Some of My Favorite Things

Yesterday I came across a box of stuff that I haven't opened in probably 7 years. This is because between 1999 and 2003, I moved 5 times, including cross country. This box in particular was from my Mom's house, and was actually full of stuff from high school. It just got put inside another box during one of the moves and somehow wound up under the bathroom sinks. It was opened up today in a futile search for nail polish remover. Amidst the detritus of half filled notebooks (math notes mostly, some Latin for some reason in the same notebook), random notes from friends, a pair of wool socks, and a glove, there was a tub of Carmex and a few sticks of blue gum. Back in high school, I always had Carmex and sugarless gum in my pocket. I preferred Alpine Mint, but any blue gum would do. My particular flavor is gone, so I've switched to Extra peppermint, but it's really not the same. The gum was totally stale, and unchewable, but the Carmex was still good. In fact, after I loaded up on the Carmex, I kissed my husband, and he made the immediate connection to senior year.

I Am Unemployed

I am unemployed and I hate it. Absolutly hate it.

My Life In Blog Form

From Charlotte aka Look Out Spokane!

20 years ago: October 1988- Fifth grade. Fulton School. My youngest brother wasn't even born yet, and actually, wasn't even conceived at this point. I don't remember much about 5th grade. I finally lost my last baby tooth, but the adult tooth wouldn't come in for about a year. It's cute when you're missing teeth in like 1st or 2nd grade. It's not so cute when you wear a bra, and are still loosing baby teeth.

10 years ago: October 1998- 20 years old. Junior Year at UMass Amherst. Declared my major in accounting. Had enough credits that I was a senior by January, and took off the first semester of should have been my senior year for an internship. Living with Andrea at Southpoint during the week, and living in Cranston with Frank on the weekends (well, Thursday to Sunday most weeks). Frank and I had dated for 3 years at that point. I was the 6th roommate, who didn't pay rent, but occasionally bought them all food, cleaned the kitchen and the bathroom. I had keys to the Cranston house. I bought my first brand new car in 1998, a Ford Escort. Drank a lot, especially at Murphy's, because they didn't ID. Fun fact, Frank proposed at Murphy's in February 2000, in what was probably the least romantic proposal of all time. Drink of choice at Amherst was Zima, in Rhode Island it was beer.

5 years ago: October 2003- 25 years old, married for 3 years, mom to a 6 month old, living in Phoenix. I would be pregnant again in 4 months. We had bought our first house, and were settling into life in the burbs.

3 years ago: October 2005- 27, married for 5 years, mom to a 2.5 year old and a 1 year old. We moved to house #2 in Phoenix. I was working in mortgage still, and exhausted by just about everything. This was the year that my friends started to get married too, so I was back and forth to Massachusetts a ridiculous amount of times.

1 year ago: Just went back to work after my maternity leave with child #3 (third and final baby). Working in construction now, after being laid off from mortgage. Pretty content with how life was working out. Sox were in the playoffs, but I was pretty sure the season would be over quickly. I was wrong.

Today (Wednesday): Unemployed. Searched the job boards, did a preliminary for a payroll position. Hung out with my parents and kids. Started clipping coupons, because if I don't have a job, I need to figure out how to make major budget cuts. Kind of depressed because I've really lost my purpose in life. Hoping someone will make a run to the border for me and pick up some anti-depressants or some other fun stuff. Watched Project Runway and Top Design.

Tomorrow (Thursday): Get up, make some calls, see if I can schedule any interviews. If not, Cheryl and I will take the kids to the PHX Zoo, and my dad and Frank will go to Fall Ball to see the Scottsdale Scorpions play baseball. Maybe Frank and I will actually get to celebrate our anniversary that happened on Tuesday. We haven't been coherent at the same time since Sunday when he got me at the airport.

Fun stuff. It's been an eventful 20 years.

Eight Years and Counting

Today is my 8th Wedding Anniversary. It is traditionally the Bronze Anniversary, with the modern gifts being linens and lace. My husband woke up this morning and told me it was the spatula anniversary. I don't even begin to guess why. I think the linens and lace would be if you survived the 7 year itch (lots of marriages break up at either 7 years or 13 years, go figure), then you go out and splurge on new bedding and fancy underwear or something like that.

What Does Color Say About Your Job?

I took this survey on Careerbuilder.com: http://www.careerpath.com/career-tests/colorcareercounselor.aspx

It's about what your color preference says about what you "should" do as a career. I gravitate towards the blues and purples, which makes me firstly an "Organizer" and secondly as a "Researcher." Key words are: Self-Control, Practical, Self-Contained, Orderly, Systematic, Precise, and Accurate. This puts me smack dab into bookkeeping, which is my career of choice. I guess I choose my college major wisely. People will always want a paycheck, and bills always have to be paid, so I've yet to have problems finding a job.

My Girl Crush on Martha Stewart

I'll fully admit it, I have a thing for Martha Stewart. She's so authorotative and knows how to do just about anything (in a need a birthday card, I'll show you how to make one out of a ceral box and some twine type of way). I'm sure she is horrible to live with, but a part of me wishes I could be that much of a type-A bitch. I find myself watching the Fine Living Network so I catch her show. I aspire to make some of the crafts that she makes, though I'm not as gifted as she is. If I tried to emboss sheets of tin to make my own candle boxes, I'm sure I'd either hurt myself or someone else. Or maybe even burn the house down.

Strange Dreams

I had a dream on Saturday night that my husband took a transfer to the Waltham MA, Westin hotel. We had to move quickly, and in the awful Arizona housing market, we were unable to unload our house, so we rented it out ($1400 for a 5 bed, 3.5 bath, I have very detailed dreams). Because we moved so quickly, we moved in with my sister-in-law and her kids, in his childhood home in Weymouth MA. Now, this is where it gets odd. I decided that I needed completely re-do the kitchen. I mean, I totally stripped down and refinished the cabinets, bought all new appliances and got new counters installed. Painted the place too, a very pale blue (right now it's awful yellow with 20+ year old cabinets and appliances). My father-in-law hated it, pitched a fit and kicked us out of the house. He doesn't even live in the house that he kicked us out of.



So, what does this dream say about me? Obviously, I'm aching to move back to Massachusetts. It looks like I'll put up with a lot of crap if I'm willing to move into that house.



Anyone want to buy a house? $375K OBO- 5 beds, 3.5 baths. Master on 2nd floor, 2nd Master Suite/attached casita on 1st with full bath and sitting room. Cable in all bedrooms. 12X24 fenced pool, fully landscaped backyard. Just over 3000 sq ft.