New Life, New Blog Page

I will no longer be adding to the blogs on this page.  I have started a new blog page now that is more appropriately named so check me out there and subscribe there if you like:

http://marvimarti.wordpress.com/

FINALLY!!! I’m Heading Back To Work!

Probably one of the most difficult events in my life was losing my job.  The company cut back and for whatever reason I was let go.  As an employee that came in 15 – 30 minutes early as a rule, was diligent to maintain my lunch hour and worked hard, I was puzzled.  The other admin was notoriously 30-45 minutes late for work, had a 30 minute lunch hour due to flex hours but spent an hour working out and usually well into another hour eating and reading a book, and then she spent a good deal of time standing around talking to people, it just did not make sense.  Oh some with inside info are pretty sure it was more due to choices in my personal life that were to blame and they are likely right. Sad what one does on their own time that is perfectly legal, should affect their job, but it does.

I was let go on 10/3/08 and by the time I return the work force it will be just under 1 and 1/2 years without a job.  This has been a rough road for me mentally and emotionally, not to mention it was trying for the entire household financially.  I sent literally hundreds of resumes out but got very few bites.  I do realize that the media reports 6 or more applicants for every job that comes available but I have great skills and a very impressive resume that is quite honest.  Meanwhile my husband pulled every available extra shift at the fire house and found a side job to keep us floating.

Everyone encouraged me to just be patient, everything happens for a reason and that sooner or later the right job would come along.  Well they were correct.  In February I will be starting a job as an office manager, and I cannot wait.  I not only will have a job, paying very well, but I will also gain management experience that will be a valuable addition to my resume.  The boss also wants to train me to go into the field and learn to quote jobs and take on the roll of production manager in addition to office manager.  I am VERY excited.

This job carries with it many pluses.  The best one being that I am able to wear jeans to work and do not need to go out and by a bunch of  ‘corporate’ clothes.  Gotta love the construction industry!  The work load is not horrible and the experience is going to be outstanding. Totally different industry and yet similar work to what I was doing, only now I’ll be the boss.  I love it.

Hard as it has been to be without a job, it was well worth the wait. The boss is a great guy and over many IMs, in person chats and lunch there is no doubt we are going to work very well together. I will mostly work very independently and serve has his sounding board and right hand.

I’ve spent some time this weekend detoxing my life.  By that I mean getting rid of the numerous IDs I had on Facebook and Myspace that I used for gaming.  One of each is all I need.  I eliminated a good deal of cyber crack from my life, keeping only those ‘real’ IDs.  I stopped ‘following’ well over 100 tweeters on Twitter, not even certain why I ever followed them.  I have freedom to be online and do not wish to abuse that freedom, so some things had to go.  I also removed many from the phone feed that I do follow on Twitter and Facebook just because I don’t need my phone going off all day long when trying to work.  Family and close friends made the cut, the rest I will check when I am online and have time.

I will be spending the next few weeks establishing a routine of getting up, working out, preparing as if leaving for work, then tanning etc in the evening after work hours.  I want this transition back into employment to be a smooth one.

I will blog the experiences as I take on this new job, as well as the progress with my on going fitness journey.  I’ve lost 9 pounds in the past 2 weeks which came as a huge surprise but also motivates me!  Not having the refrigerator 7 feet from me or the pantry will help so very much! WAY too easy to eat out of boredom when home.

Looking forward to mid-February!

The Magic Number = Motivation

Most folks make new years resolutions and then fail to keep them.  I’ve made and failed at my share so I cannot fault them for that.  Motivation to actually keep the resolutions is often lacking shortly after the ball drops on New Year’s Eve.

This year has to be different for me, I don’t have a lot of choices.  I recently went online to Hoxworth Blood Center’s website to set up an appointment to donate.  I prefer doing all things online if possible rather than by phone, just my favorite method.  While there I noted a button on the sidebar that said “test results”.  I assumed that this would be my cholesterol as that is something you can call in and obtain a few days after donating.  I was correct, it was that and my blood type in case I didn’t already know this information.

The cholesterol number about made me fall off my chair.  I realize this is not a fasting level, which I would need to do to get a really accurate picture of the situation, but when it is sitting at 242 that must mean even at a fasting level I need to wake up and start doing something about it.

High blood pressure and heart issues do run in the family.  Heart disease I guess? Not sure but I do know that my grandpa had quadruple bypass surgery, and my mother has a 2 inch stint in her heart, and at least one brother has high blood pressure.  This is a major wake up call for me.  Might not impact others all that much but for me this is a bit frightening.  I will be making some serious changes.

