Resolutions Revisited

Source:  weheartit

So after the interview last Friday, I remembered my resolution at the beginning of the year where I said that I'll find a new job.  And yet, here I am in December and I'm not any closer to finding one.  Ugh!  Well, it's not like I didn't try.

I also said that once I got that job, I'd pay forward some of the many kindnesses that have been bestowed upon me.  I think I've done that a little bit with my volunteer work.  I'd still like to do more but just don't have the money to do it.

I said that I wanted to open a savings account again and to pay off some bills too.  Well, I didn't have any money to open an account and I didn't pay off any bills but I did get them paid down at least. 

My resolutions for next year -- I WILL find a job if it kills me.  I will!  And I will do well in school.

What will your resolutions be? 

*****

Source:  weheartit

The interview from Friday went fairly well.  I'm pretty sure I only got an interview because I went to school with the person conducting the interview and I used to hang out with her sister sometimes.  I certainly didn't have the experience so that's what makes me think that.  They say a big part of finding a job is all in who you know. 

I'm certain I won't be getting that job though simply because of my schedule.  When asked about my availability, I pulled out my class schedule and provided a copy for her.  She didn't even look at it.  I asked if they'd be able to work around my classes and she told me that they're looking for someone to work in the mornings.  I'll be in class on Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings.  Considering this position is only part-time and probably doesn't pay well, I'm not willing to drop school for it.

You never know though so I still sent a thank you card. 

The weird thing is -- after the interview, I went to the post office to check my mail.  I got a card from the sister of the girl who interviewed me.  And as I was walking out to my car, I saw my old boss - the one who fired me and then later, got fired herself.  I know she saw me, she looked right at me and watched me get in my car.  She didn't acknowledge me though.  I'm glad she didn't because I don't know if I'd have waved back or not.

*****

Source:  weheartit

Speaking of cards, I worked on my Christmas cards over the weekend.  I'll be sending out the first batch today.  I ran out of cards and postage so I need to get some more.  I've gotten several from the 2010 Christmas card exchange but none from blogs that I follow so far. 

Half Full Friday and Blog of the Week

It's Half Full Friday again!  Dang, the weeks just seem to fly by.  And now that the holiday's are here, they'll go by even quicker.

So when Eyegirl was still hosting Half Full Friday, she kind of created a mission statement to explain what it's all about.  I thought I'd share a bit of it and maybe some of you will actually join me.

Half Full Friday is a series of weekly posts that Eyegirl originally started in June 2009.  We believe that a lot of our happiness is determined by our attitude about the things that happen to us.  So by participating, I'm deciding to see the glass as half full, instead of half empty; I'm choosing to concentrate on the positives instead of dwelling on the negatives.  The Half Full Friday posts are a way to do just that.  They're a list of the things in my life that have brought me happiness over the past week.  I'm determined to find something good in every day.  Are you?

For the next week, I'd like to challenge each of you to keep a list of at least one thing that brought you happiness each day. Be sure to link up here once you've posted your list.

~I'm happy because...

I have a job interview this morning! 

I got some deep cleaning done in my house this week!

I got all of my Christmas shopping done!  (Thanks, ~KS!)

I got some Christmas cards in the mail!

I also got a little something in the mail from Melly Dee!

Karma truly does exist ~ I found out that the asst. manager at my old job got fired!  YES!!!  I know it isn't good to be happy about someone's failures but honestly, I couldn't figure out why in the world anyone would think she'd be management material. 

My neighbor shoveled the snow on the sidewalk in front of my house for me!

I ran into someone I used to volunteer with and haven't seen in awhile and we took some time to reminisce!

*****

We still have plenty of snow.  If the weatherman is to be believed, it's not going away anytime soon, we're just going to get more!  I can't remember when it snowed this much this early before.  I'm in denial about the whole thing and am envisioning sipping cocktails while relaxing on a beautiful, warm beach.

 Source:  google images

I tried taking pictures of my yard to show you all the snow but my computer has decided it doesn't want to connect with my camera for some reason so I can't post them.  I'm not sure if I should be upset with my computer, the sh*tty camera or both.

*****

I actually had a different blog in mind for today's Blog of the Week but changed my mind once I found this cute little blog.  Hound Girl linked to them earlier this week so I visited them and read the whole thing from beginning to end.  It's a new blog so it didn't take long.

Cooper & Lola

Cooper is a boston terrier and Lola is a French bulldog.    This blog isn't just about their daily lives.

