On My First Try

I did it.  I got hired at a new job!  I am an adult, and my student loans will be paid off in no time, and I will never have to take notes on a lecture I don't care about again, and hey--I should go shopping!

Ok, I am definitely getting ahead of myself here, but that is the kind of freedom I felt after getting this phone call today--
"Hi Laura, I'm calling to offer you the Life Skills Instructor position that you interviewed for last week.  Are you still interested?"

Heck yes I am!  Never mind my worries about the cost of driving 33 miles each way to work, or my creeping anxiety about being responsible for the lives of others!  Who cares if it's not as much money as I hoped for?  One overnight shift per week--no big deal!  I've got a job!

It is going to work out well because it just has to.  Very soon after applying for a large number of jobs, I got a call from one.  I continued to search and apply for more positions, and even began to consider (briefly) going back to waitressing while I looked.  I interviewed with The Caller and sat by my phone all weekend patiently waited for more calls, assuming there was little chance I would get hired on my first try.

But I did!

It's Time.

It's time.  Time to find a job.
Gosh, I despise starting new jobs!  I really do--I don't enjoy meeting new people, feeling like I don't know what I'm doing, having to ask tons of questions, or generally working with weirdos who I don't know.

I have had three long-term jobs so far, each lasting between two and five years.  I didn't love any of them, but I liked staying at each of them way more than I liked the idea of starting anew somewhere else.  Each of these three jobs had really fun people, who I became overly comfortable working with, and they are what kept me around.  But now...I have been basically out of work for six months or so.  It's been going fine so far, but obviously this can't keep up.  Especially after the news I got yesterday.

I attended my "Loan Exit Interview," in preparation for graduation, and ultimately, the "Loan Repayment" portion of my life.  I knew how big the number was.  I did.  What I did not know was just how much larger that number is going to grow over the next 10-20 years as interest piles up.
It. Is. Scary.  And all this money for a degree that may or may not even contribute toward a bigger salary than I could've gotten without it!

So today I have done two things.  (And it's only 2pm, look at that!)
1.  Had a little talk with myself, went like this:  I know you don't want to have a job, don't want to look for a job, don't want to think about jobs.  I know you don't like working in any form, and would do many unpleasant things for the chance to be a homemaker.  But, we need a job.  That's it, need one.  So you, my friend, are going to be excited about it--excited to meet new people, show off your skills, and help some other people.  Positive energy, right?
2.  Got started on the hunt:  I have already applied for ten different positions, all of which list my degree as a "requirement."  (Makes me feel better about the amount of money it's costing me).


    

Mountains Continued

The Colorado trip was a success.  As in, our friends had a beautiful, amazing wedding.  Not as in, I was humbly convinced that it is my dream home.                                                

                                                  

Our friends were married on top of Loveland Pass, two miles above sea level.  The ceremony was as sweet as could be, and the newlyweds snowboarded down the mountain with about 30 friends--it really was awesome.  

It was definitely a well-rounded trip.  Time with Scott was pretty much limited to dinners, since he was riding all day and I was riding...well, not at all.  I spent my time at a few local wineries with his parents, taking a scenic walk by myself, and chatting with friends.
And I decided this:  Keystone, CO, where we spent most of our time, is not for me to live.  It is for me to visit.  I really enjoyed my visit--the mountains are unbelievable, and the weather is nicer than MN for the most part--but the frequently dangerous and/or closed roads and the general lack of Target/chain grocery stores/shopping malls are just not my style.  However, Denver seems to be a different story.  Much more "flat," way warmer (less snow), and more metropolitan.  I will definitely keep Denver as an option to look into.

From beginning to end, I was away from Sophie for three and a half days.  This was my fourth vacation away from her, ranging from one day at a wedding in MN to seven days in Hawaii.  The separation definitely gets easier over time, and I'm not sure if it is because of practice...or the fact that she gets harder to spend time with as she gets older.  We are currently living in Temper Tantrum Central, and I'm eager to move.