Interview Wrap Up

At the request of my dear friend, Courtney, here is an update on how the interview went today. I arrived promptly at 9:27 a.m. First thing I had to do was sign in on the computer. I entered in my name and purpose of my visit and the little camera took my picture and printed out a sticker with my picture, name, date and time. I was so impressed - I've never seen anything like that before! I began the interview with Anne, the Director of Counseling (aka - my "boss"). We met briefly for the purpose of reviewing my interview schedule for the morning. From there I was escorted to the Upper School conference room to meet with the Guidance Counselor, Director of Technology, and Dean of Students. I then proceeded back to Anne's office for a more in-depth meeting with her and her Associate Director, Alex. I really enjoyed this meeting in particular b/c I was able to speak more freely and carry on more of a "conversation" vs. simply answering the panel's questions. Both Anne and Alex seem to be such wonderful people and everyone I met today sang their praises repeatedly. Afterwards, I met with the HR Administrator then back to the main office to meet with the Registrar and Dean of Academic Affairs. Finally, I met one last time with Anne to wrap things up and go over any last minute questions. By this point, I was exhausted from trying to sell myself to 10 different people and answering many of the same questions repeatedly, not to mention starving! But the interview itself went very well. I could tell that they were impressed by me and liked my personality. There were comments made that were evident that they thought I'd make a great addition to the team! Before we concluded the interview, Anne asked me if there was anything else that I wanted her to know about me or any final questions that I had - basically this was my last opportunity to sell myself to her. I told her, feeling rather comfortable there and very impressed on many levels with the school and the faculty itself, that I thought I would make a great addition to their staff and I would very much enjoy the position there. In essence, please hire me!!! She was pleased to hear this from me and thanked me for my boldness with her. They have to interview 4 more applicants over the next week and a half and told me they would be in touch with a final answer in 2 weeks. So, if the Lord wills it, this is where I will be every day from 7:30 - 4:00. My prayer this whole time since I've been laid off of work is that the next position I take will be one that I love and thoroughly enjoy being at. One that emphasizes my strengths, yet challenges me and motivates me every day. One that will not overtake my life and will allow me to continue to enjoy other hobbies and activities outside of work. This job at the Cannon School sounds like a perfect fit. And if it's not, then there's something out there even better (which, at this point, after the interview, is hard to imagine). So, as it has been said, "Lord, if this is not your will for me, then let this cup pass me by . . . " After 3 hours and 10 different "interviews", I am comfortable with the opportunities before me and am pleased that the 3-week "interview process" is finally over :)

Back In The Old Days . . .

While cleaning off an old computer, we stumbled across some old photos. Here are some pics of us pre-2003 . . . Enjoy!

Blessings

Sometimes I am amazed at just how well my husband knows me. Last Friday, he and some of our guy friends began reading "The Love Dare". This book accompanies the film "Fireproof" that came out several months ago and is all about building a better, more solid, marriage. Well, literally, each day for 40 days, the reader is challenged with a dare that they are prompted to fulfill. The dare, of course, goes hand in hand with the chapter that you read each day. Well, yesterday's "dare" was to give a unexpected and completely selfless gift to your spouse and then write about their reaction to this gift in the journal provided. Chris, in all his wonderfulness, gave me a gift certificate for an "interview manicure." By this I mean that he is allowing me to use our limited finances to get a manicure before my interview (which happens to be tomorrow). Now, this is amazing for several reasons: 1. I've been talking myself into (or out of) painting my own nails for a week in preparation for this interview. I HATE doing my own nails, which is why getting a gift like this is so great! Plus, I never even mentioned to him that this was something I felt I needed to do before my interview - he just knew it about me! 2. He knows me well enough to realize that I am nervous about making a good first impression during my interview tomorrow (in front of a panel of 10 school administrators) and that looking great and feeling great are very important to me. He even told me today that he'd help me pick out the perfect outfit! And 3. Given that our finances have been limited since I lost my job in December, there has been no "frivolous" spending of any kind. So for him to let go of the TIGHT budgetary constraints we have set for ourselves and allow me this one pleasure means so much to me. Well I got my manicure today and it looks great! I feel that my hands, at least, are 100% prepared for tomorrow's interview :) Now, what to wear . . .

