A Day/Week in the Life of Me...

Here is my schedule for the week. Sometimes my life seems glamorous to others and sometimes I agree. :)

• Sunday: Dinner with aunt, bring dinner to friend, girls night/sleepover with a different friend
• Monday: Work until 3:30pm, drive home and pack, drive to Deer Valley for a customer conference (I'm the customer and the other company is paying), dinner in Park City
• Tuesday: Breakfast at Deer Valley, morning session of conference, skiing at Deer Valley, dinner in Park City 
• Wednesday: Breakfast at Deer Valley, morning session of conference, snowmobiling in Park City, dinner in Park City
• Thursday: Drive to work from Park City, work a full day, do laundry
• Friday: Pack again, go to work, leave work at 3pm, drive to airport, fly to Orlando
• Saturday: Play at Universal Florida with my sisters, brother, sister-in-law, and nephew
• Sunday: Church and walk along the Florida coast
• Monday: Magic Kingdom at DisneyWorld
• Tuesday: Early morning flight home, work, then teach class at BYU

Moving Right Along

Right at the time I was offered the job in California, my roommate and I found the perfect place for us. We'd been looking for a new apartment/townhome for six months but could never find anything that fit both our needs. My roommate's must haves were covered parking, her own bathroom, and plenty of storage. I had to have a room big enough for my bed and desk, washer and dryer included, an open kitchen (I hate cooking in a cramped space), plenty of storage, and a flexible lease. The townhome we found had all we could want: washer and dryer, two bedrooms with attached bathrooms, a half bath on the main, an open kitchen, plenty of storage, a two car garage, and a month-to-month lease. Plus it was exactly in our price range (not even hitting the upper bound).

The whirlwind emotions I felt when we found this place overwhelmed me. We knew we had to snatch up this new place quickly if we wanted it and I had to figure out what to do with this job offer. I'm a believer that you have to make a decision and then ask the Lord if it's right before you get an answer. So, I stewed for a day or so and decided that I didn't want the job and I wanted to move even if it was only for a few months. I felt good about the decision and moved forward with it. It was difficult to move because we got the keys the day after I returned from Mexico and I was still sick with a cold. Gratefully my nieces and nephews, my aunt, and my brother-in-law all pitched in and helped me.

I love my new place! I've spent the past week unpacking boxes and organizing everything. Some of these things I haven't seen for over a year as they've sat packed in storage. All my kitchen stuff is included in that list. It was like Christmas day when I unpacked these things. My roommate laughed every time I said something like "I forgot I had this!" "Look! I own a toaster! I forgot I owned a toaster!" "Hey! Here's my aebleskiver pan!" etc., etc. Things aren't entirely perfect yet. We still have a few pictures to hang and boxes to unpack, but for the most part my new place is all put together. I really love having my own place.

View from my bedroom. I have a balcony!

My bedroom—vaulted ceilings & ceiling fan

Another bedroom angle

Walk-in closet

Spacious bathroom

Main room - You can see the front door off to the right.
I love the bay window!

The kitchen

Another kitchen view

What's New with You?

I've been in a rut lately. Not the "woe is me and isn't my life miserable" kind of place. More of the "life is good and I'm happy but I feel like I'm missing something" type.

Last July, I started looking for a new job. In September I had a job interview in the Bay Area and decided the job wasn't for me, but kept praying for some type of direction of the "what next" in my life. I had the impression to start traveling to the Bay Area for a social life. I had met some great people that let me stay with them and was able to go out once in October and twice in November. I loved it! I was making some great friends and starting to fill that void in my life. Plus I was able to be the answer to others' prayers.

Then another job opportunity popped up in December. The company was a startup in the Bay Area and seemed like a great option. I flew out for an interview and spent the weekend playing with friends. But I realized quickly this job wasn't for me. It started out being just social media, then marketing automation was added, and after the interview, my potential boss included managing and producing all their webinars. I felt like I was taking a step back to last summer when worked consumed every aspect of my life. So after long thought and fasting and prayer, I turned down the job.

In the midst of all of this, I've also been dating. Not the "dating" that my sisters and cousins joke about, but more like the "I'm dating and it comes with snacks" (Grey's Anatomy quote). I've had more dates traveling to California the past few months than I had here in Utah the past year. Life really has been good and I've grown a lot the past few months. But once again, a few kinks developed.

I realized traveling to the Bay Area was fun but not a lasting plan. Something had to change. I either needed to move there or come up with a more permanent solution. All of this happened at the same time I felt turning down the job was the better plan for me. I've been pondering on my life and seeking answers to my questions to figure out what that should be. In November, I fasted for direction and the response that came was I didn't need to know yet. Just keep taking one step at a time. Recently, I received a similar response: multiple answers will be needed along the way and each detail will come as needed.

Today I decided that I've been too narrow in my scope and too timid in my ambitions. My friends are willing to move permanently to Japan, take a job in remote area in Georgia, and buy a place in Boston without any idea of their futures. I'm still living timidly. To do and be more, I need to be willing to take a leap of faith. So, my job search has expanded drastically to cities across the country. I have no idea what's in store on the dating front because I feel like I'm at a dead end, but I know I have to trust the Lord in this.

As I said in the beginning, I'm not miserable. I'm very happy and blessed in my life. I'm just feeling that something more needs to happen and I'm trying to figure out what that "more" is for me. I'm planning on keeping you who read this updated because I have a feeling, it's going to be an incredible journey with lots of bumps, bruises, and excitement along the way. And with all that emotion, I need to know my family and friends are there with me.