Excitement

Soo a couple exciting things happened in our life this past week. Nick was called in for a second interview last Friday and was offered a job on the spot. He will still be doing care taking in a residential setting but will be going back to working more with the mental health population, which he has enjoyed in the past! It is a filler shift so he could be working any shift that is needed, but the nice thing is if no one calls him for a shift then he can still go into the office to do work so that he still gets full time.
The other excitment in our life is that I have accepted a full time job with the Health Department in their HIV/STD/HEP program! As I mentioned in my last post I have no intention of leaving the health department for as long as we are in Portland, so I am super excited...and of course...benefits...which included is a free bus pass. For those who don't know, I mostly take the bus so I am super excited abut that perk lol. I have also been told that I got hired in super fast even for my current on call position, so I am feeling incredibly blessed and thankful. So I will still be doing the same stuff I am doing now in regard to needle exchange and naloxone training but in addition to that I will also be doing HIV/HCV testing, getting certified in phlebotomy, some wound care and medicaid and insurance enrollment. So I am super excited this is exactly where I wanted to be right now in terms of a good mix between social work and public health!!
Anyways that is our good news! We are extremely wonderful. Portland has been amazing to us!!

I will make Nick get on here and update as he finds out more about his new job!!

update

okay okay...I know we are long over due for an update...but in my defense I've been without my laptop for almost a month, as the screen cracked and it was in the repair shop...we finally got it back but the part was faulty...soo it is now back in the shop and I am using my old laptop, which really isn't reliable. But here's hoping it last long enough to get this post out!

So what's new in the Crazy Life of the Stephens? Well, not a lot really. Nick has been doing a little searching for a new job, or at least hoping to go full time at his second job and either quit or move to on call at his primary job. I have been picking up a few more hours at work which has been great. I also am now in the beginning stages of prepping for the GRE and preparing to apply for the dual MSW/MPH program at Portland State University. My hope is to do school part time if I can. I have a great foot in the door at the Health Department, and I have no intention of ever leaving them for as long as we are in Portland.

We have attended a few more events and have made a few friends. We went out for drinks with one of my coworkers and her partner a couple weeks ago and that was fun. We also have another friend who promises to take us on lots of awesome hikes this fall and winter. So we are super excited. We try and spend a lot of time especially on the weekends with our cousins, Heidi and Mantu and their girls who we completely adore! I got to participate in girls day last weekend with Heidi and her oldest daughter. We spent the day at the mall. What happens at girls day, stays at girls day. But I can tell you it was filled with shopping, chocolate and delicious food. Saturday and Sunday of this past weekend Nick was a super trooper and worked a double each day, basically 6 am to 11 pm both days, and again had to be back to work at 6am today! I spent yesterday at Apple Festival with Heidi and Mantu and the girls, we tried lots and lots of different apples, had delicious dessert, and then later Heidi and I went and got Vietnamese food for everyone and it was delicious! I surprised Nick when he got home with some warm apple cobbler with ice cream on top =)

So just a quick update for everyone, as I know many people have been asking.

We will try to write more often!