2 Years into a Fabulous Career.

Two years ago, I started at job.

I was a nervous wreck - here I was, 23, this is my second job out of college, starting in at trucking company. What was I thinking?! I'm still not entirely sure. My job was a way out of a call center. It was $5 more per an hour. It was the start of an adventure.

I couldn't be more happy that I took that step. Two years later, I'm pretty sure this is my career. The company I'll be working with for the rest of my life. I love the structure, the mission, and the people. I love waking up in the morning to go to work - yes, even at 4 am. I have no intention of ever leaving this place.

How many people can say they absolutely love their job?

A Day in the Life - Thursday, May 2nd.

I love this type of blog. I basically made a note of everything I did at every hour of the day. It's crazy to see how much you actually do in a day, especially in an hour.

4:00 am
My alarm just starting going off. I hit snooze twice, and finally drag myself out of bed at 4:20 am. I have the 24/7 phone this week at work, and was called twice overnight, so I'm extremely tired this morning!!

5:00 am
Off for work! I have a 25 minute drive in the mornings, so I've got to get out the door. Coffee, water bottle, and lunch in hand!

6:00 am
Finishing my morning round on the lot. Working in the trucking industry means I have to write down every.single.truck on my 2 acre lot - every morning. But, I do get to see this gorgeous sunrise each day!

 7:00 am
It's proving to be a good day! I'm tired (even with my coffee), but thankfully it's slow this morning and gorgeous outside. Doors are open and a nice breeze is flowing!

8:00 am
Seriously. I've only seen one customer. This day might take forever. Off to get more coffee (I rarely get seconds, but I need it today!)

9:00 am
The day is finally picking up! I have a few super grumpy customers throughout the day - but you can't get me down when it's in the 70s!

10:00 am
I couldn't last until lunch without a snack this morning, so I stole a granola bar from my service manager. Well, his drawer is free for all, so it's not really stealing. Also, I got a fabulous request from a customer for a specialty 53' trailer. So I spent the hour climbing in and out of trailers to see if the specs were right. Did I mention they're 4 feet off the ground with only 1 step? Talk about my workout for the day! (I also get to ride my golf cart!)

     

                                 (the inside of a 53' trailer)
11:00 am
It's technically lunch time, but shit has hit the fan in the office. Guess I'll be eating a little later!

12:00 pm
Finally got my lunch! I didn't pack a very good lunch this morning, thanks to all my snoozing. But I did manage to get into an argument involving biases in the media. Oops.

1:00 pm
I'm researching to prove my argument point. I hate that I can't let it go, but seeing as it was my thesis, that's just me. I'm still working though!

2:00 pm
Time to leave! Getting to work at 5:30 am definitely has its advantages. (I lied, I didn't get out until 2:45 pm - I have to walk past everyone's office on my way out, and therefore get stuck in a million discussions).

3:00 pm
Still on my drive home. Nothing interesting? It takes almost 45 minutes, because I need gas.

 4:00 pm
Snack time! I'm always starving after work. I'm eating a granola bar and some triscuits with left over tuna salad. And by some triscuits, I mean half the bag. I have no self control.

5:00 pm
Nap time. I'd have to go to sleep at 8 pm in order to get 8 hours of sleep and that clearly doesn't happen. So I catch up mid afternoon. I can usually grab anywhere from 20 minutes to 2 hours in the afternoon, which makes me human the rest of the day. I stole 45 minutes today, which is enough!

6:00 pm
I was totally planning on long boys for dinner, but we got texted to go play frisbee later. Sooo plans switched to stir fry. Plus, it was a great way to use up the way too spicy chicken Sean made last week, and the quinoa that has too many spices for us.

 7:00 pm
Our friends opted for BBQ first. We've already eaten, but we're cool with just hanging out while they eat.

8:00 pm
Finally tossing the frisbee around. Eventually we're all tired from the frisbee, so we break out the bocce ball set until we can't see anymore.

   

 9:00 pm
All of that exercise totally calls for some ice cream. We're at Sheridan's, and it's amazingly delicious. Except we were there while the cold front blew through. We stood outside for 30 minutes, and it dropped 15 degrees! Damn!