I am already using www.sparkpeople.com and will continue, only now I’ll be watching the fat content in foods as well as going for foods known the help reduce cholesterol.  And I read that exercise is also important to this goal so that will be focused on all the more this year as well.

Nothing like a little health scare to light a fire of serious  motivation under me.  Besides, bikini season is only 5 months away so double motivation there!

Have you checked on your magic number lately?

Good-Bye 2009, Hello 2010

Finally 2009 is part of history, and I can honestly say that I am not at all sorry to see it behind us.  It isn’t that it all turned out bad but getting to the silver lining on many of the ‘bad’ things that occurred was a real test of my ‘glass half full’ way of thinking.

The year started out with me being unemployed for 3 months, and that is still my status today.  I had severance for 6 months and then began to draw unemployment.  I was in shock when I lost my job, at first, then angry and finally was able to grieve over the job loss.  A dear friend told me that losing your job is much like a death, as you work with people and form relationships and friendships, and when the job is gone those people are gone from your life.  In fact life itself is forever altered.  I went through all the stages one would when losing a loved one.  It is amazing to me looking back how fast the time has passed.  I am happy to report that I will be returning to the work force on 2/1 as an office manager, different industry than before and interesting potential for the future.  It seems to be a job that I can put down roots and make my own and I’m looking forward to it.  I’m not ready to share more than that, don’t want to jinx anything. I did find the time off to be much needed and my stress level is so low now that I’ve become a much happier person.  Looking back on the situation what I thought was a bad thing has really been a very very good thing for me.

Shortly after the first of the year my mom went in to have her appendix removed.  On scans it appeared to have ruptured.  We found out within a short period after surgery that it was cancer and mom would need to have the ascending side of her colon removed and a chemo wash in her abdominal cavity.  There was much concern about this as she had heart issues the summer prior and we were all more than a bit concerned that her heart would not be up to the lengthy time in surgery.  Thankfully she came through with with flying colors and is now once again cancer free.  Mom usually picked up my niece from school because of my sister’s work schedule so I took over that task.  I was already picking up a neighbor’s teen and her friend so this was not a burden.

My sister had neck surgery at about the same time as mom’s colon surgery so I took over not only picking up my niece but ran dad for a few errands as well, something my mom and sister normally handle.  My time off allowed me to help my family which made me happy.

As I continued to send my resume I learned to recognize the job scams.  I had received a call for what they said was a job interview and a follow up email with instructions regarding the interview and directions to the office.  Turned out to be a scam where they get you in then want you to pay for their materials and training with hopes you will be able to gain employment. I got suspicious and googled some key phrases in the email and discovered before I went what I was getting into. I canceled that appointment a wiser person than before.

Frustration mounted as I sent resumes weekly and heard nothing.  Finally I did land an interview with a local company but did not get the job.  It was good for me though, as I had not interviewed in a very long time and needed the refresher.  Shortly after I sent my resume to a recruiter friend and got it revamped and that was a positive. I did not realize the skills I had until I was forced to rewrite that document.

I was able to enjoy the summer pool side even though the weather never really warmed up enough to  make great use of the pool.  I did get to spend a lot of time with girlfriends (teachers are off in the summer) and work on my tan for free.  The mild summer meant my husband was able to continue cutting grass late in the summer when things normally are hot and dry and the grass stops growing. It kept him out working which kept us floating nicely.  Then he was able to land a side job with a friend once mowing season was over which continued to keep the money coming in to keep us afloat.  Not as much as we are used to but it was enough. The cooler summer also meant we save a lot of money because it wasn’t necessary to run the central air very often and that was another plus.

As the holidays approached I was concerned about not having the money for a nice holiday but things fell into place and we were able to much more than I imagined for our kids for Christmas.  Meanwhile I’ve learned to better separate what is a need and what is a want in life.  My tan is gone and I’m a creamy ivory again.  My nails are no longer long and fake, but I can type much faster at the moment.  We go out for dinner much less frequently and hang with friends and neighbors far more often.  My husband takes every extra shift he can and works the part time job when not at the fire house, so we see much less of each other but it has made us appreciate the time together much more. The free time also has enabled me to work on more crochet projects and one that was special for an unwed mother about to give birth to a first baby.  I enjoyed being able to help give someone less fortunate something special for their baby. Little things have become far more precious and I’m able to count what I have rather than be concerned with what is outside of my reach.

My daughter and I have bonded and have become much closer than in the past, getting to spend much more time together during the day.  It wasn’t that we were not close, but we’ve become much closer and I think have a richer relationship than in the past.  I’ve been able to have coffee with my son a few mornings this past year, and lunch in the middle of the week with him, a friend and my husband.  Little things that I was missing when I was at work.

