whew, you'll have to excuse me.  i'm out of breath.  i've been dancing and screaming and running around for the past few minutes.  most of you have probably already seen this on facebook, but for those of you who haven't, steve got offered a new job today!    he starts next week.  i'm SO excited to see my husband so excited.    i think it's going to be a great fit for him.  the job is at a machinist company that designs and creates custom parts, mostly for large-scale bakeries and food production companies (think Hershey chocolate, etc.).  he will work part-time on first shift until he graduates in may (at which time he will work full-time on first shift).  do you know what this means??  he will get off work at 5 PM everyday!  we will be able to have dinner together -- EVERY night!  we will be able to go for walks and watch TV and get together with friends!  what an ENORMOUS blessing and answer to prayer!  we are absolutely in awe of God's provision.

other news (all of which seem to pale in comparison):

• no job news for me.  i'm doing my best to be open-minded and to send out my resume fervently, but i've come to a place a real contentment and peace.  i'm really enjoying being unemployed for the time being.  i've dedicated this time (however long it may be) to finding my new passion.  i firmly believe that when God has the next job ready for me, He will make it clear.  i'm waiting for His timing.  He's never let us down!
  
  
  
• this is a little embarrassing, but being unemployed has taken a bit of a toll on my exercising and eating habits.  as it turns out, i am a schedule-driven person.  (shocking, i know.)  so when i was put into the position of not having a schedule, my eating habits became atrocious and exercising kind of fell by the wayside.  i got on the scale over the weekend, and it was SCARY.  so, it's a new week... a new month... and i'm ready to start anew with healthy living!  wish me luck! 
  
  
  
• and finally, here are a few pictures of my recent pottery.
  

hey everyone!  just though i'd check in for my weekly update. 

no major progress in my job search.  i've applied to a handful of interesting jobs, but to be honest, there just isn't a lot out there right now.  i'm pretty excited about a job possibility for steve, though!  he had an interview on monday, and it seems really promising!  we're definitely praying like crazy for this opportunity!

so, it's been exactly a month since i got laid off.  i'm trying to figure out what i've been doing for the past month...  under any other circumstances, a month off of work would be freaking awesome!  however, i've really been battling depression and discouragement during the past few weeks.  as a result, i've lost interest in just about everything.  i spent most days on the computer or in front of the tv.  i was tired all the time.  even leaving the house to get groceries became a taxing chore.  it didn't dawn on me until sometime last week that i was wallowing in self-pity and allowing myself to become consumed with myself and my own "bad luck." 

so now that i recognize the poor habits i've developed, i'm trying to make some positive changes.  i'm trying to be a little more deliberate with my time.  even though the circumstances are less than ideal, i can still find enjoyment in this "time off" -- sitting around and worrying about it is not going to change anything.  so, i do spend quite a bit of time online job searching, but i've also tackled a few cleaning projects, done some scrapbooking, spent some extra time with my family, figured out how to save money when grocery shopping (hello coupons!  hello local country market!), and crossed a few other things off my "i'll get to it when i get to it" list.  so yeah, my attitude is getting much better this week.  praise the Lord for that!

anyway, time to get this day rolling.  have a good one! 

hey everyone!  i'm having a hard time posting regularly because i don't have a regular schedule anymore.  i guess that seems a little backwards -- now that i have endless free time on my hands, i can't find time to post.  hah! 

so what's new?  well, the dentist office called me back last week and asked me to come in for a four-hour "working interview."  they wanted to see if i could handle the responsibilities of the job.  anyway, the interview occurred this morning from 8:00 till noon.  it went well, i think.  i really like the office manager, the dental hygienists, and the assistants.  the jury is still out on the actual dentist.  he kind of comes across as cold and solemn, but then mid-way through a serious conversation, he'll crack a joke totally out of the blue.  i think he just has one of those personalities that takes some getting used to.  he seems to like me, although he shows some definite reservations about my lack of dental experience / background.  he also made it clear that he is interviewing other people.  so i really have no idea what my chances are.  i think i'll be fine either way -- if i get the job, praise the Lord, but if i don't get the job, that'll be ok too.  so we'll see!  i'm just praying for wisdom and discernment at this point!

in other news, i've found a few new recipes from Real Simple that i enjoy quite a bit:

• toast with ricotta and grapes -- this isn't really a recipe, but it's a great combination of flavors and textures!  i love it for breakfast or as an afternoon snack.  i usually eat it on a lite english muffin with fat-free ricotta to cut back on calories.
  
  
  
• ham, gruyere, and shallot pizza -- i absolutely LOVED this pizza!  steve wasn't wild about it (the shallots were too strong for him), but i've already made this recipe twice for myself.    oh, and i used shredded swiss cheese instead of gruyere.
  
  
  
• ravioli with apples and walnuts -- this is another one of those are-you-kidding-me? recipes.  it sounds bizarre to combine ravioli with apples, but it was like a dance party in my mouth.  i LOVED it!!  steve wasn't brave enough to try it, so i need someone else to make it, and let me know if i'm crazy for loving this. 
  

well, i guess that's all i've got!  time to clean up the kitchen and then settle in for my favorite monday night tv shows.  have a good one! 

hey everyone!  hope your week is going well!

i'm doing ok.  i've been bouncing back and forth between moments of hopefulness and moments of depression.  i'm definitely way outside of my comfort zone here.  but God has shown Himself to be so, so good already.  from the unexplainable peace that i feel in my heart to the extreme kindness and generosity of family and friends, i've been blessed.

i've been spending quite a bit of time each day hunting for jobs online and sending out resumes.  i haven't heard back from any potential employers yet, but it's still early...  if nothing opens up, i'll probably just look for a seasonal retail job.  honestly, i'm not too picky at this point.  i've spent 5 years trapped behind a computer in a cubical, so it's kind of exciting to me to be able to try something entirely different!

tomorrow morning, i'll be driving a couple of hours north to spend a few days with my friend kelly.  it should be a nice time of refreshment.  definitely looking forward to that!

thanks so much for the prayers and encouragement, everyone!  steve and i really appreciate it!

have a great day! 

well, i'll just say it...  i got laid off yesterday.  i am officially unemployed...  a casualty of the recession.

my company has taken a big hit financially this year.  they really went out of their way to try to avoid lay offs, but i guess things had just gotten too bad.  yesterday, six of us were let go.  for a company as small as ours, that's about 1/4 of the employees.  despite our financial difficulties, the lay offs came as a huge surprise to everyone.  i still can't believe it.  i'm still processing.  still reeling.  still rattled.

i have NO idea what to do from here... no idea where to even start looking.  my job as a curriculum writer was very specialized.  it's unlikely that i'll ever be able to find another job like that... and with such fantastic coworkers...

i know that God has a plan.  i know that this is PART of God's plan.  but it's hard not to succumb to those feelings of despair.  even though i know it's not my fault, i feel like a failure.  ugh! 

please pray for me and steve as we move on from here.  pray for discretion as we handle our finances and for wisdom as we make decisions about health care coverage.  (the health insurance is probably my biggest concern at the moment.  steve and i had both been covered by my policy at work.)  pray for steve as he tries to take on more hours at work while also going to school.  and of course, pray that another job opportunity would become available to me.

thanks in advance, everyone.  i know you are wonderful pray-ers.    love you all!