So I'm back. I never had a lot of time to blog before between working full time at an extremely, demanding, stressful job, and doing my wifely, motherly duties. As of February 1st, I no longer have to worry about the crappy job I had because I was laid off. It's a funny thing. You hear about all these lay-offs and feel bad for everyone but it always seems like it won't happen to you. The company I worked for I helped start from the ground up and had a verbal contract (I know...stupidest thing I could've ever done). I left a perfectly good job to start up this new similar company because I got a pay raise and "there was going to be so much opportunity for growth" for me and a couple of other people. Yeah, which is why I'm sitting at home right now telling this story.
Thankfully I was laid after my husband finally found a job after being out of work for six months. I know in a blog before I mentioned that he was going to be going to work out of state to make a bunch of money, so that we could move. That never happened because they didn't end up starting that job until just recently. It would be stupid to send him there right now, since he has a job and we can't afford to take any chances with me not working. Before my job was always a safety net.
So yeah, I'm living the American dream. Staying at home, getting unemployment of a whopping $244 (after taxes). Not even 1/3 of what I was making when I was working. There are hardly any jobs around this area, unless I want to go to work answering phones for $8/hour. Even those crappy $8/hour jobs have a lot of competition for them. People that are way over qualified are having to lower their standards drastically. I'm growing tired of living here and have now seen my dreams of moving across country being put on the back burner. When I was working, I was taking my paycheck and putting it directly into our moving savings account. Now I've had to actually take money out of that account to pay some bills. My husband gets paid only by commission (he works for an insurance company), so you really never know how much money you have. My son is in a christian private school, which is not really an option because of where we live. The public school in our neighborhood is horrible. I have to pay a lot of money for him to go to a decent school. The private school probably isn't that great but it is better than what the public schools have to offer. I just received the enrollment package from school last week and have to figure out what to do. I really can't afford to send him to school there but the violence and lack of education are too much for me to even think about sending him to public school around here. Rock and a hard place!
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Thursday, July 9, 2009
NYC Prep
I was flipping through the channels last night (something I hardly ever do) and came upon a show called NYC Prep. Basically it's about a bunch of New York City rich kids that go to elite private schools and their lives. After a few minutes, I was beyond irritated. One of the families dogs died on the show. The dog had been having some health issues prior to this. She had to go to accupuncture twice a week and have other treatments done. The family decided to have a funeral for the dog. She was buried in a small casket in a dog cemetary in the Hamptons. This dog cemetary was extremely nice and all the plots had headstones. Wonder how much it cost them?
There is not a word to describe how spoiled these kids are on the show. They're disrespectful, selfish, have rotten attitudes and are just completely over the top. It's sad what these parents are actually doing to their children. Most of the kids could care less about others. The only reasons they are involved with any kind of charity work is because they have to to able to put it down on their ivy league college applications and because it's the "in" thing to do.
Onto real life now...Some people from a local church came by our office selling dinners to raise money for a veteran's funeral. His family didn't have any money to bury him so the church pulled together to try to help them. It is heartbreaking the way our veterans have been treated. They went and fought for us, put their lives on the line and suffer through lots of psychological damage the rest of their lives. Only to be tossed aside. There are some good programs out there but it is still really sad. I thought about this poor man's family trying to raise enough money just to bury him and then about the rich family on the t.v. show burying their beloved dog in a high class cemetary. I mean come on. I love my dog and she is a part of our family but I think it just showed how ridiculous this family was and how they go way overboard with everything.
I could go on and on about the show and all things that bugged me but the only thing that was truly sad was this.
There is not a word to describe how spoiled these kids are on the show. They're disrespectful, selfish, have rotten attitudes and are just completely over the top. It's sad what these parents are actually doing to their children. Most of the kids could care less about others. The only reasons they are involved with any kind of charity work is because they have to to able to put it down on their ivy league college applications and because it's the "in" thing to do.
Onto real life now...Some people from a local church came by our office selling dinners to raise money for a veteran's funeral. His family didn't have any money to bury him so the church pulled together to try to help them. It is heartbreaking the way our veterans have been treated. They went and fought for us, put their lives on the line and suffer through lots of psychological damage the rest of their lives. Only to be tossed aside. There are some good programs out there but it is still really sad. I thought about this poor man's family trying to raise enough money just to bury him and then about the rich family on the t.v. show burying their beloved dog in a high class cemetary. I mean come on. I love my dog and she is a part of our family but I think it just showed how ridiculous this family was and how they go way overboard with everything.
I could go on and on about the show and all things that bugged me but the only thing that was truly sad was this.
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Changes and Decisions
The next year is sure to be one of a lot of changes and decisions. I am the most indecisive person I know. When I'm at Starbucks ordering, you would think that I was making a life or death decision. Caramal Macchiato...no wait...Vanilla Latte...or maybe just tea? Blue wire...red wire, which is it? Really, it's just a drink. I irritate myself with this kind of stuff.
