40 to 40 (Gratitude 22)

I never imagined myself in a government job or doing much in retail. But that is what I am doing at the moment -- working with mortgages and deeds and books. (Well, the book part comes naturally.)

While I never imagined this employment scenario, I can say that in today's struggling economy I am blessed with not just one, but two jobs. And I enjoy the people I work with.

So, thank you, God for providing for me even if it isn't in a way I ever anticipated.

Where I'm At

Some of you have noted my absence. (Thanks for noticing.) I have not dropped off the edge of the earth even though it may seem like it. A couple things have been going on:

• We are still playing with a medication change for my depression. This alternately translates into lots of anxiety or no energy at all.
• Second, I have been busy, busy, busy. This weekend all I did was work and sleep. My B&N scheduled went from averaging 9 hours to one week averaging 21! Yeah for the pay check. Boo for my energy level.
  
• As a result of the above, I barely feel as if I have a coherent thought in my head. Seriously, last night was my 4th close in a row. I worked Wed. night, off Thursday, Friday night, Saturday night, and a whopping 3-10:30 on Sunday and then closed Monday. I very literally tried to convince a customer last night that it was Thursday. I chalk it up to not having a weekend!

So, I need to get back into blogging. Hopefully, that can happen over the next few days. Until then, please pray about the meds and about my energy level.

The Whimsical Side of She Speaks

Pam and I traveled together. It was so nice to have someone to travel with!

I learned lots at She Speaks. The top serious things I learned were:

• God SEES me.




• God sets the lonley in "families" and these gals really felt like family




• God has given you a unique story that only you can share.

There, that is the reader's digest version.

But then there were other funny things I learned. Some I should have known.

• Just because there are automatic toilets in the conference center as well as automatic towel dispensers DOES NOT mean that the water is automatic. You can rub your hand under the faucet as long as you want and as often as you want, but if you do not turn the handles it will not work. You will look foolish if you stand there too long. But the conference mantra was "Grace, Grace, Grace" so even if you look foolish you will still be loved.



• Southern rule of cooking: If something tastes good, it will taste even better fried. Hences the oblong thing on my plate during lunch at the airport. I had a barbecue turkey sandwich, potatoes, and a FRIED pickle. It was actually tasty. It had a bit of a kick to it.

• There is a 3oz rule for carry on stuff. My toothpaste was too big. Once the lady said that, we figured we just needed to check the bags 'cause I definitely hadn't packed right. So next year, She Speaks should send out a post on travel stuff -- airline rules. :-)




• I never turn my phone off. Thankfully, someone traveling with me knew how to get it powered down and powered up!



• If you opt to eat at a Sonic restaurant you eat outside in your car. It is only drive up. However, I do recommend their shakes.



• I still talk in my sleep. (Grace, grace, grace from the roommates.) Happily, God must have been giving me good dreams. I was heard to exclaim (among other things), "That was just beautiful."



• I can time myself but I cannot be timed by others. Seriously. I freaked when given the time signals. My 3 minute talk came out 2:19 because the 1 minute left signal flustered me. My 5 minute talk was 4:09 minutes. Happily, they both got good ratings. I guess I learned to wrap up quickly!



• If you thank hotel staff, they get somewhat embarrassed.



• Bloggers are some of the funniest people you will ever meet. Lelia is even more of a stitch in person than she is on her blog. Michelle has a sweet presence about her. Nikki is beautiful, sweet, and charming. I would love to get together to lunch with her. But NC is a bit far . . . .



• The P31 Team Rocks! They are just a great, fun group of women who loved on us all. I hope they felt loved back! This is a picture of Leah, Wendy, and Melissa. Like the rest of the team, they worked tirelessly. I am thankful for them.
  
  
  
  
  
  I think I've got most of my She Speaks stuff out there, but I can't promise. I have a notebook with 3 pages full of neat things that happened at the conference! So, they might get worked in here or there.