Job Loss

On Friday, Einar sent me a text message telling me that he had been laid off. We're extremely grateful that I have (seemingly) stable employment at my 3 jobs, but I am still trying to come to terms with how this is going to impact our finances. I continue to look for a full-time job, but there aren't many openings. And I haven't heard anything from any of the places I've applied, except for the one offer that I declined.

Three people on three consecutive days last week asked me if I've considered returning to teaching. Perhaps God is nudging me? I do not have my Wisconsin license, and I haven't yet looked into what would be necessary to obtain it. There is some appeal to being back in a classroom, but I know Madison is an extremely tough district to get into because of an overabundance of licenses teachers. I might look into it, though. I've got to think about it a bit more before I make a decision.

It's Restaurant Week in Madison, which means I'm working a bit more than usual. Hopefully the restaurant will be busy, and I'll make a lot of money!! I hope people are generous.

UPDATE! (Inspiration)

I was cleaning at the church this morning, and I saw the youth director. She asked if I'd heard yet how much money the middle school bake sale made. I told her I hadn't heard but was anxiously awaiting an email with the total. She told me: $1,150!! Can you believe it?! A spur-of-the-moment bake sale, suggested by a sixth grader, raised $1,150 to be donated to an organization directly involved in Haiti. Again, I say, AMAZING!

Inspiration!

Last Friday, after the devastating earthquake in Haiti, I received an email from one of the middle school students at church. It was sent to all the middle school students and parents, and in it, she proposed having a bake sale on Sunday morning and donating all the money to Haiti Partners MCC, a non-profit organization started in our church. Within a few hours of her email request, I had 10 emails from parents and students expressing their willingness to help and commending the girl for her idea and initiative. This girl is in 6th grade, and according to her mom, she really wanted to DO something to help.

So, yesterday morning, before and during Sunday school, baked goods starting coming. I'm sure there were more than 10 families that brought something to sell. There was quiet an assortment - banana bread, cinnamon rolls, chocolate croissants, brownies, cookies, peanut butter fudge, cupcakes, lemon bars, and even full loaves of bread that could be pre-ordered for pick-up on February 7. The kids took care of everything: signs, accepting payments, decorations, bagging up items, counting money. It was amazing!! I don't know how much they made, but I heard that before worship started (with about half the items sold), they had raised over $600. Amazing. Inspiring. And such a good experience for them, especially for the girl whose idea it was.

Training

I got out of sync with my 20K training this week. I'm scheduled to do my training runs on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday, but I didn't go on Monday. But I went yesterday, and I'll go tomorrow. I still plan to do my "long" run (4 miles) on Saturday in order to get back on track, although I am considering switching my training run days to Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday for an easier-to-manage schedule. I guess I will just play it by ear at this point.

I had Bella with me again last night for my 30-minute run. She is a pretty good running partner, although she would prefer to go faster! Sometimes she will stop suddenly, and she only seems to do this when she is only a pace in front of me. It can make for a challenging experience. . . And since it was warm-ish yesterday, the sidewalks were a little more treacherous than they were last week when it was so cold. I headed out about 4:45, just when the sun was setting and the temperatures were dropping. All of the melting that happened during the day was beginning to refreeze, and I was having a hard time telling if the sidewalks were wet or icy. I'm hoping I don't run (pun intended) into the same problem when I go out at 6am.

One of the things I'm supposed to be doing during this training is getting used to a long run pace. I haven't been focused on this, but I know I should be. I believe an investment in a digital watch would help with this. I'll keep you posted.

There are a couple women from church who are considering doing the 20K, too. I think it'd be really fun for us to do this together! When the long runs get longer, it would be nice to have a couple running buddies. One of them has started training, but I don't think she has registered for the run yet; the other is seriously considering it. And if you are in the area on May 1, please plan to come cheer us on!

Happy New Year Wedding!!

Two friends of ours from Mount Horeb got married on New Year's Day. It was a nice wedding, and a great opportunity to reconnect with some former Grumpy Troll co-workers. One of them said she checks this blog every so often and has been disappointed that I haven't updated it in so long. So, in the spirit of a new year, I will resolve to keep this blog updated at least once a week.

I have also registered for the Lake Monona 20K (12.4 mile) run. That happens Saturday, May 1, so I have plenty of time to train!
I did my first training run last night - a relatively easy 30 minute jog. I took Bella with me, and I was a little worried about encountering unshoveled sidewalks in the dark with an exuberant dog. I think I jogged a little slower than I could have, but I managed to make it home without injury! I did fall once, though, when I had stopped to wait for a car before crossing the street and then took a step to get started. Fell right down. And Bella was looking at me like this was something I had planned. Kinda funny. I got back up, and we were on our way.

In case you haven't heard, in December, Einar and I bought a new-to-us car. We got a 2008 Civic Hybrid to replace my 1999 Saturn SL1. So far, it's been a good purchase! The rear driver side tire seems to be losing pressure, so I'm taking it to the dealer on Thursday to have them check it out. Thankfully, the sales guy (a friend of ours) had had to fill that same tire before we took delivery of the vehicle. I hope it's just a leaky stem or seal. I also had a minor incident with our neighbor's house one morning last week. I hit the passenger side mirror on his cable box, and a chunk of the mirror casing was broken off. When I took it to Zimbrick Honda to get an estimate on fixing (which means replacement in this case because it's remote controlled and has a reflector/blinker on it), I was told $305 for the part plus about $45 for labor!! Yikes. We've decided to hold off on that for the time being.

