Our working situation, my new project, birthday, and the Great Wolf Lodge

 The last few weeks have been an emotional rollercoaster. Even though we're all caught up on bills (except for rent as of today), we have still been having to make money to survive. Amazon stopped doing the whole drop all shifts at once for everybody thing. Instead, at first shift drop you are only able to pick up 10 hrs worth of shifts and then on second shift drop you can pick up the rest. Well, because of that, it has made it more equal for people to pick up shifts equally, leaving none for second shift drop. So, I've only  been able to gather 2 a week, which is definitely not enough money to survive on.

Two posts ago we talked about the Summer of Uber. It seemed like a noble concept at the time. But since I'm not at Amazon for the full 25 hours I could be working there a week, and because Uber Eats doesn't pay as much as UberX, and because Sarah and I are getting sick of it, it isn't as noble a concept anymore. Which is really too bad. We've had to work on some of my issues with getting jobs and getting healing for past traumas in my life (usually around getting mentally sick). We've also had to have lots of conversations about me gradually becoming the main provider for the family, because that is something that I am not really living up to at this time. And the healing that will have to take place if I want to become the sole provider with a new teaching job that is bound to come in the next few months. Suffice it to say, a lot of energetic work and mental work is going to have to go in to healing me mind and soul.

I have taken on a new project that, while cool, leaves Sarah wondering when she is going to get her big break in all the projects and her business that she wants to accomplish. And because she has been tasked with being the main provider for the family, she hasn't had time to do what she wants and to work on herself the way that she would feel sufficiently satisfied. She has struggled with her business from day one, even before she met me. At first I didn't help, being rather skeptical, but now I am in full support, but her working doesn't help out the situation.

My new project, which has taken up a lot of my time recently, is the creation of a new Podcast with Jacob called the Be Good and Do Good Podcast. I was able to purchase the microphone that I wanted and on my birthday it arrived (even though it said it was going to arrive later). Jake and I made plans to record our very first episode last Wednesday, the day after my birthday, and the recording went splendidly. I have been editing the video and audio, as well as creating Insta posts for it, with Jacob's help at the designing. I have also been transcribing my mission journal, which takes time as well. I have gotten to a month into the mission by now. 14 months to go. All in all, I am excited about this venture into the unknown with my brother.

My birthday was really great. We invited Forrest, Lindsay, and Jacen, as well as the Sister Missionaries from our ward over to enjoy in ground beef tacos. The Chapins brought strawberry shortcake, and Forrest mashed the strawberries in front of our eyes, while adding brown sugar to the mix. It was a fun time with friends and a nice small celebration. Nothing to big, like last year (plus I've been having a lot of celebration for myself and my life, thanks to Sarah recently.)

We decided to go the the Great Wolf Lodge in Scottsdale, because Sarah really needed a break from everything in the world. I did too. It was a fun time. We went for a night, and were able to enjoy the waterpark for the end of the day the first day, and for the whole day the next day. We got a discount on the room with the code "SPLASH." Sarah's mom gave us means to enjoy our time there. The money was actually for if we needed to get our breaks fixed, but turns out they're just squeaky.