this windstorm is mighty bright today

Hey guys! Long time, no speak. How is everybody? Serious question – I check in periodically with everybody’s newest entries but I haven’t been on OD consistently for quite some time. I’d love to know how people are doing in general =)

Things have been crazy lately! Seriously crazy. Crazy in a bad way in the beginning, but now it’s crazy in a good, "I can handle this" kind of way. 

Basically, my financial aid ran out…then the whole getting work process has been difficult this summer and nothing’s come through yet…and our lease is up so I have to be out of my apartment by the end of the month…and the Housing Authority denied my mother’s request to move me back in. I was going to be homeless, jobless, trying to get along with couch surfing and/or staying at the local shelter for a few days to try to get into the Northwest Youth Services transitional housing program. And, I petitioned for more financial aid and was approved, but because I only need three classes, one in Fall that’s the prereq for the two in Winter, I was going to be at less than half time for Fall and wasn’t going to be able to get funding for it, which would have meant I couldn’t finish my minor.

But a couple of friends of mine have come through and have provided a bedroom for me, and I’m working with the Opportunity Council’s job search classes program to get hopefully get work, and my mother is lending me the money for the class that I need in Fall. All the pieces are falling into place nicely thanks to the wonderful people I have in my life and in my city. 

I’m hoping I can get work soon, get a place of my own to stay, start paying my mother back, and get my life back on track in general; but until then, at least I have amazing people helping me along.

It got pretty dark there for a while; I got pretty stressed over what was going to happen. It seems like everybody came through all at once just in this past week. 

I hope everyone else has been doing well. I’m going to try to come back to here more frequently, so hopefully I’ll be able to catch up. ^_^

– VdS