Sweet Dreams are made of...?
Contented home?
Fulfilling work?
Hard work that pays off just like you planned?
Successfully raised children?
or, in my case, sometimes I just dream of chocolate covered strawberries.
Our eldest left home in 2009. She said she dreamed of going somewhere where there are real trees and real mountains. She found her way to Eugene, Oregon and began her studies at the University of Oregon ["Once a Duck, Always a Duck" they say]. Her plan was to pick a place to go live where she would enjoy it for four years and once there, then figure out what she wanted to do. For Inga, this was a good plan; she has always known decisively what she wants and what she does not want, and most often how to get it. She makes things happen. Her dreams come true.
I blogged last summer on her graduation and celebration. Her roommates, one a brilliant neuroscience researcher received a fellowship for graduate work at Stanford, one an English major actually found a job as an editor as well. Our one, graduated from the honors college with a degree in Public Policy, Planning and Management (3PM), yet no immediate future career prospects. Her boyfriend's mother, Annie, generously offered to allow Inga to room at her place in Salem, an hour up the road until she found her footing.
Six months in Salem with a cell phone and a laptop she searched for job leads in Portland, made contacts and sent follow up emails looking for something in the field of public health management, her desired career.
With the help of a contact she had made at the Multanomah County (Portland, OR) Health Department, she was advised to apply for an AmeriCore position. AmeriCore, is a federally funded program that places college graduates in jobs that meet the needs of impoverished communities. In this instance, AmeriCore was looking to staff positions with Multanomah County to administer a program that is intended to improve the diets of poor communities within the county. AmeriCore had about 5 days of phone interviews scheduled for all of the candidates, and Inga was set for one of the very last interviews of a Tuesday. AmeriCore was going to make the final cut on Thursday of Friday - not much waiting time.
While Sue and I were driving through East Texas to visit friends on a fine February Friday afternoon, Inga had tried calling each of our phones several times, but we did not pick up. Then Sue checked her phone outside of Athens, Texas and saw several missed calls from our daughter. Once connected, it was great news. She was told that she was the most qualified applicant for the position. She was offered a job. Would she like to wait until next week to confirm AmeriCore's offer? the director asked. Inga replied, "No, that will not be necessary, I am ready for this!" Well, then, the paper work will be emailed to you. Done. She has a job!
After officially signing on the bottom line, Inga was scheduled to have an orientation conference in Denver in early April (expenses paid), then would report to the Multanomah County Health Department where she would work on several projects, including improving health through diet within the community, working on a process for the County Health Department to be accredited by the Federal Health and Human Services Dept which should then allow them to receive more federal grant money and also help out with a 'smoking cessation' effort, which is her passion and the subject of her honors thesis.
In the meantime, she and Sean rented an apartment in the quirkiest quadrant of Portland, the NE Albert Street area, gathered furniture and prepared to move in. She absolutely loves the area and ambiance. On a clear day, she can see from her window two Cascade Range volcanoes, Hood and St. Helens. And on every other day she can see a variety of hipsters, petition purveyors and characters moving on two and four legs. Somewhere in town is a bagpipe playing man in a Darth Vader mask. She often takes the bus to work, which allows her to avoid running over the numerous cyclist darting about on the wet streets and to collect daily stories of what types of characters rode with her on a particular day. One day a gal boarded the bus with a pitbull on a ratty rope. The bus drives says only service animals can ride, she say, "Yeah, 'Strangler' here is a service animal", and takes her seat.
The AmeriCore position is for only 1 year, but Inga is hoping that with her inside position and display of her enthusiastic energy and multiple talents, that she will be able to slide from her AmeriCore job into any openings that comes available within the Health Department.
Now, she is so excited about going to fulfilling work every day and so contented to be living where she does. I have to say, Inga makes things happen her dream has come true. And that makes us all so proud and pleased, it seems our first was successfully raised and launched and landed safely.
For Inga, life is but a chocolate covered strawberry. Take a big bite!