So you can imagine the big decision on moving from Southern Louisiana to Vancouver, WA area. I've made my pros and cons list and the pros pretty much outweigh the cons but there is still the uncertainty. It's like moving to a different country. It would be different if we were moving due to a job relocation but we're not. This is purely moving because we love it there and don't want to raise our family here. I have family there and was raised there. I took my husband, who has lived in Louisiana his entire life, there for vacation a couple of years ago and he absolutely loves it. I think the scariest thing is moving during the recession. Will we be able to find jobs before we move? If not, how long until we find jobs when we move there?
It's a lot to think about. In the midst of the stress of all that, my husband will probably be leaving within the next few weeks for six months to go away to work. We won't be able to see him hardly since he will be 11 hours away. He will make a lot of money and it will definitely help us. We will use the money for a downpayment on our house that we will purchase, possibly pay off my car and maybe moving expenses if we do move. After all of those expenses we will have about three months of our usual salaries left, so that if we do move and can't find jobs we will be okay for three months.
I don't enjoy change. We moved so much when I was younger and I think that is the reason I like stability and the same old routine. I'm an extreme planner. Planning makes me feel comfortable and less stressed. It's hard to plan though when there is so much uncertainty.
So you can imagine the big decision on moving from Southern Louisiana to Vancouver, WA area. I've made my pros and cons list and the pros pretty much outweigh the cons but there is still the uncertainty. It's like moving to a different country. It would be different if we were moving due to a job relocation but we're not. This is purely moving because we love it there and don't want to raise our family here. I have family there and was raised there. I took my husband, who has lived in Louisiana his entire life, there for vacation a couple of years ago and he absolutely loves it. I think the scariest thing is moving during the recession. Will we be able to find jobs before we move? If not, how long until we find jobs when we move there?
It's a lot to think about. In the midst of the stress of all that, my husband will probably be leaving within the next few weeks for six months to go away to work. We won't be able to see him hardly since he will be 11 hours away. He will make a lot of money and it will definitely help us. We will use the money for a downpayment on our house that we will purchase, possibly pay off my car and maybe moving expenses if we do move. After all of those expenses we will have about three months of our usual salaries left, so that if we do move and can't find jobs we will be okay for three months.
I don't enjoy change. We moved so much when I was younger and I think that is the reason I like stability and the same old routine. I'm an extreme planner. Planning makes me feel comfortable and less stressed. It's hard to plan though when there is so much uncertainty.
Monday, June 8, 2009
Bad Idea For A Fundraiser
I have had something on my mind that has been bothering me since this last Saturday.
Let me first state that I am a sucker and give to every fundraiser that I am approached by, even if I hardly have a dollar to my name. I also give money to the veterans on the side of the road and any other human being. If you're the person that is at the gas station and trying to collect money to buy gas because your car broke down about 2 miles down the road while you were on your way across the country to help needy orphans and you don't have any money because your wallet was stolen, then hold out your hand because I'm gonna help those orphans! I'm not stupid, you just never know in certain situations for sure and I don't want to neglect possibly helping someone. My husband makes fun of me for this but I don't care.
Back to the original story though...I'm on the way to my son's tee ball game and come to the red light by my house and there are kids standing in the middle of the street there. They have buckets and cans in their hands collecting money for a school fundraiser. My problem with this is that mainly it is dangerous! This is a narrow highway where people fly by and sometimes run the redlights. After turning onto the highway there are more kids standing in the center between the two lanes of the highway. Not just kids but there is a toddler that can be no older than 4 years old standing there!!! My husband and I about had a heart attack. He was so hard to see because there were older kids standing in front of him. I think it is so irresponsible of the school for allowing this kind of fundraiser. I didn't stop because I'm not going to contribute to the dangerousness. Also, the next thing is that you don't just stand on the streets asking for money for your school. Do a local car wash or something. To me it is young kids being lazy. Even at car washes I know from experience that a number of people will just drive by and give you money and not have their car washed, me being one of them. Oh the aggravation of living in this town. After I drove by the first set of kids and stopped at the red light. They start screaming something at me and gave me nasty looks. How glad am I that I didn't give them any money now? Extremely. I can call the local police station and it goes straight to the Sheriff's office. Anytime I've called them for anything they are not helpful in the least bit. We have a total of one police officer on duty at a time in our town. Ahhh...The joys of small town life. This is why we're planning our big move. We're not country folk, we're city people. I'll explain more about the move at another time.
Let me first state that I am a sucker and give to every fundraiser that I am approached by, even if I hardly have a dollar to my name. I also give money to the veterans on the side of the road and any other human being. If you're the person that is at the gas station and trying to collect money to buy gas because your car broke down about 2 miles down the road while you were on your way across the country to help needy orphans and you don't have any money because your wallet was stolen, then hold out your hand because I'm gonna help those orphans! I'm not stupid, you just never know in certain situations for sure and I don't want to neglect possibly helping someone. My husband makes fun of me for this but I don't care.