It's a place to learn tips about dog health issues, to find the new products of the pet world and which is worth trying. It's a page of information, humor and love that makes dog companionship so special.

One of my favorite features is that it includes a "Celebrity Dog of the Month."  This month's dog is Bo, the Portuguese water dog belonging to President Obama.

I'm looking forward to many more posts from them.  You should totally stop by and say hello if you haven't already!

Wordless Wednesday

Source:  bing

Baby, It's Cold Outside!

Brrrrrrrrr, it's fecking COLD outside!  I'm so over winter already and it's only just begun.  Several of you have asked me to send the snow your way and believe me, if I could - I'd do it in a heartbeat!  We had several winter weather advisories this past week.  This is what it's looking like here:

Source:  bing

Source:  google

Source:  weheartit

Cocorue and Tiffane were kind enough to pass an award on to me.  Thank you, ladies! 

The rules are to list 10 things about yourself and then tag 15 friends.  So here we go ~

1.  I don't like to use the same towel twice after a shower without washing it first.

2.  I get cold easily and tend to stay that way all winter long.

3.  I abhor the color orange but I like oranges and orange juice.

4.  I love me some flavored cappuccino.

5.  Christmas is my favorite holiday.

6.  I volunteer for two separate organizations.

7.  A strong vanilla scent makes me nauseous.

8.  I want to get a bulldog someday.

9.  The college courses I signed up for are Introduction to Sociology, US History, General Psychology and Introduction to Philosophy.  I'm on a waiting list for the Sociology and Philosophy classes but the other two I've gotten confirmation for.

10.  When I was born, my eyes were blue.  Then they turned a dark brown, almost black.  And now they're hazel.

I'm supposed to pass this on to 15 other bloggers but I'm sleepy and it's past my bedtime.  (I prepared this in advance and am hoping it posts when it's supposed to - blogger sometimes doesn't follow directions.)  So I'm gonna take the easy way out and say if you don't have it but want it, by all means - feel free to take it!  And if not, that's ok too. 

 

Half Full Friday

This week went by in the blink of an eye, didn't it?  It always does when there's a holiday in the middle.  That just means Half Full Friday is upon us that much more quickly!  And honestly, who doesn't love Half Full Friday??? 

Feel free to join in and post your list, then come back and link up!  (Please only link up if you've actually participated in Half Full Friday and posted your list.  Thanks!)  Come on, it'll be fun and there's plenty of room for everyone!

~I'm happy because...

I won George the Lad's Birthday Bucket!  Yay me!!! 

My mom bought me some gingerbread marshmallows!

I got an award from Tiffy and Coco!

I had a delicious Thanksgiving dinner with my parents and a friend!

I made some sugar cookies earlier this week!  I'm a pig, I ate them all!!!

I got the ink cartridge I ordered for my printer!

We still have a lot of snow but the roads aren't too bad for the most part!

*****

I hope everyone had a lovely Thanksgiving holiday!  As stated above, mine was spent with my parents and a friend.  I kept thinking I should invite a friend over every week (I eat there every Sunday) because my parents were both so much nicer with her there!  lol

Source:  weheartit

I have a Blog of the Week all picked out but was much too lazy to put anything together this week.  Plus I haven't been home much.  So I'll save that blog for next week.

Happy Thanxgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone who celebrated.

I'm a little late in getting this posted tonight since I've been gone all day but I wanted to participate in Minna Krebs' adoption stories and Frankie Furter's presents for parents game so here it is, better late than never.

Shiver's Story

In all honesty, I'm really not sure why I ever got Shiver.  I already had an elderly fox terrier and a sickly cat at home, I certainly didn't need a new puppy running around and getting into everything.  But that's just what I got. 

I'd been thinking for awhile that my next dog would be a chihuahua.  I just really wanted a small dog.  Four years ago on Thanksgiving weekend, I went to the mall to do a little Christmas shopping.  One of my first stops was at the pet store.  They had my baby in a small area in the middle of the store.  I picked him up and cuddled him and kept thinking I wanted to take him home.  But he was already a big chihuahua and I wanted a small one.  I noticed some other chi puppies and went over to look at them.  I was told they were too young to adopt out and that their price would be higher than what I'd pay for Shiver. 

I walked back over to Shiver and held him some more.  The store clerk let me take him into a small room to spend some time with him.  Shiver was scared and didn't want a lot to do with me.  But I just knew he and I were meant to be so I bought him.  And he's been with me ever since!

I was going to call him Avery but on the way home, he just shivered and shivered.  So I decdided to name him Shiver and it seems to fit him quite well. 

