Still Waiting!

I'm still waiting to hear something about a job! Talk about time moving at a snail's pace. One place called me today. The program manager I first interviewed with was let go. I think that was probably a good thing, but at any rate, I met with the overall director and got past that interview last week. I got the feeling from that interview that things were in my favor. I guess in the mean time they have hired a new program manager. She finally called me today to see if i was still interested and to get to know me a little bit. Then she said she needed to talk to the senior managers (i think the 2nd person i interviewed with) and would get back to me. I think an offer may be in the works, but i'm having to wait so long that it's hard to say. I sooo can't wait to get a job...I have a couple of other interviews tomorrow. One's at a hospital in boston. I'm not too psyched about that one, but i need a job, so i'll go to the interview. The next one tomorrow is a second interview at an agency that does elder protection work. That one is a bit of a commute, but I think i would really like the job, so hopefully that goes well too. It would be really nice if i could have an offer before tomorrow afternoon, but who knows if that will happen.
Big Guns made me a wonderful birthday dinner this past weekend. It was so sweet it made me cry! He's just the best!! He also got me a new cell phone. He used to make fun of my other one because it was so old. This one is cool. I can even take pictures with it! Wait till you see the shot of Big Guns I have on it;)

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I love you! This is my first thanksgiving spent outside of maine. I wonder what the Maine crowd will do without my jello pie!! I am going to try to wow the Connecticut crowd with it this year!

down in the dumps:(

I think i have a stuck hormone today or something. I just feel like moping around the apartment. I am really frustrated by my job search. It seems like it is taking me a long time to get one. I do have some promising leads, but the stress of all this waiting, and hoping, is getting to me. Yesterday I went back to the school where I've had two interviews and hung out with the little kiddos. Of course I fell in love with them. They're wonderful. I can't imagine they'd have me go meet the kids if they weren't planning on making me an offer, but this waiting to find out is going to be the end of me. Tomorrow I have a second interview at the drug treament place. It will be such a relief to just get an offer of some kind...i know i need to stop worrying, but i think it is in my genes:)

another good interview:)

The director of the program all but gave me the job today. Next week, as a part of some kind of formality, i'll have to go in for an interview with the director of the entire agency. But today, the person i interviewed told me she looks forward to working with me and would like for me to bring in pictures from my wedding dress shopping:) She also took the time to introduce me to the entire staff and she told them that I was coming aboard. I'd say I'm pretty much in. This job was working at a drug treatment facility for teenaged boys. Definitely a rowdy crowd, but I think it could be fun. Assuming I get an offer from the one from yesterday, I'm not sure which one I would take. THis one is closer, but it would be only 32 hours a week to start out with, with full benefits, and clinical supervision. She said that she would try to work it up to 40 hours a week for me, but couldn't promise anything yet. (I assume that would mean more money) I think the salary is comparable to the other one. My experience is more in line with the other position, I have the potential to make a little more money, but it is a longer commute 45+ minutes. It's nice to be in this position though, where I may soon be trying to choose between two to three different jobs, instead of scrambling to find one. Keep praying for me though. I don't actually have official offers yet, and it is an important choice I need to make. I have another interview at a school this afternoon. Wish me luck!

what a difference a day makes!!

I had an excellent interview this morning. I really think i might get an offer out of this one, though there will still be another round of interviews before they decide. Definitely keep praying for me on this front. I don't want to go into too many details about it, in case it doesn't happen, but I just might be employed soon!!! I have two more interviews tomorrow, so it seems like something outta be working out before too long;)

Today's Interview:)

Well, it didn't leave me with a warm, fuzzy feeling inside. They said they'd let me know by early next week if they're interested in a second interview. Honestly, I don't expect a call, but who knows. It is a therapeutic school for children, or supposed to be. I feel like they try to treat children with their brains rather than their hearts. It felt more like a dog training school. I've learned that it doesn't matter what type, or approach, to therapy you use (and there is research to back this up). The most important thing is the relationship between the counselor and the client/child in this case. You need to have a good rapport, and in order to do that, all of your interactions need to be based on honesty, mutuality, and genuine respect for all the other person is and has the potential to become. The bottom line is you need to be real, and you need to be invested in the person's life, and they need to be able to feel that from you on an intuitive level. With people who have been abused, and haven't had much of a life, that can take time, but that's what I believe we are there for. When the person gets it...that's why I do this work. Life is too short and precious to give up on. It brings tears to my eyes to think about the amount of strength it takes for them to reach out and to believe in themselves again. It is nothing short of a miracle.
In contrast, this school touts it's devotion to the principles of its "biotechnology". To me and to Webster's dictionary, biotechnology is more related to medical technology than human relationships. When i think of working with children and trying to make a difference in their lives, I don't think 'biotechnology'. " For some reason, I find those terms uninspiring. The lady showed me artwork around the school intended to display the school's 50 principles of human diversity. The pictures were beautful, but something about the terminology they use doesn't sit well with me. It seems like they think they have the world of human relationships down to a science. I don't think it's a science, and to try to make it sound like some kind of technology is bologna. It robs the human experience of it's beauty and meaning. It's much to sterile, and that was my general impression of the facility as I toured the school.
Maybe I'm being overly harsh and judgemental here, so in the off chance that I get called back for a second interview I'll go (as I mentioned before, I'm very tired of being unemployed!), but I won't be too disappointed if I don't.

Update!

I have another interview on Friday at a therapeutic school in Haverhill. That makes three interviews this week! woohoo! Wish me luck!

The invitations are settled:)

Well, thank you to all who responded to my poll with their suggestions. I think about 50% of my readership responded, so I would say that is a good voter turn-out:)! As romantic as the suggestion for the Top Ten Countdown seemed, we decided to go with Cherished Roses.
Next on our to do list is to arrange for rooms to be reserved for our out of town guests. We're already reserving the whitehall inn, but we think we'll need a few more additional rooms somewhere. We also need to decide on a menu, get a photographer, get a dj, design the ceremony, arrange for ceremony music, pick dresses, gather addresses, write up directions, pick colors, and then take care of all of the little details..and don't forget about the honeymoon:). It's exciting, though now i understand why it takes people so long to plan a wedding. I'm not sure how much we'll get done in December because of the holidays and all, so we're tryingt o get a head start this month.
In other news, I have two interviews this week. One is at a therapeutic school for children with emotional/behavioral problems and one is at an agency that investigates reports of elder abuse. I'm not sure which one I would prefer, I just hope I get a job offer soon. I'm very tired of being unemployed. Keep me in your prayers!

Wedding plans!

Big Guns and I are hard at work making wedding plans. This week we are trying to nail down our invitations. We both have our favorites, but I thought it would be neat to see what ones you guys picked. Check out this link and then let me know which ones you would choose.
Big Guns is much less concerned about wedding colors than I am. I have a bunch of colors that I think would be pretty, but I can't choose yet. I'm thinking pink, light green, light purple, yellow, sky blue, turqoise, peachy-orange....and there's probably a few others that I've lost track of. I thought maybe I'd go bridesmaid dress shopping first, and see which dresses we liked best. There are some dresses down here near where I live that I just love, but i need to shop around for a while first and get some second opinions and have people try things on. So much to do!!