Social Media Reality Check

Yep - not all photos of people online are perfect - but my dogs look fantastic!

Inspired by Holly's post from this morning - a Social Media Reality Check:

As Holly said in her post - all too often we are convinced that everyone's life is full of roses and happy little moments (Instagram Moments, as she put it) all the time, but it isn't necessarily what happens behind the social media scenes. 

This is my Social Media Reality Check:

I started counting the days of my healthy decisions because I needed control. I desperately need control over something right now. Anything. So I chose my health. I need this control because the Friday before Spring Break Josh was told by the Dean of his department that his teaching contract was not renewed.

This is why we put our house up for sale.

We went into immediate action and started updating his cover letter, curriculum vitae, reference letters, and acquiring his transcripts. The job search (now known as the "Campaign Trail") was on and we found 11 postings in states we would consider living. Arizona, Hawaii, Washington, Oregon, Colorado, Alaska, or Wyoming. Fortunately, there were tons of openings for a Mathematics Instructor... we just had to pick the ones we wanted. After 3 long weeks of interviewing: some 2000 miles driven, 3 Skype interviews, 2 phone interviews, and 4 in-person interviews all while still teaching full time and maintaining a spiritual life we still don't have an answer.

His contract expires in 2 weeks and we have no idea where his next job will be or if there will even be one. The house is *prayers* *fingers crossed* no longer ours in 2 weeks as well so we are also battling the insecurity of not knowing where we are going to live. In my high moments I see the adventure and search for my old spontaneous self. In my low moments (last night) I feel unsafe and lost. We do not have a home. I don't have the security a home has always brought me. I don't know what to plan for and have no idea what our future will bring. I am terrified.

Waiting on colleges to give us a decision, ANY decision - a yes or a no - is the hardest part. We can't sign a lease in Portland because we might get the call to go to Walla Walla. What is the point in renting a place in Roseburg for a month only to pack up and move again?! We have family we can stay with until the dust settles and we can finally make a decision, but then the situation with the cats worries me. How do I make sure they are happy with so much shifting of environment happening for them?!

So yes: I have my happy moments, I smile and I laugh. I have a great time with the people in my life and I post about it. This is the image I want the world to see of me because it is the image I want to remind myself of the most.

Bits of sunshine in a stormy sea.