10:00 pm
Bedtime. Like I said, I have the 24/7 phone this week, so I make sure to get my little area set up. I have a list of trucks (whose keys are in a lock box that's easily accessible), a pen, and my phone on the charger. When I'm half conscious, I need things as easy as possible.

10:25 pm
I literally just fell asleep, and my phone rings. Work. Luckily it's just my shop to update a few units on my list.

1:00 am
Work calls! Thankfully it's a quick 5 minute call, but I still have to get out of bed. Once that's taken care of, I head back to sleep. Peacefully. Until my 4 am alarm goes off. 

Week 1 down.

You guys, I survived. I survived an entire week of waking up at 4 am, being at work by 5:30 am, working 10-12 hour days, and doing it every day. My work went through a ton of changes this week - a new assistant district manager started, all but TWO of us went out of town for a two day business meeting, and it was the end of the month.

And you know what? I didn't just survive. I was amazing. I rocked it. I did so much stuff at work this week, and it so empowering. I get how people become workaholics - it feels good.

Too bad I like being at home too much :)

I like my new shift too - I love that I can get off work, run a few errands, come home and make dinner (at a reasonable hour), and still have time to be with Sean. It's a nice change from the late hours I had. Nice, but drastic. I'm still adjusting.

Hopefully next week I can get used to it enough that I don't want to go to sleep at 8 pm!

Life as it is

Okay. It's been forever and a day (or two) since I've last posted. Fail on me. I've been busy. Really busy. I'm exhausted mentally and physically, but at the same time, I absolutely love life.

-I think I've discovered what it means to be a workaholic. Now, don't get me wrong, I love my weekends and my time off. But I feel like if I don't do something, it isn't done right. And I want to get everything possible done there. I love that my work makes me want to strive to be the best. And I got a fantastic annual review because of it. However, I think I'm really starting to get stressed out lately. Thankfully, a new guy has been hired, and our part timer is coming back. Thank. God. The crazy part? I still love my job - and my bosses. I think this could really be a career for me.

-I've also been terrible about cleaning in every way. Laundry? Nope. Dishes? Maybe. Other things? Not a chance.

-I seriously wish I had the same craft inspiration that I had back in college right now. This weekend, I was ITCHING to do something crafty, but I couldn't for the life of me come up with anything. I finally did on Sunday, so now I'm working on a Cardinals wreath.

-We might seriously be getting a puppy this weekend. We've been talking about it for forever, and I think it's finally time. Sean will have 3 full weeks off from school/internships, so it'll be perfect training time.

-My car may need new brakes soon. It makes me super sad. :(

-Sean is wrapping up his 2nd year in law school this week. Imagine that! He has 2 more semesters (then the bar, then of course the real task of finding a job) left of this degree, and it amazes me. I cannot wait though!

A Bright Bright Sun Shiney Day

The weather is turning warmer, the days are longer, and just like that, everything seems to be looking up.

-This week, we bought a patio table. Basically, Sean's parents gave me some money for my birthday, and that's what I chose to spend it on. We put it together tonight, and it's sooo nice to be able to  sit outside and eat dinner in the 80 degree weather. And tomorrow, we break out the BBQ for the season!

-My boss is having me do my annual review now (2 months early!), which means I'll get my raise a little bit earlier

-Sean has a summer internship! He'll be working at the tax clinic - it'll give him court experience and looks great on a resume (at least, this is what his graduated, friends-with-jobs say). It's unpaid, which actually means he'll be paying to work (since it's also 2 credit hours). But it's only a few hours a week, and they're flexible enough that he should be able to work a job if he can find one. *fingers crossed*

-We're going home this weekend to celebrate St. Pat's - Sean's family is hugely Irish, so it's a big holiday. We'll be drinking in the streets (literally), eating corned beef and cabbage (and Irish soda bread), and celebrating my birthday a bit more with my family.

