Stream of Conciousness...

So....it's been a few weeks since I updated my blog - I am still job hunting, still coming up short on finding something creative, fun and nearby that pays well enough to take care of the bills. I am beyond exhausted about the whole thing and have officially passed into the 'weary, worried, and doubtful' category. I just cannot see myself in an office job anymore, but trying to hold out for a better fit is strapping me financially and emotionally. Do I just decide to settle, for the sake of responsibility? Because I can do work in an office setting, and since it does pay decent money - should I just take it and give up on the search for something more meaningful and exciting? Will it be okay to spend 8+ hours doing something that I am not too jazzed about? Am I selfish to have extended the search even this long? I go in circles, as you can tell - asking all this questions over and over, like an endless, repeating record.

Speaking of records...I put together a few mix CDs for friends lately - off stuff I have discovered through my Itunes connection. I love getting on there and finding new, rare or not-yet-well-known artists. A few suggestions for other music junkies: Meg Hutchinson, Chris Pureka, Kalai, Jann Arden, Lori McKenna, Lucy Kaplansky, Martina Sorbara. That's a few for now. Check them out!

Speaking of....check ME out! I have lost a little over 6 pounds so far! It is a slow, but steady weight loss and I am attempting to stay focused on little goals and small steps. Drinking more water, taking my vitamins, 30 minutes of exercise as many days a week that I can manage, better food choices. I am proud of this progress and encouraged by the lower number on the scale. This will certainly be a journey.

Speaking of journeys....my friend, Chris, just got back from a great trip to Germany! She asked me ahead of time what to see and where to visit. (I lived there for 8 years). Chris had a great time in the beautiful country of my childhood - friendly, happy people...cozy, quaint towns... and yummy, hearty food! What she told me about the travels made me miss it all over again! Castles and rivers and green mountains... fun little shops packed with European treasures and the best beer festivals on earth. Chris did bring back my favorite candy - smurf shaped gummys that are hard to find, but impossible to forget!

Speaking of impossible to forget...I went to a college friend's wedding a few weekends back in Virginia Beach. The bride was one of the 7 core friends in our close circle at JMU. We had all met the very first day at school our freshman year and remained tight through all 4 years. Senior year, we shared an old house right off campus - "The Graffitti House", named for a colorful, painted wall separating the yard from the street nearby. We affectionately became the "Graffitti Girls" and the bonds grew even stronger as we faced life beyond school and reality outside the security we'd found in one another. Each year since graduation, we've had a reunion to get away someplace fun and reconnect. This year was the wedding. It was a special time - just remembering the bride in our college years - and seeing her now as a woman, walking down the isle to start married life with a husband! Surreal and wonderful. We danced to our traditional "O.A.R. - Crazy Game of Poker" and reminisced about the adventures and lessons in the shared past. Having these girls in my life, even now, as things change, is such a precious blessing. It gives me a springboard from which to jump and a soft place for me to land.

Speaking of places to land...this has been a novel, and I will end here for now.