Rain, Rain, Go Away

I have a TON of errands to run today, and it's raining :( I hate running errands in the rain, in case running errands isn't bad enough, now its wet out, and people are dumb when it comes to driving in the rain. O well....I'll gladly let it rain this weekend if that means it'll be nice next weekend for our camping trip with friends :) Hence the reason I have so many things to do....just trying to get ready for our first camping trip of the season and getting things done that can't be done next weekend. I can't wait for next weekend! It's gonna be a blast :) Now I just gotta get through my to-do list for today, and hopefully not be a total wreck at the end of the day. Who knows, if I have any time or energy left, Ross said he would take me to see Shrek Forever After!! I lurv Shrek! I read a few bad reviews, but what do those critics know anyways?! I don't think I'll be too disappointed (just give me a bag of popcorn and this girl is happy!). But don't I just have the sweetest husband that will take me to a movie he could careless to see just b/c I want to go?! I know.. I think he's pretty awesome too :)

Weekend blabbering

So week 2 of work is over, and I would say that it's def. getting better everyday. I'm finally learning my way around, asking a ton of ?'s and having an idea of who to go to for help, and basically feeling more comfortable w/ the job as time goes on. It's been a hectic 2 weeks, but it's only getting better. I went to happy hour after work w/ some co-workers yesterday, which was fun. I ended up staying a lot longer than I had planned, but that was ok. I needed to get to know the people I work with, so it was a perfect excuse. Their all really friendly, and I think I'll really enjoy this job in the long run.

Other than work keeping me busy, Ross & I are looking forward to camping in a few weeks w/ some of our closest friends. We're taking advantage of memorial day weekend to camp, and we're going to try out white-water rafting for the first time.... I can't wait! It's def. the one thing I can look forward to that's getting me through my 1st month of work! So that should be fun and hopefully we have nice weather. Oh...and if anyone has suggestions about what is best to wear for white-water rafting, please do tell! I'm kind of at a loss....

Besides that, no new updates. Everything is calm and back to normal at the Seibert household, now that I'm back to work and Ross is keeping busy landscaping. Of course, he's back on the job hunt after taking a break for awhile, so hopefully he hears something soon. I know he's anxious to be out of the heat all day and have his back feeling normal again!

5 days down...Infinite to go...

I just finished up my first week at Westinghouse, and let me tell you, it has been a roller coaster! Monday I had to sit through an 8-hr. orientation w/ a classroom of other new hires, to learn all about the history and future of Westinghouse. It was a long day, but was very well organized and executed. Maybe they've done this more than once, huh?!

Tuesday was a different story. It was my first official day in my job. I was shown my workspace, met a few of my coworkers, and then thrown to the wolves. Literally. The conversation went a little like this:

me: "So who exactly will be training me?"
manager: "oh, funny you should ask. We actually don't have anyone to train you."
me: *speechless* *dumbfounded* *shocked* "ummmm....ok"

So .....the rest of the day was basically a blur of trying to get settled in, yet having no clue what I should be doing, what I might be doing in the future, etc. Wednesday was basically the same story, but with work actually given to me. I think I had 3 panic attacks, and 2 hours of being on the verge of tears. Sadly, I'm not exaggerating.

Thursday, I guess they finally decided they needed someone to help me out (since I only mentioned it a few hundred times!). One of the admin.'s from another floor came up to help me get started...I mean, the security at this place is so ridiculous, I couldn't even DO work if I had wanted. I had no clue how to get any of my usernames, passwords, etc., etc., etc. And every time I tried asking for help, they'd tell me to call the helpdesk, who would reply "oh, just contact your admin...she should know." I AM THE ADMIN.!!! ugh. this was going no where. Once I met with the admin. on Thursday morning, things were going a lot smoother. For one thing, I could finally log into the xerox machine to make a copy! Wahoo...progress. Friday was also a surprisingly good day. I got some work, had a lot of questions (but at least I knew who to go to for help) and got a few things accomplished. I even had a 'group' lunch with a few people in my department.

