Doors may open

I know I already went on about the weather in my last post, but there's something special about the April sunshine that gets me nostalgic. Reminds me of the days of unbelievably drawn out hours of the long last few weeks of my elementary and high school years, final exams at Lipscomb (time to watch Love Actually again!), and most of all, of Fish Fry time in Paris, TN.

Every small town in Tennessee has its big festival that they celebrate annually, whether it's the Strawberry Festival in Humboldt, RC - Moon Pie Festival in Bell Buckle, or Winterfest in Gatlinburg. My hometown claim to fame is the World's Biggest Fish Fry, which always happens on the last full week in April. There's all-you-can-eat fried catfish and hushpuppies every night as well as a carnival, arts and crafts, rodeo, parade, and even catfish races (you have to see it to believe it on this one). If you've got the time, you should definitely make the trip and check it out - I'll even show you around a little if I'm in town when you go!

This year, the week signifies something different for me. Last year, immediately following my return from a great weekend at the Fish Fry, I received the unfortunate news that my position at Centerstone was eliminated and I was out of a job. The anniversary of such a significant event in my life has made me look back on the past year and all the changes that have come along, and man, has it been a crazy one.

Of course, it was a huge challenge to cope with losing my job and the uncertainty that goes along with being suddenly unemployed, but I see plenty of rainbows that have come from that dark storm. The most significant is undoubtedly my trip to Europe. It's crazy how perfectly things worked out to make that trip happen - with my job, the lease expiring on my apartment, money I had saved up while working, and a moderate dose of gutsy craziness. I was so fortunate to have the ingredients for the perfect opportunity all dropped into my lap at the same time. It was the trip of a lifetime and I'll never forget it.

So all in all, I'm okay with how everything turned out. Sure, it's been difficult to deal with seemingly never-ending unemployment and the constant stream of rejection letters from applications, but who else gets to spend so much time without a 9-to-5? I'm excited to see how my job with the Census Bureau goes and the doors it may open. Not to mention, I've got great friends and family to share my ups and downs with. Thanks, all, for listening to my gripes and cheering me on through the past year.