Busy Bee

Albertsons. Target. Supercuts. Limon. Cardio Barre. Gold's Gym. 24 Hour Fitness. TGIFridays. Bare Minerals. Babies R Us. Starbucks. Coffee Bean. Salon Centric. Kohls. Petco. Costco. Macy's. EVERY salon in Simi Valley. These are just a few of the places I've tried to get a job at. It is rough out there. Super rough.

I had no idea until I literally started to pound the pavement and applied to everywhere I could find. And heard nothing back from anybody. Once in a while I would get a thanks but no thanks email. From Target for example. When you have a ton of experience and a college degree and Target is rejecting you it's a bad day. Believe me.

I actually got an interview with Macy's a few weeks ago. An interview?! That is the most promising thing I'd had so far. I'm going to toot my own horn and say that I've never interviewed for a job and not gotten it. Never.

So, I interviewed at Macy's. I was in full form. We laughed, we agreed. I really thought my interviewer and myself made a connection. I didn't want to start counting my chickens before they hatched, but I did. I started counting. I waited and waited to hear from them. And then I finally received an email. That said thanks, but no thanks.

To say that I was crushed is an understatement. I was mortified. What went wrong? I didn't understand. After a lot of crying, and pondering on my life and it's current path I picked myself up and kept applying. And applying. Still nothing promising. Talk about feeling rejected.

And then on Friday I got a call. From Macy's. Asking if I wanted to come in and interview for a different position. A better position. I went. And I got it. Yay!! My hopes were not so high this time. I thought the interview went well, but I thought that about the first one so I really wasn't sure. So far my first few days have been filled with computer training. In a room by myself. Not so much fun, I'm not going to lie. But I'm so happy to be working there I don't even care. I'm so happy to be working in general.

I was so focused on getting a job that I didn't stop to think about how I would feel after being in school all day and then working at night. Well I'll tell you how I feel. Tired. I am tired. It's going to take some getting used to.

This unfortunately means not so much Brynlee time. Which is a bummer, and I'm adjusting to that too. But I have to think long term goals. I'm going to school to have a career I can plan around my kids. In order to go to school I need to work to pay for it. So, here I am. This will all be worth it a few months from now.

But as of right now, I am one busy bee!

Some People Change

I've always been a afraid of confrontation. In fact I tend to be non confrontational to a fault. I'll do just about anything to avoid an incident. I hate it. It gets really frustrating for me, and I'm not sure what to do about it sometimes. I'm not sure what I'm so scared of. That people will not like me? That I'll say something I regret? That people will say I'm mean?

I realized something today. So what. So what if all those things happen? Sometimes you just need to have a confrontation. Today, I decided to act on it.

At school we all have areas we are supposed to clean. At the end of the day we break into clean up groups and sweep/wipe/empty/mop... it's never ending. You would be amazed at how dirty a cosmetology school gets. Anyhow, there are 4 people in my group. But only 3 people clean. Everyday, only 3 of this. The fourth person seems to think they do not have to participate in the clean up I guess. My encounters with this 4th person have not been great. She is not my favorite.

So, after about of month of only 3 of us cleaning, I decided it was time 4th person helped out. Usually I'll avoid situations like this and just stay quiet. But enough is enough. So I went to 4th person and asked her to help. She was happy to help... which I thought was weird. I'm sure 4th person went and talked a bunch of crap behind my back afterwards. She is 18 after all. But whatever. Really, who cares?

I felt empowered by my experience. Maybe next time I'll hit that confrontation head on. Or maybe not. But for today, I changed. And it was a nice change.

Recycled Air

After working in an office for 4 years you'd think I'd be used to cold and flu season. Used to one person coming to work sick (and yes, many times it was me) and spreading their germy love all over the office. Ugh. But it was never as bad as it is now.

At school, we are all closed in together. And we all sit really close to each other. We share everything, including illness. One person gets it, then the next. And then the next before it just works it's way down the line. It's like survival of the fittest, and only the strongest survive. Unfortunately that is not me. Perhaps it's due to my steady diet of junk food and diet coke? Or my complete lack of in activity. I do take a vitamin. That doesn't counteract all the bad stuff? Hmm... either way I'm sick. Again.

I've never been sick so often in my life as I have been this past winter, and now summer. I'm sure having Brynlee in day care and bringing home all sorts of goodies does not help. But here we go. Unfortunately for me in recent years every time I get sick it turns into a sinus infection. I probably have some giant brain tumor or something blocking my sinus passage. Either way, I'm usually not better without a trip to the Dr in which some sort of antibiotic is prescribed.

It's not a ton of fun. In this case I hope Brynlee doesn't get it. The only thing worse than being sick is your baby being sick right along with you!

