MAJOR LIFE UPDATE!

BIG CHANGES HAPPENING

Hey everyone! I haven't done a life update since the end of April, because not a whole lot has happened that is update-worthy, up until now. With a stable job and going through school, my life has been pretty consistent. Some exciting things that have happened since April are that I got to attend two friends' weddings, turned 22, finished my third semester of grad school, and started a YouTube channel! Those things aren't the real purpose of this post though. I'll talk more about that stuff in my year in review blog post. The big thing that is happening is that I am moving to Northwest Arkansas! 

With next semester being the last real semester in my graduate program and the summer being when I have to do my Practicum internship, I felt like I needed to reduce my hours to part-time work, start getting experience in the type of library that I want to work in, and begin networking for an internship. Being the type of person that I am, I was incredibly nervous about stepping back from a full-time position and moving to a new city without a job lined up, but I ultimately realized that 1) I'll be able to focus on my last leg of school, 2) there are some amazing libraries in NWA that I can volunteer at and hopefully do my internship in, and 3) I'll be close to family again! The decision just made sense. A few months ago, my dream job became available at the Fayetteville Public Library and because I have not finished my degree yet, I was not technically qualified for the job, but I applied anyway. I never heard anything back. By the grace of God, several months after I did that, a position at the Fayetteville Public Library became available that I am qualified for. I heard back from the library within a couple days, interviewed, and was hired for the position!!! I am thrilled to be moving from an academic library setting to a public library setting, which is the type of library I want to work in long-term. 

I have been so stressed over the last two months or so trying to figure out if leaving my job at Ouachita was a smart move, trying to find a new job, and trying to work out the logistics of moving to a new part of the state, all in the midst of finals for school and the holidays. Yesterday was my last day of work at OBU and now I've got to finish packing up my apartment and prepare for the most hectic two weeks of my life. Here is a schedule of what my next two weeks looks like lol:

December 24th: Go to Russellville for Christmas Eve (take a load of stuff from apartment)

December 25th: 1. Christmas at my Mom's house

2. Christmas with my Stepmom's Family

3. Christmas #1 in NWA

December 27th: Big Move-Out Day (moving all my stuff out of my apartment)

December 28th: Christmas #2 in NWA

December 30th: Go back to Arkadelphia to turn in my apartment keys and do walk-through then potentially go spend the night with AA and stay through New Year's?

Sometime between Jan.1-3: Officially move to NWA (not taking a bunch of my stuff because I'm staying with my Nana)

January 4th: Dog-sit for parents' friends

January 6th: Start new job 

So needless to say, it's going to be an incredibly busy holiday season for me and I will be traveling back and forth between Russellville, Arkadelphia, and Fayetteville quite a bit. I am extremely excited for this new stage of my life. I am grateful for the things I learned about academic libraries while I worked at OBU and to have had a whole slew of great coworkers who were always willing to help me with questions about library school and things like that.Now it's time for me to step out of the Bubble and into a setting that will undoubtedly lead me to great opportunities for my future. 

If you live in NWA, come see me at the Fayetteville Public Library in the new year! I'll be working at the front desk so it would be hard to miss me! ~Em