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

Superhero Bridal Shower

My twin sister, Dana, is getting married in March.
It's going to be awesome for her. Perhaps a bit sad for me, because I am a selfish human being, but I am very excited for her.
But since she is getting married, my older sister, Tabitha, and I threw her a Bridal Shower.
It took us quite a bit of time to come to a decision as to where it would be and what theme, but we finally came to a decision!

Superheroes!

I'm not going to sit here and walk you through how to do everything. That's what Pinterest is for, and I don't have the patience to type up step by step directions for how we did it.
But I can tell you that Pinterest is awesome, and Amazon is your friend. And also your local party supplies stores.

I purchased several adult sized super hero capes of various colors for bridesmaids and sisters to wear, reserving silver for the bride, and letting everyone else pick the color they wanted to wear. (As I am writing this, I am realizing I had offered a cape to my sister in law and forgot to fetch it for her.. Steph, if you're reading this, I hope you don't fault me.)

We played Bridal Bingo during the gift opening, and we also played the Pin Game (where no one could say BRIDE or WEDDING).
I found a gif of a blonde super female and a brunette super male, which perfectly matched my sister and her beau, and set them in the center of the Bingo card as the free space.
I didn't get a picture of the clothespins, but my older sister did an awesome job drawing tiny super hero logos on each of them. It was actually really cool, and I'm glad she did it! When she had first told me her idea for them, I thought she was going to print logos, cut them out, and glue them on.. My imagination producing a large chunk of paper getting caught in everyone's clothes and falling off.. (I have bad experiences with this happening..)





















I also set up a photo booth area, generally using this tutorial to build a backdrop frame, if you wonder, but since it was 10' tall, we added 2 support poles to the back at 45 degrees (top of the poles to the bottom and back of the feet). I really should have manned it, but it turned out pretty awesome, regardless.

I had intended to play a door raffle, but I completely spaced and forgot to ask people to write their name on pieces of paper upon arriving.. Whoops!

We bought wine, since it was an adults only party, for prizes from a local Wine Bar (Buon Vino), and attached Superhero Pez dispensers to them.
We ate dip, pigs in blankets, and drank punch (7Up, Hawaiian Punch, Orange Sherbet combo! MMMmmmm).

It was actually a really awesome party.

And I hope that my sister's marriage is just as awesome for forever.

(No part of this post was intended to be an advertisement. I just like sharing my crafty success and pointing people in the direction of local businesses. All photos are MINE MINE MINE! Don't be rude and steal stuff. Rude.)

A New Season, A New Leaf

Welcome to the new year!

In the spirit of the New Year, I am setting some resolutions for myself. And I hope that, at the end of the year, I can look back on this entry and nod in acknowledgement of having achieved that goal.
With that said, I will now jump on the bandwagon of resolutions and goals, in the form of a fabulous list. Because who doesn't like lists??

Resolutions for 2016

           1. Go Outside More Often

Go outside, however that may manifest itself. For me, I plan to go camping at least once, every other month. That's a grand total of 6 times, which should be doable.

Going outside will keep help me away from my extremely clingy boyfriend, Netflix. It's also something I always dream about doing, but am too afraid to do alone.
I grew up in a family that went on long road trips across the country, with our pop-top trailer in tow. There are pictures of my face covered in dirt, my hair a total mess and sticking up in several directions, and I wouldn't trade those memories for the world. And I don't understand why I ever stopped making those kinds of memories.. Why I ever stopped going on those kinds of adventures.


           2. Try New Experiences

This one kind of points to number one, but it's also a throwback. About three years ago, I made a resolution to 'Say yes to things you would normally so no to.' Within reason, no funny business! And I did, sort of, but not to the fullest extent that I could have. I still said no to the concept of things that scared me.

And I'm ready to say yes to so much more!

I want to go to a major sports game, just so I can say I did.
I want to hike to the top of a mountain, and back down it.

I want to wake up early in the morning and take pictures of the sunrise from a new place.

           3.  Quit Social Media

Yep. You read that right. QUIT. Maybe not all of it, if cold turkey is too hard for you. But TRY at least. For me, I have already deleted my Facebook account. I still have my Instagram account (don't judge me), but I hope to eventually delete that, too. And, if I'm being honest with myself, I will probably log back into the account before the month is over.. But hopefully I don't give up. Hopefully I re-delete it shortly after I re-activate it..

Social Media has caused a lot of self conflict for me, and I find myself constantly checking my notifications. 

Did anyone 'like' what I posted? How many comments did I get? I wonder what this person has to say today.. Oh, I wonder what Buzzfeed posted an hour ago. Hey, that Tasty post is almost identical to the recipe I've grown up with..

It's essentially an addiction. And I kept catching myself being distracted while I was with my friends, with my family, while babysitting my nieces.. It's not fair to anyone around me to be attached to my phone, to have my eyes downward, and my attentions somewhere else. It's taking away from what's directly in front of me. And I don't want to miss any experiences by wishing I was a part of someone else's.

           4. Write More Often

It doesn't matter how much, how well, or how often. Just make sure it's more often than you currently are.

For me, I am hoping to maintain posting in this blog. Hopefully you'll be reading a lot more posts about new adventures. Writing is very cathartic and I don't do it nearly enough.

           5. Stop Comparing Yourself to Others

This, I feel, is a fairly cliche resolution, but hang in there. This one refers back to number three, and I don't want you to think I'm being ridiculous.

I don't want to compare myself to anyone else anymore.

In November I went to take some photos in Berkeley. I was dealing with one of my inner demons, and I genuinely didn't want to be there. After taking the pictures, I went to a lookout point and had some alone time. I took a selfie, and posted a picture of myself smiling, with some caption about 'enjoying the view'.

It was a lie. I wasn't enjoying the view. I was lonely, and wishing that I was someone else, anyone else. I wanted nothing more in that moment to be one of my other friends, any one of them. They all seemed to be so happy with their kids, significant others, homes, travel plans, life experiences, jobs.. The irony being that I was doing the exact same thing they were.

Because we all put out the face we think looks best, and will be best liked.

With the glorious wonders of social media, you only put out the face you want others to see. I am constantly comparing my life with theirs and it's not fair to anyone, especially myself, that I do that.

Pardon my french, but that kind of an attitude toward your own life experiences is bullshit. You know why? Because someone out there looking at what you do with your life and your spare time is wishing that they were in your shoes.

But life isn't about always being liked, coming in first, or being the prettiest. Sometimes life is ugly, cruel, gross, and heartbreaking. And it's through the turmoil that we do the most growing. And it's because of the crappy times that we can appreciate the good ones.

I'm going to attempt to cut out comparing myself to others. It's not going to be easy, but the best things you can achieve never are.

And that's it, kids.

Five resolutions that I hope I can live by. Five goals that I hope I can conform to and adapt to.

Good luck this year, people!