I GOT IT!

Today I met with the current victim's advocate to find out more about the position and decided for sure that I want it. It is still up in the air of when I will start, but hopefully within the next few weeks. I will be doing death notifications, river incidents, assaults, court hearings, protection orders, search and rescue, and lots of free trainings. Also included: county car, cell phone, pay raise, additional week vacation and I am my own boss. This is a job I can run with as far as starting/training for things that interest me. God is so good!

On the other fronts, I'm in my second week of 16 weeks of school left before graduating with my master's degree in April! I am hoping to come out to Ohio the last week of April through first week of May to visit and walk the stage to happily complete my education. It will be a long while before I think about a doctorates degree. I think I need more experiences to know what I would like to specialize in before I tackle that.

My mom is doing much better health wise, despite a set back earlier this week. During a checkup, the doctors finally took my mom seriously and found blood clots because of her port. She stayed at the hospital overnight and now has to take a daily shot of blood thinners in her stomach for awhile to help. Anyone who knows her knows she can't stay away from work, and is already back at it helping those who need it. Only a few more treatments to go and she will be back to full health in no time and hopefully able to come visit me in the summer.

I have off work until Sunday afternoon (unless I start the new position Monday) and will be doing homework and babysitting. Right now I am flying high though and may just treat myself to dinner and enjoy my night. I hope you all reading this have a great weekend and find a blessing in life. I know I am truly blessed today :)

Job #2

I got back from my Christmas vacation Saturday evening, and my first day of work as a dispatcher was that Monday. The drive hasn't been too bad (25-30 min), but it is very pretty in the mornings driving through the mountains as the sun comes up. As I walked in to the building where all of the fun happens, I was trying to mentally prepare what would happen in the chaotic communications center they call dispatch. Instead of chaos, I was greeting with a cake and the sheriff to get sworn in for service (and I got a certificate too). My first two days were to observe everything that went on with some explanations. It is hard to explain everything, but a dispatcher has a radio headset to page all of the different agencies, four computer screens, a non emergency/administrative phone, a 911 phone, and a crimestoppers line. We can also be called to do pat-downs of inmates, prepare warrants and send out BOLO's. It all feels overwhelming at first, but thankfully is starting to all come together now in my third week.

I was able to do ride alongs with the EMS and a fire department. Unfortunately, no calls came in for me to watch so we all just hung out for the day and told fun stories of stuff they have done. Last night I took a CPR class for adults, children and infants so I am certified to do that as well. Always a good thing to know anyway. This week I have begun answering 911 phone calls in addition the the non emergency/administrative lines I began to answer last week. It has not been very busy the past few nights, of which I am happy, but sometimes it is so slow I wonder if everyone is finally getting along.

Perhaps the biggest change to come out of this is that another position with the sheriff's office is opening up: Victim's Advocate. There is only one for the county and they are called to a scene for things like assaults, death and any situation where a victim and/or their family needs assistance. My first day on the job, I learned that this position may be opening up and I thought how interesting it was that I had talked with my mom about how I eventually wanted to work more with families on scene than in dispatch. It eventually got out that I might be interested in it, probably from my trainer. Two days ago, my supervisor called me while at work and told me that I should apply for it if I want it and to call the under sheriff the next day. I did and he told me to call the current victim's advocate, but that they could probably make it happen. I left the VA a message of my interest, and she called me later to set up a meeting for Thursday to learn more. What was more interesting though, is that she said if I want it the position is mine. They won't even post it for other interviews.

I don't know how the transition will work from one position to the other, as I am only in week 3 of 20 for training as a dispatcher. They may want me to start training as a VA now, or wait until a closer date to when the current VA moves. If so, what are my choices for income? I doubt that they will want to keep training me as a dispatcher if they know I am leaving and can start training the next person who was in line behind me for the job. It is just amazing though how it is all working out for something that I want. And the main reason I can get the VA job so easily is because I am already employed for the county and have experience/skills for the job. It will be nice to work days as a VA (except for when I get called out), as I have been working 5p-3a shifts this month. I have also been babysitting some days as well, causing for no sleep until 8am. Just pray that this new possible job is one that I want and the transition is smooth!

Ups and Downs

During all of this job hiring, I did receive sobering news from my mother one night while I was house-sitting. It took a couple of tries to get it out of her, but she has stage one breast cancer. I didn't really know what to think, except that whatever happened, it was going to all be okay. I found out Dec 9th and the plan of attack moved quickly. The day I left for vacation was the day she had her lumpectomy and biopsy of her lymph nodes. Despite the doctors believing they got it all and the biopsies coming back normal, chemotherapy and radiation were going to happen (as I found out midway through my vacation). The day before I left to come back to Colorado, mom had a port put in that threaded from her arm to her heart. She said it was one of the most painful things she has ever had done. Her first treatment was now over a week ago, and while the chemo cocktail takes at least 6 hrs to put in, it is the time after that is the hardest. For 5-6 days, she was in a lot of pain but eventually she did start to feel better and slowly start work. At first, we thought that she would have 11 chemo treatments through September, which makes it feel like this is going to last forever. The docs told her though that she only has five more to do, which at one every 3 weeks means she will be done with chemo around May. Then she will be doing a month of daily radiation at this point. The hair has been cut super short and hats, scarves and wigs have been received.

