Blooming

So many exciting things have been happening in the past few months!
My job is getting easier to do, now that I understand better what my responsibilities are and how to carry them out, and it's becoming more fun  to do. I find myself looking forward to getting there in the morning, which is a great feeling. My coworkers are all awesome to work with! Yes, even  the difficult ones.. It's been pretty great!
And my social life! While it seems to be in one of it's ebbing phases, it has been really fulfilling. :)
One of my best friends, Denise, has started her own business as a consultant for LuLaRoe Clothing. Which is exciting to watch happen! Having been raised in a family owned and operated company, and worked for two more, it's pretty rad to see it from the start. I love helping her out with everything, even though I'm not as tempted to buy or wear everything like she is, it's been really cool to be a part of the process with her.
She even let me do the honor of throwing the first in home popup party with her! Which was SO MUCH FUN! And I'm sorry, but I was too busy making mimosas (with ginger kombucha, OJ, or Pom Wonderful) to take any pictures. We had a raffle, and one of my friends who is super new to LLR won, which is always exciting!
And my goddaughter was baptized! Which was awesome to be a part of. I am not catholic, so knowing what to say, when to repeat phrases, and how to hold burning candles that threatened to drip hot wax on my hands was kind of hard to keep up with. But it was worth it. :)
And my brother had his baby, so I'm an Official Full Fledged Auntie now!

All of the thrilling things happening!

I hope to be back soon with something crafty.. Hang tight!

Opportunities

I got a job!

I applied myself and I got it done. It's not my dream job, my dream pay, or dream position. But it's a good job, with good people, and the pay is enough for me to live and pay my bills. And I'm totally, and almost uniquely, qualified to do it, which is exactly what I needed!

Opportunity isn't always what we think it is. Sometimes your greatest achievement is waiting somewhere you least expect it.

No, I wasn't applying to places like McDonald's or Target. I really wanted to get out of the food and retail industries when I was in them. But if I had gone a few more weeks of no jobs or callbacks, I can't say that I wouldn't have applied to those places.

And why wouldn't I? Sure, they aren't ideal, but you never know what you could learn there. About yourself or about others. How to behave, how to treat people, what you're capable of being treated like.. Every job has it's own challenges and lessons.

And you never know if that customer you're talking to will end up being your next boss. It happened to me!

Richard Branson has said, "If somebody offers you an amazing opportunity but you are not sure you can do it, say yes- then learn how to do it later!"

I cannot tell you how much this quote resonates with me today.
I wasn't sure I could do my last job, and it was tough sometimes, but I DID IT!
I'm not sure I want to stay with this new job forever, but you know what? It's still an amazing opportunity, and I am just going to keep saying yes to opportunities.

I would be foolish not to!

I say all of this because, while I am employed in a temp-to-hire position, I may not stay at this job. I have a few other options floating around in a limbo, waiting for things to pass or fail.

I am so happy to be employed again, though. Sitting at home not knowing when I would be able to afford to have a roof over my head was daunting and scary. And the position I accepted does not have any down time, which is perfect. I needed something to keep me out of my own head.

But for now, I am excited for change. I have needed change for a while. The view from here is only open doors, and I'm loving it!

Sneaky Horizons

I have been submitting resumes for just over 10 days now, and I haven't heard back from anyone yet.. Which is not necessarily a bad thing. Especially since most of the jobs I've applied for are still accepting applications until around February, if not March.. So it's okay.
I have also applied to a temp agency, and actually interviewed with them today. It was a strange feeling, being interviewed for a generic series of jobs.. But I'm hoping that it yields something, even a temporary placement..
   Something is better than nothing..

Jobs Viewed: 500+ 

Resumes Sent Out: 15

On another note, though, my roommates have asked me to help them to eat better. One needs to eat healthier, and the other needs to eat with a better frequency. And both need to eat out less often. And since I'm without a job, direction, or purpose in life currently, they have both asked me to help them. Alright, fine, I offered to help and they both sighed and said yes.

The trick is finding ways to make things taste amazing while hiding a ton of healthy things into it.

So far, I think I've been fairly successful.

I made spaghetti squash spaghetti, with ground turkey meat, pureed zucchini, carrots, and chard. I sprinkled some cheese on it and served it beside some roasted potatoes that I didn't quite roast long enough.. Actually they were raw. 40 minutes at 350 and they were hot and raw. That was disappointing..

And I made turkey stroganoff with two yellow zucchini and several mushrooms pureed into it. It actually really good! Couldn't tell there were zucchini's in it at all!!

And today I made cornbread muffins with a large peeled and pureed zucchini in it. Can't even tell.. They are actually really good. I sprinkled some Tapatio sauce in them, too, just for a little kick. And the chili I made to go over the cornbread was pretty much 90% pureed veggies.. One can of black beans, one can of diced tomatoes, and a pound of ground beef. And my food processor had fun with carrots, mushrooms, onions, bell peppers, broccoli, and zucchini. It was awesome! Sprinkled some cheese on it, a dallop of sour cream and the whole thing on top of a muffin.. It was DELICIOUS!

Not sure what I'm going to make next, but I will probably tell you.

In the meantime, though, have an amazing day!

A Terrifying New Chapter

I've rewritten this post about ten times now..  And I haven't liked the way any of them were written. So I'm going to say it simply.

I have been laid off.
I've never been laid off before, and it is, frankly, a terrifying concept to me.
The horror that I may not find a job soon enough to pay all of my bills to survive is scary, and I don't want to be a financial or emotional burden on anyone.
For anyone who knows me that is reading this, I probably haven't told you. And that's probably because I'm so terrified. And also because I am not seeking pity on this. I am not looking for any handouts. I'm okay with some assistance, like a nudge in a general direction, but I would like to be able to say that I did this on my own.

So I'm going to look at this as a new adventure.
And I invite you to follow my progress.

I'm not sure what I'm looking for, and I am not sure how long it's going to take.
But I am sure that I'm trying. I'm putting forth my best effort.

I allowed myself two and a half days to be shocked about it. And now that it is Monday, it is time for me to buckle down and hunt.

Jobs Viewed: 20+ 

Resumes Sent Out: 2 

Cover Letters Written: 1