This is going to be a blog mash up.  A mash up of those Five Minute Fridays I’ve been doing (I didn’t say consistently) and a prompt from my friend Melissa’s blog (who I will miss dearly, by the way… stupid Northwest).  Both blog themes seem to really hit home, so instead of just choosing one, this bachelorette is giving a rose to both ladies… journalistically speaking, of course.  So now I give you my mash up of “Welcome” and “Allow Me to Reintroduce Myself.”

(Jessica, you win this week’s Hannah Montana Best of Both Worlds Award. You’re welcome.)

I guess I’ll start with a reintroduction.

Over the past five years, I’ve gone through some big changes.  Not Chastity/Chas Bono kind of changes, but big changes nonetheless.  Here are a few of my highlights:

1.  I love vegetables now more than I ever have in my life.  Because of a few brave souls who invited me over to share in their botanical delights (I consider it all ‘botanical’), I have a great love for broccoli, green beans, bell peppers, grilled onions, corn, brussell sprouts (when wrapped in bacon, of course), and asparagus (thank you to those who warned me of the after effects).  I now feel that I’ve successfully climbed the food pyramid even though it’s a plate now.

2.  I like country music.  There! I came out of the country closet!!! Now, I will say that I still turn my nose to that bluegrass, twangy kind of “music”, but come on… there’s some good stuff out there now! Lady Antebellum, Keith Urban, Miranda Lambert, my #1 forever and always Danny Gokey… they’re at the top of my playlist.  Of course, they all have something in common: their songs barely sound country.  While some of my friends may take this as a slap in the face and/or hole in my credibility, I feel it makes me a much more rounded person and will help me relate to artists of all genres when I’m an uber famous music journalist someday.  So there.

3. Confidence.  This has been the greatest change of all.  I’ve had the confidence to pursue my dreams (hello, masters degree!), the confidence to face up to, fight, and beat the bullies (which sometimes included facing the inner bully that tries to attack my self-worth), and the confidence to face the unknown… which leads right into my next point.

At the beginning of this year, I sensed deep in my heart that life would be considerably different by the start of next year.  I felt right away that it had something to do with my job.  However, I figured the earliest I would leave my job would be late this summer or at the end of this year.  God had a different plan – June 30^th was exit day for me.

During my last week at work, everything started to feel final.  For those of you who don’t know my work history, I worked at this college, left on my own terms, came back, got laid off, came back again (because it was the Lord’s source of provision at this point), and was (sort of) laid off again.  What was different about this exit was that I knew deep down that this was for good.  I didn’t burn any bridges and left with my relationships and reputation in tact, but I knew that God probably wasn’t going to be leading me back here again… at least not as a staff member.

The thought of that freaked me out a bit.  While I never intended to return after I was laid off the last time, I think somewhere in the back of my mind I looked at the college as my safety net.  I guess I felt like I could always go back if I needed to and then I did.  Didn’t want to, but I did, and the Lord created beauty from ashes (but that’s a whole other story for another time).

After I said my goodbyes and my dear friend Jessica walked me out the door, I imagined a welcome mat at the threshold.  I didn’t (and still don’t) know what’s waiting for me, but as I crossed that threshold, I felt welcomed into a new life filled with new possibilities where longtime dreams would finally be fulfilled.  Best of all, instead of feeling stressed and anxious as I had anticipated I would at this point, I felt peaceful, excited and full of hope.  I think that’s a fantastic way to close one chapter and start the next.

I don’t believe that when God closes a door He opens a window – my God and His plans for me are so big that a window is too small of an opening to access His incredibly awesome path for my life.  Same goes for you.  Never settle for the window – always use the door.

And while endings aren’t always easy, they are always beginnings.  It’s not to say that the unknown isn’t overwhelming and scary – it is – but instead of fearing the unknown, feel welcomed into a new, hope filled life and anticipate only GREAT things awaiting you.

Oh, and if you know of any awesome jobs, send them my way.  In the words of my friend Ginny, “I’m kind of a big deal.”  Here’s to shameless plugs and welcome mats!

P.S. Here’s the links to the blogs I mentioned earlier: 

Melissa Brotherton: http://melissabrotherton.com/2011/06/30/allow-me-to-reintroduce-myself/?utm_source=feedburner

Five Minute Fridays (a.k.a. Gypsy Mama): http://thegypsymama.com/2011/07/five-minute-friday-welcome/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+thegypsymama+%28thegypsymama%29