November seems to have snuck up on me this year, and it has brought some wonderful and challenging new components.
I have officially been hired on as a full-time team staff at work, which brings on more responsibilities as well as an opportunity to get to know the kids in my unit on a deeper level. I am really excited for this opportunity. I've only worked two shifts in the new position and I'm already being challenged... which I believe is a good thing.
School has been pretty steady and not really unbearable, so that's a positive thing. I've officially decided to extend my program from 2 to 3 years, which I think is going to make working full-time and going to school a lot more manageable. I am supposed to be starting my practicum (seeing clients) in January, but that's still up in the air. I may decide to wait a year until I hop onboard with that because I feel like it's really ethically important that I'm in a place that's ready to counsel people before I do so. I don't want to be hasty with this process-- these are real lives I'm going to be working with.
Speaking of which, something really weird has been going on. I feel like right now, a lot of the people I care deeply about are going through some hard times. I don't know why it's happening all at once, but something marvelous is happening with it. Everyone is struggling, yet everyone is also trying to support one another. It's almost like we all have these glasses of water that are only 1/4 full and emptying quickly, yet we're still using our glasses to fill up one another's. It's a cycle of emotional exhaustion, yet people's glasses remain filled because everyone just cares so freaking much that they're willing to spare a little water even with how little they may have. It kind of reminds me of the story in the bible where Jesus feeds an entire village with only five loaves of bread and two fish. It just goes to show that God does provide when it's truly needed. Support is an incredible thing and comes in so many different forms. Whether it's something as simple as a hug on a hard day, or sitting with someone for hours so they don't have to be alone, it still makes an impact and means a lot. If you are reading this and you identify with this, I would like for you to know that you are loved and supported, and I have water to spare if or whenever you may need it; all you need to do is reach out and ask for it.
I've been trying to be more intentional about using my coping skills and branching out in my interests, so that's been kind of cool. I've been quilting more, which is something that I really, really enjoy doing and takes my mind off of things when I need it to. I'm also making it a goal to go to church regularly, so tomorrow will be my first day trying to get back into the swing of that.
My childhood best friend, Samara, celebrated a one-year vow renewal a couple of weeks ago, and I was fortunate enough to be invited to be a part of the ceremony. We had a nice pre-wedding "I know you're already married, but this is exciting and this is your big day." chat which really made it real to me that she's grown up and doing that whole "adulting" thing. I'm so happy that she was able to find her soulmate at and that she is truly happy. We spent an entire day celebrating her bachelorette party which was probably my favorite part of the weekend. Part of the day entailed a wine and paint party where I was told by the instructor that I have "my own kind of artistic style" (a.k.a. I suck at painting) so I ended up giving up and painting the death star over my moon.
My parents will be in town this weekend, so I'm really looking forward to that. I've been pretty homesick lately, especially with the anticipation that I may not be able to go home for the holidays because of this new work schedule. But, I have faith that I'll be able to work out at least a couple of days to sneak away.
Today, I drove over to Clarkston to see my friend Amanda. It was so good to see her. She was such a huge part of my Spokane undergrad experience and is someone who means a lot to me, so it really was a blessing to get to have a day with her. We went fishing and both caught a fish, so that was pretty cool. We ended the day with pizza at Fazzari's where I tried pizza with onions and sauerkraut on it... it was AWESOME.
Winter is approaching which means snow will begin to fall and snowboarding season will be back! I bought a season pass for Mt. Spokane this year, so I'll probably be going up at least every Saturday, so if anyone is interested in joining, just hit me up! Another dear friend, Jessica, is going to be trekking over all the way from Chicago so we can enjoy a couple of days up at the mountain together, so that is another thing I will be looking forward to.
Other than that, not much is going on with me. My life has basically been school, work, and doing laundry while making time to spend with friends on the side. I am so thankful for the friends I have, old and new. There are just some things that I don't think I could have done alone, so I am extremely grateful for them.
Thank you so much for reading up on my Spokane hijinks. As I mentioned earlier in this post, if you are in need of support or anything, please don't hesitate to reach out. We all need to take care of one another in this intense and scary world.
-A
P.S. Here's a picture of an Ashley Taylor Senf I masterpiece. I hung it up in my parents' kitchen while they were sleeping. It does not go with their decor at all, but I'm sure my mom loves waking up and having her coffee while admiring how I threw off the vibe of our house. You're welcome, Tudie.
P.P.S. 40 DAYS UNTIL ROGUE ONE COMES OUT!!!!!!
(Here's a countdown for anyone that needs it)
