Saturday's Tasks

1. Make it out of bed and get presentable - check.

2. Host a group visit at Alma and try to make everyone happy, while not saying anything too stupid - check (and I must have done something right because my VP wants me to do a presentation for the faculty sometime - yikes!).

3. Schmooze at lunch - beginning in fifteen minutes.

4. Return to the apartment to complete the majority of our packing. This is going to be an all-day project, halted only for a quick bowl of chili from the crock pot for dinner.

And on Sunday, we'll need to pack bags for the rest of the week in South Lyon, wrap Mom DeYoung's birthday present, get dinner marinating, take dinner to Mitch's parents', celebrate Mom D.'s birthday, set up the deer blind, clear shooting lanes, check the accuracy of Mitch's scope so he can provide for me come hunting season, make final plans for the baby shower next Sunday, put the finishing touches on my mermaid tale, and drive back to SL.

We are set to move to St. Johns in two weeks. Then life should start to go back to its normal busy pace, rather than this current frantic one!

Me + Panera = A Great Way to Kill Time

Anytime I have some downtime during the day - like when I don't see any students and leave a school early, with at least an hour 'til my next appointment - I go on a mission to find a Panera Bread. Not only is the food good, but the wireless Internet makes it so I can catch up on work email and all my friends' blogs!

So that's what I'm doing right now: I have half an hour left to surf the 'net before heading to my third high school of the day, so I thought I'd update all of you on life in general. The biggest thing, I suppose, is our impending move to St. Johns. Mitch and I were approved for an apartment on the north side of town, so we're going to spend the next couple of weekends packing and move in by mid-November.

Pros of the new place: Our very own washer and dryer, a larger living room, nicer appliances, and a master bathroom (I guess that last one is a pro, though I feel it's sort of a waste of space).

Cons of the new place: First floor rather than second (OK, those helping move us aren't sad about that, but I like second floor apartments, especially because this complex has vaulted ceilings on the second floor!), considerably less storage (we have to get a storage unit for all our stuff!), and a smaller master bedroom. It also costs more, but that was expected given our proximity to Lansing.

What's with the house, though? Well, whatever. Our real estate agent is supposed to let us know when it goes on the market as a foreclosure, but we'll more than likely stay in the apartment and save for a bit longer. I'm fine with that and am really just excited at the prospect of having a home of our own again!

In other news, my brother is moving to Colorado in a few days to start his winter stint on Winter Park's ski race crew. He's living in a duplex with our cousin and another friend from high school. He's really excited, and I'm excited for him, but I'm mostly happy that a new romantic interest insures he'll be back in the spring.

That's it, other than I'm about to realize a childhood dream: in a couple weekends, I'll be a mermaid! The annual Halloween party, while not hosted by us this year, is the weekend after Halloween and my mom and I have been working diligently to sew the most beautiful mermaid tail you've ever seen. Once I've constructed my seashell bra, the ensemble will be complete! I promise to post pictures!

Unwinding

After I graduated from college, I remember having a phone conversation with my dad about how I didn't know what to do with all my time. I would go to work at the hospital from 8:00 am until 4:30 pm, and then I'd have the rest of my night, whereas in college it was 8 am 'til midnight or later, all the time. He told me if I wasn't married and actually liked my job, I'd turn into a work-a-holic.

And as with most things, I'm finding he's right.

Since Mitch doesn't generally come back to Mt. Pleasant with me on Thursdays or Fridays, I find myself at the office much later than normal. For instance, I just finished a campus tour and should be packing up to go home, but I'm unwinding with a blog post and contemplating staying another hour or so to get some less-than-urgent projects accomplished. The only thing keeping work-a-holism at bay is the rumbling in my stomach, telling me that this afternoon's peanut butter sandwich and kiwi-fruit are long gone.

To stay or to go...well, I'll be miserable if I get even more hungry (not that I know what I'm going to make for dinner, anyway) and I can always send emails from my couch while watching back episodes of House. Man, I'm terrible at being single.

