On my drive to work in the mornings I have taken to listening to WPR. Every Friday they do a segment called Story Corps. It’s something I look forward to every week.
The stories are told by everyday people. They are funny, sad, poingnat; they are ordinary. It’s a glimps into the lives and memories of the people who may be very much like you and me. It is wonderful. :)
So, on November 12th I had a “Graduation, New Job, House Warming, Birthday Party!” It was loads of fun.
I had asked Andy to make a batch of his Autumn Soup, but being his usual non-commital self, the only answer I got from him was, “We’ll see.” And so, when the day of the party rolled around (I asked him on Tuesday) I decided to make my own soup. I found a recipe for Winter Soup, and then I realized that I would have to quadruple it. Which lead me to the fact that I didn’t have a pot big enough. So, out I went to find a big stock pot. I’m happy to say I found a set of 3 at Shopko for under $30. They aren’t the best, but they will do for now.
Once I had the stock pot and I had picked up the ingredients, it was back to my place to get ready for the party. I really enjoyed making the soup, and it turned out very yummy. However, I realized while gettiing everything ready that I much perfer to have others around while getting ready for a party. This doesn’t mean that I won’t throw another party, it just gave me something to think about.
And then, shortly after 7pm, everyone arrived! I have an incredible small one bedroom apartment, I’m proud to say that 10 people fit quite comfortably into my space. I had worries when I opened my door and saw everyone walking down my hallway. . . It really was a lovely evening. There was yummy food, and good conversation! :) And I recived a few new games, a toaster, a Britta water pitcher, new books, and these really neat candle holders.
Everyone left around 4:30, I cleaned up a bit and then I slept. :)
I’m no longer living with Andy. I’m living in my own place. I unpacked my last box the other day and now all I have left is organizing a few things. That and purchasing all of the stuff I haven’t needed while living with room mates.
It’s nice to be in a place of my own, however I’m realizing just how much of a social person I am. I’m living half way between work and Point. This means that I have a 30min drive to hang out with anyone. This is not something that I really like. I miss being able to call up friends and go hang out at a moments notice. . . But, I’ll survive.
My job is another thing in my life that I will survive. I know that I am gaining lots of experiance to put on my resume, but I also know that I am not happy. This is not what I expected to be doing after graduating. Although I am teaching, I’m not really teaching in my feild. And I know that because I’m not really happy, I’m not giving my best. I’m trying, but I can tell it’s not just there. I’m just not all there. I wish I could be, I want to be able to give my best to these kids. They need it so much. I know that I’m working in a very needy community. And I know that even without giving it my all, I am doing a lot of good. And yet, I won’t stay here. This is not going to be the job I grow old in. I want something different; I want more.
I have always said that I would never go back and change anything in my life. I like the person I am today. If I went back and changed things, who knows what I would be like, what my life would be like. And yet, now for the 1st time in my life, I’m wishing I could go back and change things. I’m really struggling with this. I feel as if I’m letting myself down, that I’ve let others in my life down. And that’s not even all of it, but I don’t know how to put into words exactly how I’m feeling. I just know that it’s a constant underlying feeling and I don’t like it. I just have to keep reminding myself that this is not the end, this is the begining. There is a whole world out there for me to explore and discover. And I have plenty of time to do so. . .
I saw Serenity last night. It was a wonderful movie!
Everthing I expected it to be and more. If you haven’t seen it, go see it. :)
My life is unsettled. . .
My lease ended at the end of August, and I didn’t know where I was going. And so I moved my stuff into Andy’s garage. He also moved at the end of August. He was up in Wausau and is now down in Point. I am so thankful that he is letting me store my stuff in his garage. I am even more thankful that he is letting me live with him for the time being.
I’m working in Adams. This is not the job I was expecting to get after graduating. I know that I can do a lot of good in this position, but I don’t know if I want to keep it. I have resumes out at a few different school districts. I guess I’ll just wait and see what happens with them. Even if I do end up staying the year in this job, I am planning on moving on. I want to be in a school district.
As I said, I’m living in Point and working in Adams. This means I am driving 2 hours Monday through Friday. I don’t mind the driving. I do mind the gas prices. My gaol is to find a closer place to live by this weekend. How I’m going to do find the time to do this I haven’t quite figured out. But it needs to get done. I know I’m not going to be able to find a place in Adams, it’s too small. I’m hoping to find something in the Rapids area. That would cut my drive time in half. And I would still be realitively close to Point.
My sisters and I spent this past weekend in Waukesha visiting our grandma. It was a very relaxing and fun weekend. I drove straight to Milwaukee on Friday after work and went to dinner and ice cream with HMS and JoAnn. I was so glad that I was able to do this. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen any of the Milwaukee folk and I missed them. I hope my next visit will be longer. After dinner and ice cream, I drove to my grandma’s in Waukesha. All of this driving was very exciting for me. It was the first time I had driven to Milwaukee/Waukesha. I didn’t get lost and I navigated rush hour traffic without any problems. :)
I got to Grandma’s and we visited a bit before she went to bed. Jenna and Aimee got to Grandma’s around 1am and we stayed up visiting until 3am. Grandma made us pancakes on Saturday when we got up. Then we sat around the table for hours just talking. It was wonderful. Gandma then made us a wonderful Indian dish for dinner (I’m blanking on the name). After dinner we went to see Crossing Delancy, a play being done by a local community thearter. Also fun. Sunday we got up early and went to church. Gandma showed my sisters and I off to everyone. It was cool to see how proud of us she is. After church we went to a Didgerydoo workshop that was being held at the church. Jenna, Aimee, and I were the stars of the class. I discovered that I know how to do circular breathing! :) After the wrokshop we spent some time at the Frank Mot’s Kite Festaval being held at Veteran’s Memorial Park. On the way back to Gradma’s we stopped and got custerd. It was yummy. And then is was time to go home.
I have other thoughts, but my time is up for now. . . More to come later.