Spring Update ~ New Job, Daughter's Ballet, Preparing for Change

Catching Up ~

 Where did the spring go? The school year is over and we are rushing headlong into summer. We had a successful, but rough spring. Elijah got a new job working in a warehouse for a shipping company where he ships products for small businesses. He likes the job (as much as you can like a job, he says), but it is a very, very small company and he is the only guy. The hours and pay are ideal, though. Unfortunately, he suffered an acute depression and severe panic attacks that started just days after starting the job. He maintained the job, but keeping him stable while getting medications to work took about three to four weeks. He was so miserable during that time. It was a very rough patch and he is still suffering some, but it is now manageable. We hope that this summer will bring better mental health to him and that the job will become a happy success for him. The women are friendly, and now that he is getting the hang of it all, things are going more smoothly. 

Elijah and Me

We spent Memorial Day at Anakeesta in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. Other than the chairlift that carried us to the top of the mountain which scared my children to death, it was a very fun day and a huge relief after such a rough few weeks with Elijah. There were obstacle courses, food, a lovely garden, gorgeous views of the valley and a five story tower with a glass floor at the top. I think the boys liked the views and photo opportunities the best; Rebekah loved the obstacle courses the best; and David and I loved the skywalk which was swinging bridges between trees. It was so cool to walk in the forest canopy without having to zipline. 

Rebekah and Dad doing an obstacle course

My kiddos sat out the tower. I zoomed in on them from the top.

It was very cool standing on the glass floor.

Dear Hubby

The forest skywalk

The wind made the 20 minute ride on the chair lift a bit daunting for some
and terrifying for others. 

David and I finally got to take a continuing ed class at the community college. We took a smartphone creative photography class. It was fun and l liked learning to edit in Smartseed. I should go back and work a bit more on the lighting, but here is one of my first attempts. We hope to make taking a class together a tradition and take another class in the fall. 

The drive to Elijah's work each day is so beautiful. 

My job with my sweet little guy continues to go well. I have really enjoyed working with him for the last two years. However, he is off to preschool in this autumn, so I will fall back to being a date night babysitter for him. It is going to be a sad transition for me, but change is good; and I look forward to seeing what the future holds. I could easily get another nanny job with the extreme day care shortage in our area, but I think I am going to take a break for a few months to help my young adults adult successfully. The last few months of work have been very challenging with Elijah's struggles and all of Rebekah's transitions. Also, I have my second job working with my adult son, Tim. I have been splitting the 40 hours a week with my daughter, but she will have less time to work with him next year. 

Rebekah is always busy and everywhere all at once. She is burning the candle at both ends and sometimes the middle, too. However, she is doing very well. She completed this college year with straight A's and was inducted into two honor societies. She also danced with BCA for a second year and really enjoyed it. She performed in Paquita to wrap up the school year.  In addition, she held down two jobs and did lots of substitute teaching at BCA when she could squeeze it in. 

This Summer ~ Rebekah has a very busy summer ahead. She is doing five summer intensives this year. She will be dropping into her home studio for their summer intensive whenever she is in town, In addition, she will be dancing with the Sarasota Ballet in Florida; Carolina Ballet in Raleigh, North Carolina; Stewart and Owen Contemporary Company here in Asheville; and Joffrey Ballet School in New York City. I will be traveling with her for the weeks in Sarasota and New York City. It looks like it will be an amazing summer.  The guys in my family will fly down for a few days in the middle of the Sarasota weeks. 

A Big Change ~ Rebekah auditioned and was accepted as an apprentice to the Carolina Ballet Theatre in South Carolina. Her professional ballet career will start in the fall. She loves this company and it looks like a really good fit. It is an unpaid position (which is pretty standard for an apprentice in the ballet world), but she will receive a stipend for her pointe shoes (which cost $120 every few weeks).  It is a 3 hour round trip commute three days a week with more days during shows.  She is going to start off doing the most economical way, which is using her little Subaru that has 168,000 miles on it; but if the highway driving gets to be too much for it, we will have to help her upgrade it. Also, she could look for a living situation down there if it comes to it, but the cost would be much higher and she wants to keep her job with Tim if possible. She will also continue classes a few nights a week with BCA as a guest dancer as well as taking three classes in community college. Like I said....burning the candle at both ends. 

Blessings, Dawn