new mexico

~~~~~waves to Julie & Jennifer.. miss ya buds. :)

Details later, but arrived somewhat safely and enjoying the visit. My sister looks awesome (she lost a lot of weight over the year) and now that I have seen it up close and personal.. I want what she has!

Found out we are going to be doing family pictures. Damn. I forgot my favorite black shirt. :(

Rebecca is all that I expected and then some. Darling, much more mature for her little 4 year old body. Kisses me every 5 minutes and has made me feel like the Auntie that my sister protrayed for 4 years to my kids before she was born.

Life is good. :)

Quick Update

That post about seeing where the doors are?? THEY ARE THERE! Post. So here's update before I go...

Another contract came open, and she needs someone on Mon. When I explained I would be out of town till Tues. she said next time. Not 10 minutes later, she called back and said "be here at 9:30 on Wed." COOL! This is just contract. She needs to plug a site up quick and needs bodies.

I then decide I better call this Director who is looking for someone, and she says she has found someone (this must be the reason why I did not call her as fast as I should have). But she wants me for back up with her Unit newsletter. Oh that's easy.

We talked about how she got my name, and not only Stephanie, my Director recommended me, but SuZanne, our National Director. When I talk about National, in the pink world of Mary Kay, she's pretty much up there with Mary Kay herself, head hancho if you ask me. Three times millionare, 12 times Caddy driver, been doing it for 20 some years, doesn't look a day over 18. :) So I don't only think that it's the biggest compliment to come from Stephanie.. but it's big time league to hear the SuZanne recommended me. Talk about a swelled head. :)

Ok. I'm off to finish packing. ~

brake squeals

In a few posts back, a few hours ago to be exact, I posted my new banner I put up for Clix. A site used for referrals. I don't know why I did it. I'm not out there for popular votes. I know I have a small following, or dragging so it may be, but this is for me. This was supposed to start off as my Mary Kay journal and talk about the good days (two orders this week, with a possible few facials and a book party) and the bad days (see my whole journal on being stood up for guest nights). It kind of rolled into my j.o.b. (that's a 3 letter dirty word in our field) and regular life, but you know.. we roll with the punches.

Anyway - I put a banner up about a week ago, and I watched my banner go from 184 to 195 to 201 then some where to 230 something today. I looked at the banner and said, ewww even I don't like it. Must have done this on one of those none sleep days I had. So I quickly did another one up, added some animation in it (hmmm.. maybe I should do flash???) and I'm like now #23. YES. #23!! What happened? That was like 6 hours ago.

So I guess while I have you for just a few seconds.. you do have to go check this out.. my marykay.com site. It has a "virtual make-over" and you can click on the faces and check out different colors. Check out all the models, they each have different colors. If any color really fancy's you.. email me, and send me your address, I send out free samples. :) While there, sign up for the Hawaii Sweepstakes (simply irresistible!) at the bottom right of the screen. I won't nag you.. promise. Just a quick thanks for signing up and no email spamming from this girl or the company.

With that - I'm heading off to bed before 1 am (a first in 3 months) and I won't post till Sat. or Sun. Homeward bound to New Mexico to visit family. Enjoy your weekend.

Door #4

What Monty? There's a Door #4?? Oh what shall I do? What shall I do? In following the saga of my job search, another recruiter called today and this one even seemed better. Pay was back at my "Q" job (dream job), the details of the job was close to the "Q" job (dream job) and the location is only a few miles from my house. The hours are iffy. In the sense, I love the morning time, 8:30 which means I can send the kids off to school without need of a babysitter. Quitin time is 5:30, so unless Bo stays on his schedule we are ok not to have use of a babysitter. I hate leaving all this in the air right before going on vacation, but it's a done deal.

If only my boss knew what was going on. He thinks I'm going to go off and work for the Director, which I haven't been able to call yet because I dont want to say yes to her and pass up a graphic job, and at the same time, say no and find out I needed her all along. So I'm in a dilema. What would YOU do? Tag me and tell.. please.

Packing for this weekend's trip. My sister called from Vegas and she got all kinds of goodies, the best one was the free hotel for 3 days / 2 nights given to Bo. Sept. trip for us is so in the bag now.

clix

So I made this really nifty banner for clix. I need a few hits, so please clix. Pretty snazy if you ask me.

Off topic, the Thursday Threesome for August 15th, "Relaxing: Here, There and Everywhere", courtesy of Dan.

Onesome: Here-When you are in, where do you hang out? Not your favorite room necessarily, but where you always seem to end up. The computer office or the family room. If I'm not in one room, I'm in the other.

Twosome: There--When you go out somewhere to relax, where do you head off to? It would be dinner with the family. A night out to talk with my husband and enjoy his company. Newest relaxations... pedicure time with Jennifer

Threesome: Everywhere--If you could chose, where would you like to be able to go for a week to relax? Somewhere remote, hidden and on a shore, and if money is no object, they must have some kind of spa close by. I guess I'm thinking Hawaii. Would love to have a room where you left the doors open you could hear the waves crashing at night.

