Labor Day Weekend

Mom came to town on Friday and we officially kicked off our Labor Day weekend. That night we went out to eat at Red Lobster. I was really hungry so I got the fried flounder and a lobster tail. The fish was cooked really well and I enjoyed it more than other times I've been to Red Lobster. We came back home and talked about things to do on Saturday. Dad was tired on Saturday so Ma and I went out and went to Target and then went to get some lunch at Panera Bread. Later, we went out on a coffee run and came back and ate some of the gluten free brownies that I made from a mix I picked up at Trader Joe's. We drank our coffee and ate our brownies and talked about what we might do that evening. We ended up just staying in and ordering some Chinese food, from Cheng's Cafe in Edison. It was delicious as always. We just watched some tv and then the evening was over. This morning we went to church where we had a guest speaker named Dr. Jim Finn. He gave a really inspiring and powerful message. I also got asked to help out with the book table for a ladies' conference that is going to be taking place in October in Parsippany. I hope that I get to attend but I have to pray about it because I don't have the money on my own. But I believe if it is for me to go then I will have what I need to get there. After church we came home and then headed to New York. We didn't have that much time but we went to Katz's Delicatessen and then just stopped by to look at the Lower Eastside Tenement Museum. Then we tried to go get some cupcakes from the Magnolia Bakery in Midtown but we didn't know that the Brazil Festival was happening there. So we couldn't turn down 6th ave. I wish I had remembered that I had the address for the one in the West Village but I forgot and it was too late to turn back at that point. My parents had a reservation at The Chart House for their 31st wedding anniversary so we had to head back. That's where they are now. A word of caution if you should go to Katz's the roast beef is served cold and rare. And when they say rare they mean rarer than rare. Learned that the hard way! Next time I'm sticking to what I know. Maybe some matzoh ball soup! I wish mom could stay longer. I like having her here a lot!

Happy September

New month, new possibilities! I am really excited that it is September. I am really believing that this month will be better than the rest of the months of this year have been for me. I am really ready for change and for new experiences and endeavors. So I am looking forward to what September brings with it. First up there is going to be a visit from my mom this weekend which I am really excited about. I have to look up all the things that are going on this weekend so that we have something to do. But I am really looking forward to seeing her and hope that my family will be able to enjoy some things this weekend that we haven't done before in the New York area. So that is exciting. Then there will be another EMP event in the next few weeks and I am looking forward to going to that because this time around I will have my business cards on me and I can pass them out to people who may be able to pass my name along to their colleagues and co-workers. I am really happy that EMPs has been revived and I am really happy that there will be more networking opportunities coming my way. I was really hoping that there would be some news already from the museums that I had applied to for jobs but I haven't heard anything yet. However, I am really excited about the possibility of hearing something and also applying for more jobs in my field.

Plus the end of summer is this weekend and then my favorite time of year will be coming up soon: Fall. I love the fall of the year and I cannot wait for the leaves to change and the air to get cooler. I am so looking forward to it. So there are many things to be thankful for and I know that I will be able to get to where I want to be as well if I keep being persistant.

August Is Over

Well my goal of blogging more during August did not exactly pan out as I had hoped, but I will finish off the month with this post. Where did August go? I'm not sure but it has been a good month. I applied for some museum positions this month and I hope to hear from them soon. I also attended a fantastic event last Wednesday for the group Emerging Museum Professionals NYC. The event was held at the Museum of Arts and Design in Columbus Circle in NY. There was a reception after a short presentation in an event space at the museum that looked over Columbus Circle and looked over a corner of Central Park. After the event I went to a friend's house for dinner in Queens. It was a lovely evening and I am sure that I overstayed my welcome at my friend's because I seriously did not want the night to end. I didn't want to come back to Jersey. I wanted my museum job and I wanted my New York apartment and my new life. I am so ready to get out of Jersey and so ready to have my own life. I'm ready to have a purpose again and not just occupy space in this apartment. I want to create and to live. I am so bored! And for reasons I will not get into the last two weeks have just amplified that boredom and the need to have more to do than attend my church and occasionally go to the grocery store. I was so envious of the other young museum people that I met and my friend as well who has a really great job and life. I really want that so badly and two and a half years ago I thought that that was where I was heading until I was majorly set back and saw my dreams crumble. And the most frustrating part is that I have continuously pursued getting back on top and have not been able to get there yet. I've almost been without a job for a full year. I've done the consulting work and I am not complaining but I would really like to work a full time job and I would like to have health insurance and a retirement plan and vacation days that I can actually use because I have the money to go on a vacation. Not to mention that I have a ton of bills that need to be paid. I know I just need to keep being persistent and keep moving forward and I will get to where I need to be but I guess I'm reflective because I'm coming up on being in New Jersey for a year. I intend to be employed before I turn 29. My pastor this weekend declared that this next seven days would be the best days of 2010. I really want that and I am believing that for myself. I need a change and a turnaround in my circumstances. The last year has really been filled with some of the lowest moments of my life and I am ready to get out of this stage and phase and get to a good place financially, mentally, physically, and emotionally. And I realize that I can't let circumstances define how I feel or what I believe about myself or the future but I want more for my life than what I have been experiencing and I am NOT going to give up on myself.

