Unemployment.

Well.
It's been a while friends.
We have been traversing the thrilling (terrifying) ground of unemployment these last 10 months.
I found a couple of part time jobs and Will has been the intrepid entrepreneur that he has always been,
and we have made it work.

And believe it or not, the last few months have actually been (dare I say it)
fun.

You see, Will caters to the underground world of vintage clothing junkies. He wholesales to vintage clothing shops in Austin.
So.
We spend Saturdays in the car, going from estate sale to garage sale, to junk shop, To look for Levis, pearl snap shirts, and wear-worn boots.

It's a treasure hunt that always smells like sweaty old man.

And. We. LOVE it.
Well, we do now.

Will has always loved it.
He craves the thrill of the hunt.
I am a terrible hunter.
I hated the smell of thrift stores
But most of all,
I dreaded the almost inevitable gift bestowed upon my doe-eyed children.

It starts with: "Aww, all kiddos need 'dem some towhys (toys). Hep yuhsef kids."

And then the four tooth smile and the hand with the lit cigarette gesturing to the toy bin.

Ah, the constant generosity of these roadside philanthropists.

Candy,
Thread bare stuffed animals,
Books,
An odd coin.

And if you go back twice, they remember your name.

CREEPY.

And it made me feel totally out of control.

Interestingly enough, that is one of the reasons I actually enjoy it now.

Because, really, our life and circumstances have been out of my control for almost a year now and wouldn't you know it,
we are okay.
Great, actually.

In fact, I realized the other day, that the thought of a steady paycheck leaves me feeling a little odd.
Like something is getting taken away.
Crazy? Maybe.

Or maybe, God has us here for a reason. Maybe it's not a coincidence that our whole family has learned the exact same lessons:

1. To let go and enjoy the ride
2. To respond to the kindness of the giver rather than always looking at the gift itself.
In other words:

Gratefulness.
In the unknown.
Gratefulness
In the strange world of faith.
Gratefulness
In the mess.
Gratefulness
Even when JR's favorite toy is a nubby stuffed unicorn with crazy eyes and cigarette burns...
Gratefulness.

So, there you go.
I can't change it.
It's still terrifying.
But boy is it fun..