The Year in Review
Well, I've officially been living in Pennsylvania for one year. So I've spent the entire day thinking about everything that has happened this year. I haven't accomplished the main thing I wanted to do when I moved back home (figuring out what I wanted to do with my life), but I have it narrowed down. I've had a lot of ups and downs, alot of fun, and I've worked my butt off. All in all, its been a pretty good year.
The funniest turn of events is taking place this week. When I moved to PA I "temporarily" got a job working at the shoe store in grove city. That turned into a full time job when they found out that I was too good of an employee to let go, and they gave me a raise. That continued to be a full time job this fall when all of the college students went back to school and they needed someone who could work hours that the college students just couldn't work. Then, they decided to move me to another store and promote me to a manager right around Christmas. I worked in that other store for 2 or 3 months as a manager, and let me tell you, it was a completely different working environment than the Grove City store. Last month, they hired another manager at my store, so in order to get enough hours until business picked up for the summer, I've been working at 4 different stores the past month. And now, this week, one year exactly from when I started working at the store in Grove City, I found out that I am being transfered back to the store in Grove City. So, my year has kind of come full circle.
This is a good thing and a bad thing. Its good because I love working at the Grove City store. Its bad because gas prices have skyrocketed and buying gas takes up such a big chunk of my paycheck. Its a good thing because I'll have more opportunities to grow as a manager through the wild situations that pop up at the grove city store. Its a bad thing because they decided to widen the road, bridge, and ramps at the mall, so there is construction there that makes my trip take much longer than it used to. Its a good thing because I'll get to spend time with my aunt again. Its a bad thing because there are now going to be 8 managers at my store for the beginning of the summer. Two managers are getting transferred in (me and a guy from butler) one part timer is getting promoted to a manager in a few weeks, and then the five that are already there. Now my aunt will be going on maternity leave and another one of the managers will be leaving when he gets his own store, but until then thats 8 managers in one store. That could cause some problems. We'll just have to wait and see. But I think mostly its a good thing. The grove city store is much busier and I will kept on my toes all summer. Its crazy that I am no longer in school and working full time, yet I have less free time now than I did the entire time I was in school. But, I bet alot of you feel the same way.
Anyway, we don't know how long they are keeping me at the grove city store. The plan is to send me to a new store closer to Pittsburgh this August when our new store opens up. But, plans can always change and they may find they want to send someone else instead. Or they may find that they want me to stay in Grove City while my aunt is on maternity leave, and then I'll miss the opportunity to get a spot in the new store. Who knows what will end up happening, but I just put my faith in God that it will all work out for the best.
So, the last year has been entirely spent working (at 4 different stores, but still for the same company!). This "temporary" job has turned into a year long job. And my DM is trying to turn it into a career for me. I on the other hand want to go back to school. I don't want to work retail for the rest of my life. I mean, if they got me higher up in the company or at one of the offices, that would be different (and more importantly, it would be steadier hours). I've pretty much narrowed down my school options to nutrition/dietetics or physical therapy. If I stay in the Pittsburgh area, I have one choice for schools for nutrition- Pitt. Which is really expensive, but not as expensive as the other Pittsburgh schools. Most of which are more in one year that I owe for 4 1/2 years at OSU!!! If I do PT, I would like to get my doctorate, which gives me only a few options in Pittsburgh as well. Slippery rock also offers a DPT, but it is toward Grove City. So if I continue to work for this company, I need to continue to work at grove city and not go to the new store near Pittsburgh. Plus I need to see if I can get enough scholarships and loans to be able to afford going back. I would rather not work full time and try to go to school. The only way I can afford that is if I can get more stinking school loans.
Another option that has come up is for me to move. Very few places apeal to me as places to move to. Shylah, Meg, and Sara all are around the Cleveland area. Dave, Gregg, Emily (and now maybe Nicole!) are in the Kent area. My parents and grandparents are all going to be in the pittsburgh area, plus my aunt, uncle, and cousin are nearby. Nicole and Mandy are the only two I really know who are still in Columbus. My sister and Keith are in Georgia and UGA offers some really good programs for what I am interested in. But who is to say how long any of those people will stay where they are now. My fear is that I will get accepted somewhere, move there, and then those people will move shortly after and I'll be there all alone. I know, I know, I need to make my own place somewhere. But I am not good at all about going out on my own and meeting people. This last year has shown me that I really don't care enough about that to make any sort of effort at going out to meet people. I know that I'll have more opportunities to meet people once I start going to school again, but even then, I didn't really branch out and meet many people in college before either. I kind of relied on my sister and my roommates to help me meet people.
So, as you can tell, I still haven't made up my mind for what I want to do with my life yet. But I need to make a decision soon. I can't start into either program full time this fall because I have too many prereqs that need to be done before they will admit me into either program. But I have to decide which program to do and narrow down my school choices so I know what classes I have to take this year inorder to be admitted full time NEXT fall.
Another aspect of my life I wanted to work on this year was figuring out what I wanted relationshipwise. Well, I've had opportunities for relationships - most of them long distance - but I just haven't jumped on any of them. I have some stuff set in my head that I want for the future, and none of those opportunities would allow me to have the future I think that I want. SO I keep thinking I need to rethink my future, but everytime I try to compromise and allow one of my important things to be pushed aside, I decide its something I am just not willing to give up. So, I guess one year of thinking about it isn't enough, and I'm just going to have to get out there and date again and hopefully I'll either learn to live without some of the stuff on my list (you know, find that I don't really need what I think I need), or I'll in the process find a guy that somehow just fits perfectly into the kind of guy I really need.
