I realized recently that I have written a post in quite a while. There have been so many days when I think about sitting and doing something however never take the time to actually do it! So I will start while sitting in Starbucks right now.

I am still working in Clinton, IA at Comprehensive Rehab and just moved out of the hotel in Clinton a couple weeks ago to Moline, IL to a house with two roommates. Hotels are nice to visit and stay in while on vacation, but when you live in one (especially a loud one), it gets old really fast. So I am very thankful to my friend Laurie who introduced me to these two girls looking for another roommate! I now have a room in a house and more importantly a kitchen.

My job is going pretty well. They are keeping me insanely busy so am exhausted by the end of the day/week but I love my little kiddos I work with. I have especially loved being creative during Thanksgiving and Christmas making crafts and ornaments and different things with them.  My supervisor recently told me that they are going to make me an offer to stay….wow….lots to think about with that one. Am I ready to settle down in one place for an extended period of time again? Am I ready to stop traveling and seeing new places? Am I ready to have limited control of when I can take time off (I know that one seems kind of minor, but it is a big question for me when my family is so far away and I also like to be able to take mission trips and things like that). Do I want to do outpatient therapy here or work somewhere else and if I do that do I stay here or find a job somewhere else?

My last question and one of the biggest/hardest ones is am I ready to once again leave some amazing friends that I have made and leave a place again where I feel like I have a place and feel accepted? Honestly, no I am not ready for that and do not want to do that. So that should ultimately make my decision a hundred times easier but it doesn’t.

I have had some great times here in the past two months that I have lived here. Lots of places to go and take pictures, rock climbing with one of my co workers, lots of stories from work, becoming part of a church and joining the worship team, lunch and dinner out with friends, zumba, baking cookies and playing games with N, gingerbread houses with C and T, Disney on Ice, Christmas parade with L and N, Ugly Sweater Party, and probably so many more than I can’t think of while sitting here right now….

I feel like this is a time for me to grow and learn about myself, my faith, what my purpose is. I have been reading a devotion with my friend J called “100 Days to Right Believing”. Everyday when reading this devotion, I am reminded about God’s grace and how I am perfected only in Him. I can have confidence in myself and have confidence that God forgives my sins and can see past them to who I really am. I am reminded that my identity is in Him and that I am a Child of God and my identity is not in things that I struggle with. Now, if I could remember that all day everyday, it would be awesome.

Only 4 days until Christmas and I can not wait to go home and see my family. I have not seen them since the very beginning of October. My nieces have been growing so much and I love to see their personalities come out through pictures and videos sent to me, but it will be great to see them in person! I work until 3 on Christmas Eve and get home sometime after midnight in NY….3pm on Wednesday can’t come soon enough!

I guess that is good for an update right now and I hope to make it a habit to write more often.

Merry Christmas!!