Weekend hits

Friday night, Mitch and I went to the Carson City-Crystal Homecoming football game and watched arguably the worst football I've ever seen...it was, however, a great time! While Mitch spent most of the game lamenting the terribly blocking, the poor play selection, and the team's inability to tackle, I was swept up in the strange magic of high school football. Maybe it was the twinge of the cold weather combined with the scent of dewy grass and concession-stand popcorn. Maybe it was the blare of the little marching band or the dull clang of my shoes on the bleachers, or maybe it was the tangible excitement and pride of the players and their student fans when they finally managed their season's first (and likely only) win. Whatever the case, I found myself on my feet, cheering loudly as the fourth quarter drew to an exciting close.

The contrast between the Friday night game and the college spectacle I experienced could not be greater. Thanks to Ray's standing as a U of M dental student, he managed to get tickets for Kristy, Mitch, Matt and me for Saturday's game against Purdue. When I finally stepped into the Big House (after the longest walk ever!), I forgot the pain of my lovely heel blisters and was in absolute awe of the number of people packed in, chanting in unison every time the band played the fight song. The stands reminded me of Sunday Afternoon on the Island La Grande Jatte, a painting by Georges Seurat who used a technique called pointillism on that particular Neo-Impressionistic work: and by that, I mean that each little person could have been part of a whole scene, which tells you the absolute magnitude of Michigan Stadium.

Switching from football mode on Sunday, our little group packed into my new G6 for a trip to Cedar Point. It was my first in almost five years, given my aversion to waiting in long lines. But, on this nice, cool October weekend, we never waited more that 45 minutes for a ride and hit most of the coasters in the park. I was even able to doctor my feet such that I barely felt the big blisters from the day before!

And now it's Monday, and I'm feeling the excitement of the weekend fade into the background as I deal with another week of recruiting. This morning was rocky: I discovered I forgot my black dress shoes and had to borrow a pair from my mom. She has good taste, but her shoes are half a size too big and I had to outfit them with some moleskin from my blister-care supplies. Even that doesn't keep the heel from slipping when I walk, but it's better than nothing. I also experienced a (pleasant?) surprise when the PRESIDENT of the ALMA COLLEGE BOARD OF TRUSTEES showed up at one of my high school visits. He has taken a personal interest in one particular young man and decided to join him for my talk that day. Nothing like a bit of pressure! Plus another student's father was there as well, and the counselor, so I felt like a ping-pong ball, trying to answer everyone's questions and not screw up in front of the most important figure at Alma College. Happy Monday to me.

Mmmm. Must get food for strength during tonight's college fair. Must make sure all is packed so hotel stay for next three days doesn't cause more stress. Must get brain unscrambled (highly unlikely).

House Update

When we last left our intrepid house-hunters, they were planning to reevaluate their housing budget, do some research on a lovely home, and possibly make an offer.

Budget determination: We can definitely afford more than we could a year ago, and felt it was close enough to make an offer, especially in light of the information we found on the home...

Home information: Anyone purchasing a house should always take a trip the the county's Register of Deeds first! I went in there with an address and came out know when the property was purchased, how much was spent, and the amount of the mortgage for the house itself. I also learned the house is in the process of foreclosure, how much the owner needs to get to have it not go to the bank, and when the bank will take it away if he doesn't get said amount of money. Oh yeah, and we also now know the name of the attorney with whom he is working regarding the foreclosure.

Offer outcome: In keeping with our budget, we were only able to offer the owner $20K less than he owes on it. He turned us down because there is no incentive for him to take a loss like that. His credit is already shot and he really has nothing more to lose (other than a sense of pride) by letting the foreclosure proceed. Still, we felt we should give it a shot. Unfortunately for him, with the decreased values in the Michigan housing market (up to 30% decreases in the last year), it's unlikely that he will be able to unload the home for the price he needs.

So what now? Well, because we know the attorney's name and approximately when it will go on the market as a foreclosure, we've put the realtor with whom we've been working on the trail. With all luck, she will be able to let us know as soon as it becomes available through the bank, which should be in December, and if the price is right, we may be homeowners shortly after the New Year. In the meantime, we plan to move to an apartment in St. Johns. I have three, possibly four, places to check out on Thursday on the way back to Alma.

And they're ugly, too!

The Prius is one of those cars that make me cringe when I see them on the road, along with that goofy-looking Honda Element. Other than being particularly hideous, they don't deserve all the environmentally-friendly hype. Read this and watch this, and tell me you're not amused.