How about you? Post your answers in your own space and leave a comment here so we can find you!

dilema

Ok, the door is WIDE open and I see it, the question is.. do I go through it? So there is the post below about a great job that is a possibilty. Not a great possibility once they started asking for specifics of stuff I have done, but it's there.

Then I go to my meeting with MK tonight and Stephanie tells me that there is another Director who is looking for an assistant. An assistant for a Director in MK is like a helper. She helps the Director file her stuff, keep tabs on her unit, call corporate a lot, a chance for me to see what/how a Director does her thing. Pay won't be great, but it could make up for the hours that my boss is taking away from me. Nice thing is, this could lead to other Directors needing my services and turn into a full time job. This Director needs me 2 times a week. Stephanie says she's a stubborn one, and is a sticklar of things but wouldn't have mentioned my name if she didn't think I could handle it. I took that as one of the biggest compliments I have ever recieved.

This could also help me break out of my biz slump and motivate me into working harder.. wouldn't that be a plus? And still be home for the kids before and after school. It's ideal if the pay is decent. But because they are looking for another consultant, the pay won't be that great, because technically I should be working my business that I don't need this money. But I do. I want to jump on this. This really is the door open for me.. and it's the door that twirls around, so it's still open every time it swings around.

Then I get home and my Bo tells me there is a message on the machine from another job I applied to (oh.. better luck too!). I listen to the message, but all I can hear is "marketing websites". I don't want to sell websites. I want to design websites. I quickly check all the jobs I have posted for and I'm pretty sure I applied to all graphic design jobs. This job is also 80 miles away, another city all together. But I will call. I might have heard wrong and I need to make sure all avenues are checked and double checked. We can't afford to go backwards at this time money wise.

The plus side tonight.. awards for consisitency was given out. For perfect attendance over a 6 month period is a reward of jewelry. Placing $200 orders every month for 6 months is the same, so if you do both for the 6 months, a nice jewelry set is given. I have recieved it once, the set. Since then, I have only had perfect attendance and last time I got some gorgeous earrings. Tonight I got a new bracelet for attendance again. I need to get back into orders so I can get the set next time.

So the door is open, but which door will it be? Door #1? (1st job today) Door #2? (Director) Door #3? (phone message). Monty Hall.. I better not find a billy goat behind that door I pick!

there's a reason for everything

< insert emotional overdrive here>
Sometimes when I ask for guidance, or when the powers that be shuts doors and opens others, I don't always see the light, or the door. I don't always see the door slammed in my face either (hence, old job, 5 times reapply). Well.. another job posting came through today, and I thought on a scale of 1 to 10, I'm about an 8 for it. So I applied. The recruiters in this area are known not to call back or even acknowledge they received your resume, so I wasn't expecting any feed back. Two hours later I had a recruiter contact me. Ok, so I had to call her back toll free, so it's obvious, she's not from around these parts. GET TO THE POINT! I'm in for a job interview, nice location, NICE PAY (the money is so nice, it's TRIPLE what I make now and FULL TIME! So like even double it some more!) <- Me, begging to get this job. Oh please, oh please, oh please (yep, desperate sitting in) Let this be the one!

A day early.. but here's my photo's - Shutter

busy

I have kept myself busy today. Trying not to think of the job that hasn't come through, the job's I have posted for not responding, the hate I have for my boss and what I should be doing other wise to not put myself in this spot. That wonderful nap messed up my sleep, which caused me to toss and turn till 4am this morning, so I am pretty much standing on very little right now. For amusement tonight, I enrolled my son in Boy Scouts. Last year my husband signed him up and went to the meetings and after 3 meetings, he said that the 'geekiness' of the dad's was just too much and it felt like he was the one learning all the stuff and not our son, so we pulled him out. My darling husband has a crowd issue. Anything involving more then 3 people is a crowd and he claims up, so being in a room full of boys and dads, the pressure must have been too much. I think job wise and lay-offs sealed the deal of him not returning.

I made up my mind, that no matter what the details were, I would be there for him this year. Now don't get me wrong.. I'm not looking for a babysitter for 2 hours. I'm looking for my son to get some one on one time with his friends, without his mom, dad or sister in the wings. I'll help out in every way, but I'm not crazy about attending each and every meeting which is done in the first year of boy scouts.

I have never had a brother, and I have fallen into that "stereo-type mom" where I do girl stuff (girl scouts) with my daughter, and dad does stuff with my son (boy scouts).. so attending my first B.S. meeting was an exeperience in itself. Having a man run around the room yelling to the boys "are we going to have fun this year?" and the kids screaming until they are blue in the face "yes" is a new thing to me. In my daughters troop we work on our manners, and quietness, which doesn't always work out, but we work on it. This guy in shorts was running around and telling everyone "I get paid to act goofy". Act? I thought he was being quite normal in his goofiness way.

The part that killed me was, every once in awhile he would say "true story..." and go off on some historical B.S. story. So are you telling me all the other stuff before that was a lie???

