Oh California, I want to go back

The palm trees

The ocean sunsets

My sister and her adorable kids

The views

A lot to be thankful for...

 So lately, I have been a little down in the dumps.  I have been struggling with my new job.  Starting a new job is never easy, but this time it is especially challenging.  I am trying my hardest to stay positive, and I realize more and more that I have been incredibly blessed.  My husband Philip provided me with a lovely birthday, and Thanksgiving was a lot of fun too.  So I really have no reason to complain. 

I am so grateful for this little guy.  My nephew Matthew.  He brings joy to my heart!

My sister in law Andi was kind enough to take me to Target's Black Friday sale which happened at midnight.  It was a four hour long excursion so that I could land this awesome $30 artificial tree, pre-lit, and 6 feet tall.  (see below)  What a steal! Although, I told Andi I highly doubt I will every do that again.  That was my first and last black Friday at Target event. 

I am grateful to Kenna's birthday party (my six year old niece) because it introduced me to this amazing idea.  Cinnamon rolls from the can, cooked in two layers and made into a cake.  It was truly divine.







And last, I am most especially grateful for new challenges in life.  They are God's gifts to help us grow.

One more thing

I need to clarify.  I announced on FB the other day that I was getting a job and that changed.  So on Monday I accepted a full time position at Ensign Peaks Services in West Valley as a program manager over an after school therapeutic program for 4th, 5th, and 6th graders.  It would mean program start-up and development, supervisory, and grant writing experience, along with individual counseling.  It was an awesome job.  But, on Tuesday, New Roads called me and offered me a position, even though they had turned me down the week prior (I had interviewed there twice and really hoped I would get it).  So after much thought and a pros and cons list (social work strategy), oh and consulting with Philip, Ray, and my former supervisor Sherrie, I decided to go for the New Roads job.  I am sad to turn down a great opportunity, but this position is in Provo, benefited, and would provide me with experience to work with an older population and substance abuse--an area in which I need more expertise.  I am happy to have been blessed with two job offers, something I never thought would happen!

Finally!

I feel truly blessed because I accepted a full time position as a therapist at New Roads Treatment Center in Provo.  Since I graduated in August, I have been a lazy sack of potatoes.  Well, not too lazy, I managed to interview at eight different facilities, send out over a hundred resumes/applications, earn my CSW license, and go on two awesome trips, but, nonetheless, I have felt extremely bored and have been a recluse.  In retrospect I am thankful that it took a little while until I got this job because I got time to go visit family, help Mac and Rachel move, move ourselves (a two month process), and get some needed recuperation from school. 

I have an increased testimony of paying my tithing.  Over the month of September, Philip and I's lives were hectic (we were temporarily living with some friends, went on two trips to Oregon and California, and were not going consistently to one ward).  While in California, I was panicking that I would never find a job, we would go broke, I would be a failure, etc etc (a downward spiral I know, and it was silly and irrational).  It seemed like nothing was working out on the job front.  I had a few fluke things happen with different potential positions, and lots of places just were not calling me back.  I also heard that many people in my program were having a hard time finding work.  The economy has been a constant worry for me as well.  While in California I watched conference and just had a strong feeling of urgency that we needed to pay our tithing.  The first Sunday we were back we paid our tithing.  The Monday after, I got a call back almost within two hours of applying to New Roads for a phone interview.  Yesterday I accepted a job to New Roads.  Tithing is such a blessing and I know that as long as I pay my tithing, I will always be protected and watched over. 

Half-marathon

So this is long overdue, but Philip and I decided to run a half-marathon last February.  We accomplished our goal last July!  We chose the Timp half marathon because it is mainly downhill.  We knew that this was not going to be easy on the joints, but I really did not expect the amount of pain in my hip flexors towards the end!  I ran much faster than when I trained, the adrenaline was pumping almost the whole way.  It was such an amazing experience.  I cried at the finish line--I never thought I could accomplish something like that.  Philip was awesome.  I am proud of both of us!  I admit my momentum has dropped a bit since the race, but I plan to get back into it and train for another one.  Maybe someday...a marathon??

A quick update

Life has been a whirlwind with so much change lately.  Yesterday, Philip and I moved out of my parents' basement!  It was a monumental step in our relationship.  however, we are still not independently living on our own, we now live in Rick and Janet's basement.  They are the parents of Philip's brother's wife, Rachel.  They are really nice people and they are renting out their basement to us until we move into Philip's brother's condo to rent from him when he and his family move to California.  The estimated time when we move to his place in Pleasant Grove is mid-October.

I got my diploma!  Now I am officially a Master, and that means a Master in everything...  NOT.  I also received my license as a Certified Social Worker.  This means I need to work under supervision of someone who has their LCSW (licensed clinical social worker) for two years/4000 hrs and then I will get my LCSW.

I have been searching and applying diligently for employment.  I have tried several places, interviewed at some, and am waiting to hear back on others.  I am impatient to start working again, but I need to remember I only officially graduated three weeks ago...  I am trying to enjoy my time off but I get bored easily.

My current position as a respite provider for VMH has come to a close as well.  It was difficult to say goodbye to my girls.  The process of working with them has been extremely challenging in the beginning.  Ask Philip.  I have seen them grow and progress and make improvements in their functioning and behavior.  Myself, I learned so much patience.  Perhaps the greatest lesson I learned was that you cannot coerce a child into good behavior for long, what will make the change is to develop a positive and trusting relationship with them.  I would find myself getting so upset and frustrated with them, and this simply would not work.  With time, I was able to form attachments with all three girls, and they respected me and would do as I asked.  If I had more than a year with them, I assume that I would not have to ask them to do much, they would know my expectations of them.

I have gotten to spend time with family as well, here I am with the nieces and nephews.

I am in love with this new addition.  Don't you want to squeeze his cheeks?

I hope that my next post will be a review of our trip out to Oregon next week...

Our dream house

While going for walks up at Bear Lake, we found a house that we really liked.  One reason why we liked it so much is that we think that we could recreate it using my father-in-law's manufacturing company Fairmont Homes that he works for in Nappanee, IN.  I'm posting this because I want to have a photo so I don't forget about it.  I always do that, think of something or desire something that sounds really perfect and then it leaves my mind and I forget about it. 

What makes this home so great is the landscape too. It's hard to imagine where we will end up living.  We could really end up anywhere in the US.  It's pretty exciting.
I'd love to see photos from whoever reads this of their "dream home".