TheHolcombes’ blog

This Saturday is Becca's Birthday Bash.  It is taking place from 11:30am to 3:30pm at the Teen Center and is going to be a lot of fun.  It is Africa themed, due to the fundraiser that is tied into it.  She is hoping for a large turnout.  It sure would be nice if a lot of people came to celebrate with her.  Hope to see you all there.

I talked with my Medical Review Nurse today.  She said she was out of the office all of last week, and thus my report has just moved on to the Medical Review office today.  I should hear back from them within the next TWO weeks.  Boy, that pushes things back a lot.  I'm beginning to think that maybe God doesn't want me to go to Guatemala for some reason.  Not sure, must wait and see what He has in store.

Just wanted to give you all an update.

I finished all the medical tests required by the Homeland Security.  Now I just have to wait for them to review them.  Best I can tell this is the last step before they offer me a position.  I am looking forward to hearing back from them.  The sooner the better.  Everything is in the Lord's hands for the timing of things.  The Guatemala team trip is in August and I really need/want to go on that trip.  However, I will somewhat be at the mercy of Homeland Security regarding if I can request that time off so soon after starting.  I will be past 90 days if I can get offered a position soon.

Our Guatemala and Ghana teams have a get away weekend this coming weekend.  It will be good to get to see everyone on the team.  I am looking forward to seeing who I will be able to rely on as team leaders, and how we will all get along.

March blows in interesting things this time of year.  Hints of spring, change, and some rays of hope.  I see now that I will never get what I need working at the casino.  It was a promise unfulfilled.  I am now actively looking for better employment.  I'm sure I will find it.

I think I am only weeks away from getting invited by Homeland Security to join the Customs Border Patrol team.  That could be a good step forward for me.  It is certainly something with potential for growth and a level of interest on my part.  You all will know as soon as I do regarding that.

I'm looking forward to meeting all of the people going on the Guatemala Trip this year.  We have an advance meeting coming up at the end of this month to rally together for the fundraising.  Since I am on the topic, Becca and I have finished our Newsletters and all of you should be getting a copy soon.  If you do not, please email us immediately!  :)

Two months with Friday the 13ths in them.  Back to back.  How strange is that?

I am still waiting to hear back from the Dept. of Homeland Security regarding the Customs Border Patrol Officer position.  Right now I am expecting them to offer me the position, but there are still a few details to work out before I would accept.  We'll see....I should hear back sometime in March, thus making the whole process almost 9 months long.

Things at the restaurant are still the same.  Business is steady, but low.  The managers are trying to push out about two or three of us.  I interviewed with the Beverage Dept, for a salary position.  Not something I want to do for a long time, but something that I could do that pays ok and will put me back eligble for benefits.

Missions is trying to rev up a little as we are now about six months away from the next trip.  Another first for Real Missions as we attempt to have two trips leaving SeaTac airport at the same time.  It will be neat to see it all work.  We also have an orientation get away planned for the end of March that will get everyone going on the two trips excited.  We are coming into the major fundraising season, so watch out for notification from us :)

Well, here we are in 2009 already.  This year will bring many unexpected changes (I hope).  I will hear back from the CBPO within the next few weeks.  It will be nice to find out one way or the other with them.  I am pretty much done pursuing a Police career.  I'm not really sure where to head as far as work goes if the CBPO thing doesn't work out.

Missions has it's retreat at the end of this month, and I am looking forward to that.  It will be nice to get away for a little bit, and to talk a bit about this coming Missions season.

The football playoffs begin tomorrow, and I will be rooting for Minnesota again (although they will have a very tough time).  I'm also rooting for Baltimore, but it appears that the Giants have a great chance again.

We are having a wonderful winter this year.  We have had some cold temperatures and several days of snow.  It is a nice change from the unceasing rain I have gotten used to.

Thank you to all who follow our blog and keep up with us.  We love you all and are thankful for your support.

As expected, October went by very fast, and the next thing I knew it was the middle of November!  People are asking me what I want for my birthday, and I am finally just getting a little breather from the activities of October and early November.  Wow!

