i got a job!!!

Well, after the LONGEST INTERVIEW PROCESS EVER, I have a new job!!! While I'm a little sad about leaving my current job--more the people and the place than the actual job, I am SO EXCITED about this next chapter in my life! It's in the same organization, but at a different location, so I'll have a month of transition, doing a little bit at both places, and then starting in May I'll be fully at the new job! I'm going on a staff retreat with the new job next week, so I think that'll be a great way to start to get to know everyone!

old friends, new friends... & more interviews

This has been a great weekend! On Friday night, several of my college friends were in town for a wedding, so I got to have dinner and catch up with them, which was great! I can't believe it has been almost 2 years since we graduated, but it was so great to have some time with them!

Saturday was a GORGEOUS day, so after spending as much of the day as possible outside, I spent the night hanging out with my two best friends from work. Our schedules aren't always the same, so it had been almost a month since the three of us had hung out... it was much needed catch up time!

Then this morning, an old friend (we'll call her Seamstress--she's the one I went to Texas with last weekend) and I tried out a new church... and it was great! I was really happy with the music and preacher at the church I'd been going to, but I found it SO hard to connect with people, so today we went to a Methodist church (Seamstress and I grew up together at a Methodist church), and we decided to give Sunday School a shot... it was GREAT! We made new friends in Sunday School, had people to sit with during the service, and all went to lunch together afterwards! I also realized... I really love a lot of the elements of a traditional church service. It was so nice to say the Apostles Creed and sing the Doxology and just to have those familiar things. So... I think this is the church (for real this time)!

Also--I have ANOTHER interview this week for that job I want. Super excited I made it to the next round... but ready for the process to be done!

texas in photos!

Houston at night.

I love vintage signs...

so much.

Texas had more flags than any place I've ever seen.

We went to the coolest library ever...

it was in an old church and they had the oldest books I've ever seen.

Everything is bigger in Texas...

such as the worlds largest working fire hydrant!

Texas!!!

I got to check something else off my 24 list this past weekend... visiting a new state! Actually, two new states! I've recently decided that I really want to visit all 50, which I've gotten a pretty good start on, because that is something my dad really wants to do, and so for vacation every summer, instead of going to the beach, we would go explore new places. At the time, I didn't love it, because sometimes, I just wanted to go to the beach, but now I think its awesome that I've had the opportunity to visit so many states already. I have less than 20 to go, which isn't bad for being 23!

One of my childhood friends, that I grew up going to school and church with lives in Texas now, so another one of the girls we grew up with and I headed down to Texas this weekend to check out what her life was like now. It was so fun to catch up, reminisce about ridiculous church trips and high school stories, and chat about life. There's just something about those friendships that have existed as long as you can remember... no matter how much you change, the best of those friendships don't. The things you talk about may change, the places you hang out will change, but the essential pieces of the friendship don't, and they let you just pick right back up wherever you left off... even if its been a year or two.

I had a great trip, even though it involved lots of waking up at 4am for early morning flights. I was excited to spend time with my friends, excited to see a new state--and then bonus... when we got there, we discovered we were only 30 minutes from Louisiana (another state I'd never been to)... so we got to spend an afternoon there!

My only goal for the trip was to buy some brown cowboy boots: not only did I find some I love, I also found a new pair of black heels, which I'd been desperately needing!

I also worked on one of my goals of using my DSLR camera more, so maybe I'll post some of those pictures soon! I can't keep my eyes open many more minutes tonight...

busy busy busy...

Sorry I haven't written in a while! my life has been out of control lately, and I've been mad sick for the past week. :( <--- sad face.

So I met a guy this weekend. That's exciting. Then I almost threw-up on him. Which was not exciting.

But! can someone please explain this to me, please.

Texting. Flirty Texting.

I tried to explain it to my mom on the phone and she was like "It's the modern day equivalent to passing notes in class". Ok, thats great. But I have absolutely no idea how to do it. In fact it's kind of embarrassing on my part. And actually, it isn't really my fault. The last relationship i was in was right before the age of unlimited texting, and we saw each other every day so phone calls and texts weren't really important.

but since this boy and I are on opposite sides of the state at different universities, i'm afraid this is doomed to be another story in my long novel of guys who seem to be interested, but then nothing ever happens. I can never seem to tie one down for very long. whether it's me or just my lack of ability to make myself sound appealing over text messaging, i'll never know.

But I'm kind of over having to be the one to take the lead in these kind of things. which seriously shows how much I've grown in the past couple of years because I used to be the total opposite. If a boy seemed interested I was usually the first to plant the idea in his head. Now, if he's interested in getting to know me, Which he is, then he can get to know me. I'll help out when neccessary to get to know him too obviously, but I just want to be pursued and there is nothing wrong with that.

ok more later. I have to go to class! BYE!

Patagonia

apartments and 8ks

I went and looked at apartments this weekend, which was super-exciting! I've always lived with friends whose parents owned houses before, so I've never really had to do the looking for a place to live/signing a lease kind of thing, so I feel like this is a big step in being a real adult! I'm definitely on a budget, but I want to live by myself, so finding a one bedroom, in the general location I want, thats affordable and nice/safe/well-maintained is a little bit of a challenge, but I found two that are definite possibilities, that I'm pretty excited about! My dad is supposed to go with me to look at them this week, so hopefully I can have a decision made soon! I hate dragging decisions out... I like for things to happen quickly once I make up my mind, so I'm hoping this can be a relatively quick process!

This weekend, I also did an 8k... about half running and half walking! I am SORE today, but it was such a fun event, and GORGEOUS weather!!! I haven't quite made it to my goal of running a whole 5k yet, but I did sign up for a ridiculous 5k with one of my friends from college... www.warriordash.com. Jumping over fire, rappelling, tunnels... it's going to be intense! But I think a lot of fun!

interview: round 2

So... I've finished up my second round of interviews for the job I would love. It consisted of three different interviews, which was kind of intense--I've never gone through an interview process like this before. I felt AWESOME about one, great about the second, and good about the third, but I've given it my best shot, and now I just have to wait.

Unfortunately, I'm going to be waiting a lot longer than I'd like. They probably won't even finish up their second round of interviews until the week after next, so I'm looking at a minimum of two weeks before I hear anything. I'm not exactly sure how many people are in the second round--I think four or five, but one of them is Bowtie, Patagonia's brother, and another is a guy I've known forever, and whose family I am pretty good friends with... so I don't love that my competition is people I know!

I guess I just need to work on my patience and be okay with waiting.... but seriously.. I applied for this job in 2009!!! I'm ready to know one way or the other!