Tuesday, October 13, 2015

That Time I Painted a Pumpkin, Accidentally Got a Job, and Didn’t Have Fun Adulting


Pumpkin Banner

Sometimes very unexpected things happen in life. Some are good, such as accidentally getting a job even though I wasn’t exactly looking for one. Some are bad, like getting stuck on the side of the road. My week was filled with both kind. But hey, at least it wasn’t boring.

It all started with this adorable little secondhand bookstore in our town that we frequent often (because we all know I have an obsession with secondhand bookstores). Recently they moved locations and were so busy with that, Mom and I thought it wouldn’t hurt for me to ask if they needed help here and there while they settle into the move. Because if there’s anything I like more than shelving and organizing books I don’t know what it is. So I spoke with the nice couple that owns it and they said they weren’t looking for anybody then, but took my name and number should they ever need help.

*cue two weeks later*

My phone went off and, lo and behold, it was the wife from the bookstore saying they were looking for a part-time worker and knew I had shown interest in helping out. Did I have any interest in working part-time in basically my favorite place in town? Uh, YES I DID. So I went in the next day and had my first ever job interview. Though it was so casual I’m not sure “job interview” is even the right term. Thankfully I didn’t do anything too blonde (as I’m prone to do) and a few days after (last Monday) I got a call from the wife saying they’d love to have me and I’d start Friday morning.

And this is the part where I practically flew downstairs to squeal to my family I got the job. I had a JOB. At a BOOKSTORE. I would be paid to work with BOOKS. Saying I was excited is an understatement.In the Details

Let me tell you guys, God is in the details! The thing about this bookstore is they already had a part-time worker, and have had her for yeeeears, before these current owner even had the place. But then right when I show interest in helping they suddenly need a new part-time worker. And when I asked about helping them at first, I just meant during their move to help them get established in the new building. But that led to me having an actual job there. Not only that, but the hours and work fit so well with me. I have a lot of health issues that keep me from being able to work a whole lot, which is a big reason I’ve never really pursued a job. But with this job, I’ll basically only be working here and there when they need me, and not long hours in the least. I don’t think it’ll be a big deal at all with my health. Plus the actual work is quite simple. Just shelving books and taking care of the customers really. Books and people are two of my favorite things, so I really couldn’t ask for a more suitable job.

I’m still trying to wrap my mind around the fact that I have a job and I’ll get paid to be surrounded by books in a quaint little shop. And it just came out of nowhere. I was NOT expecting to suddenly have a job. Obviously all my paychecks will be turned right around to buy books from there because I have no self control but, ya know, I’m not sad about it. *grins*

I can’t thank God enough for orchestrating this all together. You just never know what kind of surprises He has right around the corner.

After getting the call last Monday, the next few days were spent in excitement and preparation for my new job. But also a wee bit of stress because October was supposed to be the big “NaNo planning month” and I hadn’t even started any plotting on my NaNo novel. And now I suddenly had a job to throw in the equation of life.

What at first was a pinch of stress turned into a whole big mess of it on Thursday.

One of my very dearest friends was hosting a pumpkin painting party on Thursday. So that afternoon my little sister and I hopped in my car and drove off with enthusiasm for a good time with friends. We were riding along, happily listening to a Sanctus Real CD and nearing my friend’s house, when suddenly the ride got rather bumpy. We both were guessing it was just the road since we had recently turned off onto a rougher road. So we went a little further thinking it was fine. Then, next thing we knew, the bit of bumping turned into JERKING. We’re both wide-eyed screaming “NOPE! Not the road!” and I pull over and get out to find one of my back wheels totally shredded. I still have no idea how that even happened but it terrified me nonetheless. We were stopped in a not-so-safe area and I really was not comfortable just sitting there.

I had never been more grateful for cell phones than that moment. While my sister explained the situation to our mom and brother at home on her phone, I called my friend whose house we were headed for because I knew we were very near her. Our house was about 25 minutes away and I didn’t want to have to wait for my mom and brother to drive all that way. It hardly took my friend five minutes to get to us, and we were soon taken safely to her house. Much to the relief of us all because no one was comfortable with us just stranded there.

A friend’s husband was nearby and kindly put my spare tire on the car so we could get it off the side of the road, and then Dad came later and took it to get a new, proper tire.

Have I mentioned God is good lately? Because He is SO GOOD! Another reminder that God is in the details. Things could have gone much worse, but He protected us and all was fine.

I was definitely very shaken afterward though. My first car trouble experience. I guess it had to happen sometime, but it wasn’t exactly what I wanted the day before I started my first job. Life doesn’t always just give you lemons, sometimes it rudely hurls them at your head and stuns you for a moment before you can make that lemonade.

