Excerpts from an email David wrote (with some tidbits from me added afterward):
Things are going alright here, over all, though this has been one of the more challenging times in our lives. I've moved to Georgia where I've spent the last month looking for work, so far without apparent success. Ashley and Malachi are still in the Glens Falls area, now living with her parents, while I'm looking for work.
Malachi has started to speak, and he has a vocabulary that consists mostly of English and Chinese, though it's clear that he understands Spanish, as well. He can also identify a number of common farm animals by pictures and the sounds they make. He's learned to walk, and is now tall enough to reach counter tops. He also likes to climb things, which keeps Ashley very busy (he climbed half-way up the dog kennel and got stuck once - that's the only thing he's only tried to climb once); and he can open doors that have handle-style mechanisms, though he hasn't yet figured out knobs.
Living in Georgia has its challenges; I was lucky enough to have a place to stay-- Ashley has an old roommate who is from here, and I'm staying with that family.
I'm gradually coming to terms with the fact that what I do doesn't fit into any job descriptions. The more I go out and present myself to prospective employers (as yet, I haven't had a single actual interview), what I'm finding more and more is that many people could use my skill set, but very few are willing to pay for it right now. The kind of standardized, homogenized workplaces that I've been looking at simply aren't equipped at this juncture to put my skills as a researcher/knowledge synthesizer/information presenter to work in-house. It seems likely that, to find a niche where I can compete for work, I'm going to have to look into specialty markets, like consulting firms, or invent a job, or figure out how to go into business for myself.
That's a summary of our life right now. We've felt confirmation that we'll make it through this, and that we'll find the employment we need. Patience is hard, though, sometimes.
We love you. (Thank you for caring about and praying for us.)
