The Long & The Short of It

A brief (as brief as I can make this) synopsis of the recent happenings in my life...

• For anyone who has been following the blog, you have seen pictures of my cute new cousin, Callie Lynn. My grandma (her great-grandma) thought she needed to be entered in the cutest baby contest and seeing as how her parents are slightly biased (haha), they have entered her in the Great American Photo Contest. If you feel inclined, please follow the link to VOTE for Callie!
• Also, I have been working 2 jobs since April. I cannot reveal everything at this time, but I'm working on a big change in the career situation. Suffice it to say that because of many factors, I decided to resign from my Receptionist position at the salon. I truly hated leaving the salon at this particular time, with Sara just having had Callie, but it's something I needed to do for myself. It was a HUGE leap of faith and truly a test in my trust in God, that He will lead me where I should be! As of November 2nd, the golf course will be closed until March 2009. What does this mean? I will be without work/income as of 8pm on Sunday, Nov. 2nd! Yikes!! This is where I rely on God and the opportunities that I see before me. Don't worry, I'll keep you posted!
• On my 26th birthday I made some goals for myself, some are coming right along and others are in limbo! (ha) My final course needed to graduate with my Bachelor's is in its 8th week. It is an up and down adventure, but I've been diligently studying and doing what is asked of me, even though I am often times overwhelmed with the mathematics! I am also proud to say that I am debt-free (not including my 2 school loans)! Sometimes it is a struggle to not have anything tangible to show for all my hours of work this past summer, but it is also incredibly wonderful to essentially have a clean slate in the current economy! And let's not even begin to discuss my goal of losing weight - - ugh! Hopefully with all the free time I may soon have I'll be able to dash over to my aunt's gym and use my elliptical!
• I know it's not even Halloween yet, but for those of you who really know me and my OCD/list-making tendencies, you will laugh to know that my Christmas shopping is nearly finished! *smiling* I must admit that it gets easier each year, although slightly pricier! (haha) Mom wanted a cordless chainsaw and an extra chain from a local store that was having a catalog sale. I went with her and purchased it...it's amazingly still in the box, but I'm sure it'll get used before Christmas! Jenna was also pretty easy to please this year - we both love sports, especially football - so I got her a ticket to the Colts vs. Bengals game at the new Lucas Oil Stadium. Be sure to watch the game because our seats are in the endzone, 16 rows up from the field!! We'll hopefully be panned over lots as we cheer our Colts on to a victory! I still have to figure out a gift for Dad and Grandma. They are seriously the world's most difficult people to buy for...

Well, that is all for now! Life can be so boring sometimes although my brain is buzzing with things that are going on... :p

Exciting News!

YAY! So...I very well may have a full-time job! (yes, I know I am working full time hours at the course, but that's not what I mean! ha) Last night I was closing the course and my boss was hanging out with a friend when he asked me if I wanted to work full-time. I said, um...well, I'm pretty much already doing that...haha Then he said no, he meant that he was talking with his brother and they were tired of doing all the paperwork for their businesses (they own companies that do line work for the local REMC as well as general contracting/electrical work among other things!). So I said that sounds like a good plan. So now we're in the process of working out all the details...hours, pay, etc. I'm really excited though! I've known Jesse and his brother Matt for a long time. They are both easy going and it would be great to have a full-time job!! So, we'll just see what happens I guess. And I will still be working at the golf course, at least during the summer. Jesse would have a melt down if I didn't! :p

That's all the news I have for now...not really set in stone, but exciting nonetheless!!

On the Course Again!

Well, it has been quite a while since I've written anything...so here goes nothing! All my time has been spent working here recently. I've been spending 40+ hours at the golf course and about 20 hours at the salon. I told mom the other night that last summer didn't seem to be this difficult when I was working 60 hours a week, but I also built up to that work schedule. Things are going well at the course. We are busier with every day...and every warmer day brings better greens! The guys keep teasing me that they're going to make me a golfer yet! ha I actually wouldn't mind learning how to play, seeing as how I watch people play all the time, but clubs are expensive and I would need a lefty set! argh! Who knows, they may wear me down yet!?! *wink*

Here are a few pictures from the course! I have more on my camera that I haven't downloaded yet, but I keep waiting for The Boss (aka Jesse) to finish putting up trim in the clubhouse before I post the "finished" pictures! Things are looking really good and we get tons of compliments daily. You definitely can't beat a job where you get to sit and read or work on stuff you bring while practically sitting outside!! (there is a big sliding door on the side of the clubhouse that we open and you feel like you're sitting outside) Even bartending isn't too bad! ha The guys generally tip pretty well and its easy enough to open the cooler and get out whatever one of the 11 beers we currently sell!