-We're going to Florida at the end of the month!! Sean's spring break is the last week of the month, and I was able to get 2 days off work despite it being month end, so we're road-tripping down to Destin for a quick 4 day vacation. We'll be staying with his aunt, which means all we need to pay for is the gas to get there (though we'll take her and her daughter out to dinner as a thanks). It might be colder than it is here, but it's a getaway with a pretty beach.

This past winter, it seems like everything was moving at a snail's pace. We were getting along just fine, but there wasn't any progression in our lives. It feels like things are finally changing (or maybe I'm just in a better mood with the weather), and I'm so grateful for that. Hopefully, thing keep moving forward!

Back on the Wagon. Maybe.

I've seriously fallen off the blogging wagon. Like, horribly. It's been 3 weeks since my last post! What happened to blogging addict me who loved to share tiny details, lofty hopes, and big dreams with anyone who would listen? Erg. I'm really not sure.

I think a lot of it has to do with my unwillingness to blog about our honeymoon. I don't like blogging about vacations in general, to be honest. It seals the deal that it's over (even though it happened 2 months ago!), and I feel like it ruins it a bit for other people. I think everyone should have their own take on vacations - and discover everything on their own. So I'm saying goodbye to hopes of blogging about the most fantastic trip I've ever taken - you'll just have to take one on your own!

In other news...

-I'm being moved locations at work. I work at our branch, and I'm being moved up to the district location. I know that it'll be a completely new experience, but I'm really going to miss my branch. I do a lot of stuff at my branch, because there's only 2 of us (me and my manager) working there. At the district, there's 4 MTs (my position), a assistant district manager, a district rental manager, and an overall district manager. I feel like I'm going to be useless and bored. Hopefully it doesn't turn out that way, but I'm already secretly hoping this is a temporary move.
-Sean applied for a job! He interviewed for a research position with a professor. I hope he gets it, but I also know that it's kind of a long shot. There were a LOT of people up for the position.
-I'm finding it hard to have motivation to do anything lately. I'm not really sure why, but lately all I want to do is veg on the couch. I think it has something to do with the horrid allergies that are out.
-I've been super Halloween crafty though. Hopefully I'll get my latest project done this afternoon, and then I'll blog about them. I'm still looking to carve a pumpkin and maybe another thing or two, but Sean will want to be around for those.
-I think I can officially say that I don't have babies on the brain anymore. Weird? Totally. But with the amazing vacation we were able to take, and the way we've been living - I'm actually excited to not have kids for a while. Yes, I can't wait for the day when kids will come. But I know that right now isn't that time. I'm in love with being a married, young adult couple. (though, I'll admit I have flashes of babies every time I see a Mizzou onesie - baby tigers!!!)

Oh, and if you rrreeeeaaaallllyyyy want to see some honeymoon photos, here's the public links to them on my facebook! (and sorry, but the trip kiiiinda turned into the Catholic Tour of Europe - but the churches were absolutely beautiful)
Getting there and the ship
Day 1: Monaco
Day 2: Florence
Day 3: Rome and Vatican City
Day 4: Naples and Herculaneum
(day 5 was at sea!)
Day 6: Barcelona

My New Job!

So if you couldn't tell from my last post, I got a new job.

I'm so excited. It's a management trainee position, which will open sooo many doors for me (both within the company and outside of it). I've only been there 3 days, but so far, I'm loving every second. It pays so much better (like $6 an hour better - which translates to FIFTEEN THOUSAND DOLLARS A YEAR), and it's much more rewarding.

As always, I won't share my company name, but I'm working with trucks (big trucks - semis and rentals), so it's way out of my area of expertise, but I'm loving learning about it all. I love that I'm moving around, checking them in, and figuring out what's going on with each one. I'm one of very few females, and I love that I get to joke around with the guys and there's no drama (or very little). Most of the people I work with are in their 20-30s, so it's a young crowd. And everyone has their degree! One of the things that really frustrated me with my old job was that I was working with people who never went to school (and it showed in professionalism, learning style, and communication style) yet getting paid that same thing. At my new job, a Bach is required, so everyone is on the same level as me. It's so refreshing! Everyone is upbeat and positive, and it's clearly not a dead-end job. And I still get to work with people. I love it. Seriously.

