1+1+1+1=4

I know. A long awaited post. What happened to me?

As indicated in my title, the total is four. As in, that's how many part-time jobs I now hold.

On Monday, I started at Baker Publishing Group as an Administrative Assistant for the Visual Communications Department.

Think that title is long?

My other titles are (in order of shortest to longest titles):

• Wedding Coordinator
• Jr. High Youth Director
• Administrative Assistant to our Associate Pastor for Adult Education

I constantly define that last one because I am not the admin assistant to the Associate Pastor. That would require more hours. Hours more like the new job. Also defined as a full, part-time job. Get it?

Let me explain; my AA in Adult Ed. is four hours/week. My AA in Visual Comm dept is up to 30 hours/week. If I were assisting our Associate Pastor in full capacity, it would be more like 30 hours/week. But it wouldn't be fair because no one else on staff has an assistant. But the other ministry departments have full, part-time or full-time staff. For instance, the Children's Ministry? Full, part-time staff person (I think she works 35 hours/week). Youth Ministry? Full-time, plus others below her in specific areas of ministry like me in Jr. High.

Now that I've explained that, let me explain that I am not crazy. Four part-time jobs is not too many.

For Wedding Coordinator, that's a consultant job. I'm paid when there's a wedding. We only have one on the calendar for 2015.

Jr. High Youth Director, it's ten hours/week for the school year. Most of the work takes place on Sundays. Plus, I have already planned out Sunday mornings through the school year. Sunday nights are planned out through December.

AA in Adult Ed, honestly that job may not exist after the end of the calendar year due to budget cuts. If it does continue, I have worked it out with my new boss that I can work half a day and then go work my four hours at the church, one day a week.

Hence my lack of blogging. I was visiting mom and dad when I got the call from Baker. I came back home and we have just been busy, busy, busy.

Last Saturday was the .1k and it was a blast. Team Bald Ego formed once again. We had a fundraising goal of $500. By Friday night, we were $225 short of the goal. The date was earlier (last year in was in November) so we had fewer team members.

Bill and I were taking a walk and I thought of a few other people I could ask to donate. When we finished our walk, I sent out an email.

One of those people is a Quotarian. She donated last year and has always been a great supporter of me.

Before I went to sleep that night, I said a prayer. I asked for a fundraising miracle.

Saturday morning, I was drinking my coffee, checking my email, and mentally preparing for the race ahead of us (just kidding). I got a text from the Quota member asking me how to donate to the .1k. I walked her through it. (I think it takes longer to donate than it does to race!)

About ten minutes later, an email popped up telling me I had received a donation. It had put us over our fundraising goal! We had been given that miracle!

Bill, Heather, Kathy F. (she was there somewhere, we never did find her), Chandra, Jason, and Addison were all a part of the team. We have decided, for next year, we will dress up. We are Team Bald Ego, after all.

Needless to say, I did not take any pictures of the race. We still had a lot of fun. We hope to come back next year with a bigger team. If you can't make it, you can still donate! I'll keep you posted on information.

I could have made this into two posts… to make up for my lack of posting. But I didn't. We'll see how often I can keep writing. Come back tomorrow for another explanation. I promise it won't be as long.

I could have been...

Today was a rough day at work. The internet wasn't playing nice which meant I couldn't connect to the printer. Eventually, through a convoluted solution, I was able to print.

Then I called and whined to our IT guy (ha! I just realized he's our "it" guy), who came in on his day off and the minute he walked into the building everything worked like normal. He went home and approximately thirty seconds after he left, my internet went out again.

There's not a lot I can do without internet or printing capability.

Then I came home and read a post on Facebook. It's about having a bad day at work, purchasing a rectal thermometer (made by Johnson & Johnson), taking it home, reading the instructions which (apparently) state that every thermometer is tested before being sanitized and packaged. The gist is that at least I don't work for J&J. Har har. It made me laugh and whether true or not, at least I don't test rectal thermometers.

For that, I am thankful!

my other new gig

One of my jobs is the Wedding Coordinator at our church.