Ahem. Regardless, everything turned out okay and we did have fun painting pumpkins. I’ve never painted a pumpkin before and was a little nervous because I am not in any way an artsy person. Drawing, painting, crafting—nope, I can’t. Which makes me sad. I wish I could draw and such, but my fingers and brain just refuse to make it work. (Seriously, sometimes my stick people look disfigured. It’s embarrassing.) Sooo my pumpkin isn’t exactly something you’d put in a magazine, but I had a ton of fun painting it nonetheless. I totally understand the appeal of painting them now.

Painted PumpkinFor once I’m grateful for a phone that doesn’t take great pics
so you can’t quite see the messy details.

Navi and PumpkinI had to break the news to Navi it wasn’t for eating.

After the party, my sister and I went home (safely with my new, non-shredded wheel courtesy of Dad) and I crashed (I mean I went to bed, not crashed my car. Good grief. Can you imagine?), extremely worn from such a distressing experience.

The next morning: FIRST DAY OF WORK.

This is the point where I pick up that lemon that had been hurled at me the previous day and make lemonade. The exhaustion of the day before would not ruin my new job! I refused to let it. And it didn’t.

My first day of work was a very pleasant experience, and I was relieved to see the work isn’t complicated at all. I got to meet great, bookish people and shelve books and had fun with the nice owners as I was trained, and all around had a really enjoyable time. And of course the highlight was THE BOOKS.

I'm a bit Bookish

I could happily be there all day. I think this job is going to be such a blessing!

So, all in all, I had a very interesting week full of new experiences. Blowing out my tire, painting a pumpkin, and working my first job. Yep, sometimes you don’t know where life will take you.

The rest of the week went well. I’ve finally dived into some serious NaNo plotting (woot, woot!) which relieved some stress about that, and yesterday got to go to the theaters to see Pan. (And I was going to share some of my thoughts about that but this post is getting long and rambly enough. Whoops. Maybe in another blog post.)

The moral of the (very longwinded and probably boring) story? Don’t ever let Satan discourage you. He’ll try. Trust me, he tries so hard. After my disconcerting car experience I was not ready to go to a new job the very next morning. I really just wanted to hide under the covers for a few days. But God pulled me through it (and my alarm pulled me out from under the covers) and my job turned out to be fantastic. Who knows, if I hadn’t gone to the party Thursday, my tire very well may have blown out Friday instead on my way to work and I’d have to be late on my very first day. It could have all been a blessing. So, no matter what life throws at you, don’t be discouraged. Just keep pushing through. We’ve got a God that is so much, much bigger than anything that ever comes our way. And isn’t that a comforting thought?

So that was my adulting adventures for the week. Now I want to hear about YOUR week! Anything good happen? Bad? And very important question here: Have you ever painted a pumpkin? Alsooo for those doing NaNo, how’s plotting going?? Can you believe NaNo is only 3 WEEKS AWAY??? *hyperventilates*

20 comments:

  1. Oh how marvelous!! I'm SOOO happy for you! And a job at a BOOKSTORE?? I's JEALOUS. I mean, I work at a bookstore [LifeWay Christian Bookstore] and am so grateful for my job there, yes, but the idea of a quaint, family-owned little shop is too much. :] Enjoy your work there!! I know you will.

    Your pumpkin is absolutely ADORBS!!! LOVE the colors, dahling. I think you did well for one who says she is not artistic. Love it!

    And wow. So glad to hear you and your sister made it through that little adventure safely! I know exactly what you mean about the bumping and the JERKING, as that is exactly what happened to me earlier this year. Thank God it wasn't anything majorly serious. And praise Him for good friends and daddys!

    Good luck to you on NaNo, girlie! I know you'll do a fantastic job. Love ya

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    1. Thank you so much, sweet girl! I'm really thrilled about it. And working out Lifeway sounds fabulous to me. Actually, for a while there I was very heavily considering applying for a job at our Lifeway. Basically, give me ALL the bookstores. Hehe.

      D'awww, thanks. It, um, doesn't look so great in person. Heh. But I sure had fun painting it and spending time with friends, and that's what counts.

      Yes, I remember you went through a terrifying driving experience not too long ago! Sooo glad you're okay! Sometimes I wish we still traveled by horse and carriage. Lol. Driving is not always my favorite thing to do. But yes, God got us through it and I'm so grateful for friends and family!

      Thank you! Love you! <333

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  2. Congrats on all your adulting adventures! It can be quite a challenge, and I try not to do it too much ^_^

    YOUR JOB. *squeals with delight* It would seriously be a dream come true for me to work in a secondhand bookstore. My pocketbook would suffer, but it would be totally worth it. Because, ya know, BOOKS.