Though, I do need to go buy better shoes. We have to dress business casual, but the only suitable shoes I have are heels. I need either wedges or better fitting heels, as climbing in and out of semi cabs all day is not easy with heels. I feel like I'm making a mockery of myself! Thankfully Famous Footwear is having a sale, so I think we're gonna head over there tonight. My feet will love me so much after I get new kicks!

Student Loan Blues.

Sean and I learned this week that we have to start paying back some of his loans.

*screech* what? Isn't he still in school?

Yea, yea he is. And he's still a full time student. Which, by federal loan standards, means that he's eligible for deferment. Except. Oh except my wonderful husband doesn't have just federal loans. Oh no. He had to go and get private loans for school. Which, ladies and gents, only have to defer for a mere five years. This would be fine at all, if he had gone into the workforce after a bachelor's degree. But it doesn't account, or help, those students like him going for graduate degrees.

Big. Fat. UGH.

Sean ran into the problem during undergrad that his parents made too much to qualify him for standard federal loans, but they were only willing to help him part of the way through school. Which means he had to find a way to make ends meet for tuition purposes. Because he was still classified as a dependent, his parents' earnings affected him 100%. Though we're grateful that they did help quite a bit (they paid for about 1/2 his education), that still left the other half...funded by private loans.

The loan is about $25k, which is chump change is student loan world, but it's still another $169 a month we have to figure out. And because it's a private loan (once again, I HATE the word private), it's not eligible for income-based repayment plans (like my awesome federal loan). Thankfully, it has a ridiculously low interest rate, but it's still painful. (oh, and did I mention that if we pay extra, it doesn't go to principle? EFF!)

Basically, at this point, we have a few options. We have enough with savings and loan extra to make it. But we don't want to rely on that. I'm looking for a new job. I've come to actually enjoy my current job, but it just doesn't cut it bill-wise. I need a job that actually, you know, requires a degree, and maybe a touch of critical thinking. If I can't find a new full time job by the end of April, I'll be applying for second jobs (preferably at a place that gives employee discounts too!). Over the summer, Sean will have both class and hopefully a job/internship at a local law firm. He'll be really busy, so us not having as much time won't be as much of an issue, because we already won't be having time together.

In order to live comfortably, we need to bring another ~$500 a month. It can easily be done with his student loans, but we'd rather avoid that. I know that next year we'll get better loans and all (though not grants, because it's graduate school), but we have to make it through this year too. If he takes two classes this summer, he's full time, and gets loans at that point too.

It'll work. I mean, clearly, we have to make it work. There are thousands of people that are far more in debt than we are. But neither of us ever want to get behind on bills, and we want to have decent credit to buy a home in a few years. So work our tails off we will. We're getting rid of this debt dammit!!

Turning it down

I did end up getting the promotion. I turned it down.

Many of you probably think I'm nuts, but it just wasn't right for me. It would require me to work Thursday - Monday, and I'm already annoyed with having to work on Sunday. But no weekend days off? I would rarely see Sean, and I would almost never be able to come home without taking vacation. Plus, it was only a 10% raise - which on my salary, isn't much. I'd lose most of my bonuses too, which add nearly $300 to my monthly income.

Basically, money isn't everything. I had to weigh my pros and cons, and I just wouldn't have been happy. I almost cried (and not tears of joy) when they offered it - I didn't want to make the decision. But I did. I did it for my sanity, for our relationship, for my family.

And now, while I love my job as a training mentor, I will most likely start to look for another job. I think I'll call up UMKC career center too. I need something that pays more, and preferably with weekends off. My job has been great breaking into the world, but I'm realizing that I'm getting nowhere fast - and it's frustrating to work somewhere that doesn't have require a degree when I have one.

Here's to the best - we shall see what happens!

A Full Weekend Off

My normal schedule is Sunday - Thursday. My weekend is generally Friday and Saturday, which has both is good and bad points. It's awesome, because I get Friday to myself. I can craft, shop, do laundry, and clean in peace, without Sean. It's great to have the time to wind down from a hectic week, and I love it so. It also leaves Sean free on Sunday, which means that he can save his weekend homework, and we actually spend time together. Plus, Sundays at work are usually pretty slow, which is nice to ease into the workweek with.

