Home is where the Heart is

It is weird to think I am approaching sixth months on post graduation and living in Connecticut. I have had some moments of homesickness, but I think I am finally making my way in this town...

First off, I am blessed to be able to live with my parents for the time being in order to save up money for graduate school and for future expenses.  It is different for me since I never grew up with my biological dad and I am older and living at home but it was a move has been beneficial in my life.  My parents are always looking out for me, making sure I eat (asking what I ate, if I want something to eat, so on), my stepmom will get things for me when she is out (including cookie butter - my favorite thing EVER; winterboots, etc.), supporting my decisions, and so on.  The other day, my dad brought my coffee to drivers ed during break time because I forgot it (and almost scared me half to death when I saw him in peripheral). Also - the next day, I forgot I left my debit card in pants pocket and didn't realize it until I went to buy sparkling waters and a couple of other things at Aldis before work. My dad went through my pants pockets and brought it to me at work.  He also made sure I had an inhaler on me because I left it in my pants too (I had one on me, but I do have a tendency to misplace them - so I have three loose rescue inhalers).

Next - this one was a surprise to me and interesting how it all played out.  I put my two weeks in at Subway last week.  I didn't think I made any impressions during my time there but I guess I did.  The managers, J, at one of the stores I commonly cover shifts for has been interested in having me at her store.  Interestingly enough, she will be transfering to the my "home" store next month.  Upon finding out that I was leaving she was really surprised and encouraged me to stay on (fill in as needed or if my schedule allows it).  I kind of brushed it off and said that it wouldn't be possible - THEN my home store manager, M tried calling and texting me (after a managers meeting from what I found out) and asked if I wanted to stay on rather than quitting... I was surprised but knew that J and my training manager, Sp, wanted me to stay upon hearing I was leaving. I will be staying - I will trying to work on Saturday during November and see how it goes.  Like M said, it would be good for me to stay on in case the other job didn't work out or something came up.

Then I have found a home church only a half a mile away from my house.  This was the first church I visited upon moving (and I visited one winter break prior to a merger) and was immediately included. I have to thank R for making me welcome and for including me (granted I give her grief now)  The first visit to church I was invited to a ladies meeting at Panera after church - I was super nervous but met several people that were close in age and were super friendly, and since then have became friends with them. They have also made me feel welcome in the community.  Since that meeting, i have been to several more of the Panera Bread meetings, potluck meals after church, a choir interest meeting, worship nights, and to help in children's church.

Speaking of children's church - it feels so good to be working with kiddos in the ministry again! I was hesitant to jump back into ministry again (I did Sunday School, bus ministry, and youth choir prior) but I am glad I did. That is a gift that God has given me and I have seen it, especially when during my time at camp and how challenging days were but my love for those kids made it worth.  At this church, I am one of the adult (seems so weird to me) helpers and get to work with teenagers starting out in the children's ministry.  It is pretty cool to give them pointers and tips from my experience with teaching Sunday School, helping with VBS, and working in bus ministry. The kids have grown on me too... This was seen in a text that I got from R that her daughter said that children's church was fun out of nowhere (like that made my entire day, so much I kept the screen shot) and when one of the kiddos asks me if I am teaching/helping and wants to sit on my lap (or melt haha).

Things are slowly coming into place for me here. I know my way pretty well around Bristol (and I am still willing to walk places) and I am learning places around Bristol (I know Southington, Waterbury, and Plainville okay - Wolcott and Terryville are very pretty).  I also have some local favorite places I love to go to - like Memorial Boulevard Park (I enjoy when i can go through the park and sit at the benches, see the trees, etc), Supernatural Deli (I am not a foodie but I love the fact that their food is fresh), the library, and Rockwell Park.

I am also going to the gym regularly at Planet Fitness (well 2 to 3 times a week) - at least the front desk people are pretty familiar with me. I have also achieved some fitness goals of mine (i.e. running 20 minutes straight without stopping, learning resistances machines, and incorporating yoga into my routines) - and I am toning up in my arms - which I never expected.

Stay tuned for more adventures with the new job, finding out about graduate school, and of course, the holidays (and who doesn't love Christmas music)

Misadventures of Day to Day life.... where is the instruction manual when you need it?

It has been five months since graduating from Catawba and two months since I have been back and adjusting to Bristol from Kenmont/Kenwood camps... Life after graduation and in general isn't always the most straight forward - and boy have I really learn that... And sometimes, life feels like a sitcom filled with plenty of plot twists.