Looks like I need to wrap this up for now. Dinner time! I'll continue later.
The funniest turn of events is taking place this week. When I moved to PA I "temporarily" got a job working at the shoe store in grove city. That turned into a full time job when they found out that I was too good of an employee to let go, and they gave me a raise. That continued to be a full time job this fall when all of the college students went back to school and they needed someone who could work hours that the college students just couldn't work. Then, they decided to move me to another store and promote me to a manager right around Christmas. I worked in that other store for 2 or 3 months as a manager, and let me tell you, it was a completely different working environment than the Grove City store. Last month, they hired another manager at my store, so in order to get enough hours until business picked up for the summer, I've been working at 4 different stores the past month. And now, this week, one year exactly from when I started working at the store in Grove City, I found out that I am being transfered back to the store in Grove City. So, my year has kind of come full circle.
This is a good thing and a bad thing. Its good because I love working at the Grove City store. Its bad because gas prices have skyrocketed and buying gas takes up such a big chunk of my paycheck. Its a good thing because I'll have more opportunities to grow as a manager through the wild situations that pop up at the grove city store. Its a bad thing because they decided to widen the road, bridge, and ramps at the mall, so there is construction there that makes my trip take much longer than it used to. Its a good thing because I'll get to spend time with my aunt again. Its a bad thing because there are now going to be 8 managers at my store for the beginning of the summer. Two managers are getting transferred in (me and a guy from butler) one part timer is getting promoted to a manager in a few weeks, and then the five that are already there. Now my aunt will be going on maternity leave and another one of the managers will be leaving when he gets his own store, but until then thats 8 managers in one store. That could cause some problems. We'll just have to wait and see. But I think mostly its a good thing. The grove city store is much busier and I will kept on my toes all summer. Its crazy that I am no longer in school and working full time, yet I have less free time now than I did the entire time I was in school. But, I bet alot of you feel the same way.
Anyway, we don't know how long they are keeping me at the grove city store. The plan is to send me to a new store closer to Pittsburgh this August when our new store opens up. But, plans can always change and they may find they want to send someone else instead. Or they may find that they want me to stay in Grove City while my aunt is on maternity leave, and then I'll miss the opportunity to get a spot in the new store. Who knows what will end up happening, but I just put my faith in God that it will all work out for the best.
So, the last year has been entirely spent working (at 4 different stores, but still for the same company!). This "temporary" job has turned into a year long job. And my DM is trying to turn it into a career for me. I on the other hand want to go back to school. I don't want to work retail for the rest of my life. I mean, if they got me higher up in the company or at one of the offices, that would be different (and more importantly, it would be steadier hours). I've pretty much narrowed down my school options to nutrition/dietetics or physical therapy. If I stay in the Pittsburgh area, I have one choice for schools for nutrition- Pitt. Which is really expensive, but not as expensive as the other Pittsburgh schools. Most of which are more in one year that I owe for 4 1/2 years at OSU!!! If I do PT, I would like to get my doctorate, which gives me only a few options in Pittsburgh as well. Slippery rock also offers a DPT, but it is toward Grove City. So if I continue to work for this company, I need to continue to work at grove city and not go to the new store near Pittsburgh. Plus I need to see if I can get enough scholarships and loans to be able to afford going back. I would rather not work full time and try to go to school. The only way I can afford that is if I can get more stinking school loans.
Another option that has come up is for me to move. Very few places apeal to me as places to move to. Shylah, Meg, and Sara all are around the Cleveland area. Dave, Gregg, Emily (and now maybe Nicole!) are in the Kent area. My parents and grandparents are all going to be in the pittsburgh area, plus my aunt, uncle, and cousin are nearby. Nicole and Mandy are the only two I really know who are still in Columbus. My sister and Keith are in Georgia and UGA offers some really good programs for what I am interested in. But who is to say how long any of those people will stay where they are now. My fear is that I will get accepted somewhere, move there, and then those people will move shortly after and I'll be there all alone. I know, I know, I need to make my own place somewhere. But I am not good at all about going out on my own and meeting people. This last year has shown me that I really don't care enough about that to make any sort of effort at going out to meet people. I know that I'll have more opportunities to meet people once I start going to school again, but even then, I didn't really branch out and meet many people in college before either. I kind of relied on my sister and my roommates to help me meet people.
So, as you can tell, I still haven't made up my mind for what I want to do with my life yet. But I need to make a decision soon. I can't start into either program full time this fall because I have too many prereqs that need to be done before they will admit me into either program. But I have to decide which program to do and narrow down my school choices so I know what classes I have to take this year inorder to be admitted full time NEXT fall.
Another aspect of my life I wanted to work on this year was figuring out what I wanted relationshipwise. Well, I've had opportunities for relationships - most of them long distance - but I just haven't jumped on any of them. I have some stuff set in my head that I want for the future, and none of those opportunities would allow me to have the future I think that I want. SO I keep thinking I need to rethink my future, but everytime I try to compromise and allow one of my important things to be pushed aside, I decide its something I am just not willing to give up. So, I guess one year of thinking about it isn't enough, and I'm just going to have to get out there and date again and hopefully I'll either learn to live without some of the stuff on my list (you know, find that I don't really need what I think I need), or I'll in the process find a guy that somehow just fits perfectly into the kind of guy I really need.
Looks like I need to wrap this up for now. Dinner time! I'll continue later.