Very Happy Holidays!

This has been a very busy past few months as far as holidays go. Thanksgiving was great, Thanksmas was awesome, I can't top this past Christmas, and New Years is just a few days away. I must say that the best part of all these holidays was spending them with James. And it's only going to get better because when I got home from work on Christmas Eve, James was too excited to give me my present and couldn't wait until later. He asked me to marry him!!! Now I've got a beautiful ring, a loving fiance, and a lot of wedding planning to do. Either way, I'm very happy and very excited. I hope everyone else has been having a great holiday season as well!

I just can't wait....

So, I've got the great job, I'm finally making good money, I'm no longer sleep deprived, and no longer depressed. You might say that life can't get even better...
OH, but it can.
Have I mentioned that I have the most wonderful boyfriend ever? Well, I do.
Like many of you know, James recently had knee surgery, so he's not currently working. Yes, that means that I'm stuck wearing the pants and paying all of our bills. (and I honestly do not mind, now that I can afford it) But for anyone who thinks that a boyfriend who lets his girlfriend work while he sits at home on his butt is a loser....well, you're right...but my boyfriend doesn't "LET" me work, and he certainly does NOT sit at home on his butt. Since his knee has started feeling better, James has done SO much around the house. He does all the cooking and cleaning, and does a wonderful job of it. I came home from work today and he surprised me with a delicious chicken fettuccini alfredo, a clean kitchen, AND two sparkling bathrooms! He even unclogged the shower drain! And that's all in one day! Plus he's been working his butt off with our friend Rachel creating some beautiful music.
And that is where the "I just can't wait..." comes in.
well...part of it anyway....
If things keep going the way they are, James and Rachel will be on the soundtrack of a movie that is currently being produced, which you have to admit is friggin awesome! And who knows how many doors that will open up for their music career.
Another think that I just can't wait for, which will most likely happen sooner than a career as a rockstar, is a wonderful up and comming holiday known only to me and my friends (the only people who matter ;) just kidding...but if you don't know about it, you're truly missing out...) is Thanksmas Eve! Although an official date has not yet been set, this year (sometime between Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve) it will be the second annual Thanksmas Eve.
This history of Thanksmas Eve is quite short. Last year I wanted to spend time with good people and celebrate something, but everyone already had family plans for Thanksgiving and Christmas, so I decided to create Thanksmas Eve. So with the help of our wonderful friends Jim and Brenda, Thanksmas Eve was made possible. It was held at the Kuhr residence where Jim, Brenda, James, myself, and any other friends were welcome to join. Good company, good food, and good booze were abundant. So with a lot of eating, laughing, and certainly a lot of drinking, Thanksmas became a hit. I suppose I'll have to think up some Thanksmas traditions to be followed in the future...like maybe I could give Jim the task of cooking a turducken! Thanksgiving has turkey, Christmas has ham.....Thanksmas needs something....and come on... who wouldn't want to try turducken? Granted I've never eaten....or seen...such a thing...but.....it's fun to say.
SAY IT!
TUR DUCK EN.......I wonder what kind of genius decided to put a duck inside of a chicken inside of a turkey?! ....maybe it's just one of those odd myths.... but let's think positively and make it a reality! (Brenda, if you're reading this, you must pass this request on to Jim ;) lol I'm sure he could overcome that challenge!) Even if it tastes like crap, it would still be a pretty cool tradition. Kind of like fruit cake at Christmas!

Anyway...I will now leave you with thoughts of great jobs, rockstardom, Thanksmas Eve, and the glorious wonder that is turducken!

Week One

Well, week number one at my new job has come to an end. All in all, it was a great week! I love my new job, and my manager loves me....not in a weird way..... :)
All week long, I got lots of positive feedback from my manager and the two other women I work with most. Apparently I've been picking up on everything very quickly, and starting tomorrow, I will start training on the FOURTEEN LINE phone system! I'm sure it will be fine, but I'm rather excited to learn more. I know it doesn't sound like the most exciting or interesting job, but for some reason, it fits me. I love it! It's nice to have a normal job. And although I usually have a hard time letting some things go, I'm totally over Walgreen's. I no longer feel bad about ditching them for something better.