    Your pumpkin is beautiful; it seriously looks way better than any pumpkins I've ever painted. IT'S JUST GORGEOUS

    Glad to hear that you and your sister were okay! Car trouble is just terrible and stressful, but it sounds like everything turned out in the end.

    This comment is getting so LONG. It seems I cannot help myself whenever I comment on your blog. I just wanna gush over all the beautimous things you post! ^_^ But this really reminded me that God is good. And He does amazing things through less-than-amazing circumstances. Thanks for this beautiful reminder!

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    1. Yeeeah, adulting is not very fun. I do try to avoid it myself. ;)

      YESH. BOOKS. And I'm pretty sure I'm going to have the same problem. I'll probably buy so many books from there AND use my paycheck to buy other books from like Amazon and places. Basically I'm just working with books so I can get books. XD Not a bad cycle I suppose!

      Oh goodness, thank you! Just don't look too closely at it. ;) And I'm sure you have wonderful pumpkins!

      Thank you! It is SO stressful, but it could have been a whooole lot worse. I'm just grateful to God for taking care of us.

      Long comments are my favorite! And usually when I comment it's like a novel length. I'm notorious for my long comments. XD
      You are so sweet! Yes, yes! We have such an amazing God.

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  3. A bookstore job, how fantastic. That sounds perfect. I would panic so badly if that happened to me while driving, I am glad it was all fine though. God really does work out all things :)
    That pumpkin is really pretty, I have never painted a pumpkin, but I want to now.
    Is your dog named Navi, after Navi in Ocarina of Time, because that is awesome if so.

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    1. I'm very excited about it! ^_^

      Oh, trust me, I had my share of panicking. I was not exactly calm through the whole endeavor...
      He does. I'm so grateful to have a merciful God we can rely on through all the good times and bad!

      Awww, thanks! It's a mess, but it was fun. You should totally try it! I bet you could make an awesome looking pumpkin!

      :O :O :O Somebody understands! LET ME HUG YOU. *tackles* Yes, that is exactly why she's named Navi. I'm such a geek. XD

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  4. Congrats again on your job, and I'm SO happy to hear it's going well and that you love it! :D (I love books; but I'm a total introvert and terrified of people. So. Yeah. A reason why this is perfect for you but would not work for me. XD) HUZZAH!!!!! THIS MAKES ME SO HAPPY FOR YOUUUU! <3

    Yow! Scary adulting adventure! O_O I'm SO glad it turned out okay! *huggles* God's blessings are amazing. ^_^ Have you ever heard this song? It's one of my favorites. :) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XQan9L3yXjc

    Eeep, that's a cool pumpkin!! I adore it. :D Looks like a pumpkin worthy of being turned into Cinderella's carriage. I've actually never heard of painting pumpkins? I mean, I guess people sometimes would paint or dye eggs for Easter, and I've heard of people CARVING pumpkins; but not painting them! (Maybe it's something that's just near where you live or... something?)

    Haha, poor Navi that's it's not for eating. XD *dies* I LOVED that!!!! :DDDDD

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    1. Thank yoouu!!! ^_^ And I am sure you'd do great! Introvert or not, I think you do wonderfully with people. I mean, you handle your ML duties so awesomely! You're fantastic!!

      Quite scary indeed. o.o But yes! God is so amazing! ^_^ (And poor Celti, you have to hear all my stories twice because I email you about them and then turn around and blog about it. XD)
      Oh, what a gorgeous song!! No, I've never heard that one, or even of that lady. Thank you for sharing! Love it!

      Thank you! Lolzy. A Cinderella pumpkin. XD Nooot really. The swirly part at the top did not turn out how it was supposed to and most of the polkadots are kinda warped. But it was fun anyway!
      You haven't? Huh. I don't THINK it's just a thing where I live. I see it around the internets here and there and in magazines and stuff. It may be a newer thing though and hasn't fully caught on yet? I don't know. It's neat though!

      Hehehe. She was sniffing it and stuff when I set it on the floor and I'm pretty sure she was hoping it was edible. XD

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    2. *tiptoes into the conversation* I'm not aware of where either of you live, but painted pumpkins were quite common where I used to live in Virginia. Since I moved I haven't seen as many, but I'll occasionally spot one or see them in magazines or on Pinterest (of course!)

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    3. That's very interesting. Maybe it's just popular in certain areas? Now I'm kind of curious how it started and who all does it/knows about it.

      And yes! I used Pinterest and Google images to get ideas because I at first had no clue how I wanted to paint mine. Good ol' Pinterest!