I continue to look for a full-time job. I was basically offered a position at Huntington Learning Center, but I turned it down because I couldn't deal with the schedule it required. I have applied at a couple other places, too, but so far, nothing has come of them.

Looking for Work

On October 26, my bosses called me into the conference room and told me that they needed to cut my hours. In half. Effective November 1. While I wasn't totally surprised that they were cutting my hours, I was surprised by the size of the cut and by the short notice. I had been reading about the crummy job market for months, and now it's my turn to see for myself. I've applied for a few full-time jobs, but so far nothing has come of them. Luckily, my church was in need of a part-time custodian. That means I'm now working 3 part-time jobs. Not fun. At all. But it's what needs to happen for now. Please keep your eyes and ears open for any opportunities you think would be good for me.

I put together a video slideshow for my father-in-law, and he wanted his kids to see it. So I'm posting it here for them and for you. I hope you enjoy it!

Good heavens!!

"Forevermore. . ." That's what my co-worker Donovan says whenever I say, "Good heavens!" at the office. He thinks it makes me sound like an old lady. Whatever. At least I'm not cussing!

I said "Good heavens!" though, because it's been almost a month since I've blogged. I guess I'm not very good at this. I have, however, written two blog entries for work. You can find them here and here.

A couple of weeks ago, Einar and I got in touch with Tempur-Pedic because we've been feeling like our mattress (purchased last December) wasn't living up to the description given and promises made. Last Monday, we submitted a relatively simple claim - which required us to take some pictures of the mattress to show a sag - and then began to wait. We were told we'd hear from them in 2-3 weeks. I'm happy to report that we got an email from the warranty department yesterday, stating that our claim had been approved. We will be getting a new mattress and foundation in the next 7-21 days!! Hooray. Now hopefully this new one won't have the problems our current one has, and we'll be sleeping better than ever!

I decided last week that I really need to be getting up and taking Bella for a good walk or jog before work. She has been destroying some of her toys when we've been at work, and I think it's because she's bored. So, I think if I can get her a little tired before work, she'll sleep more and destroy less. All this dawned on me last week when we had gotten her a new sleeping pad for her bed. The website said it was really good, and in the customer reviews, people commented that it was quite durable. Well, Bella chewed through the corner of it the day after she got it! Luckily, the company agreed to exchange it for a new one. We're still waiting for it to arrive, but my hope is that the early morning exercise will deter Bella from eating her new bed. I'll keep you posted. The picture below is after she had destroyed the bed pillow we had in her kennel for her, which prompted us to order the sleeping pad.

Birds of the Air

I've always liked this Bible passage:
‘Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life? And why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? Therefore do not worry, saying, “What will we eat?” or “What will we drink?” or “What will we wear?” - Matthew 6:25-31

I find it comforting and calming, and I often think of it when I start to feel financially stressed. And when I manage to stop worrying, when I've put my trust in God to provide for me, I have always been taken care of. Case in point: last Wednesday. I had to waitress, and in the morning, I took a few minutes to figure out how much I would need to make to keep Einar and I on track financially. I told Einar, "I need to make $120 tonight." He looked at me and, knowing that Wednesday nights are not typically reliable for making $120 in tips, told me, "Good luck!" I nodded, sharing his doubt. But I told myself that it would work out and offered up a prayer. When I arrived at the restaurant, it wasn't looking like my goal - my need, actually - would be met. There was only 1 reservation, and guests weren't exactly knocking down the door. One of the servers went home early. Slowly but surely I started getting tables. And slowly but surely my tips followed. I wasn't feeling optimistic, though. I reminded myself to just trust that it would happen. At the end of the night, when I did my check out, I had made $119.57! Amazing. God does provide. . .

War

I was listening to NPR this morning while I exercised, and I heard a couple stories back-to-back about war and violence in Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iraq, and Iran. It makes me so sad to think about these places where violence is so common. I think about the children, especially, who live in fear. And I feel so helpless to do anything, knowing that I don't really know or understand the conflicts. But then I think of the book Three Cups of Tea about Greg Mortenson, who is doing great things in Pakistan to work toward peace. One person really can make a difference, but how do you begin?

Annual Review

Yesterday I had my annual review at Tweedee. My official start date was September 6, 2005, so I just celebrated my 4th anniversary at Tweedee. This is the longest I've worked at the same place. My review went well, and I still have a job. *whew* I've learned a lot about video production since I started working here 4 years ago, and I still have a lot to learn. My bosses are great, and they continue to provide me with new responsibilities and positive feedback. I am ready to take on more tasks and projects, and they are slowly but surely giving me opportunities to grow professionally. I honestly couldn't ask for a better place to work or better people for whom to work. And now it's time for our weekly Brown Bag Theater - a good time to socialize with co-workers, watch some TV or a movie (today is The Beatles' "Let It Be"), and have lunch. You should join us sometime!