The OK Adventures of Peppersloth and Annie

I really debated writing again, since I just did a Thanksgiving post. But this week was DEFINITELY post worthy!

                It’s really hard to grasp that it has been six months since I said ‘good bye’ to my parents, broke up with a boy, and moved halfway across the country. It’s also hard to grasp all that has happened within the last six months. NOTHING has gone as planned, and yet everything has worked out.

Work: I worked at Amazon for two and a half months because it was the only place I could find a job. Nothing in my 32 years of life prepared me for the Amazonian way of life! It was physically, emotionally, and mentally draining! But God used it to prepare me for six months down the road. I am now working two jobs, for a total of 60 hours a week. Four days a week, I leave my house between 7:55-8:00am, and don’t get home until 9:35-9:40pm. I spend seven hours a day caring for preschoolers with special needs. Sometimes, I think the substitute teachers they send me have more special needs than the kids do! The last four hours of my day are spent at the library, moving books around. I have passed two out of my five shelving tests! That, by itself, is a huge stress reliever! All in all, I love what I do. The people I work with are great, and I have found that I am skilled at both jobs. Even if I had to pick just one, I do not think that I could.

Church: I FOUND A CHURCH! It is small and cozy! It is a good mix of traditional and contemporary, which is a difficult thing to pull off. The traditional aspects give the foundation that unchurched people need, while the contemporary allows for creative expression in worship. The church is right around the corner from me, so it is in an area of people who truly just need to know that God loves them. I love pastors who put their churches right in the middle of the mission field! I love it! I’m very excited to go back!

Friends: COVID has been on the rise in Oklahoma, and has affected my friends. Also, with working two jobs, socializing has become nonexistent again. I did go to a pizza party that they had for another TA’s birthday! It was a good opportunity to meet the rest of the preschool teachers and TA’s. I work with a great team of people!

Health: Because my jobs are so active, I’m back on the weight loss wagon again. I have outskinnied my skinny jeans. They don’t fit my legs anymore. I guess we’ll see how long it lasts this time. I am also starting to refocus on my mental health again. Finding a church is a start on my spiritual health, being active and having healthy eating habits takes care of physical health, so now it is time to deal with the mental. I love having such a good memory! I do! But the side effect of reliving 2019 over and over again is draining. I will never be able to erase it or change it, so I need to deal and heal. That is the goal as I start to leave 2020. Now that I have a full time job, I will have full time benefits, which means I can find a counselor. I’m reading a book about healing, because books are ALWAYS the answer! It doesn’t matter what the question is! While only God can truly heal me, I think these are steps in the right direction.

Life in General: All in all, life is great. There is a lot of stress happening, but there are also a lot of good things happening. I am looking forward to being home for Christmas in just a few short weeks. I have already told my nieces that I call dibs on holding the new baby! And they are all getting Sooner stuff for Christmas! Life here is great. Everyone tells me time starts to go faster when you get older, but I’ve never really believed it, until now. Time has flown by! I don’t like arrogance, so I try to avoid it. But I can honestly say, I made an awesome OK decision in moving here! I can’t wait to see what Month Seven brings!