It also means, however, that we go to mass on Saturday nights. And for some reason, our Saturday night masses is like the geriatrics league - there's so many old people! Sean doesn't mind the traditional, slower paced masses, but I much prefer upbeat. It's also really really hard to see everyone talking about lazy Sundays when I'm stuck at work - I'd much rather be home with my husband and kitten. Knowing I'm not the only person that has a sucky shift definitely helps, but still. I want my Sunday mornings back.

This week I have them. One of the trainers at my work is out of town (training people in Jacksonville), and with the snow storm, one of the training classes was delayed. This means there's currently two classes...and one trainer. They asked if I would be willing to change my schedule to help out, and I jumped at the chance. I would love to get into training in the future, and this is a great opportunity to get the experience and boost my reputation at work. The people I'm training are on a great track, and with a little practice, will be fantastic reps. It also gives me the chance to brush up on my knowledge and learn the new tricks that have come out - because they don't always get forwarded to the floor.

Ideally, I'll be helping this week and next - but I also applied for a promotion to another work group. If I get that, my training stint will likely end on Wednesday. I almost don't want it to. In fact, while I would be excited to get the promotion, I'm not 100% sure it would be the best move for me. We shall see, I suppose. It's not like I can worry about it right now anyway.

Anyway, I have a lot to do today. Yesterday we enjoyed the weather, but that means I'm so far behind today. I'm going to make a pot of chili for a coworker who is going through a rough time, prep dinner for tomorrow, and go to Michaels for some thank you note supplies, as well as supplies for Katie's 21st birthday shot book. Crafty times!!

Snowmageddon.

Tuesday, the KC area got hit with roughly 16" of snow. I know some people don't think that's a lot, but for a bustling city that has to continue to work, it's crippling. As most of you know, I work at a security company. It's means I'm DoD cleared, have great benefits, etc. But it also means that I don't get holidays or snow days, because security is 24/7/365. I left for work Tuesday morning without even a snowflake in the air. I really didn't want to go, because I knew that the snow was aiming for us. But, I've already used one sick day for snow this year, and I'm really trying to save it all for the honeymoon. Also, I'm trying to get that promotion, and I knew it would look really good (and I have an interview for it today!). So I went.

(Did I mention that we were already declared a state of emergency? At that the NatGuard was in KC?)

By noon, there was 4" of snow on the ground, and I knew I wasn't getting home. Colleen and I booked a hotel room across the street (only $10 a piece thanks to my work!). We both had to work in the morning anyway, and it worked out for the best. Work gave us free pizza for dinner and a free meal the next day, and I got a few overtime hours in on top of it. Wednesday, all of the managers rounded up shovels and tow ropes and dug everyone out (while on the clock too - yes!). When I opened my car door, snow literally fell in. We had such high winds that there were snow drifts everywhere. Mostly the snow stopped around my knees, but at some points it was up to my hips - my hips people!

Wal-Mart closed.

I was so glad to get home Wednesday night. Sean cooked, and I spent the night with a long, hot shower, snuggled under blankets, and watching movies.

The city is mostly drivable, but there are still a ton of snow piles, and a few buried cars. There's supposed to be more snow next week sometime, but hopefully that fizzles out. I'm done with snow. Can I move south?

Snippets

-My manager is making me apply for a promotion at work...but I don't meet the qualifications and I'm not even sure I want the promotion. Yes, it means better pay (it would be the highest paid hourly position in the company). But it also means I can't have 2 days off in a row. I'm going for it though, and need to do a resume tonight.

-Sometimes, I seriously miss living with my girlfriends. Like now. Sean's out with law buddies tonight though, so I'm soaking in my me time. I didn't think I'd ever say it, but I kinda miss the independence of the LDR.

-Speaking of, I'm starting date nights with myself. Probably Bread Co. or B&N dates, but it shall be lovely. Thursday is my first one (then margaritas with Colleen after!)

