Getting To Work. . .

At long last, Michelle received her first notification that she has been credentialed by an insurance company - Highmark Blue Cross/Blue Shield, no less!  It's one of the largest in the area, and a lot of people have their coverage through them.  After a brief meeting with the office manager this afternoon, it looks like she'll start seeing clients as early as next week!  What a blessing.  She'll actually be working for a different practice than what we originally told you:  Western PA Psych Care was a good practice, but did not offer quite as much in the way of opportunities, benefits, and even office space than the practice she settled on - Beaver County Psychiatric Services.  It's a practice housed in an old Victorian home a few blocks from our new house.  In fact, Michelle can walk to the office in 7 minutes!  The office staff is fantastic, she is impressed by the coworkers she has had a chance to meet so far, and is excited to get back to work.  Remember her long-standing dream of being a stay-at-home mom with no kids??  Well that has LONG fallen by the wayside.  It didn't take her long to figure out that staying at home is only fun if you have expendable income to do whatever you want during the day.  And without a job, there is no expendable income!!  So she has definitively concluded that she'd rather be working.  Which is a good decision, because she'll be starting before we know it!

Our New Home

Here are a few pictures of our new home.  This house is several hundred square feet smaller than our home in Grand Rapids, but what it lacks in size it makes up for with some really cool features that are commonly found in houses over 100 years old - like ours!

First of all, our house has four fireplaces.  Not all of them are operational, and we're treating all of them as decorative until we get a chimney specialist to come out & let us know our options.

One of the other neat features we have is a pocket door that separates our living room from the hallway/entryway.  It needs a little TLC, but once the old paint is stripped off it should look pretty nice.

Our kitchen is atypical for a house this old, because it has an open wall that looks out into the dining room & a sitting room.  This was a modification, since what is now our kitchen was, back in the day, the back porch!  The owners who originally added the kitchen were really thinking when they made the kitchen with an open plan - it makes it look and feel much bigger than it actually is.

Our back yard is pretty small - much to Rick's delight.  And we have a deck off the kitchen (snow-covered at the moment!) that we're looking forward to using a lot as we continue our tradition of summer backyard cookouts.  Rick already has his eye on his choice for our new grill!  Michelle, on the other hand, has dreams of spending relaxing evenings on the front porch. . . maybe on a porch swing??!

Well, that's the basics of our new home.  It has 3 bedrooms & a bathroom upstairs, an attic, and a basement that has a cement/dirt floor and houses our washer & dryer.  Not elaborate, but it's home and is all set to host YOU when you come for a visit!

Three's A Charm

Well, it looks like three's a charm. . . we just moved for the third time in six months - but this time FINALLY into our new home!  With the generous help of some friends both near and far (the Hendriksma's from MICHIGAN were here to help us move!) we got the last piece of our furniture all under one roof this past weekend.  We've been unpacking all week and getting rooms set up.  Our new house is smaller than the home we had in Grand Rapids, but that's not necessarily a bad thing.  It makes for some creative furniture placement and lots of selling on Craig's list, but it's an adjustment that we're sure we'll be happy with in the long run.  We'll try to get some pictures of the new house this weekend, and will post them soon so you  can take a look. 

Licensed. . . FINALLY!!

Yes, it's true. . . after checking the PA state website every day for almost 2 months, Michelle found out today that her Pennsylvania license to practice clinical social work has been granted. Gainful employment, here she comes!  The next step, though, is becoming an approved provider with the various area insurance companies.  Once she gets those stamps of approval, she can get started.  And that's just a matter of filling out on-line provider applications.  Approval should be granted (if they approve her) in just a few weeks.  Woo-hoo!  Thanks to all of you for your prayers in this regard.  We're almost there!

It's Fall Break Already!

Check Rick out, hard at work in his new office at Geneva College!  He actually just finished teaching his first class ("College Students in America") this week.  The graduate program at Geneva is set up in "Terms" instead of semesters, so his first term ended this week and now he's enjoying "Fall Break" before he starts his next class.  Next term he'll be co-teaching the class with a colleague, so that should be a lot of fun.  Rick is really enjoying his work, and is still amazed at the slower pace his work has taken these days.  It's much different than being a college administrator, that's for sure - emergencies are now someone else's concern, and at the graduate level he's not encountering a lot of that.  Just teaching, grading, mentoring his students, & developing his classes.  What's not to love??!

Buying A House

Yes, it's true, we've found a house here in Beaver!  It's not a very big house, but it has just about everything we were looking for and should suit our needs just fine.  It's about 5 blocks from where we currently live above the bakery, but is on a one way street that is very quiet.  We're only 4 houses from a park where Berman can chase squirrels & children - whatever happens to be around!  That is, if Berman even wants to come live with us anymore.  She's having a blast staying with Michelle's parents & playing all day every day with their puppy Sadie.  Anyway, back to the house - we're scheduled to have it inspected on October 16, and close on November 24.  We'd take possession that day, so we'll be moved in before the holidays!