Bottom line: if you're committed to driving vehicles that conserve energy and get better gas mileage, don't let me catch you in a Prius. Ride a bike or try biodiesel.

It's been almost five years...

...and I'm still waiting to be "blown away," Governor Granholm.

Thanks.

For you out-of-staters, here's what's been happening in our beloved Michigan:

(From an article in the Wall Street Journal's online edition - emphasis added)

Hail to the Taxers
Oct. 2, 2007

Actor Jeff Daniels makes a cool pitchman in those national TV spots inviting business to Michigan, but soon he may have to start pitching inside the state. At about 2 a.m. Monday, a handful of Republicans in the Legislature broke days of gridlock and handed Democratic Governor Jennifer Granholm the $1.48 billion tax increase she has been demanding.

The state's personal income tax will rise to 4.35% from 3.9%, and the rest of the revenue grab will come from a new 6% sales tax on business services. Already 14th in tax burden among the 50 states, according to the Tax Foundation, Michigan is now headed up in the rankings. Congratulations.

The Michigan Chamber of Commerce estimates that two-thirds of the $750 million in new sales tax revenue will apply to business transactions that are tax exempt in most states to avoid a compounding effect that raises costs to final consumers. The tax is especially unfair to small employers that contract out for activities, such as office services, that large businesses provide in-house with no sales tax applied. By the way, last year Michigan introduced a new 4.95% business income tax, which will be applied on top of the sales tax.

Last year, amid the national expansion, Michigan was the only state outside the Gulf Coast to lose jobs and see a decline in economic output. Comerica Bank recently moved its headquarters to Texas, in part because of Michigan's hostile business climate. Michigan's 7.4% jobless rate is the highest of all states and far above the 4.6% national rate.

The state is suffering from the decline of Detroit's car makers, but that's all the more reason to promote policies that attract new businesses -- or at least don't drive current employers to Florida. Ms. Granholm argues that the combination of new taxes to balance the budget, and to finance such new public "investment" as job retraining and education, will reinvigorate Michigan.

She should check her history books. In the past 25 years, the only period when Michigan's growth has exceeded that of the national economy was in the mid-1990s after then-Governor John Engler's tax cutting and welfare reform. For a time, Michigan became the unlikely national leader in job creation. Now the total tax burden is returning to where it was before the Engler years.

Michigan last went on a taxing binge in 1983, and voters were outraged enough to mount a successful recall campaign against two state Senate ringleaders. This time, two of three Michigan voters have told pollsters they want budget cuts, not new taxes. It may be that the only way to get jobs back into Michigan is to make sure the taxing politicians in Lansing lose theirs.

More Adventures in House-Hunting

Or, "The Quest for a (Semi?) Permanent Residence."

Monday's house-hunting brought on sort of an epiphany for Mitch and me: we want new construction.

We checked out a house that is for sale by owner and substantially out of our price range, but since it had been on the market for a long time, we thought he might deal. Of course, we fell in love. The guy built it for himself and his wife, but once he got it framed in she decided it was too small. So he finished it, right down to brand new appliances, and has been trying to unload it for a year. It has three bedrooms, two full bathrooms, a roughed-in basement, a gorgeous kitchen, a fireplace, a nice little deck, a two-car garage, and three acres of land. Wow!

None of the existing homes we visited later that night even held a candle to this place. I've seen many people make beautiful renovations to existing homes with some issues, but we've pretty much decided we would rather not take chances on somewhat of a "fixer-upper" (which is all we've really found) that could end up being more trouble than we bargained for.

So what now?

1. Find out if we can afford to make him a reasonable offer. We had a budgeted amount for a house when we were searching in Mt. Pleasant, but we think we can afford a bit more because of Mitch's new job. We are also prepared to make some lifestyle changes, whereas in Mt. P we didn't really think about that possibility. So we need to get our budget set and find out how much the owner owes on the house. If those figures match up, we'll make an offer. If he wants to get rid of it badly enough, he'll settle for breaking even.

2. If we can't afford to make a reasonable offer, we will officially abandon house-hunting and shift gears to apartment-hunting. Once we're settled, we'll begin actively looking for land, purchase at least an acre when we find something we like, increase the contributions to the house fund, and plan to build our own place in a year or two.