Stay tuned for more on "The Love Dare" as I am sure I will be "wowed" and blessed in so many ways that I'll just HAVE to share it all with you!

My Life As A Rockstar

Well, as a rockstar's girlfriend at least. A friend of ours sent us some old photos of when Chris was in a Christian band called "Trademark". We were only dating at the time, but I knew I was gonna marry him! He was so adorable as a rockstar (as you can see for yourself in the pictures below).

Okay, business first - the interview went really well! I could tell that she thought I was a good fit for the job. She has asked me to really consider the job responsibilities seriously and let her know in a couple of days whether or not I prefer to move forward in the process. Once I confirm my interest with her, I will then have a second interview with the Dean of the school. Pending that goes well, I could have a job as early as next week.

Last night we decided to put Sadie in her house overnight instead of in the bed with us. Typically, we all sleep together as one big happy family, but for the last week Sadie has wandered during the night and ends up sleeping on top of me! Sadie weighs about 40 pounds, so with all that extra weight on me, I'm practically immobile which makes for very uncomfortable sleeping! So we broke down and decided to put her in her house (crate). It's was a very sad night :( Usually before we even go to bed, Sadie is already snuggling on the floor, wrapped up in a blanket, and most of the time either Chris or I are snuggling with her. So that sweet time before bed last night just made it even more difficult to put her in her cold house all alone on a totally separate floor from the rest of us :( When we got upstairs, we both agreed that it felt like we were those empty-nester parents who's children move away to college and we're left all alone. Now, I know what you are thinking, and yes, we did still have Autumn in the bed with us, but Autumn curls up inside her doughnut and doesn't move all night. While Sadie stretches out beside you and actually spoons with you :) A lot of the time she'll also curl up inside our "nook" and snuggle with us. So without her, it felt like a big empty bed :( I know this all sounds completely ridiculous because they are, after all, just dogs . . . but they are definitely our babies and we just love them SO much!



The weatherman is calling for snow tonight and tomorrow. Omigosh! I really hope so!!! It's been SO long since we've seen snow and I'm dying to see snow!!! PLUS, Sadie has never seen snow, so that will fun to watch her play in it!

On Friday we had the awesome opportunity to babysit our buddy, Cameron, for our friends Pat & Amelia. We just LOVE spending time with Cameron - he's such a blast to hang out with! Here are some pics from our time together.

It's been a while since we last blogged, so I though I should catch you up on these last few weeks. After 2 weeks, I have finally nailed down a phone interview with the Director of College Counseling at the Cannon School in Concord. I am interviewing for the job as Administrative Assistant to that Department. It sounds like a lot of responsibility, but for the most part, it's all stuff I've done before (with slight alterations), so I think I could be great at this job! I get the impression that this department is quite overwhelmed right now, so she's asked if we could do a phone interview over the weekend. This is certainly not my first choice, but it seems to be what works best for her (and it's all about pleasing her at this stage in the process). My "interview" is at 1:30 today. The school is less than 5 miles from my house and is directly in between our house and Chris' office. Not to mention that it's across the interstate from my "regular" shopping center, so I could tend to all my errands after work without any inconvenience. I'm LOVING the idea of a school schedule as well - 7:00 - 3:00 M-F / ALL federal holidays off/spring break, summer vacation, etc. This still allows me to work on my sewing projects on the side! This could be great for us! I'm trying not to get my hopes up too much b/c I don't know many specifics of the job yet, but from a distance, it seems perfect.

Secondly, Chris' birthday is in 3 weeks! He'll turn the big 3-0!!!! This is a big birthday in someone's life and we are definately celebrating!!! We're still working out the details, but we're thinking about having a small party at our house (just Chris' close friends) and then go bowling!!! His favorite candy bar is Butterfinger, and I have a recipe for Butterfinger cake, so that's what he's requested I make for the party! I'm working on a special gift for him (that I obviously cannot disclose yet), and I really hope he likes it! YAY for birthdays! They're my favorite days of the year!!!

