My new toy

Yesterday was my last day at school and I got my certificate of completion and my check. Whats neat about Job Corps that they pay YOU to go to school. I got paid every two weeks and then you get a pretty big chunk of money when you graduate. I am planning on saving most of it but I had to buy myself a little something for a job well done. I finally got a new awesome camera! FINALLY! You know I have always wanted one of those cool professional cameras that makes wonderful photos. I am one happy clown right now. WOO HOO! I just wish I had it for when we were in Germany but I had a decent one then too but I am so excited for my new one.

Certification of Completion

We are planning on traveling the East Coast while we still live here so I am very excited to get to use my new camera for those awesome memories.

Having fun with my new Camera: 

No wonder why its so cold at night, our insulation is being stolen! But you can't be mad at that sweet little face.

I just love the crystal clear picture it gives you.

My husband thought he was being cute by taking this. My cheeks full of Taco Bell's Baja Blast.

On other exciting news,  Hurricane Sandy is coming our way. I had no idea until we were at Costco yesterday (getting my camera) and it was completely packed with people with carts full of bottled water and toilet paper, then my husband told me about the Hurricane. That's what I get for never watching the News. Then we got home to a notice on the door for how to prepare our apartment to prevent as much damage as possible. We are from Idaho so we are not afraid of weather, I am actually excited to see what its like in a Hurricane, its my first. But the people here are buying crazy amounts and the line at Costco was backed up to like 20 in each.. it was insane... but its true you can never be to prepared.
We went back to Costco today and stocked up on water, canned food, batteries for flashlights, and everything we might need just in case. We also went to Walmart and they were completely out of water (thank goodness for Costco).  Anything could happen and the news is saying that its most likely going to knock out our power for a week starting by Sunday night or Monday. Bring it on Sandy,  we are ready!

Costco is never this low on carts

No water at walmart

Job Corps Graduate

I FINALLY passed my Microsoft Office Excel 2010 certification. That was the last assignment, so what does that mean..? I am DONE! There were a lot of "Congratulations". I was so nervous and had to calm my breathing constantly. It was a pretty nerve wrecking day. After a pep talk from my husband and what seemed like the longest exam ever, I did a lot of running around to get my file completed and considered "graduated".

Today, I went in for half a day and I just hung out in the records department with my work based staff, ate Doritos, and did some filing. I am not going to school tomorrow since there is nothing for me to do. I am going in on Friday for my final last day to get my check and say good bye to everyone. I had my exiting interview today to see where I wanted to go in life now. They tried to focus on college but I have been a student for the last two years with Penn Foster Career School, Penn Foster College and then Job Corps.. I just don't want to have that sort of commitment for awhile. I just want to work, make money, save up for a car and other things that I want. You know, normal things 22 year old girls want. Enough with the learning. Guh! In a few years I will maybe think about finally getting that degree in whatever interests me at the time but right now, I am just getting a taste of freedom and not willing to give that up. Plus once we start having kids, I am going to be a full time homemaker (maybe open a home business) so I think I will just see what the professional business world has in store for me for while and see where life take me next.

Just had to share the good news!! Life is good. Celebrating this weekend with a fancy dinner with my wonderful supportive husband.

One day at school..

  I feel more comfortable talking about Faith and Bible interpretation with others that believe and wont make me feel dumb (even though I don't care what people think, but whats the point in talking with those that don't have an opinion?).. So I went to my Work Based Learning staff member to speak with her about what I have read so far. I know she is very religious and always taking about the Lord so I felt more comfortable going to her. Plus she asked me once what my faith and beliefs were and I just thought she would like to know that I have started reading the Bible for the first time. When I told her, her face just lit up and we talked about it for the next hour. She is super excited and we are both looking forward to talking more as I read more. She was going on and on about all these different fascinating things that happened in the Bible that I have no idea about (yet) and she is looking forward to discussing more, as am I.
  Her and I definitely clicked when we met and she has even said how sad she will be when I graduate because I guess she doesn't find friendship much with students like we did. She always says I am her mini-me.. only white (uhh wow, right?) I feel like we would be friends if we met outside of school as well. Its fun hanging out there for a couple hours of the day.

I also talk with my husband about the Bible  and he asked me "What did you think?" when I finished Genesis. How do I answer that?  If I say "I liked it", then it feels like I am giving a book review like it's a fiction. But I love reading it and its become a way to end my evenings before going to bed.


Anyways, after Work Based I went back to my normal class, I really did not feel like studying even though I only have Excel to complete and then I will be done and graduate.. I still can't find the motivation because it is really difficult. I do not like Excel at all. But since I did not feel like studying, I got out a book that I have been reading called Sister Wives, its from the family of the reality TLC show Sister Wives. Awesome family, I love watching it and the book goes even more in to their lives then the show. It is very interesting.
  When people noticed me reading it, it went from their heated debate of the presidential election to a religious debate. Having debates in there is an everyday thing. I try to block them out and concentrate but that's another reason I cant study well in that class, its so loud and I need to have a very quite place if I am going to get anything done.
  Another obstacle that I am having is everyone always asking for my help. I am constantly helping others when I should be working on my own certification. I need to just start saying "no"!