It makes me feel good to have a plan when our situation has been up in the air for so long. If course, I know my plans make God (and everyone else) laugh, but they get me through and I've proven to be flexible with them. I think I just need a place from which I can flex, rather than adopting a "go with the flow" attitude. That type of an outlook is admirable, to be sure, but too stressful for me!

Done in the Yoop

I survived another year of the UP Swing after logging over 1500 miles in just five days. Yikes! Now I'm down at my parents' house, hanging out and preparing for travel in my real territory.

You know, I like being down here with my family, but I really don't like this part of the state. All the traffic, people, buildings, noise, money...I mean, when the mall at which you generally shop puts in an Armani store with a real DJ spinning in the front window, you know the area is rich enough to support such folly. And after checking out some of the "new" (read: recycled 1980s) fashion trends, I think I'm going to be doing my fall clothes shopping at REI.

Mitch has been staying with my parents all week because the commute to Mason is shorter from here than from Mt. Pleasant. Plus, my dad offered up the motorcycle on nice days, so Mitch has been saving a ton of money in gas. He'll continue to stay here until we find a place in St. Johns, which brings me to the next topic: when we'll find a place to live.

We're going to see three, maybe four, houses tomorrow after work. The consensus is that if nothing really grabs us this week, we'll more thoroughly explore the apartment option and make our permanent residence plans more long-range: i.e. look for land and plan to build our dream house (or a practical version of it) in a year or two. I'll keep you posted!

Good question.

Tim asked a good question in his comment on my last post: whether it's difficult to be hands-off at this point in the week, and whether I feel like I don't really have a role in our travels. I thought I'd address it in the ten or so minutes before we go to dinner.

In short, the answer to both is, "Not really." Now that the week is closing out, college fairs only take up about two hours of the day. For those two hours, while I let the new reps man the table on their own, I get that coveted "me" time. I can answer emails from work and take care of my other tasks, or just spend some quiet time browsing the web.

I feel like I've done my job this week. At first, I did most of the talking at the fairs, and would listen to their conversations with families to determine where they needed some assistance. I talked about conversation techniques, questions to ask to keep them at the table longer, ways to connect with them, and demonstrated a number of them. After the first fair, I let them take more of a center stage role, eventually fading into the background and just jumping in when they asked. I feel they have a very good grasp of what to do and say, and now they need time to hone their skills without being self-conscious. And let's face it: this is not rocket science. Most of the time these kids won't remember anything you say in the two minutes you get with them. They will, however, remember a smiling face who expressed genuine interest in them, which is what I hope I've instilled during this training week.

Mah-nah-mah-nah!

(Do-doo-do-do-do)

Muppets, anyone?

Yes, I am in Menominee, hanging out at a college fair and letting one of our new reps man the table solo. It works out nice: we've done three fairs together, and the last one I basically stood in the background and came to the rescue only when needed. Since MHS brings in three distinct groups of students (juniors, sophomores and seniors) at separate times, Matt's on for the juniors, we'll all have fun watching the awkward sophomores, and Megan will take the seniors. That gives me time to blog, especially since I found a wireless connection in the school!

So the UP week has been pretty fun. Last night we went out for a late dinner with the U of M and Adrian reps, and tonight there will probably be a slightly larger crew at one of the only restaurants in Ironwood. I have to admit, my natural tendency to be an introvert is really at odds with the role I'm playing this week. I would like nothing more than to curl up with a book, all alone, and spend a few hours recharging (and resting my voice - it's about gone). Maybe this evening I can have some "me" time.

I was asked to be a medical school reference for my intern, so I think I'll get started on that. I don't know how well I'll be able to answer some of the questions specific to his qualifications, but I can soundly attest to his work ethic and sense of personal responsibility. I'm guessing that's what he's hoping for from me!

Swingin' in the Yoop

Well, travel season has officially begun, and I'm writing from a lovely hotel in Iron Mountain, Mich. This week, I am traveling around the Upper Peninsula with Alma's two newest admissions reps, taking part in the "UP Swing," a series of six college fairs. It's a lot of fun, because you get to know reps from other schools and hang out after the fairs, but of course, travel is my least favorite job function so I'm kind of bummed that this means I have to start all of that again.