I am most thankful that my mom does go to get her yearly mammogram, or else this could have ended up much worse. I am also thankful that I was able to spend the holidays with her as she began the whole process of fighting and winning this battle. A mom is someone that most girl's can't live without, and that is true in my case. I would be in an absolute tizzy of the prognosis was bad and I couldn't be there with her (no I would probably move). God has been really helping my family through this as we know He is the one bringing healing and comfort the most. I am so proud of all of the family and friends that have stepped up to help out with transportation, spending time with mom, and buying things she may need. Starting my new job here has not been easy, but it is easier knowing good things are happening at home in Ohio. I have learned to take one day at a time and cherish the time with my mom more than usual, as each day with her is a blessing to me and others. Now all I can say is BEAT THIS THING!

Vacation All I Ever Wanted

I decided that I wanted an easy-going traveling experience, so I thought that a long train ride would do just the trick. I didn’t want to leave my car in Denver for a month, so I got a bus ticket to take me up there. Once I woke up on Tuesday the 19^th, I realized my trip would be anything but easygoing. I looked out the window at 6:45 in the morning and it was white out…snowing like crazy with a couple inches already on the ground. I had a woman from my bible study give me a ride to the local airport where the bus picked me up, and waited, waited, waited and waited. It was an hour late, but I was finally on my way at 9. It was about a 3 hour trip to Denver with the stops along the way, but when I got off the bus, I realized that I needed to get to a different station. The Central Station was closed for repairs and the temporary one was in a different location. The bus driver only pointing in the general direction, which meant I had to walk with all of my luggage to the next place. What should have taken me 15-20 minutes of a walk ended up taking me an hour. I should have taken a different route, but had no idea the right way and ended up getting fenced out by the stadium across the street from the building I needed. I could see it but couldn’t get to it. Not only that, but from going up and down the stairs on both sides of the stadium, I had lost a wheel to my luggage so I was half rolling half dragging the thing around downtown Denver. I was so tired and sore I wanted to sit down and cry, but I pushed forward. I was so happy to finally get to the Amtrak station I was laughing at my whole ordeal.

The rest of my trip went better, as I had a good seat partner for the long ride to Chicago. She was a teacher and Christian a few years older than me and we got along well. Once we got to Chicago, we both had a long enough lay-over to grab dinner and watch each other’s luggage. That trip was about 18hrs, so we had a long time to sit and chat. My layover was about 6hrs, so I just hung out by the terminal and read. Finally at 9:30pm, the last train to leave, I boarded for Cleveland. I arrived the same time my dad did, a little after 5am. And it was good to be home. Since he was picking me up after working and I had barely gotten any sleep that night, we both crashed when we got to his house. I was sure glad to be done traveling though.

After my nap, since my dad had to work that afternoon (Thursday), I decided to pay my mom a trip and go to my old church, which was luckily having a Christmas worship service that night. It was good to get in a couple hours with mom and seeing old friends, many of whom didn’t know I would be there that night. The rest of the week and the next I spent at my dad’s and New Year’s week I spent at my mom’s (with some visits a few days Christmas week also). Christmas was thankfully not as chaotic as last year (when I was at 5 different houses that day), and I got to visit with family. Christmas eve I had dinner at my stepsister Jeniffer’s house, where a huge dog slobbered all over me…Beethoven anyone? I had my first try of pizza chicken and realized that I was definitely going to gain weight eating during the holidays. Christmas morning I opened presents at my dad’s, the stocking always being my favorite. Then I headed to my Aunt Christie’s to see my mom’s side and celebrate my sister and cousin’s birthdays which were both on the 21^st. My sister is now officially no longer a teenager! Then I went to my mom’s for a few hours to hang before heading back to my dad’s. That next Wednesday I also went to Mt. Gilead to see and meet extended family on my mom’s side. Again, it was great to see everyone and eat all of the awesome home cooking and desserts. New Year’s Eve was my mom and stepdad’s anniversary so I stayed at my dad’s to watch the ball drop and eat the traditional potato/pork/sauerkraut meal at midnight.

