Things are changing.....Good things are coming....

My recruiter called me this morning with an update.

They loved me at the interview, but unfortunately, they wanted a bit more accounting experience for that position.

BUT....

They loved me so much (my recruiter's words), they are looking to see if they can find somewhere else for me within the company. Honestly, I am floored that they are willing to do this. Most companies focus on filling the position they are looking to fill, and move on. If you don't fit what they are looking for, they graciously say we're sorry and move on.

So, at this point I'm still in limbo .... waiting ....

I know God is working on something great for me. And so I will patiently wait.

And now I give it over to God....

A few weeks ago I met with a recruiter and have been in touch a few times since.

Yesterday afternoon she called me to tell me of a new position they got and to see if I was interested. Everything seemed right about it, and she told me she'd present me to the company and let me know if they wanted to meet with me.

She called me this morning that they wanted me to come in.

!!!!!!!

I met with them this afternoon, and I thought it went well. Of course, replaying it in my mind, I'm second guessing everything now.

I'm hoping I hear back that they want me to come in for a 2nd interview.

On the drive home, I was over thinking everything and starting to panic a little. Suddenly the thought "Give it over to God" popped into my mind, and I suddenly felt at ease.

So, that's what I'm doing. And I'll just wait to see what happens.

A recap to the end of 2011

It's been quite awhile since I've posted. The holidays are over and we're already nearly halfway thru the first month of 2012.

Honestly, it's best that I haven't updated because there wouldn't have been a lot of positivity.

Not that I have good news to share with you all now, I am just choosing to not dwell on how much it all sucks and instead put out there that:

THINGS ARE GOING TO GET BETTER.

God is just testing our limits, and I just know He's got something good in store for us. We just needed to make our way through the muck first.

So, just what has been keeping us busy this past month or so?

I'm still unemployed. Continuing to look. I met with a recruiter and hope to have a little more leads that way.

My son turned 10 in December. Double-digits. How is that possible? In other news, for the 2nd year in a row, he made the school spelling bee, which we are very proud of.

Shortly after his birthday, I came down with strep throat. That was fun. At the same time, my ear acted up again like it had back in March. After numerous visits to the ENT, a round of steroids and an anti-viral, several hearing tests, a brain MRI and an electrocochleography --- I still have no definitive answer as to why this has happened (with hearing loss) twice now.

Christmas went all too quickly.

4 days after Christmas, I receive a phone call at 1:30 in the morning. You know it's never good when the phone rings in the middle of the night. Mike was in a car accident. He was fine (Thank God!), but his car was not. It was totaled by the insurance company, and we were forced to go buy a new (used) car and take on a 2nd car payment. Now I wonder how we'll continue to make ends meet with another monthly expense.

5 days after his car accident, we're taking down all the Christmas decorations. He falls off the roof. Scariest thing I've ever witnessed and again, Thank GOD he was okay, but he was INCREDIBLY sore for a few days after. To a point that he'd be moaning in his sleep.

It's been a rough patch, and there are days that I don't even want to pull myself out of bed.

But I try to keep looking forward.

Mike is fine, and the car was replaceable.

Finances are so tight it might mean eating ramen noodles or skipping a meal a day (for us at least, never the kids) and staying in the house in the more.

But I know a fabulous job is out there for me....and I will get it!

I may not have an answer about my ear, but it's better now and my doctor is pro-active and doesn't push me out the door, rolling his eyes and thinking I'm crazy.

We WILL triumph!

How can it be?

Time is flying faster and faster.

I'm still unemployed and while that's depressing, it is kinda nice to be home. I get to put the kids on the bus in the morning, there have been a couple times I've gone and had lunch with them at school, and I can welcome them home after school.

But, there's that money thing. Or the lack thereof. Things will be tighter now. Mike's health insurance finally kicked in at work, which means his paychecks will be smaller. Quite a bit smaller. It's ridiculous how much health insurance costs to cover the entire family with medical, dental and vision. But how can you do without it?

At any rate, I just continue to hope that I find a job soon. Or win the lottery. Of course, you have to play to win. There goes that idea.

Amazing that it's October already. Soon we'll have a pile of candy we don't know what to do with. Heck, we know what to do with it. Eat it. We'll start putting up the massive amounts of Christmas lights while we're still buzzing from a "I-ate-the-kids-trick-or-treat-stash" sugar high.

And then, it's all down hill from there. Once Halloween is over, you may as well write off the remainder of the year. Because from then on it's NON. STOP.

