A Look At The Past And Toward The Future

Greetings Friends and Family!

The Dallas skyline, pretty cool

As you are aware, it has been a few days since I have last written a blog post.  Alas!  This will be a
more common occurrence as I become more busy!  Nevertheless, I shall work hard to make sure that I do a weekly update so that you are all in touch with our lives as well work and study hard!  Unfortunately, this means that a majority of posts will be a regurgitation of all the studying and homework that I am doing!  Although, there will be nuggets of gold when I write book reviews and, perhaps, write a theological opinion.

Shalyn is trying to hide from the camera... again

What has happened since I last posted a blog entry?  Well, we moved into a new hotel for three days
and it was a Raddison hotel!  We were lucky enough to receive an upgrade for free and are staying in a two room suite with a full size refrigerator!  The refrigerator matters because Shalyn has to store all of her insulin in a refrigerator to keep them from spoiling.  I am guessing that our suite is probably as large as our apartment is!  I am not going to lie, it is really nice to come home to my wife and have the option of sitting in our king size bed or on one of our couches.

On Monday, Shalyn had her second interview with Dallas Theological Seminary where she is trying to gain employment as the Library Acquisition Assistant.  She really wants that position because she loves working in libraries.  So it is my prayer that she would be granted this position.  As well as her DTS interviews, she had a Skype interview with a company called Savoya for an Operations Analyst position.  Her interview, though short, went very well and she's been asked to come in for a second interview this upcoming Monday!  This workplace is only five minutes away from campus, so it would not be a bad option!

My office building

What about me, you ask?  Well, I am working at a Christian marketing firm in Dallas.  It has been a
major answer to prayer because I got to start a week after arriving here.  It also pays twice as much an hour as the usual part time job so it allows me a lot more income (which translates into what I'll be giving DTS every semester!).  I've just finished my first week with the company and it has been an interesting experience thus far.  I've been acclimating to the expectations, communication and tasks that accompany a marketing position.  Today, my third day, is the first day that I felt like I had a good handle on what was going on.  I am blessed with wonderful co-workers and boss.  I foresee a good time and a blessing.  I get to do a lot of my work from home, though that only begins in a few weeks when I have enough training to manage everything on my own.  One other plus is that I get to work on the 9th floor of a cool office building and we have all glass walls which offer a really cool view of Dallas.

Tomorrow, Shalyn and I are moving into our new

Our living room, as of tomorrow

apartment at DTS!  We are super excited because we got a first floor apartment, which means that we do not need to use the elevator!  I get to have my own study and a dishwasher!  Huzzah!  One of the other perks of being on the first floor is that we get BULLET PROOF GLASS on all of our windows!  Necessary?  Perhaps. To be fair, I hear that there is a bubble around DTS that crime does not really penetrate.  Pray for us tomorrow, Thursday, as we bring the 16 foot trailer down, out of hiding, and unload everything in the heart of Dallas.  It will be a busy afternoon but Shalyn and I are looking forward to having a place of our own again!

Blessings,

Michael and Shalyn

The Dallas Farmers Market

Locally grown food at a cheap price

Greetings Friends and Family!

Today, I am typing to you from my same spot, our studio hotel room on the outskirts of Dallas!  It was a beautiful, but hot day, with temperatures reaching 84 degrees.  Shalyn and I, being sick of sitting inside the hotel room all the time, decided to go out and experience the Dallas Farmers Market that our dear friends, Tami and Moryam, told us about last year.

It was a really interesting experience because there were four "sheds" that had different types of stalls.  One of the sheds catered to those interested in buying their groceries in bulk, while another two sheds were dedicated to the use of general produce and meat.  I posted on Facebook that Shalyn was in her version of heaven on earth!  It was wonderful to see her eyes brighten at the sight of so much healthy and cheap fruits and vegetables.  She transformed into a kid that wanted to taste and buy everything that she saw!  Needless to say, but I will anyway, I had to reign her in before she spent all my money!  I only jest slightly here.

