Heart-Mind-Body-Soul: So Long Summer



Until next year Tahoe

Well, it's official.  As my second day of the school year comes to a close, 

there's no way around it....SUMMER IS OVER.

I joke that the whole thing was a blur, but when I truly break it down I would say all-in-all the Summer of Eleven was not only successful, it was also one for the books.

Summer 2011 Highlight Reel

 

While I had a huge amount of success (and more importantly FUN) this summer, there are a few places where I feel like I really dropped the ball.   

I present to you...

Take Two

So there you have it.  My summer condensed down to a few clicks of the mouse.

  

These past few months have been memorable.

 I worked hard, and played even harder.  I laughed a ridiculous amount, smiled until my cheeks hurt, shed a few tears, experienced some wild adventures, and drank enough

Fireball Whiskey to fill a....oh wait, not even going to think about that!

I made new friends, reconnected with old friends, and poured my heart out to my best friends.

 I remembered why I love living in Reno, and at the same time...realized I may be ready for a change.

While I'm a little sad that days are starting to get shorter,

and the need for the fan at night has decreased...I'm also excited for the school year ahead.

My calendar is jam-packed, my head is already swimming,

 and I'm ready to dive in to probably one of the most intense (yet rewarding) year's of my life.

All I can say is YEE-HAW!!!

Who would have thought this city-slicker would without a doubt have embraced her country side?

How FACEBOOK Helped Me Beat WRITER'S BLOCK

Writer's Block.

These two words have had control over my ability to write recently.

It's not like my life has been lacking in interesting events and situations that would make for great blog content. I have been a bit all-consumed with my classes and work...but there has also been some time for fun, time to try new things, and time to continue to grow my "Rolodex" of experiences and stories.

So why have I been unable to write?

I guess one never really knows why or how they slip into a pattern of Writer's Block. What people remember more is what snapped them out of their funk and inspired them to start writing again.

My moment of clarity came to me this morning.  And when I say this morning, I mean EARLY this morning.  For some reason I was suffering from a bout of insomnia.  After lying in bed trying to get back to sleep, I opted to turn on my computer and log into Facebook (I am obsessed after all). 

Though the details are irrelevant, after "playing" on my FB I came across some information that sent daggers into my heart (yes, I'm aware I'm being a bit dramatic) and set a fire in me.  Some of my friends suggested that I use that flame for a confrontation. Not being one who enjoys unneeded drama, I opted to use the fire burning in my soul as fuel to motivate me to get back to writing. The nudge from my friend and fellow-blogger Steph (check out her blog here) was also helpful (THANKS GIRL!!!). 

While I have nothing too profound to say at the moment, I see this just as my warm-up for a marathon of blogging that is on its way.  You see I am officially on Spring Break, which is just another perk of working for the school district (click here to read about some of the other perks). For the next week or so I will have ample time to fill all of you loyal readers in on the roller coaster that I call my life. 

Those who know me, know that I'm a "glass half full" kind of girl.  I'm also a huge fan of the Yiddish (Jewish?) saying, "What seems like a blessing may be a curse.  What seems like a curse, may be a blessing."

In this case I'm thankful for that anonymous Facebook friend for making the choice they did.  It has allowed me to wake up, open my eyes, and rejuvenate me to get back to what I'm focused on and passionate about...my writing.

And with that....my writer's block is no more!

Giving Thanks: Day #6

What I'm Thankful For #6

Today I'm thankful for my amazing staff at work.

One of my many duties in my new job is
 making sure that my site is in compliance with its grant requirements. 
Meticulous data is collected several times a day,
and all of the gathered info has to be inputted into an on-line tracking system. 
I have been trying to play catch-up with all my paperwork for weeks,
 but my stack just got bigger and bigger.

Tomorrow is the deadline to make sure my system is up to date
(although my boss asked that it get done by 6pm today).
I was feeling a bit stressed and overwhelmed
thinking about how much work I had to do.

And this is where my AMAZING staff came to my rescue. 
Everyone was so fabulous today
 and allowed me to get some solid hours of undisturbed work in.
I'm so fortunate to have a great group of Teachers at my school who are willing to spend their time afterschool to insure that our students succeed.
I'm also thankful for my "support staff" that continue to impress me everyday. 
I have such an unique group of staff
(a retired high school teacher, a 23 year-old college student
 who coaches football,
and sweet and caring high school student worker).
They all bring something different to the job,
and I don't know what I would do without them!!!

I AM TRULY BLESSED!

All Good Things Must Come to an End

So long FUNemployment...it's been grand.

It has finally happened, and I couldn't be more thrilled.  After being unemployed since the middle of July, I am returning back to the working world on Monday.  I will be working for the School District for their academic and enrichment program.  I will be the coordinator for one of the middle schools and am super excited to get the ball rolling.  I love working in my field of social services/non profit.  I love having a purpose. And I love having such a full heart and soul after helping others. 

Technically, I have been working since I was 15 (when I started teaching in my Temple's Sunday School).  This recent period from July through the present has been the first prolonged period of time I haven't worked.  Even while I lived abroad in Romania I ended up finding a job teaching students conversational English. 

So this period of unemployment (which I dubbed FUNemployment instead) was rough for me. I definitely developed a thicker skin through the job-seeking process, and learned a lot about myself. The road to employment wasn't an easy one though.  Everything "they" say about the difficulties in finding a job are true.  Not very many jobs (or at least in the field I was looking) and lots of people applying. Looking for a job became a job.  Endless hours were spent on-line searching job-seeker websites, rewriting and revamping resumes, filling out applications, returning phone calls, going to interviews, and waiting for callbacks or responses.  All of this to either be declined or told "it was between you and another person" and ultimately getting rejected.  The whole process was a bit frustrating and depressing.  No one likes rejection.  No one likes being told they're not good enough. It's hard not to take it all personally.  I knew I had an awesome resume showing over a decade of work in the this community.  I had great connections and fabulous references and recommendations. I had never had a problem finding a job before, and I kept wondering why I was striking out this time around. 

But, I'm a strong believer in "everything happens for a reason" and "let go, let God".  I learned to enjoy my FUNemployment (and had one of the best summers, with amazing friends, EVER).  And when it came to the job hunt, everytime I was turned down, I tried to learn from the experience.  As Jay-Z says, I had to "get that dirt off my shoulder" and kept on looking.  And behold, the most perfect job came my way.  I was told that I "blew everyone away" in the interview and that it was "refreshing" to call my references/former employers and hear such wonderful things. I'm a very humble person and prefer being the one giving the complement then receiving one (for those of you who have ever done a color-personality test, I'm a BLUE) so hearing these things made me blush a bit. 

With my FUNemployment coming to an end, I have realized a few things.

• It's amazing what positivity can do! 
• I am truly blessed.
• Things are never that bad, and could always be worse.
• I have an amazing, supportive family!
• I have the kindest, most wonderful friends who care for me dearly.
• Getting outside of your comfort zone from time to time is a GOOD thing.
• It's ok to be vulnerable and give up the feeling of control.
• Never give up.
• Believe in yourself and others will believe in you!

Ok, the last part is a bit REALLY cheesy.  I guess I'm just excited for this new chapter of my life.  I'm excited to see what new partnerships and relationships will form from this new job.  I look forward to seeing what other doors will open and how I will continue to grow and evolve. I can't wait  to learn new things and meet new people. 

So, farewell FUNemployment...it has been a fun, crazy ride. But all good things must come to an end because I am returning to the working world!