It's Even Harder Going Uphill

Well, I got an email yesterday from SPL telling me I'm not being considered further for employment there. So, I guess I didn't do so well in the interview. Or perhaps I just don't have enough experience as a professional librarian for them to feel I will make a good addition. It was kind of an ego-buster. Not that I have a huge ego. But it's like falling off a horse... (I did that numerous times). My body was not hurt nearly as much as my ego was at the embarassment of falling off the horse and therefore "failing." But, I always got back on the horse, so I will continue to search here. Seattle was by no means my dream job. In fact, I ended up applying there only after weeks of not having much action as far as job possibilities on this side of Puget Sound. So, I'm not particularly heartbroken about not working at SPL. It was a cool experience to go there and see the library, and it was good experience to be interviewed for my first professional position. I have a better idea of what that will be like in the future, and I can say I have one behind me and can get back into the groove of interviewing. Plus I proved to myself that I can function alone in a big city and figure out where I need to go and how to get there. So I did gain stuff from all of this. But of course, in that moment of rejection, it's hard to remember that, so it took a little bit of reflection. And an awesome session of General Conference this morning in which it seemed the majority of the talks were aimed directly at me. Pres. Uchtdorf's talk was about having hope and not allowing yourself to fall into despair. To overcome the temptation to give up. Heavenly Father does answer prayers, and He knows me. It is amazing. And such a blessing to be reminded at low points when it doesn't seem possible.

And, I am reminded of what my Aunt Hila told me in an email once: "Remember, if you are going uphill, you're on the right path." Thank you, Aunt Hila, for those wise words. They came into my mind today. And they were a boost. I also know that there will come a point when I can look back on all of this and understand why. I know this, because it has happened to me in the past. There was a job for which I applied in Homewood before I got the job at UA that I didn't get. And it turned out to be for the best. And once things were on track, I could look back and see how even not getting that job helped me to get on the path I needed to be on. So, perhaps that will be the case again here. Again, I'll keep you posted on that.

In other news, I am excited about our family meeting tonight at Brad and Tarylyn's. We are having a potluck-type dinner and we are going to discuss our preparedness. And, due to an epiphany I had earlier, I think I will also mention the idea of having a monthly girl party with the women in the family. And maybe, like on months when there isn't a holiday to celebrate as the theme of the party, we can do kind of like an Iron Chef America thing where we pick an ingredient and we all have to incorporate it into the food we bring. Not nearly as involved as Iron Chef American, though. You will not find ingredients like truffles (the mushroom kind -- #1, because they are expensive and #2 because I know Christina at least doesn't like them) or squid among our ingredients. But, you get the idea. For example, the thing I thought of was peanuts. And hopefully we can have a full meal, not just a bunch of sweets :). Anyway, I'll run it by the ladies tonight and get their feedback. I think it sounds fun, though. Oh, I'll also take some pictures tonight, since we'll all be together :).