Back to the original story though...I'm on the way to my son's tee ball game and come to the red light by my house and there are kids standing in the middle of the street there. They have buckets and cans in their hands collecting money for a school fundraiser. My problem with this is that mainly it is dangerous! This is a narrow highway where people fly by and sometimes run the redlights. After turning onto the highway there are more kids standing in the center between the two lanes of the highway. Not just kids but there is a toddler that can be no older than 4 years old standing there!!! My husband and I about had a heart attack. He was so hard to see because there were older kids standing in front of him. I think it is so irresponsible of the school for allowing this kind of fundraiser. I didn't stop because I'm not going to contribute to the dangerousness. Also, the next thing is that you don't just stand on the streets asking for money for your school. Do a local car wash or something. To me it is young kids being lazy. Even at car washes I know from experience that a number of people will just drive by and give you money and not have their car washed, me being one of them. Oh the aggravation of living in this town. After I drove by the first set of kids and stopped at the red light. They start screaming something at me and gave me nasty looks. How glad am I that I didn't give them any money now? Extremely. I can call the local police station and it goes straight to the Sheriff's office. Anytime I've called them for anything they are not helpful in the least bit. We have a total of one police officer on duty at a time in our town. Ahhh...The joys of small town life. This is why we're planning our big move. We're not country folk, we're city people. I'll explain more about the move at another time.
Sunday, June 7, 2009
First Blog!
So this is my first blog! I decided to start a blog because I have always loved to write and I constantly have things on my mind. Am I the best writer? No. Do I have the most intelligent thoughts? Probably not. But it doesn't matter because I enjoy writing and if you're reading this then for some reason you enjoy reading what I write...which is awesome!
I started doing video blogs (vlogs) on youtube and realized that I enjoy doing this type of thing. I'm really shy and quiet when I first meet people but I when I get to know you I become an extrovert. People often have mistaken my shyness for snobiness. When I first moved to Louisiana about ten years ago, a lot of girls in high school thought I was a snob because I was quiet and also because I came from up north. I was a "yankee".
A little bit about me now. I am 26 years old, am married to my husband of 5 years and have a 5 year old son. I was born in Louisiana but after that my family and I moved all over the United States because my dad was a professional wrestler. The longest I ever lived in one place was when we lived in Vancouver, Washington for about 8 years.
I never planned on living in Louisiana for this long. My plans were to graduate college in Louisiana and then move. I wanted to live in New York for a year and then Seattle for a year. After that I wanted to focus on my career which would be marketing, international business or something along those lines. God had other plans though. I got pregnant with my son after I finished my sophmore year in college. I decided not to go back to college and finish my degree because I was "doomed" to live in Louisiana (meaning I had my son and was getting married to a native of this land). With a college degree where I live in, it wouldn't have done much good. Currently I make more money than a lot of my friends with their bachelor degrees. I worked my way up in the three companies that I have worked for and that is how I did it. Also, I really had no idea what I wanted to do. I don't love my job. There are times when I can't stand it. I do what I do because I have been doing it for a while and it's comfortable.
So that is a little bit about me. I don't want to write too much on my first blog, so I will stop for now.
I started doing video blogs (vlogs) on youtube and realized that I enjoy doing this type of thing. I'm really shy and quiet when I first meet people but I when I get to know you I become an extrovert. People often have mistaken my shyness for snobiness. When I first moved to Louisiana about ten years ago, a lot of girls in high school thought I was a snob because I was quiet and also because I came from up north. I was a "yankee".
A little bit about me now. I am 26 years old, am married to my husband of 5 years and have a 5 year old son. I was born in Louisiana but after that my family and I moved all over the United States because my dad was a professional wrestler. The longest I ever lived in one place was when we lived in Vancouver, Washington for about 8 years.
I never planned on living in Louisiana for this long. My plans were to graduate college in Louisiana and then move. I wanted to live in New York for a year and then Seattle for a year. After that I wanted to focus on my career which would be marketing, international business or something along those lines. God had other plans though. I got pregnant with my son after I finished my sophmore year in college. I decided not to go back to college and finish my degree because I was "doomed" to live in Louisiana (meaning I had my son and was getting married to a native of this land). With a college degree where I live in, it wouldn't have done much good. Currently I make more money than a lot of my friends with their bachelor degrees. I worked my way up in the three companies that I have worked for and that is how I did it. Also, I really had no idea what I wanted to do. I don't love my job. There are times when I can't stand it. I do what I do because I have been doing it for a while and it's comfortable.
So that is a little bit about me. I don't want to write too much on my first blog, so I will stop for now.
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