Everyone wants to know how my new job is going so here is my synopsis thus far:  I like working for the casino, and I like my new job.  I am making enough right now to make it worthwhile.  I think the restaurant has a lot of potential, but a few things need to get straightened out before we will really get on a roll.  It seems the kitchen management, the restaurant management, and the customers all have a different idea of what the restaurant is meant to be.  This is creating quite a mix up and a lot of confusion.  I can only hope that we can at least get the kitchen and restaurant managers on the same page.  That would help tremendously.  Once that happens, then this job will really be great.  The hours are different...most of the time I leave for work around 3pm and get home anywhere from midnight to 2am.  I'm almost finished adjusting to the new schedule.  Becca is still working on that aspect.

It was great having some of my family here in October.  It was very nice to see them and spend some quality time with them.  It makes me sad that I will be unable to see them this holiday season.

Becca and I have both decided to go on mission trips again next year.  Becca is going to go to Ghana again, and I will return to Guatemala.  This time the trips coincide, so no one will be left at home by themselves.  I think that will work better for us.  However, that makes the trips a little more of a financial burden.  However, we have always had great supporters, and the Lord always takes care of His own.  We should be sending out letters to notify everyone once we have finished putting them together.

October is looking to be an explosive month.  I will finish my time with Triamp helping with the installations.  I will start my new job as a fine dining server at Terra Vista (Inside Snoqualmie Casino).  I will decide whether to quit Red Robin.  Our Flag Football team is playing the two hardest teams in the league back to back.  My family is coming to visit.  Our worship director is having a baby, so will be inactive.

All this in one month.  It is looking like a very busy month.  If it ends up being anything like the end of September, I will be exhausted by the time November gets here.

The Lord's will be done.

Well a lot has happened since my return from Guatemala.  A lot.  My first week back was a weird one.  I worked very little, thought a lot, solicited work, and caught up with my wife.

Two days before I left for Guatemala, I took my car in for a flat tire, and was reminded that we need four new tires.  A bill, I was not excited about.  I decided to let that decision wait until my return to the country (and purchased only the one tire I needed at the time).   Now that I am back, I have had another flat tire, leading to the purchase of the other three tires.  Woo!  Some decisions make themselves.  None the less that was an expense I wasn't looking forward to.

The week I got back from Guatemala I wrote a couple emails out to different people.  One to a friend that I know that works for a large real estate company, and one to the AV company I work with.  I also had scheduled an interview at the casino that is being built just NE of where I live.  I went in to interview for the fine dining server position.  While I was in the parking lot I ran into a couple guys from the Installations company I have worked with before.  They are doing the installation of the 150 televisons, and 175 speakers going into the casino.  They offered me full time work through the end of October.  Later that day I got a call from the large real estate company that my friend works for, and I checked my email and the AV company had offered me about 10 shifts over the next three weeks.  Needless to say I didn't feel too worried about my finances/job situation for the next couple months.  However, there were a lot of decisions to be made.

I got hired for the Fine Dining Server position at the new casino.  In the mean time I am working full time with Installations company until the training starts.  I am excited about the opportunity, and curious to see how it will go.  I have been offered full time hours with benefits.  I just want to see if I can back up the benefits with the cashflow we need.  The job starts training on Oct 15th.

My parents and sister Sara land on Oct 16th.  That will be an interesting week.  I will work for the installations company Monday and Tuesday.  The restaurant wants me to train the rest of the week.  I'm hoping I can work something out with them as I don't get to see my family much.  I am very excited to see them and am glad they are coming.

Red Robin has been a big dissapointment because they really didn't embrace me.  I never felt like they wanted me there after the second week.  Oh well.  That leaves me to job hunt some more, and look where I am now.

Flag Football started last week.  It is something that I am really enjoying.  I'm glad that my family will be in town for a game, that should be fun.  Our team is not as together as they seemed last year.  I hope we can come together some more before we get too much further.

I am working on sending out my thank you letters for those who supported me on my trip to Guatemala.  I have been waiting on a few pictures from some others who went on the trip.  I dislike waiting on others when it comes to things like this.  I would have preferred to mail out my letters two weeks ago.  Thanks very much to each of you who helped me to go!

Well that is enough rambling for now.  God bless you all.