Thankful

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I used to hate Thanksgiving as a kid for the mere fact that I didn't like the food. I'm so happy that I've finally grown up and not as picky as I once was, so now I look foward to the big meal as much as anyone else :) But besides that, Ross & I have so much to be thankful for this year even after we felt defeated time and time again. Here is what I'm most thankful for:

- Ross, who is my best friend and more
- Dakota, she's quite amusing, she makes me laugh everyday
- Our families, for always being there
- Our amazing friends, who also support us through good times & bad
- My job
- On that note, I'm thankful for getting laid off at the beginning of the year from my old job, as hard as it was, it was a blessing in disguise
- Ross' unending determination to succeed in his field
- Ross' & my ability to live frugally, or at least try to, and not be ashamed
- The purchase of our first house!
- As much as I complain about my car not having power windows or locks, I love my car for the mere fact that it is paid off and gets me from point A to point B

Ok, so I can go on and on about what I'm thankful for. I pray everyday that God never let us take for granted for what we DO have. We try to live simply and not beyond our means, and even though we may not be rich, or have everything our heart desires, or even the money to furnish our new home, I'm so thankful for what we DO have, and that's what I focus on. That's what makes me happy. And what's more important in life than being happy?!

Alright, this is all pretty sappy. Sorry. I've always been picked on in my family for the sappy emotions, but sometimes, you need to just sit back and realize how lucky we all are. Even with the struggles we all go through.

And the struggles you get through today will teach you a good lesson for tomorrow :)

Or maybe give you something to laugh about 10 years down the road. I can just picture it now, Ross & I in our new home, with 1 ugly red sofa and 1 coffee table, and 1 tv in our huge new living room, b/c we can't afford to buy any additional furniture to furnish our new house. HA! O dear....

The Big Move

Well, not yet. The big move is not 'til next Sunday, but Ross & I got a lot accomplished today to get ready for the move. We brought over 2 cars full of boxes in order to get a head start on moving. My grandma helped me clean the new apartment today while waiting for my delicious new washer & dryer to arrive. And when they did, I surely did a happy dance. I can't wait to do laundry without quarters!! I unpacked a few boxes, but there are definitely many more to go which will wait until we have some help next weekend. The old apartment is slowly getting packed up. Everyday I choose to eliminate something else and pack it away until next week. I can't believe how much stuff we have! And I've always been the frugal one in my family...geesh. (On another note....at least I did NOT have 5 boxes of "Kitchen Gadgets"!! *ahem* michelle. j/k, wait, no, she really DID have a million boxes of kitchen gadgets. Ok, ok, I should be nice or else she won't help us move.)

It's bittersweet saying good-bye to the old place, but I'm excited for some change. And I can already tell Dakota is going to love her big yard at the new place, as she was roaming around off-leash today for awhile, and surprisingly enough, did not run away.... Aw shucks, she must like me, she really really likes me! *ahem* Anywho, I'll be ecstatic to finally no longer have to look at a box! We've been packing up (out of boredom!) for the last 2 months. Unemployment does some weird things to you.

Besides that, I have an interview on Tuesday I'm excited about...andddd there I go jinxing it (maybe you should all wish me luck). And I've been applying to jobs for Ross (with his permission) since he seems to have no free time anymore, now that he's landscaping. He will def. owe me his life (o wait, isn't that what marriage is for?!?! j/k, j/k....it's because we LURV each other) if I get him a job.

So it seems like life is always keeping us on our toes at the Seibert household! But on another note....I hate packing... and moving.... who's idea was this anyway?!

Things are looking up...

Things are already looking up compared to how I was feeling last night.  No, sorry, no luck in the job search department (for me OR Ross), but I have an exciting weekend to look forward to. Tonight I get to hang out w/ the siblings and play some games, and tomorrow I unexpectedly get to hang out with my best friend, Ang, & her boyfriend, Mike, who decided to come home on a whim (from Bethesda, MD, where they reside).

