I'm my own 12 step program

It didn't take long to hear back on the job. I received an email stating that the department was going to be "looking at other candidates to fill the position" (people who are not stay-at-home-mom's, people who interview better, people with college educations, people who are more qualified). I was pretty crushed at first, but to be honest... my interview/oral board sucked. While I had spent about a week preparing, I was still completely unprepared. It was a great experience though, and my interviewers were very kind to me which was the perfect way for me to jump back into the swing of things. Disappointing? Yes, very. But I am feeling very encouraged and I can honestly say that I learned a lot.

The day after I received this email, Mustache Man got a letter from a department he is trying to get hired on at. They've accepted his application (after re-sending forms and explaining a couple tickets) and want him to come do a written and physical test. If he passes, he will move on to oral boards the following week. Talk about a blessing! Sometimes it's very hard for me to accept God's plan and what his will is, but I hope this is it! I'd like to not have to work and continue my education instead, and Mustache Man would prefer to be the bread winner anyways.

Change is a constant part of life, and it's something I am trying to embrace. During Mustache Man's enlistment, I embraced being a tad... reclusive. We stayed home a lot and I kind of lost touch with my social side. I've heard that being a parent can do that to you. There were a lot of other factors as well, but it got to the point where I was actually socially nervous. ME. SOCIALLY NERVOUS?! Something has to change. Jumping into job hunting, and the oral board, helped give me that little bit of confidence that I can, in fact, survive meeting people and being rejected by them. That probably sounds ridiculous but that's where my mind set is. To change this, I'm throwing myself into being a runner. Yes, one of THOSE people. I've always wanted to be a "runner", one of those nimble, fit, healthy looking individuals. I'm also the girl who walked the mile in the 8th and 9th grade for P.E. I've just started training (man, I feel lame saying "training") and have picked out a couple events to compete in. I've found a couple 5K's, a 10 mile, and a half marathon I'd like to do this year. My family went running yesterday - Mustache Man, bless his heart, hates running but humors me anyways - and we managed to do 2+ miles. Not bad for people who haven't run in a few weeks and used a double jogging stroller that we had to pull back on because our dog wanted to full out gallop. I'm calling today "Day 2" of training. If I don't just do it, then I never will. I told Mustache Man about the "10 mile" last night, and he raised his eyebrows at me and called me "ambitious". Hah! I'll show him. He has faith in me, but other than being a wife and mother, I don't tend to like commitment very much. Also, as part of busting through my little reclusive habit, I plan on volunteering somewhere. This might get a little trickier, just because it already feels like we have no time to spare, but it's something that I really want to do. I want to make a difference with my time, and want to enjoy the experience as well. My thoughts are animal rescue/juvenile related. Does anyone have any volunteering ideas/opportunities?