Hey y'all,
It seems like every month another year flies by. So much has happened since my last post I don't really know where to begin.
Well as much as we wanted to move from our apartment, we're staying here. We had prayed many many times to know what exactly we should do about the apartment and where we should live, as well as what options we had regarding work and my school. After much thought and discussion we felt the need for me to go back to school full-time and stay right here. That means no time for work. So I applied for student loans, extended the lease, and quit my job.
It was extremely difficult to give up a decent job in today's economy. I knew how many people stood in line to get their unemployment benefits from me every week. I also knew many many people who have been unemployed, or underemployed for years. But I knew beyond all of that that until I get either relevant experience, or a degree, I won't be able to do much more than deliver pizza the rest of my life. And in the workforce very very few are willing to take a gamble on someone without a degree, to allow them to gain the experience.
So I'm headed back to School. Tomorrow! Because I wasn't able to get student loans finalized until a short while ago I could only get 12 credit hours this semester. But with this course load I should be able to pull off some pretty nice grades and be set up for summer semesters to keep rockin' straight through Christmas!
As strange as it sounds, I never thought I'd be so happy to be unemployed! (ha ha)
The bank was such a toxic environment for me, I'm glad to be out of it. I'm also EXTREMELY thankful I have the resources (and the very helpful support of a loving wife!) to help me through it!
From the moment we decided this was our course of action, within 2 weeks everything fell into place. Our apartment complex took our offer to extend the lease at the same rate, and the paperwork for student loans were submitted extremely fast, with the first check coming in the night before my last day of work. Heavenly Father has definitely blessed us, but it was truly a hard thing to do.
So for the time being, Staci will keep working full time, while I go to school. and unless something ch-ch-changes, we'll keep on that schedule for another (gulp)... 3 years.
Monday, January 17, 2011
Sunday, December 12, 2010
it's been awhile
Wow, I haven't updated this blog since August. It didn't feel that long ago but with everything that's happened since I can see why I haven't taken the time to update it.
Anyway, last August I restarted school at Collin College here in Frisco, TX and am happy to say I finished the semester this past week. The really great news about school is I'm no longer a freshman, so I've got a little more motivation :)
The absolute miracle news is that Staci can eat wheat again! She's no longer suffering from Celiac's Disease. Her brother Bryan was able to find that her former Lupus symptoms (and medications) caused her intestinal lining to deteriorate causing "Leaky Gut Syndrome". After helping her rebuild the lining, she found she can eat every food group again! It has changed our lives, making grocery shopping easier (and CHEAPER). More importantly, it allows her to take the regular sacrament the same as everyone else! It is an absolute blessing and we are very grateful for it.
Something else wonderful at church is our new Stake Center opened just 2 weeks ago and our church time has been pushed back (from 8:30am) to 11:00! Now that church is at a more reasonable hour we hope we're able to stay in this ward. For those of you that don't know, our apartment lease is up at the end of January 2011, and we want to get out of here! We love the apartment itself (the layout, price, etc.) but the location isn't the best and we're sandwiched between 2 very loud, scary families that we'd rather not see anymore. (Think surround sound at 2am meets 80 pound dog drinking a red bull. We're tired of asking both of them to be quiet; they don't listen anyway.)
So we'll be moving. we'd like to rent a home in the ward but will be weighing our options throughout the new year.
Also it was a bittersweet blessing around Thanksgiving time as well; my Grandma Sanders passed away at age 87. She had suffered a long time and was finally reunited with Grandpa after being apart 20 years. Through divine circumstances we were able to get off work and could afford to attend but had a whirlwind trip to and from southeast Arizona. (the 14 hour drive isn't that bad until you try to make it back all in one day!) It was a beautiful service though, with 80+ grand kids singing "Love At Home" in the choir loft.
since returning we're looking forward to Christmas, wishing all of you a very merry Christmas as well. We have debated whether or not to even put up any decorations with us moving just a few weeks into the new year but figured we would, seeing as they'd be down by that time anyway.
This time of year is especially hectic, seeing our anniversary is the first week of November, Staci's birthday is the first week in December, with Christmas just 3 weeks later. it's a joy to celebrate so much, but sometimes it feels like the party never stops! We're expecting 2011 to be full of excitement and celebration as well for us, both with the move, some kind of job improvement for me, and who knows what surprises the future holds in store.
