Month: March 2014 (Page 2 of 2)

It is funny how God works life out. I’ve been not working now for 70 days. And I think I must have needed those days to just adjust to the change and do some thinking about where I want to go next. Thanks to Nathan and Amy, I got a chance to do a personality inventory and saw in black and white how much better I am suited for working one-on-one with people and not so much in a group setting. (I don’t play particularly well with others…)

I scheduled this new class and ended up with one student in each of the two sessions – one in the aerobics and one in the strength. And I am so energized by working with just one person as opposed to a whole group, that I just feel that may be what I’m supposed to be doing. I’m still trying to figure out how to go about getting clients, but I know that is what I’d be happiest doing.

Then, I don’t know if I mentioned, but after I played for Jamison’s audition at UW-Eau Claire (where he did decide to go, which has made them VERY happy), they mentioned that he should bring his accompanist along. So I wrote them a letter saying I was indeed interested in working with them at UW-EC if they had a need. I finally, just tonight, got an email back, asking what I charge (I don’t know…) and how often I’d want to come. So, something may come of that too, which I would find very exciting!!

So, this is all to say that I’m feeling that there is something new and exciting waiting for me just around the bend. For now, I’ll just keep doing the work before me and responding to opportunities as they arise. Please pray for wisdom for me to know when God is telling me what to do. As you all know, it is sometimes a confusing matter!

Hard to believe the weather has changed this much in just a week. The first few days of March were miserably cold and now the sun is shining and I actually went barefoot out on the deck (once I’d cleaned all the snow off!). I opened the mail outside and read it for a while, being reminded of how really BRIGHT it is to read in the sun! It was a challenge to walk around town, because of the huge puddles extending out from every corner of the sidewalks. But the warmth is just amazing. Today was the first day I was REALLY GLAD I’m not working!

I did start a new class series today. I only had one participant, but I figure a person has to start somewhere. I accept the fact that I’m starting over, so if I grew from 2 or 3 to over 50 enrolled once, I can (maybe?) do it again. Anyway, I had to be up and over there by 6:30. I have aerobics at 6:30 a.m. on MWF and strength training at 6:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. I just have one person signed up for the strength class, too. But that means it will be more like personal training, except cheaper!

I had one of the few jobs that, when I decided to resign, this fact was announced in the newspaper, so everyone and their cousin knows that I “retired.” So everywhere I go, people are asking me if I’m enjoying my retirement. At first, I would explain that I wasn’t really retired, but that I’d just eliminated one of the many things I do and was keeping quite busy indeed. They don’t really care what it is called. They are just curious about how I am doing now that I’m not at the senior center. And every time I’m asked, I have to pause for a second and think, “Do I like my life?” To be truthful, I think it is really too soon to tell. When the weather is so cold, it is hard to get out and do things, so I’ve had a bit of cabin fever. But I think that would have been the case, even if I was still spending my mornings at the Center. I certainly can say that I don’t miss having to be there at a certain time in the morning. So, on days like today when I’m tired because I was so excited about Luke and Krista’s baby that I couldn’t get to sleep, I can sleep in if I want. But, then again, getting a paycheck was nice. I still get my church organist check and my piano lesson money, but I don’t see that $640 check every two weeks and I miss that. More than I thought I would.

I’m enjoying planning for the warmer months, though. Because I quit the Red Barn and the senior center the same year, I’m going to have tons of time this summer. I’m planning a huge garden, so I don’t have to buy frozen veggies next winter. I’m planning to get some more chickens, both for eggs and to eat.  And, of course, we are planning to build a house and move to the country. So I’m looking forward to a lot.

But do I like my life? I think, like everyone else, I’d have to say, “Some days it’s great. Others not so much.” And that’s okay with me. We were never promised a life that is only great. And mine has many more great days than a person could expect.

One thing I can say for all this cold weather is that my body is sure getting used to it. There is no wind today and it is sunny. And I was out scraping the snow off the porch with no mittens and no hat and wasn’t the slightest bit cold. And it is 2 degrees. Comfortable at 2 degrees. Now that doesn’t happen every year!

Dad said the weatherman on WEAU said we are not going to get any more weather from Canada, but rather our weather will come from out west again, like it usually does and that means we really may have seen the last below zero weather. But I’ve heard that before, so I’m not totally convinced. Still, it is March. Yes, it is March, so we are gearing up for lots of snow – someone said the Farmers Almanac said 30 more inches this month.

Shovel or shiver. I’m just not sure which is worst. I just want SPRING!

We went to Eau Claire today with no good reason other than to get away from the cold weather. Well, not really away from it, but at least distracted from it. Among other things, we looked at windows and doors and cabinets and all that sort of thing for the new house and decided what we wanted and I took pictures of everything (until the battery ran out) with my new camera. We also did some Sam’s Club shopping, walked around the Mall looking for an RV show that apparently was elsewhere, and ate. It was fun and we didn’t spend much. And it used up another very cold day.

We finished the very last of the heat/cold air runs yesterday at 117. That project to redo the entire heating/cooling system has taken us from sometime in the fall until yesterday. But it is done, done, done!!!

We started laying the plywood on the floor in the dining room yesterday. What is left is to finish that, finish the sanding of the sheet rock, have Gary come and texture all the walls, paint all the walls, including the ones we painted before, because almost all of them have some repair that has been done since they were painted, cut and paint all the trim, put down the carpet/vinyl in 3 rooms, put in the new window in the upstairs bedroom, finish the electrical there, put the particle board on that floor and carpet it, and do something with the walls up there. At least some of the jobs are fun and things I can do on my own (namely the painting). I don’t know if we’ll make it by April 1, but it sure would be great if we could. We need to get that place rented and start making rather than spending money on it.

Then it is on to our new house! I’m really excited about that!