Okay, my news!

So, I have been the program coordinator of the Summit Youth Centre for, hmm… I guess five years. Part of the first year as assistant coordinator, then taking on the top role.
So anyhow, it has never been a high paying position. It started out as $14/hour, but only 25 hours per week. Then I was raised to $15 an hour, for 30 hours per week. But it was never enough to actually live on, so I have always had a second job. Last year it was at Gerry Gelati, which I LOVED, but I was working an average of 70 hours per week (of course not all paid hours), and was pretty well exhausted. (You see, I have been paying my rather large business loan the whole time, but not actually focusing on my business because the youth centre seemed (and seems) like such a vital part of the community). Plus, this valley is horrifically expensive to live in. Most recently I have been working with literacy, teaching senior citizens how to use computers. It cut my hours down a bit, but also my income a little. And... well, let's just say while I love the actual job and the seniors... it may not have been the best choice I have ever made.
Long story short: at the youth centre there has never been enough money to pay me properly and give me full time hours. But without being paid properly and at full time, I could never find the funding situations to make that happen. It's a chicken and egg thing, really.
So, I had a “wee” breakdown about a week and a half ago, told my assistant coordinator I was going to quit both jobs and find one that was only 40 hours a week and paid properly (even had an offer), and my assistant totally freaked. So, after badgering me for what seemed like hours, she convinced me to let the board of directors know what was going on. She also wrote to the board and told them her thoughts… fairly bluntly.
So I did it. I let them know as much as I love this work, I simply cannot go on like this.
So, they bit the bullet, decided to scrunch the budget, put our dream budget into action right away, and pay me the full 40 hours per week, and raise me to $20 per hour, with the understanding I go out and get what we need to stay on with our dream budget.
Which means: I can work ONE JOB!
The other bonus to this is once I secure an endowment fund for the centre, and I am ready to go, I can leave the job, open my photo shop, and just be a board member, but we will have a job to offer that is actually attractive to someone.
Of course, the downside to this is now the pressure is really seriously on for me to find a lot more money as our bank accounts will now drain faster, and really soon, but, at least I can focus on it solely.
So, the past few days I have been speaking to them all, and I realize all of a sudden how truly weary I have become over the past year or so, have told the literacy position I am quitting and hopefully it will only be one more week with that. And, I will be able to rest. Crazy man. Crazy!
Ian is even more relieved than I am I think, and hugged me ever so tightly when I told him.
So that is my news! Seems jobs are the changing tide for me, Lesley, Dale and Rache!