We'll keep you posted.
Anyway, last August I restarted school at Collin College here in Frisco, TX and am happy to say I finished the semester this past week. The really great news about school is I'm no longer a freshman, so I've got a little more motivation :)
The absolute miracle news is that Staci can eat wheat again! She's no longer suffering from Celiac's Disease. Her brother Bryan was able to find that her former Lupus symptoms (and medications) caused her intestinal lining to deteriorate causing "Leaky Gut Syndrome". After helping her rebuild the lining, she found she can eat every food group again! It has changed our lives, making grocery shopping easier (and CHEAPER). More importantly, it allows her to take the regular sacrament the same as everyone else! It is an absolute blessing and we are very grateful for it.
Something else wonderful at church is our new Stake Center opened just 2 weeks ago and our church time has been pushed back (from 8:30am) to 11:00! Now that church is at a more reasonable hour we hope we're able to stay in this ward. For those of you that don't know, our apartment lease is up at the end of January 2011, and we want to get out of here! We love the apartment itself (the layout, price, etc.) but the location isn't the best and we're sandwiched between 2 very loud, scary families that we'd rather not see anymore. (Think surround sound at 2am meets 80 pound dog drinking a red bull. We're tired of asking both of them to be quiet; they don't listen anyway.)
So we'll be moving. we'd like to rent a home in the ward but will be weighing our options throughout the new year.
Also it was a bittersweet blessing around Thanksgiving time as well; my Grandma Sanders passed away at age 87. She had suffered a long time and was finally reunited with Grandpa after being apart 20 years. Through divine circumstances we were able to get off work and could afford to attend but had a whirlwind trip to and from southeast Arizona. (the 14 hour drive isn't that bad until you try to make it back all in one day!) It was a beautiful service though, with 80+ grand kids singing "Love At Home" in the choir loft.
since returning we're looking forward to Christmas, wishing all of you a very merry Christmas as well. We have debated whether or not to even put up any decorations with us moving just a few weeks into the new year but figured we would, seeing as they'd be down by that time anyway.
This time of year is especially hectic, seeing our anniversary is the first week of November, Staci's birthday is the first week in December, with Christmas just 3 weeks later. it's a joy to celebrate so much, but sometimes it feels like the party never stops! We're expecting 2011 to be full of excitement and celebration as well for us, both with the move, some kind of job improvement for me, and who knows what surprises the future holds in store.
We'll keep you posted.
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
And then there were two...
Okay, just a warning, this could spawn quickly into a "work rant".
The bank where I work has become increasingly difficult in the last few days. as per employees we have a manager & assistant manager, a sales & service associate, 6 bankers, and 7 tellers. of those 16 individuals, 3 are in the midst of their two week notice. An additional banker is about to leave to become a financial adviser. And when all 4 of those people are replaced, there will only be 2 people who have been positioned at this branch longer than me. and tomorrow I will have only been here 1 year!
what causes that kind of turnover in a workplace? apathy is running wild and it's beginning to show to our customers. I've long been frustrated with my job but am not in a position to move on to bigger and better things. Most everyone has told me I need to 'be grateful to have a job'. I get that, but it hardly changes the situation.
Any thoughts?
The bank where I work has become increasingly difficult in the last few days. as per employees we have a manager & assistant manager, a sales & service associate, 6 bankers, and 7 tellers. of those 16 individuals, 3 are in the midst of their two week notice. An additional banker is about to leave to become a financial adviser. And when all 4 of those people are replaced, there will only be 2 people who have been positioned at this branch longer than me. and tomorrow I will have only been here 1 year!
what causes that kind of turnover in a workplace? apathy is running wild and it's beginning to show to our customers. I've long been frustrated with my job but am not in a position to move on to bigger and better things. Most everyone has told me I need to 'be grateful to have a job'. I get that, but it hardly changes the situation.
Any thoughts?
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
a new day
Hey folks,
I feel like the world's worst blogger. I know i'm not, but seeing as I check everyone else's blog religiously, I somehow lose sight to update my own. Sorry.
