I'm Hired!!!

Everything went great at my interview and they hired me for a position, although not the one i applied for. While i was talking with the interviewer she kinda switched directions and told me about a position in their office at USU. She said my skills would really fit better in this other position and as we talked I was able to tell her about more experience I have with the work they do. At the end she said i could have the position if i wanted it and of course i said YES.

What I'll be doing is coordinating the things with the other VISTA(volunteers in service to america) people and their respective school administrators, helping to compile data on VISTA projects, presenting that information, talking to a lot of people and helping others at the office with whatever they need. It's a little all over the place, but I really like the people I'll be working with and I think I'll fit in well personality wise.

I'm really excited to get started and as a bonus - at least I think it is - I'll get to go to a couple day training seminar "somewhere in the western US" but i won't know until April. That should be lots of fun, although i do miss Chris when i'm gone :)

So more on this as it develops, but for now I'm really happy and excited and I know i wouldn't have this opportunity without divine intervention.

- 12

No this is not a report of the temperature today, although it might be accurate :)

This is an update on my weight loss progress and I'm happy to say I've lost 12 pounds since January 1st! Who'd have thought those crazy dieticians and doctors would be right when they said you need to watch both diet AND exercise. How wacky is that? I also have to give mad props to Weight Watchers Online. It's helped me stay on track without having to go to a meeting every week - YAY!

Only 8 more lbs to go and i'll reach my target weight, which is close to what i weighed when i got married. I wouldn't say i'll be running around in a bikini anytime soon, but i definately feel healthier and i have more energy.

In other news, I finally got a job interview for tomorrow. Eventhough Februrary is the shortest month, as far as the job hunt has gone, it feels like the longest. I really, really, really, really want to get this position because it sounds like a great challenge, but also fun and interesting. I'll give more deets if i get it.

Lastly, I finally made my etsy shop pay off. I used the proceeds from the last year and a half to buy myself a Cricut machine! YAY!!!!!! You can get brand new ones for a steal on ebay and the same goes for cartriges too. I'm still waiting to get my font cartridge, but when i do, it'll be scrabook city!

Did you know they are making a Critcut machine for cake decorating? There's a demo online and it blew my mind :) If people get a hold of this machine, professional cake makers will be out of business for sure. It's that cool :)

Do NOT See This Movie!

Remember how a couple of days ago I wrote about a book series called Percy Jackson and the Olympians? Remember how I mentioned a movie adaptation was going to be made? Well it is out in theatres and Chris and I went to see is last night. It was HORRIBLE!!!

I looked at some reviews before i went to see what the critics had thought. Usually i read what they say and dismiss it entirely. Most of my favorite movies have been hated by critics. In this case, they were right! Don't worry, this post has no spoilers :)

If you have read The Lightning Thief, you will HATE the movie. I understand that usually the book is better than the movie, but in this case the movie was NOTHING like the book. Everything that was clever, interesting, funny, or historical has been completely stripped out. They even changed the story line and relationship between ALL the characters. All the fun tools the protagonists use to deal with the bad guys have been taken away. I mean, did they consult the author at all when writing the screenplay? We left the theatre kinda mad actually.

If you haven't read the book, you will probably think it's an ok movie. The acting is average, the special effects are ok, and the action sequences are pretty good. It might be too scary for kids under the age of 8 or 9 though. Purely from a cinematic standpoint, i'd wait to see it until it goes to the cheap theatre or on DVD.

Chris said he would be willing to see the next one if the director is changed and i am willing to give the franchise another chance too if they change just about everyone who worked on this film. Hopefully the studio will listen to all the bad reviews out there and make some changes so the next one can be awesome :)

If you go and see it, let me know what you think. It's possible I'm wrong, but not likely :)

Happy Birthday to Me!!!!!!!

Ah, another year has come and i find myself to be the ripe old age of 27. It's kind of weird to be 27 i think. It's one of those non-milestone years that makes you realize you one year closer to an actual milestone year, like 30. I don't think i've ever really had an issue with getting older. Especially since people say i don't look it. It's a little vain, but it helps :)

Anyway, my super fun birthday started out on Sunday. Chris and I went to my parent's house and had a birthday/valentines/superbowl party. We had lots of yummy snacks and ice cream cake and it was great to spent time with the family.

On Tuesday, my actual b-day, Chris took the day off and we had a fun time together. For breakfast we went to IHOP. I haven't had pancakes in a long time, and man were they delicious! That afternoon we went to the Sherlock Holmes movie which was super fun - it's so nice to go to a movie in the middle of the day when no one else can :) That night we went to dinner at Kamin, a Thai restaurant and pigged out. Dumplings, springrolls and curry - oh my! And then to top it off we got a box full of treats from Sweetly Divine, which is a great pastry shop. When we got home we put candles in an eclair and that's what i made my wish on. Hooray for birthdays!!!!

I am having a hard time dealing with the fallout though. Since i've been on weight watchers I've lost 10 pounds and have been eating a healthier diet. So today i felt a little sick from all that rich food, but i must say, totally WORTH IT :) I just love having one day a year where it's all about me, and Chris is so good to indulge me.

I'd also like to give a shout out to my birthday partner in crime - Janelle in Pampa, TX. Happy b-day on the 12th!!

Hit the Books

I don't know why, but i LOVE young adult literature. I think it's because the stories are so imaginative and free of the typical cares that adults experience. The characters in YA Lit don't care about martgage payments, who they'll marry, if they'll have a successful career and all that stuff that grown ups have to think about every day. I like being able to escape and, YA lit does that for me.

So, I have another fun recommendation. It's a series called Percy Jackson and the Olympians by Rick Riordan. There is a movie coming out soon about the first book, The Lightning Thief. Basically the main character - Percy- has grown up without knowing who his real father is. As he's gotten older, wierd things have started happening: explosions, fires, injuries, etc and Percy always gets blamed. One night he and his mom go to the beach for the weekend and are chased by a monster of greek mythic proportions. This all leads up to Percy finding out who he really is and what's been going on his whole life. I won't ruin it for you, but it's an action packed adventure :)

Chris says he likes this series because the story is original. Most adult sci-fi or fantasy is all the same old stuff. This series captures something new.

In this series there are 5 books, each one a new adventure of Percy and his group of close friends. Because the stories are based on Greek gods and mythology, you also learn a little bit about the different subtexts of Greek culture, but not in a way that makes tou feel like you're learning :) The 5th book is my favorite and is totally awesome because there is tons of action, destruction and mayhem.

They're all quick reads and a good vacation for the brain :)