(May 2016) Job changes, over-corrections, and cashew milk.

It's been another big week at the Giraffe Household. Job change announcements, post-vacation overcorrections, homemade pantry staples - you'd be hard-pressed to find a more exciting domicile.

First off, the job announcement. This week the official announcement was made that I've accepted a new position as a program/outreach director for an outdoor ministry organization based here in town. It means I'll be ending my tenure as a youth minister in a congregation at the end of this month. I've been working in a church for twelve years - my entire "adult" life, post-college. I'm looking forward to seeing what life is like as a civilian - I mean, "regular church member." 

Since many of you dear readers are members of the congregation that I currently serve, I won't actually be going into much detail about all the many reasons why this change is happening. I actually summed it all up pretty nicely, if I do say so myself, in the letter I wrote announcing my acceptance of a new job. If you haven't read it yet, church member, it's on facebook. Get ye there! Suffice it to say, this is totally a God thing. It just is. I am at the mercy of a providential, plotting God, and there are big things on the horizon, for me and for my church. Transitions are always difficult, but new life is coming. 

I have about two weeks left at my current job, and then come June 2nd I'm diving into the deep end of a job I pretty much dreamed up in late winter on my own, as a fantasy, not knowing that the organization in question was actually writing up a job that matched what I was dreaming about to a T. I mean, sometimes God's signs are so stinking obvious that you cannot miss them. I worked for this camping organization during my summers in college - in fact, my time at camp opened both doors to enter into and my heart to engage in youth ministry in a congregation. I am where I am today, I am who I am today, and I have who I have in my life today largely because of this camp. I could not be more excited to be able to work with this life-changing and -shaping organization, helping it to expand its scope of influence so even more - even just one more - lives are changed.

Of course, this week we were also recovering from vacation. I think O sensed that I had been feeling a tad slighted by his behavior last week and decided to course-correct. Mornings this week were a tad hectic due to his desire to be held and snuggled by me for a good 30-45 minutes after wake-up, which I do not normally factor in to our weekday morning routine. Bedtimes were bizarre, because this kid who used to be so willing to say "bye-bye" to us at bedtime would NOT stand for that anymore. We had to rock him. HE HASN'T WANTED TO BE ROCKED IN MONTHS! It was kind of nice to have my baby back for a little bit. Of course, now we're back to "bye-bye Mommy" and independence, so... There's no middle ground with toddlers. It's just one extreme to the next/other. At what age does this become pathological (i.e. when is it okay to diagnose a personality disorder)?

That brings us to our homemade pantry staples (ta-da!!!!!!!). Even with the job change, this is still what I am actually most excited about (and since I am SUPER EXCITED about the job change, that should give you an idea of just how big of an event this was for me this week). I made homemade cashew milk and mayonnaise and butter and a bunch of other yummy things from this cookbook I ordered last year and finally opened up. I never knew these things were so easy! I never new pantry staples like these were so accessible. It just never occurred to me.

I'm sure recipes/instructions for making these three things (and anything else, really) are all over the internet, but I never had enough confidence to click on the links I was pinning for homemade things. I just pinned them because I thought that's what I was supposed to do. (Aren't we all supposed to have a Pinterest board for things we will absolutely never, ever do that we title "Things I'll Definitely Be Trying"?) But I made these things, and they were easy and delicious. Cashew milk, guys. CASHEW MILK. I milked a freakin' cashew.

it was a big week. We've got another big week ahead of us, so I'd best be heading off to bed.

Actually, one more side note before I go. When you write events on your calendar - your actual calendar, not the one on your phone or computer - do you determine the placement of the event by it's time? I mean, do you write morning events at the top of the box and evening events towards the bottom? I'm a placement person. Even if nothing else is scheduled for that day I still write evening events at the bottom of the box. But I just noticed that J wrote an evening event we have for next Sunday AT THE TOP OF SUNDAY'S BOX. I mean, I can't even. I don't even know how to respond to that. Of course, this is the same guy who has been putting the dishes away in our hasn't-been-rearranged-kitchen for four years and still asks me where the spatula goes, so, I guess I shouldn't be surprised.

What's a big thing happening in your life this week?