It has been quite a while since my last post, and I know I was going to try and post consistently, but I just couldn't.  I have been busy, busy, busy with work and school.  I've changed many things. My job for instance; I am no longer with Schneiderman's.  Today is my first shadow shift with a company that cares for people with disabilities.  It went well!  I have been doing lots of online training, a couple of orientations, and some classroom training.
Not only have I been busy with this new job; I also have started my externship. What this means is that I am busy training there as well; learning by shadowing and classroom training. The hours will be crazy, but it will be worth it in the end!!

FOURTH OF JULY

Fourth of July weekend is here! For my parents, that means a vacation to Branson. For my sister that means she is having a visitor from out of state and she is taking time off. For my friends that means a trip to the lake in Missouri. And for me that means working. A LOT!

I love talking to people and helping them find the perfect mattress, don't get me wrong, but I want to enjoy this time too! Celebrating our independance has become a commercialized holiday that forces retailers to outdo each other with large sales and bummed out employees! So for those of you who get to enjoy your freedom...take advantage of it! And be kind to those of us who have to help you; no putting your hands up in our faces!

WOW!

I'm back again! Wow I have been way too busy, no post since OCTOBER!!! Ok well here's the news...I'm going back to school! I am enrolled at Rasmussen College for Business, Marketing and Sales! I have orientation on May 3rd and start on May 9th! For the last few years I have been trying to tell myself that i have management experience, which automatically gives me office experience since as a manager I had office work to do, and so I would be easily able to get a job in anything! Well I'm still in sales, and I love my job! But I need to think of the future and moving up! I can't be working weekends and nights forever! So I am working full time, going to school full time, and still making time (hopefully) for friends and family... So the question is now going to be... with the job market being so bleak, will it be any better at all with a degree!? You see all these people with big important jobs being let go, and not being able to find anything else! The constant worries of someone unsettled. I guess we will just have to see how things go!

BOO!

I'm feeling festive for fall so I thought orange would be a nice color to use :o)
We are coming into my favorite time of year! I love when the leaves turn color, soups, hot chocolate, bonfires, and layering! Most of all, my favorite holidays are in the fall! It is kind of a toss up between Halloween and Thanksgiving...
Halloween in a cute kid friendly way, not the scary goblin way. I go to the Halloween parade in downtown Anoka every year! I've already gone to the apple orchard and will be going to the pumpkin patch soon! I'm doing something a little different this year too though. I am volunteering at the Zoo Boo for Como Park! I am really excited to dress up in costume and have fun with the kids and their families! I volunteered for two weekends, the first I am a polar bear, the second I am a penguin! The costumes are so cute!
Thanksgiving I love because I love getting together with family and eating amazing food! Such a great day. This year instead of spending it with my own family though, I will be with my boyfriends family. I am going to miss being with my family on this day, but will still have a lot of fun! I really enjoy his family.
Oh, before I go, just a side note.... at the costume fitting tonight for the Zoo Boo everyone really liked my Halloween socks ;o)

Here's to the Grandmas

Once again, it's been a while since I've blogged. I have had so much happen to me since my last post! What made me feel the need to write again was a woman I met yesterday. She was absolutely charming to me, and reminded me of my grandma! from her face structure, to the flushed face, right down to her eyes! It was so amazing and shocking to me I didn't know whether to laugh, stare or cry!
Let me back up and explain. Since I've been back in MN I looked for a full week for a job, and found one! With AIL, I invested in my future by going to classes and getting licensed in life insurance and also accident and health insurance. I've been training for the past 2 and a half weeks, working anywhere from 10-14 hours a day! Finally this week I've gotten back down to 8 hours. It was in one of the members homes that I found Linda.
Funny Linda has the name of one grandma and the face of my other! She even grew up in the same area as my grandma! I sat and talked to her for two hours, about family, death, marriage, injustices, and disabilities.
I miss my grandma every day, and she was such a big part of my life and played such an important part of who I am. I don't think I could ever express that to its fullest extent. So here's to the grandmas, the ones who have many or few grandkids, the ones who know or don't know how much they are loved and appreciated. I guess part of being a grandma is just knowing it all already, because grandmas give so much love I can't imagine they come up with all of it with out knowing how loved they are, even if it's not always apparent.

Is there always time to decide what you want to do?

So what do you do when you still don't know which career path you want to follow? How does anybody know when they are little, what direction they want their life to go? Now that I'm moving I have the opportunity to really go after anything I want, but what to do?!

I know I don't want my career to determine who I am or rule my life, but I would like it to be something I am passionate about! I want to be happy to go to work, and feel accomplished when I go home at the end of the day. Nothing would be better than to have a great day at work, go home satisfied, and be with the love of my life. Oh and my boyfriend too ;o) ....Fiona my puppy....hehe

The past three years I have been enjoying my time in retail. There are definitely some pitfalls... the crazy hours, working through the holidays... putting up with crazy people... But it has also been very rewarding! I get to spend my day making women feel confident and beautiful and successful in finding the perfect shoe, bag or accessory...or entire look! There are few better feelings than finding just the right shoe!

I would love to stay in the fashion industry...but maybe not quite on the front lines anymore. I want to be involved in more of the behind the scenes area of this monstrous money making industry. I wonder if there is such a thing in good 'ol Minnesota...

Aaah to be able to rewind five years and know what I know now. Maybe I would have just taken five years to model and then take a back seat in a behind the scenes position... (I'm tall so people are always suggesting I model..anyone from age 11 to 65 has said so...that's what I get for working in a high traffic mall in Atlanta where everyone wants to be in the music, movie or fashion world).

So much to think about. 13 days and I am with my love :o)

It's been a while....

I've been distracted...by life lately. Much has happened since I last blogged. New job, new home, new...roommate...when she is here. I somehow have taken on her dog as my own to ensure that it stays alive but I am moving back to my original home state this month and am kind of worried about little Bailey. Who will feed and walk her when I am gone?!

Coming to the end of my time in Atlanta has been a whirlwind of highs and lows. Excitement, fear, happiness and nervousness plagues me every day. On the one hand I will miss my family terribly. With only three weeks to go I grow increasingly sad about not having them right down the long road of 285. I regret not being able to see my niece more often as she grows into a real person! Every time I see her she seems twice as big, and I would hate for us to become strangers.

On the other hand I get to be with my love! I miss him every day and with the number of days to my move getting less and less I need him more and more! We can be a real couple after almost two and a half years of long distance! I know that since we know what it is like to be apart we will never take any time for granted. And of course my friends and family that are up in the tundra too.

...that reminds me...it's very cold up there. I get chilled at approximately 73 degrees and it gets much colder there...

Well it will be an adventure so there will be more to come! Hopefully sooner than a year later....