Blog of the Week

I just got home a little bit ago from a job interview.  Please, please, PLEASE keep your fingers crossed and pray that I get hired!!!  The job is for a teller position.  I started out my banking career as a teller and did not really care for it.  I didn't feel like I got trained very well and most of my co-workers were *NOT* nice.  At all!  But this job seems to be much different.  It's a small bank so I'd get to do a little bit of everything.  Because it's such a small company, they do a lot of their own work in-house rather than sending it somewhere else to be processed.  This would be an excellent opportunity to learn soooooooo much!

The interview was short and sweet.  They didn't ask me much really, I felt it was more me interviewing them.   Not sure if that was a good or a bad sign.  The questions they did ask were bascially more about my work ethic.  One question they asked was what I like to do in my free time.  I don't know that I've ever been asked that before from a potential employer!  I was glad to be able to say I volunteer for a community service type thing because I think that sounds much better than just saying that I enjoy blogging, reading, watching tv, playing with my chi's, hanging out with friends, etc.  Hopefully that might give me the edge over someone else who doesn't have any kind of volunteer activities.

Now - on to the good stuff!

You know how you look on other blogs sidebars and check out their favorite blogs?  You click on one that maybe has an interesting name and then you check out their favorites and link to another one and so on and so on?  That's how I stumbled across this one:

UnDomestic

I originally read what at that time was the very last post.  The originator of the blog, Cari Ashford, passed on on September 22, 2009.  This was the first time I've come across a blog where the originator had died.  I immediately wanted to read her story so I started at the beginning.

Cari's very first post was in July 2005.  It started out as any normal blog.  She was a Stay At Home Mom (SAHM) with two sons, Cameron and Max, and was pregnant with daughter Ella who was born in December of that same year.  I thoroughly enjoyed reading about her life and her family.   As she detailed the many hilarious antics of her children, I couldn't help but fall in love with them too!  She has a wonderful sense of humor and I'm sure that if we'd met in real life that she and I would be friends.

August 22, 2007 marked a whole new world for Cari; she discovered a large lump in her left breast.  She was diagnosed with Infiltrating Ductal Carcinoma and had a mastectomy the following month.  She received chemotherapy and radiation and in late summer 2008, she was given a clean bill of health.  Sadly, the cancer returned. 

She had a brain tumor and eventually the cancer went to her spine.  She recounted her various treatments along with her attempts to keep everything normal for her children.  At the end, her mom kept the blog up to date as Cari became weaker and weaker.  The final post was written by her husband, letting everyone know that Cari had died.

I cried for Cari many, many times while reading her blog.  I had grown to love her like a close friend.  So when I got to the last post, I literally could.not.stop.crying!  Her loss touched me deeply and I miss her. 

I didn't want to forget about Cari so I followed her blog.  I wanted to still be able to come back and read her story over and over again.  I'm not sure why I didn't just bookmark her blog to my favorites, I just felt it was important to follow her and come back to visit from time to time.  In January of this year, her husband posted an open letter to Cari.  As I read it, the pain of losing her all came rushing back.  I still feel the grief even today.  I can't even begin to imagine how her husband and three beautiful children must be coping.

May You Forever Rest In Peace

Cari Ashford

March 19, 1973 - September 22, 2009

Wordless Wednesday

Dream Blogging

I dreamed last night that I was working on a blog post.  I'd been tagged for a MeMe and was trying to come up with 7 things about me that my bloggie buddies might not now.  I'd come up with 5 fairly easily but those last 2 were really difficult!  I've had some bizarre dreams before but I don't think I've ever had one about blogging.

I had an appointment today with a job assistance agency in my town.  I wasn't even aware there was such a thing here!  It's not really a job assistance agency, it's just one service they offer among many for low-income people.  Most of the appointment was spent with the lady helping me find what services they could provide for me, even though I was there only for the job assistance program.  She looked over my resume and said that it looked really good, she couldn't think of anything I could add or delete to make it better.  She thought I had some really great experience and said she had high hopes for me.  I told her I have no hope.  I apply and apply and no one ever calls.  I call to follow up and have to leave voice mails which no one ever returns.  She did say that she has monthly meetings where she hears about different job opportunities before the general public does so that's good!

We discussed applying to fast food places and she told me not to yet.  Because of my experience, she thinks that there are better opportunities out there for me so not to apply for flipping burgers until it gets to the point where I'm about to lose my house.

I have some homework to complete and then I'll go back in a few weeks for a follow up appointment.

I still have a bruise on my foot from when I twisted it.  Somedays it's really tender and other days, not so much.

So that's all that happening in my life right now.

Blog of the Week

I just got an award a few days ago from Iris over @ My Life In Purple.  I'm not sure how I linked to her initially but I share her love of all things purple and with a name like that, I knew I had to check out her blog!