I picked up an enjoyment for cooking and cleaning, becoming rather domestic in the down time from a job.  I’ve connected with friends and family while I’ve had more free time and that has been a plus.  Life has slowed down and I’ve had time to just relax.

Life will kick into high gear again in February, and I’ll be mentally prepared when the time comes.  Meanwhile I’m just enjoying the relaxed pace.

Good-bye 2009 with your issues and struggles.  I’m thankful for the good I found in the struggles, but I won’t miss you one bit.

Hello 2010, it is nice to meet you! What do you have in store for me, I wonder….

Christmas 2009

The gifts have all been opened and the visiting and celebrating are complete now for Christmas 2009.  The rush is over and it is all memories already.

This year we celebrated Christmas with our kids on Christmas Eve morning.  My husband had to work at 6pm for 24 hours over night so we needed to set this morning aside for our family.  I admit that I had concerns as the holidays approached about being able to have anything under the tree but prayers were answered and not only did we have presents but I think both my son and daughter were very pleased with what they received.

On Christmas Eve, my mom’s family celebrates.  They always opened presents on Christmas Eve, from what I understand, even as children.  The earliest memories I have of Christmas involve being at my grandparents on this night and it looked like a gift explosion had occurred under the tree.  Mom is one of 8 children and the oldest. As time has gone by all her siblings married, had children, and their children have grown and had children resulting in a huge family and a mountain of presents.  This is always one of the happiest parts of the holiday for me, gathering with this part of the family.  One year my grandfather looked around with tears in his eyes at what they had started, which resulted in 4 generations gathered that night. I always wondered if we’d keep it going once my grandparents passed away (with in the last 13 years we lost them both) but sure enough the tradition is kept alive and my mother’s aunt Alice has kept it at 4 generations gathered there.

This year it was bitter sweet, as it was the second Christmas we’d celebrate without my aunt Mimi.  The family lost her to cancer.  She and my uncle Steve for years have hosted the event at their house, no small undertaking for as many family members as we now have but they had a large home and it seemed suited for this sort of event. Mom’s cousin had hosted last year as I assume my uncle was just not ready to resume the tradition of hosting. While I felt the absence last year, being in Mimi’s home the other night I really felt how different it was without her.  She used to decorate the entire house and had an impressive collection of old world Santa’s that were everywhere.  Steve went easy on the decorations, but one of the few Santas he had put out was the one I gave her a few years back.  She cried (good tears) when she opened it as it reminded her of their home in Michigan, a special place for her.  I teared up when I spotted it.  In the dining room is a painting of Mimi, and her stocking is still hanging with the others over the fireplace,  that also reminded us of the someone special that was missing.  We’ve lost several members of the family over the years, and it is noticed so much more during the holidays. But it was a good evening, and I am so glad I did not miss it.  I almost stayed home because my husband was on duty and my daughter was with her boyfriend’s family.  My son was off work for a change and he really wanted to be there which made me want to go along.  I’m so glad that I did.

Christmas morning was quiet around here. My daughter had stayed at her boyfriends, my son and I had come home and he spent the night here.  I turned on the outside Christmas lights when I got up, just like my dad used to do, turned on the tree and made coffee.  I left the lights burning all day.  I kept hoping the weather men would be mistaken and it would snow, but rain fell most of the day. Still nothing was going to dampen my mood this year.  I don’t know why but for some reason this year I’ve been really happy despite all things not being just as I’d like them to be. Either way I’ve been full of joy this year.

Last night we gathered at my brother Yatz’s house to celebrate with my parents and siblings and their families.  I’m thankful that Yatz and Christy have a house big enough to make this work out and were willing to host.  I know it is a lot of work, as we’ve all taken turns, and I appreciate their willingness to have us all invade their space. For a change both of my brothers were off, my son was able to be there and my husband got off duty at  6pm last night and was able to be there too.  My daughter was there along with her boyfriend, it was great that everyone was able to be present.  Gifts were handed out and everyone seemed very happy just to be together.  Then my son had to head to work on very few hours of sleep for the past 48 hours, and we had to head home as my brothers and husband both are on for 24 hours today.  By 9:30 I was curled up in bed with Pete, exhausted but happy.

Sitting here this morning sipping my coffee and thinking back over the past 2 days I am so thankful it was a very wonderful Christmas.  As I am writing this I received a text from my son that somehow he managed to stay awake through his shift and is now home in bed, thanked me for a nice Christmas and told me he loved me.  My baby girl just left for work, and my husband is on duty so it is me, my jammies, my coffee and the dog. Life has returned to normal.

