Another Week Has Begun

Mondays. I'll be honest...Monday has never been my favorite day of the week. Nothing is worse than waking up early after sleeping in all weekend, fighting the Monday morning traffic to work and then having the "case of the Mondays". But since I haven't been working these last few months, I don't so much mind Mondays anymore! It's so nice going to bed Sunday night knowing that I don't have to get up and fight off the "case of the Mondays" like I used to. Having said that, I would give anything at this point to have to wake up early and go to work on a Monday!!! It might take some adjusting and getting used to again, but I would gladly welcome the change.

My weekend was pretty uneventful....I worked Friday night, Saturday morning and then again on Sunday afternoon. I don't mind the job because it keeps me busy and gives me a little bit of money, and I really enjoy being out and interacting with people!! But I do miss knowing that I have at least two days out of the week where I can do whatever I want, and not have to worry about my work schedule. I'll be so glad to get back into the Monday through Friday, 8-5 routine!

I haven't heard from my recruiter since Friday, but I did get some promising news from him! The job that I am really hoping for has narrowed their decision down between me and one other person. So a 50/50 shot sounds pretty decent!! They wanted to take the weekend and possibly a few more days to think about it, but honestly, I was hoping they would have decided today, called with an offer and have me start working next Monday!! Wishful thinking, I know...but a girl can hope!!

I spent today cleaning out a closet. For some people, that may sound like a horrible way to spend a few hours, but not for me!! I'm totally in my element when I do things like that. I love to clean and organize things and I usually re-organize this particular closet every 6-9 months or so. I took three bags of clothes to the Salvation Army, went through a few scrap boxes (I have a LOT...I'm quite the sentimental pack-rat) and moved some things around so that there is much more room. You can actually walk in the closet now!!! Which is good considering it IS a walk-in closet!

A week from Friday (July 11) I get all of my metal and wiring out of my mouth from my jaw surgery, and I am sooooo excited! I cannot wait! I've gotten pretty used to it all being there, but I won't miss it when it's gone!! I'll try to post a before and after pic so you can kinda see what's been in my mouth for the past 2 months!!

Enough for now...I hope you all have a great week, and please continue to pray for my friend Nikki. Thanks for reading!!

For Those Who Pray...

I have a friend who now lives in Illinois, but grew up living next door to me. We became immediate friends when they moved from Kansas to the house beside us. The day we met, our moms were introducing themselves and we were being shy and hiding behind our moms. Naturally, a friendship was made. We became fast friends, riding bikes in the neighborhood, playing Barbies together, climbing on dirt and gravel piles, wondering through half-built houses in our fast-growing subdivision, hiking through the woods to what we all called "Death Valley", swimming in our pool (even when we weren't supposed to), picking on our little brothers and then deciding they were okay enough to play with....You know, all the typical things kids do when they're growing up. Not long after her family moved in, her dad passed away. Seeing as how my dad passed away when I was seven, I easily related to what she was going through, and have always hoped that in some way I was able to help her cope through the situation. A couple of years later, her family packed their belongings once more and headed North to Illinois where most of their family lived. It was extremely sad to lose my best friend and next door neighbor. The day they left, we took polaroids together...pictures that I still have and always will. Since she moved, we've seen each other once, but kept in touch in our younger days through many, many letters. The older we got, the more we lost touch. Somehow, she found my email address during college and our correspondence picked right back up. But unfortunately, we somehow managed to lose touch once again. Now in the days of modern technology (MySpace to be specific), she found me once again! I cannot tell you how happy I was, as I have thought about her and her family often over the years. We have since kept in touch with each other very well, but under somewhat different circumstances. You see, the email she wrote me "catching up" on her life over the last few years was not your typical email. She informed me that over the last year, she has been battling a rare form of cancer. Cancer. My 26 year old friend is battling cancer. Does that strike you as heartbreaking as it did me? Her rare type of cancer is called "non-gestational choriocarcinoma". It began in June 2007 as a blood clot in her left jugular led doctors to a tumor that had been growing in her chest, right above her heart. They also found some smaller tumors in her lungs. She has had numerous surgeries and chemo treatments since then, and is constantly in and out of the hospital. At the same time she has continued school, and has recently started planning her wedding for next year. Her last "chemo camp", as she calls it, was over the last few weeks, and she was able to go home over the weekend. She had a check up Tuesday with her doc, and received some extremely upsetting and disappointing news. Her tumor marker has actually gone up since it was last checked BEFORE she went into the hospital for her chemo treatment. They expected the number to be non-existent, so you can imagine how hard this news was to hear. She has another check-up next week that will tell her a little more, and hopefully she will get an explanation on what's going on. I cannot even begin to imagine how tough this journey has been for her. I don't think anyone really can unless you've been there before. I am asking for your prayers for Nikki. She has a beautiful life that needs to be lived, and that can still be accomplished. Please pray for Nikki to be strong and to think positive. You can imagine that she has moments where she gets down and discouraged...I honestly don't know how she's handled it so positively thus far. I can't say that I would have handled it the same way she has, although I like to hope and think that I would. Please pray for her doctors, her family and friends. She needs all the prayer we can give her. She has a blog that she updates us on, and I don't think that she would mind me posting her link on my blog. You can read more about her journey, and she loves getting words of encouragement! Thank you for your thoughts and prayers at this time...I know that Nikki would appreciate them more than you could ever know.
http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/nicholewilliams

