Wedding shoes!

I grapple with showing off my wedding details or keeping them all a secret, and then I realized that I can count the number of people that read this blog on one hand ... so I figure, it's safe.

My new wedding shoes arrived in the mail today from the wonderful Zappos.com. And by new, I mean the most recent of three completely different pairs that I've ordered since I got engaged last March. Of all 3 these are the most comfortable and pose the least amount of threat of being horrible out-dated and hideous in 5 years. Luckily, I have time to decide .... Zappos has a 365 day return policy ... swoon.

The iPhone camera does them little justice, but in general they are fabulously sparkly and surprisingly comfortable (who am I kidding, they aren't flip flops) ... and will look just DIVINE when I add a pop of purple feathers to the front of them.

I fell in love with the hearts on the soles, they are actually the no slip-grips inlaid in the shoe! Tooooo cute. It brought joy to my day which has been filled with studying for my big comprehensive exams on the 26th. Right now they're sitting on top of my giant stack of textbooks, reminding me that not only is there a light at the end of the tunnel, but there are some seriously fab shoes waiting for me to wear them when I'm finished with school and am ready to marry my hunny!

God Winks

There is a book out there called "When God Winks" ... and it explains all of those little joys, serendipitous meetings, and unfathomable coincidences as little reminders that this big 'ol scary world is also filled with the love of God. The author, Squire Rushnell explains that these "GodWinks" are swift answers to prayers at just the right moment, even if those prayers have gone unsaid. Rushnell puts it this way:


A godwink is what some people would call a coincidence, an answered prayer, or simply an experience where you'd say, "Wow, what are the odds of that!" Think about when you were a kid and someone you loved gave you a little wink across the dining room table...Mom or Dad or Grandma. You didn't say "What do you mean by that?" You knew. It meant: "Hey kid, I'm thinking about you right now." That's what a godwink is too: a message of reassurance from above, directly to you, out of six billion people on the planet, saying "Hey kid...I'm thinking of you! Keep the faith! You're never alone."


I like to think that these same types of experiences can also be longer then the brief and fleeting happiness of getting the front row parking spot, or being late for your plane, which has also been delayed. Sometimes, they last for longer periods of pure joy. We can all think of those times we've had, when nothing was going wrong, everyone was healthy and our cups runneth over. Perhaps it was a wedding day, a particularly amazing weekend with the family, seeing a child born or moving into the perfect little home with a man you love.

A year ago today, Shawn and I enjoyed one of those times - in Charleston on our engagement weekend. Despite a weekend rainstorm that threatened overhead the whole weekend, the rain held off and Shawn proposed to me on Middleton Plantation, beneath the giant oak tree. It was wonderful and it seemed an entire world away from all the fuss of real life. Eating breakfast with Shawn the following morning overlooking a river and spending the morning playing with a baby sheep who was all to willing to let us pet her was one of my most prized memories. More GodWinks in the year to come? Yes, please! :)

Happiness

I can't help but grin whenever I look at this adorable picture, and so I thought I would share it. Enjoy the sweet happiness of puppy love. 

The Job Hunt

Since graduation is officially only 65 days away, I've been on a pretty fierce job hunt in the last few weeks.  Last year I couldn't WAIT to graduate because it meant:

- graduating with Masters
- getting a real job
- moving to a new city
- buying a house
- finishing the planning for my September wedding!
- get married
- begin life


Now that the time is so close, that picture seems to be changing.

After calling 32 preservation organizations, I have spoken with:


6 people who encouraged me in my search, but told me they didn't have any jobs.
3 rude secretaries. 
10 answering machines.
2 directors who had full out discussions with me on the future of preservation.
7 people who tell me there are "no jobs" but ask for my resume.
1 person tell me it's okay to wait tables.
1 person who suggested a different field entirely.
2 foundations who had potential jobs and liked my resume, but lost funding.


Now it seems the outlook may look something like this:
- graduate with Masters
- work retail job
- continue living in small 500 square foot apartment
- volunteer at Preservation organization
- get married
- find part time preservation job

All in all, the second version isn't bad at all now that I see it written out. It just seems like if I can't get a job with my new degree before the wedding, I don't really feel like a responsible adult! I want to feel like the last 2 years were worth the effort and stress and being turned away so many times it is flat out disheartening. At what point am I supposed to give up on finding a paid preservation job and try to find ANY job.

 In the long run, everyone has encouraged me that even though it may take awhile, I'll find something eventually. Until then, I'll focus on finishing my degree and getting my name out there.

... and if I have to stay in this tiny apartment, I WILL be painting a wall or two, I don't care what Shawn says.