Weekend = Exhaustion!

Busy busy yet again! I've been working 30 hours a week at the golf course and almost 20 hours at the salon...I used to work 60 hours a week all the time, but I'm outta practice! ha

Friday night mom, my cousin Monica and I all went to Greensburg to eat out at El Reparo. Monica and I were gonna go to the nail salon while mom ran some other errands...needless to say, we spent 4.5 hours in town eating, running errands and waiting to get our nails done! Finally we accomplished all of that and made it home around 10:30pm!!!

Saturday I worked at the salon because it was prom day for several of the local high schools. From 10-5 we helped 30 girls and one bride get ready for the day! It's slightly chaotic, but in the end...it left 4 tired stylists and me as a tired receptionist/makeup artist...but it is fun to see all the girls get dolled up.

Anyway, another crazy weekend...the next one will be just the same I'm sure! :p

Alive again!!

I'm BACK!!!!! Well, I'm not completely healthy again, but I'm feeling much better than last week! It was actually a horrible ordeal...

The medicine I got from the doc ended up making me sick. We called the doc and he prescribed a new medicine for me Wednesday morning. I took it and it made me sick as well. I decided to quit taking the meds and started feeling much better! Go figure, huh? I have a lingering cough and my voice is still coming back...hopefully by the end of this week I'll be back to my old self!

I started working at the Golf Course this weekend...it is never dull, that's for sure! I am enjoying it and I'm looking forward to the rest of the summer. It's not what I thought I'd be doing at this point in my life, but I'm going to make the best of it. I mean, look at the bright side...I work in a male-dominated place...there are lots of single guys who come play golf with their other single friends! I'm thinking Win-Win at the moment...haha

Spring has Sprung!

And now the post you've all been waiting for...haha (yeah right) There has been a lot going on the past few days though, so here is the grand update.


My baby, Toby -
Thursday night Mom and I took Toby for his first professional haircut! My friend, Keli Hall, owns a grooming business in Vevay called Keli's Critter Care. I think Toby made her a little nervous because he's so small, but she did a great job with him! He was slightly squirmy at first. He finally settled down though and she was able to do more with the clippers, which of course is faster than scissors...tell Toby that!?! He ended up making a friend out of Keli and we'll definitely be back to see her! We are still getting used to how he looks without all his hair...ha...but he was so unbelievably wooly!




Birthdays -
Thursday was also my cousin Monica's birthday. She is 27! (and her husband totally flopped on her gift...she's had short spiky hair for years and he gave her a barrett!?) To celebrate her birthday a big group of us were going to go down to Vevay to Mo's Steakhouse & Oasis (our favorite watering hole) on Friday night; however, a lot of plans changed. Mom and I offered to take Monica out anyway and she said she'd be happy with going to The Grub Co. in Osgood, so that is where our adventure led us! Her sister, Sara, also joined us for a girl's night. We enjoyed a wonderful dinner and had a great time!! We had a fantastic table location and saw everyone coming and going...which was also good because we saw LOTS of people we knew. We've decided that we may have to spend Friday evenings there a little more often! haha So I'm glad Monica enjoyed her birthday dinner!


March Madness -
I come from a very sports-loving family...to say the least! We've all played several sports at one time or another and still really enjoy watching football and basketball. My mom's work always does a pool, so we participate in that, which makes it more fun to watch all the games! I think you have to be vested in the games somehow or it is too much basketball for anyone to watch. haha My brackets are still faring pretty well! Good ol' Duke killed mom's bracket, which I think is hysterical! *smiling* I was bummed that Purdue lost yesterday, but it is a young team and we will seem them in the tournament the next 3 years. Plus, IU lost first round and that is always nice! ha (can you tell I grew up in a black & gold home?!?)


Easter -
Yesterday we trekked to Indy with Toby to see Jenna and celebrate Easter. She was just home last weekend and didn't wanna drive down here again, so we went north. Our day consisted of basketball games and a yummy dinner at Applebee's. Toby napped and played with his Aunt Nenners most of the day, which let his mommy (ME) take a nap on the couch! ha It was great!


