Today I had a fantastic lunch date with my sister! (But wait... I thought you were an only child?) Technically, yes- I am an only child and have spent most of my life that way. However, my Mom re-married when I was about 10 years old, and so from the time that they were dating until the time that they divorced (probably 4-5 years?), I had a step-sister, Aaron. We stayed in touch for a year or two after the divorce (thanks to our Moms), but we are 5 years apart and the 5 year difference between 9 and 14 might as well be 20. So we lost touch during that time- chatting once every couple years on AIM and eventually finding each other on Facebook.



Well, in Fall of 2007 my sister's Dad (my former step-dad) lost his battle with cancer. Aaron's mom called my mom, and ta-da! We were re-connected. Unfortunately, it took us awhile to actually meet face-to-face, but I did get to see her a couple times that spring, and was actually able to see her graduate high school. (Imagine what a shock that was.... Aaron was probably about 9 the last time I saw her, and I would have been 14, and then to see each other again at 17 and 22- wow!)



So, Aaron just finished her freshman year at college and is now home for the summer, so today we had lunch. We talked for about 2 hours- in part because I had so many things I wanted to know, and in part because our waitress disappeared for about 30 minutes- but all in all it was a great lunch! It was so good to see her and to "get to know her" again, and I hope that we have more chances to do that this summer. She is leaving next weekend for a study abroad program in Uganda, but will be back in June.



I hate that I missed being a "big sister" for so much of her life, but I'm SO glad that we are back in touch and I hope that we can stay that way!

Love you lots, little sis!

Bloggin fool!

Man, I am on a roll today!

Just one more quick post for the day, a few random updates to share:

My Mom's 50th Birthday is today! We had a little party for her this past Saturday and it was a blast. My Mom is awesome- she is definitely one of my best friends and I am so lucky to have her close by! Here are a couple pictures of the party:

The Men- being pretty!

Mom showing off her new Brighton jewelry!

Mom, Mima, Papa

Anne, Mom, Tammy, Karen- watching the Derby!

Me and Mom =)

Being silly!

Also, I've had a couple good finds on my shopping excursions lately:

The blue candles I had been eyeing at Michael's were finally on sale- 40% off! I got one for each lantern, and a bag of white/ivory potpourri to fill in the bottom. The candle isn't quite tall enough so it's on a piece of tupperware for now, until I find something better! =)

Flip flop jewels- to make fun reception flops for the bridesmaids... $1! (Target, my favorite place)

My beautiful new bag- Rosss $16.99! I Just loved the leather and the color, and the lining is animal print- too cute!

Oh, and I got my ring cleaned and inspected for the first time (it's 6 month "check-up!") So shiny! I get so many compliments on it, everywhere I go!

Shout Outs:

• Mom- Happy 50th!!! Love you!!
• My Eskimo Buddy- Only three days of work left!! =)

Prayers:

• For once, everyone I know personally is doing really well! I'll keep praying for TJ today though- that his recovery continues to go so successfully!
• And I'm so thankful for all the wonderful people in my life... my friends and my family... I love you all!! XOXO

Hanging Rock

was incredible! Will and I left Friday after work and had a great time! Matt decided not to come because he didn't want to be a "third wheel." I told him it wouldn't be like that, but he insisted. So we got a nice weekend together, with Sadie of course, without phones and computers and TVs...it was wonderful!


We decided on Hanging Rock instead of Julian Price Park because it is closer (only about an hour and 15 minutes away) and there was no chance of rain there. So we got to the park around 7:00 and were able to get pretty much all set up before it got dark. Then we cooked bratwursts (that I had boiled earlier in beer for over an hour!) on skewers over the campfire. They were delicious!


Saturday morning we woke up and had bacon and pancakes cooked on the camp stove and then headed out for a hike. First we did the main hike up to the actual "hanging rock." The trail map said it was only 1 mile, but I think they were lying! Either that or we are incredibly out of shape and slow!


After a brief lunch break back at the campsite, we headed over to the lower cascades (a .2 mile hike...much better! lol) and took Sadie swimming!!! She's part lab, part beagle (we think), so she should like the water! But so far we hadn't had much luck. This time were successful at getting her to swim- Will carried her out in to the water and put her down! But she immediately headed for shallow water... she didn't seem to mind getting wet though- and willingly went as far as she could still touch. I think if the water had been warmer, and Will and I were actually swimming too (not just wading) she might actually enjoy it. We'll have to try again this summer, when it's warm enough for us to swim with her!


