Closer than I think

I went exploring some more of where the roads lead around here and it is always a surprise to realize I am only about 10 miles from Kentucky! I also finally figured out the layout of this city in relationship to two rivers and a huge bluff. So that was really fun! and once the leaves fall, I will be able to see it even more clearly.

On a different note, here is a very cool pic of a FaceBook friend, Hong Loan and her friends at Stonehenge.

Patterns of Time

So yeah . . . went to the house concert last night and it was a great great time . . . and it was made all the more special by remembering that three months ago during the Memorial Day weekend, I spent three days wrestling with the idea of whether I should take the plunge and reverse everything in my life and leave Louisiana and move to Tennessee. and NOW! on the weekend of August 22, 23, 24 . . . exactly three months later . . . i was sitting in that house with all those nice grown up people who love to create and be successful and were easy to talk to and wanted to talk to me and had big smiles on their faces. YaY!

So it's been 3 months since that weekend at the end of May. On the evening of that third day after going over and over the pros and cons of such a drastic move, I was sitting on the porch and looked up and saw this: The Burning Bush. and then I read how this had been a sign to Moses "to go!" even when he felt like he was incapable of being what God wanted him to be.

And guess what the second song that was sang at the house concert mentioned? Yep. Moses and The Burning Bush. So I know it's all got to be more than a coincidence, don't you?

In these past three months, I've gone thru so many changes. First the horrendous month of getting ready to move with all the mad crazy To Do Lists. Then the actual heave ho of moving day! with the rest of July being spent unpacking all the boxes I had just spent a month packing up! Wheeww! It's hard to believe when I look back over the past weeks what was accomplished.

And now this third month, August - it's winding down with next week the beginning of September. It's actually coooolddd here tonight!!!! It is hard to believe. But I am so excited for Fall to begin and now I only have to wait a few weeks!!!!

Well, for now the job thing is still a puzzlement, but at least I am learning to relax into God's timing on this issue and just keep showing up each day doing my best. Thank goodness the packing/unpacking issues are finally over!

Now I feel like I can settle into enjoying the things I came here for! Here's some random shots of what I've been seeing.



Oh yeah! Here is the fountain I've been building on for a little while. It has been an exercise in balance, sound and CORRECT DRAINAGE!!! If the water starts to trickle anywhere down this driftwood and then touches the vessel, it becomes a portal for water to start pouring over the side and onto the floor!!!! NOT GOOD! But I think I have finally fined tuned it . . . I think.

House Concert in Mt. Juliet, TN

We had a GREAT time!!! Lots of creative energy. Nice interesting people. Lots of Laughs! A perfect evening. Thanks Celeste Krenz, Sally Barris and Rebecca Folsom. And a big thanks to Karen & Kevin who opened their house to all of us for this fine time.
For more info on the artists: http://www.creationsofbeauty.net/House_Concerts.html

The house where the concert was held.

Preparing for Promotion

"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world"
(John 16:33 NIV)

Are you going through a season of difficulty? Does it seem like for every step you take forward, you take two steps back? The Bible tells us that hard times and difficulty will come in this life, but we can rejoice because God promises us victory!

Whatever you may be facing today, make the decision that you are going to shake off negative thinking and trust that God is working behind the scenes. The more we trust Him and exercise our faith in Him, the more we are preparing ourselves for promotion. Focus on the fact that brighter days are just ahead. Weeping may endure for a night, but when you fight the good fight of faith, God promises that joy is coming in the morning! If you'll work with God, He'll take that adversity, turn it around, and use it for your good. It may be uncomfortable at times, but you've got to know that you are growing. God is maturing you. He is building character in you, and he is preparing you for the promotion and increase He has in store for your future!

A PRAYER FOR TODAY

"Heavenly Father, today I release all of my cares on You. I choose to focus on the blessings that You have given me. Search my heart today and remove anything that is displeasing to You. I bless You and honor You alone. In Jesus' Name. Amen."

Good Day Today!

