Freeky Friday: The End

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Welcome to our final Freeky Friday! Today's topic is:

What was the best thing that happened to you this summer?

The theme of our summer (hell, of 2011) was change. We entered this summer as newlyweds, with a plan to eventually buy a house within the next year. Then, I decided to go to this open house (more on that later in my House Hunting series); all of a sudden, we were on a mission to buy as soon as we had enough money in the bank. We closed on August 9th, and we'll move in a few weeks from now.

Just prior to closing, Dave's firm took an ugly turn. I don't want to get into details, but he needed to get out. Unfortunately, the law world, like much of the job market, just ain't hiring. We were worried that Dave would be trapped. Not only was it a bad situation, it was an unstable one. He had no choice but to start looking when there wasn't anything to look for. I don't know whether it was a miracle, luck, or some really good networking, but an incredible position landed in his lap. He started work at another firm the week before we closed, and he's been enjoying it ever since.

As for me, I felt like I was ready for a change in my employment, too. I love working at Grady. As the largest Level 1 Trauma Center in the state, I see some things that I wouldn't normally get to see elsewhere. We have a really unique patient population, in that most of them are underfunded (or unfunded), and many are homeless. I believe in the mission of Grady, and I'm incredibly grateful that a place like it exists here in Atlanta. But when I saw that a new position opened up at Wellstar Kennestone Hospital, something told me to look into it. Not only did it look like I was going to get to see more neuro patients (I. LOVE. Neuro.), the hospital was only five miles from our new house. I was offered the position this Monday, and put in my notice at Grady the next day. I'll start September 19th.

Yes, all of these are wonderful changes, blessings that I'm humbled by and grateful for. But at first glance, they were scary changes. Why would we leave jobs just to venture out into the unknown, especially in this economic climate?! A house was a big scary investment that completely terrified me initially. At first, just thinking about the process gave me anxiety; now, I couldn't be more relaxed about moving in. I know that it won't be easy being a homeowner, but I view that house as a living thing: sometimes taking care of it will be frustrating and challenging, but it will be SO worth it. The best thing to happen to me this summer wasn't the fact that these wonderful changes happened. The best thing that happened was that somehow, I had the wisdom to see an opportunity when it presented itself, and I had the strength to go for it.

Thanks for participating in this series this summer. I had so much fun writing it, and reading all of your amazing responses! Check back next week to see who August's freeky winner is, and be sure to stop by next summer for some more Freeky Fridays!

In the meantime, tell me what happened to you this summer!


Remember, anyone can get Freeky on Fridays! You can participate in three different ways:

• Write a blog post using the badge html above, then comment on my post with a link to your post
• Tweet your answer using the tag #FreekyFriday
• "Like" the  Freekware Facebook page, then comment on there with your answer

Every time you post, tweet or comment in the month of August, you'll be entered to win some homemade cookies and a contribution to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society in your name. You still have three chances to win this week!