All in all, I think my son will have fun. He said that he wants badges this year, which I could say that he's been watching his sister fill up her vest with badges. Popcorn sales are coming up.. and they looked at me for help. I said I would help, but I can only handle one power trip and that's being the cookie mom of the Girl Scouts. That's fun. It's like being the Soup Nazi... "you want cookies?" "NO COOKIES FOR YOU!".

I have found some humor tonight.

image

Thought it was fitting to use Miss. MK who is looking for direction. I'm looking, I'm lost. I'm tired. (2 hours of sleep, not including nap) and Scared. Where's the road to a normal life?

"Your principles mean more to you than any money or success" fortune cookie from tonight

So if not getting the job with the company wasn't bad enough, my boss came in to my office and told me to cut back on my hours. I only work 20 hours a week as it is. Now he's going to be gone for almost a month, with only about 7 days in house and he won't need me that much. He can't afford me to work the 20 hours as it is if there is nothing for me to do.

My world has fallen apart again.

By the time I got home I was in tears and all I could do is look at my husband and say "I don't want to be here in Denver anymore." Went to my room and cried myself into a 2 1/2 hour nap.

I'm going home in a few days to visit with my mom and sister, then it's back to hit the pavement and look for a job. Any job. I don't care what kind of job it is. And I'm leaving my boss no notice of my departure except the note to kiss my ass.

To top things off.. I cry over my stupid fortune cookie and my husband laughs at me.. "sure babe, look for a job, take any job. I'm here for you."

And if that wasn't enough... Nicolas married Lisa Marie

I hate life right now.

Thank goodness for posting and posting and publishing with blogger. The recruiter called me today. I was a sho-in for the job. I had the perfect credits, my skills out did me, BUT they have decided to go with someone with more Java. Holy Batman! how many more programs do I need to learn in my life time? The recruiter says she knows they will have a hard time finding someone to fill the position with the skills they are asking for and the pay they are willing to meet. Hello.. I have been this route before. Husband asked me how many more times am I going to apply for the position and get turned down? Oh I don't know.. 5 more on top of the 5 I already have? IT WAS MY DREAM JOB!

Needless to say, you are not seeing my ranted version. I really fell back into my sailor days and even then when I went back and looked at it, I thought, who the hell is that writing those words?

The search begins again.

I'm going to state the postive things that WILL happen in my life -

*)) I will leave this job for a better one and not be laid off.
*)) Our family will see better days financially
*)) Yes my darling daughter, we will go to Disneyland again, and again
*)) Yes I will get into MY OWN HOUSE and paint the walls!
*)) Yes I will become more successful in my MK biz
*)) Yes I will own that Grand AM and the Grand Prix and the Cadaillac.
*)) Yes I will lose weight, and be a sexy size 12 or 14 (lets be real here)
*)) Yes I will visit my sister at all her duty bases, Italy next spring, Rota Spain the summer after, and still have time to travel with my family on other trips.
*)) Yes all these things and other dreams, positive thinking and goals will come true for me.

Hmpf.. take that Monday!

nair

Ai - yi - yi. I'm a full blown mom now. As of today, my daughter shaved her legs. Well, not really shave, shave, I let her use nair and then I went and helped her with a razor clean up the patchy parts on her legs. The poor child has been ungifted by me to share the wealth of extra hairy legs (yeah, I know.. too much info) and at an early age of 8 we had to take care of it. I must admit, she looks better with it being done and watching her giggle while she put the sheets over her legs when getting ready for bed.. I do have to admit, that is a cool feeling.

But I quickly gave her lessons of being a girl and the hazards of shaving. I won't allow her to use a razor for some time, but I figure I'll get a jump start on lessons learned.

1) Don't use daddy's razor. Expect the worst. (what? a cut? No. a grounding)

2) Change the blade, you will thank me on this one in years to come.

We'll go from there and make it up as we go along.

I am a mom of a future teenager.

On the lighter side.. ~~~waves to Jennifer and is so happy to her writing in her journal. I'm sure we going to know each other more and more through our journals. I'm one lucky chic! :)

resume

Well. It's somewhat finished. Finished enough to let recruiter see it. I need to some serious tweaking, but it will work for now. Take a look.. tell me if you hate it or not. I know, I need to put a loading section in first. I'll do that tomorrow. My brain is COMPLETELY fried.

resume

minutes

Julie called me today. From Florida. :) Julie's grandmother is moving from FL to CO and so she went out to help her move. We talked on Thurs., but for some reason, we didn't get our full hour of talking and I didn't get to say good-bye and wish her fun on the trip. I really felt helpess on that part.

This morning she called and said "I've got minutes for you" and we talked for a hour and a half. I'm going to be so sad when she moves to Kansas in Nov. I know we will meet up again.. and we will have to invest in minutes on our phones and that's ok, just will miss seeing her every few days as we do now.

Making big progress on the resume today. Should have most of it done this afternoon. If I don't get bumped off by some little tyke who wants to play "speed 3" on the computer.

Mental note.. more money means another computer, means I get work done in the future.

workin

Have decided today will be spent on getting resume portfolio back on line and work on a few future projects. I'm here...

Tag me (bottom left sidebar) if you stop by... :)