Well I'm happy to report that my melancholy mood the other day was only the result of those stupid hormones! If there is ever a time when I think the world is ending, it's THAT week . . .

so with that being said, i can now say that I've had a string of good productive days. I've gotten pretty good at recognizing the SPAM jobs on Craigslist. And thankfully, there have been several REAL job postings on there in the last few days plus in the local paper online as well. So I got resumes and applications out to all of those, plus i got plugged in with all the employment agencies. So I'm hoping to be setting a few interviews this next week!

In the meantime, I am enjoying my work at the store. Today was super easy - just shelf maintenance and taking care of the boxes and trash that were stacked up from the guys building furniture and bikes. Totally fun - hardly any contact with customers! Although working the register isn't that bad either. It's fun to watch the locals and think about stuff and every now and then, one of them is easy to talk to and I have a "single serving friend" moment.

Oh and I've lost 3 more pounds! What a fabulous side effect of this physical job. Sometimes I think why not just stay with this job and work up - cuz they are wanting me to take on more hours, especially as we move into the retail holiday season . . . AND THAT IS WHEN I REMEMBER WHY I DON'T WANT TO DO THAT: I don't want to work retail at Christmas!!!!!

YUK!!!! it's been my policy for quite some time to stay away from stores during the holidays. So yeah . . . i want that office job and those office job hours: weekends, federal holidays, you know.

so it's up to God what happens next . . . since my Melancholy Madness Meltdown last week, I have been able to reaffirm and relax into that knowledge. And to also remember don't waste away all this free time I've got by worrying. So in between dropping off resumes yesterday, I went and hung at the Dunbar Caves Natural History Park which is only a few miles from here. Very interesting. I will be back to explore more! It was a nice break to revel in the natural habitat of this area plus I got to see some photographs of what it looks like here in the FALL and WINTER!!!!!! I'm going to go crazy with my camera!!!! So like I said - good times!

and with that I leave with this . . . which is also the Wallpaper on my computer:

Well I am still submitting applications here and there and everywhere and have been feeling a little down about not getting instant responses. But a good friend emailed me this morning and said:

u will probably second and third guess urself many times before ur niche becomes apparent… but u really did urself (as a human being) a true favor… if u are ever to discover any useful information about urself,,, it wont happen in a cubicle at work in a hot and boring place where u have always lived . . . after going through the metamorphosis u have described in ur writing… u got a peek at “the light”….. so after that, it's hard to go back under the blanket and work.

Thanks Sue! I needed that!

views from the front porch

This is the Whitebreasted Nuthatch - the one in Louisiana had a lot of brown on it and is called the Brown-headed Nuthatch. Isn't he cute!

It's not just a job . . . it's an ADVENTURE!!!

Well . . . i got the job before the real job appears and it is highly interesting. And by a strange turn of events could actually become the real job. It's a jeans & t-shirt job, heavy on physical labor, which is something that I had yearned for as I sat in my fancy secretary clothes trapped in a cube. so that's cool! and it utilizes my old Merchandising skills, which those are from some of my most fun job days back in the past. So I will see what happens next. In the meantime, I will enjoy being able to work out my body while I'm working and being able to take mental note of the funny strange characters I see at the store and work with. Plus totally enjoy not going in until noon! Ok . . . more later as I know it.

The Job Search is on!

Ok - I've been here 3 weeks now and have just about everything unpacked and put away. I have enjoyed this time not thinking about work but last night I finally plugged in my alarm clock radio so I can get back into the habit of waking up at a reasonable time.

Today I plan to go by 6 employment agencies and 4 other ones tomorrow. I have an interview at 11:00 this morning for a part-time job which if they hire me will provide funds until the real job appears. And i applied for a Librarian assistant job at one of the schools that Monica works at - she knows the principal and will be working behind the scenes on my behalf. THIS is the job that I dearly want!!!

In the meantime, here are some pics from yesterday morning:
nibble nibble
Aha! So this is who is knocking my bird feeders down!
Caught ya!
I'm going to get a big bag of deer corn to scatter around for these guys!