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.)