Dirty Faces and Pretty Places

The family went to Crescent Lake this last weekend. It was the perfect opportunity to play with my new camera. I was really quite impressed with myself, even though some of the pictures turned out as well as they did completely by accident. But hey, it was me behind the camera, so I'll take full credit for it. Can you blame me? Here are my favorites

My nieces and nephew are the cutest ever! I really can't get over it. Within minutes Isaac (4) was filthy. Wherever he went, a cloud of dust surrounded him, like Pigpen from Charlie Brown. Carolyn is hilarious, and not just the cutest, but the smartest two year old EVER. I'm not exaggerating. She is fully potty trained. Abbie is 6 and is super duper excited for school to start. I've never in my life met a child that counts down until the first day of school, but Abbie does. She got really good at casting her line after Grandpa (my dad) taught her how to fish. They bring so much JOY into my life.

My absolute favorite quotes from this weekend are as follows :

Out of the mouth of Carolyn(2) (or rather, INTO her mouth)
"I ate dirt"

Out of the mouth of Isaac (4), to his dad (my brother Jeromy)
"Youuu're so cuuute"

The Boy on a Mission

My little brother has gone on his two year Mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. He will be in Provo for 3 weeks learning Spanish and then he will go to Peru for 2 years. I am so proud of him. He is such a special kid. I don't mean a "stop eating the paste" kind of special. I mean that he is, well, I'm not really sure I can put it in to words, but he is pretty stellar. I love my brother. I will miss him. He has left a boy and will come back a man. It's really quite remarkable what two years, in a foreign country, dedicating your life to Jesus Christ and Heavenly Father, does to a person. It's quite inspiring if you ask me.

Hope

Cast Away is such an inspiring movie. It had been forever since I last watched that movie from start to finish. I am sure the first time I watched it the thoughts that crossed my mind tonight weren't even close to coming to mind. Now, just in case you've never seen it, it's about a man who's FedEx plane goes down in the middle of the ocean. He is the sole survivor and gets washed up on shore on a tiny, totally remote island somewhere in the Pacific. He realizes he is totally alone. He survives by sheer will power, but, in my opinion, he is saved by Hope. He really has no reason to Hope, but he Hopes in spite of it all. He Hopes that he has a reason to live. He learns how to build a fire. He learns how to get food and water. There is such power in the will to live. There is power in hope. My next though, I'm sure was never close to the mind of those that created the movie, or maybe they were thinking similarly... but the way the Main Character survives was a testament to me of the mindfulness of our Heavenly Father. After four years on the island, half of a port-a-potty washed up on his tiny island that made it possible for him to have a sail, so he could brave the ocean, hoping to find some ship. Out on the ocean, he came upon a Whale that accompanied him until a freighter ship came across and was able to take him back home. We are all being watched after. No matter what our circumstances, we can always Hope for a better tomorrow. We can always Hope because we know that there is a loving Heavenly Father sending us help in all sorts of ways and forms. No matter what we are waiting for, there is always Hope of attaining what we most desire. Hope is powerful.

So remember how I wrote a little teaser, here are the details about what is going on in my life....
You may, or may not know that I have moved home to dear old Springfield Oregon. I moved back home in late April because of a change in employment. I am now working for Hoodoo Recreation in their main office in Coburg Oregon, which is a small town about 10 minutes away from where I live. I am the Administrative Assistant so I do everything from answer phones to excel spreadsheets. I'm a catch-all, which is the life of an Admin. I can't say it's my dream job, but It'll have to do for now. (My dream job, in case you were wondering, is to be a Mom). Anyhow, when I first got home I had a little decision to make as to where, exactly, I would attend church. I could go with my Parents to the "Family"/"Home" ward (in Mormon-dom we call a specific congregation a "Ward"), or I could go to the Singles Branch (A smaller version of a Ward especially for those like me... Single and looking to find a mate). Both had it's charms. The "Home" ward has my family and people that already know me. The Singles Branch has Singles in it, but with quite a few people who do not know me. Now, if you are my friend my shy side is a completely foreign thing to you, but if we are not friends you probably know that side of me quite well. I am often intimidated by the mere fact that I don't know you. Granted, this is very irrational, being afraid of people you don't know, but that's the shy part. So, relying on my feelings and where I thought it would be best for me to go, I decided on the Singles Branch. Now, this Branch meets with 2 other Singles congregations, one is a branch from Santa Clara and the other is a Ward from Eugene. So, we all meet together for the first hour (Sacrament Meeting), and for the second hour (Sunday School), and then the third hour we split into a meeting for the Women and a meeting for the Men (Relief Society and Priesthood Meetings respectively and 2 sundays a month we meet with our individual Ward/Branch, the rest is combined ... Did you follow that?). So my first Sunday attending I was a little surprised at the number of people I had never seen before in my life. I really shouldn't have been surprised since I had been gone for so long, but I was nonetheless. Since there were so many strangers, I had a difficult time finding a niche to insert myself in. I had no wing-man and I didn't have a whole lot of social confidence. So I would mostly keep to myself and do a lot of people watching. Of the few people I did recognize, they were mostly just acquaintances, so I had to get brave. Weeks later, I still wasn't being brave, and I found myself a little frustrated. I knew I needed a kick in the pants to get going and make some friends as this move felt permanent. Don't get me wrong, spending my evenings with my family has been my favorite part of being home. I was very homesick before I came back. But I knew I needed a social life. So I racked my brain, and I prayed, and I prayed, and I pondered, and I stewed, but I couldn't get myself to get brave. Then one day my Branch President asked me to meet with him, and I can't say I was shocked when he asked me to accept a position as my Branch Relief Society President. (In case you forgot, the Relief Society is the Women's organization in my church. Each Ward or Branch has a Relief Society organization that meets together every Sunday). Before and during my move home my Mom and Grandma both felt that if I moved home I would become the Relief Society President. That "warning", however scary it sounded, surprisingly didn't stop me from moving home. I have a strong desire to do the will of my Heavenly Father. I believe that he inspires my Branch President. I know that my Branch President holds the Priesthood of God. So, when President Jones asked me if I would accept the position, I said "Yes". This is quite a large responsibility, and one that I can only meet with the help of my Heavenly Father, and the help of two other women that will serve as my "Counselors". I feel privileged and very humbled. I will have a "stewardship" over about 30 women in Springfield. I want to be their friend. I want them to trust me. I want our Relief Society to be Unified in one cause. I know that if I rely on my Father in Heaven for direction that I will be able to lead them in correct paths and that we can all become good friends. I am grateful for a testimony of the Gospel. I am grateful to know that my Heavenly Father loves me. I am grateful for a Savior, Jesus Christ, who has atoned for my sins and imperfections. I am excited for this opportunity to serve those around me. I am about to get very busy, and I am actually alright with that. I know I will learn and grow in ways that I can't begin to imagine right now. Most of all, I pray that I will be made equal to the task.  (By the way, if you are confused about any of the terms I've used, just ask and I will try to explain better what I am talking about)

