The way it is...

I was able to briefly talk to Raul yesterday and today. It's almost like we're dating again because I get so giddy when I pick up the phone and hear his voice on the other end of the line. Unfortunately, we don't have unlimited minutes to chat about nothing important this time around, though. I have found a couple of inexpensive options to call him, but he still has to pay for air time even if he's on the receiving end of the call. So, we're trying to scale back the length of our conversations for now. Hopefully, when he goes elsewhere, he'll have Internet access so we can Skye instead. Right now, I'm just happy that I get to hear his voice daily, so I can adjust to a shorter conversation if I have to. I'll just speak twice as quickly! :)

Raul's grandparents seem to be really taking him under their wings. His family made arrangements for Raul to eat with his grandma and Lupita daily and I believe the ladies really look forward to this time. Raul was going to be cooking for them tonight, so I'm looking forward to hearing how that went. Raul's grandpa has informed him that he needs to check in with him before he goes anywhere and that he won't be going to sleep until he knows that Raul is safe at home every night. It is a little bit of an adjustment for Raul since he hasn't had to check in with anyone (other than me of course!) in a while, but he appreciates the fact that everyone is caring for him.

As I mentioned before, we are soon finding out that everything in Santa Monica is much more expensive than we anticipated. Raul thinks the reason is because Santa Monica is so far out in the boonies (my wording) that it's like they have to import everything. For this reason  (and a few others), I'm a fan of him striking out to find a new place to live as soon as he is able to, but Raul really wants to make sure that he does everything he can for his family there before he leaves. His grandmother fell last night and hit her head hard enough for her to start bleeding. Fortunately, Raul's uncle lives next door so he was able to come over. She seems to be okay today, but I know Raul is still concerned and he mentioned that he wants to be sure that his grandma will be okay before he leaves. Please keep the timing of Raul's departure from Santa Monica in your prayers. We want him to leave when God says it's time and not a day before.

Speaking of God's timing, I have really be praying and thinking about what to do about my schooling. I am nearing the end of my masters program in counseling psychology and still have a practicum and internship left to do. I was originally supposed to complete my practicum this Spring and start my internship in Fall 2012. However, both of those require a great deal of time, 10 hours a week for the practicum and 20 hours a week for the internship, and I wasn't sure how I would complete those while working full time. In addition, I would have to start applying for internship sites by this November and the thought of planning that far ahead really freaks me out right now since everything is so up in the air. Long story short, I met with my advisor today and she assured me that it's okay and even wise to wait until the summer to do my practicum and then wait until Fall 2013 to do my internship. By then, hopefully Raul will be back and things will be a bit more stable. It is hard to describe how relieved I felt after talking to her. I had been stressing for quite some time about how my school was going to fit in with "real life".  My advisor, Dr. Parent, has been a source of encouragement to me ever since I started the program in 2007. In fact, she is the person I went to when I was struggling with being single and wanting to be married after Raul and I broke up so many years ago. Oh how things do change!

In small group last night, we were discussing God's faithfulness and mercy and I was struck again with how faithful, merciful, and gracious our God really is. After years of praying for a husband and even crying over this particular man, God brought us together and I am blessed to call Raul my husband. Absence has definitely made this heart grow even fonder!