There is a trusty row of links at the top of my browser that show up every time I open it, complete with their own little colorful icons. They quickly and painlessly send me right to the places I always go when I'm online. Email, Pandora, Facebook, Hulu, etc. One of these links happens to take me directly to this blog page. While I am often busy, and either don't have the time, or the substance to actually open up the editor and write a new post, I do habitually open that link and browse through my previous posts. On one such instance, I happened to read through my entry from this past February, detailing in part the struggles of my year away from "home" here in Mesa. (I only put that in quotes as I feel that while I do live in my own home in Mesa, I still do have a home in Lehi with my family.) How I tragically had to muck my way through a new school system without my usual band of buddies and graduate from high school in a "fanatically intense frenzy," I believe the phrase was. Whether or not moving out and back to Mesa again after graduation was the happily every after I wanted is irrelevant. But it most certainly is the next chapter in my story. :)
Now. To begin again where I left off. On August 31, 2008, my dear friend Meagan and I packed up our cars and made the painstaking twelve hour drive back to Mesa. We signed the lease on our first apartment, and began quite a different adventure than high school...
That first weekend in the apartment could probably be described as a whirlwind. With the help of my dear friend David, my loving parents, and a few other helping hands, we moved all of our things (my inventory significantly larger than Meagan's, I'll admit) up the narrow staircase and into our relatively spacious, albeit stinky abode. A whirlwind, yes. But it could also be described as a convection oven. I had
nearly forgotten that despite the fact that in Lehi it was already cooling down to near perfect temperatures, Mesa had yet to fall below the triple-digits at some times of the day. I mean, it was September for goodness sake. And to top it all off, by some hilarious miscommunication, the electric company had yet to make it out to set up our unit, and would not be able to come back until the next business day. Which in our case (due to the holiday weekend) wouldn't be until
Tuesday. Four days
after we moved in. We could shower, yes, but there was no hair drying, microwaving, lighting, phone charging, or Heaven help us, air conditioning. We couldn't even plug in Meg's big fan to get some air moving. But, we did survive. And when that SRP man showed up at 4:00 on Tuesday afternoon, we were just sweaty grinning beams of gratitude and relief.
After we finally got some electricity under our belts, the next big hurdle was securing some jobs. The rent wouldn't pay itself after all. Before we moved out, I had been working as a Chiropractic Assistant and Office Worker, while Meg was a stylist at Great Clips. I had spoken with some family friends about starting up in the corporate office of a company they were at the head of, and Meagan was relying on the fact that she was a licensed and practiced cosmetologist to get her at least a starter job at a salon, so she could eventually work her way up to a position at Toni&Guy. (The opportunity to do so was a big part of her decision to come with me, as there are no Toni&Guy salons in Utah.) Upon arriving, however, things certainly didn't go as planned. The company I planned on working for could no longer afford to sign me on, as they were going through some odd financial and restructuring difficulties. The life raft I had been counting on to pull me up onto the ship of financial security had been yanked out of the water. But I was still under contract to pay nearly four hundred dollars in rent for the next six months minimum.
I began immediately to search for some kind of administrative, or chiropractic related work, with little, to no success. For four weeks I applied to place after place, wrung my hands with worry, and received a dismal return on my efforts. I was beginning to think I would have to do just what a certain pessimistic boy told me before I left: bum out, and come right back home with a big hole in my wallet. But I hadn't given up hope just yet. My dear close friend Dallon suggested that I get a priesthood blessing to further invite the Lord into my search, and to settle my nerves. I promptly accepted, and wondered why I hadn't thought of it sooner. His dad, who happened to be the Stake President, administered the blessing not long after this, and I went home with tears in my eyes, but also a renewed faith that I would be alright. I got online and checked one last time on the Provident Living website for any leads on anything that I felt I could be capable of, and/or stand to do day in and day out. And there it was. The answer to all my prayers. "Mother of two seeking reliable nanny to work on regular basis." The compensation listed was substantial, and though the half hour commute would be a challenge, I felt that this was the perfect opportunity for me. I had, after all, nannied part time before, and I undoubtedly love caring for children. So I called. And left a message. And I called again. No response. I became very anxious and worried that the position had already been filled, but I didn't experience that closed-book feeling in my stomach like I had with a few other jobs I applied for. This one still had hope.
Finally, I got a call from Collette. She seemed very nice, and said she felt she should explain to me that she had found someone she thought she would keep in the position, but that her three year-old Riley still hadn't warmed up to her, which was odd for him. She wanted me to come over for a "test-run" day and check our fit. I did this, and as luck, or sheer Heaven sent blessing would have it, she opted to keep me. At last I was employed! And though the drive was mildly troublesome for my poor aging car, I felt that every minute of commute was worth it to spend my time in such fulfilling an employment. To this day I continue to go back to Collette's home and spend my time driving to and from the library, school, swim and dance practice, making breakfasts, lunches, and sometimes dinners, and doing all sorts of other mommy-mode things. Every day is a new adventure with those wondrous children, and I wouldn't trade it for the world.
On the other side of the coin, Megan's search for employment was just about as tumultuous as mine. After several weeks of applications and some interviews, she was actually offered a job at another Great Clips salon. However, comforting as this may have seemed, Meg just wasn't content to fall right back into the rut she was in before. She wanted to move up and out of the eight dollar eleven minute haircut realm. So her pursuit of Toni&Guy status continued. As it turns out, the hiring process is much more complex and extensive than you would think. But once again, through the blessings of answered prayers, she got in. At the very bottom of the totem pole, yes, but still in. We both started work at about the same time, and are still gratefully working at the same places. Meagan was even promoted to a Floor Manager at her salon, and while the responsibilities that come along with the title are often exhausting, and upsetting (She now often has to open the salon on Sundays:( Though she comes to as many church functions as possible.) Life is life, and work is work. And no matter the ups and downs of living away from home and family, we're taking them all on side by side with smiles on our faces, and usually a song and a dance to go with it too.
She was a fresh and stunning nineteen years old when they walked out of that temple and into the next fifteen years of their lives. Then the world tilted for a time and everything was singed by the sun before it fell back into place. A little tainted, and a little healed. Now her daughter is a fresh and stunning nineteen years old and she's got a grip on the world like a walking cane and a magic wand. What she doesn't say is that life really isn't as complex as all that. It's just about carrying the water with you. Lifting where you stand. She's got an open mind, and a naked finger, and the single life never looked brighter.