Hopefully next week is my last week at Job Corps. Crossing my fingers.

HONOR ROLL

Life at Job Corps has been going great! I have made a few friends and my studies are going really well. I have accomplished in six weeks what takes other students 12 months. The teachers are always saying how great I am doing and how proud they are. I know everyone learns at different speeds but they seem so amazed at my accomplishments.
They must have really seen something in me because they put me on Honor Roll which comes with its own awesome quirks like special parking and some awesome gifts. A staff member actually requested me for Work-Based Learning. Work-Based Learning is where you can do an Internship as if you were employed and at a real job. Sometimes they send you off to an actual business and sometimes you it for a staff member of the center.
Anyways, I was requested to work in the Records Department. The staff member that works there requested me by name. She only allows select people to work in that department because we work with such highly confidential things such as social security numbers, criminal records, and so on. I love it. I love the office setting. I do a lot of filing in there and putting AWOLs, sick leaves, and expenses in student's files. It pretty fun and the ladies there are super entertaining and funny.
I do Work-Based for 95 minutes a day and the rest in my normal Office Administration/Business Technology class. I have all of my book work done and now all I have left to do before graduation is getting my Certifications. Yesterday, I actually passed my Microsoft Word 2010 Specialist Certification. I need my Microsoft Excel, and PowerPoint. I am also getting three other internet certifications as well. Then I will be DONE! I can not wait. Getting there at 8 and not leaving until 4 Monday through Friday has been a bit rough when I have not been in a brick and mortar school in so long. But it is worth it. When I realized how demanding it is, I quit my job at the Mall and it has helped my sleep level a lot.

I have some awesome plans for when I graduate. But I am kinda nervous since the job market is crap right now. My overall goal is to work from home. I am in the works of starting a Virtual Assistant business. I have really thought about all my options when it comes to work form home careers and Virtual Assisting seems to be the most promising and I can use the skills I learned in JC in this field.
I have always wanted an at-home career and now I am finally putting things in motion to make that happen. Hearing Tubbles meow as soon as I shut the front door to leave in the mornings is that much more motivation to work from home. I feel so bad. She is home alone for most of the day and it kills me.

Some photos:

Wilmington Job Corps Center

The hallway

The cafeteria

Goodbye student parking, hello Honor student parking

The uniform

At the front desk answering calls for the Center

View from the top floor window

Watch I got for being put in Honors. Awesome memorabilia!

WHAT WHAT!!  Gold card and some movie tickets.

 Steve and I are movie goers. Its way too expensive to go to the movies now days so its super convenient that JC does attendance incentives where you get movie tickets every few weeks. I got some more for being put in Honors. So you know where we will be this weekend! We are going to see End of Watch. It looks so good and has great reviews. A few others we have seen in the last few weeks is Batman: The Dark Knight Rises and The Bourne Legacy. Both completely awesome! I think I am going to have to buy The Bourne Legacy when it comes out on DVD. Yep, it was that good.

Later note: End of Watch was AMAZING! I really related to the wife and Steve said he related to the main police officer. It really touched us. I don't want to give any spoilers so you will have to watch it to see what we are talking about. I can not wait until it comes out on DVD to buy.

Job Corps

After working for a month or so in a min wage job, I realize that this is not what I want to do for the rest of my life. Seeing my pitiful pay check just gave me a big wake up call. I don't even make enough to pay our rent, if I had to. If all the responsibilities of our bills were on my shoulders, I would not be financially able to do it, and I want the lifestyle where I can pay my bills and have money left over and have those nice things like a nice car and not having to scrounge at the end of the month. I needed a plan and I was pretty desperate since I had just dropped out of college.
  I decided to enroll in the Wilmington Job Corps. I am not new to Job Corps. I attended the Wolf Creek JC when I was 17. I had to move to Oregon and live on a dorm with 10 other girls. I got really homesick and begged my Dad to let me come home. It was the first time being away from home and I was scared.
  I am older now and we just happened to have moved right next to Wilmington JC who does not have on-campus dorms so I can live off campus with my husband and Tubbles. Thank goodness, because if I had to move or not be able to come home to them every night, I probably would not do it and this is a big opportunity for me to get a good paying career where I am not on my feet all day like I am with my current job at the mall.
  I start on Monday. I am going to be a business student. I did the same thing when I went to JC in Oregon. I will be working at the mall on weekends. It can take up to two years to complete. It is pretty strict there and you have to dress in suite-like clothes... you pretty much dress as if you already have a career in business.  Oh and I have lost 10 pounds since I started my diet, Clothes are looking a lot better on me but I am not stopping there. Hope everyone is having a great week. Monday I start a big milestone in my life. I have always had a passion for business. I feel kinda sad that I will not be pursuing a career in animals any longer but I feel I am still helping them by volunteering at the SPCA.
  If anyone is interested in learning more about Job Corps, visit www.jobcorps.gov