The Semester is coming to an end!

I've been so busy, I haven't posted anything in a while.  I got a part time job and started 2 weeks ago. It's at a cafe during the lunch shift and I love it.  Everyone is super nice and it's just a great atmosphere.  I work while my baby is at school, so it's all gravy.

I've been studying hard.  I've have my last lab and review this coming week and then my final.  My application has been sent to the University for the sonography program and from this point forward, its a waiting game.  Today was the deadline, so hopefully I get the call for the interview soon and a positive decision on my acceptance. I'm hoping upon all hope I get in, but if not, I'm prepared to go back to work full time.

I finished the Stieg Larsson trilogy. My husband surprised me with the third book last weekend. Got it on Saturday, finished it up on Thursday.  They're big books, but the storyline is awesome, you can't put it down until it's all unravelled.

Tonight, I'm going to a CD release.  It's a great time every time I see one of  Mike Montrey 's shows. There'a something in there for everyone...my 7 year old has been singing along for 2 years now. iTunes and CD Baby now have it available, but I'm scoring my copy tonight!  Here's the latest review from Aquarian Weekly. Check it out!

The change is coming...

I finished the Girl Who Played with Fire. Now if I can only get my hands on the Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest.  This is a really good trilogy for the murder mystery/drama/book lovers.  I'm taking a break to catch up on my magazines that have been piling up. With school and all, my subscription to Shape has been on hold. I just finished a edition from last summer! With my subscription, went my motivation, but now I'm gonna try and stick with a program.
Since I'm presently unemployed, there's no extra money for a gym membership. Not that when I was employed I had the time to go to one. So I've decided to read these fitness magazines and rip out any articles I think I can do. I'm not one for stability balls/weights, and I have no treadmill, but there was a good article on excercising using your own body weight. Day one and I couldn't even do a few of the exercises. My goal is to be able to do the 3 circuits of 3 different excercises five times. That's what the article reccomends. I started on Monday and I can barely do 10 reps of each exercise once. Once I can do them well, I'll up the repetition. Trying for a bikini body for this summer....but if not, as long as I'm a bit healthier and stronger, I'm ok with that, too.  And once it gets a little warmer, I've got a bicycle I'm waiting to break in.
I've had several calls regarding jobs, but until this week, nothing has led to an interview. Today, I went on the first and have a second one set up for Friday.  Fingers crossed, it pans out. It's a part time gig at a sandwich shop, but it's during my daughter's school hours so every penny goes to us - no before or after care needed - and best of all, it's close to home.
After testing some product's at the research lab, I got $50 yesterday. It covered the groceries for the week and it makes me feel better that I can contribute. It's been 2 months and I haven't asked my husband for my allowance just yet. If I can just get this job to cover for gas, groceries and a few optionals, I'll be happy. Wish me luck!

I'm 30, kind of

So my best friend's birthday is in January and mine is in May. What better time to celebrate both than March? We left Thursday and came back on Sunday for a long weekend. It was just what we both needed.  We sat on the beach, ate, slept and read books. I read The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
while she read the sequel The Girl Who Played with Fire.  It took me from Thursday on the plane to Saturday night to finish my 6oo+ page book. I loved it - action, drama, mystery all in one. When I came home I Netflixed the movie. After reading the book, the movie doesn't even come close.  The book was so intense.  These books were originally written in Swedish and the title is literally translated into "Men who hate women."  It makes a lot more sense then the name the American publisher's gave it.  I've started on the second one.  It's a trilogy and I'm planning on reading the third at the moment, however it might have to wait until after the semester. Hopefully, I can finish this one over my spring break. 
While in the Bahamas, we went to the Atlantis one day to their aquarium, casino at night and Ben & Jerry's for a $9 milkshake.  I know it's vacation, but that's an absurd price for ice cream.  After trying to get in shape for this vacation, I gained four pounds while on it!  I already lost two since coming home by not eating at buffets for each meal.  With the weather warming up, I'm hoping to get outside more often and lose that other two plus.

Off to the Bahamas!

This year is the big 3-0 and I'm off to celebrate! My best friend's birthday is in January, mine is in May, so what better time to go away than March?  We're hitting the Bahamas.
I just looked at the weather. It's only supposed to be in the high 70's while we're there. It's not as hot as I would like, but it's better than here!  I haven't been to a beach in about two years. I had some problems with the skin on my face last Easter - I went to dermatologists, immunologists, spent hundreds of dollars and in the end, a 99 cents aloe leaf at the grocery store did the trick. I can still see remnants of what was there, but most people wouldn't notice. Add a little bit of makeup and it gone! But just in case, I went out and bought a brimmed hat to prevent any further issues.  So maybe the cooler weather is someone's way of looking out for me.
I went shopping the other day to check out some bathing suits. Depressing.  I still have the same amount of chest, just in a different spot. Finding a bathing suit that fit right and I felt comfortable wearing was tough.  In the end, I bought a bikini - but not so teenie weenie.  I just hope I don't look like someone who shouldn't be wearing one.
I tried to go on a diet. It didn't work. We went to visit the in-laws over the weekend and it was a choice between bagels and donuts for breakfast, then dinner was pizza. Monday, I had a lunch date with my mom at the Olive Garden.  So much for dropping 5 pounds. I would have been happy with 2. Instead I gained one and a half!  
This morning I hit up the spa for my first hot stone pedicure. I had some spafinder gift certificates from two Christmas's ago.  All it cost me was the tip and a few quarters for the meter.  I loved it!

