Oh, Crickets!

I just had to share this because I never want to forget it. It was a very big milestone for Tubbles.

Before I tell you the story, I want to share with you something I learned from when I was going to school for Veterinary Technology. I learned a bit about animal behavior which is something that really interests me. When cats bring you (their owner) a dead rodent or bug they have caught and killed and place it in front of you, it is a gift and them showing you they love you, appreciate you and of course want you to know how great of a hunter they are (and actually expect you to gobble it up right there). They do it in such a way that appears to be a distinct gesture of giving. Tubbles has never done this (maybe since she has been an indoor cat her whole life) but with that in mind, here is our sweet little memory..

Since it has gotten to be a bit colder outside as the seasons are changing, we have noticed that there are a few more bugs that are getting inside. I rarely let Tubbles out on the balcony anymore because I just can not stand the bugs and I am very afraid of spiders. Well even with my precautions, there are these Crickets that are somehow getting inside the house. I try and trap them the best I can and free them outside.

One night as Steve and I were lounging around the house watching TV and what not, I noticed Tubbles was acting a bit suspicious and was playing by the bathroom door which is around the corner from the living room so I really couldn't see what exactly she was doing. The next thing I know, she was walking in to the living room meowing loudly and had something in her mouth.. A CRICKET! She dropped it in front of us and just sat there looking at us meowing, making sure we saw it. I wanted to cringe but I knew exactly what that meant and I was just so happy, I almost cried. She is so sweet, I sat on the floor with her and made sure she knew how much I appreciated her gesture.. But I felt bad for the Cricket.

Our little expert hunter

iOS 6

First of all, I must say that I received the new iOS 6 update for my Iphone last night and WOW is all I can say. I absolutely love it. There are so many new features but I am going to have to say that being able to FaceTme without using Wi-FI is my favorite. My next two favorites is the new Apple Maps (they got rid of Google Maps) and then the photo sharing feature. Completely awesome.. Any of you other Iphone 4 and Iphone 5 owners with me?
 iOS 6 is seriously the best Iphone operating system yet. I didn't even know I could get iOS 6, I though you had to buy the new Iphone 5 but they gave it as a free software update to everyone to have Iphone 4 and 4S. SCORE! Here is a link to the Apple website to read about all the cool features- Apple Website

I never do product reviews on my blog but I am completely impressed with Apple right now and so excited. Its like I have whole different phone.

The one thing that is missing that would make it the perfect phone for me is having a timer on the camera so you can be in the photo with people without having the infamous arms length look going on. Kinda tacky.

Operation: Housewife Status

I seriously just miss being home all the time. I remember being a homemaker in Germany and I just could not wait until we moved back to America so I could get a job and be more independent. When we did finally make it back here and I started Job Corps, I was pretty happy to have something to do during the day. Well now I know how the other side lives and I want to go back to being a Homemaker.. the problem?? The problem is that my husband is no longer in the Military and he doesn't have that stable job and steady paycheck. He has an hourly salary now as well and going to college. Its scary to think about, especially in this economy, when we are so used to having that stability of the Military lifestyle. Our rent, electricity, and water is no longer paid by the Military. We no longer live on a Military base and have a Commissary to buy cheap food from. Sometimes its scary to think how on our own we are when all we really know is the Military lifestyle.
When I graduate from Job Corps, I will need to contribute to our family income and that scares me. Working a 9-5 job is just not for me. My husband has said how much he misses me being at home cooking and cleaning and knowing I will be here when he comes home at night. Having a home cooked meal ready for him at night like I used to when in Germany is few and far between. I sure miss it too and we are both putting our heads together on ideas for me being a stay-at-home wife (and eventually Mommy, hopefully one day) as well as bringing in extra income.
With all this weighing on my mind, I am determined to get an at-home career. I was set on only starting a Virtual Assistant business but I have broadened my horizons a bit and now see what else I could be doing to bring in income that does not require me to have a job outside the home. I have been doing a lot of research on all of my options and I am very excited. There are a lot of opportunities out there.
I will be done with my studies with Job Corps in a month or so. I have to be successful in my plans of working from home because I absolutely love being a housewife. I know it wont be right away and I am planning on getting a Office Admin job when I am done, maybe in a Government building. I think it will do me some good to be in the professional business world for awhile and get that experience.. But working from home is definitely a goal of mine. By the time we move to Idaho, I want to be back on Housewife status but we will see what life throws at us.

I don't think I have mentioned this yet but Steve has switched majors. He is no longer doing the Paramedic degree because has realized that if he wants to walk when he is 30, he needs to ease up on his knees. Being Airborne has done quite a toll on his legs. Paramedics are on their feet a lot so he decided to do something else he is really interested in that is a more of a sit down job. Computer Programming. I am always behind him in whatever he does. He once sat me down and made a calculator on the computer. It was really neat. He really loves it and we are both so happy he switched. I am so proud of him.