What about our house in Grand Rapids, you ask?  Well, we didn't sell it as we originally planned, but found a great couple that we know from Calvin who will be renting it from us for the next year or so.  And maybe even deciding to buy it after that!  So it's a win-win situation for us and for them, and we're excited to have someone moving into the house & loving it as much as we have.

Becoming Gainfully Employed

At last, Michelle has found a job that she's really excited about.  She just accepted a position at Western Pennsylvania Psych Care right in Beaver - only about half a mile from the apartment!  She'll be an independent contractor, building up her practice and seeing individuals and families in the community who desire counseling services.  Perfect for her!  She'll get to set her own schedule and hours, and will be enjoying some nice flexibility.  Of course, it's nothing like having summers off, but she's guessing it's the next best thing.  Now it's all about getting the proper paperwork, credentials, & approvals from insurance companies that she will be billing for her services.   Hopefully that won't take too long, and she'll be up and running in no time!

Ahhh, Home Sweet Home

Yes, it's pretty fun living above the most popular bakery in town.  Michelle has made it a goal to try one of everything they sell while we live upstairs.  The problem with that is that they sell over 200 different items!  Any guesses on how much she will weigh when we move out?  Better not answer that!!

Here We Are!

Well, here we are - settling into our "new" life in Western Pennsylvania.  Transitions are so fun, aren't they?  We've had an interesting 7 weeks as we've moved everything we own from our home of 12 years in Grand Rapids, Michigan to our new residence in Beaver, Pennsylvania.  What a ride!  But it's been a lot of fun in the process.  Our first apartment (we were there for 3 weeks) was above a welding shop.  Our realtor graciously let us live in one of her apartments while we figured out what to do - rent, or buy.  In the end, we decided to rent until our house sold.  A decision we didn't really want to make, but one that we know is wisest - especially in today's market!  Once we decided to rent, we found a little gem above a popular bakery right in the heart of our new town of Beaver, PA.  A 3 bedroom little abode that is suiting our needs just fine.  So. . . here we are!

What's been happening, you ask?  Well, where to begin!  We found a new church almost immediately.  First Presbyterian Church is not even a block from our new apartment, and is the church Rick attended when he was an RD at Geneva College 17 years ago.  We tried it out, found the congregation to be most welcoming, the pastors to be godly men with a solid biblical base, and the rest is history!  Michelle had lunch with the pastor's wife last week, has gotten connected with some volunteer opportunities, has joined a local bible study, and is going for training this weekend to become a facilitator for marriage & relationship workshops!  

Yes, Michelle is getting involved in a lot of things and having a good time in the process.  She's the "wildcard" in the Zomer Inc. equation because she made this transition not knowing exactly what she'll be doing when it all shakes down.  She has applied to numerous jobs, has been on 4 interviews, declined 3 jobs, and is on the threshold of accepting one as early as tomorrow!  But more on that as more is known. . .

Rick is loving his new role as professor.  His schedule is much more flexible than his administrator's schedule has allowed for the past 12 years, and he is absolutely loving it!  He goes to work in jeans every day (big surprise there, right?? . . . and much to Michelle's dismay!), and spends quite a bit of time at his "satellite office" - a.k.a. Starbucks - that is just 4 doors down from our apartment.  God has a sense of humor, doesn't he??!

The housing situation remains a source of . . . what?  Anxiety maybe?  Not quite that strong.  Frustration?  Maybe that's a better word.  Although we love it above the bakery & like being in the center of everything, we can't have Berman there & would love to move into the house we've finally chosen - we haven't bought it yet, but it's a perfect situation because the seller won't be quite ready with all the updates until late fall.  So we've put in an offer to close near the holidays, hoping that by then things will come together with the sale of our house in Grand Rapids.  We're praying that all comes together nicely!

A lot of you have been asking about Berman.  She's with Michelle's parents in Gettysburg, and is actually loving life.  She's become quite the "country dog" since late July when we dropped her off, and spends her days playing with 5 month old Sadie, her new little chocolate lab best friend.   She helps Michelle's Dad in the garden, and her Mom in the kitchen.  So she has a lot to keep her busy.  We have a feeling that when the time comes she may not want to come back with us!  But she's doing well.  I think we're having a harder time with the separation than she is!

So, this ends our very first-ever "blog" - I can barely bring myself to admit that I'm writing one.  It seems so "teeny-bopper"!  But it's the best way I can find to let the masses know what we're up to & what's been going on.  So any time you're wondering about the Zomers, come here & find out what's up!

Talk to you soon - and thanks for your continued prayers & for your endless love and support.  We feel it!

Rick & Michelle