A Few Updates

So, things have been happening around here, and I don't just mean graduation and preparing to leave ISU. I went home to Iowa last weekend for my last Illinois-to-Iowa/Iowa-to-Illinois trip before moving home. Ken and I went to his Army formal Saturday night, which was nice. There weren't a lot of people there since it was out in Ft. Dodge, but it was a nice time overall. Gave me a chance to seek Ken all dressed up in his fancy uniform again.

We also continued to look for places to live, and I am pleased to say that we found one (FINALLY!). Some of you know already what a pain it has been trying to find a place in Waterloo or Cedar Falls. The main reason for this, I am sad to say, is because of the cats. Places just don't like to rent to people with pets. At last, however, we came upon a cute duplex in Waterloo. It's a 2 Bed/1 Bath with hardwood floors in the living room and new carpet in the bedrooms and hall. We even have a nice basement where we can store things and put our washer/dryer. Plus there's a one-stall garage with a door opener and a side parking area for the other car. We do need to clear our own snow and mow our lawn, but that's ok. Overall, we're pretty happy with it so far and think it will work out well as an in-between place until we decide when to buy a house and where to buy a house. We're planning to move in the weekend of May 17-18, so I'll share pictures soon. I may be off the blog for a bit until we get Internet in our new place.

Last weekend I also had 2 job interviews. One was for a full-time teaching position at a community college in Iowa. It was a good interview and I think I would enjoy it there. The only real downfall is that it's an hour from Waterloo, so that would mean 2 hours of driving each day. The other interview was for a writing position at John Deere, ironically in the same building where Ken works. This one was very appealing to me because of its location and the pay was ok too. The downside to this is that it's a contract position, which means that there aren't any benefits right now. I would have to buy some insurance for myself for now until Ken and I get married at which time I can get on his Deere insurance. It may be a good stepping stone to other FT Deere jobs and it's close to home, so it may be the best option in the end. I'm waiting to see what happens today. The community college said they'd hoped to have their decision made by Friday (today). Even if I'm offered it, it may not be worth it in the end to have to make such a long drive each day. Will keep you all posted!

So, today's graduation day. Family are coming in this afternoon/early evening to attend the ceremony at the arena tonight! I'm working this morning and then will do some running around taking care of odds and ends until they arrive. This may be my last blog posting from Illinois.