Job Hunt

It's back to the job hunt for this gal. I quit my new job yesterday after having some support from my best friend ;) (and husband, of course). But in all reality, it only made sense to quit now before it was too late and they kept wasting more of their time on training me, b/c I knew I was going to quit sooner or later. As it turns out, I was making more money on unemployment AND I was paying less for health insurance through COBRA (from my old job). The insurance at my new job was so ridiculously expensive, it took the pay-cut I had already planned on taking, much further down then we could have even lived off of. So I needed to quit before I became eligible for their insurance, so that I didn't lose my COBRA. I really wish I would've done the math before I accepted the position, but I guess we all make mistakes, right?!

Anyways, I've decided how much I miss the real estate industry, so I'm hoping that I can find another Admin job in a real estate office. Otherwise, I'm not sure what my "Plan B" is. We'll see how "Plan A" goes first. :)

As for Ross, he is still landscaping, and I pray that he can find a job in his career so that he does not hinder our camping season this summer!!! haha....I guess that is a pity worry, but I'm really excited for camping this year, and if he is landscaping, he'll most likely be working every Saturday. And my soul just can't take a season without camping in the great outdoors :) O listen to me...trying to sound all "out-doorsy," but I love camping! I love our tiny 3-person tent! And I love that most of our friends and family have gotten into camping recently, as well, so we have people to go with!

All in all, I'm still optimistic that we will both find jobs, even though it's taking longer than usual. The economy surely isn't helping, but I'm sure God has a plan for us :)

Welcome to my life....

Well, it's been a crazy-filled week, so let me just give you a quick recap:

Monday: I started my new job ....the "1st day of work" is always the worst, so I don't fret about it too badly after having a bad day

Tuesday: Still hate my new job....still miss my old job...welcome to my life/ Ross - still hates his job at Home Depot, after working there for 2 weeks, decides he should go back to landscaping (which he did a few summers ago when he was saving up to buy my engagement ring *awwwwww* ....*ahem*)

Wednesday: Still hate my new job, realize I hate the industry I'm now working in (401k's, pension plans, etc.), and still miss anything to do with real estate :( (aka my old job)/Ross - quits Home Depot, and calls his old landscaping boss to see if he could work for him again until he finds something in his degree

Thursday: Ross - officially done with Home Depot, starts landscaping tomorrow

Friday: Now that I'm done with the first week at my new job, I have a better feel of things, but I still don't like it. I know I can suck it up for a few weeks to see if the new job gets any better, but I need to figure out if its just the job I hate or if I'm just sick of being an admin. all together and need to find a new career path/ Ross - started landscaping today & fractured his finger on his first day of work.....comes home from work and thinks that I will share in the "funny-ridiculousness" of the situation...I do not. I say that he should be happy we still have "good" insurance through my old job (via cobra) b/c my new job offers crappy insurance that I have to pay outta my wazoo. I tell Ross not to injure himself anymore after May when the new crappy insurance kicks in. boo.

So...welcome to my life. It's been a tough week, but I'm sure things will start to look up. Until then, I'm gonna continue to hold a grudge & cry about being laid off of the job I actually did like, with people I liked. I like to hold grudges ...I learned that from my family. And I will do so until I find a new job that I like even better than the last. All in all ....Ross fracturing his finger put me over the edge for all I can handle this week, so I've been quite delirious while writing this post, and I hope it makes sense. I can't wait to see what this weekend has in store for me *sigh*.....

Spring has Sprung

The weather has been absolutely B-eau-ti-ful this week! And I took full advantage of it today by washing & detailing my car. It was pretty dirty, inside & out, and now I love it again after giving it a good wash and vacuum :) I also did a quick cleaning for the apartment and cracked the windows open to let in some fresh air. There's nothing better than fresh spring air when you've been trapped inside for the past 4 months. Anyways, as much as I am enjoying the nice weather, I'm praying that it gets cold and rainy again for a few weeks....so that I can concentrate on starting my new job (on Monday) and not wishing I was still jobless in order to enjoy the nice sunny weather! it's back to the job world for this gal....

Job Update

So much has happened in the past 2 days, I thought I would fill you in. First of all, my job dilemna has been solved. After my phone screening with Westinghouse, it was clear to me that I needed to take the first job...which I am excited about! Westinghouse was simply screening calls so they could collect a new pool of candidates IF a job were to open up. So basically, they put me into their pool of candidates so that when THEY are ready to hire someone, they can look at who their options are and go from there. So the chances of them calling back anytime soon are slim, but if they do, I could always go for it and see, but I certainly can't sit around and wait for them.

