checking in

may have fallen behind the pace here, what with the changes in my duties at the temp job and the continued job search and the exertions of child-rearing a pair of live wires getting launched into grade school.

drop-off

the boy has gotten so tall so fast but he's still in that sweet spot between imaginative play and developing his God-given talents. i had my first occasion to drop him off at school since the academic year began and was a little disappointed that, unlike last year, he wasn't eager to have me walk him to class. i just dropped him off and we were done.

funny valentine

i'm not sure if the girl is suffering ear issues or is already acquiring the aloof and dismissive attitude of a teenager. she's not very responsive to being addressed; what we wrote off originally as shyness has become a question of being rude. otherwise, she remains sweet and, like the boy, is growing like a weed despite not eating. we may also have a budding choreographer on our hands. she really likes to dance.

not sure what this last day of the month will bring. i will continue to remain open to where this leap of faith will take me.

adulting

Couchin' at Travis' grandparents'

A photo posted by William Wolfe (@thereverendbillylongwaffles) on Dec 24, 2016 at 2:19pm PST

we didn't think we'd ever see the day, but we finally had the chance to sit with these lunkheads, see their beautiful house, enjoy a meal and hold actual, extended, adult conversations.

(now in retrospect how we didn't selfie the occasion is beyond me.)

while the food was delicious and the wine was tasty, having a chance to gossip, dish dirt on our old jobs, discuss life changes, health, family drama, and finally vent on politics was cathartic and just satisfying.

the evening had been a long time coming. it built up after seven years since kris left the paper and our lives grew consumed with child-rearing. i'd watched their house come into being and their lives change with it. then we finally had the chance to just sit over a meal and take stock.

it was worth the wait. thank you, boys. we love you.

(thanks to my baby sister, btw, who kindly took in our munchkins for a few hours. the babies love their cousins dearly and it's one of life's great gifts that the cousins love and indulge our babies in return.)

fit

don't think i've ever had the problem of fitting in with a group until now. not sure what i can do about it. 

commitments

Very excited to introduce Mountaineer Nation to all of WVU Football's 2017 Signees:https://t.co/efBMI5VjpW

— Dana Holgorsen (@Holgorsendana) February 1, 2017

this has nothing to do with anything, other than make me wish i could see how my mountaineers will do with their new quarterback.

got some reassuring and encouraging words from my bosses at my temp job at least as regards salary — i can keep it — as i get reassigned out of the position i signed up for.

later in the evening, i got a rejection email for a public information job with the state, which i thought i was more than qualified for. stated reason was a lack of experience — this, after 20 years in journalism.

sigh.

counting blessings. a good-paying job with good insurance. health. a strong work ethic. skills and smarts. an agreeable personality. i don't know why i'm getting down on myself or my situation. i'm in very good stead.

i guess it's the sense that it's a mixed bag transitioning out of a white collar-ish job into one more clerical but, as i said to the Lord when i got into the car to head home, this is one twisty trail you've got me on. help my lack of trust, i said. apparently, i'm still needing to work on letting go and putting things in his hands.

update: the rejection email wasn't for the public information job; it was one with state homeland security as an "emergency services associate." i'd applied for two jobs with the state around the same time and had gotten the posts confused. i was gladly interviewed for the other spot. (funding later dried up for that position, though.)