Decisions, decisions

Anyone who has read my blog before knows that I've been searching for a job for months. While I'm still on the hunt, I've had to make a decision, and I will soon be searching from afar.

Let me explain. I have multiple friends from high school getting married this summer as well as one of my sisters. In addition, I will soon become an aunt for the first time, thanks to my other sister. That means there are lots of showers, parties, dinners, weddings and other big events that will be taking place in my hometown, located in Minnesota, over the summer.

When I first found out about all of these exciting happenings, my plan was to find a job in Southwest Florida after graduation and fly back to Minnesota on a few key weekends to attend the most important events. Well, fast forward five-plus months and I still don't have a job, so earlier this month I had to revisit my initial plan. Should I stay in Florida, continue trying to find a job and make it back for only the weddings? If I stay, I may not even find a job by the end of the summer, which means I will have missed out on all the smaller things for nothing. (I'm a member of two of the wedding parties, so it's kind of a big deal to attend the other events leading up to the big days.) Or should I fly back for a majority of the summer, continue my search from there and be able to help plan and attend everything?

I decided it's important to be there for my friends and family. These are moments that are only going to happen once, and I might as well take advantage of my ability to take an extended "vacation." I don't want to regret missing out, so I'm going to enjoy what will hopefully (you know what I mean) be my last free summer.

I'm very excited that I'll be there for my sister's due date. I haven't been there to help her through her pregnancy, but I'll be around to help her after my niece is born. (Her husband is away, stationed in Iraq.) I'll also be able to attend my other sister's bridal and bachelorette parties, as a maid of honor should. Plus, Minnesota is beautiful in the summer (as you can see from the picture below, which I took the summer before I moved).I'll continue my search for a PR job; I'll just be doing it from a little farther north. I'm going to apply for fall internships with various branches of some of the bigger PR firms. Many of them are paid, and I've read they often fill their entry-level positions with successful interns. I know landing one of these positions won't be any easier than landing a job, but it'd be a great learning experience and an opportunity to test out a new city. (My boyfriend and I have been discussing the possibility of moving after his graduation and considering different locations.)

If I do find a great opportunity in Florida while I'm gone, I can always come back and resort to my original plan of flying back on various weekends. At this point, I'm open to all possibilities.