Tired

and ready to go home

So, I really don't have much to say, but I am waiting on Jared and Hicks to load an order so we can finally clock out and go home.

I had my second interview today with the American Cancer Society and I think it went well. It is so hard to tell and I was the first interviewee, so I don't know who else they will meet with. If they liked me, the next step is a panel interview and then a personality assessment (good thing I am soooo cool) and then reference checks, so it is still a long process. So, I am going to focus on my part-time contract job that I start on Monday and working at Jake's to make ends meet and try not to worry and stress about this interview process. If I get another interview that would be awesome. If I don't, well, at least I have something lined up.

Sorry this is sooo boring, but my brain is fried this evening. Hopefully I will have something profound or funny or just enlightening to blog about soon. :)

Have a great weekend everyone!

Better than I thought

i better start preparing

I have a face-to-face interivew with American Cancer Society on Friday!!!!! I guess I did better than I thought on my phone interview. Wish me luck, I really want this job... even though I haven't even started my contract job with the Drug Free Community Council. Oh well... it would be nice to have a choice!

Birthdays, anniversaries and those we remember

Reflections and thoughts on Memorial Day

Jared's great-grandmother passed away yesterday. I never had a chance to meet her, but she lived a long, exciting life and God called her up at the age of 97. We had just received a card from Jared's Grandma Birk telling us that grandmother wasn't doing well, so we knew the end was near. Jared has fond memories of hanging out with Great-Grandmother Steele and Grandma Birk and I know that Jared, along with the entire Birk family, will miss her.

The passing of Great-Grandmother Steele got me thinking and reflecting on the people in my life that I have lost. I am fortunate to not have a large amount of loss in my life, but everyone who has touched my life and was taken to soon has a special place in my heart.

PePaw... everytime I smell sawdust and see power tools I think of you and all the hard work you did as a carpenter and all that you taught my dad about building quality houses and doing quality repairs. I can still see you running around our backyard with Benji and always making sure Alicia and I were doing ok. We all miss you, but know that you are well and we will see you again someday.

My Jim... you never stopped believing in me and I have never forgotten that. Even though I was not a biological granddaughter, you treated me like one and I am forever thankful for everything you did for me and how much you loved me. Thank you. I miss you and can't wait to tell you all the things I accomplished because you believed in me.

Grandmother... you left our family a long time ago but the memories of spending the night at your house are still vivid in my memory. How you put up with all of us kids over there, I have no idea, but we sure had a good time. I still think of you whenever I eat colored miniature marshmallows, and whenever I take a bite of your cornbread dressing. We all miss you.

Rosie... you were the best golden retriever we could have ever had. I still feel bad that you got sick right after I left for college. I know you were getting old, but I also know that you were sad when I moved away. You were the best dog, even though you always moved my shoes, stole my pillows and got hair all over everything, haha. I miss you

Bo... you were taken way to soon. No one has been able to figure out why, but God had a reason to take both you and your brother. I miss you and I think of you often. No one could tease me with a goofy grin on their face like you could and I will never forget all the nights we spent talking on the phone, sitting in your car outside my house and how happy you made me when you came to see me at work. I miss you and please help OU out this football season! You gotta have some kind of Angel powers or something, haha.

OK, ENOUGH SADNESS.....

Today is also a day to celebrate. Today is my friend Jeremy's birthday, my friend Melanie's birthday and my parents 30th wedding anniversary!

Happy Birthday everyone and Happy Anniversary mom and dad!!!

Our first trip to Lake Michigan

wow, that's a big freakin' lake

After a short day of work, Jared, Hicks and I decided to take the 45 minute drive (which feels like nothing because you drive back into Central time so you gain an hour, haha) to Michigan City.

The goal of this trip was to head to the casino and see if we can get lucky with the tiny bit of money we set aside to gamble. Which, I am happy to say, we made a profit of $367!!!! Now THAT'S what I call gambling! (Wish it would happen every time)

But before we headed to the Bluechip, Hicks took me by the huge area of premium outlet stores. The boys wouldn't let me shop, :( but I will definately be heading that way sometime soon! Then we headed towards the lake and looked at all the big vacation rental homes right on the water. We thought, "how expensive could these be to rent, really?". Then we started looking at all the cars in front of them.... Lexus, Mercedes.... So, maybe we CAN'T afford it.

