Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Little Farmer Boy

Nathan has been on leave this last week, but since funds are short we opted for a staycation! Saturday we got up early and drove to the John Deere Pavilion in Moline, IL. Nathan is a farmer at heart so I thought he would enjoy seeing some tractors and such.

He was so cute, trying to explain what each piece of equipment did. Funny thing is that there were many "Nathans" there trying to explain the complexities of farming to glossy-eyed "Hollys".


He even got to ride in one. Ok, he isn't exactly riding, but he is sitting.



I posted more pics on facebook and quite a few arty ones on my photoblog. You should check them out. Really, you should.

Friday, July 24, 2009

Boring...

Sorry for not updating, but my days are not really that exciting. An average day goes like this:

Up at 5:45 to go walking with Sara at 6
Back between 8 & 9
Shower
Breakfast
Search Monster.com, Craigslist, USAjobs.com, hotjobs, etc for jobs
Send out resumes
Nap
Watch TV/read/craft something
Kill time till Nathan gets home
Dinner
Take Besta out
Bed

Exciting huh?? This weekend should be a little more exciting. We've got some super fun stuff planned for Saturday and Sunday and the best part is that they are both FREE! Hope all of you Beehive State'rs have a good holiday weekend, I wish I was there. Well, truthfully I wish I was at Bear Lake. :)

Sunday, July 19, 2009

10 years

One of my Senior Pics


My 10 year High School reunion was this weekend. I wasn't able to go, but I wanted in on the nostalgia so I went through a bunch of old pictures and uploaded them onto facebook and had some fun reminiscing. (If you didn't get to see them and want to - because lets face it, seeing 10 year old pictures of Holly was at the top of your wish list this year...right? - then by all means friend me on facebook!)

I have thought a lot about how much my life has changed since then, and how much I have changed. I thought about the trials I've endured (and continue to endure) and blessings I've received (and hopefully will continue to receive) and all the roads I've seen inbetween. My life is very different than I thought it would be 10 years post high school, but I wouldn't trade it for the world. If I could somehow go back in time ten years to my giddy self and pass on some advice it would look like this:



Don't worry that you didn't fit in. It won't matter in the long run who you lockered with or which table you sat at in the lunch room. The quality of your character is not measured by the label on your jeans or the stitching on your shoes.

Don't stop running. It will help you keep sane and healthy in the years to come. Running will provide a solace in stormy weather. Keeping the habit will be easier than rebuilding it.

Hold fast to the friends you have, good friendships take work but are worth all the effort. The heartbreak of losing a friend is not easily healed.

When the road in life gets rocky, remember that nothing great comes without sacrifice. If it is easy, it isn't worth it.


I'm on the red carpet, in a red robe, smack dab in the middle...curtseying

Thursday, July 16, 2009

Its Official

They went with someone else.
Time to hit the pavement.
Again.

To market, to market

First the Admin Assistant for the payment processing company. Um, ya. NOT AT ALL what the recruiter (who shall from now be referred to as the Idiot Stick Figure) sold it to me as. Turns out it is more of a help desk/operations type job. I would not be an admin assistant in any sense of the word. I would be one of a team of four who do the IT stuff for the company. The hours were WAY stickier than the Idiot Stick Figure told me too. They are open 365 days a year from 6am to 9pm and someone from the four person team has to be there at all times. They tried to re-assure me saying that I wouldn't have to work the WHOLE holiday. If I worked Christmas, I wouldn't have to work Christmas Eve. Sounds good? Ya, it would be if I didn't have to travel 600 miles to be near our closest family (and the majority of our family is 1500 miles away). The Idiot Stick Figure took my resume, altered it to "make it more uniform". The problem? She made SEVERAL grammar/spelling mistakes. She had emailed it to me, and told me to take two copies with me to the interview. I corrected all the errors....but she had emailed it to them (which I didn't know) so when I showed up they had the other, error ridden one. I was SO embarrassed when I saw it. I would NEVER send out a resume with mistakes like that. After the interview I had to decide if I would be interested in the job and let the Idiot Stick Figure know. I decided that even a sucky job is better than no job. So I called and told them I was still interested, if it came to that. I'm still waiting to hear back.

Well, I never heard back from the downtown job.(Group Administrator for the marketing firm) I was kinda ticked about it. After my second phone interview I hadn't heard back when they said I would so I was proactive and called them. The woman I spoke to said they were making a decision and would let me know that afternoon or first thing the next morning. That was last Thursday. I'm guessing I won't hear back. I don't know about any of you but I feel like if I make the effort to interview with you the least you could do is make the effort and let me know if I got the job.

The softball thing was not good. It was not enough hours for WAY less pay, and they required me to go to a two week training, that was NOT paid. Um, I don't think so. The business is family owned and I have had my share of that over the years. The interviewer also asked me almost every illegal question out there: How old are you? Are you married? Do you have any kids? (There is something else, but it makes me sound shallow...part of my job would have been to clean the bathrooms...um, I don't think so)

So it looks like I am back on the market. Hmpf.