-I'm starting knitting again. This is my newest project. It's going to be super challenging - I've never used DPNs, circular needles, OR done colorwork. I'm knitting them in purple and gray.

-I really need to work on thank you cards. Like, seriously. I bought some today though!

-I have house fever. We got enough from the wedding for a down payment on a house, and house prices here are super cheap - we could easily afford it. But we really want to go back to StP after Sean's done with school...and don't want to be stuck trying to sell a house.

That's about it. I'm gonna go scrounge up an amazingly unhealthy dinner and work on my resume with a glass of wine...what a terrible life! :p

Moving on Up!

I got a promotion. After 2 weeks of being out of training...I'm back in training again. But I'm excited!

I've been working in the land of outbound. Meaning, if someone breaks into your house, I'm the one who calls you (and the police) about it. It's okay, and it's certainly interesting, but it's killing me doing the same thing - for eight hours straight. I need some variety in my life! So Monday, there was a table to sign up to make the jump to inbound - and on a whim, I signed up. I figured I wouldn't start until October or so, even if I did make it. Tuesday, I had a meeting with the head 1st shift manager (who happens to be a Mizzou fan -  joy!), and I got it! I'll be in training for the next 5 weeks now, and then I'll go back to my regularly scheduled shift. I'll get a pay raise of some sort, but I won't know until Friday how much - but anything is worth it. I started yesterday, and I think I'm really going to like it.


My company is strange, but neat. They only hire from within (which is awesome). Everyone HAS to work outbound and inbound - even the executive director of my branch has worked outbound. I really like the bottom-up method, because it just makes so much sense from a management point of view. How do you manage something you've never done, and have no idea about any of the specifics? It's also a very self-led organization. They don't give someone a raise - you apply for a raise. If you don't have the guts to ask to go hire, you'll stay in outbound (there are people who have been in outbound for 3 years).

I'm looking forward to moving up. It makes me feel like my degree was at least a tiny bit worth it.

Let's talk health insurance...

I'm eligible to enroll in health insurance on September 3rd, which is Friday. However, I have two very different options of insurance, both with pros and cons. I was lucky enough to snag a job with insurance after 30 days, and I'll have health, dental, and vision (in addition to whole life and short term disability, but these are paid for by the company). The vision and dental are the same on every plan, but with health...health is a different story.

I have the option of deciding between an HSA and a PPO plan.

HSA stands for Health Savings Account. The plan costs about $300 less a year than a PPO, but there are disadvantages too. First of all, the deductible is $1500 - for just me. When Sean gets added on in January, the deductible will jump to $3000. That's a lot of money that we would need to have saved up for an emergency. The insurance wouldn't cover any doctors appointments, prescriptions, nothing - until that deductible is met. However, we'd also have an HSA account. My employer would contribute $500 ($1000 with Sean added) to the HSA, and I could contribute up to $2550 a year to the account. It's pre-tax, and rolls over year-to-year while gaining interest.

With a PPO, the annual deductible is only $300 ($700 with Sean), and all standard care is covered with a $25 copay. Emergency care bumps the copay to $100, but 80% is covered after that. This is the standard insurance that everyone else thinks of. PPOs have an FSA, which is pre-tax account similar to an HSA account, but the funds don't roll over year to year - this is optional though.

Both of the plans have the same out-of-pocket maximum too ($3000), so that's not much of an issue either.

I'd love to save the money each year and take the HSA plan, but if either of us were to get into a major accident or come down with an illness that requires hospitalization, we'd have to have $3000 ready to go - we're not at a point that we can save that much up. We'd be covered if we got through the first year - but what if don't? Isn't the whole point of health insurance to eliminate the what ifs? If Sean was working, it'd be different - we could easily have those funds. We technically do have those funds with Sean's loans, but those are earmarked for other purposes.

We're considering all of our options here. We don't want to get into heaps of medical debt while having insurance. I think we're going to go with the PPO, at least until we can build some savings and get settled in life. We shall see.

Any thoughts? What works best for you?

Officially Employed!!