You're such a tease

One of these days I will give my faithful "Look and see if Erin has updated her Blog, oh, no she hasn't" Blog-checkers a nice surprise by actually posting something worth reading. For now, I will keep you in suspense by simply saying that my life is about to get VERY busy. I should probably, however, tell you not to get excited regarding my single status. It remains as it has been for ... well ... nevermind how long.

In the mean time, check out my Mormon.org profile (and look around a bit after that) by clicking on the picture to the right and up a bit.

The Next Chapter

I've never been so happy to be in a place in my life. It's totally surreal. It feels like I'm just here for a visit, but I've actually moved home. I'm sure it would feel more real if I was living in my own apartment, but at this point I'd rather be in my Parent's house. I know what you're thinking. "A 26 year old is happy to be living in her parent's house?" I know how odd that sounds (or maybe not. I guess it depends on who you are), but it's just what I need for now. I will eventually move into an apartment and get a roommate or two. But right now I need to get back on my feet and get some money saved. Plus, sometimes a girl just needs her mother. The last two years have been absolutely exhausting in every way, and I am so looking forward to some t.l.c. that only my Mom and Dad can provide. I am so grateful for all the support they give me. I know I can go to them for anything I need. And best of all, they are always proud of me. I know I am also very fortunate to have found a new job so quickly. I owe that to my Father in Heaven. He takes such good care of me. He loves me and provides for me better than anything on Earth. He has blessed me with a loving and supportive family. I couldn't do all that I do without the help of my Father in Heaven. I am excited for what is coming next, although I try not to think about the possibilities because the anticipation would probably kill me.

My Oregon Trail

So, A lot has been happening in my life over the past month. Things at Little Giant were not going well. I'd had to transfer over to help with Human Resources in Payroll. The HR manager and I did NOT work well together. I was miserable every day at work, which was not normal. When I was assisting Doug full time I loved going to work. Some days, work was the only thing keeping me sane. Doug's position changed, thus, potentially leaving me without a job. Luckily (or unluckily) there was a need for someone to assist with Payroll, and I fit the bill. But it really wasn't working out. I dreaded going to work every day. We all know that is never a good feeling. So one day, I couldn't take it anymore and had a nearly total break down. I was depressed and feeling at the end of my rope. So I decided I was going to start looking for another job. And, being the courteous employee that I am, (not to mention I was slightly forced into letting it out), I let the HR manager know that I was starting to look for a new position. I went to the temple before I made the decision and felt very calm and peaceful about the decision. After that, the HR manager decided that was code for me giving notice, and 2 weeks later I found myself out of a job. I was fortunate to be able to work a temp job only 2 days after being let go. I had been interviewing prior to being let go, and I ended up interviewing for about 10 different jobs and all of them were rejections. I didn't make any sense to me. I have a great resume and great references, not to mention a great work ethic. I was fighting feelings of discouragement and rejection. I was trying hard to stay positive and remember that it takes some time to find the right job, etc. My temp job was more than I would be able to handle long term. It was MIND numbing! So a couple of days ago my Mom (who has been amazingly supportive through all of this) told me of an opening at the company my Dad works for. Dad works for Umbrella Properties. The owner also owns a ski resort and campgrounds. That company is called Hoodoo. The opening was for an Administrative Assistant for Hoodoo. I sent my resume over and got in contact with the HR manager. He called me yesterday and asked if I was serious about taking the position, because it would require me to move back to Oregon. I told him I was serious about the position. He just needed to speak with one other person and would call me back. He called me back today and offered me the position. So, I am moving back home to Oregon on April 8th. That's only in a week. I'm so glad. I have been wanting to just go home for at least 6 months. Everything happens for a reason. Heavenly Father has taken very good care of me. He always has and he always will. I am so grateful for His guidance and love. I am so excited to go home and start a new phase of my life.