Meeting Ryan...Getting laid off...Looking for work...Playing in Hawaii...Getting a new job...Moving to Roosevelt...Getting married... A new nephew....Wow, what a year!
2009 was a year of a lot of changes! Little did I know what God had in store for me!
January started off well with meeting a new man, a man that would eventually become my husband. :) At the time, it was just an exciting new relationship and I had no idea where it would lead. All I knew was I liked him and I was pretty sure he liked me, too. :)
Then midway through January I was laid off from my job at the church and I was devastated. I really liked my job and thought I would be there for a long time. I had built strong, close relationships with my co-workers who were also my friends. It was difficult to say the least. But, there was a bigger plan taking shape that I had no idea was happening.
Thus began the search for a new job. As most people who haven't lost their jobs, I had no idea before the search began just how difficult it would be. Yes, I knew that the economy was down, but thought I'd find a job within a couple months. That didn't happen. I looked and I sent my resume to place after place, most of which I never heard from. Reality hit a little harder in March when I finally had an interview and they mentioned that they had received 260 resumes in 2 days for that one position. I didn't get that job, but felt pretty good that I even got an interview out of all those who applied. In April I thought I had landed a job through a connection at a good company. It seemed certain. Yet again, a bigger plan was forming and that didn't come to pass either.
About this time, after talking with Ryan I started looking for jobs in both Salt Lake and Roosevelt, which is where Ryan lived. Still a few more months went by with putting in resume after resume. My search eventually morphed into searching in Roosevelt alone (unknown to anyone else). I was having a bit more luck in Roosevelt with at least getting interviews. Still none came to pass.
All the while I was spending more and more of my time in Roosevelt, actually about 75% of the time I was there. Only going “home” if there was a reason such as Mother's Day or other events.
In July, I got a few more hits on jobs with 4 interviews in just a couple short days, all in Roosevelt and all good options. On July 9th I accepted a job at the Utah Department of Workforce Services in Roosevelt and started on July 20th. Yeah, I finally had a job and the plan was beginning to appear.
I moved to Roosevelt not really knowing what was going to happen next, but I knew that I had been lead there, it wasn't my doing. So, no matter what happened, I was where I was supposed to be. So, here I was living in Ryan's spare room, not sure what he was thinking about our future for sure, but also knowing that we couldn't really live together on a long term basis. I tried to get a feel for things, but Ryan was pretty good at not letting on to what he was thinking. I decided that if we weren't going to get married in the near future that I needed to find somewhere else to live. It was hard being “roommates” and behaving. :)
Then on August 26th, Ryan asked me to marry him!!! I was in total shock because he had not ever once specifically mentioned getting married (I was sure that's where it was going, but not anywhere in the near future). I said “Yes” followed by “Really?” cause it was so unexpected. Given our circumstances we decided to get married soon, in fact, exactly one month later on September 26th we were married in what is now our backyard. It was beautiful and amazing and I can't believe that I am married....married to the man that I waited a long time for and whom I am glad that I waited for. He is amazing!
But more than that, God is amazing in how His plan played out...the good coming out of the bad. Losing my job and not finding a new one for 6 months gave me the opportunity to spend a lot of time in Roosevelt with Ryan getting to know him better than had I not had all that free time.
And there is still more good news from 2009...my first nephew (aside from the 7 I inherited upon being married) was born! Jensen Keith Tall was born on November 1st to my brother, John, and his wife, Stacey. Congrats big bro!
Another highlight of 2009 was the 10 days that I spent in Hawaii in March with two of my best friends. We had so much fun playing in the sun and catching up with each other. The trip included snorkeling, rented convertible, camping, sunset atop Haleakala, kayaking, close encounters with whales, and of course relaxing on the beach. A fun, warm getaway with good company was just what I needed at that time.
2009 was a full and fun year with ups and downs. I could never have imagined where I would be and what I would be doing at the end of this year, but it's better than I could have ever dreamed!
All glory goes to God for what He has done in my life!