I started work last night at my new job. I think I'm really going to like it. It's a security services call-center, which is really cool. I get to save lives. The company only promotes from within, so I've also got a really good chance of moving up in the company. I'd love to work my way up to "Custom" (which is security for celebrites - like Betty White, Paris Hilton, and the Obama's Chicago home, no joke), or HR. I think the place has real potential. I'm training weeknights from 3:30 pm - midnight, but after August I'll be working 7 am - 3:30 pm, Sunday through Thursday. We shall see!

But the best part of the job? The benefits. It has amazing benefits. I'll have health insurance, including dental and vision, and, after I'm employed for a year, I'll have maternity too (while it's not so much of an issue now, it will be one day). They'll reimburse school tuition up to $7,500 a year, which means I can get a masters degree (for free!). I'll also get gym membership discounts (in addition to the one they have at the facility), discounts on new cars (not that we'll need one for a while), cell phone plan discounts, a 401k, life insurance, and monthly bonuses. I think I can handle that ;)

Though, I must say, it sucks that I'm signing up for all of this stuff, and I'm going to have to turn right around and change it all in 5 months when we get married. Ah well. Such is life. Luckily though, I'll be able to support us with just my paycheck. It'll be really nice to not have to take out extra loans for Sean's schooling.

I'm just glad to be productive. And out of the house. I was getting cabin fever. 

Officially Unemployed.

As of last Saturday, I am officially unemployed. It's a very strange concept to me. I've had a job nearly constantly since I was in 7th grade, whether it was baby-sitting, Schnucks, F&B, or MBS. I love working. I love being able to fend for myself, knowing that I'm in control of my money. And now, for a while at least, I don't have any of that.

I gave my two weeks at both of my jobs in preparation for the move to KC. I knew that I would be super busy this week (and rightfully so), and I didn't want to get too overwhelmed. I've been very busy this week, and the downtime has been wonderful. Hopefully I'll be able to get another job in the next few weeks in KC (even just a small one to hold me over), and things will be better. Sean knows that he's been accepted into to school, as so his loans will arrive shortly as well. But I don't want to rely on those. I would love to be able to support us solely, so that the loans are only for the cost of classes. One can only hope, right?

I've been spending time with friends here in StP for a bit. We'll be back next weekend (maybe) for the Toby Keith Concert, and then we'll be back in August. Life is crazy. Absolutely crazy.

Busy!

I've been a terrible blogger. Whoops! But I've been very busy to be fair. I started a second job.

The last two weeks, I've been working my normal 20 hours at my first job, plus an additional 26 hours at my new job. I'm still working on the phones all the time (though this time I'm accepting incoming calls, rather than making outgoing ones), but I really don't mind it. I make more at my new job, which wouldn't be hard to do considering my first - besides, minimum wage is the common pay for jobs here in CoMo, which really sucks.

I like my second job, but I still like my first job more. I've gotten to be really good friends with many of the people in the office, and it's much more interpersonal than my second. The new job has pros too though. For one, I get my own desk (which I get to decorate!). I also get paid breaks. Most of the people there have this as their second job too, so it's not a big deal for me to limit my availability so I can work both.

It's definitely nice to have the two jobs occupying my time now though. Since my training has settle down at the new place, and I've decreased my hours at my old job, my life is settling down again. I'm working between 32-40 hours a week, which is wonderful for the bank account and bills, but I'm still trying to save as much as possible. The possibility of moving without having a job is still ever-so-present, and I don't want us to fall into a sticky situation without having anything to fall back on. I'm still scrimping and saving, but now at least I don't have to worry about paying the bills for now.  Also, it's nice to be busy again. It makes the long distance thing much easier - knowing that I have obligations here.