I did shopping at my dad’s and mom’s for new clothes for work, made monster cookies with my grandpa, ate way too many milkshakes from steak and shake with my step mom Kim, started painting my mom’s kitchen, sold back school books for extra shopping money, built a snowman and hiked with my friend Cortney, visited my old work/got prescription filled, went to lunch with family friends Teri and Dorian (which our wiper blade flew off while it was snowing and I laughed hysterically. Luckily, a man saw my mom and I reading the instructions on how to replace it and changed it for us), had a lunch date with my old roomie Nina and a lunch date with even longer time friend Jamie, watched lots of movies, went to the dentist and back again the next day to get a cavity filled and never did get to start my book. I guess I was too ambitious to think I could do that, as I barely had enough time to get done what I wanted to get done. But overall, it was a wonderful vacation that could have lasted another 2 weeks. Alas, Friday morning at 1am I was on my way back to Cleveland for the train to Colorado. Both trains back were quiet and uneventful, and this time I took a taxi to the station (which had changed from Union to the Greyhound). I had a couple hours in Denver until the bus came, so I walked around the 16^th St. mall (similar to an outlet) and had breakfast at Starbucks. I bought t-shirt that says “Got Oxygen?” for Denver’s high altitude, though where I live is a couple thousand feet higher. It was 5pm when I got back in town, and the same woman, Sue, picked me up and graciously brought my some groceries as well, knowing I probably had to go to the store. I love small town friendliness! I am more than likely coming back in April when I graduate for at least a week, but this time I will flying instead. Thank you to everyone who made my vacation awesome and thanks to all 4 of my parents that fed and housed me during my stay. I love you all!

Job #1

So my customer service job was only for about 3 ½ weeks, but everyone there was really friendly and helped me out. There was a lot of computer and phone work, but I tried to learn everything and help as best as I could. By the second week, they were wishing they could hire me on permanently, but since the sales go down after Christmas and I had another job offer, it was only until mid to late December. I tried not to get too attached to anyone knowing I would have to leave, but each day I had a good laugh. The company sold outdoor gear and clothing apparel, so once I was about to leave, I looked through the warehouse at the winter boots and got a nice, thick pair for when I came to Ohio snow. With the awesome employee discount, I got the boots for $75 when they originally cost about $150. I normally don’t spend that kind of money on stuff, but these are very high quality and will last me a couple years for sure. All in all, I had the normal customer service experience with people who were very nice, those who I couldn’t understand their English accent, and those who blamed me for ruining their vacation/holiday. I shrugged most of it off, because I really didn’t have the kind of power they thought I did. By my last though, I was ready to leave for home despite all of the money I had made.

Time to Give Thanks

I was listening to some music one afternoon and a song came on that talked about letting God have total control of everything in your life. With my job hunt going painfully slow and challenging, my financial resources would be on shaky ground when my babysitting job lightens up after Thanksgiving. I had not really been giving God the money part of my life, as seen by the absolute lack of tithing I have done (i.e. none since I have moved). I decided that Sunday at church I would give money during tithing to show God it is not really my money and He has the power to give and take away. After church that day, a lunch was provided in the church gym and I got to see Patty who I had sent a resume to almost a week and a half earlier with no response. I told her if they still needed someone I was interested. She said to come on by Tuesday afternoon and she can have me fill out paperwork. It was for a full-time seasonal job until Christmas as a customer service rep for an online business. So Tuesday I went in and she pretty much hired me on the spot, but let me know for sure the next day after talking with her boss. My first day would be the Friday after Thanksgiving.

I was so excited, since Wednesday was my last full day sitting, then I had the holiday, and started work the next day. And the biggest plus was that I could leave in time to come home for the Christmas holidays and have money to pay for it, rent, and my car insurance for 6 months. I knew that when I came back from vacation, I would have to find a job, but at least I had something until then. Thanksgiving itself was wonderful, as a family from church invited me to their house for the day. I help with the AWANA club and the parents are the ones who run it, with their 4 girls helping. The food was very, very, very good and we had fun playing UNO, Clue and talking. I did have to leave earlier than I wanted since I had to work the next day, but to me it was a good reason to leave.

That whole week of Thanksgiving, I had absolutely no cell phone reception as the tower blew down on the mountain, which gives ATT access to the whole town. This was very frustrating to my job hunting and school scheduling. Knowing that tithing worked the first time and it was in God’s house I got the job, I decided to tithe again that Sunday after Thanksgiving. That Tuesday, I went to the post office during my lunch break and saw a letter from the Sheriff’s Office. I knew it was probably a rejection letter for the dispatcher position, but I decided to open it anyways. It was actually acceptance letter that I was first choice for the position and they had been trying to get a hold of me that whole week before, but of course my phone wasn’t working. However, they said that I had until Monday, the day before, to accept or it would be given to the second in line. Now that my phone was finally working, I called right away and they said that that afternoon they were going to call the second person and I had called just in time. They said that they wanted me to start mid-December, but I told them that I had made plans to go home. They said they would wait for me to get back in January. I was utterly amazed and grateful to have two jobs and the opportunity to go home for Christmas. From that point on, I knew that I would be tithing every Sunday because I knew that it was the best way to give thanks for having this whole situation come out for my good.