Waiting

So after my last post I got a call from a doctors office to do an interview for a position that Friday at 1. I thought it went really well and she said she would let me know the next Tuesday or Wednesday her decision. I ended up getting a letter of no thanks the week after that, but it would have been a nice position to have since it was just down the street. That same day I also was scheduled to take the test for the county dispatcher position at 9 am. Once we were all settled in to take the test, the facilitator told us that only the top five scorers would be asked back for an interview that afternoon. My thought was, I already have an interview at 1 and how hard is this test??? I thought it was just going to be a civil servant test and boy was I wrong. As soon as we began I was sure I wasn't going to be one of the five.

The test was all listened to on tape and came in four parts. The first part was to fill in three columns labeled color, letters, and numbers. The tape would say a color, 3 letters and 3 numbers in their groups, but in random order. So it would say gray, 275, fgs then 321, yellow, oiu, and continue that until all 20ish rows and three columns were done. This might have been easy except for the fact that there was no rest between every group and some groups were said at the same time (you would hear green and 789 at the SAME time) and have to remember and write each thing in the right column. The next section was of 3 different 1 minute emergency calls. We could take notes of what we heard. Then we were given 2-3 minutes to check the boxes with the right information, but again they made it challenging. The info was all scrambled so the number of the house to go to would not all be together and you would have the choice of 709, 729, 207, 902, and 7209, so you better have wrote down the right thing or had a good memory. Again, that was done for 3 different calls. Then the 3rd section we had to write down a list of 20 words and then check the boxes next to them if that word was mentioned in any or none of the 3 previous calls and which ones. This had to be done in 3 minutes and we could look back at our notes. For example, the word black was mentioned in call 1 and 3, and north was not mentioned in anything. The last section had about 30 different pieces of info with a line next to it. We had to listen to a sentence and pick a piece of that sentence that was listed and write the number of the sentence next to it. So they would say sentence 1: Engine 304 run north to 865 S Main for a robbery at North Mall. Then we would have to find one part of that sentence in the 30 pieces on the paper and write a 1 next to it (1-865 S Main). Again, there were no breaks in between sentences. Once we were done, there was a lot of grumbling of how bad everyone thought they did.

I drove back to town for my next interview ( 30 min drive each way), but I had to babysit for a few hours first. While doing that, I received a call that I was one of the 5 scorers and to come back down for the interview at 3. So I did one, then the other interview, then went grocery shopping. It was the longest day ever between running errands, driving almost 3 hours, taking a test, babysitting and doing 2 interviews. I can say I slept good that night. They said it would be 2-3 weeks until we would know their decision and it has now been two. Though the money would be pretty good, I almost don't want it because it is rotating shifts (which means graveyard and swing shifts), holidays and weekends. I've been there done that and want a job with set day hours please! So I am still applying to as many places as possible hoping to get something more stable.

I have also gotten my license (FINALLY!) and my picture isn't too bad, so I was happy about that. I also switched my phone number to a Colorado one, though there is no connection til next week since a tower blew over in a storm this week! If you need the new number, let me or someone you know would have it know. I still have unlimited text but only 250 minutes so text if possible. It is no contract and only $25/month so its really affordable and easy to change if I move again or want a different service. I am hoping that I won't be moving again, but I don't know what will happen in 6 months. This next week is thanksgiving and a family at my church has invited me to their house for the day. The parents are the leaders of the AWANA program I help with and I hang out with their daughter so it should be a good time.

Christmas is about a month away now too and I am waiting for my refund check from school to buy the ticket home. I am planning for 2-3 weeks to stay, but I also have another challenge while I'm there....to write a book. Ok that's probably too ambitious so I will say START a book. I have a lot of ideas to write about and have focused on the first one I want to do, so wish me luck on my writing endeavors. Another prayer I need is to find 2 online classes for the spring so I can graduate in April. I only needed one and was scheduled for one at Malone, but to receive financial aid I can only be enrolled in ONE school a semester. So I will have to withdraw from the one at Malone and find a university that has 2 open relevant classes which I haven't already taken (kind of hard since I've taken most-all for my major). Then I have to get it approved from my dean so they can be transferred. This will have to be done in the next few weeks, but calling places is hard when I don't have a currently working phone! I'm sure I can borrow one though.