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

Working and Volunteering

Yep, I am a working girl now slash homemaker. I have been so busy. Steve has been even busier. I can't imagine going to school full time and working full time. He is getting things done and I am very proud of him. I am happy to be the one that takes care of the home and make a little extra cash. I tried to get a full time job since I dropped out of school (weird to think of myself as a drop out) but my new employers were only hiring for part time. I work in customer service.
  We also have became volunteers at the local Delaware SPCA. The SPCA is the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Its a no-kill shelter. Its a beautifully wonderful cause for those animals that lost their way in this world. We walk, feed, bath, cuddle and love these animals until we can find homes for them. So before going to buy a dog or cat, go rescue one from your SPCA.

  I started back up with my fitness and eating healthy. Glad to be back in that mindset. My Fitness Pal (Iphone app) is amazing and so glad to have that on my side.
  Not much as changed. We are saving up to move back to IDAHO!!! Yep, we are moving back as soon as Steve graduates college in 2014. We are going to be driving a Uhaul across country. Sounds like a fun adventure. Can't wait to be back in my home state buying a home and settling down. No more moving. I am very excited. Its a ways off but I just wanted to tell you our plans for those of you wondering when we will be moving back over to that side of the country. Hope you all had a good Independence Day. I spent mine working a 10 hour shift. Fun!

Long overdue update

So much has happened and I feel silly for cramming it all into one blog post. I feel like if I wait and wait and let all these events happen without blogging about them, I lose some of the excitement of everything and I am pretty much just listing off things that have happened instead of telling a story. So I will do my best to record what I can. Also, my Iphone's camera is so not as good as my Fujifilm so the photos can be better. I need to start taking my camera with me more but its just so much more easier to grab my phone and go.

We made it up to Maryland to pick up the Honda. We took a Greyhound bus there and it was exciting to see what other places out here on the East coast look like besides this part of Delaware. While waiting for the Greyhound to take us, we sort of explored downtown Wilmington a bit and walked along the River Front park. It looks so much like the River Front park in Spokane Washington. That is where we are from, the Washington-Idaho area. But it really felt like we were back in Spokane. I felt at home for the first time in a long time. Here are a few photos of our day-

Downtown Wilmington

Riverfront Park in Wilmington

Pretty view of the river from the dock

Bird houses lining the river. They are so cute and creative.

Wilmington from Riverfront

A little friend we made

Dreaming of New York

The first toll we have ever been through. Pretty exciting and a little expensive.

Steve putting on our new plate.

Once we got back to Delaware, we went and got our Delaware licenses so we could become residents. The DMV here is pretty big. Steve and I both has a funny story from there. Since we are.. well, were Washington residents, we had to renew our drivers licenses through the mail so our photos were not on the license. Since Steve had no photo ID except his Military ID, they accused him of identity theft. Then the lady who was doing mine straight out told me I was too young to be married. Wow. I know marrying young is not a new concept to people because my own mother was married at 16. As for Steve, it was all worked out and they finally gave him his license.

So we decided to get a Costco membership and it actually has some good savings. Since we got the membership, we have not yet ran out of toilet paper, paper towels, cleaning supplies.. nothing. But maybe I did go a little over board. I had never really shopped at a Costco before and I was expecting to get everything on my list there. I spent a total of $400.00 and didn't get half of what I needed. I realize now that is only good to buy stuff you use the most of. I guess I had to learn the hard way. But the endless samples is a huge plus. We went to Walmart after that and got the rest. Oh and another thing we got at Costco a few weeks ago is a Vitamix. Has anyone ever heard of one of those. It is a really neat blender. Sure, it was $500.00.. yes, we spent that much on a blender and Steve had to beg me and I had to have lots of samples of everything it could do but we did get it and it was such a great investment. Its seriously so much more then a blender. I helps me eat so much more healthier which I have been slacking on. My dieting it on a total halt right now but that has been helping a lot. I am a horrible yo-yo dieter and I get completely burnt out really easily. I feel like I will never get results.

Steve started school a few weeks ago and he is going full time. He leaves in the morning and doesn't return until 4 or so and then he is home just long enough to change into his work clothes and then is at work for 8 hours, yes he works full time as well, and does not come home until I am long gone asleep. It has put a real strain on us and I feel just horrible that he is having to go through all this so the bills can get paid. I have been searching and searching for a position in a clinic and even had an interview but nothing is working out for me. I am just about to give up and start applying to restaurants and things like that. I also have dropped out of my Veterinary Technology program at Penn Foster College. I didn't like the program at all and the school just wasn't for me. Medical math is just too much and knowing I will have to be doing that everyday is just not for me. I am horrible at it and I realize now that I am not a good fit. As much as I love animals and the medical field, I decided to go on another path. I was in my first semester so it wasn't a huge blow. I feel really stuck right now. Not in school and don't have a job. I need to get my own life started and I just don't know how. I have thought about maybe talking with a life coach but I really have no idea how to do that nor have the money.

My sweet girl having a cat nap on me

Steve got his new security uniform.

A sign by Steve's school. I just love visiting the Geese.