Weekends are already busy, and by the time Thanksgiving is here, we're pretty much booked solid with parties, get togethers, baking, shopping, wrapping.....the list goes on.

I'm tired just thinking about it.

No, wait. I'm just tired. Period.

There hasn't been a lot of sleep lately. My poor boy came down with something on October 1st. Long story short; a visit to the doctor, no improvement and then a trip to urgent care finally got us a diagnosis on October 7. Pneumonia. Here we are on October 12, and he finally returned to school. He also finished his antibiotic this morning. And - most importantly - I think the cough is gone. I don't recall hearing him cough ONCE since he's been home from school. And it seems he was able to fall right asleep tonight.

This makes my heart soar!!! My poor boy would cough and cough - one night for an hour straight between 2 and 3 in the morning. He'd nearly throw up from all the coughing.

It kills me to see them sick. Especially when they really suffer with something. A normal cold doesn't typically knock them down. But when it's something that really makes them miserable.... it breaks my heart.

Top 10

I found out that I'm in the top 10 out of over 30 applications they had for the position. Seems that the next step is that they'll be sitting down to go thru those and proceed with making phone calls for interviews next week.

I'm excited to have made the top 10, however, I'm also looking at this that I've only got a 10% chance.

I'm incredibly nervous. Not even sure what else to say at this point, other than....

PLEASE PRAY FOR ME!

Waiting on pins and needles

I've never wanted a phone call so badly.

A friend of mine (bless her GIGANTIC heart!) told me of a position opening up where she works. She had me email my resume over and she personally took it to the girl in HR.

Some time went by, and I asked her if anything came of it. She told me that the girl in HR was on vacation and that she'd speak to her as soon as she was back (last Monday).

She called me and let me know what she had found out. The HR girl read my resume, and thought I would be a good fit for a different position. She told my friend she'd email over the job description and that I should apply if interested. In turn, my friend sent it to me, I read it over and didn't even think twice about whether or not I should apply.

So, I updated my resume once again, and sent it off with a cover letter for the position.

Now I wait and every time the phone rings, my heart lurches into my throat and I'm hopeful. Then, when I realize it's not THE phone call I'm hoping for, it sinks back down to the pit of my stomach.

I don't think I have ever wanted something so badly. I want this job and I KNOW I could rock at it. I'm trying not to get my hopes up, and that is damn hard. I feel like I've got an advantage because the girl in HR read my resume and picked the position she thought I would most fit. She could have just as easily said I wasn't qualified for the original position and left it at that.

First things first, I need to nab an interview. And then I need to dazzle them so much that they offer me the position. Like I said, I'm trying to be cautious with my emotions, my wants, my absolute need to do something like RIGHT. NOW. This is only my 2nd week being unemployed and I'm already itching to jump right in and get going.

I've continued to check Career Builder on a daily basis, and there's just nothing out there. It's scary, and this opportunity I have before me is .... everything.

So if ever there was a time to have a prayer answered.... now would be it.

When Life Gives You Lemons...

Last month my boss sat me down and broke the news to me. The company was going to be going out of business. While this wasn't a total shock, it was one of those things you turn a blind eye towards and hope that somehow things just turn around.

Even so, it still left my world turned upside down.

Today my kids went back to school. As they start 4th and 2nd grade, I am starting unemployment. I put the kids on the bus, and came back into the house and cried. Not because my babies are growing up (well, maybe a little....), but because I had no job to go to for the first time in nearly 13 years.

And I'm unemployed in the worst economy in many, many, many years. My outlook is bleak. I'm holding onto shreds of hope. My friends are positive and optimistic. The whole "when one door clothes, another opens" bit.

While I appreciate their words (hell, I need that positive reinforcement when my mind is nothing but darkness), it's also hard to just put the worry out of your mind.

So, in the meantime, while I look for a job and bring in my small unemployment wages, I'll also continue doing what I have been for months. Earning $5 Amazon gift cards thru Swagbucks, earning $10 Amazon gift cards from a focus/research group I belong to, earn more $ from Crowdtap, earning $3 per survey thru PineCone Research (I've already done & been paid for 2 in just a couple weeks), and by couponing.

I've posted before about my couponing efforts and I'm going to try to start a bit more.

We'll start with today's trip to Dominick's. I normally don't shop here because it's too expensive regularly, but if you have their value card, and if you sign up for their "Just for U" specials, you can score some really fantastic deals.