Learning Life's Little Lessons

Today has been such a better day than yesterday was. I have been going through this depression phase due to not having a job, and it started to finally look up for me! I had an interview this morning that I think went really well!! I am really looking forward to hearing some feedback because if I were to get this position, I would be sooo happy! I really like the company and the position, and it would give me an opportunity for growth within the company, which is really important to me.

When I got home after the interview I got a phone call from one of my other recruiter's who had set me up on another interview tomorrow afternoon!! I have done some research on the company and it sounds really interesting. I am very excited to go interview and learn more about the position and the company.

I have learned some important things over the last 24 hours or so. I have learned that no matter how bad things get, no matter how low I feel, I should never question the existence of God and my faith in Him. Sometimes that is really hard to do when you've done nothing but prayed so hard for things, and then feeling like those prayers are never even heard. That is how I've been feeling lately, and it was a nice change yesterday to feel like some of those prayers had finally been heard, and better yet, answered. I know that God has His own way of doing things, and I should not question that. It's not my place to question Him and His reasonings. Ugh, but again, sometimes that is much easier said than done. But I am learning, and the best that I can do is to learn from my mistakes and move forward. So this is me.....learning and moving forward!

The Time Has Come!

I have been meaning to start this blog for some time now, but for some reason I just haven't gotten around to it. I have actually been blogging on my MySpace account for some time now, but I also wanted something else out there for everyone to see, not just MySpace members! So here it is.....FINALLY!

Life as I know it right now is not so good. Things have been pretty rough for me for the last couple of months, starting on March 31 when I had my last day at an amazing job that I loved. Unfortunately, the company was going through some major lay-offs, and as I was the newest one in my department, it was my job that was eliminated. Originally I thought that I could potentially come out better from all of it, but now I'm starting to wonder why in the world I ever thought such a thing!! April was a busy month...my best friend got married, I had a minor surgical procedure done, did some traveling with my husband and friends and also went to UA's A-Day game. Then the first of May rolled around and I had my 3rd major jaw surgery. I've had TMJ for well over 10 years now and hopefully after this surgery it will all be over!! I was wired shut for a few weeks and I still have some wiring and metal throughout my mouth, but that will all come out on July 11!! I am so excited!

So needless to say my job search was somewhat delayed. And now, it has just completely stalled. I have been feeling extremely down and depressed, and my lack of a job was beginning to create some financial trouble with my husband, Justin, and I. Things like that can really start to take a toll on your emotions, and trust me, mine were feeling it full force!!

But, today...things have started to look up. I met with a second recruiter on Friday and was so happy to hear from her today b/c she got me an interview set up tomorrow morning at 11:00. I am sooooo happy and extremely excited about the position and the company. I hope this is the turning point that I needed and the faintest of light at the end of this long tunnel. I am putting my complete trust in God at this point, and I hope He is leading me in the right direction. Prayers are always welcome :)

I will update soon, hopefully with some good news!!