Highlights

I cant believe our last post was on the 1st of this month. The days have been going too quickly. Not too much is going on but I wanted to send a post just so you knew we were actually alive. Here is a list of all the fun we have been having in the month of May. 1. I started my job with Valley Mental Health as a social worker/team leader. It has now been two weeks working the case managers and the clients. The verdict so far is that I LOVE IT. I feel so blessed to have found which met my criteria which included; minimal stress, enjoyable people to work with, hours to allow me to keep my calling as activity day leader, decent pay, and a good mix of clinical/management/program development. The only negative is that I need to work one Sunday a month, but at least for now I can attend Sacrament and then go to work. I decided that on my Sunday (which will be the 1st of every month) I will do a birthday celebration for all the residents who have birthday's that month. there may be some cake, games, partying going on. we shall see. I am excited because I agreed to be one of the supervisors for the three day Moab river boat trip. This will take place in two weeks. Not only do I get to have my first river boat experience but because I am working they are giving me 4 days off the next week. So Corey, Maya and I are thinking of a trip to Manti to visit family, camping and attending a friends wedding. It is also the weekend of the Manti pageant. Havent decided if that will be part of the agenda or not. So put a check next to the goal of Jill finding a good job. 2. Maya Bug had her end of year dance recital. That was a fun night. She had a good crowd of her mom, grandmother, Corey and I and Corey's parents. We had fun watching all the dances but was most impressed with Maya "doin' her thang". She did a great job and we are very proud of her. She really lit up the stage. Maya is saying goodbye to dance and hello to swim this summer. I am pretty excited about that. 3. We welcomed a new nephew to the Burk Bunch. Porter Noah is the third boy to Jeff and Kendra (Corey's brother). he is soooooo cute and a great addition to the family. Parker and Payton are very proud big brothers. I am still praying for the day when the Burks and Kneelands get together. Ryan, Kade and Jake would have a blast playing with Parker and Payton. I also think it would be interesting to see whose family is more competitive. hmmm 4. Corey and his dad Cecil have been spending every extra moment working on finishing the second bedroom in the basement. I am still amazed that they are taking on this project but also very excited and grateful. We are all excited for Maya to have her own room. They have worked on framing, electrical, vents, insallation, sound boards and we are now dry walling. We hope the room will be done in the next month. We are never going to want to leave our little basement bungalow when the room is done. I also have to admit I am excited for this project because it leads to us cleaning out the garage and planning the big Burk Yard Sale. That is going to be an adventure. 5. I was feeling the pressure to be a part of everyone out here and start a garden. I wanted to go small as I have never grown anything before and there was a perfect 5x5 spot next to our front door. I bought some soil, my visiting teaching companion gave me wild flower seeds and I bought some herbs. Maya and I had fun planting everything and were very excited. Well then the dogs decided to have some fun eating all the herb starter kits. So no fresh herbs for us this summer. I am faithfully watering the wild flowers and am beginning to see a few green leaves. We shall see what happens to this project. 6. I am missing my friends and family terribly. I love being in Utah and appreciate everyone who is here but it is hard being away from Baltimore and the family. So please know if anyone is interested in coming to visit they are more than welcome. Well theres the May highlights. Hopefully June will be more exciting and I know Corey is working on posting some pictures so be ready. :-)

Employment, finally!!!

I had to send a post letting everyone know that yes the day has come when Jill has accepted a job offer. Whoohoo. I am perplexed at my feelings as I am excited and relieved but also scared and sad. I have enjoyed my stint of unemployment as it has provided many opportunities of becoming acclimated to my new city, spending time with friends and family, absence of stress and taking over household tasks. But I am excited to be back working helping others and feeling excited to accomplish new tasks. So, Corey tells me titles are important so my official title is Social Worker- Team Leader. I dont know if that is an impressive title but nonetheless that is now me. The program is Valley Woods, through Valley Mental Health. Valley Woods is a permanent residential setting for adults with sever mental health diagnoses, mainly Schizophrenia and Bipolar. I will be responsible for management a small caseload of clients, supervising case managers and helping with various administrative and program tasks. I am looking forward to working with adults as I have not done so for many years and the position excited me because it provided a good balance between direct care and administration/ management/ program development. So, I take a moment to say thank you to all of you who love me so much and shared your support, encouragement and prayers for me. This is a real blessing and it will help us with our goal of saving money for a house. Look forward to many positing of the adventures at work as I am sure there will be many.