See, I really hate being away from home for so long. Mostly I miss Mitch, but I also miss the physical space I call home. This year is even more challenging, because we're trying to find a new place to live, too. Don't ask me how that's going...I don't really know. Mitch is going to look at a couple of houses this week, and he'll also check out apartments. I kind of want someone else to make the decisions and tell me what to do. It's overwhelming to think of it now.

And yes, Mitch begins his new job tomorrow. I'm confident he'll enjoy the new challenges it presents and I hope he's as fulfilled by it as we anticipate.

Now I have about 45 minutes until it's time to get some dinner before our first fair, so I'm going to curl up on my comfy bed and read for a bit. More updates should come throughout the week!

Rained Out

This seems to be the summer of aborted vacations. Last week, I took Thursday and Friday off and we packed up for a hiking trip at Pictured Rocks. We knew it would be rainy, but we thought we'd give it a try anyway. Here we are at the trailhead, bound for Mosquito Falls:



One hundred yards later, we donned garbage bags over our packs and kept moving, only to discover - a mile later - that we'd left our pass in the car. So Mitch went back to the car (he says running is for suckers, but he jogged anyway) and then we continued on to Mosquito Falls, where we posed for photos despite the rain.





We made it out to Lake Superior, had lunch, and paused quickly for the only shot of the cliffs we could manage, given the swarms of mosquitos that descended every time we stopped moving. And yes, we had bug spray, but it didn't help much because the rain kept washing it off.



After a couple of miles of hiking along the shoreline, we gave up. It was getting miserable and it was very likely that nothing would dry out even if the rain stopped. So we turned around and trudged back to the car. We thought we might still be able to salvage a night of camping elsewhere, but about half a mile from the car, the sky opened up with a soaker. The trails became little rivers, gushing around our boots, and the wind whipped sheets of rain right through us, it seemed. Looking like a couple of drowned rats, we threw our packs in the trunk and headed for the nearest (cheapest) motel we could find. We tried to maintain a bit of our budget, though, by cooking Raman in the parking lot and eating dinner out of our backpacking cookware:



Here's what our room looked like when we spread all our wet things around:







After a night of relative luxury, we awoke to still-wet boots (and almost everything else). Though the sun was shining, rain was in the forecast for the evening, so rather than try to navigate the trails in our sandals, we packed up the car and headed home, stopping along Lake Michigan to play.



So, while it wasn't the trip we planned, it was still fun and we still enjoyed the time we spent together. This will be Mitch's last vacation until after Christmas, because with his new job, he doesn't get any time off until after the first of the year. And speaking of his job, he starts next Monday (Sept. 17) and is really looking forward to it. I am, too, but I've kind of gotten used to having my "house husband" do all the cooking and cleaning!

One more thing unrelated to hiking or new jobs: Mitch and I just got the new Caedmon's Call CD, Overdressed, and really like it! I'm still going through my usual pattern of listening to it over and over until I start to identify my favorite songs, but so far I'm very pleased. Everyone reading this should go check it out!

Ew!

So we went to see the house last night and, with the help of our parents, discovered some major problems with the kitchen floor (rotting underneath) and the septic system (standing sewage). Gross! Obviously that means we won't be buying this one. Luckily, we have some time to look because it doesn't make a ton of sense to force a move before travel season is over for me, which for all intents and purposes is the end of October.

She takes a deep breath...

...and revels in the relative calm of the day. Last week was a busy, stressful week but the long, wonderful weekend with my family made everything better. That and Preterm is over, so my obligations to the Orientation Committee are significantly scaled back.

Last Week's Stresses:

• The OCs: Oh my goodness. In addition to just having to supervise them and help them plan three off-campus trips, we had two major communication breakdowns that resulted in program changes and cancellations. I literally took two whole mornings to straighten things out. The lesson: as much as they may chafe against it, I'm going to be shortening the leash even more this year and requiring formal reports from them at the end of each day. Ugh...
• Publications: They're pretty much done now, but last week was a flurry of hasty revisions and "I-need-this-now" projects. Whew.
• Travel planning: I probably have half my appointments for this fall confirmed, but it's always challenging to juggle appointments around when things don't work out according to my plan!

