Category Archives: reminiscing

How i got here-part 3

November 30, 2012

Here is part 3 of how I got here. To catch up here is part 1 and part 2.

So that’s how it went. Katie stayed up at her school and I carried out the original plan. I got a job at a health food store in town (cashiering and stocking shelves). I worked during the day and baked, knitted, watched movies, and hung out with friends by night. I made a few new friends at work and would tell them elaborate stories about my life to make the time pass as we worked. I was quite the comedian. Anyhow, overall, I wasn’t doing a whole lot and was not in a job that challenged me or even came close to using the degree I had earned. There was nothing wrong with working at the health food store but I knew I was to be somewhere else. I would feel like this even more when, on occasion, my math advisor would come into the store.

With very little direction and feeling pretty down about where I was in my life I began talking to Katie and thinking about my next move. She would be applying to graduate schools and deciding where she would be living for the next few years and I announced that wherever she ended up going I would come along.  Maybe what I needed was a big move! Plus this way we could live together like we had planned.

The decision for her came down to Madison, WI and Austin, TX. Originally I was hoping for Madison because it was close to home and was still in the Midwest. Turned out the program in Austin was better for Katie so that is where she chose. So Austin it was! I was moving to Austin with my best friend.

At the end of the spring I quit my job and moved back home for the summer. I figured I better save all the money I could because I had no idea what to expect when I got to Austin. I did as much as I could ahead of time though. I scoured the internet for jobs and found one that looked promising. It was an after-school position with Citizens Schools. It sounded like a lot of work but it sounded rewarding and interesting which is just what I needed.

Throughout the summer I was in the process of interviewing for the job, Katie and I were doing our best to find a place to live but decided it would be nearly impossible until we were actually there, and we had decided to take just her car and pack only what would fit. We were both very calm about the move and just really excited for this new adventure.

Be sure to come back next Friday for part 4. Have a great weekend!

 

How I got here-part 2

November 23, 2012

Last Friday I shared part 1 of my story of answering just how it is that I became a handmade business owner and here is part 2.

I began my second year at community college. A lot of things happened that year that were pivotal in how I got where I am. The most important being the meeting of a girl named Katie. We became very good friends and she is now my best friend.

After my 2 years there I transferred to a university in Michigan and Katie transferred to a different university that was roughly 10 hours away. Despite that and not yet having cell phones (can you believe it?) we kept in touch and kept our friendship alive. We would use calling cards, email, and we even managed to visit each other at school a couple of times. Oh the days of being so adventurous and not having a care in the world.

We both took 3 years to complete our degrees and after that time we had made rough plans to just bum around the year after graduation. She was planning on moving to the city I went to school in and we were going to live together and just do whatever we wanted. It’s funny thinking back to this time.

That’s not quite how it turned out though. See I had been studying math with the intention of going to grad school but somewhere along the way I decided that wasn’t for me and I was a little lost yet again which is why bumming around sounded so appealing.  She, on the other hand, was studying physics and wasn’t sure if she was going to continue on or not. She got a pretty good offer she couldn’t refuse (boy am I glad she didn’t) to stay at school another year and begin her graduate work.

To be continued…next Friday.

How I got here-part 1

November 16, 2012

So how exactly did I end up as the owner of a handmade business and a jewelry maker?

Good question and the story starts a ways back.

Part 1:

When I graduated from high school I was pretty unsure of what I wanted to “be”. I had always been a very good student and I had a lot of potential but I suppose I lacked direction. I was put on a pre-engineering track at my community college and started out with some great core classes-calculus, physics, chemistry.

During that first year there I decided I would like to study architecture. I visited some schools and by the end of the year I had decided on Detroit Mercy. I was enrolled in school there, signed up for classes, and even had a dorm room set up.

During that summer though something just didn’t feel right. I would get upset every time I talked about my new path or my parents would ask about it. That got me thinking. I was driving home one day and during that ride I had an aha moment. See, during that first year I had taken a couple of calculus courses and had really, I mean really enjoyed them. Maybe I even loved them, maybe I loved math, and maybe that’s what I’d rather do. Yes I would rather study math! That makes me happy! I’m happy right now!

I was trilled with this new decision and shared it with my dad as soon as I got home.  So it was decided, I would stay at my community college for 1 more year and get my associates in Mathematics.

To be continued…next Friday.