AND....as of yesterday October 25th, James and I have been together for 2 years! I don't know how I've put up with him for so long, but he must be doing something right. It takes a strong willed man to be patient with my wonderful mood swings and odd temperaments. So far, so good. :)

So far so good

Today was my first day working for Giles Engineering....and it was GREAT!
I woke up at 6 and started to get ready for what I was sure was going to be a very long, very nerve wracking day. I ended up getting ready faster than I thought. So since I was getting antsy, I decided to leave a little early. Apparently it doesn't take as long to get there as I thought. I left at 7:15 and got there at 7:40....crap. I had to wait in my car in the Sam's Club parking lot till 8:25!
As soon as I walked in the door, I was greeted by Megan (the other secretary). She was stuck training me. I found out that there is a LOT to learn, but I've been catching on pretty quickly.
I was working by myself...with a little bit of help...in no time. The day went by so fast!
Finally my guilt about ditching Walgreens started to fade. Obviously I still feel guilty, but it's much easier knowing that I'm making more money and I'm finally able to keep normal hours. I'm already starting to feel better. Bye bye sleep deprivation! I'm actually looking forward to tomorrow.
Another great part about working at Giles is my manager, Kris. She is awesome. She flat out told me that if something needs to be said, she'll tell me right away to my face, no beating around the bush. Bye bye poor management communication!
My last night at Walgreens (Sunday night) was really shitty. I only stayed until 2am, which is what I told two of my managers was the plan. Unfortunately neither one of them felt the need to tell Carrie (the manager that I work third shift with). So when I told her I was leaving, she thought I was just going home for my "lunch" break! Needless to say she made me feel like shit because I was leaving her to work alone for the rest of the night and the rest of the week.
I'm sorry, but if they can give me minutes notice that I'm suspended for 3 nights and still function just fine, what's wrong with me giving 3 days notice? I know I know.... I didn't give the proper two weeks...and yes, I do feel bad, but come on!
But enough negativity....I made a decision, and I'm pretty sure it was the right one. It's better for my wallet, better for my happiness, and better for my overall health. :)