Great Things About Labor Day Weekend:

• We stayed at my aunt and uncle's cottage in Boyne City and had a great time at the festivities surrounding the Red Fox Regatta on Lake Charlevoix.
• The wind was crazy on Sunday, so we went to Petoskey State Park to play in the huge waves. I even tried surfing and was semi-successful!
• Mitch and I had rode two good mountain biking trails: Hanson Hills in Grayling (actually, I rode that one on my own because Mitch bent his rim a mile and a half in and had to walk out while I finished) and Aspen Park in Gaylord. We tried Hartwick Pines in Grayling on the way home, but it wasn't a good trail so we turned around.

Things I'm Looking Forward To:

• Tonight Mitch and I are taking both sets of parents to look at a house in St Johns that we really like. I'll take lots of pictures and will try to post them. Unless something is seriously wrong with this place (and we don't think there is, because we've already been to see it once), we'll probably start the process of putting in an offer later this week!
• I requested some vacation time at the end of this week, and Mitch and I are hoping to take a trip up North for some hiking. Rain is in the forecast, but we're still planning to go and then make adjustments as needed.
• It's apple season in Michigan, and the U-Pick orchards are gearing up. Right before I start fall travel, Mitch and I always go pick a nice big bag of apples; I know it's a funny thing to look forward to, but I always love those afternoons!

OK, I need to prep for arts and crafts time - a.k.a. our rep work meeting, where today we're putting together our display boards!

Praise the Lord!

Mitch got his job offer from Dart Container today! We're so thankful for this blessing, and for all the support of our family and friends. His tentative start date in September 10.

Praise God!

So anxious

No word yet. I don't do well with the unknown, even though all signs point to an eventual offer from Dart. They don't tell you to call them if you get an offer from another company before hearing back from them if they don't want you; they don't review benefits with you if they don't want you - but if they want Mitch, they should just call him!

I'm struggling so hard to be patient. Sometimes I want to break down and just rage with frustration that things are taking so long. Then I hear that little voice that says, Trust, and the urge recedes...until the next time I think about it and get anxious all over again. I seem to pray equally hard for progress and patience.

Changing the subject: Saturday was move-in for all the freshmen! For the first time, Admissions was a formal part of the check-in process, providing students with a decal for their cars and a card with some pertinent information (like where their first advisor meeting was taking place). And there was one priceless moment: standing in Newberry lobby and hearing the first strains of Tenacious D's "F*** Her Gently" blare from the iPod. I hopped over and skipped past that one very quickly!

I also went waterskiing this weekend for the first time all summer. Yes, pathetic, given the amount of time I've spent at the lake, but the water has never been nice enough for my spoiled tastes. I lucked out this time, though: after dinner, when the lake was clear and flat, my dad took me for a pull behind his Chris-Craft, an old wooden boat he reconstructed. I think it was really cool for him to drive the boat he resurrected from a rotting pile of wood, pulling the daughter he taught to ski so long ago. At least, that's how I interpreted the huge grin he was sporting each time he turned around!

Now it's Monday and I'm back at work (sore from biking and skiing) but less stressed than last week. Well, there seems to be less work-related stress, anyway. Here's some background and then an explanation of what has been waking me up in the middle of the night:

This year, we started planning our Admissions publications very early. We always seem to run behind on them and then scramble at the last minute, and we were committed to not letting that happen this year. Because we wanted to revamp everything, we decided to hire a copywriter to give our pieces a new voice: something a little spunky that would appeal to our students while still accurately getting the important information across. I was pretty pumped about this, because I wrote the copy for our viewbook last year (in 24 hours!) and I didn't really want to get roped into it again, especially as the deadline approached and I was neck-deep in other projects. So we got this guy from Massachusetts, and he made some phone calls to interview people, and he sent over some copy...and it was terrible. Literally awful. And the clock was ticking. And we were fed up. So the project ended up on my desk, and though I really want to be modest about it, I think I turned out some of the best copy we've had in a long time. (I think it could have been even better, though, if I had more than a couple of days in which to do it.) The piece on which I worked is the one all us reps will be taking on the road with us and handing out at college fairs and high school visits. Now we've moved on to our viewbook, and because the copywriter really just took a lot of our old text (written by me last year) and tweaked it, I only had a couple sections to rewrite. Actually, I'm supposed to be working on that right now. Shoot. I'm currently fresh out of inspiration.

The interview is done...

