Son of a Preacher

So the book idea didn't happen. I was hired as editor for the magazines I was freelancing for a little more than a week after that post. Yippee. Wonderful Fiance was laid off right before I was hired, so we're still floating by on one paycheck. Makes it a little hard to be happy about anything, if you can imagine.

I'm sitting here this morning (it's not noon yet!!) editing the faith article for one of the mags and it has a really good point. The writer is the wife of a preacher in a town just west of here, so you know her writing is something to pay attention to.

Anyway, she wrote it for the November/December issue, so the article is obviously holiday-themed. She wrote about how we should still give thanks, no matter how difficult our lives are this holiday season.

This year, it’s harder to be thankful.

Maybe that’s why the Bible talks about giving God “a sacrifice of thanksgiving” (Psalm 116:17). Sometimes expressing thanks to God for what we have—or despite what we don’t have—is indeed a sacrifice. It’s easy to toss up a quick “thank you” to God when things are going well. But the roots of true gratitude grow deeply during times of uncertainty and barrenness.

WOW. That's a dead ringer for what I needed to be told today. Wonderful Fiance and I have had our moments as that cute couple with no money, watching re-runs of Wipeout over our sandwich-and-chip dinners. We should be the poster couple of the recession (gag). But for the most part, we've forgotten to be thankful for what we DO have, like a nice apartment, my job, two sweet dogs, our families and each other. While 2009 has been an amazingly difficult year, we've made it to October and should be thankful for that, too.

Preview--How to survive a layoff without walking in too many circles

Today's post is a little of what's going on in my life right now. I'm interested in your opinions--should I create a new blog or keep the updates here? Let me know!


Four days ago, I was laid off from a fantastic job. I was one of two assistant editors for a group of magazines at an association and I was allowed to write and edit consistently, as well as learn photography to supplement my articles. The pay was decent for a nearly-entry level position, and between the vacation, personal and comp time, I had about 4 weeks a year that I could take off for 'me' time. But last Wednesday, I became another "victim of the economy," as they say, thanks to further budget cuts.

I don't really blame my former company, nor do I blame my ex-boss (it's funny how I have to use the words 'former' and 'ex' now). I love her to death, and I'm so thankful she wants to keep me as a freelancer, but I couldn't help but feel like I was slapped in the face. I was in a great mood that day, ready to tackle a stack of articles due within the next week, and it caught me completely off guard. Granted, this was my first time to get laid off, fired, or let go for whatever reason, you pick the words. I went home numb, avoiding the tears and trying to come up with words to describe how I felt. But I got nothing.

The next day I returned to the office wearing dark sunglasses, as if I was trying to hide mascara-stained cheeks at a funeral, and carrying the obvious, I've-been-laid-off box. My mission was to pack up my office and get out as fast as possible, before I had too many of those uncomfortable, 'Hey, I just heard...,' conversations. I said my goodbyes to a few close co-workers, threw everything into that box and sent a quick so-long email to the staff before turning off my Mac and my office light for the last time.

That afternoon, I stacked my boxes in a corner of the apartment, walked in a few circles and finally decided I needed to file for unemployment. On Friday, I walked in a few more circles. My biggest accomplishment of the day would later be getting the kitchen table cleaned off. My emotions are still trying to get the better of me--I just about burst into tears six times at church last night--but I think I'm able to put it into words now.

I was with my former company for just over two years, so being laid off is like going through a difficult break-up with a long-time lover who has seen me through some of my best and worst times. I turned 21, got my legs under me after just graduating college, bought a car, made it through the end of one relationship, found a new and better one, learned a new skill, was accepted into a prestigious graduate program and got engaged--all during the time I worked with that group of people. They helped me through so much, and as much as I miss them right now, part of me feels like we all need to move on and slowly end the ties that bound (with the exception of a few friendships, of course). Otherwise, it's like bumping into that former lover at one party after another...

.....
Because I'm a writer, I might as well blog about this experience, especially since I have nothing better to do. I can check the job boards only so many times a day, right? Maybe I can turn it into a book, and then I wouldn't have to worry about filing for unemployment every two weeks. In the meantime, I'll keep walking in circles.

Another quickie

I realize I haven't posted in a very long time. Partially because I was trying to not think of what other bad things could happen, and partially because I was super busy. I narrowly escaped finals in June and was hit hard the next week with our annual horse show. That wrapped up on July 4 and now we're dealing with the aftermath of photos and the 8 million articles we get to write. On top of that, I fell behind in school (had to miss 2 weeks of class because of the horse show). With two weeks exactly until finals, I'm hoping I can claw my way back.

In other news, Abby and I started attending a bootcamp at the beginning of the month. It's been difficult and I'm extremely tired, but I can feel myself getting much stronger. I'm just ticked that while my arms and legs have toned considerably, my stomach and weight have yet to change. Oh well. I've still got 13 months until the wedding!!

Why me?!?

I feel like Charlie Brown today, screaming and throwing his fist toward the clouds. Why me? Why today?

Got home from North Dakota last night. I've been gone since Thursday for grandma's funeral. It was pretty difficult, although it didn't fully hit me until I was in the car leaving the airport last night. Today I'm back at work with no time to spare.

Ever get one of those feelings like nothing good can come out of the day? I had it this morning, but chalked it up to having a huge pile of things to do on my desk. Well I was wrong. I decided to get Taco Bueno for lunch instead of making a sandwich at home, because I wasn't too sure about the quality of the bread (been a little busy lately). I pull into the line but get cut off on the other end by another car, so I'm sitting and waiting patiently. Next thing I know, a van is backing out next to me and *CRUNCH* hits my car. The damage wasn't terrible, it sounded worse than it actually was, but I'm just frustrated at the added crap I have to deal with now. :(

What a beautiful day

As the way my life typically goes, things have been insane since I got back from Colorado on Monday night. I won't go into super long detail, because I have a lot of work to do, but I'll leave you with two things: I found out my grandmother is on her very last leg and likely won't make it to the weekend, and Wonderful Fiance came home covered in blood after getting hit in the nose with a softball last night. All within about a 10 minute span. Needless to say, I'm exhausted.

On to happier thoughts, I decided to share one of the photos from my uncle's wedding this weekend. It's unedited (gasp!) but oh well.


Do they not radiate happiness??? I smile every time I flip back through these photos. I hope you're smiling right now, too.





Ok, I lied. I'm including more highlights and funny shots because I need the humor. And hell, it's Thursday so I bet you do too!

My goofy Uncle Bob


They drove off into the sunset on a riding lawnmower. I can tell they're going to have a wonderful, hilarious marriage.