So now that Westinghouse is out of the picture, I can focus on my other job offer. The company I will be working with is called "Metro Benefits" and I will be starting on Monday, the 22nd. Their located right on Perry Highway, hence the 10-minute commute! They are a smaller company, about 25 ppl, so its the size of office I've always liked working in, and everyone I met was really friendly on my interview. I'll be doing a Receptionist/Admin. position (again) but that's ok. Hopefully one day, I can move into primarily an Admin. Assistant position. But the best part of this job....they wear jeans everyday! I'm not sure how much I'm going to like that....I kind of like wearing dress pants, but I'm sure I'll love it in no time :)

So thank you to everyone for the advice! I think I'll be really happy with my choice, and I'm so excited.

In other news, Ross had a really great interview the other day! It was the same day that I was offered a job, so you can imagine the level of excitement in our household that day! We don't know if he'll get the job or not (and we're trying not to get our hopes up), but it's promising to see that at least he had such a good interview and wasn't another waste of time. I'm praying for him....so that he can quite working at Home Depot (where he just started & already hates!) and start on a career related to his field. He deserves it...so please keep him in your prayers :)

Lastly, just a few updates on the new apartment....
- we bought a fridge from the "Sears Dent & Scratch Outlet", yet it was a brand new fridge for a good price
- we bought a used stove from a store in Butler, so that's another appliance out of the way
- and lastly, we're going to buy our brand-new front-loading washer & dryer from Sears today, b/c they happen to have an awesome discount on the exact model we want (which was marked as a "Best Buy" in the Consumer Report. Boy, did I do my research or what?!)! I can't wait! And I'm glad to be done with appliance shopping. It was a lot of effort to figure out exactly what we wanted while still being reasonable, then shopping around for the best price. But we did it (let's be honest....I did it, not we), and now we're done. I can't wait to move in!

Another Insightful Thought....

Well, I'm happy I could rub off my positive attitude on a few people from my last post. I guess I WAS insightful, b/c I ended up landing a job!! Finally!! But you know what I've learned, that your career path is not necessarily dictated on the skills and experience you have listed on your resume. Yeah, it might look good and land you an interview, but all in all, I think it's all about "timing."

I had an interview on Tuesday with this company that called me back today to offer me the job. They are a smaller company, that handles organizations 401(k)'s (HEY! maybe they tell me what the heck to do with my 401(k) from my last job :) ....anywho!) .....they wear jeans EVERYDAY, the 5 people I met on my interview were all really friendly and laid-back, I have free parking, and it's only a 10-minute commute! Hallelujah!

BUT....here's where the "timing" comes into play....I have a "phone screening" tomorrow (Fri.) with an administrative job I applied to for Westinghouse. WESTINGHOUSE! I didn't think they'd actually call back when I applied!! Holy cow!! SO....do I go ahead and just take the job I was offered....with so-so pay, but a great work environment, alas doing a job that keeps me in the same position I've been in for 3 years? I mean...Westinghouse would give me that boost in my career, and probably offer a heck of a salary.

Hm...what a dilemma. I haven't accepted the first job yet, but I only have a few days to decide. And most likely, Westinghouse would take weeks to get through the whole interview process. So I guess I will end up taking the first job, and hopefully I don't miss out on Westinghouse. Heck, maybe after tom.'s phone screening...I won't want it anyway. I guess I gotta take it one step at a time.

So to sum it up...my career path is being dictated based on timing.

Laid Back on Life....

Or laid off. Maybe that would suit the title more. But what have I learned in my few weeks of no job, and job searching day-in and day-out, hoping to make a break into the job world again? That God has a plan for each and every one of us. My patience is being tested everyday. I feel like it's taking longer than usual to find a job (in my field, that is) but I know that He has a plan for me. And I also feel that He is laughing at MY plan for myself - - aka: To be employed. Ha...ha. Funny Him. I hope He knows something that I do not. And I hope that it is something along the lines of knowing that the perfect job just hasn't come along yet. So I remain hopeful. I put my trust in the Lord. I know that He does not give us more than we/I can handle. So here's to the Almighty. And knowing that He's always with me, encouraging me along, with maybe a pat on the back here & there......

Good Will Hunting

If I haven't mentioned before, one of my newest hobbies is shopping for home decor items at the local Goodwill thrift shop. You wouldn't believe the things you can find, and things that you can bring home and give a new life to. And you can't beat the prices. Especially when I'm always looking for ways to save on home decor. I just love rummaging through their items and seeing what I can come up with. Well, here are a few items I'm most proud of that I've found recently...