Chico's Story

While I'm not sure why I ever got Shiver, I know exactly why I got Chico!  Less than a year  after I got Shiver, my other dog passed over the rainbow bridge.  Two years later, my sickly kitty passed on as well.  That left Shiver.  I soon discovered that Shiver HATES to be left alone.  I'd come home from work and he would just cry and cry.  Even if I left the house for five minutes, he'd cry and cry when I came back in.  It became clear to me that he needed another companion.

I wasn't ready to get another cat so I looked for another chihuahua.  I asked around and everyone kept suggesting Craig's List.  And that's where I found him.  I emailed and asked a few questions.  It turns out the person who placed the ad was the owner's mother.  She told me Chico was a very special dog and that he'd spent his first year of life in a small kennel with little to no human contact.  He was only let out to go potty and make babies.  She made it clear that if I was interested in him for breeding purposes, the deal was off.  I explained that I wanted him as a playmate for my other chi and that I had no intention of using him for breeding.  She gave me the phone number for her daughter and son-in-law so I called and made arrangements to pick him up on Thanksgiving weekend. 

When I went to get him, he immediately barked at me but then he also came and cuddled and sat on my lap.  I'm not sure why I spent so long there but I stayed for about an hour just playing with him.  He was already named so I didn't change it, although I do sometimes think about what I would've named him if he hadn't been.  And to be honest, I'm really not sure.  He's just a little boy and the name fits him.

I asked my boys if they could buy me anything, what would it be and this is what they said:

Shiver said he'd buy me a winning lottery ticket so that I wouldn't have to worry about losing the house or paying my bills.

Chico said he'd get me dog treats.  He says that he knows I wouldn't eat them which means I'd give them all to him and Shiver.  Silly boy!

Wordless Wednesday

Too Cool For Skool

Thanks to Booker Man, Asa and their extremely generous mama, I am now officially too cool for school!

When they asked for my address, I thought it was just to send me a Christmas card.  Then when I got an email saying to expect a package, I thought it would be a little something for my boys.  So imagine my surprise and delight to discover it was all for ME!!!

As always, sorry about the poor quality of the pictures.

Shiver checking out the envelope.

Just look at all them goodies!

I'm gonna be stylin' with these cool folders!

Everyone will want to borrow my pens and pencils!

Source:  bing images

Best of all, they sent me not one, not two, but FIVE bags of coconut goodness!

Source:  bing images

I'm pretty sure that I'll make lots of new friends with these!

A HUGE "Thank You" to Noelle, Booker and Asa.

Winter is officially here.  We got a ton of these over the weekend and are supposed to be getting many more in the days ahead.  

Source:  bing images

I'm hoping that we'll get all the bad weather at the beginning of winter and the rest of it will be smooth sailing.  Yeah, probably too much to ask for but I'm still keeping my fingers crossed.

 

Half Full Friday and Blog of the Week

Yep, it's that time again ~ Half Full Friday!  Funny how the rest of the week can drag by oh so slowly yet Friday is always here before I know it.  I'm still working on a banner (ok, I haven't really worked on it at all but I want to seem busier than actually I am so I'll just pretend that I have) but I do have a Mr. Linky!  I won't even send you away to join me anymore - you can stay right here and it only takes a matter of seconds and the click of a button.  So come on, you know you want to!!!  Please?!

~I'm happy because...

My computer fixed itself!

I'm all signed up for classes!

I got free samples and coupons at orientation!

I'm feeling a lot better!

I got in on the two free tacos after 2 PM deal that Jack in the Box was offering on Tuesday!  "Free" is the only thing in my budget these days.

I got a beautiful card in the mail from the beautiful ~KS!

I got some goodies yesterday from Asa and Booker!  I'll show you what I got on Monday.
 
So what made you happy this week?

*****

Thanks to everyone who joined in the 2010 Christmas Card Exchange.  If I've missed sending the master list out to anyone or you had any issues opening it, I truly do apologize.  Please let me know and I will do my best to rectify the situation.

*****

Source:  weheartit

Source:  weheartit

Yes, I do realize that these pictures have nothing to do with each other or the rest of the post but I love them both and just felt like posting them.

