More House Hunting

Yesterday we spent all day looking at potential houses to rent. Unfortunately there was not much luck. I was very surprised at how dirty these homes are. Do they really expect someone to pay 2k total for that first month when you should be paying me to make it inhabitable. We are a little tired of the search today, but the fun will continue next weekend I am sure. (At least I looked cute in my new birthday dress from Cheryl and Eddie for all the ugly houses).

At least the surroundings are beautiful.

That'th my sstapler

Office Space the movie is only truly funny if you've lived the life of a cubite. I thought the movie was funny then worked in a cube and it took a whole new meaning. Well after years of being out of the corporate game I'M BACK BABY!!!! And hungry for more. You never know what's going to happen so my goal is to make as much money as possible before that "anything" happens. So far i like my job. It's in that learning phase so it's kind of boring and hard to focus since all you can think of is...wow that coffee is going right through me. I had my first sales call today (three days in!!!) Unfortunately, they aren't big enough for us to do anything for. Man that would have been awesome to close a deal before I even finish training. But I like my job. I like my boss (not everyone has that luxury). And I like the opportunity this presents. My main focus will be selling print to ad agencies, marketing firms, PR firms and mostly the convention/conference business. So if you know anyone that needs to buy high end commercial print from a great rep...send em my way.


PS Mr Kent Kingery...my tie actually went to my buckle. I was arching my shoulders back a la 3rd grade class photo so the tie was riding up. I am a professional and I hate short ties!!! Thanks for looking out though.

Just for Mom

Remember when you were a kid and your mom made you take a picture on the first day of school? Remember how you hated it and vowed on your last breath not to do it to your kids. Well, lately I have found myself saying a lot of things that my mom used to say to me and I am doing the very thing I hated and I don't even have the kids to torture yet... so I am doing it to James. Yesterday was his first day of work. His old job was casual dress, so this is very exciting to see him so cute and dressed up every day that I had to take the picture.

We had a good laugh at this one. I love my birthday computer!! With James' new job he gets a laptop also..... BUT it is a Haas. It is twice as large as mine and weighs about 20 pounds... he he he.

Our Last day of freedom

I got called into work on Monday, so Tuesday was truly our last whole day to spend together- on a week day. I know everyone also works, but I am used to having my house husband home whenever I need him. Every day that I have off we would spend the whole time together. We love to just spend time together, so we had to make the best of our day yesterday. We started out sleeping in until noon (baby is coming we need to get it all out of our systems now, right?). Then we went out to lunch at Schlotskys. I am always up for a great sandwich.

We spent the rest of the day looking for a place to live. I found 2 houses that were possibilities for the price and the location that we are looking to stay in. Here is one of the houses I liked. It has beautiful wood floors, but the worst bathrooms. It is the kind where everything is blue: the tile, the countertops, the toilet... eek.BTW that is James at the front door. So we will see. The hunt continues.

Dilemma

Vs.



So I've had a dilemma all week. I had a dry spell as far as work goes for some time. In fact one of the main reasons for moving to a better "market" was to find work in this recessive time. So first two months....nada...I had a few bites here and there and a few offers that turned to no offers. Then this week all of a sudden TWO offers. And both for companies that I would work for. Completely different: telecom vs printing. I have print experience so naturally I wanted to do that one. But the offer from them was a little lower for the first 6 months than Tech Sol. So as I was turning the print company down they upped the offer. Now it's better in both. I really like the manager for Tech Sol and it's work from home. So the dilemma was a great company initially vs a great and better company in a year (with lot's of work until then). No aversion to hard work. So all this to say I've had some serious sleep deprivation and headaches all week because I didn't know which one to take. Ultimately it came down to residual sales knowing that in two or three years it becomes a much easier job. I am going to be a new employee at Geographics Printing. A little more pressure there since they don't normally hire someone with no previous business. So they are taking a chance on the kid. I'm excited. Thank you all for your prayers...I'm back baby! I'm excited about making normal money again (people who don't know me, I used to be a youth minister).