Then we paid $6 just to go park at the beach because Hicks and I were determined to put our feet in the water. We got out of the car, kicked off our shoes and stuck our toes in the cold sand. It was a pretty nice day yesterday, but by the time we got to the lake it was overcast and starting to get chilly (it felt at least 10 degrees colder right there off the water and the wind was blowing like crazy). But, we didn't care. Jared hung back but Hicks and I walked down there and on the count of 3 walked our feet into the water. "Holy crap that is cold!" haha. But, it was worth it! I can't wait to head to the beach when it is warmer! It is such a beautiful lake and it feels like you are looking right out into the ocean. I absolutely love it!

Here are some photos from our lake adventure! (Excuse my wind-blown crazy hair)

You can see Hick's teeth chattering, haha! That water was so cold!

It's Official!!!!

i start on June 2

I received an offer for a contract position with the Drug Free Community Council in South Bend today! I am so excited and it is very likely that it will turn into a full-time (with benefits) position in August. I should receive anywhere from 20 to 40 hours a week, hopefully closer to 40 and the hourly rate is very good since it is contract work and I will be accounting for, and paying in my own taxes. That part sucks, as well as the fact that there are no benefits! But, Hicks and I figured it up on a calculator to see how much I need to put back each month. So as long as I stick to that, I won't get screwed by the IRS.

It will be a different way of doing work, but I knew a lot of people that did contract work in Kansas and never complained about it, so obviously it has perks!

Anyway, I had a phone interview today with the American Cancer Society as well. I felt like it went well, but you never know. I hope I receive a chance to interview with the director of the Mishawaka office.

Well, that is pretty much my life right now, haha, and STILL working at Jake's. I am getting better with the forklift and only got it stuck once this week and tipped a skid over the wrap machine only once... so I am doing well! :)

YAY!!!!!!!!

YAY for David Cook!!!!

Here's my favorite songs he sang this year!

Congratulations David! You made Kansas, Missouri and Oklahoma proud!

Things are picking up....

got more interviews under my belt

So things are looking up in the world of job interviews. I had another interview on Tuesday with the Drug Free Community Council in South Bend. It would be working with the coalition on a few drug prevention grants. Basically what I did in Kansas. Right now she wants to hire me on a contractual basis and then possibly move me into full time in September if they receive a large federal grant. So, that is exciting. I am just waiting for her to call me back so we can talk money.

I have not heard back from the interview I had last week with the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation, but she has started calling my references, so I may hear something soon.

BUT, the great news is that I have a phone interview tomorrow with the American Cancer Society for the Northern Indiana Community Consultant position. I have always wanted to work for ACS (and the salary is AWESOME), so I am excited about the phone interview (even though I have never done a phone interview and it sounds kinda scary). Jobs with ACS are so competitive, so I will have to prepare really well tonight.

I can only hope that I have so many offers that I actually GET to choose a job! The only thing better woud be if I got calls back on 2 other jobs that I really wanted to interview for. That would be awesome!

I found a job....

but not EXACTLY what I was wanting

So, Jared talked me into coming to work for Jake's to help pull orders until I find a job.

AARRRGGGHHHH!

I tried to push this back as much as I could. I used excuses like "I have way to too much to do" and "I am not strong enough to do that work". But, in the end, my dear husband won because, well, we DO need the money and, well, I DON'T have anything better to do. Plus, as he put it, it would be a great workout (I think he is trying to tell me something). :)

So, Friday was my first day. The pro... I get to drive a forklift. The con... I get to drive a forklift.

But, overall it wasn't too bad. Take the order sheet, find the product, put it on a skid. TRY to stack it up as high as you can, which is hard for a shortie and weakling like myself. Wrap the skid, weigh it, and stage for sending out. Not to incredibly hard except some of the boxes are too heavy for me AND I am definately still perfecting the art of driving a forklift. The good news.... I haven't hit anything yet. The bad news, that was just day one. :)

Working with Jared wasn't too bad either. He was patient and a great teacher. We got along really well when we worked the firework tent in Louisiana, so I figured we would do ok on Friday. Plus it helped that I had previous experiene working with the product. But, I don't know about a WHOLE summer working in the warehouse with him. I think we would go crazy! haha

OH SOMEONE PLEASE CALL ME ABOUT A JOB!!!!!!!!!

