Two Birds…that is Two Kittens…BOTH//Blessings and Cuteness

I’ve decided that my life looks kinda like this ->

Like the trajectory – what I’m aiming for – is continually changing, but if it weren’t for the trajectories I had in the past, I wouldn’t be on the path I am now. Even though a bunch of imaginings never became flesh, such as College of the Ozarks and doing the PCT on horses, having those ideas helped me to decide what I DID want to do, and brought me to wonderful adventures such as the Tetons (ah, still so planted in my heart!) and Ecola!

Well lately my flight path as I’ve flapped out of the nest of Ecola (ah I amuse myself) has looked like this: Ah, I am set forth into the work world once again! I know, I will get a job housecleaning (good pay) and start working right away! *Checks Craigslist*… Hmmm maybe I should actually work in the food industry. Again. Even better pay. Panera? Red Robin? Bellevue? Redmond? 

Over the last three weeks I have had at least seven job interviews, giving me plenty of practicing in wearing in too-tight dress shoes and trying not to feel like a kid playing dress-up… fortunately with my busing experience from last summer my resume looks a lot better, and the job industry is a bit more lively and welcoming than several years ago. And thanks to that one guest that once upon a breakfast angrily shook an empty coffee mug, I have sparkling answers to “Have you ever dealt with bad customers?” and other interview questions.

I was offered a job at Panera. The people I met were nice, the pay would be minimum (not bad in WA!), and I was going to start training on Saturday. Then came Thursday. I had an interview at my 3rd Red Robin location – the closest job to home I had interviewed for yet. The interview went awesome. The man (the server manager) really seemed to like me. Only problem was the general manager also had to meet me, and he wasn’t free until Monday… which was after I would start training at Panera. And I didn’t want Panera to start pouring money and training into me and then – Adios! – a few days later. So I had to make the choice between… a for-sure job at Panera or… the possibility of a job at Red Robin. It was the whole “bird in the hand or two birds in the bush?’ scenario. I hardly saw anything when I was driving around that day, I was so glazed over and turmoiled (wow, apparently ‘turmoiled’ is not an actual word. Well in my dictionary ’tis…). What to do, what to do? I didn’t know what the right choice was or if there was a right choice or if I even had to make a choice.

I dropped the job at Panera. And held my breath ’til Monday.

And I got the Red Robin job! 🙂

I start as a busser/host and will hopefully be able to move up to server before the end of this summer. Woot woot!

It’s been eight months since I last worked, hopefully I can remember how, ha ha! 😉

God as usual is so gracious to me. This job is close to home and in a town where one of my close friends live, so I can visit her. This job will also pay well since I will get minimum wage + tips, which will help me to save up for whatever is next.

~

On a completely different subject, we have KITTENS! I feel very sorry for all the other Ecolites who did not return home to find little furry bundles of cuteness living in a box on their porch.

We let them inside for a long time today and one actually settled down for a while and curled up on my lap.

 

But mostly they wobbled across the floor looking cute.

 

 

 

“Oh, hello. Why yes, I am completely adorable.”

“Please, pick me up and hold me,” it is saying.

Oh but you can’t. How sad.

I’ll just have to extra-enjoy these balls of fur with tails for you! 🙂

 

Rediscover: Day 21 – Rain!

It’s been raining pretty thick and hard the last couple days – but that’s okay! It contributes to the coming of spring. 🙂

Yesterday I went into town and visited at least a dozen places, giving out my resume, shaking hands, smiling, driving here then there… It was draining, but necessary… I had a blessing when I visited Subway (near the end of my job hunting), and the manager was able to schedule me for an interview the next day! So I went in again today and had a great interview.

My view of Subway and enjoyment of working there have been kinda tainted after my previous experience with my last manager… but I still enjoyed the work, and it would be a blessing from God to have a job! Hopefully I’ll hear back from them soon.

