Payday!

Today was payday. Which means yet another round of budgeting, paying bills, and attempting to find the perfect plan for the next month of spending. This probably isn't fun for most people, but I actually enjoy planning and trying to figure out how to best spend my money.

Today was also the last day of my Drumline auditions for my high schoolers...which means I now have another week of thinking and planning before the next rehearsal next week. And an awkward face to face lunch/coffee with my two section leaders so I can be open/honest/confrontational/awkward. Should be interesting...

Other than that, that's almost all I have on my mind. Except not really. Except really for the whole world to know. :) Sorry!

Hold...Sip...Sip...Sigh...

That was the end of the breathing warm-up I led nearly every day for a month as I was subbing. In for so many counts, out for so many counts, repeat; and at the end they had to hold their breath, sip in and hold it, sip in more and then hold it until I told them to let it out.


As previously mentioned, my June has seemed a little like that. (Including being sick when I couldn't breathe, and Pilates today when I forgot to breathe often). This is just a happy post to say that I'm still holding my breath, but there was that little bit of a relief today (a sip, if you will). And I'm looking forward to many future sips...

...and then came June

Don't get me wrong, my six months of happiness did not fade, and my life didn't suddenly start to suck or anything...but it's been a long week.

June 1 I started my new Evaluation/Research Graduate Assistantship position. For anyone who was at all involved in Student Affairs in Missouri, I'm the GRA for Partners in Prevention--you know, the group that tries to get college kids to not act like idiots (yes, there's a state-wide group for that). We send out the pamphlets in the Summer Welcome program packet, give out free things on campus, and attempt to raise awareness of risky behaviors (and many, many, MANY other things). It's completely grant-funded (which is awesome), is paying for my tuition (also awesome) and health insurance starting in August (doubly awesome). Not to mention, it will be similar to what I think I want to do once I graduate--work with evaluation/research of non-profits/programs/agencies/public policies--so that's a plus.

So far, it's not going to bad. I'm a little overwhelmed in that I'm nervous that I'm slow, but I have to keep reminding myself that everyone I'm working with has been there longer than I am, and actually knows the information off the top of their head because they've been working with it longer than two weeks. But I'm competitive, and don't like to not be excellent at things, so it's taking some getting used to...

Last week was a roller coaster of life--most of which cannot yet be told to the great wide world (sorry, stay tuned). But there were definite dips and highs, and I hope that the next few months contain more highs than lows--but I guess that's all you can really ask for out of life anyway. I also spent 4.5 days of my life laying on the couch/in bed with the deathly summer cold (it was miserable!) which was a low also because my older brother (that I get to see once a year) was in town from Arizona--and I was sick the whole time. Our "hanging out" consisted of the family dinner the first night, him sitting and watching TV with me for a bit the next, and a quick drive by to say goodbye on his last day. It's just disappointing to be looking forward to his visit, only to be too miserable to leave the house...

But again, if I can have more positives than negatives in the next little bit, I won't complain too much. Especially if the bf and I get to make it out to visit him soon--or visit Vegas with the whole family...