Trying to be Patient

We have received a lot of positive feedback about David going back to school. He is working on getting all of his paperwork in before classes start in early October. We are excited about the new opportunities that it will lead us into.

We are also really tired of him working swing shift right now. The evenings apart are really hard on us. We have lived this way for the last 3 years (except for that one month that he switched shifts before his co-worker quit). There is a person who has potentially been hired from the soon-to-be closing BHU (Behavioral Health Unit at Mercy) but she can't start until they close over there, which is not until the end of October. I say potentially hired because I know that all those people have put in a lot of applications for jobs and I'm sure if she gets a better one, she won't take this one.

I'm not being pessimistic, it is just how things have been going lately and I want to be prepared. I just don't want to get my hopes up. I really miss David in the evenings and I can only imagine how hard it is for him to go in every day, not wanting to be there. I am so appreciative of his dedication. He is looking for other opportunities, and we are trying to be patient.

David is Going Back to School

David and I have made the decision that he will be going back to school. The real estate market is in a major slump right now and it doesn't look to be picking up any time soon. We have been praying and talking about this for a while now, and we have decided that we cannot wait for the real estate market to (maybe) pick up in the next year. David really wants to find a career that will allow him to support our future family. David has also realized that he prefers the stability of a regular paycheck and set hours so he knows when work ends and homelife begins. This means that he is going to give up real estate for now so he can focus on school.

David only has 35 credits left to finish his Associates Degree in computer science at UCC, but since his work schedule is not predictable right now he cannot enroll in classes. We have looked at online schools and he has been accepted at AIU, the American Intercontinental University. They have some campuses in the US and all over the world, but they also have an online degree program for IT. He will be going for his AA in Buisiness Administration with a Concentration in Information Systems and continue with a BA in Network Administration once he has completed the first degree. An associate's degree is all that is required for a lot of Information Systems entry jobs around here so he would probably be able to get a job quite easily. The Bachelor's degree will eventually allow him to take a supervisory position.

We both feel very peaceful about this decision. We cannot afford for David not to work, so an online program offers him the ability to work full time and (possibly soon) get a day-shift position while still attending school and completing his degree. David is really excited about going back into computers.

I am just so thankful that we have found an online program that will work for our needs. I am thankful that we were able to make a decision about this. It makes me happy to see him so motivated and inspired.

AIU Online

First Anniversary Trip

For our first anniversary, we took a trip to Newport in the middle of the week. We stayed at a unique bed and breakfast. The Newport Belle is a paddle boat replica built to be a B&B. It was romantic and relaxing to stay on the water. The hosts are friendly and welcoming. The breakfasts were amazing, especially the shrimp quiche.

We were glad we stayed two nights so we could enjoy Newport for a full day and not have to rush anywhere. We visited the Oregon Coast Aquarium and toured the Rogue Brewery. We ate fresh local seafood at Giorgies the first night and Local Ocean on the second night. Both restaurants came highly reccommended by locals, and we have to agree that they were wonderful.

Enjoy some of our pictures below.

First Anniversary

Today we celebrate our first anniversary. Looking back, we have grown a lot in the last year. We have grown in love and appreciation for each other. We are so thankful for the time we have together.

This week we both took a much needed vacation. With Dave back on swing shift, it has been hard to find time to rest and to be together. We are really looking forward to getting out of town for a few days.

Today was fun and relaxing. Happy Labor Day to everyone! It is convenient for us to have a long weekend for our anniversary. We got some things done around the house in preparation for leaving. We went out to dinner to Rodeo Steakhouse--one of our favorites!

Weekend in Portland

Saturday morning we left, with Ken and Stephanie, to go visit Kelly and Brandon in Portland. We played two rounds of "Rubberneckers" on the way up. It is a card game for road trips. You score points by spotting what is on the cards or getting people in other cars to acknowlede you.

We got there just in time for lunch and we went to eat Dim Sum in Chinatown. Only David, Brandon and I had ever experienced that unique culinary experience and everyone had a great time. When you sit down, you don't order from a menu. They come around with carts of warm dishes of dumplings, rolls, potstickers, vegetables, steamed rolls and rice. You point to what you want and they give you however many servings you want and mark it on your ticket. We got to try lots of different foods because we ordered enough of each so we could all try everything.

We had several tickets to the LPGA golf tournament because Safeway gives them away when you shop there. We walked around for a bit, but it got really hot when the sun came out and most of us were overdressed. We ended up going to a movie at the St.John's Theater. It was called "Stardust" and we hadn't heard of it before, none of us had seen the previews, but it ended up being very good. It is a fantasy adventure. Well-made and not too cheesy. We ordered take out at this hole-in-the-wall mexican food place that came highly reccommended. It was in the back of a mexican market, very unassuming. It was delicious food. It tasted home-made, very authentic. We took it back to Brandon and Kelly's house and hung out for the rest of the evening.

In the morning I made breakfast and we headed out to the LPGA again because we had missed all the freebies the day before. Safeway has this huge tent with free samples for everyone who comes to the LPGA. We also walked around more and watched the golfers for a couple of hours. It is more interesting to watch live.

We had such a great time.

Keb Mo and Robert Clay

It is the one Half-Shell Concert that we decided we would go to this year. David got up before dawn to go put a blanket out at the park to reserve our spot. He was glad he got there at 4am because he got a great spot, just to the right of center, 20 feet from the stage. David took vacation time and left work early so he could go.

Robert Clay started out with his band and Keb Mo playing rhythm guitar, then Keb Mo played with his band in the second half. It was a great concert. We were so happy just to be able to go together. It was the last concert of the year and people even started getting up and dancing. The security guards tried to get people to sit, but after a while there were too many people dancing and Keb Mo was encouraging it. They played an encore with Robert Clay and said they wanted to play more but didn't want to get run off the stage. That is what happened last time when Keb Mo was here and I didn't want that to happen again.

We had a great time, but I can't believe that summer is almost over. We'll be celebrating our first anniversary in just over a week. We both took vacation time for the first week of September and I'm really looking forward to it.

Douglas County Fair

So we actually went to the fair this year. Dave's dad is running for County Commissioner and had a booth there. David and I agreed to work at the booth Saturday morning and we met a lot of people. I met one of the other commissioners as well. It is a different experience to be at the fair when you are a part of someone's booth. There is much more interaction with people that you normally would never meet. It was a great experience.

Last week my mom asked me to help her bring her art to the fair and she inspired me to enter some of my own art. I entered an 18"x24" cross stitch sampler and 3 photos from our honeymoon last year. My cross stitch and one of my photos won first prizes and another photo won third. The photo that won first was of a lionfish from the UC San Diego aquarium and the one that got third was of the sunset on the pier our first night in California during our honeymoon. There is some disagreement as to who actually took this picture. Dave and I are both sure we composed the shot. That's what happens when you share a camera. However, we are both sure I took the one of the lionfish. It doesn't really matter. So here they are. I'll post a picture of the cross stitch piece as soon as I am able to.


1st Place Amateur Photography, Marine category
copyright Sara Raynor


3rd Place Amateur Photography, Sunrise/Sunset Category
copyright Sara & David Raynor