I'm really bad at this....a year in review

I guess I'm pretty bad at blogging...my last post was over a year ago!!

So rather than write more than anyone can read (or wants to), I'll do a brief summary of what this past year has been like for me:

The love of my life

Andrew and I are still dating :) It has been just about 18months (18 months on the 28th of April!), and we have had some pretty rough times this year. But despite everything that we have gone through, we've been able to be there for each other and to make it through some pretty crazy things. We were originally hoping to get engaged sometime this summer, but Andrew (being Andrew) wants to save up more money for the "perfect" engagement ring, and to also have a bit of a nest egg stashed away for when we get married. So rather than getting married when he graduates in 2009, we're looking at 2010...and beyond *sigh*

My school life

By the end of summer 2007, I had been told by all the institutions that I had applied to that I had not been accepted for the 2007 intake. It was really hard to accept at first, and there are times that I still struggle with not having been accepted...again. Thankfully God has surrounded me with very supportive friends and family who have never made me feel for a second that I am a failure because of this. On that note I have decided to get back on the horse for another shot. I have applied to U of A, U of C, Queen's University, and York University for the 2008 intake into law school. It seems a bit late not to have heard ANYTHING back from any one (besides a "we have your application, thanks"), but I am choosing to believe that I did the right thing in applying...again, and that if this is what God wants for me, then it will happen. I will definitely try to give an update on the acceptance/rejection situation with law school when I find out.

My work life

Although I enjoyed working at Bosecke Song LLP, and I am still wanting to become a lawyer, I ended up quitting in the early part of November in 2007. My wonderful boss, Baerach, ended up leaving the practice for a more luecrative career as a consultant. It was a really difficult transition on me (especially since alot of his files had not been closed out yet!), and in the end the new lawyer I was partnered with was not a good match for me. Starting November 18, 2007, I became an employee of the Hope Mission Youth Shelter. The Hope Mission is a Christian non-profit organization that cares for homeless men, women, and youth in Edmonton's inner city by providing emergency shelter, transitional housing, meals, and additional supports.I applied for the job because I wanted a change from the high-paced world of real estate law, and also because I wanted to feel like I was making a difference in the world around me. I ended up getting the job a week after I applied for it, and I could tell from the beginning that this was where God wanted me to be. I started out working nights at the shelter, from 9pm to 9am, and my rotation was 4 on 4 off. Needless to say, this made things difficult for my social life, but Andrew was very understanding, and I think he even got used to spending time with me when I was comatose. Starting in February 2008, the youth shelter opened its own transitional program for homeless youth called SHIFT. I was asked to start working day shifts and to assist in the program. Right now my days consist of hanging out with 6 guys (ages 18-24), and my 3 male coworkers....and alot of testosterone as a by-product. Working 9am-9pm (4 on 4 off) has allowed me to sleep in my own bed at night, but it has also made it even more difficult to spend time with my friends and with Andrew. Although there are challenges, I know that this is where God has called me to be for now, and so I am trying to delight in my work and to present it as an offering to Him.

That's basically my life in a nutshell right now. I go to work, I spend time with Andrew and my friends on my days off. I will hopefully be going to the Bahamas in June for my Aunt Nina's graduation from med school (and to soak up some much needed rays), but besides that it looks like it will be a fairly quiet summer. I hope this update provides you faithful blog surfers with a much overdue reward.

Sarah