Today I managed to get the following haul:


4 boxes of Cheerios @ .49 cents each = $1.96
4 boxes of Lucky Charms/Golden Grahams bars @ .89 cents each = $3.56
4 boxes of Betty Crocker fruit snacks @ .69 cents each = $2.76
2 boxes of Cheez-It crackers @ $1.49 each = $2.98
2 jars Ragu sauce @ .49 cents each = $.98
2 cans Friskies cat food (B1G1F) = $.65
1 box Teddy Grahams = $1.19
1 package of napkins = $0.00 (freebie with my "Just for U" savings)

TOTAL OUT OF POCKET W/TAX = $14.66

That's a savings of almost 79%!!!!

So, when life gives you lemons....find a way to make lemonade!

I need those prayer warriors again.

I've mentioned her before. She's my good friend that climbed mountains in order to get pregnant. She dealt with a blood clot and was on bed rest at the beginning of her pregnancy. Then, she failed her 1 hour glucose test, which took her to the 3 hour. Needless to say, she also failed that.

Most recently, she's found out she's got a large nodule on one side of her thyroid, and a couple small ones on the other side. The big "C" was brought up, and she'll be going in for a biopsy.

I can't even imagine the fear, the worry. Not only for your own well being, but for your unborn child. I can't help but wonder why people are constantly put through such trying times. Wasn't the struggle to get pregnant enough? She worried for weeks she was losing her baby in the beginning, and just when she started to put her guard down, she's dealing with gestational diabetes. And just when she wraps her mind around controlling the GD, she gets this dumped on her plate.

So, I'm asking all of you .... please keep her in your prayers. I know many of you haven't a clue as to who I'm talking about, but just know she's one of the sweetest and most selfless people I know.

Babies!

So many friends & family members are expecting babies, and I am so anxious for them all to arrive.

Not only do I love snuggling and loving up little babies, but I love photographing them. I can only hope I can get the opportunity with these new little bundles that will be arriving over the next few months.

I mean, I love photographing my kids - but after awhile they get tired of me constantly having a camera in their face (my daughter can tolerate this much longer than my son; he, on the other hand, forces a few smiles and then he's absolutely D-O-N-E). Babies are just great. Especially when they aren't crawling away, eating your backdrop, and for the simple fact that - I get my baby "fix" and then they go home.

Doesn't get much better than that.

Road Warriors .... Groupies .... What's the difference?

A couple weeks ago I went on a road trip to the East Coast with my friend, Kathy. We headed that way so that were were able to hit a few concerts on the side of the country.

My road trip started here in Illinois, immediately after I got off work and took me into Indiana, where Kathy lives. From there, we loaded up her car, stopped at the grocery store to buy some snacks and drinks and hit the road.

We crashed for the night around midnight-1am somewhere in Pennsylvania. The next morning we headed to Intercourse, PA (yes, it really does exist -- along with Blue Ball, Virginville, etc) where we spent a couple hours in Amish Country.

After that it was on to Wilmington, Delaware, where would see the first of 3 concerts. And no, for those that know me, it was not New Kids on the Block. This music is entirely different, and not very main stream.

I highly recommend you look them up though -- Naturally 7. Simply amazing.

It was an amazing few days. We saw 3 concerts in 3 days in 3 different states. We truly rocked it.

After it was all said & done, we traveled thru (whether it was just passing thru or stopping in for any amount of time) 8 different states (9 if you include Illinois for me, which was the final 1.5 hours of my drive from Indiana) and covered 2,029 miles. WOW!

The memories I have are amazing. It was a great experience. While we traveled to CT for our final concert, we drove thru New Jersey and New York. I got to see the Statue of Liberty waaaaaaay off in the distance, and I was extremely excited to see her (have not visited her yet, but it's on the list - my son really wants to go, so it will have to be a family trip). I tried a couple new things (fried calamari (yuck!) and pickled onions (yum!) and I gained a closer bond with my friend.

So, whether we're called road warriors or groupies .... I don't care. It was totally worth it!! Now I cross my fingers that they eventually end up back in the Midwest so we can follow them around a little closer to home!

Little Sports Stars

In a little over a month, my son will be starting his second year of baseball. We are looking forward to it, even though my life goes from busy, to hectic.

And this year, we decided to make it even more crazily hectic by putting my daughter in a sport, too. She'll be playing soccer.

