When it rains...

...it definitely pours. But - to complete the idiom with another idiom - in every cloud there is a silver lining. Boy, if I haven't learned this lately.

Okay, so my favorite saying over the last 3 weeks is that my life is like a country song: I was sick, my dog died, and I lost my job. All I need now is a pickup truck so it can break down and a boyfriend so he can dump me! (I find that facing things with humor really eases the tension, baby.)

All of this obviously needs a little explanation, so let me see if I can do a quick recap for you...

March 12-15: Went to Seattle for business trip. Family came too. Played with family on down time. Stood in a booth at a golf show for three days. Ate Nando's chicken. Went on Underground Tour. Went to ballet. Played Settlers of Cattan in SEA-TAC Airport. Lost.

March 18-22: Went to Disneyland for 3 days with family. Loved every minute of it. Sat in the front on Splash Mountain. Got soaked. Ate a corn dog, Dole Whip, 3 churros, and Blue Bayou. Won 3 beavers. Used single rider pass again and again and again and again... Hated to leave.

March 23: Had inexplicable hives on arms. Itchy arms all week.

March 26-31: Hives spread to entire body. Had to take cold baking soda bath. Completely miserable and whiny. Just ask the roommates.

March 31: Sugar, beloved family dog, dies. Almost 14 years old. Had a ruptured disc. Couldn't walk. Had to be put down. We love and miss her.

April 1-3: Hives under control. On constant Benadryl. Sudden unexplained dizziness, nausea, and fatigue on Thursday afternoon. Stayed home Friday. Sent in job application for Western Wyoming Community College - Vocal music position. Wondered if I really wanted that job. Slept.

April 4-5: Most needed and timely General Conference ever.

April 6: Laid off from job due to downsizing (in a company of 5 people). Still working through May 15th - one silver lining. Pondered the irony of already having applied for another job. Silver lining number two. Called everybody and reveled in the shock of it all.

April 9: Set up appointment for interview at WWCC. Only 5 days away. Couldn't help thinking how quickly everything was happening.

April 11-16: Great time at home with sister and parents sewing, watching movies, playing Yahtzee. Love being at home. Hives finally disappear...for now.

April 14: Interview day. Goes well. Feel a good vibe. Wonder if I can actually move back home...

April 17: Get the call. Got the job. Felt so good about it. Accepted it. Continue to feel shocked - and completely blessed.

I think that's it in a nutshell! A very very small nutshell. My life has significantly changed in the course of two small weeks. Yes, it can happen to anyone. I am here to testify.

But with all this radical change has also come the best feeling of peace and acceptance, and I know that's not coming from me. It feels like it should be a trial, and yet, isn't one. This is what Heavenly guidance looks and feels like, and no doubt about it. And I couldn't be more grateful.

Thanks to everyone who has been there to support me through these last few rough weeks! I love you all!

And thanks in advance to everyone who's going to help me make the most of my last few months here in Vegas before moving to windy, wintery, lovely Wyoming. It's party time people!!!

I'm in the army now!

Hello!!! Time for me to recover from my long absence with a quick blog...

So, I don't know if anyone knows this, but I absolutely love reading! (Duh!) And easily my favorite genre is fantasy...with a little sci-fi thrown in to make things interesting. We're talking LOTR, Dune, Shannara, Ender, and many, many more.

But perhaps one of my favorite series is "The Wheel of Time" by Robert Jordan. I love the world, the characters, the conflicts...basically everything about this series. Yes, some of these 11 books tend to drag on (5-10 anybody?), but it's all part of a cohesive and extremely complicated story.

My admiration for everything WoT-related was jolted back in 2007 when I read that the Creator (heh, heh) of this series, Robert Jordan himself, had passed away while working on the final book. Fans the world over mourned for the man, but also for the death of an incomplete series until, thankfully, a new writer was commissioned to write the concluding book (which will now be 3 books). His name is Brandon Sanderson and he's gallantly stepped into Mr. Jordan's shoes and is doing his utmost to stay true to the world of the story, for which I commend him highly.

Anyway, he's created some cool opportunities for fans of the series, which I have gladly taken part in! As in all good fantasy, there's a great conflict between good and evil in this series which has led to many an exciting battle scene. In order to do battle scenes, you need armies, and Mr. Sanderson (or should I say "Bro. Sanderson" - yes, he's Mormon too!) has come up with an interesting way of creating one of these armies for the last book. He's gone through a charity called Heifer International, which nobly helps fight hunger across the world, to organize fans to donate. Whoever donates to this general fund joins the army that will be featured in the final book! He says it's not going to be obvious to the readers who this army is (there will be a lot of them in the Last Battle) unless you're looking for it, but by donating, you're effectively going to be immortalized in print - in fantasy!

So naturally, I signed myself up! That's right, I'm going to be fighting the Dark One in Tarmon Gai'don!

I bet you all wish you were as cool as me.