Monday, December 2, 2013

New JOB?? :)

Where do I even start?? LOTS of things have changed around the McCall household that it's kind of hard to comprehend or see how we even got here. I don't really have any adoption updates, but we do have a completed home study which we waited THREE long extra months for waiting on my fingerprints (that I was never supposed to have to get in the first place... long story) but they finally came in at the very end of October, and we were ready to send in our dossier. That is until I went to make a copy of Alex's passport and he informed me that he lost it. So the new passport application has been sent in and we are just waiting on it to come in (hopefully soon b/c we paid for Expediated Shipping) to send in all our paperwork. Right now we are about 6 months behind what we had thought our adoption schedule would look like, and it is kind of frustrating since all of it could have been prevented on our end, but what can we do now? Fingers crossed that when we actually send in our paperwork, they don't return it all and say they need more updated copies. A lot of it we had done in the spring and that is what I'm afraid of. Oh well... it'll all come together. I plan on spending all of December and January applying for adoption grants. I was going to start last month, but with school being CRAZY, I just needed to wait until the semester was over and I could b r e a t h e. Did I mention that the semester is almost over?? At this time on Saturday I will be DONE! Done with my middle school certification to teach language arts and done with my first three hours of graduate school! For those who aren't aware, I'm working on my Master's in Library & Information Science at the University of Kentucky (go CARDS!!!) to become a School Media Specialist. I've really enjoyed this first class, and I can't wait to learn even more. 

Now on to my exciting news. I GOT A NEW JOB!! And I wasn't even looking for one! I'll rewind to November 1. I had just had the BEST day subbing for the sweetest 5th graders in Campbell County, and I guess I just came home in a really good mood and started browsing online (as I usually do in the evenings). There are so many different counties up here in NKY, and my online toolbar is full of links to different job posting sites for the various school districts. I guess I just randomly decided to see if there were any job openings at any of the three county libraries up here, and I came across this Children's Programming position in Kenton County. Many times when I read through job descriptions I can really relate to a handful of the bullets posted with that particular job. With this job,  I read through every single description of the position, and in my head I was screaming to myself, "THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT I WANT TO DO!!!"


Late in the summer I had applied to a part-time position at a different library just to pick up some extra hours, but the hours were going to conflict with my field placement for my Methods class so I ended up not taking the job. But because I had applied to that job, I already had a cover letter and resume ready to go! I filled out the online application and just waited. About a week later (on the 8th) I received an email saying that they would like to interview me for the position. I've had about 3 interviews since I've moved up here, and every time I have gotten a call afterwards telling me that I had all the right answers, but they decided to go with another candidate. Heartbreaking experience if you've never gotten that call. So I expected I would be nervous, but I wasn't. I just told myself that I love what I'm doing now (subbing), and I'd be fine with continuing to do it. No pressure, right? So I printed off a few artifacts from my teaching portfolio to present during the interview, and I went and ROCKED IT. At least I think I did... in comparison to the interviews I had had previously with various school districts. It's much less intimidating to interview with two individuals than sit in front of a SBDM Council of 12 teachers. Much less intimidating. Anyways, I received another call back saying they would like to do a 2nd interview. I made a presentation of ideas for programming, presented it and then got the call that pending a drug and alcohol test, I had the job! Fast forward another week, and I'm sitting in my new office and chatting it up with my new coworkers. 

GOD, where did THAT come from?!

This job has been such a blessing to Alex and I already, and I can't wait for this finals week to be over so that I can just enjoy it. It kind of stinks having to come home and write papers when all you want to do is throw yourself into your "work." Can I even call it work? I get to plan literacy events with arts and crafts! More like FUN if you ask me. It is all the fun parts of teaching children that unfortunately get cut out of the school day because the government is shoving STANDARDS, STANDARDS and more STANDARDS down your throat. While I would love to be in a classroom eventually, now isn't the time, and I am okay with that. I was thinking about the Bible verse this morning that talks about how God will give you the desires of your heart. All this time I've been praying for a teaching position, when in reality, what I really wanted was everything that this new job is. I didn't even know the desire of my heart until I was given it and it was a perfect fit. It sounds so corny, but I'm thrilled. They are even going to pay for half of my grad school. What a financial blessing. Which leads me to....

How do you know if something is just a coincidence or God's intricate handiwork? I ask this not to question events, but I can't help but pose a possible sequence of causes and events in my mind. Is it a coincidence that the week after I decide to go back to waitressing (setting aside my college-degree pride) that I am blessed with this opportunity? It is a coincidence that I receive this job after mine and Alex's first (and very painful) week of strict budgeting, white envelope style? After we decided, in marital oneness, to not let emotion rule our spending habits, but that we were going to budget till our debit-card ever-reaching hands lost their muscle memory? It's hard to know. While we were always financially responsible, there was a lot of room for improvement (there always is) and we decided to tackle this issue head on, no cheating. Is it a coincidence that after all these things, I am blessed with this amazing job? I'm not sure. Maybe it was a coincidence. Maybe it was the timing of it all. Maybe it was God teaching us that when He reigns over all aspects of our life, we are infinitely blessed. Maybe, just maybe. :)

So here are some before and after pictures of my new space. I dragged 4 bags and a mini-Christmas tree to my first official day at work {today}, and it's looking pretty cozy if I do say so myself. I feel like such a grown up. And this Louisville-longing heart is making itself a little more comfortable here in NKY. It's finally nice to have a place to belong and to pour my heart and passion into. Thank you to everyone who prayed for this job opportunity for me even though you didn't know what you were praying for a the time. I look forward to updating about my job, and I might even create a new blog strictly for story time ideas, etc. for other programmers. We will just have to see where this goes... Until next time! x o x o
Before
Before
My new co-workers are so sweet!
Purged my apartment! 
Almost settled in!
Just have to add some ornaments to my Christmas tree. So festive!
My inspiration. Pictures to remind me to seize the day, try new things, face my fears
 and appreciate all I've been blessed with.