Yes, I am officially going to be a Baseball-Soccer Mom. I feel like I need to get decals on my car.

More importantly, I may need to clone myself. If there are overlaps with practices/games, I'm not sure how I'll have myself in 2 places at once if it happens to be when Mike is working. It sure is going to be a challenging few months!!

Facing it

There are big changes on the horizon at work. I'll be honest - at first, I was scared. I was worried. I was ready to look for a new job.

While I'm still a little concerned, I am going into this much more level headed and ready to face whatever is tossed my way. I'm going to face it head on, and conquer. I will not spend my waking moments worrying, and stressing. I'm going to simply give it my all; give it 120%.

I can do this. Bring it!

Say what?

I came down with a cold, and then suddenly I went from having full hearing in both ears, to one of them being so blocked, my hearing was muffled. The "fullness" in my ear did not subside overnight, and the next day I was pulling and tugging at my ear and it was getting increasingly more painful.

I finally sucked it up and took myself to urgent care. Lo and behold, I had an ear infection. They sent me on my way with a prescription for amoxocillin and I expected I would be feeling better in a couple days.

When things did not start turning around, I called my regular doctor's office to be checked out again. The infection was still hanging around, and this time I left the office with nasonex, in hopes that the swelling would go down and that whatever was blocking the eustachian tube would finally free up and give me some relief.

Two days later I woke up with a fever, vomiting and generally feeling like I was going to die. When I finally got my stomach to settle down enough, I called and got in to my doctor's office again.

Infection was still there, and the stomach issues may or may not have been related. I may have just been lucky enough to grab a stomach bug on top of the cold/ear infection I had going on. But the doctor changed my antibiotic, telling me to stop the amoxocillin and start the z-pack. She also gave me a business card for an ENT, and said that should be my next stop if it still didn't clear up.

Now, I should say that when it comes to actually seeing a specialist of any sort, I will drag my feet. To me, in my eyes, a specialist is serious business and that just makes me nervous. So, avoiding the need was my top priority.

Except I just couldn't tolerate it anymore. When you have to continually say "What?" or turn the tv or radio up louder because one ear is barely working, there's a problem. Not to mention how it feels. While it's not painful per say, the feeling makes me want to stick a fork in my ear and poke a hole in there.

I called the ENT, figuring it would probably be at least a week or two before they could see me. Imagine my surprise when they offered to get me in at 2:20 that same afternoon. So, I put on my big girl panties and took myself in after work.

I can't say there weren't tears. The ENT asked me what was making me sad, and I felt like a great big idiot, but I explained that I'm just frustrated.

All in all the visit wasn't nearly as terrifying as I thought it could be. The infection is cleared up, but there's still fluid behind my eardrum. I was instructed to continue with the nasonex (nasal steroid) and I am also now on an oral steroid (prednisone). The doctor said that the steroids usually do the trick, but she did mention that if it doesn't, I'll likely need to have a tube put in (this is the 2nd time I've had an issue with this ear - the first time I didn't have an infection along with it, but I did have fluid in there).

I'm hopeful the steroids will work their magic and I'll be feeling more like myself soon. I've got a follow up with the ENT again in 2 weeks.

I'll tell you one thing.....when this ear finally opens up and my hearing is back to normal, it's going to be like angels are singing. Glorious angels.

Waiting for Spring & Losing My Sanity

Just last week we got hit with a blizzard, and our entire area was pretty much shut down for 24 hours. I was on my way home from work when it really started getting bad, and the road I took home was already covered with drifting snow. Visibility was next to nothing and it was the scariest ride home of my life.

It also made for some challenges at work. And work has been a challenge as it is. There are some big changes on the horizon, and it is stressful.

I do believe I can work thru it, but the unknowns are worrisome to me. I've got a meeting with the bosses coming up, and hope my mind is eased a bit more after that.


I'm hoping Spring is around the corner - both for sun & warmth, and also for my sanity. Winter is really becoming a drag.

Time keeps on ticking

The first month of the new year is already more than half over. I'd just like to get through winter quickly.

I'm finding myself disliking winter more and more each year. I've always said that I enjoy the change of seasons, and actually like living in Chicago, but lately, I've considered the idea of living in another state.

The only problem now is having a house that just won't sell. The housing market is entirely upside-down. Especially in our area.

But, the idea of uprooting ourselves from Illinois and settling down somewhere else has a bigger appeal these days, and it's not just about the weather. But that's an entirely different ball of wax that I just won't get into.

