Our Lives Thus Far

Well, we've been married a little over 6 months now and we finally decided it was time to start a blog so we can share our limitless knowledge on being married... OK, maybe just so we can share our experiences with you and keep you updated on our lives.

Let's play catchup --- We were wed on September 5 of last year.  We had a short little honeymoon in Park City, Utah, which was great fun because there were no tourists and we got to stay in a condo for free (thanks Carol)!  We did a little window shopping on Main Street, and then decided to climb a mountain.  It was no Everest, but Mount Olympus was quite the challenge; at least for me (Stephanie).  Chris was kind enough to slow his pace for his out of shape wife. 

At the time of our wedding, I was between jobs.  I stayed "between jobs" for four months, until I finally decided to act on a tip from a friend... a tip I had gotten in September... I had ignored the tip at the time because I wasn't entirely sure I still wanted to work in a church, but God kept shutting doors everywhere else so I figured he probably knew what he was doing.  If only I would have trusted him in September...  Anyway, I now work part time as a Youth Director at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Waukee, IA ( www.ilcwaukee.org ).

I really enjoy what I do, which is basically just hanging out with kids and talking to them about God.  :)  

Since last May, Chris has been working in the Accounting department at Hubbell Realty Company in West Des Moines ( http://hubbellrealty.com/ ).  He's found it a little ho-hum at times, but he is starting to gain more responsibility and we're excited for that!  

We began our married days in an efficiency apartment in Ames, but since we both now work in the West Des Moines area, we have moved into a two bedroom apartment in Waukee.  It's much bigger than our first apartment, and the rent isn't as high!  It is quite a bit older than our previous home, though, so we take the good with the bad.  We are enjoying Waukee, as it has a small town feel but is right outside the "big city" (or the biggest city in Iowa anyway).  We'll maybe get some pictures up here soon...

Both of us have continued our connection with Awaken Ministries, but in a different capacity this year.  We are both on support staff, so many of our free weekends and hours are taken up with that.  We really enjoy it, most of the time. 

Other than all that, we fill our time with trips to Omaha or dinner dates with friends.  We get to see our family more now because my aunt lives only about 15 minutes away!  It's fun to spend time with the kids and I'm glad for the opportunity to get to know them all better.  

Well, that's all I can think of for now.  If I've left anything out I'm sure Chris will let me know and we can make some edits.  We hope you are all doing very well and enjoying this nice spring weather!

--The Starrs