Get to know me...for thirty days!

So, my cousin Jacey is doing this on her blog, and since I've been having some writer's block lately, why not? Stay tuned.






day 1- Your favorite song
day 2- Your favorie movies
day 3- Your favorite TV show
day 4- Your favorite book
day 5- Your favorite quote
day 6- 20 of your favorite things
day 7- A photo that makes you happy
day 8- A photo that makes you angry/sad
day 9- A photo you took
day 10- A photo taken over 10 years ago of you
day 11- A photo of you recently
day 12- Something you are OCD about
day 13- Your favorite outfit
day 14- Your favorite shoes
day 15- Your dream house
day 16- A song that makes you cry
day 17- An art piece
day 18- My wedding/future wedding/ past wedding
day 19- A talent of yours
day 20- A hobby of yours
day 21- A recipe
day 22- A website
day 23- A youtube video
day 24- Where I live
day 25- Your day in great detail
day 26- Your week, in great detail
day 27- Your worst habit
day 28- Whats in my handbag/purse
day 29- Hopes, dreams and plans for 365 days
day 30- A dream for the future

It's been a while

Hi...does anyone still read this?

As you can see, it's been a while since I last updated. I haven't had much to say, mainly because last month was a pretty bad month for us. It goes without saying that being laid off the first Monday of the month was not such a great start. Then midterms happened and Stephan was very busy with that. I also started watching a neighbor's four-year-old son a few times a week (with pay), which means going over at 6:30 right as she leaves for work. Thankfully, he's a pretty easy kid to watch. And he likes Star Wars.

And there were plenty of emotions. And arguments to go with them. Oh joy.

But don't worry, we're doing fine now. Stephan doesn't have anymore tests for now, just homework. And he has to register for next semester's classes. I'm still looking for work, until further notice. Please do me a favor and don't ask me how the job hunt is every time you see me. Thank you.

I don't really have much else to say. Just thought I'd update.

Later.

10/15

The last three weeks have been pretty rough around here. School has gotten crazier for Stephan (are midterms here already?) and he's stressed about being the main breadwinner all over again and trying to do well in school at the same time. It's really hard for me to watch, and I'm doing what I can to help him out.

I *sort of* have a job. Last Friday, I decided to go see one of the women I visit-teach, partly to set up an appointment. We got to talking, and my layoff came up and she asked if I would like to baby-sit her son while I'm looking for another job. She's divorced and obviously has to work, so she really wants good childcare for her little boy. I actually watched him today, and he's a fun kid. The pay isn't very much, but every little bit counts. 

And I'm starting a homemaking blog. I'll provide more details another time :)

Update

I am actually doing much better now. Sure, I wish that I hadn't lost my job, but what's done is done and it is time to move on. How did I get to this point so quickly? I let myself mourn instead of wasting energy on trying *not* to mourn, if that makes sense. 

I also have come to a possible conclusion as to why I lost my job, but I will not share it here on such a public medium ;) However, if I am asked personally, I will give my answer. I will say here that it was through no fault of my own.

In all honesty, I have no regrets about this job. I know that I was supposed to work there and that Heavenly Father guided me to it. I know He has a plan for me, even though I have no clue what it is right now. And even though I have no idea how we are going to make ends meet with just Stephan's income, I know that we will be taken care of. Heavenly Father will not abandon us; he hasn't yet. 

Thank you everyone for your kind words and support. We really appreciate it! Please keep them coming, because I don't know how long I will be unemployed and I know that there will be discouraging times ahead of us. 

Unemployed...AGAIN!

About an hour after arriving at work, my supervisor asked me to meet him in the conference room. I did, and he was in there with one of the company owners. I was told that they had evaluated my position and that I was no longer needed. It sounds like they couldn't afford to keep me on. So, my supervisor then took me back to my desk so I could gather everything, he wished me the best, and that was the end.

It's easy for people to say, "Look for another job!" Do you have any idea how long it took me to get this job? I had been out of college for almost a year before I found it. Now I have to start ALL OVER AGAIN. So now we have to live on Stephan's income, which really stinks because he is only working 14-15 hours a week. This really sucks. 

Maybe this is a sign that I shouldn't work and that I should do what all good Mormon women should do: stay at home and pop out babies. 

But you were born in Japan...

For those of you who don't know, I was born in Japan and lived there until I was eighteen months old.

I also have a desire to travel to different countries. I want to visit Japan, for obvious reasons. France is another country I long to visit, so I can practice my French. If I don't make it to France, then Quebec would suit me fine. Then there's England, Scotland, Israel, and others.

But if I say anything in conversation about wanting to visit these countries, or even about wanting to travel in general, people who know I was born abroad will almost always say:

"But you were born in Japan!"

As if that exempts me from ever traveling outside of this country again, or even wanting to. In many cases, people somehow think I'm culturally superior to the average American because of it.

I talked about this with Stephan, and he gave me a possible reason for why people will remind me of my foreign birth when I express my desire to travel. His theory is that these people want me to feel that because I was born in Japan, I am equal to those who are well-traveled, therefore I really have no right to want to travel.

The reason I want to travel is because in some ways, I feel cheated because it seems like I did all of my world traveling before I could even form a complete sentence. I have absolutely no memory of living in Japan, and yet I'm supposed to be satisfied with the mere fact that I did.

I love that little contradiction.

I really hope this post doesn't sound whiny. That is not my intent. I just wanted to point out the contradiction I've been dealing with for a long, long time.

Getting older can be a good thing...

A little while ago, we got a check from our insurance company. Cool, we thought, but what for?

Stephan called our insurance company today, and we found out that because he is now 23, the premium for the coverage he has for his scooter has gone down. By a lot. We're saving about 300 big ones a year! The check they sent was a refund. 

Now, if they would do it for our health insurance.... ;)