TRADER JOE'S

Yesterday I returned to Trader Joe's. Why is this a big deal you ask? I have not shopped for groceries at Trader Joe's in almost a year and TJ's is my most favorite grocery store on the planet. I was also really excited because after months of talking about how I needed to get my diet back on track I was able to get all of my favorite vegan foods that I love. And that makes me feel good because I know that by sticking to my vegan diet that it will help more than just my weight. It is good for your skin and your bodily functions like increasing metabolism. I was so excited to get my favorites like Soy Creamy ice cream, Tofurkey, Asian Vegetables with Beijing Soy Sauce, and Black Cherry gelatin free gel cups. Yummmmmm! I was so happy to be back in the Trader Joe's and so happy that I was once again getting on the vegan train where I have needed to be for a long time. So I feel like things are getting better and I believe they will get better in every area but it's starting with my food choices!

Just Keep Swimming - Finding Nemo

Another week done! Where are they all going? I still feel like I am missing something. It feels as if life is flying by but I am standing still. I am working on being patient and being still and knowing that everything will be alright yet it is so difficult when I need so much and I want so much to be doing anything but what I am doing: sitting around like a bump on a log. This week did bring some highs with it. Last Friday I applied for a museum job and then to my surprise there were three more museum jobs that I was able to apply for this week. Oh Happy Day! So once again I am in the waiting game, will they call or won't they. But whatever happens I will just resolve to be happy nonetheless. Also I finally got the news that there will be a meeting for the AAM NYC Emerging Museum Professionals in two weeks at the Museum of Arts and Design. I am looking forward to meeting other emerging museumers and also some veterans. So I think it will be a great time to connect and to finally feel like I am back in the industry and hopefully connect with some other museum professionals and get some contacts. I am really looking forward to it and I have some really high expectations for what is going to happen. So I need to look ahead to the positive things happening and just do my best to get through each day. Each day has enough trouble of it's own so why not just worry about the present rather than what you can't change (the past) and what you can't predict (the future). I will wait patiently, but I do hope things turn around soon! I can't lie, I really do!

Still Waiting to Fulfill My Purpose

I just finished my cover letter for the latest museum that I am trying to get to hire me. I came across the application process for this museum by just going on the website which I probably need to do for more museums. I finished the cover letter which I am still not sure that I am doing right and after having told the museum about all of my experiences and qualities hoped that I had written it well enough to spark some one's interest in me. I finished the book portion of my latest Max Lucado book today. The book is Cure for the Common Life, finding your passion in life and actually doing it right now, not waiting until retirement or until you have more money or more time. I am thrilled by this concept because so many times over the last year or so I have heard that you have to take what you can get or settle for less than what you actually want or have to pay your dues and then sometime in the future there will be an opportunity for you to have what you want. Why? Why do you have to work at a job that makes you miserable and neglect what you really want to do in order to follow some notion that only after doing these things you get what you want. I really truly believe that I will have a museum job in the near future. I couldn't go on another day if I didn't believe that it would happen. After having made my list of personal qualifications, gifts, skills, abilities and interests since childhood I know for a fact that museums is what I am supposed to do. So then why have there been so many closed doors and so many disappointments? I cannot answer those questions but I do know that in spite of the closed doors and disappointments I have not been able to throw in the towel and completely close myself off to the idea of having my perfect exhibition development job. My resume reeks of museum curator and that has been my focus in life for the last eight years. It's what I was born to do. So I have to keep going. I have to wait patiently until my purpose is fulfilled. And don't get me wrong, I have applied for BestBuy, Target, Barnes and Noble, and several other chain stores but I'm getting rejected by retail as well. So why not pursue what I really want to do if all the doors are closing right now anyway. It won't always be this way. There will come a day when there is a yell across this screen in all caps that this was the day that I was hired by the museum that I wanted to work for and that I will be doing the work that I have been laboring to do for these eight years. And I will be so excited in that moment that I will not be able to contain it. I envision lots of crying, screaming, yelling, and praising God for the dream finally being realized. I know that that day will come and I pray everyday that it will come soon! And I believe that it will!

My First August Post

Happy August to All! I cannot believe how quickly this year is going and I think I keep blogging that over and over again so I will stop doing that. Well so far August has been uneventful. So far I have not heard back from the job interview last week but I am hopeful that I will hear something soon. So far I have had some success with finding jobs to apply for and even some new ideas about how to get back in the museum game. I found out today that there is an event for Emerging Museum Professionals in New York coming up on the 25th of this month. Also the person that is leading this group is a former Smithsonian person like myself. So I am really looking forward to getting to meet other museum professionals and make some more networking connections. Also I joined a new Ning network http://emergingmuseumprofessionals.ning.com ! Where I can connect with other museum professionals around the country and the globe. So on a professional front there are some positive avenues that I think are going to work out well.

This Friday there is a pastor coming to our church that I am really looking forward to. Her name is Janet Kreis and she is amazing. I've seen her twice in the last year and every time she gives a great, life changing message and she does so in a way that is real and humorous much like Joyce Meyer. In addition to the message which is only for singles, they are giving a dinner as well in the main sanctuary. I am really excited about having a night out that is only for single people and that is also a message from Janet Kreis. Really excited about it!