I faced it all, & I stood tall, & did it my way.

I found these lyrics to be a fitting end to this month. It's been a month of highs and lows & busys and slows. It's a beginning and an end. The driest August on record in this state, it was also the hottest my grandparents, residents of Tennessee since the 1920's, can remember. (And for their age, they both remember pretty well!!!)

Regrets, I've had a few
But then again, too few to mention
I did what I had to do
And saw it through without exemption
I planned each charted course
Each careful step along the byway
Oh, and more, much more than this
I did it my way
Yes, there were times, I'm sure you knew
When I bit off more than I could chew
But through it all when there was doubt
I ate it up and spit it out
I faced it all and I stood tall
And did it my way

(words & music by P. Anka, J. Revaux, G. Thibault, C. Francois)

I faced it all, & I stood tall (as tall as I can - I'm short!), & did it my way, most of the time. And despite all that, I can't take all the credit for what this month held for me. I think God had some pretty big blessings for me this month. Though I still don't know for sure exactly what He has planned for us, or why He hasn't given us a lot of rain in the form of water, He has rained blessings on me that I can't begin to measure.

And now, the end is near...

The end of "Elvis month," that is. Though I am not an Elvis fanatic, it has been kind of fun to find different Elvis lyrics for my blog post titles. And though I am not an Elvis fanatic, I do enjoy that month of the year when it's easy to find his movies & concerts on TV. I wouldn't enjoy them as much if I watched them constantly.

In addition to the end of Elvis month, I am nearing the end of a chapter in my career. I have officially started at Vanderbilt, & on my days off, I'm going to my old job in Clarksville to help them out & train my replacement (or replacements - not sure how that's going to pan out). I do miss my former co-workers, but...I will be glad when I don't have to work 50 hours a week anymore. Last week, my last full week at the office, I worked 45 hours. This week, I'm already exhausted. I do get Labor Day off. That will be nice - a 3 day weekend.

The new job is a lot to learn, & very busy compared to my old one. My old job could be a lot of work, but there wasn't as much going on at once. It sort of evens out - at my old job, I was the only tech & had 4 to 5 patients a day. All scans are on a single-head camera & I do it all - starting IV's, scanning, prepping & stressing, scanning again, & processing. At the new one, I'm one of 4 techs who have 16 to 20 patients a day. There are three dual-head cameras & nurses help start IV's & prep & stress patients.

One really good thing about it is that they're very understanding about the learning process. They don't expect me to walk in ready to do everything. It's much more gradual. They want me to master the paperwork & injection process before moving on. I don't know that I've got it all down pat but I'm moving along quickly, in my opinion. It may take me forever to get it all down. But, it could be a lot worse. Everything is coming together. Now if I can just get the money together.

The kids have adjusted well to the change. They're riding the bus in the mornings, but the afternoons are still much the same. I was always gone 4 days a week, sometimes late in the evenings, & usually Randy got home before me. I get home about 30 minutes to an hour later than usual. We've got something going on 4 nights a week most of the time. I can't say it's changed our lives a whole lot - it's just a little more complicated, but not a lot. I think Randy's willing to help, for the trade-off of getting out of some of our debts. That part of the equation still seems a long way off. For some reason, the money hasn't caught up with the budget yet. Hopefully, in a couple of weeks, it will, & then the sacrifices will seem more worthwhile.

Well, it's time for me to leave to go to the "old" job. Later!

Thank you. Thank you very much.

This is what I find myself telling God! Thank You very much!!!

Well, I have had a great last few days. As I wrote in the last post, I got the job I've been hoping for. I have been praying for someone to come along quickly to fill the position I'm leaving, & they are standing in line to interview.

I think it's a win-win situation. Though I've had some trying times in the last few weeks there, overall, it has not been a bad job & I have enjoyed it very much. It may be perfect for someone else. The big problem for me was that I really needed more money to pay off some debts. I couldn't ask for it because when I was hired at that job, they only promised me so much & they have far exceeded that. My lingering money problems were my own fault.

It has occurred to me that maybe God allowed me to experience those issues at work over the last 8 weeks because He really wanted me at Vanderbilt. Maybe this job is His way to help me help myself. And, perhaps He wants someone else at the office too. I think someone new there could be a blessing to them. They may not see it that way, but I have ever since I first considered making the move.

