Dreams, Faith, and Phone Calls

I had yet another wedding dream last night - that's my third one! This one was even longer, but thankfully, less disastrous. I think my dream spanned the entire day before my wedding, and the entire day of my wedding. That's a long dream! I don't really remember most of it. I do, however, remember what went wrong.

Because, when a bride dreams about her wedding, it always has to be a dream about any possible problem that could occur, just to make her even more nervous than she already is.

The two main problems in this dream were a) the fact that I had forgotten to go to our photo shoots, both before the wedding, and in between the ceremony and the reception, and b) that someone burst into our room that night to tell Art that he had to go to war! How ridiculous is that!

Thank goodness I never have prophetic dreams. And just a note about problem #2: it was very late at night. Very much sleeping in that part of the dream. Very G-rated.

I suppose the dream might have shook me up more than I think. I was supposed to go out tonight to see a comedy show put on by a local up-and-coming comedian, and I was looking forward to it, but as the day went on I started to feel sick for no apparent reason. So I had to call my friends at the last minute and bail on them.

I promised to pay the $5 for the ticket anyway, since they had bought the tickets in advance. I insisted. It was within my budget, and I had withdrawn the money for exactly that reason.

Remember, in my last post, how I said that I'm not worried about my future? Well, it's still true. I'm not worried about my job or my life, or about money. I'm simply being very careful with my money, even more so than I ever have been. I'm not destitute, and I still have a job. I got paid yesterday like usual.

But I don't know if I'll get one more full pay cheque. I want to ensure that I'll have enough money to spend on necessities if there will be a span of time between this job and my next job.

Also, it's pretty much guaranteed that my next job won't be paying as much. So I must learn to be as frugal as possible. Which is actually pretty easy for me, considering I don't own a car, or a cell phone, and I don't pay bills or buy groceries. And that will all change when I move to the US in three months. And until my paperwork comes through, I won't be able to work at all there.

So I'm preparing myself for the future. Getting into habits now that will help me out later on. And while I'm on the subject, please remember to pray for my paperwork. It's a little easier for me to have faith about my future before the wedding, than it is for my future after the wedding.

Well, I hear the garage door opening, which means my parents are home, which means my dad will probably want to use the computer. Tomorrow I'm going to my niece's baby dedication, and then I have a very lengthy mentor meeting to attend, and then my very bestest friend from Edmonton is going to call me. We've been trying coordinate this phone call for two weeks! See you on Monday!

Okay. I Think I'm Finally Back. With A Huge Announcement.

So, are you all itching and dying and wondering what is going on around here? The wait is over. Here is the big news:

The company I work for has gone bankrupt.

Yeah. Bet you didn't see that one coming. Neither did I.

I'm sure most of you know that I work as a receptionist, but you don't all know where. And that's on purpose. (Most of the people who read this probably know me, so those people know where I work.) I'm not going to reveal the name of the place that I work at, but I will tell you more about it.

The company I work for is (was?) in the Swine and Poultry industry. Pigs and chickens. Hundreds of farms across three prairie provinces. Agriculture rules these provinces. And we were a big partner for a lot of them.

I don't know much about politics or economics, but now I know just how much it affects me (and other people). The Canadian dollar got really strong last year, stronger than the US dollar, and we Canadians thought that was a good thing. But at our company, we knew that was bad news.

You see, any pigs that are born and raised in Canada eventually end up in the States. They need to be slaughtered and prepared for grocers, and once upon a time, a decision was made to shut down all slaughter houses in Canada. So the pigs must go to the States. But if our dollar is suddenly stronger, we can't sell our pigs across the border, because there won't be a profit there.

Another thing along that line is a policy that the US is going to implement soon, that won't allow Canadian pigs into the States at all, because grocers don't want to sell pork that has the Canada label on it. They only want to sell American pork.

Take these two issues and add to that the ever-rising cost of feed for these animals, and you have a recipe for disaster. The Canadian Hog industry is going down the hole. Hundreds of barns being closed, farms being lost, and families who are out of an income, and a livelihood.

The company I work for is severely affected by this. Our executive team and our CFO have been meeting with an accounting firm to look at everything our business is doing, and what changes need to be made in order to move forward. They've actually known, for months, that it might come to this. But they only announced it to our office last week Wednesday.

I suppose a lot of people suspected that this might happen, but I am naive when it comes to how a business is run, so I had no idea.

So we're bankrupt. We have been received by another company. But we're not closing our doors. Well, we kind of are. As far as my understanding goes, the company still wants to continue, and it is possible to do that. It will be a lot smaller though, and probably at a different location. Very likely, in fact.

You may or may not have noticed that I didn't say I was out of a job. I'm not out of a job yet. I was told yesterday that I'll probably be around for another week at least. As long as the phone rings, somebody needs to answer it, and that somebody is me. But others will be out of a job. At some point.

Today was still business as usual. There is a lot of activity around here as we are figuring things out, shutting things down, or transitioning. It's a little tense (okay, sometimes it's a LOT tense) because everyday, everyone is wondering if they will suddenly be told that they don't need to come in the next day.

I know this post is long, I hope you're still tracking with me. I must tell you that I am optimistic. I'm not worried about anything. I am surprisingly encouraged. The men who own (owned?) this company are quality, upstanding, Christian men who have conducted their business with the highest moral standards, and they care about the industry, about our customers, and about the staff. I respect them and admire them both professionally and personally. I trust them with whatever decisions they make regarding my job. I would trust them with my life.

Even more so, have an amazing, loving, caring, personal God who has never let me down, and He isn't going to start now. I know that He will always take care of me. He always knew this coming, and He has always had plan in place. I don't know what that looks like yet, but I'm not anxious.

Of course, the fact that I have a savings in place, only a few months left in the country anyway, and no expenses also helps me cope with this situation. Others that I work with are not so lucky. They have bills, rent or a mortgage, or family to take care of. I've heard a few people say that they will probably have to move. Two of my coworkers are also planning weddings: one for herself, and one for her daughter. They are downright scared, and I completely understand.

I have no right to complain at this point, and I don't want to anyway. I thank God everyday for the earthly provisions He has made that will keep me safe for the next little while, and for the provisions I know He is making for me out in Washington. I can see very clearly that I am extremely blessed. Now it's my job to pass on that joy and optimism to everyone I encounter. God definitely deserves the glory on this one!

Just Popping In. Again

Hey all. I am truly sorry I haven't been around much. I can't wait to get back to blogging regularly. Here's the deal: I normally blog at work (which is not bad or illegal. Sometimes I don't have work to do, so I am free to peruse the internet). But work has been so hectic due to recent events that I do not want to casually mention here. It deserves it's own post, and I am working on that.

In the evening, I am at home, but not necessarily free to be in the computer. We only have one computer (okay, we have actually have two, but they are beside each other) so either way: when someone else is on one computer, both computers are unavailable. And my parents like to be on the computer(s) just as much as I do. Also, I'm often on the phone with Art in the evening.

And I'm not one of those who can quickly sit down and spit out a witty, informative blog in under two minutes. Except for now. But even then, before I write a post, it is stewing in my head for a while. Even this one. So that's what's going on lately, I promise that I'm trying to get back into the swing of things. But until then, expect more of these.

I really must get back to work. Ta-ta for now!