After seeing the first three sheds, we visited an enclosed shed that held a number of mini-restaurants and odds-and-ends stores.  We decided to indulge and buy a large freshly squeezed lemonade from one of the vendors.  Once the drink chilled, it was really good though I do not believe that it was worth the $3.50 price tag!  The things I do to keep my wife happy.

Shalyn found small trees that she wants to buy

Unfortunately for me, Shalyn found two flower shops that was stocked with a number of exotic and local plants.  So naturally, she had to roam the countless aisles of plants and think about how she'd build a garden.  However, in the usual form of the grim reaper, I was forced to dash these dreams by noting that we will not be able to have a garden due to the fact that we are living in an apartment complex in the middle of a large metropolis.  Sometimes I have to bring my lady back to reality, though I try to soften the reality check!  I love her for her imagination though.

We concluded our five hour outing by visiting Sam's Club in Irving to check on the prices of food in comparison to our Waukesha store.  For the most part, we observed that the prices are pretty much the same with a few small exceptions to the rule.  On the plus side, we were awarded with the opportunity to try out some interesting samples and we indulged in a slushy (my idea)!  All in all a good day.

Tomorrow we are heading to church with the friends that I mentioned earlier in this post and other posts as well.  We are looking forward to fellowshipping and worshipping God with our brothers and sisters in Christ.

Until next time!

Michael and Shalyn

Dallas Acclimation

Greetings Friends and Family,

We have a lot going on right now.  In fact, I am concerned that I won't remember to write everything that is currently going on.  However, rest assured that I will get there and tell you all that is happening eventually.

First, I am working for a local Christian marketing firm that is run by a woman who likes to hire Dallas Theological Seminary students.  I believe she does this to help support the seminarians and that we are likely to be hard workers as well.  I did a bit of work this morning for the company, but my first real day will be on Monday.  I had to spend the day working on a price comparison for bids that companies gave us for a large order of banners.  I am left with the impression that no two days of mine will ever be quite the same.

Second, we are staying at an Extended Suite in Dallas for a week, but we have to be out of it by noon on Monday.  Shalyn has been tasked with the responsibility of finding us a new hotel for three more days until our apartment is finally ready.  It would be an understatement to say that we are anxious to move into new apartment and settle into a routine at DTS.  Personally, I cannot wait to get my own office to turn into a "man-cave."

Third, Shalyn had an interview for a library position at DTS last Wednesday and she received a call back for a second interview!  This will take place on Monday at 10 AM and she is incredibly excited to have received a second interview.  She loves the library and it is my prayer that she will receive the position because it is the one place that she has always talked about since I met her.  In fact, I've often encouraged her to enroll in a Master's program for Library Science so that she could be an actual librarian.

Fourth, we had the opportunity today to go swimming for the first time in Dallas.  It was a beautiful day, 86 degrees and sunny.  The pool was cool and refreshing!  What many of you may not know about my wife is that she is a fish!  She loves spending hours in the water and I find it amusing since she dislikes sitting in the sun.  Her face lights up and she gets a mischevious smile on her face every time I mention going for a swim.  One of the blessings of living at Swiss Towers is that we have two pools that she can use.  So, I foresee that we will be spending a lot of our free time pool side.

Continue to keep us in your prayers and that God would use this time at DTS to develop us into strong Christian leaders.

Blessings,

Michael and Shalyn

Day Of Rest

Greetings Friends and Family!

Today has been a low-key day and it was much needed!  We spent the day shopping for our hotel apartment that we are keeping while we wait for our actual apartment to become available.  It dawns on me that you might not know what our current situation is at the moment.  We came down to Texas 10 days before our apartment was ready because I have a work meeting tomorrow and Shalyn has an interview with DTS in the afternoon as well!  We are praying that everything will work out well and we would find ourselves fully employed in the next week or two.  We hope that you will keep that as your prayer as well.

