Just Lauren writing this time....
If any of you would like a copy of Jake's work schedule just email one of us and we will gladly send it to you. If you don't know either of our emails just let us know through facebook and we will go from their.
I know there is a lot of confusion on when he's home and when he's not so we just want to clear all that up, or try to anyway.

Also, for those who have asked (and for those who haven't), my first day of work went well. As I said on facebook I think I may enjoy it a lot more than I thought I would and I can't wait until there is an opening for a full time position! Since I'm already hired I get first pick over new jobs. Jake does too, should he ever choose to leave where he is now. Being the big guy that he is he is in pretty high demand on several different units and gets moved around a lot. Lucky for him 'cause he wont get as bored as most people who are just stuck on one unit. Judging by the stories I've heard he seems to be very popular with the patients as well. It certainly makes me a proud wife--not everyone is cut out for the kind of work he does, but he does it flawlessly. :)

He gets to spend a lot of time talking with the patients who on several occasions have pushed his levels of religion, politics and other popular talking points; something I know he enjoys based on how often he mentions it to me. I've watched this man grow so much in the past few months because of all the new mental stimulation and I couldn't be happier because of it. We often stay up late talking about God and biblical teachings, comparison of different religious groups, politics, popular social debates....and so much more. Things I wouldn't even bother bringing up to him in the past when he still had his "jock mentality" and now to have HIM start these mature and adult conversations blows my mind sometimes! He truly is a smart man and it's nice to see him openly show that to me as often as he does now.

Don't worry though, he's still Jacob. Cute and cuddly, funny and quirky. And the guy everyone wants to come up and talk to, whether they know him or not. He's still God's perfect gift to those around him. :)


-Lauren

This is one of the things we used our homemade bread for.

It's just a slice of bread with melted butter, sugar, cinnamon and peaches on top; cooked for about 10 mins at 300-350 degrees. I drizzled a little more melted butter on the top after I cooked it originally and let it soak in and it tasted just like peach cobbler! Mmm!

J&L

I (Jake) just got off work but we wanted to update this so Lauren and I are going to write up a few of our latest stories then Im going to eat and go to bed (hopefully!)

We baked bread last night and (Jake) played video games till almost 4:00. We were trying to enjoy our last normal weekend before we jumped into our new schedule next week. For those who don't already know (basically everyone because we havent got around to telling people--imagine that!) Lauren starts her new job on Monday! She's going to be working at the State Hospital, too! Not exactly our "dream jobs", but it will allow us to now find a place of our own and start working on a new future together.

Speaking of new places to live... We found an apartment in Jacksonville we are considering. http://www.thefrenchquarterapts.com/unit_floorplan_details.html?floorplan_id=19276 Feel free to check it out! For the price I wasn't too sure, but Lauren has been inside them and is happy with the way they look. They are very modern and well taken care of and this one has a fireplace. Which, according to Lauren probably wont get used much, but is good for decoration.
We don't really have a second option at the moment. There aren't many decent rent houses in the area and none are as cheap as the apartment; but we are still looking. It will probably be next month when we move so we still have a little time.
 We are in the process of saving up for another vehicle. And once that is taken care of we will be working on a down payment for a house. We are young and impatient and want both now, but they will be worth the wait. We are going to pay at least half of the vehicle price in cash and pay off the rest. Originally we wanted 60%, but that darn impatience got the best of us and we knocked it down to half.
IF we stick to our budget we should have it by January and our tax return will give us a good start to the house down payment. We want to put down at least 30-35%. It's more than most would require, but the number seems reasonable and it bypasses having  to have PMI!

Well, I think that's about it. You all now know just as much as we know lol

Love,
J&L