Well hello ♥

Yes, I am joining the blogging world!

Welcome to my life:

I work at a group home, taking care of eight girls between the ages of 11-16. They all have difficult histories and come with a lot of emotional baggage. My official title is "residential counselor" but I think the more commonly used title of "houseparent" describes my job more clearly. In a sense, I am a parent to these girls, though I'm hesitant to use that word. My job is to help these girls realize their potential and to help them overcome negative behaviors caused by bad relationships. I am here to be a trustworthy adult in their lives and to help them realize their worth. It is a very challenging job because of how resistant the girls can be towards us, making every day unpredictable and different. Some days are hard, but I'm pretty sure that I like my job most of the time.

I work 60-65 hours a week, which makes it hard to have a life outside of my job. Oh, and did I mention that I also live here? Recently, the line between work and life has become somewhat blurred, which makes it easy to get burned out and overwhelmed. However, I am blessed that my co-workers have become close friends who help alleviate the stress of the job.

Enough about work. I love nature. I've hiked Half Dome at Yosemite and have backpacked in the Smoky Mountains. Thy sky fascinates me. I enjoy taking trips with good friends. I prefer the midwest over California and hope to move back out there someday. I graduated with a psychology degree, but am leaning more toward social work. I'm not close to my parents. I love football and enjoy most other sports. Music helps me to escape. I try to love people as best I can, but often get frustrated that my best is not good enough. I'm doing what I can.

I wanted to post pictures, but it's getting late and I'm sleepy. Goodnight world.