Job status -
Things have finally been ironed out with work (for the most part), so I figured I would go ahead and share with all of you... I have decided to stay at home for now and continue working at the salon. I have also accepted a position as a clubhouse manager/receptionist/bartender at the local golf course that a family friend is leasing this year. So, if you know someone who likes to golf...please send them to Pine Hills Golf Course & Driving Range in Versailles, IN! haha It's only 9 holes, but if all goes well this year the course will grow. Jesse (the guy leasing the property) is doing a lot to fix it up and there are 9 other holes laid out, they just have to be constructed on the property! My schedule is about to become a lot busier because Jesse is pretty much letting me work whenever I want and then filling in the other times with some part-time help. Even if you don't golf, stop by in the evening and have a beer in the clubhouse! ha


Fun trips -
I'm really hoping that I get to go to Aruba with my cousins in June or July! (part of the group has been before, the others of us would be first timers) They are always taking these amazing trips and I really wanna go this time! ha So, I'm saving my money and also pushing for a June trip...I have the pageant in July and won't be able to get away as easily. A girl can dream, right?


Alright, well I believe that's all I know for now! Hope everyone is enjoying their Easter! It's sunny and not too cold, so that's a start...Happy Spring everyone!

Dilemma, Dilemma

Argh! Do you ever just not know what to do? I have 2 options right now...and both have their ups and downs, neither of which outweighs the other! In my mom's words, "I'm damned if I do, damned if I don't!" Argh! Argh! Argh! *frazzled sigh*

So here's the situation...feel free to weigh in with your thoughts! Cause I'm stuck...BIG TIME!

I moved home in November. My contract was ended with the federal government office I was working for (I was a contract worker through an employment agency). I loved, no LOVED that job! Yes it was stressful and yes the hours were long...but the people made it better and so did the hefty paycheck. ha I worked night shift for awhile after that job ended, but it was going nowhere fast and was a horrible place to work. My lease ended in Indy and I found myself moving home to save on rent and utilities! When I moved home I was lucky enough to find myself employed by my cousin, Sara. She owns this fantastic salon, Odyssey! I've been going there long before she ever owned it!! (really, I'm not biased! *wink*) I am the receptionist, but it is an odds 'n ends kinda job. I spot clean, do the laundry, schedule appointments, take phone calls, send out mailings, receive packages, check inventory into the system, stock product shelves, run errands, assist the stylists, greet and handle check-out for the clients, create promotional flyers, change the outdoor sign, and send all the info to my other cousin (Sara's brother), Zach, to be uploaded to the website. I work three days a week at the salon and am SO very thankful that it has allowed me to pay the bills since November!

Now enter the problem...ha...God never gives us more than we can handle right? I just wish He didn't think I was so strong!

My aforementioned cousin, Zach, works for Lexmark via TCS (an Indian company - not pow wow Indians, but the ones from India! ha) in Seymour. They are relocating him to Lexington, KY. We thought the move wouldn't happen until May/June, but now it is bearing down on April 1st! Zach is like my brother...he is just 2 months older than my sister, Jenna...we all grew up together and we still are very close. He asked me to move to Lex with him and I really wanna go! The chance to be back in a city where there are a) more job opportunities and b) more people is exciting! (Let's face it...I'm not gonna find Mr. Right in O-so-good! I've been in and around here my whole life and the options are less than thrilling! *sticking my tongue out*) However, moving poses the same problems I had in Indy and the reasons I moved home in the first place...finding a job that will cover all my normal bills PLUS rent/utilities is not so easy, especially in our lovely economy. I applied for a few jobs last night in the Lex area, but I'm not holding my breath. I know the drill - "you're overqualified" "not qualified enough" "why don't you want to work in education?" - blah blah blah!

To make matters worse, the salon really can't afford to have two receptionists (me and the high school girl who works after school and on Saturdays). I was the most recent hire, so I will be the first to go. It's not that Sara doesn't want me there, because there are things I can and have handled much better than the high schooler, but with people spending less and less on frivolous extras (like coloring your hair), the money just isn't there for an extra employee. I have the opportunity to get hired on at a local golf course to run the club house April - October; however, what do I do once October is here? The bills will be slightly less by then since my car will be paid off (yay!), but that still leaves so many WHAT IFs. Argh!

Ugh....I'm so confused! Usually I'm a very no-nonsense, have-it-together type of person. I despise being unorganized and unsure of what I should be doing!?!

Recap:

1. Osgood - work at the salon as long as Sara keeps me around (probably April/May), add in the golf course until October, have my partner in crime move 2+ hours away; worry about money come October!?!
2. Lexington - move the 3rd time in 2 years, find a job to pay all my bills (still worry about money), be 2+ hours away from home, drive back and forth every few weeks for the summer's Queen pageant activities; move again in 18 months when my cousin gets relocated again!

I have been praying about this and will continue to do so...I have no clue what to do!