So, it's been quite a while since I've made an update to my blog...life sure has been a whirlwind. I have gotten married, gone on our honeymoon, sent out daughter off to kindergarten, applied for more than 60 jobs (having one face to face interview and two phone interviews), gotten a job at Kmart, purchased a house with my husband and moved 30 minutes away causing me to leave the job I had, my husband started a new job. I have applied for more than 30 jobs this time, had four face to face interviews and a second interview to be offered two positions and left me in the position to decline them. Why you ask? My husband's new job is a guaranteed 40 hours a week (not like his last one which proved to be anywhere from 22-38 hours per week) but his schedule is nowhere near regular. We generally don't find out until the day before or the day of what, where, or when his assignment is going to be making it incredibly inconvenient for me to get a regular office job, actually near impossible.
On the upside? We are now homeowners! Our home is a small and cozy little two bedroom on the quiet outskirts of Auburn, set on a very comfortable two acres. I now get to complete home improvement tasks and have a yard to work in. We'll be having a vegetable garden for the first time this summer (since I was a kid anyway) which both kids are very excited about (myself included). It also means that I have a near endless supply of wood for carving. There are plenty of fallen trees and others which need to come down...it'll keep me going for a while, and if not there's always my dad who has cut down trees as a second job for as long as I can remember.
Another plus? We have a two car detached garage, which means...I have STUDIO SPACE!!! So upon the frustration of the job search my husband said to me, why don't you just do what you love? With that, we cleaned out a corner of the garage and I shoddily set up my studio...for now. When we moved in the garage was just about full, I have crammed most of it into the front corner of the garage and am anxiously anticipating the day the "junk man" comes to haul it away so that I can victoriously claim the entirety of my studio space! I can't wait to get all organized and set up, but for now the space I have will do.
Monday through Friday, while the kiddos are at school I can be found in my studio, which I lovingly call my "ice box" this winter. I think we'll invest in a space heater for next season. My husband cuts up the trees around the yard for me and I get to strip and seal them and then haul them down to the basement. Lucky for me, our basement stays right around 55 degrees so that I can properly dry my wood.
What is my plan you ask? At the moment I'm working on a plaque that I was asked to create for the Kora Shriner's Provost Unit. After that I'll be cutting my wood to size and beginning on a new carving venture that I've been waiting to start for quite some time now. My plan is to get together a decent body of work now so that when spring rolls around I can attend art shows, flea markets, submit to shows and really try to get my name and work out there. Can I get myself on the map? Well...even if it's only a tiny little dot crammed between all the other big dots I would be sufficiently happy. :)
More to come soon!