...and now Mitch is just waiting for a call. It was more intense than he thought it would be, but he left feeling even more confident than he did after his second interview there. He did tell them he was expecting a call from American General later this week, so hopefully that makes them move quickly.

Thanks for all the prayers and support. I'm working hard at having patience and faith!

The waiting game

Tim, you're about a week ahead of yourself: Mitch's third interview is next Wednesday (Aug. 22). Don't worry, I'll post details as soon as we know. He's really antsy, but has been keeping himself occupied with a lot of guitar playing and biking. His goal is to log 100 miles this week, which he will have no problem accomplishing. The wind has been fierce here, so he's getting a heck of a workout every time he goes out.

Since we think a move south is impending, we started looking at houses and actually went to see a few on Wednesday. One was awful, two were pretty bad, and one was great! So great, in fact, that if/when the job offer does come through, we will be making a return trip with all the 'rents to see it. Unless someone else buys it first or there is something major wrong with it that we don't see, we may have found "the one."

Digression: There's a part of my personality that I've only recently accepted and stopped fighting: I have this tendency to get very excited about things and start making plans in my head, and then when they don't work out, I get really disappointed. This happened at least three times with the house hunt in Mt. Pleasant and I've figured out that while the disappointment can be pretty piercing, it doesn't last long and actually provides me with an emotional outlet. While I used to try to avoid this, fearing the let down of having things not work out, I've now realized it's just something I do that's not necessarily bad, given my faith and the ability to move quickly past the disappointment.

Back on track: Work has been nonstop busy with tons of different things. We're interviewing candidates for two rep positions, and I'm preparing to take whoever we hire to the UP for training in mid-September. My OCs move back on campus this Sunday, so I'm getting everything ready for them and helping the co-chairs with their roles. I'm planning my own travel season in the Oakland-Livingston-Washtenaw-Lenawee-Monroe area, making web updates, editing new publications and of course, still trying to get all my new freshman ready to walk in the door in a week! Yesterday I went to a workshop in Chicago with some folks from advancement and PR on market segmentation and using the web. Very cool stuff! The bad part: 5 hours in the car each way, and no stopping for dinner!

Oh, and here's my plug: Everyone should read Robin's blog and listen to Grant's sermon!

Praise God!

That's the only appropriate title for this entry. You all know Mitch has been increasingly unhappy in his current role and has been seriously job searching for a few months now. Yesterday he had two interviews: one with American General, a lending institution in Mt. Pleasant, and a second interview with Dart Container in Mason. Both went well; the Dart one lasted two hours and he succeeded in making all four interviewers laugh when they asked him if he knew why manhole covers were round. When he gave the actual reason, they were amazed that he knew it and he confessed to being a "bank of useless information." Yes, that was his exact response, and he had them cracking up. They also asked him where else he was interviewing, so he told them about his interview later that afternoon. That must have given them a sense of urgency, because later that day...

...they called him back in for his third interview! This one involves "business casual" dress, a tour of the plant, and lunch with his "peers," all of which says to me: "Job offer!" He will undertake this adventure in a week and a half.

Onto the American General interview: that one also went well, and he left there with the sense that a job offer is also impending there. Maybe it was the fact that his interviewer said she had to run a background check but would call him next week. They don't do background checks until they're basically ready to offer you the position...yessssss!

So, should both job offers come through as anticipated, which one would he prefer? Obviously he would be thrilled with either, but it's the Dart job that really grabs him. It's a marketing and financial analyst position, which would allow him to do that geeky analysis stuff he likes so much without having to deal directly with angry customers who can't balance their checkbooks and want to know why you can't reverse their fees. We'll see how it all plays out - I'm breaking my rule here by posting about what I think is going to happen before it actually does, but I'm so excited for him that I can't contain myself. For all he's put up with, he deserves this.

Thanks are in order for everyone who has been praying for us. I know prayer works, just as I know God will open and close doors as he sees fit. Faith is a glorious thing, and even though there are times when you have grip it tighter to keep it from drifting away, the effort is well worth the deeper relationship with God that results. I'm thankful for his blessings, even though they sometimes don't seem like blessings at the time.

"So keep 'em coming, these lines on the road,
And keep me responsible, be it a light or heavy load,
And keep me guessing with these blessings in disguise,
And I'll walk with grace my feet and faith my eyes..."