Blessings of Appalachia

I made it to ASP land safe and sound, and it is SO good to be here. After a wonderful weekend of catching up with friends and celebrating a beautiful marriage I took the day to get to Johnson City!  I am very thankful for the women at the airline counter who overlooked my 55 lbs of luggage and put the heavy tag on with a smile.  I am thankful for the opportunity to volunteer to have my very heavy 30 lbs of carry on checked to my final destination free of charge.  I arrived in JC about 10 and was picked up from the airport and promptly spoiled with ASP hospitality.  In my first hour of employment there were milkshakes, my new staff shirts, and a set of keys to Stella Blue my car for the next few days.

It still amazes me how special the relationships I have built with my ASP family are even after a year of not seeing them, we quickly fall back into easy conversation and bantering.  I have started doing a bit of training- much less intense then the usual two weeks in Jonesville.  I'm learning a lot on my own and watching some quality YOUtube videos about OpenProj and reading through the staff manual.  Plus I had time to eat Chick-fil-a for lunch (it's been too long since my last visit to this yummy place).

Tomorrow will bring more training and preparations for the summer AND the arrival in Mitchell County my new home.  This week my center director in crime who has been taking the best care of Mitchell County and I will be working together to transition things and hopefully prepare for a smooth week three.  Plus while we are at it we can enjoy the benefits of being on a five person staff and have ALL the productivity and fun!

I am feeling equally nervous and excited about moving to Mitchell and what the next 8 weeks of summer have in store.  I am praying for God to help me overcome all of the expectations I have for myself and that I perceive that others have of me.  I am excited to see where the summer takes me and hopefully leads to a drawing into some sort of calling for the next year holds.

I won't deny that I LOVE getting mail in the summer and I usually work daily stops at the post office into our busy days to seek the joy of ripping open an envelope full of love and of course you can expect mail back too!

Send love notes, words of encouragement, things that will make me smile, and really anything you want :)

ASP Mitchell County
Attn: Caitlin Closs
General Delivery
Spruce Pine, NC 28777

Lots of Love from Johnson City!