I have waaaaaaaaay too much time on my hands so to pass it away, I do the daily blog check and usually, but not always, leave comments.  And as a result, I was lucky enough to get this:

Thank you, Iris!  If and when I get a job, I won't have time to comment nearly as often.  There were no stipulations about passing it along to anyone but I wanted to be sure to do just that!  There is one person who has commented on I think just about every single post with the exception of a couple when she took some time away from the blog world this past holiday season.  I'm passing this on to the very lovely Protege!

Speaking of awards, I have one that I'm going to be giving out probably within the next couple of weeks.  So stay tuned for that!

Ok, on to the fun stuff!  Everyone seemed to think this whole Blog of the Week feature was a good idea so I'm gonna move forward with it.  I know I could have done it without asking anyone's opinion since it is my blog and all but I didn't want to add anything that the majority thought was a really stupid idea!

I have no clue what-so-ever how I ever found this site.  I'm sure everyone has heard of it as it's extremely popular!  It's updated every Sunday and I make a point to check it out at least once a week, if not more.

postsecret

Frank Warren has been running it since 2004.  He invites strangers to share their deepest, darkest secrets on a postcard and mail it to him, anonymously.  Some of the secrets are sad, some are disgusting.  Others make me smile, some of them are shocking!  Some of them make me laugh, some make me cry. 

Every single week there is always at least one secret that I can relate to. I'll never have to send in one of my own, they've already been posted on someone else's card!  I think that's what keeps me coming back every week, I never have to feel alone as I can usually identify with the secrets posted.

Some of the postcards are just plain white with writing on them, some people go all out with their decorations.  No matter what they look like, they all contain deeply held secrets.

There are also Italian, French and German versions of this blog too.  I'm not sure if Frank runs those or not.  (Sorry, I'm too lazy to find the links for them!)

To date, there are 5 different books to go along with the blog.  Frank also often speaks at universities where he displays some of the many, many different postcards he's received and allows the audience to share some of their own secrets if they want to.  Unfortunately he hasn't come anywhere near me so I haven't been able to attend one of his conferences. 

At one point, all of the proceeds earned from the blog, book and conferences (after paying Frank's expenses, I presume) were given to the Kristen Brooks Hope Center to aid in the prevention of suicide.  I'm not sure if that's still the case as I haven't seen anything on his site stating this in quite awhile. 

First Meeting

My chi's were both very excited to attend their first Pup Scouts Troop Meeting today!

They started out with a song:

"Everywhere we go-o

An-imals want to know-o

Who we a-are

And where we come from

So we tell them

We're from Order of the Paw

Mighty, mighty Pup Scouts

And if they can't hear us

We woof a little louder!"

Then  Troop Leader Miss Bailey had everyone raise their right paw and say the offiicial oath:

"On the honor of my paw I will do my best

to do my duty to my fur and non-fur community

& to obey the Pup Scout Law

to help other pups and their people at all times

to keep myself in tip top pup condition,

furry aware & ready at a moments notice."

Next, everyone received their official troop meeting badge! This badge is given to distinguished members who have joyfully attended the first troop meeting.

They discussed selling the official Pup Scout Biscuit to raise funds to raise funds for service projects like...

- eradicating our neighborhoods of squirrels!

- creating legislation to stop the pupperazzi form taking our photos!

Don't they look tasty?  Well, they prolly would if you were a dog!

Miss Bailey also took time to remind everyone of the importance of leashes:

The meeting closed out with one more song:

"Be a good Pup Scout, and always wag your tail,

Be a good Pup Scout, give licks all the time,

It's the creed, yes indeed, that a Pup Scout must practice merrily.

Help those in need - do a Good Turn daily,

Be a good Pup Scout - be Loyal, Sweet and Brave,

On your honor, do your best

When they put you to the test.

And always be a good Pup Scout!"

If you haven't joined yet, what are you waiting for?  You're missing out on all the fun!

***Edit:  I'm not sure what is up with the weird spacing.  It wasn't like that when I typed the post out.  I tried to fix it but blogger won't let me. 

Almost Wordless Wednesday

My father took this picture while on vacation in Maine last year.

Yes or No?

Since I have no job and can't even get an interview to save my life, I have a lot of free time.  A LOT of free time.  Which is not always good!  To alleviate some of the boredom and to keep me from thinking too much, I'm often on the internet. 

After my daily job search and sometimes in between, I like to check out blogs.  Some of them I follow and some I don't for whatever reason.  Part of it is because I like to be entertained and partly it's because I've been looking for ideas. 

I've been looking for something to make my blog a little more original and stand out.  So this is what I've come up with - Blog of the Week.  It'll be a weekly post (obviously) of different blogs that I've found usually from linking from one blog to another.  There are blogs that review other blogs, good and bad, but I haven't found any that specifically showcase a "Blog of the Week" stating what they like about the blog.  Or maybe there are and I just haven't come across them yet!

I will only present blogs that I enjoy, I won't rip someone else's apart.  They won't all be pet related either.  And if you want to recommend some, that would be even better!  This won't increase their traffic by much, if at all, since I only have 15 followers and one friend who reads from time to time but you might find an interesting blog you weren't aware of before!