Merry Christmas…

PS – This day marks someone special’s 30th birthday. No names, but if she is reading this, Happy Birthday!

Early Bird

While this early bird isn’t after the worm, I have accomplished SO much by getting up early!  My hubby  had to be up at 4am for work today, and though I did try to go back to sleep I finally gave up at 5am and got out of bed.  This delighted the dog as she was sleeping next to me and eager for breakfast.

By 5:15am I had a load of laundry in, the dog fed and the coffee brewed.  By 6:50am the first load of laundry was complete and folded, the second was in the dryer and the third in the washer.  Emails have been checked, all my cyber crack  updated and the dishes are put away.  I am rather impressed with myself this morning, much has been accomplished and the sun isn’t even up yet!

I really do not mind being up so early, it does allow me to get a lot of things done and out of my way so that I can make the most of my day.  The more I get done early in the day, the more time I have to relax and enjoy other, more fun activities later. I am also more likely to eat healthier when I give myself more time to get things done because then I tend to have more time to cook and prepare good foods! I even have time for a cardio workout!

And there is the peace and quiet of the morning when there is no rushing around, just me and my laptop with a cup of coffee, feeding the cyber crack addictions while I wait for the washer and dryer to finish.  Soon the day will kick into high gear, but for now I’m enjoying idling along…

A Lazy Start To The Day

What a wonderful, lazy morning!  Just sitting here sipping coffee, at 10:22am, still in my jammies with award winning bed-head hair, and I LOVE it!

I know I need to get up and clean the house, take a shower and finish the laundry…but for now I just do not feel like it!  Enjoyed a bowl of low-fat granola for breakfast with an oatmeal raisin cookie chaser.  Sitting at the kitchen table with my laptop feeding my cyber crack addictions while the heat from the floor vent is blowing on me keeping me warm.

I have the tree lit, the Christmas music playing, and cinnamon scented candles burning.  This is my kind of morning and I’m not at all ashamed that I am totally enjoying being L-A-Z-Y!!!

Soon enough I will get up and get moving, but for just a few more minutes I plan to relish this lazy start to the day!

Some Gripes Of Mine!

Normally I am a positive person but today I want to vent a little.  Got the idea from a forum I am on where folks are airing their grievances today so here is a short list of things I want to get off my chest, things that irritate me!

• In a residential neighborhood and in school zones, watch your speed! There is no where you have to be in that big of a hurry to risk hitting someone’s child. Slow down and obey the speed limit in those 2 areas!
• Take your cart to the proper place at the grocery store rather than leave it in the empty spot next to your car or worse, between parked cars.  You walked all over the store, you can handle walking 30 feet to put the cart away!
• Stop taking it out on the poor cashiers!  They are employees of the store, they do not set the prices or have any control over store policy, sales items etc.  Stop giving that poor, minimum wage employee a hard time and ruining their day for something they have zero control over.  Grow a pair and go tell it to someone with some power.
• The left lane on the highway is for passing cars in the other lane(s).  Pass and get over.  The speed limit applies to that lane too so don’t ride my bumper if I am passing a car and refuse to go over the speed limit. Look up limit in the dictionary if you are unfamiliar with the meaning.
• Stop whining when you get a speeding ticket that the cops have better things to do. Their job is to enforce the law, speed limits are the law and if you were speeding you broke the law. Suck it up you big baby and take your medicine.  If someone caused an accident with you involved or hit your child when speeding you’d be whining about the lack of cops doing anything about the speed! Grow up.
• Seriously, do you NEED to answer your cell phone in the bathroom at the mall? Can it really not wait to tell someone what is for dinner until you are out of the potty?  And do you really need to talk on it while out eating?
  
• Oh and while we are talking cell phones, HANG UP AND DRIVE!  The worst drivers are those on cell phones! I’ve been cut off and in so many near accidents with people that have their phone to their ear and are not paying attention…and then glare at ME because I beeped the horn when they nearly hit me coming into my lane because they were too busy talking to notice I am IN that lane! Hang up and drive or pull over to talk.
• If it is the express lane at the store and it says 10 items are the limit, then make it 10 or less.  We who have 10 or fewer items use that lane to get in and out of the store faster.  Learn to read and use the proper lane.
• If your children cannot behave and stay seated when out to eat, leave them at home with a sitter! It is annoying to those of us dining to have your brats running around screaming. It is also dangerous with servers carrying hot food as your little monster runs around them.  If you cannot control your children then do not get mad when I lean down and tell junior to go park his sorry butt in a seat.  If you don’t I will!
• If your dog cannot go outside to do its business at 5am without barking non-stop while you are in the shower, go out with Fido and control him! The rest of us do not want to listen to your dog. My dog doesn’t do that because I control my pet.  And if Fido poops in my yard when you take him for a walk, and you walk out the front door the next day and step in the load in front of your door? Yep it was me!  If you don’t clean up after your dog I’ll make sure you get to step in his deliveries like you make me do when you let him down load on my lawn.