Contented home?
Fulfilling work?
Hard work that pays off just like you planned?
Successfully raised children?
or, in my case, sometimes I just dream of chocolate covered strawberries.
Our eldest left home in 2009. She said she dreamed of going somewhere where there are real trees and real mountains. She found her way to Eugene, Oregon and began her studies at the University of Oregon ["Once a Duck, Always a Duck" they say]. Her plan was to pick a place to go live where she would enjoy it for four years and once there, then figure out what she wanted to do. For Inga, this was a good plan; she has always known decisively what she wants and what she does not want, and most often how to get it. She makes things happen. Her dreams come true.
I blogged last summer on her graduation and celebration. Her roommates, one a brilliant neuroscience researcher received a fellowship for graduate work at Stanford, one an English major actually found a job as an editor as well. Our one, graduated from the honors college with a degree in Public Policy, Planning and Management (3PM), yet no immediate future career prospects. Her boyfriend's mother, Annie, generously offered to allow Inga to room at her place in Salem, an hour up the road until she found her footing.
Six months in Salem with a cell phone and a laptop she searched for job leads in Portland, made contacts and sent follow up emails looking for something in the field of public health management, her desired career.
With the help of a contact she had made at the Multanomah County (Portland, OR) Health Department, she was advised to apply for an AmeriCore position. AmeriCore, is a federally funded program that places college graduates in jobs that meet the needs of impoverished communities. In this instance, AmeriCore was looking to staff positions with Multanomah County to administer a program that is intended to improve the diets of poor communities within the county. AmeriCore had about 5 days of phone interviews scheduled for all of the candidates, and Inga was set for one of the very last interviews of a Tuesday. AmeriCore was going to make the final cut on Thursday of Friday - not much waiting time.
While Sue and I were driving through East Texas to visit friends on a fine February Friday afternoon, Inga had tried calling each of our phones several times, but we did not pick up. Then Sue checked her phone outside of Athens, Texas and saw several missed calls from our daughter. Once connected, it was great news. She was told that she was the most qualified applicant for the position. She was offered a job. Would she like to wait until next week to confirm AmeriCore's offer? the director asked. Inga replied, "No, that will not be necessary, I am ready for this!" Well, then, the paper work will be emailed to you. Done. She has a job!
After officially signing on the bottom line, Inga was scheduled to have an orientation conference in Denver in early April (expenses paid), then would report to the Multanomah County Health Department where she would work on several projects, including improving health through diet within the community, working on a process for the County Health Department to be accredited by the Federal Health and Human Services Dept which should then allow them to receive more federal grant money and also help out with a 'smoking cessation' effort, which is her passion and the subject of her honors thesis.
In the meantime, she and Sean rented an apartment in the quirkiest quadrant of Portland, the NE Albert Street area, gathered furniture and prepared to move in. She absolutely loves the area and ambiance. On a clear day, she can see from her window two Cascade Range volcanoes, Hood and St. Helens. And on every other day she can see a variety of hipsters, petition purveyors and characters moving on two and four legs. Somewhere in town is a bagpipe playing man in a Darth Vader mask. She often takes the bus to work, which allows her to avoid running over the numerous cyclist darting about on the wet streets and to collect daily stories of what types of characters rode with her on a particular day. One day a gal boarded the bus with a pitbull on a ratty rope. The bus drives says only service animals can ride, she say, "Yeah, 'Strangler' here is a service animal", and takes her seat.
The AmeriCore position is for only 1 year, but Inga is hoping that with her inside position and display of her enthusiastic energy and multiple talents, that she will be able to slide from her AmeriCore job into any openings that comes available within the Health Department.
Now, she is so excited about going to fulfilling work every day and so contented to be living where she does. I have to say, Inga makes things happen her dream has come true. And that makes us all so proud and pleased, it seems our first was successfully raised and launched and landed safely.
For Inga, life is but a chocolate covered strawberry. Take a big bite!