Here I scored a Deer statue, for only $2.99! I love the size of it...it's only about 7" tall, so it's perfect for a bookshelf, and it's a classic decor item that I can use all winter long:I REALLY wish I would've taken a "before" pic of this deer. It was an ugly "gold-ish" tarnished color, but I gave it new life after I primed it with a coat of Primer Spray Paint, then sprayed it with a Brushed Silver spray paint. The paints cost me a total of $5, so for only $8....I think I got a great deal. And I love that it mimics this bigger deer statue that I bought last year at Kohl's, 2 days after Christmas for only $7:
So what do you think?! Hit or miss?!

Secondly, I bought these two matching Pillar Candle Holders (the candles I already owned). Each pillar cost me $1.99. I love the look, and there really sturdy, almost like a cast iron. I even love that their a bronze look, but if I change my mind and hate the color down the road, I can always spray paint them another color, but for now, I'm happy with how they look:

And the most exciting news yet?!?!! I was just putting these puppies away today, to get ready for the "big move", and decided to take the stickers off of the bottom, but as I was looking at the stickers, I discovered 2 great finds!! First, these puppies are originally from Pottery Barn! SCORE! And guess how much they charged for them??

Any takers??

$14.00!!!!

EACH! As in - - I paid $3.98 for both, when they were originally $28! Yikes!

Here's the pic to prove it:You see! And the little green sticker is my scrumptous $1.99 I forked out for this puppy. And underneath the sticker the Pottery Barn logo is also engraved into the pillar, you can kind of see in the pic, but the stickers are covering it up. Anyways, I was so excited about my find, I just had to share. I loved my pillars before I knew there true worth, but now I love them a little more :)

Keeping Busy...

Finally!! After weeks of unemployment, mine & Ross' insanity has been put to the test, and we've tried just about anything to keep us preoccupied. Of course, we're constantly on the lookout on the job front, but until then, we're desperate for things to do. Well, as of yesterday, we had to make the decision of whether or not to renew our lease for our apt. at Presidential Arms. I've been here for 3 years now (Ross -2 years) and we're both sick & tired of paying rent, and we just can't commit ourselves to being tied down to another year-long lease. And we're just not in the position to buy a house just yet. Our lives are so "up in the air" with not knowing where our jobs are going to be (hopefully close, but you never know), or where we'll be in 6 months or even 1 year, so signing up for another year just didn't seem worth it. AND we would love to be SAVING, rather than spending....who wouldn't?! SOOooo...*drum roll please* we've decided to downsize (yes, yes, i know...there ain't much downsizing to be done when you're already living in a 1-bdrm. apt.!!!!) and move to the empty apt. that my grandparent's have over their detached garage (for little or no rent!). We're literally packing up anything and everything that we haven't touched or don't use in our everyday lives and putting it into my parent's garage for storage until, one day, we can upgrade to a bigger space. (p.s. - Sorry mom & dad...we all know how much you LOVE having your kid's crap stored in your garage! JUST as soon as Mike & Michelle finally got their stuff out...here we come!! :)

So, anyways, we've got 2 months left here at Presidential Arms. *Tears please* Don't worry, I will do a post dedicated to my first apt. before we leave. I have to. It's only necessary to document your first home of independence. I will miss it, but at the same time, I'm excited for a new change.

And of course, I'm excited to have an excuse to spend money on some home decor for the new place :) The amount of hatred I have for clothes shopping is quickly made up for in home decor shopping! I dream of curtains and rugs and color schemes. I dream of finding deals for this stuff as well b/c a deal is always sweeter than paying full price. OHHH Ikea! Here I come! I'm tingly all over just thinking about it. So, for the next few weeks, we will be busy packing stuff up, and moving down the road 10 minutes. I'm excited even though the new place is much smaller. It'll be a fun change.

Oh, and did I mention that we need to buy a stove & fridge as well for the apt.?? I've found a few great deals on used stoves on Craigslist, and now I'm officially giddy with excitement about how fun it is to find great deals on that website. We're thinking of buying a new fridge, since a second fridge can always be handy in a home one day, so I'll have to start researching a few. AND we also need to buy my own washer & dryer for the place. MY OWN WASHER & DRYER! NO QUARTERS NECESSARY! *gulp* I'm giddy again. I should go before I'm overloaded with giddiness.......