It is a major, major life change for us. Today was "trial run" day. I went in & worked all day, & I learned a lot. I think I'm going to like it. The whole 10 hour day, from leaving the house to coming home, took me nearly 13 hours. Of course, I left an hour before I needed to get there & that was just enough time to get there & make my way over to the office. I didn't walk all the way to the office from where I parked. I walked about 5 minutes & one of my former co-workers picked me up! Then I walked from her parking garage at the VA to the office, which took all of 3 minutes. After work I walked back to the car, in the over 100 degree heat, & that took longer...partly because I got mixed up & ended up at the football practice field! I could've gone a different way, but I walked part of the way with one of my co-workers. Next time, I'll go the other way because it's shorter & more of it's indoors.

I think I'm going back to having Wednesdays off once we get the new person at the old job. I did tell them I'd help them on my days off from Vandy until the new person's trained & ready to go without me. After that, though, it'll be 4 10-hour days, & it looks like most weeks my day off will be Wednesday. I liked that. It took me awhile to get used to working 4 days in a row when Friday became my day off. I think with 4 10's, it will be a lot easier to have 2 on, 1 off, 2 on, 2 off. 4 10 hour days in a row would be ROUGH. Especially with a 35 minute drive & 30 minute walk twice a day. Yes, I think Wednesdays off will be nice. I think a lot of things will be nice.

I do wish it would rain. Not for me - other than the long-term effects this drought will have on prices, rain doesn't matter much to me - but for all the farmers whose livelihoods depend on it.

Then sings my soul. . .

Did you know that Elvis' gospel albums were his biggest sellers? Well, of course you did, because you have seen the infomercial!

God would still be great, even if He hadn't provided me with "Job X." That's right, I got it! Now that it is no longer a secret, I will give more details. It is a position doing what I do now, but at Vanderbilt University. I will be one of four technologists, doing many more cases a day, but with more people & more equipment. I am excited. And thankful!

I had actually begun to make peace with the idea that I wouldn't get the job. But, I definitely see God's hand in this. I believed He would provide us with enough to give good gifts at Christmas. I believed He would provide us with enough to enjoy a trip to Washington, DC next summer. I believed He would help me lose weight.

I will have almost a mile walk from the parking lot to the office. They DO have shuttles, but as I recall from my days as a student, when we parked over there, it's often quicker to walk. So that's what I'm going to do, unless it's storming or raining hard. I am terrified of lightning & don't want to be drenched.

It is going to be a BIG change. I look at it as a good thing, though. I enjoy that drive, believe it or not. Also, it will make the off hours a little easier to enjoy because we won't be quite as stressed trying to stay afloat.

Actually, I should say God is making it easier to enjoy our off hours!

Well, the busy life has begun. Since I am leaving before my replacement comes, I have to do as many studies as I can between now & then. It promises to be busy. But it will be worth it in the end.

there will be peace in the valley for me someday

I feel more peace here since I realized that I haven't been trusting God very much. I know. You probably already knew that. But sometimes it takes awhile for us to see ourselves. I know God knows what I need. His way is best. So we will see how this all plays out.

I saw on of the Gaither Homecoming bluegrass shows today. During the commercials you see the Isaacs doing "He Ain't Never Done Me Nothing But Good." When I sing this in church soon, the teachers in the congregation will cringe, hearing grammar getting so butchered. Hopefully, they & everyone else will hear the message. It is a great song. I plan to go hear them in Cunningham, TN this coming Thursday night, August 16.

No, I'm not going to Memphis! I wouldn't fight that crowd for love nor money. Well, I might for money. No, seriously I have no desire to go to Graceland for that scene. It's one thing to title all my posts with Elvis songs. It's another altogether to go light candles & whatnot.

I also have some other lyrics in my head. The M&M's commercial:

This is the day
Your life will surely change
This is the day
When things fall into place
This is the day

and the Natasha Bedingfield song "Unwritten,"

Staring at the blank page before you
Open up the dirty window
Let the sun illuminate the words that you could not find
Reaching for something in the distance
So close you can almost taste it
Release your inhibitions
Feel the rain on your skin
No one else can feel it for you
Only you can let it in
No one else, no one else
Can speak the words on your lips
Drench yourself in words unspoken
Live your life with arms wide open
Today is where your book begins
The rest is still unwritten

I heard that song about a half a million times last fall, but the other day, it really began to take on a new meaning for me. The rest is still unwritten. Or maybe it's written...we just can't read it yet. Either way, it's an adventure I am looking forward to experiencing.