The thing that gets me though job hunting, and job interviews, and worry and fret… is God. The knowledge that He is constant, and will forever exist, and that His love is faithful… knowing that He’s always there refreshes my soul like nothing else can. Everything that happens on this earth is only surface storms. My ship – my life – cannot be capsized, as I have my hope in God as a firm and secure anchor to my soul!

Another upside to today is I got a CD by “Future of Forestry”. Their music seemed to suit this beautifully green and grey, rainy day, and some of the songs definitely brought back memories as I hadn’t heard them in a long time – mainly “Words That You Say”. I had posted the lyrics a while ago here. This song reminds me of “Heart of Worship” as it talks about our worship becoming more than the songs we sing…

Teach me to wholly offer
More than words that I can sing
So I become the song I bring

I think this is such a beautiful way to phrase what our worship should look like… I don’t want to just sing to God that He is holy, that I’m thankful, that He gives me courage for my life – I want to tell Him through my actions everyday! I want the whole of my life to be a beautiful song that brings God pleasure as I sing it to Him.

I don’t want to just tell God I desire Him and long to seek Him, I want to show Him through my actions.

 

“Surely God is my salvation;
I will trust and not be afraid.
The LORD, Yahweh himself, is my strength and my defense;
he has become my salvation.”
With joy you will draw water
from the wells of salvation.

Isaiah 12

 

Rediscover Day #4: Mediator

Today started the last week of winter quarter, besides finals – it’s finally “the end of the beginning”! 🙂

My day started out really great, as I got to the church parking lot (where we meet to carpool) early, so flipped open my Bible (since Rediscover I’ve been carrying a copy in my car. Makes me look so much more religious 😉 ) and started reading. I opened to Job chapter 9, and WOW is that a good chapter. I don’t know if many people would say that, as it’s not very happy…

If you’re near a Bible, you should stop and go read it. Takes a few minutes. Then come back and keep reading this blog post. 🙂 I’m serious! Don’t keep reading – ah ah – no – go. Get the Bible. That’s right. Shoo shoo, come back when you’re done reading the chapter.

 

 

So this chapter talks about how even if we’re blameless, we’re guilty before the Lord. If we asked our Judge for a hearing, “He would crush me with a storm and multiply my wounds for no reason.  He would not let me catch my breath but would overwhelm me with misery.”

 

If we washed ourselves with soap and cleansing powder, “You would plunge me into a slime pit so that even my clothes would detest me.” Not very joyful, eh? Not a very merciful picture of this great and holy God, who is so high above us we can’t fathom his movings, and who doesn’t seem interested in listening to our small talk or desperate pleas for why we don’t deserve punishment.

 

But the last two verses are what makes this chapter amazing. Job says about God,

“He is not a mere mortal like me that I might answer him,
that we might confront each other in court.
If only there were someone to mediate between us,
someone to bring us together,
someone to remove God’s rod from me,
so that his terror would frighten me no more.
Then I would speak up without fear of him,
but as it now stands with me, I cannot.”

Do you see? For us, there is a Mediator! There is Someone who brings us and God together, and Who is the reason why we no longer need to fear God’s mighty wrath! Jesus! *Insert Hallelujah chorus here!*

So yes, that chapter made my morning. 🙂 Then after school I went out and did what I’ve decided is my least favorite activity in the world – job hunting. I hate feeling inadequate, like I won’t match what anyone’s looking for, and always walking away feeling like I didn’t say the right things and didn’t leave the right impression… Yeah, definitely not my favorite thing in the world.

But it’s necessary, and it’s good that I’ve finally set aside excuses and got going, as winter quarter ends so soon… I’ve left it in God’s hands, and asked Him to give me peace about whatever happens. It’ll be by His grace if I get a job, and I’m looking forward to seeing how He’ll bless me or guide me on to something better He’s got. 🙂

Yes, I’m missing books and movies – it’s hard getting used to not having them. But I’m enjoying spending more time with God…. I’m thankful for His goodness and faithfulness to me.