Thursday night.... yeah! Tomorrow's Friday... then again, for the past couple weeks, EVERY day has been like a Friday to me! I have been thoroughly enjoying my time off, between jobs, and at the same time, cannot wait until I start the new job next week!

As I shared last week, friends of ours had a terrible scare with their little girl, Sydney. Sydney had surgery last week, and has been home from the hospital all week, healing, and dodging bumps in the road. They had to remove her left eye, as it was very badly damaged from the tumor that had been growing behind it. But they are currently trying to hold the shape of the eye socket, and allow for the healing, until further down the road when they can order her prosthetic eye (about two months). This little angel is not even 5 yrs old yet.... how unfortunate. When things like this happen, it sure makes a person realize what's important in life, and what's much less urgent.

That brings me to my latest proud moment (one of them)... Matt has been part of a phenomenal production through SPA... Summer Performing Arts.... which put on an outstanding rendition of Les Miserables this year! Wow, talk about an amazing group of kids! As we all watched in awe during the performance, it was hard to remember these young actors were merely high school students.

When God blesses us with individual gifts, it's hard not to embrace them and share them with the world! Luckily that's something Matt is already getting used to doing... now we just hope he can get a transfer we're trying for, to a larger school, that offers courses in theater and more musical opportunities. I know the grass isn't always greener, but when there are opportunities within reach, I can't NOT embrace them and offer them to my children. I'll keep you posted on if we can get him into the bigger school, but your prayers that we find God's Will in this, can't hurt.

Have a great weekend, and remember to embrace YOUR gifts and dreams, and never forget to LIVE LIFE WITH GUSTO!!!!!!

Prayers for a little Princess...

Hi friends and family... I write today with a mix of good and bad news... I'll let the good news come pouring out, and get it out of the way, and then ask you for prayers for the bad news that's weighing heavy on my heart.

For the Good News.... I GOT THE JOB!!!!!!!!!!!! I will start on August 1st at UND, as their Conference Services Specialist, in the Division of Continuing Education. I'll help plan, organize, facilitate various conferences through the University, for the University and the community, and around the state. I welcome this new challenge and adventure with eagerness, and joy. I hope I will be able to utilize my talents, my personality, and my "GUSTO" in this new job, and I have a feeling it's going to be better than I ever dreamed of. True, there's not always a "grass is greener" outcome, but at least I should be out of the weedy patch I had been in recently. Maybe there will be new weeds in my next meadow, but they should at least be a different variety, and can maybe be viewed more as wild flowers, rather than noxious herbs.

Now, sadly, I have the bad news to share. Recently I got word from some friends of ours, that their little girl Sydney has a tumor behind her left eye, and will need to have surgery to remove the tumor, as well as her beautiful little eye. She has Retinoblastoma, and will be treated through the U of M Hospital. I ask you all to keep little Sydney and her family in your prayers as she undergoes the surgery and if further treatment will be needed. From what I've been told, the little sweetheart is already aware of everything that's going on, and actually is happy, since she won't have that pressure and pain behind her eye anymore. You can log onto her Caringbridge website to read more about it, and to share a prayer or words of encouragement if you want. That would be www.caringbridge.org, and then type in sydneydorian to get to her site. Her parents, Cam and Pam, are friends of Ed and I, and Cam was in our wedding. As with many friendships in life, we fell out of touch for a number of years, but have recently reconnected, and been in touch periodically. They were at our house visiting only a month or so ago, and we had the privilege of meeting their kids, Thomas and Sydney (kind of surreal that their names are the same as my niece and nephew). Sydney is such a beautiful, vibrant, wonderful little angel, I just fall apart thinking of that precious little princess has to go through such scary stuff ahead. Please pray for them.

Boy, whether it's my good news or my bad news, one of my catch phrases sure is fitting for this day ~ LIFE'S TOO SHORT TO SWEAT THE SMALL STUFF! Please hug your children, or your spouse, or your parents today!!! You never know if tomorrow is a day that will change your life forever, for the good or the bad, and maybe sometimes for both at once.

Three Cheers for the UNEMPLOYED

Yes, it's true... I did it ~ I finally resigned my position at Innes Construction!!! It's been a LONG, excruciating, stressful (ok, maybe it wasn't all THAT bad) 5 years of dedicated service, and it's all come to a close. I have felt for a very long time that I wasn't in the right line of work, and it was time for a change. So, with gusto (as is the case with most everything I do or consider) I opted for a career change! The job hunting has gone well, for a new opportunity, and as we speak, my name is being considered for a great position at UND (so cross your fingers and say a little prayer for me). I know.... most of you would cringe at the thought of leaving a job without having another one securely buttoned up. And as I tried to explain to my safe, secure, smart, practical husband, I JUST DON'T LIVE LIKE THAT. hahaha. For those of you that know and love me, you're thinking "DUH". ha.

But don't fear, I have a really good feeling about this one at UND, and you know what? If that job doesn't come to pass and end up being the one that's offered to me, something will come along. Of course I'll do the legwork to go out there and FIND that perfect job, but in the mean time, I'm going to take some much needed time for myself, my family, and just enjoy the summer! In fact, right this minute, I'm "lovingly prodding" Ben (ok, I'm harping at him) to hustle up and finish eating his cereal, because we're headed out the door to drive t0 his 11 yr old All Star Tourney (5 LONG hours away). Hopefully it will be a winning weekend of sunshine, cheering, and lots of laughs! TAKE ME OUT TO THE BALL GAME..........

I hope you all are loving summer, and loving your current jobs/careers! Life's too short to be in a miserable work environment, and there is always something out there that is a better fit. I know the grass isn't always greener, there might just be a different variety of weeds in the lawn, but it can't hurt to explore options, and as I always say...

LIVE WITH GUSTO!!!!!!!

Let Freedom Ring...

I love that phrase... "Let Freedom Ring" ~ it can apply to so many things! We are free to be wild and crazy if we want; free to speak our minds; free to sing at the top of our lungs (if there are no teenagers in the car); free to wear what we want (at our own risk of humiliation that is); we're free to just BE! Just BE happy, just BE ourselves, just BE what we want to be in life!

I'm in a state of transition, as it were.... with my job, with my outlook, with my goals in life. So I cherish my "Freedom".... I get to choose WHAT I want to do in life, I get to choose WHEN I want to do certain things in life, and I get to choose WHERE I want to spend my time. I feel so fortunate that I am free to be happy, and seek out new opportunities in which that happiness can spread to others, and be manifested within myself as well. I have some exciting interviews coming up at the end of this week, one next week, and I couldn't be more excited! I have had some great opportunities in life, and then again, some times in life that haven't been so peachy. But in any case, at any time in life, I've been FREE to choose how to react to those situations, and FREE to choose whether to take a negative view of my circumstances, or a positive view. As is the case this time around, while I seek a new career path. I GET to start a new chapter in life, and I GET to be FREE of the old, uncomfortable, mundane job that has frustrated me for so long.

Any kind of change in life is hard, but sometimes it's for the best. I know I have it pretty "cushy" here in my present job, but the opportunity to spread my wings in some new directions is so thrilling, and really makes me feel alive and optimistic! My "freedoms" might change (like my long lunches, or my ability to run errands when ever and where ever I liked), but the potential of so many new and yet-to-be-realized possibilities is something to smile about.

Change is good... just muster up the courage and GO FOR IT!

Embrace FREEDOM... Live with GUSTO!!!!!