I'm not dead yet....

Despite evidence to the contrary, I have not stepped off the edge of the world and I'm not dead. I have just been living a rather boring version of life and haven't had much to say. There have been developments on the job front but all of them have fallen apart so it isn't really worth mentioning. There is still a possibility that I will end up with a feild position with WV but with the hiring freeze there is no guarantee that it will be anytime in the near future. So I'm looking at other opportunities, none of which excite me as much, but at least would let me be employed and prevent the impending insanity.

On the other side of things, there are things on the plus side for being home. I am actually enjoying winter, for the most part, and have enjoyed time with friends and family. I had tea with one of my aunts a couple of weeks ago and we talked for several hours. It was nice! I am loving my church and the various things going on there. I've helped to put together a lent bible study series for small groups and am loving the relationships I'm building with the Young Adults group. Some days I feel really old with all the first years, but I've enjoyed being in a pseudo leadership position.

I do get frustrated with things though. Yesterday I had a bit of a stress freakout while working on a cover letter and finding out about the extent of the WV hiring freeze. Amp was on skype and talked me down a little and then I went for a drive and had a surprise in Zehrs seeing someone I hadn't seen for almost a year, so by the time Pam took me for a walk I had calmed down enough that I didn't feel like I was about to throw up. Today is better :)

Debt Free in 2009!

I payed off the last of my student loan this week. Such a releif.I have worked very hard to pay this off as quickly as possible which is why even with my travels and uncertain employment situation I am now debt free! Of course it didn't hurt that I qualified for interest relief while I was in Africa so the government paid all my interest payments :)I still owe the parents some money but that isn't 'real' debt since it doesn't show up on any credit report and has no interest. And as long as things go according to plan that debt will be gone by the summer too.

Who am I kidding, when has anything gone according to plan?! I hesitate to even say what the plans could possibly be since every other time I thought things were happening they didn't. So I'm not getting my hopes up and I'm not dwelling on it. I'm just praying "thy will be done" and we'll see where He takes me.

I just finished writing a report for my old boss, so I am now officially and totally unemployed. I am enjoying what I am seeing as a month off. I have been going to the gym, doing a lot of shovelling and getting things done off my "to do" list. I'm looking into some volunteering opportunities and will probably be at the food bank and maybe some other places starting next week. I am trying to train myself to think that I'm not busy since I am so used to thinking that I have no time. I'll use some of that time to spend with friends. (Except my friends all have jobs and so are busy...the irony) I laugh when I look out the window in the morning at the snow on the ground or hear another forcast for freezing rain and think fondly of my carpool that still has to brave the crazy commute. I plan to read at least part of my stack of books still in the "to read" pile - starting from the bottom with the books that have been there the longest. So I'm enjoying it. So far - it has only been a week and I still technically had some work to do. I am also keeping eyes and ears open for other job opportunities and looking for that snow covered path to be revealed.

Now that the debt is payed off it is less stressful not having a paycheck. I still have some money and one more paycheck coming so I'm not broke. I'm also blessed to have parents who are letting me stay with them rent free - another reason the student loan was payed off so quickly - so I don't have to worry about eviction or a lot of bills piling up.

All that said, I know that if this "time off" goes on too long I will go crazy. I like working, not just for the money and stability, but because I love what I do. Or I did at WV and am hoping that I will at the next place too. I get a lot of satisfaction from it. If all else fails Starbucks is always hiring...

A New Year's Post

I am dog sitting for family from church this week. This morning I was out at 5:30 walking the dog before I left for work. It was still dark, cold and very quiet. It snowed almost 5 cm over night and the dog and I were the first to walk through it. The quiet crunch crunch crunch of my footsteps broke through the stillness, but in that muted way that happens when everything is covered in snow - like it absorbs all the world's noise.

Since it is New Year's Eve walking through this fresh blanket of snow put me in a reflective mood. I had a good year in 2008. It was full of adventure, friends, comings and goings. I left some friends, made new ones and reconnected with old ones. I learned a lot about myself, the world, God, my family. It was a good year. Now 2009 stretches before us, not unlike the fresh blanket of white snow. It has yet to be disturbed and we don't know what it hides. I'm looking forward to seeing what God has planned for the next year although I am hesitant to leave the comfort of this past year. Today is my last day with WV- at least as far as I know. My contract is over and there isn't the budget to renew it. There are a couple of opportunities on the horizon but nothing definite and everything is a maybe. More on that another day. So 2009 holds a lot of the unknown for me. It is a little scary and nerve wracking but I have learned from the past that God has a path and he is leading me on it. At the moment it is covered in snow so I can't see where it is leading but I trust that He knows and that it is Good.

Wishing you all a Year full of blessings and peace.
Laura

Big Brother is watching - Shout out to Maria...

Short post because I think its funny. I use a service called blogpatrol that keeps track of how many people have looked at my blog and how they found it. Now, I realize that I am not a hightraffic blog so I don't check this very often but it is neat to see how people are finding my blog and where they are from. Most people who read my blog use firefox instead of Internet Explorer and I have had people from Italy, Turkey, the UK, the US, Rwanda, South Africa and of course Canada look at my blog. They have used google searches for "mushanana dress", "african skies" and "Canadian Politics" which have led them to my humble little blog. Most of the time I have no way of figuring out who is looking at my blog when and from where. I just don't pay that much attention, but twice now my friend Andrea's name has been used in a google search to find my blog using the same IP address. Maria is that you? Hope things are good in Otown! See you at Christmas!