Widgets

My wonderful roommates are to be credited with many things:
Giving us a loving and comfy place to live
Introducing us to many new and wonderful foods
Giving us many parenting tips
Inroducing us to most things MAC
and showing me the WIDGET

Check out the right side of my blog and you will see a simulated picture of what the baby looks like in my belly as it grows and changes. I know that right now it is kind-of creepy looking, but I am excited to see it change.

I have the best husband ever!

Here is the final word girls. They are out there. I have been asking my husband for months, more than a year, to allow me to convert to the wondrous world of Mac. And for my birthday this year I got my wish... I got my Mac Book.

Bring on the iChat
Bring on the black night
Bring on the FUN!

Super H Mart

We found a great Korean super-market today. The greatest part was that they had fresh and yummy food there to. So we ate and shopped. I have been craving salt and Korean food, so we bought a ton of stuff to make this week! YUMMY! and I am actually in picture this time :). Just for you Mom.


James and his classic order Bi-bim-bop. Not as good as Mom makes, but we liked it.


We love our roommates. They are always up for Korean food.

Little Lena...

is all grown up. My youngest sister just graduated from high school. I am trying to stay strong and not cry about having to miss it, but I can't help but reminisce. I remember when I had to force her to allow me to comb her hair and she would cry and cry as I brushed. I remember calling her coo-coo-clock because she said the funniest things as a little girl. We shared a room as children and then when I came home from college she was so generous to put me up in her room and put up with me making her be clean :P. One of my favorite memories was the I am a "real boy" phase. She loved Pinocchio and would not call herself a "real girl," no she was a "real boy."


She is the sweetest person, always supportive and calm. And she is so beautiful, she can eat whatever she wants! Congratulations Kaleen Marie. I love you and miss you terribly. I am blessed not only to call her my sister, but only to know her.

No compromise

So today was a great day. It must have been great if I (the husband) is blogging again instead of my wife. (She is very sick and sleeping her pregnant troubles away) This morning at 645am my wife left as she usually does to head to the clinic to pump chemo into people. Well this particular morning our "new" truck decided to cuss her out in gauge talk. As soon as she opens the door the dials flip out, the engine lights all flicker, the doors lock and unlock...we're talking demon possessed stuff here. I come out to a panicked wife and could not fix the problem (I guess I'm not a real man). Luckily our gracious host family let me use their car to take her and come back. I get back, call the dealership and ask what I should do. I wanted to take it to Ford 5 miles down the street. The service guy tells me the warranty is only valid at their location. SO I call AAA and have them tow it 25 miles to their dealership. By the way our AAA only covers the first 5 miles then it's $5 a mile after. SO that's $100 so far. I get there. They can't "git ta'iiit" (very deep southern accent) until after lunch around 130. I'm there at 830am. Do I wait 5 hours in the lobby? Uhhhh...no. No way. Since I'm so far from home, no courtesy shuttle service. They call Enterprise for me. I get a new Malibu (which I had to wait an extra 30 minutes for because this Chevy dealership won't spring for a rental unless it's GM) Another $42 plus $12 in gas. (Total so far $154) I go home. I get the call at 130. It's just a dead battery. I thought a dead battery doesn't let the car's radio, AC, power door locks, gauges, dome light, etc work...But I'm no mechanic. To replace, and "reset" my truck...ahem...$188. And the kicker. Since it's not a powertrain problem no warranty coverage. So I had to tow the car to a place I didn't want to go to and rent a car I didn't want to rent and spend $188 on a BATTERY!!!! Because the service manager told me to bring the car to that dealership. I ask for a tow reimbursement ( I didn't even bring up the rental) and he gives me the it's just policy. I don't like it, but I have to abide by it speech. I'm out $342 on a CAR BATTERY!!!!! I reminded him that HE made me come down there but to no avail. It was my call he told me. So the Chevy main headquarters will be getting a call/email/letter/complaint/box of feces from me tomorrow. Another reason why I hate dealerships (by the way I've had to advertise for them and finance for them in my previous sales jobs, so I'm not just a disgruntled customer. I've been on the inside.

Thanks for the prayers. Please keep praying. I might have an offer this week from Sprint/nextel to sell B2B phones, plans, IP's, etc. Virtual office...not bad. I've sold advertising, print, loans and God. I guess the telecom world might be next, unless someone else has any leads.