Life's ups and downs

Ok, here's the scoop. Lately I have been rather stressed out and depressed. My boyfriend James just had knee surgery. Awhile before the actual surgery, the doctor told him that he could only work three hours a day. So while I'm working third shift at the local Walgreens, I have to stay awake long enough to take him to work and sit there until he's done before I can get home and go to bed before working yet another 10 hour shift. Finaly I told him to quit his job. Not only was it a burden for me, but since he was only allowed to work three hours a day (and they weren't even letting him work that most of the time) his entire paycheck was going toward his health insurance...which didn't cover any part of his surgery. SO since I told him to quit, I've been taking on the entire burden of ALL of our bills. $750 a month for rent PLUS utilities and the rest of our bills is very hard to handle when you're not even making $8 an hour. (COME ON! Someone working third shift should make AT LEAST $8 and hour!) Not only does my job not pay enough, but I haven't been able to truly adjust to third shift. I'd noticed some issues I'd been having and went to the free clinic in town. Sure enough, the doctor said that I was suffering from sleep deprivation. While this is a very real issue.....one that causes one to stutter and slur their words, have memory loss, and numerous other issues (that I have started to notice in myself) unfortunately my manager doesn't understand. She basically said that it's my fault for not sleeping during the day. Yes, it's true that I haven't been sleeping during the day, at least not enough sleep anyway, but it's not for lack of trying. I just cannot do it. SO I told my store manager that I needed to switch back to day shift. (I was told when I originally took third shift that if at any point I wanted to switch back, it would be fine.) They told me that I couldn't stop third shift until they found someone to take my place. This was almost 3 months ago. They finally had a bite, but the stupid girl didn't come in for the drug test, so I'm STILL working third shift.
I'd been scoping out different jobs to apply for, and waiting on my Aunt Kim who has her own business that she's trying to get going. She wanted me to be part of it, which would have been awesome. It is basically babysitting for the elderly. I'd done it for her once as a trial, and I loved it. Because I'm not a nurse, nor do I have any background on specific drugs, she hasn't been able to get me started quite yet.
My depression was getting worse. I even started to avoid my parents because I'm a few months behind on bills, but didn't want to ask them for help. It was so bad that James' mother had to take me shopping to buy us food.
My dad called me up one night because he was concerned that I hadn't called or come around in a long time. I couldn't hold it in, and I totally broke down and started sobbing as I told him all of my finacial issues. He was supportive and just told me to keep looking for another job.
Just the other day I told him that it would be so much easier if a job offer came my way. But how realistic is that to wish that someone would just call me up out of nowhere to offer me a job?!
How realistic indeed.....
The VERY next day after my crazy wish, I received a phone call.....offering me a job!
Over a year ago, when James and I were living in Waukesha, we'd gone to Addeco (a temp agency in West Allis) to try to find jobs. They weren't able to help us, but we eventually found our current jobs. Mike, from Addeco said that he knew it had been over a year, but he found something that he thought I would be great at. I told him that I had a full time job, but I have been looking for something better, and that I was very intersted. This job is in Waukesha at a company called Giles Engineering. I would be working in the office as the secretary. Basically I would be the backbone of the office, answering the phones, filing, data entry, creating schedules, and other secretarial duties. So Mike got to work on the fine details after I sent him my updated resume.
Today I got yet another call from Mike. He told me that the manager at Giles is really excited about my resume, but had a concern about why I'm not using my degree.
I went to UW Oshkosh for 5 years to get my degree. I'm the first person in my immediate family to have a degree from a UW school and not a technical school. I am VERY proud to say that I have a degree! But let's face it...I have an Art Studio degree. While I will defend it to the end and say that it was totally worth it, it's not practical to say that I will only accept a job where I can use it. The only job to fully use this degree is to be an ARTIST. So I told him that I still intend to use my degree in the future, but I need the money to put into my art work. And if and when I start selling my art, it will only be a side job. Let's face it, not many people who are artists can make a great living on selling their art alone.
This seemed to satisfy the manager at Giles (her name is Kris). So when Mike called me back, since I didn't know what was going on, I was expecting the worst....darn my non-optimistic personality... Then he told me that I had the job!!!!!
I will be starting on.....MONDAY?
Shit.
So this week is my week on at Walgreens. Obviously I'm taking the Giles job since it's paying almost twice as much as Walgreens, but this means that I will not be able to give a two weeks notice. I talked to numerous friends and family members, and the majority told me to screw Walgreens. I need the money. I need to do what is best for me. I feel the same, but at the same time, I told my managers that if I were to ever quit, I would be sure to give a two week notice. Now I'm stuck between a rock and a hard place.
BUT I knew that I should let Walgreens know as soon as I can. It will only be worse if I wait until the last minute to say..."hey, by the way, I'm only working tonight...the rest of the week, I guess you're screwed because I just got a new, better job."
So I called and talked to one manager, who gave me a hard time since I'm leaving them in the lurch, and it's NOT easy to hire for third shift. He kind of let up on me when I told him that it was a "take it now or leave it" position. But he told me I have to call tomorrow and tell the store manager. (the one who intimidates me the most....)
While I'm very nervous to talk to him, I also am ready for a fight. They've had nearly three months to find someone to take my place. I informed them that I was looking for another job. Unless they're willing to offer me $12 an hour, I will ditch them for a job that will.
Everyone knows the economy hasn't been so hot, this is just they way it has to be.
And look, I keep trying to make excuses as to why it's ok for me to do this..... Am I really so spineless? Is it really so hard for me to say "no" if it's in MY best interest? ...yes... But I'm working on it.
SO all in all, things are starting to look up. To those of you who do not belive in "signs," you're blind. When I said that I wished a job offer would come to me, and this awesome dude from Addeco calls and offers me a much better paying job (that is first shift so I won't be going psycho from working third shift) the very next day when I haven't had contact with Addeco for over a year, that IS a sign!
Huzzah for the ups in life! Let's hope it keeps going in that direction!

My First Blog

Hmm...What to write? This is my first blog. I've never really been interested in blogging, but I kind of got sucked into creating my own just so I can comment on my friend's blog. Who knows, maybe it will be more fun that I thought. Kind of like Webkinz. Yes, it's my little secret that I'm sharing with you all. For those of you who have never heard of Webkinz, they're just like Beanie Babies but you can go to www.webkinz.com to play games with them online. I blame my manager. She got one for her birthday and couldn't resist trying it out. Now not only is she addicted to Webkinz, but I've been sucked into it as well. What can I say, I have an addictive personality.
Another addiction I have is the tv show called House.
How boring that I have nothing to talk about besides the fact that I like to watch House. I hate blogs. I appologize to anyone who read this thinking that it would be interesting. Maybe next time I'll actually have something to talk about.
Yay to blogs....