*****

Earlier this week, my dad took his ancient beagle out for a walk.  We're not sure but we think she's at least 14, maybe even older.  They were walking along when a big dog suddenly came from out of nowhere and started attacking Angel.  She's a sweet old lady with a bad leg and wasn't able to defend herself as well as she might've if she'd been a young pup.  It took several minutes for my dad to get this big dog off and away from her.  Fortunately, she'll be fine.  She has several open wounds/bite marks and will be taking antibiotics to prevent infection.  I was very surprised the vet didn't also prescribe any pain pills for her, those owies have got to hurt.  I just feel so bad for her because she really is a sweetheart of a dog and the attack was completely unprovoked. 

*****

This particular Blog of the Week is one I've been enjoying for awhile now.  I even took the time awhile back to read every single post from the beginning to the end. 

I need a Sugar fix

Martine initially named the blog after Sugar, her bull terrier.  Sadly, things didn't work out with Sugar and she was returned to the rescue where she came from.  Martine has since gotten two new dogs, Captain and Candy.  They are just the cutest little things.  Earlier this year, Martine had a beautiful baby boy which she named Pierce. 

What makes this blog unique is that it's a Baby Dog Blog.  She does a wonderful job of incorporating the dogs and the baby equally.  I'm not sure how she finds the time to blog when she's working and has a new baby but she manages to post regularly. Her husband just got a new job so they moved recently as well.

You should pop on over and say hello!

Wordless Wednesday

School Daze

I woke up Thursday morning feeling awful.  I had a headache and diarrhea, was light headed and crampy and my hip was acting up.  As the day wore on, I just felt worse; my headache had turned into a migraine.  I told myself I'd feel better after a good night's sleep. 

Friday rolled around and I felt considerably better.  My hip was still sore but not like it had been and I was still very light headed but I overall, I felt human again.  So off I went to new student orientation.

Source:  weheartit

 

It's about a 45 minute drive to the campus and after parking, I walked into the Student Union Building.  Immediately upon entering, there was a gentleman who asked if I was there for orientation.  I told him yes and he instructed me on where I was supposed to go. 

It was held on the second floor in the Simplot Ballroom.  What nobody bothered to tell me is that there's more than one Simplot Ballroom!  I followed the noise, found the right one and felt an immediate mixture of overwhelm and intimidation.  There were lines everywhere and didn't seem to be any kind of structure to anything that I could tell.  Finally figured out where I was supposed to be and got my paperwork, went from there to having my picture taken for a student ID.  I kind of wanted to wander around a little bit more and find out what the other lines were for but I noticed the room we were supposed to be in for the orientation was filling up fast and I didn't want to be left standing.  Found a seat somewhere in the middle and listened to a short presentation basically thanking us for choosing their school and telling us what a wonderful 4 years we're going to have.

From there, we went to 2 different breakout sessions of our choice.  The first one was just around the corner from where I'd just been.  The next one seemed like a mile and a half away - seriously, we walked forever!!! - and was over in a jiffy.  It felt like I blinked and we were already moving on. 

Back into the original room we went.  They separated us by majors at that point and we went into another room in another direction another mile and a half away.  I didn't realize it but when you declare a major, they pretty much decide your first year of classes for you.  Everyone else already had a schedule.  I haven't declared mine officially but for the time being I'm leaning towards Business and Economics.  They gave a quick presentation where they discussed the various classes required for that particular major and some of the fields you can work in after graduation.  Well, because I didn't declare a major, I didn't have a schedule.  I had created my own and needed to have them approve it before registering for classes.  They did.

The campus is 113 acres long.  That might not seem very big but it's huge when you're walking, have a bad hip and don't feel well.  From there, I walked literally from one end of the campus to the other to register for classes.  My hip was already sore before I even started so I felt like I was never going to make it.  Plus I was still feeling really light headed.  Ugh!  But I made it and registered for class. Two of the classes were already filled up so I'm on a waiting list for those, the other two I received a confirmation for. 

Then it was back to the other end of campus to pick up my student ID.  You can't tell I'm wearing any makeup in the picture and I look tired.  My eyes are little slits.  I'm stuck with it for the next 6 years or I can pay $50.00 to replace it so I've decided it's not so bad...  If I don't look at it too closely.  The school was offering campus tours in another half hour which I would have loved to joined in on again but I just wasn't up for it.  Between my hip and feeling so light headed, I just wanted to go home and lie down for awhile. 

Later that evening, I went to a friend's house for beer, homemade pizza and a movie marathon.  All in all, not a bad day!  I'm just trying not to think about how much college is going to cost me or how I'm going to support myself for the next four years.

Source:  weheartit

Saturday I felt normal and caught up on everyone's blogs, Sunday I felt blah again.  Today I'm back to catching up on blogs after running a few errands.