In a week, my para job will be over with, which will mean I'll only have two jobs. I'm thinking I'll be taking the 6:30 am- 1:30 pm shift at one of them, and the 1:30-5:00 shift at the other. If all goes as planned, that will happen M-F. I like working hard, so it's a good fit as long as I don't skip out on sleep. Like I've said, my goal is to save money for a year, so there it is.

I went to New Belgium yesterday with one of my friends for the free beer tasting that they do, and it was great. The atmosphere's chill, the staff is friendly, and the beer is good (and free). I would highly recommend going, and patronizing New Belgium.

Dre and I adopted another kitty so that Miha would have a friend. He's a four month old black and white kitty who we named Boxer (he looked like a boxer dodging Dre's finger when he stuck it in his cage). It's so great to have animals again; Miha's laying next to my computer asleep right now, letting out a little cat/bird noise whenever I stroke her side, and Boxer's right behind me in a chair. They'll follow me everywhere, and they're always up with me at dawn when I get up for work.

Another work week is here, so sleep is in order. This is my favorite postsecret from this week:

Tonight Andres and I are going to the King Soopers down the road for the release of the new Harry Potter book. I've never been able to get into the HP books, but I'm thinking it will still be a trip to go tonight.

I got a second job at a downtown bakery, and I'll work there for probably about three hours a day after my shift at the coffee place. For a while I felt bad and discouraged that I'm not using my social work degree, but oddly, I'm content with how things have worked out. I did everything I could to secure a job in the field, but it didn't come together, which for right now I'm alright with. My job now is fun, low pressure, and I know exactly what is expected of me. I figure that since I graduated in three years, it's alright that I'm taking this fourth year to do something comfy. I know that by next May (or sooner, who knows?), I'll be ready to move onto something more demanding.

My life is surprisingly simple right now. I know what I'm doing and why I'm doing it, and I have a plan mapped out for the next few years. Not to mention, I'm with a man who makes me happy in every way. I never used to know what I was going to do after college, if anyone would hire me, what I would go to grad school for, if I'd have enough money, what was going to happen with my Uncle John, if I could forgive myself for screwing up.

Moral of the story? Life goes on.

True to form, this is my favorite postsecret from this week:



The first night I was at CSU, I went out with a few people from my floor to the student center for whatever was going on there. I somehow got separated from the group, and the insecurity that was so great in me at that time told me that they did it on purpose. I went back to my room and bawled, oh geez.

That was three years ago. Thankfully, we all grow up.

Triskaidekaphobia

Triskaidekaphobia \tris-ky-dek-uh-FOH-bee-uh\, noun: A morbid fear of the number 13 or the date Friday the 13th.

I went and played softball yesterday with a team some friends started with the city rec department. I found out that I can actually hit a softball pretty far. If only the guys who picked me last for teams every time in ninth grade could see me now!

Last week I went to the food bank and other non profits to ask if they had any open job positions. At the former, there were two women working there who asked what my field was. I said that I just graduated with an undergrad social work degree, and one of the women scoffs and says, "Get another degree, girl! That's what my degree is, and look where it got me!" She went on to say that although there's a need for social workers, the market's just too saturated here. Damn, I should have been an engineer.

You know what they say: when the going gets tough, the tough get going. On a whim I went into a little coffee and wine shop, and lo and behold, the owner's there. Apparently the girl who opens every morning is going back to Texas, and she needs someone to fill her place. "This might just work out for us," she tells me. I go in to train on Saturday.

No, it ain't social work, but I need to start saving money. I've been looking for a job for too long without any reward. I've mentioned to some people that I'm leaving Colorado in a year; I just want to have some cash on hand first. My plan is to secure an Americorps placement; for those of you who don't know, Americorps is like Peace Corps in the States.

I've always wanted to live by water. I'm looking at assignments and placements on the east coast.

My mother isn't supportive of me leaving. There are probably a list of reasons, but I feel like I need to embark. Liesl said the other day, "I don't want to grow roots in Colorado, you know?" I suppose that's how I feel.

I want to go to grad school for special ed. Americorps would help me out with that.

Dre would come with me. He understands my wanting to go, and we would do it together.

So, there you go.

The fourth of July was yesterday, and Dre's mom was able to come up for the day. We brought some sandwiches up to the Poudre Canyon, and spent some time driving around the Red Feather Lakes area. I never realized that all of this was just in our backyard . . .

There were multitudes of people in the Poudre river who were tubing, and it looked sooo fun. Sooo . . . I want to get some people together for the weekend after this one to go. I think we can rent the big black tubes from area businesses, like rafting companies and the like. Stay tuned . . .

So the laundry room of my house flooded. Dre and I went over about an hour ago, prompted by a phone call from my roommate, and we were greeted by about an inch of water on the laundry room floor. Water was spraying out of a pipe by the door, and the ceiling outside was dripping and looked like it could be prone to collapsing. All we can do now is wait for the owners of the property to follow up.

Exactly a year ago I was in Germany. I left on the 1st of June. A lot happens in a year, yes?