Overall, I'm ecstatic for the first week to be over with. It's always the worst, even if you try to prepare for it, you can't. So my motto for now, which is proving to be true so far, "every day will be better than the last." Maybe that's why I liked my old job so much, b/c I was there for so long, I knew what I was doing. I liked knowing the answer when someone would ask me a question. So I know that if I give Westinghouse a chance, I'll probably like it just as much.

Farewell Old Friend...

Even though we technically moved 2 weeks ago, it was only yesterday that we finally turned in the keys to the old apartment. It was a bittersweet moment. That apartment was a first for many things, and looking back on it, I can't believe how much has changed since first moving in there. I lived there for 3 years, and Ross, 2 years. It was my first taste of independence, my first taste of adulthood. I never really had the "college" experience, so the first year of living alone really allowed me to learn a lot about myself. I held my first "real world" job while living there. I transferred to GVA Oxford only months after moving in there, and got laid off from GVA months before moving out, so I really relate that apartment to my time spent at a job I enjoyed that also helped carve a path for my future.

Ross & I got engaged while living there and married the next year:
We brought home Dakota to that apartment. She was my first dog (aside from family pets, that don't count) that I had to beg and beg Ross to allow me to get. Of course, I had wanted a pug all along, but we had compromised & settled on a miniature dachshund. Now I could officially call us a "family."


We also hosted our very first party with all of our friends on New Year's Eve 2008. It was a blast and one to remember :)
A lot has changed for Ross as well since moving in. This apartment was his first time not living at home with his parents anymore. He always commuted to college, so he also did not have the "college" experience. Aside from that, he's now a married man :) He also graduated from Robert Morris, and then IUP with his master's. He was studying hard in those days, and now finally has time to relax. He also purchased his first bike (after nicely calling me @ work one day to ask for permission, I'll never forget that phone call!) What a good husband :)

In case you're wondering, he's moved on already to a newer and better bike, for no cost, don't ask how but I guess my husband's a hustler! Don't worry if you can't see a difference, b/c I couldn't either and he was offended, ha!

Even though 3 years may not sound like a lot of time, it's amazing how much has changed! I can't wait to see what the next 3 years holds for us. We hope to own our first house in the next 3 years, and I hope to see us both working full-time jobs that we love and in the careers we had seen for ourselves. Maybe that is asking too much, but you can't have what you don't strive for. So here's a toast to the future and remembering old times :)

Oh India, Oh India

Why is it that every time I have problem with anything "technical," my call gets transferred 1,000 miles away to India?! It's frustrating. Frustrating to buy a product in America, only to find that nobody with an American accent can help me, so I'm left asking "I'm sorry, what did you say?!?!" the whole conversation (since I'm absolutely horrible w/ understanding any accent!). The first time I encountered this problem was with XM radio, which after 4 months of a never-ending cycle of calling them to fix it, and them not being able to understand my problem, I finally canceled the whole service (that was a xmas gift from my dad one year). It was much less frustrating then calling them everyday, it just simply wasn't worth the hassle & frustration!

But that brings me to my most recent encounter, hence the reason for today's venting. I bought some new video editing software for my computer (since we upgraded to Windows 7, and I lost my old program, which worked just fine, thankya very much) and it had all these weird quirks, causing things to not work correctly and making me wanna rip my hair out. It was the final touch for my wedding video, and I was anxious to finally get it done. But NOOOOO, instead of a quick 20-minute project, to finalize it, I spent 4 hours fighting with them & the program. Finally, after all the effort & numerous calls to the call-center, the guy (from India, of course) gave me the activation code to take my $49.99 version of the software up to the premium $99.99 version of the software, for free :) I think after my 5th call to them, and the guy actually knowing my name before me giving it to him, was the final touch. Of course, I would be more thrilled if I was ever going to use this program again in my life, but right now, I never ever want to look at another video-editing-anything for the rest of my life...

Lesson Learned: Hire a videographer

Hairs Left: 2

Finished Wedding Video: Priceless

The Ending...