What do you think?  Would this be of interest to anyone?  If so, I already have a few blogs in mind.  And if not, well that's ok too!

Loyalty

My foot seems to be a little better today.  It's still swollen but it doesn't hurt quite as much to walk on as it did yesterday.  A good night's sleep and being off it probably helped immensely.  I didn't see any bruising yesterday but there is a purple one on the top of my foot today.

In more exciting news, my pups have earned their first Pup Scouts Merit Badge - this one for Loyalty!  My chi's are most definitely loyal babes. 

I'm not sure how Martine makes these but she did an excellent job, don't you think?  We're excited to see what other merit badges she'll be creating for us.

Good Thing I Bought Those Crutches Last Year!

I had been sitting on my foot for awhile when I heard the clothes dryer stop.  Yes, I know I shouldn't sit on my foot but I do it all the time.  Well, I stood up and my foot felt numb.  Didn't think twice about it and tried to walk.  Took about two steps and twisted my foot in some weird way that only I could do as I fell to the floor and now it hurts to walk.  I know it's not broken as I can move all of my toes.  There is a little bit of swelling but no bruises at least. 

I wish I could have it checked by a doctor just to reassure me everything is ok but I have no health insurance and no $ to pay for a dr visit. 

Now I have to figure out how to put the sheets on my bed without walking too much.  I'm supposed to go to my parents house this evening.  Maybe if I complain loudly and long enough, they'll feel bad for me and insist on paying my medical bills!  LOL  Not likely and I wouldn't really want to saddle them with that!

Sorry, just had to vent!

Wordless Wednesday

Pup Scouts of America

Martine over @ I need a Sugar fix has put together the Pup Scouts of America and Shiver and Chico are official members!  I wanted to show off their membership card which will be proudly displayed on our sidebar as well.  Didn't Martine do an excellent job of designing it? 

The writing is kind of small at the bottom so I'll reprint the oath.

Pup Scout Oath:
On the honor of my paw I will do my best

to do my duty to my fur and non-fur community

& to obey the Pup Scout Law

to help other pups and their people at all times,

to keep myself in tip top pup condition,

furry aware & ready at a moments notice.

The best part of all is Martine clarified that it's not just open to dogs and your pet doesn't have to live in America!  Anyone can join!  So, Protege, even BatCat can join in the fun!

Martine is working on merit badges which I'm excited about.  Don't know what my little chi's will have to do to earn them but I have no doubt my babies will want every single one!

And The Award Goes To...

Me!

The lovely Cocorue from Love Being A Chihuahua has been kind enough to give me an award!  How cool is that!?  I realize my blog is nowhere near as interesting or pretty as any of the others I like to stalk on a daily basis so I'm always honored and amazed that anyone would think I might be deserving enough to give me one.  I truly do appreciate all of them!

The only rule to that comes along with this pretty little award is to share it with five friends.  So without further ado, I present...

Martine

Honey

Tiffany

Angie

Angela

Thanks Coco!

Wordless Wednesday

Sugar, Sugar

Are you familiar with Martine over at I need a Sugar fix?  I'm sure most of you are, there are only one or two followers that don't have dog-related blogs.

I think I first became aware of Martine's blog in June or July of last year.  (It seems strange to say last year when last year was just a few days ago!)  I hosted a dog swap for fun and although Martine didn't participate, she started to follow my blog around that time.  That's actually when I got the majority of my followers, no one even really knew my blog existed before then!  I'm soooooooo glad I had that dog swap, that's how I "met" the majority of my wonderful doggy bloggy friends!  (I plan to host another one later this year.)

Martine did something very kind and generous for me and I really don't know how else to thank her for it.  Honestly, saying thank you just doesn't feel like it's enough.  I don't want to say what she did for personal reasons but if I ever get to the point where I start to lose faith in humanity, I will look back on this memory fondly and it will be restored forever.   I didn't want this kindness to go unnoticed so I'm doing the only other thing I can think of.

So...if you haven't visited Martine's blog yet or just maybe haven't been there in awhile, PLEASE stop by!  She's got two adorable little puppies, Captain and Candy, that she posts losts of fun pictures of all the time.  Today and yesterday she posted videos of Captain dancing to Michael Jackson's "Can't Get Enough" and personally, I just can't get enough of her little pups.  (Don't tell my little chi's that though, they'd both be highly jealous!  BOL)

Happy New Year, Ya'll!!!

I would just like to say thank you to all of the bloggy friends I've made this year.  You've made my life so much brighter!

Last year's resolution was to take better care of myself.  I started out pretty well but then abandoned it half way through.  It's too easy to fall back into bad habits!

This year I'm gonna somehow get a job.  That's my resolution.  And once I have that job, I'm gonna pay forward a few favors that people have been kind enough to bestow upon me.

I'd also like to open up a savings account again (I closed the one I had when I lost my job) so I feel a little more financially secure.  I'd also like to pay off a few bills. 

What are your resolutions?