Anywho, it's a new day. I'm feelin' pretty good right now, I just tried out one of those breathe right nasal strip things last night and slept very well, for the first time in a LONG time. (I don't sleep well most days. I couldn't tell ya why.)
Also, I (re-)start school next week! Collin County Comm. College (Quad-C, aka "Collin College") has me enrolled for two classes, online English 102 (I know, it's crazy), and a Texas government class Wednesday nights. It's great because it will not get in the way of my (part-time) work schedule, and when Staci is at mutual with the YW, I'll be in class! :) / What else is nice is I was (at the last minute) changed to IN STATE tuition so I'll only pay 1/6th as much for class! woo hoo
as a general update -- no, I'm not in cub scouts anymore, (darn..), so that I can attend night classes but now I'm supervising an autistic boy named Dillon at church for the 2nd and 3rd hours. it's loose structure can be nice, but a little overwhelming at times. I wouldn't blame the autism alone for his behavior issues, but it does play a role. it's sad to say church isn't as 'fulfilling' as it has been in the past. getting up for 8:30 church and then spending the 2nd and 3rd hour roaming the halls 'getting a drink' and 'going for a walk outside' is hardly how I'd like to spend the morning but we do what we're asked. it is nice most days, but a little 'un-fulfilling'.
(btw, "Smoreables" came out in stores 5 days before we left. --coincidence?)
we went up with her parents and brother in their RV , aka "The Party Train"
And here I am at 'base camp'. Notice the nifty flag Staci made to claim our territory.
overall life is good.
I feel like the world's worst blogger. I know i'm not, but seeing as I check everyone else's blog religiously, I somehow lose sight to update my own. Sorry.
Anywho, it's a new day. I'm feelin' pretty good right now, I just tried out one of those breathe right nasal strip things last night and slept very well, for the first time in a LONG time. (I don't sleep well most days. I couldn't tell ya why.)
Also, I (re-)start school next week! Collin County Comm. College (Quad-C, aka "Collin College") has me enrolled for two classes, online English 102 (I know, it's crazy), and a Texas government class Wednesday nights. It's great because it will not get in the way of my (part-time) work schedule, and when Staci is at mutual with the YW, I'll be in class! :) / What else is nice is I was (at the last minute) changed to IN STATE tuition so I'll only pay 1/6th as much for class! woo hoo
as a general update -- no, I'm not in cub scouts anymore, (darn..), so that I can attend night classes but now I'm supervising an autistic boy named Dillon at church for the 2nd and 3rd hours. it's loose structure can be nice, but a little overwhelming at times. I wouldn't blame the autism alone for his behavior issues, but it does play a role. it's sad to say church isn't as 'fulfilling' as it has been in the past. getting up for 8:30 church and then spending the 2nd and 3rd hour roaming the halls 'getting a drink' and 'going for a walk outside' is hardly how I'd like to spend the morning but we do what we're asked. it is nice most days, but a little 'un-fulfilling'.
For those of you curious about the Sorensen family reunion, IT WAS A BLAST! spending a week and a half in the mountains was very nice, as well as the great food, family activities, campfires, and GLUTEN FREE S'MORES! here's a pic. of Staci from my phone
we went up with her parents and brother in their RV , aka "The Party Train"
And here I am at 'base camp'. Notice the nifty flag Staci made to claim our territory.
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Summer of '10
Hey Y'all
What's new? Seems like we haven't heard from many of you for awhile. Staci and I are doing quite well, rolling into summer of 2010 with big plans. For the last few weeks, we've been working a fair amount of overtime, with little else for recreation. We are so ready for a vacation! More recently we've gotten very excited gearing up for the Sorensen Family Reunion! YEAH!
Spending 5 days camping in the Utah wilderness (in Big Cottonwood Canyon SE of Salt Lake) seemed like a daunting task at first, but I really feel we are prepared. We found a great deal on a new tent, some new sleeping bags, AND a queen air mattress with a battery air pump. We should be rockin the reunion! Starting tonight Staci's parents, her brother Adam, and both of us are riding in the Party Wagon (RV) until saturday afternoon where we'll set up "base camp". After that it's fun, fun, fun till thursday when we pack up and enjoy Salt Lake City until the long drive home to the big D. I'm exceptionally excited to be off July 1st-11th! Ya gotta love a paid vacation. We hope everyone has a great 4th of July!