Unrelated -- fun things happening here. The boy is in the school's 3rd/4th/5th grade spelling bee this week. I'm going to see Naturally 7 coming up in the next couple weeks. The boy & his daddy will be going to see the Monster Trucks soon, I'll take the princess to see the Justin Bieber movie, and she'll be going with her daddy to the Daddy/Daughter dance at school.

We're also in the process of planning our family vacation, which I am looking forward to. The destination is per the boy's request and we are happy to oblige. How many kids actually ask to go see Mount Rushmore?

1.1.11

Happy 2011!!!

Unbelievably, I was able to last until midnight and ring in the new year with my husband. Granted, we were already in bed, but we did stay awake watching the tv footage of New York and Chicago's celebration.

When midnight rolled in, and the tv channel we were watching flashed a big "HAPPY 2011" on the screen, it was the first time that the number actually scared me a bit.

2011.

I'm not sure what makes 2011 any different than 2010. But I said to my husband, "I really feel old".

I think it's just that I graduated high school in the 90s (late 90s, but still...) and now here we are PAST 2010 already. Feeling slightly like life is getting away from me.

Sloooowwwww down.

Next Week

I can't believe Christmas is already next week. And to think there's only a couple weeks of 2010 left; it just blows my mind.

How is it possible that my 30th year of life is rapidly coming to a close, and in no time I'll be in my 31st. (YIKES!)

I do love this time of year, even though it is always insanely busy and I start to feel a bit stressed, a bit stretched too thin.

Mom & I finished our holiday baking yesterday - a whopping 102 dozen cookies. We may just be a little insane, but when we've got a list of family, friends, coworkers, etc that we give cookies to....plus we have to keep some around for us to indulge. Oh, and of course we need some for Santa!

Thankfully my shopping has been done for some time, and my wrapping is just about complete. I've got 3 gifts left to wrap, just as soon as the last two things I'm waiting on to complete 2 gifts come in the mail.

We also just celebrated my boy's NINTH birthday. How that is possible, I don't know.

And last, but not least -- an update and a great big thank you for those of you sending up prayers for my friend. Baby is growing with a wonderful heartbeat, and while my friend has been on bedrest due to a subchorionic bleed, it has clotted & gotten smaller. So thankful for that! I am just so thrilled that I get to be an "auntie" to so many fantastic kiddos, and that there's 2 more coming in 2011 (another friend is expecting her 5th!)!!

God is GOOD

My dear friend & her husband received the BEST news yesterday.

Their 2nd IVF cycle WORKED!!! They are PREGNANT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

In about a week, they'll get to find out whether they are expecting one or two babies. I'm so over the moon happy for them.

So much to be thankful for this year....

100 Days

Next week will mark the 100th day since I've given up all soda pop. Something I never thought I'd be able to do!

I admit, at first, there were times when we'd be out to dinner & I'd catch a glimpse of that delicious bubbly beverage at the table next to us. And my mouth would water, and in my mind I could recall just what a Diet Coke tasted like. And how I craved it. But I held strong & kept on with ordering lemonade or iced tea.

Now, it's not even on my mind. It's just become so routine NOT to drink it, that I don't even think about it. In fact, I actually had to look back and count out the days because I really had no idea how long it had been, because it's just not a part of my life anymore.

I hoped to see some better results in terms of weight loss, but I am taking in more calories these days by NOT drinking pop because I've substituted with lemonade, teas, and fruit juices. I went from a 0 calorie Diet Coke, to a glass of juice with 100-some odd calories per serving. In the last couple weeks, I've tried to drink more water and less of the beverages with calories.

But let me tell ya ... when you don't drink a lot of water on a regular basis, and then suddenly start ... you may as well camp out in the bathroom. I feel like I have to pee every 5 minutes. I suppose that's something that I will adjust to over time; or at least I'm hoping!

Baking, Photographing, You Name It, I've Done It.

Just this month I had my first paying photography gig. I've also got another one booked for next month. The one I just did was my cousin, but the next is just more of an online friend/acquaintance and it's a little nerve-wracking. Having the worry that they won't like the photos. I've got about a month to pysch myself up about it.

I've also been busy trying new recipes, and keeping up with the extreme couponing. The amount of freebies I've snagged is incredible!!! It's a total rush to see the savings at the end of a shopping trip. Truly fab! Perfect time of year to be saving money -- I've got Christmas shopping to start!!!