Also, on to other great news (maybe?!), I am, for the first time, an Obama supporter *eek!!* Let me explain.....since I lost my job (of 3 years) on monday, me & Ross officially will not have any health coverage come the end of February, so we were looking at the option of buying COBRA through my work, and fretting about how much this was going to cost! Just another one of my stresses for the week.  Anyways, to make a long story short..... we would've had to pay $1,144/month!!! PER MONTH!!! $1,144!! Are you kidding me?!?! Well, thanks to Obama and whatever health-care bill he just passed (sorry for not keeping up on the latest politics!), since I was laid off, we only have to pay $400/month! What a difference.  THANK YOU mr. president :)

And to make things better...I finally got my car back today, that was wrecked a few weeks ago, talked about in this post.  I was responsible to pay $500 (my deductible) to get it fixed (overall damage: $3,300!! I guess it was more of a fender-bender than I originally thought!), but when I went to pick it up from the auto body shop, he told me to only pay him $250, since we are longtime customers, with my grandpa always getting service done there, and my dad knowing him well too :) :) :)  THANK YOU! I told him we really appreciate it, but he probably doesn't know JUST HOW MUCH we appreciate it.

All in all...I guess things are looking up.  We're getting a few breaks I would've never imagined.  I never thought I would say this...but it sucks to be jobless, I really miss the people I worked with, and I actually miss the job (one of the few I've enjoyed), but things are looking up.  I have a meeting with the school I graduated from, on Monday, that provides lifetime job placement, so we'll see what they can conjure up on the job-front.  Now if only Ross' school provided the same service, we'd be all set!

Late night venting...

I'm writing this entry at about 11:20 at night, so its safe to say that there will probably be a few things I would normally not mention or vent about.  But I'm stressed, and tired.  Tired of worrying, tired of waiting to see what the future might hold, tired of wishing for unattainable things.  I thought I put in my dues, but apparently not.  This year is already off to an awful start, to which I do not care to elaborate on, unless you've heard through my highly-gossipy-family-grapevine, and will probably test my patience more than ever in my life.  I just wish I could look ahead 6 months and know that things will be okay.  I hope this year at least ends on a good note, maybe our luck will turn around.  Maybe.  I'm usually very optimistic, always excited to what might come next.  But now I'm tired, and tired of waiting, tired of hoping.  Here's a toast to me & Ross.... best wishes in this new year. Sorry to throw us a pity party, but it's late at night, and right now....I'm allowing myself these few minutes to be self-centered enough to say that we deserve it....

Hello New Blog :)

Well, I got my new blog up & running.  In with the new, out with the old (Xanga, that is).  It was time for a fresh start, a new blog, and a new outlook on life (right?!).  Anyways, I always love to read blogs from some of my other family members to see what's new and interesting in their lives, and to not feel so out-of-touch with people.  As for me, life is smooth sailing, as always. Ross will be finishing up his Master's @ IUP in December (yay!) and will hopefully then be working full-time.  Extra moo-lah anyone?! Nope, not us, we'll actually be working towards saving for a house one day down the road, since we are both tired of the '1-bdrm apt.' living situation.  A place to call our own is on the top of my wish list right now :)  So other than that, life hasn't changed much for us. 

Dakota is keeping us happy and keeping our lives interesting, but we love her (don't let Ross fool you when he says otherwise!). I even bought her an adorable hoodie for camping. HA! I'm NOT one of those 'i-dress-my-dog-in-ppl-clothes-b/c-i-think-its-a-human' people, but its been getting chilly out and she's been cold at night while camping, so i had to do something about it.  Anyways, the hoodie was the only appropriate choice b/c what else do you wear when you go camping?! It even has her name stenciled on the back thanks to me having too much time on my hands :) O so appropriate for D and her stylish ways.

Anyways, don't worry, this blog is NOT all about D, she just happens to be the most amusing things in our lives thus far :)