Has the game just changed?

Okay so I don't blog much...and I blog even less on my wifes blog. But since I don't really have an outlet...why not. So I had a pretty good week and a half as far as the job market. 4 interviews in 10 days is pretty good in my opinion. Two positions that I'm fairly optimistic about and two others that are... NFM...not for me. But I experienced some weird happenings. Things I've never experienced. Two companies gave me "homework". They wanted me to put together a sales and marketing plan. I've never had a interviewer ask me that in the 30-40 interviews that I've gone on in my lifetime. An assignment? Really? I did them. So far I aced one assignment. And I'm talking with the VP on Monday for the second, so TBD.
But here's the the really weird interview. I'm a pretty good interviewer. My interviews rarely get out before the hour mark and they usually last 1 1/2 to 2 hours (which in the business world is great if you can get someone to talk to you that long... it means they're interested) If I can just get in to see the hiring person I'll get them to at least seriously consider me. I have one company considering me right now just because I called him 10 times in 3 weeks for an interview. And another company 15 times plus 3 emails got me a call from the owner of the company asking me if I'd be this persistent in my job...alas...no positions open till fall for the latter company. Anyways, I digressed. I interviewed with a company on friday. A fairly new company that is expanding the sales force. Great. I was in the interview for about 1 hour and 10 minutes. Good right? Well...He didn't ask me one question about myself.
BACK UP!
What?!!?? Not one question. No tell me about yourself. What's your sales pitch? Name a strength and weakness. Tell me about a successful time in sales where you overcame an obstacle. What do you consider to be a successful salesman? Why do you want this position? NOT ONE QUESTION.

That's not normal right? He talked about his company, history and sales strategy. Then we talked about mexican food. Slimy car salesmen (that was actually pretty fun), kids, Lambo's, and Puerto Rico becoming the 51st state. I said it'll never happen because where would the star go on the flag? America needs to focus on making sure gas won't need GMAC to finance for a full tank. I digress again.

Anyone out there think an hour interview where I was not asked one question about my qualifications and experience is a strange day? SHould I be worried about that company? I say yes.

Loving Prenatal Vitamins

One of the perks of taking these prenatal vitamins my nails are so beautiful. This is a huge accomplishment for me. I used to be a nail biter. I hated that habit an broke it when I got braces and could not fit my finger nails in my mouth any longer. I am very proud of my perfect nails :P. And the other hand looks the same.

James' Latest

James has been trying to enjoy his (Lord willing) last few days at home doing nothing. He started playing the bouncing balls game on yahoo and he is addicted.

As for his interviews since you have been asking I thought I would summarize the latest. He has had 4 interviews where he would be selling:
1. Print management- they will get back to him tomorrow
2. Nextel Phones- they really like him, just waiting for the job offer
3. Computer hardware- also really liked him he has a follow up interview Monday
4. car detailing- he has his first interview friday.

Thanks again for all the prayers!

Our first ultrasound

Let me help you see the baby. Starts with the head on the left and then the hands which actually look like a really weird chin. Then the cutest belly and the left leg looks like the huge belly button then the left leg. This was our first pre-natal appointment. James said that my face light up when we saw the baby on the screen, then we saw the heart beat, and then I wanted to cry! Here's the stats:

I am 11 weeks 2 days pregnant today.

We are due December 20th. Christmas baby.

Lazy Sunday 2

This is just a lazy day at home playing with Losiah, but I have great aspirations for this week. Both of James' interviews went well this week, but they both sent him home with homework. How weird is that. So he will turn in the homework and have another interview tomorrow.

I have not felt good this week at all, thus my brevity. I am trying to look at the bring side:
1. Nausea is supposed to mean that you are less likely to have a miscarriage.
2. I am praying that it is only for a few more weeks.
3. My husband is so sweet and really spoils me when I am not feeling well, but then his sweetness coupled with the hormones has me crying all the time.
(I am annoying myself)
4. I have a Doctor's appointment tomorrow, so I am secretly hoping for anti-emetics.

I will let you know how it goes.