I am still babysitting, but soon my hours will be cut back since they are putting their daughter in preschool. She turns 3 next week! I will still get to see them since they need me on some mornings to get them ready for school and during days off. It's a bit cloudy today and though there is no snow, it feels like winter is here. Last night I helped at the church with the middle school group and I was the oldest person in the building HAHA. We ate a bunch of food and played video games (Wii bowling and Super Nintendo Mario) and had a lot of fun. Though I am waiting for a lot of big things to happen, I am filling up my time here and there with random things to do. Just keep me in prayer that stuff starts happening soon and I can come home with lots of good news. Hope you all have an awesome Thanksgiving!

Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow

There seems to be a pattern here of it snowing on Wednesdays! Last Wednesday it snowed about 4 inches, then it all melted the next day. I woke up this morning to a few inches more, though the roads are already cleared. I am feeling in a very Christmasy mood now, but I suppose I should enjoy the Thanksgiving holiday first. It has been an interesting two weeks, but in a very good way. The retreat I went on was awesome and exactly what I needed. In fact, it was the best one I've gone on and I wish it could have lasted longer than a day (something I don't EVER say about retreats). We had lots of goodies to snack on and played group games that were absolutely hilarious. One was to take all of the stuff out of our purses that were on a list and count them up in groups. My group won (we got chocolate) even though me and another woman didn't bring our purses! Another game was to relay race across the room getting dressed and undressed in spa cloths and do random stuff. The slippers gave a lot of people trouble lol. At night we had a PJ party in the lodge and I learned a card game called hand and foot (like canasta- though I haven't played that before either). I lost horribly but is was fun. The speaker was pretty good too and the weather was awesome (75 and sunny). I will leave out how absolutely amazing the scenery was in the mountains/chalk cliffs too...though I know you want to see. I'm hoping to get pics posted soon.

This past weekend I went with the family I sit for to a roller derby in the next town. I had never been to a match before so I was excited to see exactly what went on. It took me til about a quarter of the game to get the gist of it, and by that time the kids were already getting restless. We ended up leaving after the half time show, but it was pretty obvious who was going to win. The score was 94-30something! The teams were dressed up as vampires vs. zombies, and the audience was dressed up as well. I have never seen so many creative costumes before. This small town does everything with gumption. One woman dressed up as an old man in the hospital with his gown open in the back so you could see his fake pimply and cellulite butt. The adults laughed hysterically and the kids were horrified and disgusted. The halftime show was probably the best part though, because it was kids dancing to MJ's Thriller in their Halloween costumes. I recorded it on my phone, I just have to figure out how to get it on to my computer. But the kids were right on and had to of practiced a lot because they did the whole song just like on his video. Again, one of the best half-time shows I have ever seen.

Monday I went to the kids' school for their Halloween parade and party to see them all dressed up. The youngest, whom I dressed at home, was a little ladybug, and the two boys were Ironman and Frankenstein. Again, the kids had a lot of creative costumes, which I took video of to hopefully add on here too. I had angel wings and a halo, the dad dressed up as Thor, the mom as a nurse (since she just came from work). There were so many treats in that classroom I was glad that I didn't have to stay for the sugar rush/crash when they got home. It was all in all a fun day, though I missed the Halloween party normally at my dads and watching Hocus Pocus at my moms.

I have been applying to various job postings, and am taking a test on Friday for a county dispatcher position. It is just a civil service test I think, so I will be fine. The next part after that is an interview and skills application, but this is a position I really want. I'm crossing my fingers that things work out. I have also been looking at tickets to come home and it seems like I might be there for 3 weeks instead of two, because it costs more the closer to Christmas you arrive and depart. I don't know how that will affect looking for a job though, but I'm coming back either way. I'm leaning more towards a train back just because I don't think I could fly.

I have started my next class and it is going to be an easy one fortunately. Next week is my last week for my first class and I have two papers to write for it. I have signed up for a class in the spring and just need one more besides that to graduate in April. I will have to do a transfer credit from another university though, which I am getting info on now, but I will be so glad to be done. Next will be applying it all to the writing I want to do. I am still filling up my time with lots of reading and am feeling like I am a part of the community more and more. With tourist season pretty much over, there are not as many people around and the pace of life is a little more slower. We are almost finished with our book in bible study and will next focus on actually studying books in the Bible. I have such peace in my soul now that I could sit here all day and look out the window. Alas, I must do more homework and a bit of cleaning too. Hope you all are enjoying your life wherever you are!