Spreading Good Cheer

I know I haven't been a regular on the blogosphere, but I wanted to be sure to spread some good news.

Jon got a full time job! Hooray!

After 6 long months of searching, penny pinching, and frustration- something came up. Despite all of the networking, interviewing, testing and applications Jon had been working on, this job seemed to come out of thin air. He applied Monday, interviewed Tuesday, had a second all-day interview on Wednesday and got offered the job that afternoon. After all of that work to get a job it was almost insulting how quickly it went ;)

Jon's job is with a company called Business Consulting Solutions. They basically maintain smaller business for bigger business. Jon is in sales, he goes around to small businesses, see if they are happy with whatever product the bigger business offers, and then sees if he can find any promotions or discounts for them. If you're going to be in sales, this is probably the best kind, there are no lies or bad deals in the system. Also the company encourages a lot of progression and promotion- that helps mix things up and keep it interesting.

It seems like Jon will really fit in with this group and he is excited to get started. We both think he will be very successful. And we are both incredibly happy that a job has come his way!

I am proud of Jon for being so diligent during these last six months. He has kept himself busy, applied for jobs out of his comfort zone, really put himself out there for networking, and gained a lot of interview skills. Jon and I have learned a lot of lessons through this process. This is the tightest money has ever been for us. We didn't even realize how lucky we were in undergrad. That life seems extravagant now.

We celebrated last night by going to BJ's and fantasizing about what it will be like to not worry about money as intensely as we do right now. These ideas included things like: "maybe we will go to a movie every once in a while," and "maybe we will not be as afraid of strange noises from our car."

Yup. We are thankful Jon got a job.

Halloween and other Crazy Things

Halloween was a treat this year- we thoroughly enjoyed going to church on Saturday for the "trunk or treat." We had a fun time seeing what the kids dressed up as and we sneaked two candies into each of our primary kid's buckets. They were shy on trunk-or-treat night but were hyped up about the experience during our class on Sunday.

I signed up to bring dessert for the dinner held after the festivities and couldn't resist making these owl-cupcakes. So cute!



Last week was incredibly busy for both Jon and I.

Jon had a job interview (yay!) and got called for another interview, which will be next week (yay!). We are praying that one of them comes through, both are exciting opportunities. Jon has also signed up to volunteer with the Ronald McDonald house by the children's hospital, and to be a volunteer at the hospital itself in the child life department. He is currently working on personal statements, the MCAT of course, some work for his dad, and his weekly tutoring (including studying SAT vocab so that he can tutor more subjects). He is definitely keeping himself busy! And he has proved himself to be a jack-of-all-trades.

Last week I had two midterms, a paper, and two quizzes to prepare for. I also had three interviews with clinical placements sites that I will start working with in January. The good news is that I feel I did well on my midterms and quizzes. More good news is that I have been offered placements at all three of the sites I am interested in. The bad (but still good) news is that I have NO idea how to choose, they are all amazing opportunities.

Jon and I are enjoying ourselves this weekend, taking it pretty easy. We are having some friends over for dinner tomorrow and are planning on making some delicious homemade pizzas (of course). We also are hoping that next week we will have some real news regarding work and placement sites. Please pray for us!

That about sums up what is going on at the Van Wickle's. Happy November!

The Past Two Weeks

Here are some highlights from the last two weeks...

Two weeks ago, for my friend Jacqueline's birthday party we were going to carve pumpkins. Jon and I decided to hollow out my pumpkin the night before and have him carve one as well.

Jon's pumpkin...



I love it because it looks happy.



Here are all the girls, all of whom are from my program:



Alex and I attempted to do a pattern that had this cute owl... it proved to be kind of difficult. But we had twin pumpkins.



Jon and my pumpkin outside our door, ready for Halloween!



This past weekend Jon and I were able to go home. It was so nice to get a quick visit in with our parents, Amy, and we even got to see Rory!

I was able to attend Chelsey Neeley's (a life-long fiend) bridal shower. It was so beautifully done and I was glad I could attend- we had a good time laughing over all of the "dirt" we have on each other's families from knowing them for so long.

Jon is still being amazing by studying for the MCAT and is doubling-up by also studying chemistry in order to tutor more kids. He is also studying to tutor SAT prep (he has to re-learn all of that vocab, yuck!). He hopes this will create some more hours for him, also help him in his future test taking and make him more helpful at Merigroup.

I am still plugging away with school- we are already applying for trainee sites, which might start as early as January. That means I will start meeting with clients and attempting to do therapy. We already have midterms next week! The quarter system flies by, it is amazing how fast it is going. But I am loving what I am learning and am growing as a student.

This weekend we get to attend a devotional at one of my professor's homes. It will be about Christian counseling. We will get dinner and are able to bring our families, I am excited to attend.

We will also be going to trunk or treat at the church. I am excited to see our little primary kids all dressed up and having fun.

And then of course, Sunday is Halloween. I don't know if any kids will come to our apartment (there are definitely kids in the complex) but I hope they do!

Happy Halloween to all our families and friends!