Truth or Dare

The new thing in my daughter's group of friends is the game Truth or Dare.  She came home the other day asking me, "Truth or Dare?"  I picked truth. And then truth again, and again. I got, "Do you love me?" and "Did you like that rash on your face over the summer?"  All boring questions that she already knew the answer to.  When I picked dare, she told me to give her a kiss.  "Your dares are no fun...it's supposed to be interesting" I told her.  When it was my turn to ask, I asked if there was a boy she thought was cute. When she picked a dare, I told her to lick her sneaker.  She said she didn't have to do a dare if she doesn't want to.  I changed it to run around the house once. She said no again so I changed it to picking up one of our guinea pigs. She agreed, but never did.
That night I came home from school and she was already laying in bed. I went to lay with her and she asked me "Truth or Dare?"  I picked Dare. She told me to lick my shoe. Really? OK. I sat up, grabbed my slipper and gave a quick slurp of the bottom. Her face was priceless!  "EEEWWW! That's disgusting! Why did you do that?"  She couldn't get over it.
"Because it was a dare, and that's how you play the game!"  After she fell asleep I went downstairs and kissed my husband.   :)

There's a stranger in my town...

I chaperoned my daughter's field trip on Monday to the aquarium. We touched skates, sharks, rays, sea stars (whatever happened to starfish?), and sea anemones.  At each tank, I had one kid scared of something. But when it came to the shark tank, the little girl who was scared of the rays suddenly turned into the shark whisperer and touched 20! 
Tuesday I had my appointment with the unemployment office.  It was an interview over the phone. Sometimes you get a feel for how an interview went, on this one I have no clue.  I find out sometime next week.  In the mean time, still looking for work and being a lab rat. This week it was testing sunscreen for $100.  Next week, it's a face lotion for $30.  I think I'm going to start volunteering somewhere.  I can help out somewhere and not have an empty spot on my resume.
Thursday I was feeding my daughter breakfast and we had an unexpected visitor at the door.  Some guy about 6 foot, big boned and heavy set came banging on my door. He claimed he was from out of state, on his way to work and his car overheated under a nearby overpass.  He needed some water. I wouldn't open the door and sent him to the side of the house to use the hose, not remembering we winterized the pipes.  He came back and asked me to fill the jugs.  He put them down and went across the street while I stepped out to grab them. I told my kid to call 911 in case anything happened.  It was stupid of me. What if there was someone else hiding on the side of the house?  He passed four houses full of cars and people before getting to mine, why not stop there?  Or he could have been just someone who really just needed some help.  My kid was hysterical and I'm paranoid...Last year, an elderly woman up the street was attacked by someone while sitting next to her pool. The man ran into the woods and was never found, no description ever given.  So after dropping my daughter off at school, I headed over to the police station and reported it.  What I should have done was call the police to come help him and they could have checked him/his story out.
I wish I got a pitbull instead of this terrier at the moment.  Now, I have my father coming over and casing the joint.  Benefit of a recently retired father whose a hunting enthusiast.  He sat on my patio for hours Thursday afternoon just sitting and waiting ever so still like a statue.
I'm an optimist - on the bright side, this a good excuse to get the hubby to walk the dog in the evening and night.
Today we're off to celebrate my husband's grandmother's 94th birthday.  It should be a nice gathering of about 60 - her kids, grandkids and great grandchildren.  Happy Birthday Grandma!

Going...

Monday was supposed to be a day off for everyone, but with all the snow this winter, our township had school on President's Day. We had tickets to see Eric Carle's Hungry Caterpillar puppetry show, but had to forfeit in lieu of school. My baby missed too much when she had pneumonia. I couldn't think of taking her out for a day of fun.  Her education is priority number one.  So then I had a romantic day for me and the hubby, right? WRONG! I got focused on making photo albums online for my bridesmaids from my wedding. It took me all day and in the end, something was wrong and it wouldn't let me place the orders. Talk about a wasted day. My husband ended up walking into town by himself getting his prescriptions and stopping in the chocolate shop on the way back for me.
Yesterday was gymnastics. I was too busy chit chatting with the other mom's I didn't even notice that my kid fell off the balance beam, hurt herself and was crying. I saw her with an ice pack and at the end of class the teacher came up to me that she fell and would probably have bruises today.  I told my kid, we don't have health insurance until the first of March and she can't go around getting hurt or sick until then!
I signed up at the research lab to be an "alternative." If someone doesn't show up for a study, I do it. If not, I get paid to sit for the hour while they wait to make sure everyone comes.  Yesterday I went and thought, what better way to get myself reading a book. So I started The Afterlife by Gary Soto. I had picked it up at the library a while ago and it's been sitting on my shelf.  It's pretty dark, but good and seems to be a fast read. I sat for a few hours yesterday and I'm already halfway through. It's about a boy who was murdered and what happens to him/his spirit afterwards (the afterlife). I would say that title nailed it. So not only did I start reading this book, but I got paid $10 to do so.
My husband started the Atkins diet this year. Not for the wait loss, but for the neurological impact it's supposed to have.  The weight is an added bonus. He's already lost 25 pounds. I don't agree with the diet, but  he's a grown man.  Bacon & eggs are one of his staples and happen to be on sale this week - two packages of bacon for 1.99 each and eggs .99 per dozen  - I figured I'd be nice and spend half my earnings on him. The other $5.03 will be saved for now...
I recieved a call back regarding a job on Monday. It was for part time work, but the hours were from 2pm-8pm. With my kid and my night classes, it just doesn't work. But it was a boost to my self esteem that someone actually is looking at the resumes I've been sending out. They really should have posted the hours - I'm sure it would have eliminated a bunch of people right off the bat and not wasted applicants/employers time.  I initially had the goal of sending out a minimum of 3 resumes a day. After a few weeks, I feel as though I've exhausted the majority of openings in my field. The number has dwindled to about one a day, if that.  I've also succumbed and applied for unemployment. I've paid into it for the past 11 years, I plan on finding something, but until then, why not?  I have my first interview March 1, and I'll find out if I'm even eligible.