Last week I started a new Bible Study with the beautiful ladies in my Sunday School Class called "No Other Gods" by Kelly Minter. Basically, it's all about acknowledging what other gods we worship in some way everyday and learning to put them aside for the glory of our Heavenly Father. Some idols can be small (like media, food, etc.) while others can be huge (like infertility, spouses, etc.). This will be a good study for me as I am always struggling with inadvertently making pregnancy/babies/family my idols.

Well, I guess that's it for now. Hope ya'll have a wonderful weekend! Until next time . . .

Dancing With God

"When I meditated on the word Guidance,
I kept seeing "dance" at the end of the word.
I remember reading that doing God's will is a lot like dancing.
When two people try to lead, nothing feels right.
The movement doesn't flow with the music,
and everything is quite uncomfortable and jerky.
When one person realizes that, and lets the other lead,
both bodies begin to flow with the music.
One gives gentle cues, perhaps with a nudge to the back
or by pressing Lightly in one direction or another.
It's as if two become one body, moving beautifully.
The dance takes surrender, willingness,
and attentiveness from one person
and gentle guidance and skill from the other.
My eyes drew back to the word Guidance.
When I saw "G": I thought of God, followed by "u" and "i".
"God", "u", "i", and "dance."
God, you, and I dance.
As I lowered my head, I became willing to trust
that I would get guidance about my life.
Once again, I became willing to let God lead.

May you abide in God, as God abides in you.
Dance together with God, trusting God to lead
and to guide you through each season of your life."

Our Church

Below is a short clip of our Church's worship service. We are so fortunate to have such a wonderful Music Pastor! Thanks for all you do, Jason!

http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=237571

Calling All Bloggers . . .

If you are a fellow blogger and like to follow our blog, I have added the "Blog Followers" link to the right side of the page to display all who take an interest in the life of Chris & Melody! Sign up to be added to our list! We welcome you to our blog!

My Meltdown/New Business Opportunity (sorry to combine the two)

Bear with me here, it's been a rough day and I need to get this out! Most of the time, I feel like I'm a pretty strong person. I fully understand the reality of my struggles with infertility, and most days I can confidently say that while each day provides struggles of its own, I can usually face them head on knowing that I can surrender it to God and not have to endure too many moments of weakness on my own. But lately, it's been harder and harder for me to get through the day without some sort of mental or emotional breakdown. Literally, every single day for the last week I have received news of more people I know finding out that they're pregnant. It's almost laughable now because it's so ridiculous! I am literally unable to feel any sort of joy for these people because it seems that all my joy is robbed by their news. When does it stop? When will it be possible for me to wake up each morning and not have to face this nonsense anymore? And what is even more laughable is that I'm not even in a position to apply for adoption anymore since it is SO expensive and I have no job. Great! I'm just so tired of it all! If God has given me this dream to have children and raise a family, then why is He also making it impossible for me to fulfill it? How do you pick up and move on after what feels like the death of a dream?

On a more positive note (and thank you for letting me vent my frustrations up there!!!), I received an email today from my old boss saying that he has a friend in the education system in Concord who is looking for an Admin, and he thinks I'd be perfect for the job. YAY! Even if it's just an interview, at least it's something! It's also nice to know that my fellow CJS'ers are still thinking about me in my time of need! The work schedule and vacation schedule is wonderful within the education system! I've primarily been looking for a job that is either part-time, or just enough hours to not overwhelm me yet still provide a decent income. Over the last several weeks, since I've had the time off, I've been doing a lot of sewing and designing and finally agreed to build my own small business on the side. Chris has been a huge help in doing this and we are really excited, yet intimidated, by the opportunity. The business is called "Simply Divine" and it's a small boutique of homemade baby items (blankets, burp cloths, bibs, paci clips, onesies, etc.). I've been working on the website and hope to have it completed and published by the end of the week. I have to sew several more items to post on the website before I can release it, hence a full week dedicated to sewing! But I love it, it's fun, it's challenging, and I feel like I'm doing something important and still contributing in a small way to our home.