First off, I moved in with my [biological] dad and stepmom after graduation - their way of doing things and house is much different than growing up with my [biological] mom and then living on my own at college and with my "adopted" parents during college.  This has been quite a transition and I have been open about how different it is for me... Add to it the fact that I now reside in a new state - away from family and friends and my comforts (church, woods, stores, friends close by)... I find myself homesick sometimes for little things, like Olive Garden, Mexican Restaurants, the Preserve at Catawba, advice from my favorite people, etc.

However, aside from the transition and homesickness, living in CT has taught me a couple of things.  I recently got a job at a call center for a health insurance company nearby my house.  I start this in November and it will help me save up [a lot more] money in order to attend graduate school and potentially live on campus [instead of renting an apartment - at least for time being].  I took a job where getting more than 10-15 hours is challenging especially with lack of a vehicle and lack of access to public transportation to the other store [where I could pick up more hours]  In retrospect, I jumped to this job because I needed money, rather than waiting on the right opportunity to come my way... I do put my two weeks notice in this week, which I have mixed feelings about since I have learned a lot and have grown to enjoy being around the people I work with.  I also have my work for Dr. Koster - which is still freelancing but is limited - work definitely waxes and wanes (guess that is what happens when you are a freelancer)...

Also, another huge thing I learned is take a chance and go for something even if it seems unreal.. I started over - scary enough as it is, and I am also trying to find a masters program I want in order to pursue my passion [for research].  I made the decision to reach out to Dr. A.B at CCSU (per suggestion of Dr. H) and I am glad I did... [She] seems interested in working with, took 2 and half hours to talk to me, and I definitely felt the vibes that I felt at Catawba.  I went to open house and definitely felt prepared after having that connection and having talked about what to expect. I was able to get my application in for free with a fee waiver and still have to work on a personal statement and letters... I am excited for the idea of potentially being able to attend graduate school... Even if it means long hours in class, lab, and working a job - It will be worth it when I have the degree in the end!

Will update more in the near future - stay tuned!

October is here... and updates

So... one thing I didn't expect after graduating undergrad was for things to be this complicated. With this, one of the main things for me is finding a job that makes me happy and will help me become a better person.  I have had eight different jobs since 2014: I have worked at Jersey Mikes, as a psychology work study, a Public Relations work study, a tutor, a SI leader, an intern for the environmental health department, a camp counselor, freelancer for nonprofit, and Subway. (Out of all of these, the jobs I have enjoyed were being an SI leader, camp counselor, working at the env. health department (my favorite by far), and freelancing)  My experiences all are over the board - I have the most experience in communications, children, and mosquitoes - but I have very little experience in customer service, retail, office skills, etc. Which is frustrating - and add into the mix not having my drivers license can make things very tricky... Along with finding a job that allows for me to save an adequate amount of money to pursue my goals and subsist on. 

Second thing - graduate school. Last week, I was able to visit my first choice graduate school (CCSU) and meet up with a potential mentor.  She was very amazing - I felt like I was back at Catawba.  She spent 2 and half hours  talking with me - which was surprising. All of this was very exciting, including hearing about the classes I would get to take, working on a project, and possibly working with the CT agricultural station... There is a catch-22 - I need to find a topic to pursue to begin rolling the balls with grant writing, I have to have some money to put towards an application, tuition, jobs or if I can get stipends, and whether I will be accepted and do well.  I also need to look at other programs, in which I have to take the GRE - which quite honestly I don't want to do but it will have to do if I choose Southern or UConn.

All of this is pretty overwhelming at times - not going to lie.  However, I am determined to push through the job situation (including back to job search AGAIN) and if graduate school is meant to be, it will happen. I have full support system behind me and have someone else going through the same hurdles as I am with the grad school applications and figuring out what to do... so I am not alone in this.

Also - aside from the chaos that has been all consuming from grad school, life, and job searching... CT has been great! I have gotten the chance to visit some of the parks, various parts of CT (including Kent, New Milford, New Britain, Bristol, and Hartford) and have even done some of the local events that is common in Bristol - including the Mum Festival (not the parade though) and an event at Rockwell Park (that I just drew a blank on).  Still working on finding a church - but I have two in mind that I really like... hopefully once I start driving I can visit more in the local area.