This Week

I think it is about time this little blog gets an update. I have a hard time thinking of what to write when things are busy but nothing monumental is occurring. So... I will do my best to let you all know whats new.

I am two weeks into my grad program and am totally loving it. I think one of the greatest aspects of going into a program that requires you to be sensitive and kind is that all of your peers are sensitive and kind. I have made some fantastic friends that truly inspire and encourage me in this field.

It is, of course, a lot of work. I am trying to make myself read all the time. I also should be writing every day- in the course of a ten week quarter I will be writing a minimum of 75 pages in papers. One twenty pager, four ten pagers, and some other smaller ones in the mix. I am actually looking forward to it- I prefer papers to exams anyway. Also, almost everything I read and write is interesting to me (another huge benefit of being in a field you love).

Jon is a super-tutor at Merigroup, he loves this job so much. He has a great time explaining physics to his students and sometimes laments about how he wishes they wanted to accomplish more than just their homework, but actually learn the concepts. Nevertheless he is helping them be successful and get good grades at the same time.

He is also studying everyday for the MCAT (the exam you must take to apply to medical school). He has a detailed timeline written out for when to take his exam, when he should put in applications, etc.

Unfortunately we are still crossing our fingers for a full time job. Jon has taken the CBEST in order to qualify him to be a substitute teacher. He will get his scores in 10 days, and if he passed, then he can apply with the San Bernardino school district. We are really hoping this route works out- he would be able to work full time and still keep his tutoring job on the side.

Meanwhile Jon and I got a calling at church that we are very excited about. We are co-teachers for the 6 year old primary kids. This means we get to be their Sunday school teachers and we get to sit with them during primary, singing songs and trying to keep them reverent. We have TEN kids in our class, which feels like a lot! But I am really excited for Jon and I to do this together. The class is mostly boys so Jon will be a really great influence.

That sums up our week in the Van Wickle home. We are loving Redlands and know that we are meant to be here. We also feel incredibly blessed to be affiliated with Loma Linda- they are such a positive, Christian community. It really is an amazing school, I didn't know half of why it was so great when I chose to come here. So all in all, we are very happy. We are hopeful for the future (especially regarding a job!) and look forward to many new adventures.

In Loving Memory

Willard Richards Tate
June 24, 1925 - September 28, 2010



What a great grandpa I had, I never heard him speak an ill word or have a single moment of contention. He raised 7 fantastic children who then gave him 46 grandchildren. He has left a positive imprint on the world with his posterity and with his life. He lived the gospel through and through and was a true follower of Christ.

It is such a blessing to know that families are forever.

I have been MIA in the blogosphere. Sorry to my friends, I still love reading about you life and seeing what you have been up to. My one week intensive class for my program sucked up my time, my sleep, and my knowledge of the outside world. But it was oh-so-worth it.

My one week, 8am-4pm, case presentation class allowed me to get to know the other students in my class as well as the instructors, learn all about ethics, culture, spirituality and the field of psychology, and get information on how the next two years of my life will be. We listened to lectures in the morning, got in small groups in the afternoons and spent our evenings trying to do all our reading and assignments.

But it was more than just normal school. In our afternoon sessions we started doing faux-therapy sessions with our class mates. Sometimes the issues were real (yet benign) and other times they were our friend's problems or things we made up. We practiced being the client and being the therapist. We listened and learned to "join" with our clients. By the end of the week we were being video recorded and doing 20 minute sessions with our delightful "clients."

This was far more than I ever would have expected out of one week of class. It took me far out of my comfort zone. And yet, there is only one quarter until we will actually meet with our first real client. So I guess my comfort zone has been long forgotten. That comfort zone hasn't been seen since last Monday so I don't expect it to come back now.

I feel quite official, being registered for fall and given access to the behavioral health clinic. This is my new ID:



And of course, my first owned copy of the DSM. The book with every mental illness and diagnosis currently recognized by the American Psychological Association. Sometimes I open up this book just to see if I have heard of the disorder:



And while I have been at class, Jon has been working incessantly to find a full time job. He has so many different things going it is hard to keep track of everything he has applied for. But he is a trooper, and is thoroughly enjoying working as a tutor. He is also developing a great method for studying and prepping for the MCAT.

He has been an excellent support while I have been at class. I would come home tired and worn out and he would listen to all of the things I've learned. He will probably have earned a degree in MFT by the time I am done- with how much I tell him about everything.

Now I have one week off- my plan is to read Mockingjay, swim, get some sun, enjoy my freedom and then get to work. I am excited for this new experience to begin- I am looking forward to more school and more learning. I feel like a different person (in a good way) from only one week of instruction and I am curious to see who I am at the end of these two years. Hopefully Jon will still like me (ha ha).

I have a really nice mother in law who gave us this table.

I also have a really nice husband who bought me these flowers, just because.

Which comes back to my really nice mother in law who bought us a gift card to trader joes and said we should buy some flowers for our table...

which ultimately lead to my really nice husband doing exactly what his mom said.


So really, I am thankful for a really nice mother in law who raised a really nice boy.