Classes - The Final Countdown

This is my last semester at Mizzou. Obviously, class is probably going to occupy most of my posts for the next few months, but we'll see. I'm in 13 credit hours - 16 if you count the independent study course that I was SUPPOSED to do over the summer, but didn't touch. I have to finish it though, or I don't graduate. Nothing like waiting until the last minute I suppose. I find that I do better if I don't think about the numbers that symbolize my classes. I mean, I'm in 3 4000 level classes. 4000! Yes, I'm a senior, and they're senior level classes. But, I only had to take ONE to graduate, and yet I decided to tack on 2 more, because they looked interesting. But so far, I'm pretty sure it'll all be fine. Here's a look at what I've got going on:

Business Law: This is my last lecture class. Ever. There are 500 students enrolled, and we pack the auditorium in Cornell (the business school). It's required for my business minor, but I'm not complaining. It's like, 4 tests and a couple of quizzes. Defintiely going to be my easy class of the semester, which is scary seeing as the word "law" is in it and it's only taught by lawyers. Maybe the fact that I've worked at a law firm for the past 2 1/2 years is helping that. :)

Political Communication: This is one of the 4000 level classes. The first day the Prof walked in, he was wearing a polo with holes, gym shorts, and flip-flops. And was drinking a Red Bull. As I've come to find out, he's incredibly intelligent - just not professional. I'm enjoying the class, though I'm not sure if that's because it's politics based (which I've come to enjoy while at school) or because the professor isn't more than 23, but it's a good class. And our first assignment? A 1 page paper on 3rd Parties. This one's gonna be hard *rolls eyes*

Media Theory and Research: I'm not really sure why this one is called this, because it's really all about persuasion. We're talking a lot about ads, both in the commercial world and the political world. I'm taking this class for the teacher though, entirely. I HATE theory, and I HATE research, but I LOVE Morawitz. It is a pretty interesting class though, I have to admit. And I've got some friends in there. Unfortuantely, I'm also going to have like, 3 15 page papers. Ugh.

Capstone: Okay, I GUESS I consider this a class. It's taught by Porter, who's the head of the Communication school. He's hilarious and goes off on so many tangents. Our subject this semester is Media Literacy. It's interesting, especially since Porter is making up this course as he goes along...We may or may not get anything done. I have several friends in here, including Julie and Andrew, so the class is great. We took a test called StrengthsQuest, and it's SO cool. I highly suggest it to anyone - you can take it at their website, for about $15. It nailed my strengths on the head, even though I never really considered them strengths - I just thought they were normal I guess.

Marching Mizzou: Yes, this is a class. I'm one of the captains on the guard this year, so it's going to be a lot of time. As captains, we write routine, we teach routine, and lately we've been staying late to tutor routine - not to mention disciple for the guard and taking care of uniforms and flags. It's a lot of work and time, but it's so worth it! I think the biggest difference this year is that there's so much pressure for us to be perfect every time, because we stress being perfect in the routine to the girls so much. We DON'T want to be hypocrites, unlike captains in years before. I can't wait for the first game Saturday.

I was contemplating joining Tau Beta Sigma this semester, which is the band service sorority. They deal with uniforms, plumes, and some food, and set up and break down for concerts and such, as well as other random service projects like Girl Scout day. I'd LOVE to join, but I feel like I'm just too busy. With the wedding and LPE especially. Besides, it's my last semester. I think I'd feel bad having a "mom" (older member who's like a mentor) spend a lot of money on me, and then not be able to give back and be a mom myself. Instead, I'll focus on LPE.

LPE is Lambda Pi Eta. It's the Communication Honors society. It looks phenomenal on a resume, but we also do a lot of volunteer stuff. It's also a great connection to other people - I love it. I designed the shirts last year, but I'm hoping to get more involved this semester. We'll see what goes on I suppose.

I also have work this semester. Typing all of this out makes me feel like I have SO much, but I love it. I'm only working like 12 hours a week, but I make enough to at least pay my rent and food. With my extra loan money, I have the car payments covered. It's a pretty good deal. I'm still working at the law firm. We're trying to automate everything, but you can't automate phone calls very well so that's what I do most of the time. I do mail for my department too - quality controlling outgoing mail and entering incoming mail into the system. I've gotten to be fairly good friends with the folks in my department, and I'm not really looking forward to having to leave them. I like my job. I never thought I'd say that about an office job, but i REALLY like it. Crazy!

That's the ridiculously long run-down of my semester thus far. It's great and I'm so excited for it.