In other news: Classes for me start again in August at Collin College. I still have many Gen. Ed. classes to work on, and then on to Engineering.
What's new? Seems like we haven't heard from many of you for awhile. Staci and I are doing quite well, rolling into summer of 2010 with big plans. For the last few weeks, we've been working a fair amount of overtime, with little else for recreation. We are so ready for a vacation! More recently we've gotten very excited gearing up for the Sorensen Family Reunion! YEAH!
Spending 5 days camping in the Utah wilderness (in Big Cottonwood Canyon SE of Salt Lake) seemed like a daunting task at first, but I really feel we are prepared. We found a great deal on a new tent, some new sleeping bags, AND a queen air mattress with a battery air pump. We should be rockin the reunion! Starting tonight Staci's parents, her brother Adam, and both of us are riding in the Party Wagon (RV) until saturday afternoon where we'll set up "base camp". After that it's fun, fun, fun till thursday when we pack up and enjoy Salt Lake City until the long drive home to the big D. I'm exceptionally excited to be off July 1st-11th! Ya gotta love a paid vacation. We hope everyone has a great 4th of July!
In other news: Classes for me start again in August at Collin College. I still have many Gen. Ed. classes to work on, and then on to Engineering.
Friday, June 4, 2010
rollling along
As many other bloggers have noted, life can seem somewhat uninteresting at times. It feels that way for me right now, a little. Last weekend (for Memorial day) Staci and I somehow ended up with a 3 day weekend. We rarely have the same day off together and somehow had 3.
We thought about going to a concert at Six Flags this past Saturday but tickets for the concert, with vehicle parking and park admission, were going to be very expensive. Sigh... so instead we agreed to help Staci's brother Bryan by watching his kids so he and Heather could go out of town for their anniversary. It ended up being fun watching 4 kids together but it reminded us that when the time is right we hope to have our own kids one at a time!
By Sunday night they returned home and so did we. Monday morning we woke up and sat up in bed, wondering how to spend the day. It has been so long since we had the opportunity to do ~whatever~ together that we honestly sat there a moment in a stupor of thought. Seeing as we couldn't clean graves of family or any other memorial day type event, we agreed to go to Lowe's to buy a pantry shelf and some curtains (both on sale :) and then spent the rest of the day installing them. the apartment is feeling more "homey" (?) now but we're both at a loss for things to do. it seems all we do right now is work work work, and try to squeeze our church callings in somewhere (not to mention laundry, dishes and all the other mundane things.)
Putting our lives events on 'paper' makes me wonder what we have to be so busy with. or stressed out about. It seems we've gotten to the point where we run and run waiting for a 'breather' and when we get one we don't know what to do with it. Life is still a game of hurry up and wait.
if anyone has advice it's more than welcome. I'm sure everyone can commiserate however :)
We thought about going to a concert at Six Flags this past Saturday but tickets for the concert, with vehicle parking and park admission, were going to be very expensive. Sigh... so instead we agreed to help Staci's brother Bryan by watching his kids so he and Heather could go out of town for their anniversary. It ended up being fun watching 4 kids together but it reminded us that when the time is right we hope to have our own kids one at a time!
By Sunday night they returned home and so did we. Monday morning we woke up and sat up in bed, wondering how to spend the day. It has been so long since we had the opportunity to do ~whatever~ together that we honestly sat there a moment in a stupor of thought. Seeing as we couldn't clean graves of family or any other memorial day type event, we agreed to go to Lowe's to buy a pantry shelf and some curtains (both on sale :) and then spent the rest of the day installing them. the apartment is feeling more "homey" (?) now but we're both at a loss for things to do. it seems all we do right now is work work work, and try to squeeze our church callings in somewhere (not to mention laundry, dishes and all the other mundane things.)
Putting our lives events on 'paper' makes me wonder what we have to be so busy with. or stressed out about. It seems we've gotten to the point where we run and run waiting for a 'breather' and when we get one we don't know what to do with it. Life is still a game of hurry up and wait.
if anyone has advice it's more than welcome. I'm sure everyone can commiserate however :)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)