Sunday, July 12, 2009

Saturday, July 11, 2009

Walkabout

This morning on my walk I let my shoes do this:


So my feet could do this:


I love the beach.

Thursday, July 09, 2009

Happy Birthday Frank!

Our little black furry menace turns two today. I can't believe he's only two...seems like we've been dealing with the 'terrible twos' for the last 6 months or so.
He is such a sweet kitten, when he wants to be. He loves to cuddle, and is quite a morning person. He does have his menace streak...for instance: at night if he isn't ready to go to bed and we are in bed trying to go to sleep, he will jump up on the dresser/desk/nightstand and knock things off to get our attention. By far the cutest thing he does is crawl up onto my shoulder al la parrot. He will just sit there snuggled into my neck as long as I'll let him.

Happy Birthday Frank! Mom's going to have some cake for you...don't you worry!

Wednesday, July 08, 2009

Never in a million years...

You''ll never guess what I found.

Tuesday, July 07, 2009

Feast or Famine

It is crazy how in life it seems like it is either feast or famine.

I have been on the hunt for a job for over three months. I had one interview right at the very beginning (like the day after I submitted my first resume), I was offered the job and I turned it down (it was an hour commute each way). At the time I thought that if I had received an offer only 24 hours into my job search I was sure to find something else soon, so I had no hesitation turning the job down. After that it was famine. I sent off at least one resume EVERY DAY, most days I sent of several. I only heard back from the scammers. My favorite was the guy who was going to pay me $30/hr to sit at home and 'process payments'. All I had to do was deposit the payments into my checking account, and simply forward the money on to him. Minus my salary of course. If only it were that easy.
Then I appealed for help. I had the thought to update my profile on Monster.com, so I did. The next day I got a call from a corporate recruiter. When I was on my way to that interview I got a call from another recruiter. Then today I get an email response from one of my Craigslist submissions. Talk about a feast.

First is an Admin Assistant position for a payment processing company. The company is about a 30 minute drive, which I'm learning is not bad for Chicagoland. The hours would be funky though...most days I would work 6am-2pm, but sometimes I would need to work 12pm-9pm. I already interviewed with the staffing agency recruiter and she forwarded my resume on to the company and they want to interview me. That one is this Thursday.
Second is the Group Administrator for a marketing/digital consulting firm. This job is downtown, and is super convienient since the Metra line that runs in our area ends in the building where this company is located. It would be about an hour commute each day when you factor in the walk to the Metra stop and then the time on the train (funny how now an hour commute doesn't seem so bad). I have had two phone interviews with them so far. Next is a face-to-face, they are supposed to call me Tuesday to set it up. When I asked, I was told the field has been narrowed to 3.
Third is a Receptionist for an indoor softball facility. This would be way more laid back than the others, and I don't think it would be near as much money, BUT it is the closest to our place...it is actually on the same street we live on, just about 40 blocks west. I have an interview with them on Wednesday.

So, the field is ripe, ready to harvest...here's to hoping I get a couple offers, well, I'd be happy with one. Thanks for your thoughts and prayers, I know they have helped.

Friday, July 03, 2009

Wednesday, July 01, 2009

New Year's Resolutions

So back at the first of the year I reviewed 2008 and looked ahead at some goals I had for 2009. In case you don't feel like clicking on the link, here they are. I thought this would be a good place for me to stand accountable for what I've done so far...and hopefully re-ignite my want to be better.

In 2009 I want to:
-Do something nice for someone everyday
So I was really good about this first, but I have yet to do something EVERY day. I do think about it and then I try to do good that day, so I guess that's something.
-Read a new book each month (you can join me here)
I have more than done well with this one. So far this year I have read: The Secret, Skeletons at the Feast, Atonement, The Count of Monte Cristo, My Sister's Keeper, Time Traveler's Wife, The DaVinci Code, Angels and Demons, Tuesdays with Morrie, The Appeal
-Take a photography class
I took a class on lighting...I still want to do more. Hopefully once I get a job I can afford a class or two.
-Do everything we need to do to get our end of adoption all set up
Nothing here...we are in a holding pattern until the house sells and we dig ourselves out of this financial hole.
-Go back to church
Um, I've been twice. Does that count?
-Read the BOM & DnC again by year end
I moved my scriptures back by the bed, and I look at them guiltily as I fall asleep.
-Learn at least one solo/concerto on piano
Started learning Claire DeLune...now I am a bit freaked out about my neighbor situation.
-Learn at least one solo/concerto on flute
Nothing yet.
-Do 100 scrapbook pages
I did an album, that had 20 pages. So 20/100
-Be better at remembering everyone's birthdays
I have done HORRIBLY at this one. Unless you're on facebook you probably don't get birthday wishes from me. I am sorry. I really do want to be better.
-Do one thing a month that scares me
Hmmm...January: ? February: Sleep with a gun under my pillow March: Moved across the country to an unknown city. April: Start the job search again amidst fear of rejection. May: Killed spiders...lots of them. June: ?
-Be more grateful
This I have really gotten good at (well, at least better than I used to be). I am grateful for all the little things people have done and continue to do for us.


Well, I know what I still need to work on.