Ok that is enough, just a little venting.  I feel SO much better now.

Thankful For: Solitude In The Morning

Anyone that knows me knows I adore my family and love them very much.  Pete is the center of my world and I never feel I get enough time with him.  And my kids, I enjoy any time spent with them, especially now that they are adults and have lives of their own full of adventures to share.

But I also very much enjoy moments of solitude.  Morning is especially  nice, the house is quiet because everyone is sleeping or gone to work and classes, and it is just me and the dog.  I have my coffee, and today the Christmas tree is lit up casting a soft glow around the living room.  I use this time to read emails, catch up on Tweets from those I enjoy following, read a few blogs, or the news online.  In between the online things I get a load or two of laundry washed, dried and folded.

It is quiet and my mind is a peace during the earliest part of the day.  I value this time to get my thoughts in order and for some ‘me’ time before the world wakes up and life takes on a more hectic pace.  When I was working I purposely got up earlier than absolutely necessary so that I could have this time before leaving each day to wake up and be ready to face the challenges of the day.  It is a habit I didn’t give up when I lost my job, and I so very thankful for these moments.

Good morning life, what will you bring me today?

Thankful For: Social Media

I call it cyber crack, the social media that I currently use, because it is addicting.

When I first started using Myspace it was to keep an eye on my then minor children.  I monitored what they posted, if they had too much identifying information on their page, who they had as ‘friends’ and if they were keeping their profiles set private to the outside world.  I quickly found it addicting as I found friends of my own, and family members, to add to my buddy list.  I also enjoyed being able to ‘bling’ my space on the web and make it a bit more unique.

Then came Facebook.  I was a hold out for sometime as I found it less than user friendly compared to Myspace.  I started my Facebook but drifted away for a few months until someone made a comment about how much they enjoyed my son’s status posts on his Facebook.  I decided that I needed to learn the ropes and got back on.  Now I’m addicted to it as well.  It is like a continuous feed newsletter of friends and family, and I’ve reconnected with old friends and neighbors from high school! WOW no one has aged at all! (yeah, right lol)  Little by little I find new connections with former coworkers and even distant cousins I haven’t seen in years.  I enjoy the banter back and forth on someone’s wall when comments are posted to status updates and seeing the latest photos of everyone’s adventures and family.  And of course there are the games I’ve been lured into playing like Mafia Wars and YoVille, the latest of which is Farmville.  I have family members to thank for those because someone needed more mafia members or neighbors and next thing I know I am harvesting crops, buying houses and knocking of rival mafia members.

Twitter was the next cyber addiction.  I was listening to talk radio and the hosts of the Eddie and Tracy show on 700 WLW were talking about it.  Anything Tracy Jones knocks and Eddie Fingers finds amusing  usually turns out to be something of interest, so I checked it out.   I actually enjoy Twitter a lot more than I first thought I would.  Looking at it the tool made little sense to me, it’s purpose being to answer the question “what are  you doing” in 140 characters or less.  But I set up my Twitter account and began searching for others to follow.  My sister tried it at my urging, and next thing I knew my mom was tweeting too.  I’ve come to find it rather useful for following quick headlines in the news, links to interesting blogs or ads for great bargains at the stores, and sport scores.  Sometimes it is bits of inspiration or humor, you just never know with Twitter.  Sometimes it even becomes a little social network with folks who follow answering tweets back and forth, though that can be confusing if you are not following all parties involved.  A really good tweeter will incorporate the information into their tweet for their other followers.  One day I tweeted my adventure of taking my dad shopping and on his errands, complete with pics uploaded for the enjoyment of my followers.  Those that really found the humor, of course, were those that know my dad. I find Twitter to be especially fun for keeping up with family, since several family members are using it now.  I get family/friend tweets to my cell phone, all others I read online.

In this face paced life  with all of us going in so many directions at once, I enjoy the social media for allowing me to keep up to the minute  with friends and family.  Critics say it is all rather impersonal but generally I find those to be the people that have never given the forms of social media a fair try.  Connections with the right friends and family members bring it all to life and make it very enjoyable for the user.  While nothing takes the place of in person contact, this does fill the gap nicely until we can all come together again to share laughs around the table or fire pit.

What are your cyber addictions?