Spamtown USA

Aight ya'll. Here's the scoop! On where I am, where I've been, and what's up ahead!

You've all heard correctly, I moved to Minnesota. And a lot of you are wondering... "Um, why?" Great question. I ask myself that same thing about 47 times a day. I think that as the days have gone by it's that number is potentially decreasing, but I don't know, yet cause today is the first time I counted, since you asked of course.

I felt like it was time to start settling into some sort of career. I've wanted to everything from teaching English, to working in an orphanage overseers, to opening up my own non-profit daycare for struggling moms. And... I've traveled. I've traveled all around the states and Europe and have loved it. I've gotten to intern at an amazing church and build lifelong relationships. I've gotten to live in Portland and go to a big University and experience college life, I've gotten to have a real adult job as a program manager in a beautiful life-changing organization where I saw lives completely restored and children healed. And through a series of events... I am where I am! My job title is Social/Emotional specialist. I work with 3-5 year olds making sure that they are socially and emotionally on track.

I wanted to finish school, but didn't want to take out loans, and after serving in Americorps for a year, they give you an education award which is about a $1,000 less than what it costs to attend Portland State University. So I figured, I would serve for a year, in a new place, gain some new skills, build the resume and then go back to school. And maybe by then, I would have the gusto and vision to finally get my degree. Yes, part of my slow education has been due to the fact that I have consistenly worked a full-time job and gone to school and kept up a solid social life. But the other factor that has stopped me from making the big commitment, is that I really didn't want to graduate with a degree that I wasn't going to use.

Austin, MN.
Population: 25,000ish
Otherwise known as: Spamtown, USA (Hormel headquarters)
Fun facts: It has a horrific smell (kudos Spam) about 50% of the time your outside. My neighborhood is called Taco Flats (I'll let you guess why). People here call lunch, dinner - and dinner, supper. There is one section of the one grocery store, that is organic, I live there. Truly, I live there. Everyone in Austin knows the one girl, with the green race car, that has the loud muffler, and everyone thinks she should get a ticket. In the 1980s there was huge strike at the Hormel factory, the strikers lost, and since then Hormel has brought in a lot of refugees from the Sudan.

I'll keep updating on life here. Please call, email, text me. Because, it is a bit lonely right now!