. He liked it. He also was an after school counselor for the City of Derby Recreation Department. He LOVED that job and the kids and other counselors loved him. Once the Fall semester at WSU started he became a Graduate Assistant {GA} for the athletic department in the ticket office. He had a great time doing that and met some amazing people while there.

Also during this time our contract was up at our apartment in Derby. We set out to find an apartment closer to work and WSU. We found one in Wichita for $200 less than what we were paying in Derby. Our apt. was a "Garden Apartment" which meant our windows were at ground level. It was nice, stayed cool all the time and we only had to walk up a couple stairs to get outside {again, nice when you have a dog}. The only problem with this apt., was it's a little to close to the Wichita Ghetto. Literally, like a mile away was the Ghetto. I was pretty scared most of the time we lived there. There was one time when Casey went out of town for 2 days...I didn't sleep a wink. I talked to God so much those 2 days that I am sure he was tired of hearing my voice.

Here's Harley looking out our window in our Garden Apt.

While we were in Wichita, we found a Church home. The Journey Church, they welcomed us with open arms. They became our friends, we would watch their kids, they would feed us, we would do Bible studies with them, they would feed us...do you see the trend :) It was a very small church, but has grown by leaps and bounds. I am so proud of them and proud to have been apart of their beginning. This was the first church Casey and I tithed to as a couple. We started out giving what we could and God provided. We have a true testimony of how God provides when we obey and tithe. Man, God is good!

Soon, as in 16 months after we moved to Kansas, our time was done. God was finished with us in Wichita. Casey was done with school and was searching for a job. Many applications and interviews went by...nothing. I cried many tears those few months. Then one day, while I was at NSA, Casey called me. "We did it babe. I got the job". I cried. Casey said I cried like I had just won a beauty pageant. Where were we headed? Come back tomorrow to find out.