Ny Quil, Day Quil, sinus rinse and kleenex here I come! :(

Dare to be Different

I started thinking the other day about how funny life is. You spend your whole adolescence trying to blend in. Trying to look like everyone else, and trying to not stand out. And then a switch flips and if you are me suddenly you don't want to blend in anymore.

I got a hair cut on Monday. I'm really really trying to grow it out, but it needed a trim. I got it cut at school (yay for school!) and my teacher asked me to straighten it. She used me as a demo in front of other students. As she was cutting on my hair, she commented on how pretty it is straight. She even said I should wear it straight more often. I really like this teacher. But this rubbed me wrong. I told her that I liked my curly hair. And I do.

It only took 28 years, countless hours of grief and pain and heat and straightening systems to get me to this point. But here I am. What's funny is I don't think anyone else likes my hair better curly than straight. Not even Jimmy. He says I tricked him by dating him with straight hair, and then breaking out the curly hair afterwards. He is totally right. It was all part of my plan. Hook a guy with my straight hair and then bear the bad news that it costs $500 every six months to make my hair that way. Men who like curly hair are really far and few between. Trust me. I know. I've only encountered a handful. Too bad Jimmy, you are stuck with me now! Ha!

I'm going to even say that I think I look better with straight hair. But, God did not give me straight hair. He gave me curly hair, and I'm embracing it. Chia Head, Puff, Fro... all these names haunt me. Names I was called in my youth when I was so desperate to fit in and look like everyone else. But those days are gone. I like my curly hair because it's different. It makes me different. It makes me stand out. And I don't even have to try.

I read a magazine article a while ago. I cannot remember the magazine, but it was an interview with 4 black women. They were all talking about beauty stuff and one said that everyone always tried to get her to relax her hair. To make her hair more manageable. Well, she wouldn't do it. She said she had no reason to. If no one else liked it, who cares. It's her hair and that is how it grows out of her head.

I really liked that. We are always so busy trying to fit the mold of what we are told we should look like. Why? Who says? Big hair, small hair, big hips small hips, big thighs small thighs. Tall, short, thick, thin. They can all be beautiful in their own way.

I like my haircut. My teacher did a good job. But I like my curly hair even more. And I like that uniqueness radiates out of my head best of all.

2 Years Old and Wiser Too

Happy Birthday Brynlee!

Ta Da!

Homemade cupcake toppers-not by me. But by my very crafty friend Carla.

Below see my homemade 2! As cute as this turned out, it probably will not happen again. That 2 took me almost two Laker games to make! Ugh. Way to much work. You better believe I pointed that out to everyone who came through the door!

I made a picture timeline for each of Brynlee's 2 years-

I made tissue paper Poms and spent way way too much time trying to hang them. Way too much time. In fact they are still hanging becuase I can't bear to take them down! My friend Chloe was at my house for like 6 hours friday night helping me clean and decorate. I owe her big time.

Of course no birthday is complete without some balloons.

And after the party trying out her new bike

Umm, Jimmy I think you might be over the weight limit for that...

It was a very long but very fun day. Now I get to dress Brynlee in new clothes everyday and it makes me really happy. Happier then when I get to dress myself in new clothes. Funny how that works.

The Phantom

The weather is warming up, and this means several things:

1. I get hot and sweaty, therefore not very happy. I HATE sweating... yes I'm a girl about it.
2. My electric bill reaches new heights. Joy. Last year we broke a new record in the month of September. I'm hoping to not repeat that.
3. No more colds!

Turns out the 3rd one is not so true. On Thursday I started not feeling real great at school. Not terrible, but not very good. By lunch time I had chills and a pounding head. I didn't want to freak anyone at school out, so I decided to go home. It's a good thing I did, I had a fever of 102! Yikes! I haven't had a fever in a long time. I felt like death was knocking on my door. I felt terrible! I'm sure I probably picked it up at school, people are sick there all the time and we are all right up in each others space.

Jimmy was the perfect nurse. I'm so glad he was home last night. He took care of Brynlee, brought be medicine and made me dinner. He made me a can of chicken noodle soup, but didn't add any water to it. Oops. Hey at least he tried right? Ha ha, men are so funny. I slept and slept and slept. I didn't want to get anyone else sick, so I stayed home from school today too. And slept and slept and slept. By 3pm I felt fine. So strange. Like a phantom fever. I'm glad it went as quickly as it came.

I'm even more glad that I had someone to take care of me. Hopefully no one else catches the phantom fever, it was unpleasant for sure!

I Do It

I hear this phrase about 10 times a day. And on weekends about 200 times a day. Ok Little Miss Independent, you do it. Except I do it so much better than you, and definitely do it much faster than you. I might say " I'll help you". To which I get " I'll elp you!". Ok. Whatever way you need to think of it that is fine.

Yes. I have a 2 year old now. And it seems most day is non stop battle. A cute battle though. And sometimes a funny battle.

The Birthday post will be up soon...