Unemployment has finally come to an end! I start Westinghouse on Monday, after getting their offer over 2 weeks ago. I'm tired of thinking about all the "what-ifs" about the job, it can really drive a person crazy, I just wanna get in there and see how it is, and know what the job is going to be like. I'm ready for a fresh start, and I'm sick of being stuck at home all day. Don't get me wrong, it was a nice little vacation at the beginning, but by this point, I don't enjoy it at all, and miss having somewhere I actually have to be, haha.... or stories to tell Ross over dinner about my day. I miss work gossip :P

Anyways, I'm excited to get back into the "job-world." My first day of work is a full day of orientation, so at least I'm not diving in head first. I'm assuming they'll give me a tour of the facility since it's a 'bajillion' square feet, no really, I think is it. And after that, it'll be smooth sailing, hopefully....

My Favorite Things

Well, we're finally situated in the new apartment and I wanted to share it with all of you! It was hard to take pictures of the rooms, so I decided to just highlight some of my favorite things in the new apt. :)

First off, my absolute favorite thing in this apt. is my new, and very own, washer & dryer:
Aren't they bea-u-ti-ful! Yes, I am truly in love. I've managed to do at least 3 loads of laundry a day since moving in and I'm yet to be bored with them. Ross laughs at me, but he doesn't understand the frustration of trying to do laundry only to find that you don't have any quarters left, or lugging all your laundry downstairs only to realize that the washers are already taken! Ok, maybe he does understand a little, but he still doesn't appreciate them as much as I do :) I think he's secretly laughing at how domesticated I've become...geesh, who woulda thought! I also wanted to point out the curtains hanging, which hides a shelving unit I have to the left of the washer & dryer, sneaky sneaky! I love not seeing all the clutter hidden behind the curtains! Of course, I could also close the curtains to hide the washer & dryer, but for these beauties, I like looking at them at all times :)

Secondly, I have to give a shout-out to our new fluffy 4'x6' rug in our bathroom:
The picture doesn't nearly do it justice, but it's the best rug in the world...courtesy of Target, and it's also the perfect size for our oddly big-sized bathroom. I love our bathroom 100x more than the last apt. after getting situated in it. I bought a pretty new shower curtain and some really cute new accessories:
This is an odd picture, but I wanted to show off my new soap pump....it's also from Target, but I love the vintage-y style and the subtle green glass (since our bathroom is full of greens and beiges). It makes me smile every time I wash my hands :)

Next, I've come to love our small, teeny-tiny kitchen:

Yup, that's pretty much it.... the only room I was able to capture in one photo. The kitchen cart is from Mike & Michelle who were no longer using it and let us borrow it for awhile. I'm in love with it, and it adds some much needed counter space! After freaking out about the kitchen being too small before moving in, and not knowing how I was gonna make it work, I found the perfect solution, and now love this space more than the bigger kitchen in the old apt.

Here a pic of our eating space:Nothing too exciting here, but I thought I'd share anyways. This space is in the same room as the kitchen and the washer & dryer. It's a big odd-shaped room, but it's working out perfectly.

Here's a few random living room pics:
The living room is also much smaller, but it feels so cozy, and all our furniture fit perfectly.

Sorry to not have any bedroom pics. It's the least exciting room, especially since Ross is STILL unpacking his closet and it's a huge mess! And it's barely decorated. Isn't it always that way?! Why do we always leave that room for last?!

Oh, and lastly, I didn't want to forget my other new addition to our apt.:
Fresh Herbs!! Holla' for saving a dolla' everytime a recipe calls for fresh herbs :) Please excuse the dying basil. I'll be lucky if I can keep them alive for long, but for now, they're alive and kickin'. For now. Because they've only been in my possession for a few days. But now that I have the little railing and deck out the front door, I felt the need to finally buy fresh herbs since I had the perfect place for them.

All in all, I'm very happy with the new space. The washer & dryer make this apt. 100x better than the old. I had to sacrifice a dishwasher, but I've found that I really don't mind not having one. This apt. became a great solution until we can finally save up to buy a house, but for now, I'm happy and content in the new digs. And I'm especially happy with how much better this place looks after decorating and adding some of our own touches. I should've taken some 'before' photos, b/c it was def. a challenge to make it look cozy and livable.