The Reborn Carolinian

It's only been almost only two and a half months and it feels like we've been here forever.
Fayetteville, North Carolina.
It's still weird to ride around and see the places I knew when I was younger that are no longer there because of new construction. New neighborhoods. New stores. New roads.
Yet with all the newness, it still feels old.
We live in the Westover High School district, which was the first high school I attended before the city rezoning. Our neighborhood is huge..three connected neighborhoods in one.

The girls seem to be adapting pretty well though, thankfully. School seems pretty easy because most of what they're learning down here has already been taught in New Jersey. THAT I miss: the "advanced" education they were getting up north.

• New news: In New Jersey, Erika would be in her 3rd month of K-4 in school. Here, her birth date makes her too young to start school.. Thankfully, though, there is a program called More At Four, which is pretty much a pre-k program, at the school her older sisters are attending. So, through many phone calls and patience, Erika will be meeting her teacher on the 28th of this month and hopefully starting by the 1st of December. She's uber excited.
• I applied for what seemed like a thousand jobs, odd and otherwise, hoping that just anyone, but hoping that something with photography, would call and hire me. Two months of what seemed like hopelessness and failure, I got a call on Halloween afternoon from Noerr for an interview on November 14. I arrived at the interview half an hour early. It was a group interview in an open space, so while 'peeking' on other interviews, I was sure that I was not qualified enough to land the job. There were people there with photography schooling and experience that made my self-taught achievements seem pointless. I pretty much told myself that I was not going to land this job but didn't want to just get up and walk away. With only six positions to fill, I doubted that I would turn heads in the crowd. Apparently, I need to quit doubting myself because I start training on the 29th. *big grin* Although it's only temporary/seasonal, I feel really good about being chosen for the job. If for nothing else, the experience to put on my resume is worth it. I can't wait to start. Plus, this makes me "the most awesome" because "mommy gets to work with Santa Claus everyday!"

Life, although doesn't go the way you want it to, most often goes the way it should. Remember the saying: "wanna make God laugh? Tell Him your plans!"? That is the truest and I think of it every second of the day. We thought we had it all figured out after Mister's retirement, only to be taken on a completely different path and shown that we don't have this all in our hands. He has His own plans...we're just here to carry it out.
With my daughter's fifth birthday coming tomorrow, and Thanksgiving only a week a way, I thank God every day for getting me through everything that comes my way. That includes my parents who always have my back; my brothers who always keep me smiling..even on my most 'evil days'; my husband who reassures my awesomeness and loves me unconditionally; my children who make every day worth waking up and going forward; and my REAL friends who love, encourage, and appreciate me. Life may not be at my idea of Best, but it is awesome right now.