Proud To Be An American

Why Not Minot?!

Dear Blog World,

So it's been a while since my last post and I have much to share...

After freaking out over the possibility of returning to my hometown in North Dakota I was presented with an opportunity that I could not refuse. Truly, I would be dumb if I did. I made the rational decision to commit to working as a Rental Agent for a year in Minot. I think it will be an excellent opportunity to gain valuable work experience and I'm looking forward to having a steady source of income. I started work a week and a half ago and am enjoying what I am doing. Pretty much, I am to showing houses and apartments what Vanna White is to turning letters.

Another plus for moving home is that my parents are fixing up a little Craftsman house that I will be able to inhabit for the year. Rent will be incredibly reasonable and it is going to be so much fun decorating my first place. The house is charming and has great character. I'm super stoked that I will have an office with old French doors and an art studio with big windows. I'm feeling very inspired to write, paint, and draw... I can't wait to get into my hizzouse!

Returning to the NoDak will also be beneficial in giving me time to evaluate where I am in my life and where I want to be. Once I get settled into a bit of a routine I can really focus on if I want to return to school and if so, pursue that whole-heartedly. I think that this is the perfect opportunity to reflect on and examine my passions, strengths, weaknesses, and dreams. I'm really trying to embrace my time spent here in Minot and grow as a person in every way I can.

Anywho... I'm a bit scatterbrained at the moment, so I will conclude here. The Giants are playing the Cowboys and I'm trying to pay attention to the game... Go Giants!

Many laughs and much love,
Annie

Find My Way

Sooo... My brother obtained a new job back in our hometown of Minot, ND. I'm extremely happy for him because it is a great opportunity that will enable him to get his foot firmly in the door of education. It will also be a nice break from his current job, which definitely tears at his heart from time to time being he works with emotionally disturbed youth. Finally, he'll be closer to our parental unit--something both he and my parents will enjoy.

I, on the other hand, am still unemployed and apparently turning into the black sheep of the family. And when my brother moves I'll be homeless since I live with him. Even worse, I'll be separated from my four legged nephew.

My beloved Butkus.

But worse yet, if I don't get my life in control I, too, will be moving back to Minot. If that were to happen I'd at least be close to Butkus, but truly that would not be my ideal living situation. I am proud of where I come from, but for a girl who dreams of NYC that would be a depressing step backwards.

There's nothing and no one there in Minot for me...

I'm just sooo completely frustrated and exhausted. I have shut down and I feel horrible for doing that because it's silly when there are people who are actually fighting their way through a true ordeal. I have no idea what I want to do, what I should do, and where I should be here and now in my life. I've never felt so lost, so alone. I've never felt so absurd. How do I not have a "real job"?! It's ridiculous on my part, I know.

I don't expect to have my dream job at twenty-three. Heck, I don't even know what exactly my dream job is because there is just so much I hope to do. But this world of business seems so petty. I guess I have my head in the clouds. Forgive me, I'm just not equipped for the real world. I never have had to "put myself out there" before and the thought of having to do so now is...is...slightly terrifying.

I want to be brave. I need to be brave.

I should backtrack because I do know what I want to do with my life... I want to write and paint and design my own cards and draw and craft a message. I want to create. And through my creations I want to reach people, touch their hearts, and impact them. I want to make a difference...


But how can I pursue all of that when I am broke? Money doesn't make the world go 'round, but it definitely helps one make her way around the world.

Please pray I find my way.

Icebreaker

Hello there! I'm Annie. Pleased to meet you. I hail from the "Magic City."

Oh, sorry... You don't know where that is? Okay, okay. Well, I'm from Minot, North Dakota. "Why Not Minot," if you will.

Still don't know? Okay, um...

Yeah, Minot is the fourth largest city in the great state of North Dakota and is located north of our state capitol...

What's that? Bismarck, yes, Bismarck is the capitol of NoDak. Anyway, back to Minot...

Minot is also located to the west of the Geographic Center of the United States, which before you ask, is Rugby. And of course, North Dakota itself is north of South Dakota. Hey, don't give me a hard time about that either because no one makes fun of North and South Carolina and it's pretty much the same thing. Pff.

ANYWAY...

Minot is the home of the Magi, Josh Duhamel, the North Dakota State Fair, the Great Anhydrous Ammonia Spill of 2002, North America's largest Scandinavian festival (the Norsk Hostfest), and me.

I know what you're thinking... Yes, it's basically the shiznit.

But Minot is behind me now because I live in an even smaller town north of St. Paul, Minnesota. I like to call it The Boondocks. I came to Minnesota because I graduated from the University of North Dakota in May of 2006 and after a few months living with the parents it was time for me to become an adult and I had no where else to go. The only problem is... I'm still working on that adult thing. "Working" being a sort of ironic choice of word because I'm not working. Ha!

No, it's really not that funny. Not funny at all. I shouldn't laugh. It was a nervous laugh, but I shouldn't laugh because I need a job. Or as my brother puts it, a J-O-B.

Congratulations to him, by the way, for his superior spelling skills. Really, give him a round of applause.

But yeah, I'm a Job Hunter and I've got the camouflage and neon orange gear to prove it. Well, that's a lie; it's a joke. Ha ha. Anyway, since I'm jobless I prefer to call myself a Dreamer. Yup, it's my official non-official job title until I'm adult enough to earn a job title.

So until then, you can call me Annie. Annie, the funny girl from North Dakota who is a dreamer. That's me in a nut shell. Not an actual nut shell, but...

Oh, you get it.