That night we actually got to eat before it got dark, which was much better, and we had the most delicious steaks ever! Marinated in one of Will's special concoctions since Thursday night and grilled over the campfire- YUM! But after our hiking and that big dinner, we were exhausted! Call us lame, but we crawled in the tent pretty much as soon as it got dark.... so like 8:30 LOL! I think we may have read for about 30 minutes, but that was it! Man, we're old.....

Sunday we packed up camp and went for one more short walk around the lake before heading home. The great thing about Hanging Rock is that we still got home around 1:00! We had plenty of time to unpack everything, and even got to sit out on the patio and grill out for lunch!

It was a great weekend and I think we all thoroughly enjoyed it. Sadie is still exhausted though! And I am too, since I didn't really sleep that well either night. I think I was so worried that Sadie wouldn't sleep, that I stayed up listening for sounds that might disturb her! Ha! Oh boy, motherhood is going to be such a challenge..... lol.

Shout Outs:

• Mother Nature: Still doing great- this weather has been absolutely gorgeous!

• Will: I'd camp with you anytime! I love you and I had such a great time with our little family this weekend!

Prayers:

• Our country, and the world in general: I've heard so many awful, terrible news stories related to senseless violence lately and it really makes my heart ache. I just pray that people will learn to put their differences behind them, love their neighbors, and live in harmony.

*Interview*

I had an interview today! First one since I got laid off at the end of March. I was really just glad to know that someone was actually looking at my resume, since I have applied for several positions and heard nothing back! Well the "interview," if you can even call it that, was with a staffing agency. I was not impressed. I've never worked with a staffing agency so I guess I just wasn't sure what to expect, but my interview was at 2:00 and it was at least 2:15 before anyone acknowledged me. The receptionist was on the phone, so finally she asked if she could help me with anything. I told her why I was there and she handed me a stack of papers which took THIRTY freakin minutes to fill out! By the way, I hate when places make you fill out an application listing all the exact same info that's on your resume. So, I fill out most of the paperwork, even though it includes tax forms and an I-9 and stuff and I don't even know anything about the job yet. I felt like handing the papers back to her and saying I would wait to fill them out until I had actually accepted a position! But, like I said, I've never gone to a staffing agency before, so I didn't know if that was the norm or not. So I sit and wait while this woman hollers all over the office asking if anyone wants a soda cause she's running to the vending machine. The woman comes back and hands out the drinks. 5 minutes later, she comes back out to the "lobby" area to get me.... this is the woman I have my "interview" with. So by this time it's almost 3:00. I sit in her office while she basically reads me my resume and asks the same two questions that she asked me on the phone yesterday. So she says she is going to set up an interview for me to meet with the employer. And that's about it. Seriously. That was the extent of my "interview." Oh, and PS: She was on the phone with other clients for about half the time I was in her office. Rude?? I think so. I can't believe I bought a new outfit for that!

Anyway... I should hear back from her tomorrow about setting up that interview with the actual hiring company. The position sounds pretty good- The director of some sort of counseling center has been handling all the HR stuff herself, but is getting overwhelmed so she wants to bring in an HR Generalist. I love the fact that it is with a company that does something I'm interested in (hello, psych major), and that it is located near Friendly Shopping Center! But, the down side is that she is only looking for a part-time HR person for right now. 2-3 days a week, flexible scheduling. The pay rate is about what I was making before (hourly), but with only being 16-24 hours a week, I would be making less there than I would if I continued to collect unemployment. So, I'll do the interview and see if I like her and like the place and then decide. If I did take it, at least it would be experience to add to my resume, and would look better than having a large gap, and the staffing agency did mention the possibility of getting a salary increase/benefit options, so we'll see... I'll keep you posted.

In other news... I'm having trouble deciding what to do this weekend. Do I,

A) Go camping at Hanging Rock with Will and his friend Matt, and get to be with Sadie (the puppy) on her first camping trip; or

Me and the Sade-ster, cheerin on the Heels!

B) Leave Fri to drive 5+ hours by myself to see my extended family and be there for my nephew's first birthday party?

That's me and Owen on the right, and my Mom and the nephew who is 7, Mason, on the left. Mason was being camera shy and trying to squirm away!

WWYD? I'm almost hoping that my interview is on Friday so that will make my decision for me. I would love to be there for Owen's birthday and get to see all my nieces and nephews (ages 7, 4, 4, 2, and 1) but I also really want to take Sadie camping! She'd have so much fun =)

Shout Outs:

• Katie: So glad we got to catch up today! Everything is falling into place for you and I'm so excited!! =)

Prayers:

• Kelly: Hope you feel better soon! We'll do wine night some other time
• Molly: I miss you and I hope that you are happy and safe, wherever you are!

hmm...all three of my b-maids today, weird =)