First Week... done!

I survived my first week at the new job- and I LOVE my job! It's in the boring learning phase, but what I am learning about it I am loving! I can see why people have been doing this for 12 years or more! And, when I get crossed trained later for the data entry side I'll be in heaven!

I work with some fun people. My trainer is a little Vietnamese lady, whom I can barely understand. Lan is her name, and she is a ball of laughs! I also work with Brian, my sensitive gay coworker who loves to sing silly songs with me and have fun with. They both make learning my job fun and easy. After only doing it for 4 days, I'm doing pretty well!

Nothing new in life otherwise. The last couple of weeks we've had some friends come over for dinner and game night. We met them through our church and they are a blast!! It's nice to finally have Ben home every night and weekend, so I can invite friends over and just have fun again!

New and Done!

So on another note..

My hair is now about 2" shorter than that last picture (see below):Also going on is last Thursday, to take a break from being horribly bored (can't wait to have cable back!) I decided to text my old boss and ask if I could take the girls I nannied out for one last fun trip before I got too busy. I had a wooden nickel good for a "free cookie" at Bob's Red Mill in Milwaukie, OR so we went to visit (since none of us have been there). Grabbed our cookies and a smoothie and sat and "chatted". We talked about how the bread was made and about the founder, Bob.

Here's a photo of them outside of the big wooden mill wheel. Grass was a little damp, so the oldest on has her pants hiked up:It was fun to see all the products, but the tour is up the street so we skipped that. Instead, I let the 4 year-old pick our next stop- OMSI! We only had about 45 to spend, so I let them just wander and have a fun time. I will sure miss them, but I know that bigger and better things are set for me. I will always be available for their parents to go on date nights, and next weekend is the oldest's 5th birthday (can't miss bowling!).

Learn from life and then move to the next phase...

Done and Ready!

After a week of stress and worry, my background check came back cleared on Thursday morning and on Friday morning I did my "health screen". I ended up getting two shots- flu vaccine and DTap. My goodness does that DTap hurt! My muscle is still sore the next day!

I got a call from my new boss, Laura, and confirmed orientation on Monday! I even get to pick my own schedule, and since doggy daycare doesn't open until 7am I went with starting at 7:30 (plus I can sleep in a little more).

I feel so very blessed to have this amazing opportunity and I feel I have really learned from my past on what expectations come in the next few months as I adjust.

Scanning = Awesome

Maybe this is all a practice for my new job as a document scanner/data entry but having to find all of my old W-2s, scan them in and email them has not been fun! It started last week when I got a call from HireRight, the company doing my background check. I have had to find, scan and email 5 w-2s so far, one dating back to 2006! I am finding that there are several companies that I used to work for that are no longer in service! I'm happy to know that the company I will be with now will not be out of business in less than 5 years (since they have been around for over 100 years).

On another note, Ben and I went and did a little apartment shopping. I came to the realization that we spend $80-100 a month on doing laundry outside of our apartment/at laundromats (since our apartment does not have a washer/dryer in it). For that same amount of money (cost of rent + $80-100) we can be living in a 2 bedroom apartment WITH a full-size washer/dryer in it on the light rail and closer to work! So, that's what we did. There is such a wide variety of apartments too! I am realizing I like apartments that have been "updated". I like stainless steel and hardwood floors. I like it to look modern on the inside, even if the outside isn't so pretty. We both agreed that we need a place with a hot tub. Our apartment now has just a very, very cold pool.

So, it's been decided. We will for sure move (again) in July when our lease is up. This time, to a bigger, more efficient place. And we will stay there until we can afford a house. So... 10 years? lol

Speaking of a house, I am pretty sure I mentioned this in my last blog. We have started to read Dave Ramsey's "Total Money Makeover". We listened to a pod cast of the show last night, and I was amazed at how many people got rid of over $100,000 of debt in under 5 years! I'm not saying we have that much (or do we?), but it showed me that with some hard work that we have the opportunity to live debt free! I haven't done that since my divorce in 2005 (where I walked away debt free, but started with bad decisions since I was on my own).

So onto our next adventure!

Shorter and Shorter...

Life has been full of changes over the past few weeks, so when I saw one of those sign flippers stating that Great Clips was doing haircuts for $7.99, I knew it was time for a change personally. I was going to just go in for a trim, and thought, "If I'm going to cut my hair, I might as well cut it!" So, I ask for 5 inches to be cut off! It's short! And as cheesy as this sounds, not short enough. I am going to go in later this afternoon and ask for another inch off. Like I said, if I'm going to cut it, I might as well make a statement! I realized, while looking through old pictures, my hair is the same length as it was when I first met my husband 4 years ago (awwe moment). I've cut it off twice and it's grown back, but this time I think I'll keep it short.

Yesterday morning I had an amazing opportunity come up. Well, I guess the opportunity was back last Wednesday. I have been putting in applications at hospitals and clinics trying to get back into the medical billing field. I was out geocaching with a friend when I got back to the car and noticed I had a missed call. I listened to the voicemail and I just lit up. It was a call from the Providence Operations Center (where they do the insurance we have through Ben's work). I guess I had applied for a job there, and she was asking if we could set up an interview! SCORE! My interview was yesterday morning, and I felt it went very well! I felt very calm and was excited to see all of the Providence insignia (since been has worked for that company for over a year). The interview went well, I thought. They will make their decision by the end of the week. I could have a new job on Monday!

I'm trying not to get over excited, but this is a job that I have wanted for years! I won't say what it is, but the potential to get into my dream job within 5 years is a reality if I get this position. Scratch that... WHEN I get this position! The location of the building/office is perfect as well!

I know that I have a lot of friends and family praying that the right job is out there and I will find it (or rather it will find me). We shall see. I had a phone interview last night for another nanny position, but when I came to the realization that it would not only be temporary (only through Sep), but that it was for another first time mom I sent an email saying that I was appreciative of them taking their time to talk with me, but that I would have to turn down the job if offered. I have my reasons, and due to past horrible job experience, I will never ever ever ever (ever) work for another first time mother.

So that is a sum of life over the last few weeks, the exciting part anyway. Not a lot goes on. Make a few crafts to keep busy (see picture of newest wreath- made for Valentine's Day), keep looking for full-time employment and pray that bills will be paid and everything will be ok.

Off to do laundry (I can't wait to have a washer/dryer IN my apartment) and fix this haircut (downside of only paying $7.99 for a haircut).

Happy February!!