Well, because of our current situation, we are staying in a studio hotel room that has a kitchen, refrigerator, and all the basic needs that we have.  The price is reasonable and the place is clean, so there is not much more that we could ask for.  We went to Wal-Mart to buy some groceries for lunch and dinner while we wait and it was interesting to note the small differences that exist between Texan Wal-Marts and Wisconsin Wal-Marts.  I won't go into it all right now, but perhaps over the next few weeks, I will start a "Texan Living" comments.  I use to do that when I lived in Fennimore and noted all the differences between city and country living.

We are thankful to have Mandi, Tami and Moryam, who have been incredibly helpful in transitioning us into our new Texan life and just good company.  We thank God that we know some people, so that we are not lonely or isolated after such a big change in our lives.  

I'll save some thoughts for a later post, but let me simply say that Texas traffic is crazy!  The road system makes no sense whatsoever and there is horrible congestion on the roads.  I told Shalyn that we are not going to be driving many places because it is such a mad house!  I am not going to lie, I will be happy when we return the van and trailer and retrieve our nice, small car!

Until next time!

Blessings,

Michael B VanderMeer

Trials And Tribulations

Greetings Friends!

You will have to forgive the quality of this blog entry because I am very tired and stubborn.  Yesterday, I drove 15 hours down to Texas with a 15 passenger van and 16 foot trailer.  It was very stressful to say the least!  Well, let us back track on what has been going on in our lives these last few weeks.

Shortly after giving our two weeks notice, Shalyn's father, Randy Miller, joined The Lord on May 22, 2013.  It was an unexpected situation that has been very difficult on us and the Miller clan.  Upon receiving the news, we flew to Florida where Shalyn's mother and father were doing a homeschool convention.  After returning from Florida, we had to prepare our apartment for moving, which involved packing and cleaning the apartment.  The Lord blessed us with help from Josh, Norah and Jami.  We spent 7 hours moving and 8 hours cleaning!

Then we had to travel to Boscobel to be with Shalyn's family while we waited for the memorial service for her father.  It was difficult but The Lord showed how many people her father had touched with his witness of Christ.  This took place last Saturday.  On Sunday, aka yesterday, Shalyn and I drove down to Texas to start our new life at Dallas Theological Seminary!  It was a challenging trip after such an emotional day, but The Lord kept us safe!

Today, we found an extended stay hotel to live at while we wait for our apartment to become available on the 13th.  We spent the remainder of the day with our friends, Tami, Moryam and Mandi.  We had a good time and look forward to growing in friendship (probably more on my end since Shalyn's known them for most of her life).  Tomorrow we are going to shop for some snacks and lunch food and recuperate our strength.  On Wednesday, Shalyn has a job interview and we could use some prayer on that!

Blessings,

Michael and Shalyn

Inaugural Post

Welcome everyone!  

As the title so subtly hints, this is the inaugural post of the blog that Shalyn and I have committed to writing.  And when I say, "Shalyn and I," what I actually mean is that I decided to do this and I am hopeful that Shalyn might be willing partake in the activities.  We shall see.  Perhaps, you all ought to FaceBook or E-Mail or text her and insist that she adds her womanly touch to this blog.  *fingers crossed*

We are currently two weeks away from our departure date for Dallas, TX!  I am excited but the cleaning and packing has been killing me!  I just got done spending about two hours cleaning the bathroom with Borox, which is phenomenally useful in removing any dirt or grime that builds up in the shower and/or sink.  Although the bathroom is now cleaner than when we had moved in, I have suffered a grevious injury!  A blister on the inside of my thumb!  Add that to the prayer request list!

What else can I say, or type?  Hm....  Oh!  Let it be known that I am not allowed to pack any boxes because I am a "terrible packer."  The upside of my inability to pack is that Shalyn took care of everything.  The downside was that she made me fetch everything for her.  Teamwork!  

Well, I think I am going to sign off and spend a few hours in meditative contemplation!  

*Michael out*