Back in the Saddle

Or, rather, bus driver's seat. The school hired two new drivers. One of them is terrific! The other one quit after a week and a half. They tried to get teachers to drive personal vehicles. They even rented some 15-passenger vans. It still wasn't working well. So they asked me to drive until a new driver, whom they had hired, could start in a few days. I agreed to drive for a few days.

The driver didn't work out. I'm still driving. It's only been a week so far, but the driving is much easier than last year. Instead of having 50-60 students, I have 20-30 students. Also, my route is over 10 miles shorter. I'm thinking about continuing the job. They asked me if I wanted the job when the new driver didn't materialize, but at that time I didn't think it would be a good idea. Please pray for wisdom for me. The money is nice, but I need my sleep and my sanity!

My daughter and son-in-law are in Germany. I hear they were supposed to move into an apartment, but I haven't heard from them since. A youth hostel, which has rooms full of bunk beds, is not a newlywed's dream accommodation! Also, due to Oktoberfest, the hostel was booked solid. The apartment came through the day their reservation ran out at the hostel! I hope it is working well for them.

My older son is leaving for a 5-week stay in Ontario with his girlfriend. He'll be back for about two weeks before he leaves again for Basic Training. It just hit the younger son that his brother wouldn't be around much longer. It's going to be a hard transition for him, but I think it will be a good one for us. It might be emotional, though.

We're still battling schoolwork issues with the younger boy. He's already sliding into bad habits. Driving hasn't helped any because I haven't had the energy to ride his case constantly. We saw the neurologist again on Friday. She's going to put him back on Adderall, but on the extended-release version. My son tells me, after we've left the office, driven across town, and are eating lunch, that he doesn't want to go back on it because it makes him moody. I wish he'd said that at the doctor's office! We'll give it a try and see how he does. The Focalin made a noticeable difference, but he still wasn't getting his work done. And, yes, we have seen him do his work willingly, if not cheerfully, when medication was working well.

My class is going well. I'm sticking closer to procedures than I did last year, and things are running more smoothly. I also feel like I'm getting more opportunities to provide academic assistance -- that is, actually teach!

As for the missions front, things are still moving slowly. We hope to be more aggressive in paying off bills. We've had a lot of home repairs that needed to be done, and we still have more to do! That will get the house more ready to sell, so it's not wasted money or moving backwards in our "getting ready" process. It's hard to wait on God's timing, even when you know His timing is perfect!