The job situation is stable and looking...well, stable for now. I got a call saying that no one was losing their job--after days of worrying, stressing, attending extra meetings and driving all over the place--not that I'm complaining. There are some things that still need to be worked out in order for me to really be safe, and I'm not sure I'll ever feel that way again in my current position. That's the downfall of working part-time in my area--there are no guarantees. I guess that could be said for most people's job and I know so many people out there are dealing with the possibility or reality of being unemployed.

It's a scary thought--to not be able to pay bills, have health insurance, let alone any "extras" or fun stuff. I think that we would have made it somehow, but I know that our financial plan that we have been working on for a few years now would be set back. And that is disheartening. We have been paying down debt and have not used any credit cards for a couple years now. While I would not have resorted to using a credit card again (if possible) I'm sure that we would have been behind in some payments. Because we are paying down debt, we only have a limited "emergency" fund and no cushion in case of job loss. At this time, I was wondering if we had been doing the right thing. I guess...but it definitely made me think twice about our plan. For now, we'll just keep doing as we have been.

One thing that has changed is that this has been a reality check and has made me start to consider other opportunities. There aren't that many right now, but going back to work full time is definitely on the horizon. I had expected that at some point. It's not that I don't want to work full time, but it's probably going to mean some big changes both professionally and personally. Hopefully, I can stay where I am for another year at least, but I'm still keeping my eyes open. If a great opportunity presents itself sooner, I am more inclined to go after it than I was previously.

All the while my responsibilities kept on coming and I had/have some projects to work on. It was very difficult for me to concentrate while worrying about keeping a job, but now I feel like I have a bit of a renewed spirit and am looking forward to next school year. Cautiously.