IN OTHER NEWS.....

Our patio door is quite to spot to see the neighborhood wildlife. There is a pond right behind our apartment so there are constant ducks, geese and now baby geese that waddle by our door (peeking in to see if we have bread). I think most of the bread we buy goes to those stinkin' birds.

Besides the ducks and geese we have also spotted rabbits and squirrels and today we saw a chipmunk! It was soooo cute. Jared said he didn't know if his name was Alvin, Simon or Theodore... haha. I named him Alvin, cause he didn't have glasses and was bigger than Theodore. :)

IT'S THE THOUGHT THAT COUNTS......

Jared brought home this GORGEOUS flower bush from the grocery store today for me. He said he had a surprise in the back seat and there it was. He is soooo sweet. He knows I have been wanting to plant some flowers (and hey we had our stimulus check so, might as well. Thanks U.S. Treasury). But, the poor guy didn't read the tag about the flowers. It is a bush, which means it needs to be planted in the ground (which is not an option at an apartment). :( So, I could try it in a large planter box, but it probably won't survive. So, it looks like this beautiful plant will now adorn the lawn of the Jake's Warehouse in Elkhart. Hopefully it will make the place a little brigher and hopefully it will survive.

OUR FAVORITE RESTAURANT........

The U.S. Treasury also treated us to a meal at our favorite restaurant Texas Land and Cattle Company. They have the BEST smoked sirloin! It is soooo tender and just melts in our mouth. Hicks went with us and it was a grand time!

Mixed Feelings

the job market game is tough

I had my first interview for a job today in Indiana and it went really well and I actually think I have a good chance of being offered the position, which is great!

But on the other side I have mixed feelings because it IS only part-time (30 hours a week) but hte hourly wage is exactly what I made in Kansas (maybe even a little more). So, while it is 10 hours less a week, it has perks! Plus it is very close to home, which means less mileage, and it seems like a job I would really enjoy!

My fear is that I will accept it (if it is even offered to me) and then start receiving calls from all the other places that I have applied for an interview. Or my other fear is that I will deny this offer and then not receieve any other job offers. There is no happy medium.

I know people leave jobs all the time, but say I did take this job. They are right in the middle of their primetime event planning season and it is only an office of 2 people. So, I would HATE to leave the job and do that to someone, just like I would hate if someone did that to me. Plus, working at this organization would be great networking opportunity within the commnunity for future job searches. But, do I want to pass up a potentially good opportunity with another organization? Do I go ahead and interview at another place just to see? Do I just deny the offer and look for full-time?

SOOOO many questions! And, of course, I am putting the cart before the horse when I even ASSUME I will be offered the job.

But, here's the thing. All the great prevention jobs I have applied for haven't called me. One I applied for in March and they have not even begun to fill it. Kind of frustrating. I have called on a few and have been sent to a voicemail of some random person and no one has returned my calls.

AAARRRGGGHHHH!!!! What to do?

David Cook all the way!!!!!

he's gonna win it all... I just know it!

And once he does... Misty and I can start trying to find a way to go see him in concert! :)

YAY for me!!!!

job interview on thursday

Got my first call for an interview today and I am pretty excited. It is for a part-time position with the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation as a Special Events Assistant.

I am really looking for full-time employment, but have applied for just about everything, haha. So, even though it is part-time it will be something to consider if I am offered the job. As my mom mentioned, I can always take a part-time job and then start having babies! :)

The interview is not until Thursday so I will let you all know how it goes.

Tomorrow I am meeting up for lunch with the local coordinator of the Afternoons R.O.C.K. after school program. It is a state-wide program but they have lots of centers in this area that provide the program AND you have to be certified in prevention to be considered as a site director, which I am certified in Kansas. Plus, she seems like she has been working in the field a long time and knows a lot of people so it will be a great networking opportunity.

Then, after my lunch meeting with Amanda, I am attending the South Bend Area Drug Free Communities Coalition with another person that I met 2 weeks ago when I first moved here. Her name is Janet and she basically does what I did in Kansas, so meeting up with her was a joy. She asked me to attend coalition with her and she plans to introduce me to everyone. She encouraged me to bring my resumes as well in case someone is hiring or possibly has a grant that gets funded. So, I am pretty excited about attending this meeting and hearing about all the great things they are doing here and possibly how I can get involved.