I mention this because we had a wedding today. It was one of our well-known families. Their two other daughters were married in our church. Today was the youngest's wedding.

Here's what I've learned about my job that is not fun: typing the marriage license.

This is quite possibly the most nerve-racking job I've ever done.

Yes, I could hand-write it, but since I was taught to type them, I feel as though I must.

The instructions that come with the license are very clear. No corrections are to be made. White-out or otherwise.

Yikes.

You can see why that would make me nervous.

On the other hand, the part about my job that I do like is opening the door to the chapel so that the groom can see his bride for the first time.

Wow, what a special moment. I don't peek in (because I don't need to be in the pictures), but I do see the groom's face.

Priceless.

Sunflowers

Pictures will be posted tomorrow.

Although I meant to post them earlier when I was on my computer.

I forgot.

And I ran out of time.

I had to go to work.

I didn't ever mention my other job, did I?

Hm, I'm too young to be this forgetful.

I'm working as administrative support for our Associate Pastor (Tish) as she takes on the Adult Education classes for the church.

I actually have to go into the office! So I have made office hours as Jr. High Youth Director too.

I have to go in tomorrow too, to finish getting signs ready for Sunday. Eek!

when it rains...

... it pours.

Would anyone else like to offer me a job?

No wait. Don't answer that. I shouldn't speak too soon because I have an interview on Friday.

However, the current count is three.

Three part part-time jobs.

I am the new Jr. High Youth Director, in charge of all things related to the Junior High in our church.

I will be the Wedding Coordinator at our church come 2013. I am training right now and have a pretty good handle on all things wedding in our church.

Today, I was asked to be an Administrative Assistant to our Associate Pastor. I think that's the job title. It all happened so fast, I'm not really sure.

I could have said "yes" to being her chair tester. Or Editor. Or something random like that.

Between the three jobs I'll be working somewhere around fifteen hours a week.

That is total.

For all three.

Hence the job interview on Friday.

I won't say anymore because I don't want to jinx it.

For all of you whom I have mentioned this interview; I was completely wrong on the job. It is not the Assistant for Funds Development.

That's all I'll say. I'll let you know more on Friday, after the interview.

You can call me...

Today is my first official day on the job.

Yes. I have a new job.

I am the Junior High Youth Director at our church.

I'm either crazy or... I don't have an "or". I'm just crazy.

I had no idea that five years ago when I volunteered to help Heather O. with Sunday School and then youth group that it would lead to this.

I have been looking for a job since March. During that time I was in a Bible study class where we looked at our Spiritual Gifts. I've already taken a S.G. class (and led it, twice) but this was different. I started to hear God's call which I had ignored twice before.

Ever hear the phrase, "Third time's a charm"? Yeah. Me too.

As a Christian I have always believed that God will take care of me. As I've matured, I've also believed that He will show me the way [in life].

You can't hide from God.

Really. You can't.

He'll find you.

I look back now and see the seeds that He planted. From when Heather O. left for her new full-time youth ministry gig and asked if I was willing to step in (my answer was a resounding NO!), to after Kahana left and I was once again asked if I was considering this (again, a firm No), to this summer when Chandra made the difficult decision to step down so that she can focus more on her family and job (which should be her priority and I applaud her efforts as she tried to juggle all of it this last year). My answer was more like a, well no.

And then I weighed my options.

And I looked back at the five years I've been volunteering.

And so I put my resume together.

Oh! I have a LOT of experience.

It really came down to a push from Bill. He said something like, "Are you gonna apply or what?"

I did. I had my interview. I received a call shortly after that from Laure offering me the job.

It's not a typical job. I'm not a "typical job" kind of worker. It's a part-part time job. As in ten hours a week (well, I'll get paid for ten, I will try very hard not to go over that by too much... anyone who has ever worked in ministry is laughing on the floor right now, they know the truth).

But I can still do all my volunteering.

I can still scrape and paint the windows.

I can still get my daily walks and other exercise.

I can still get dinner on the table by 6pm every night because Bill and I are practicing for when we're 85!

So that's my new "job" and it officially starts today. Wish me luck (and pray)!