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  5. Christine, that's so great! That you got a job that you love, I mean. X) Last week, I too started a new job that I think I love! I work at a pet store, and I deal with the animals! :D It makes the time go soooo fast, which is nice. Anyway, NO, I have never painted a pumpkin. I should try! :D

    Also, is Navi yours? And is she named after the Legend of Zelda, "Hey! Listen!" Navi? XD

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    1. Thank you! I'm very excited about it!
      Aaahhh! You just got a job at a pet store? THAT IS SO EXCITING. I adore animals, so I can only imagine how fun that is. And you're looking into being a vet, right? So what a perfect job for you! Congrats!!

      You should definitely try painting a pumpkin. It's a blast!

      Yep, Navi is meh baby. Like, seriously she's my child, not my pet. Lol. And YESSS! That's exactly why she's named Navi. I love when people understand. GEEKS UNITE! *fistbump*

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  6. Congrats on your new job Christine!! It's so cool that you got a job that matches your interests! :D It's pretty amazing how God works out the details! I had a similar experience recently, when I was offered a part time job at a library, I was not expecting that AT ALL, but now I have a job, and I love working at a library!

    It's good to know that your car trouble wasn't too serious, and turned out alright! And your pumpkin looks so festive and pretty! I haven't tried painting one, but I do want to try carving or painting one this year!

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    1. Thank you so much! God is SO amazing! It just blows my mind every time I think about how he put all these events together. He is so good!
      Oh my, what a blessing! I've always wanted to work at a library. Bookstores, libraries...nothing better! How wonderful you got such a great job. ^_^

      Yeah, I'm so grateful it was all fine. As far as my first car trouble incident, it wasn't bad. XD
      D'awww, thanks! It was a lot of fun! I hope you do get a chance to try it! Oooh, carving. I've never done that myself. The concept seems cool, but I'd probably accidentally cut my finger off in the process... Lol.

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  7. Your pumpkin is so cute!!!! And your job sounds amazing! God is good. :)
    Plotting for NaNo is going well (considering I started plotting, like, last month...hehe...). I have the basic plot figured out and now I'm developing the minor characters and doing some world-building. Oh, and working on the overall plot of the series.

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    1. Oh my, thank you! It's a mess, but was fun nonetheless.
      He IS so good. I'm so enjoying this job!

      That's wonderful! And good for you for starting last month! I probably should have started earlier. The clock is ticking and I still have so much to do... Meep.
      Good luck to you! I hope it all goes wonderfully. ^_^

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  8. So very glad to hear that the new job is starting out so well! God is good! :D Really, I'm just incredibly happy about this. My Christine has a job that's perfect for her! *flails*

    Yikes, glad you and your sister are okay! I've never encountered car trouble myself. Good thing you were close to friends. :)

    That's an adorable pumpkin! I don't care what you say, you do have an artistic side. ;D Heh, Navi is adorbz. The only doggie pictures I've seen on your blog are old ones, so it was fun seeing her again!

    My week (so far) has consisted of Thanksgiving gatherings, chipping away at The Brightest Thread, and work. :) So there's some 'adulting' involved, LOL.

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    1. *beams* You're so sweet! Thank you!!! I have to admit, I'm incredibly happy about it, too. I'm so in awe at God's timing. I can't say it enough: GOD IS GOOD!

      Yeeeah, 'twas quite unnerving. But it definitely could have been sooo much worse. So grateful for friends and family!

      Oh goodness me, thank you! But trust me, the closest I get to being "artistic" is the occasional doodling a strange little stickman being chased by a tornado. XD Art and I just don't get on.
      Hehehe. That's what she usually looks like, wagging her tail and licking her lips begging for food. That dog reeeeally loves food. XD

      Oooh, sounds like a busy week! I hope your Thanksgiving was a blessed one and editing is going well!

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  9. Wow that's awesome! I love when God does things like that. Happy working at your new job! And ugh I've had a tire blown out too in a bad situation. I was on my way home from work and it blew out in a parking lot and I had no one around to help me, so I promptly called everyone I knew who lived remotely nearby to find someone to help. Thankfully my cousin swooped in and saved me. But it was really scary, since it was getting dark and cold and I was tired from work .XD I've never painted a pumpkin, but I do make it a point to carve them every year. ^ ^ I can't wait to do this year's!

    storitorigrace.blogspot.com

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    1. Thank you!! I'm really enjoying it. ^_^

      Oh man, yeah, that sounds horrible. Thank God for family! I'm so glad it turned out okay, but I absolutely understand that scary feeling. So not fun.

      How fun! I've never carved one before. It seems really cool, although I'm sure I'd make a terrible mess of it. Lol.

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