And, get this, this one job that I REALLY want (Prevention Coordinator for the Boys and Girls Club) the hiring manager for this position attends coalition!!!! So, it is time to put on the charm and roll out the big fancy words for this guy! :)

Things are starting to look up (I even made a friend at the exercise room).... wish me luck!!!!

My Mom

Happy Mother's Day

Well, it's Mother's Day so I found it appropriate to salute my mother in the Birk Bulletin.

I've thanked my mother time and time again for the wonderful childhood I had. I look around at families today and the degree of dysfunction that they all manage to survive in and it makes me really thankful for what I had.

My mother always worked hard to give my sister and I everything we needed, not necessarily everything we wanted, but everything we needed. We were not spolied, but we were offered the chance to do fun things like take dance classes, go to the movies and the zoo, have big birthday parties and just be kids. She always took great care of us, often times staying up all hours of the night in case I had an asthma attack or to give me one of the dozen medications I was prescribed.

Discipline was always fair, even though I may have not thought so at the time and we were taught right from wrong, manners and not to be disrespectful of others. I have to say my parents did a good job with just the right balance of fun, love and tough love.

I love my mom. Sometimes we don't always see eye to eye, sometimes we argue, and sometimes we just can't undestand why the heck the other one thinks the way they do. But, she is always the first person I call when I've had a bad day, when I have good news to share and when I am sick (yes, I still call my mommy when I am sick).

So, thank you mom. Thank you for doing everything you did for me.

Thank you for making that Rainbow Bright Cake for my birthday that took you hours to make

Thank you for taking care of me when I was sick, which was pretty much all the time

Thank you for surprising me with New Kids on the Block tickets for Christmas 1989

Thank you for always throwing an arm in front of me in the car when you would come to an abrupt stop.

Thank you for teaching me how to clean (even though I hated it when I was a kid)

Thank you for attending the endless dance lessons, concerts and events

Thank you for teaching me how to apply makeup, how to dress and how to be a lady

Thank you for always being there, even when it was hard for you

Thank you for allowing me to try new things, even if I failed at them (tennis)

Thank you for listening to my hours and hours of stories and singing showchoir songs throughout the house

Thank you for making me laugh

Thank you for never giving up on me, even when it seemed like a pointless journey

Thank you for being you and always being there for me. I love you!

Not a good day

i can feel the tears coming

Here I am in Mishawaka, IN with NO job, NO friends, NOTHING to do and NO "sold" sign on the house in Girard. Could my life get any worse at this point? Probably, but I sure hope not because I am not sure I can take it.

Everyday I sit and look for jobs and call about jobs and e-mail, fax and mail resumes and NOTHING. It makes me feel like I am worthless, like all these skills and talents I suppossedly have are worth shit here. I know these things take time, but I am tired of waiting. Even my trip to the temp agency wasn't promising. I really like the area, there are so many things to do and see and the people are nice too, but without a job and friends this place will not be worth anything to me. Damn good luck pig is a piece of crap!

The Three-Legged Pig

a good luck charm

Several months ago I attended yet another meeting in Topeka. The meeting was same ole, same ole until the end when the presenters (basically our bosses for the state) presented us with little wooden three-legged pigs. The pig is a symbol in Chile's culture, where tradition holds that the three-legged pig brings good luck to their owners.I thought this was a pretty neat gesture for the state department to give us these little wooden wonders. It was mostly to pass on some luck to us as we worked with communities on their new planning grants. But for me is has become more than that.

I have been carrying this pig, I named him Hamlet, haha, in my purse ever since. I pull him out once in a while when I feel like I really need a big gulp of good luck, like when we trekked all the way to Indiana in our moving truck, when we dealt with a misunderstanding with the collections agency and now I ask Hamlet to wish me even more good luck as a search for a new career and as we still try to sell our house in Girard. So far he has been pretty good to me, so I will keep wishing for the good luck from him and hopefully he will keep delivering.

Beauty in an unknown place

what a view
We may not have the pond view that the tentants on the other side of our building have, but this beautiful flowering Cleveland Pear tree (at least that's what google told me it was) does it for me. It smells just like the Cotton Blossom lotion from Bath and Body Works and everytime the wind blows that lovely fragrance flows through the screen door into our little home. It is refreshing and beautiful.

Just wanted to share a little Hoosier beauty with you.