Come on Down to CHINA Town!!

HAPPY CINCO DE MAYO!!!  A day late, but who's counting? ;o)

So I finally got a permanent position with the company I'm working for.  Huzzah for that!  I was afraid they'd have me driving across town for the rest of the year.  I was already filling up twice a week, and with gas prices rising, I wouldn't have been able to afford working anymore.  It's pointless when all the money you make goes into getting you to work.

But my new position is less than 20 miles away, so I'm definitely sitting pretty :o).  I really like where I'm at.  I have two stores because I'm at the airport, so I don't stay in the same office all day long.  I get to move between the two offices and interact with a lot of different people.  The best part about being at the airport is that I get to set my own pace, for the most part.  I still have deadlines and things that need to be done before I leave, but as far as everything else goes, I don't have to worry about being rushed and thus making too many mistakes.  At least not on a regular basis :P  haha

The only bummer is that I can't take two days off in a row.  It's a different situation, and since there's already one OA there who has the weekends off, I can't very well do that and leave the other OA with the brunt of the weekend work; so I have Sundays and Tuesdays off, which might switch to Sundays and Thursdays off sometime in the future.  I'll probably never get two days off in a row unless I take a vacation or some sick days.  I can live with that, I think.  As long as I have time to do cleaning and laundry, I'll be ok. :o)

As for Cinco de Mayo, since I had the day off, I decided to do a little bit of celebratory shopping!  I got myself a new iPod Nano to replace the older classic iPod of mine that had decided to start dying on me.  I got mine red, and a protective rubber case thingie to keep it from getting damaged when I drop it.  After that I went to Walgreens and got me a brand new QUIET fan :D  Now I can sleep at night without having to worry about waking up to a fan fire on my desk :P

So here's to hoping that all your tacos were crispy and your chalupas hot and spicy! ;o)

YEEEE-HAWWWW!  And Howdy doody people!

Today is a big day in Texas.  It's "Go-Texan Day" here in the Lone Star state.  For those of you who may be thinking "what the heck are those crazy Texans doing now?"  I'll tell you....

Go-Texan Day has been around as long as I can remember.  It's always the official start of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, the biggest one around these here parts ;o).  The trail riders from the different wagon companies make their way into the city to prepare for the grand parade the Saturday following GTD, and the cook-offs begin in the tent city around the Astro Dome (now the tent city is around the Reliant Arena).  There's barbecuing going on, good music, lots of good food, and a great show every night for the next few weeks.

I remember when I was a kid we would get to dress up in school as cowboys and cowgirls, and they gave out prizes for the best dressed.  The schools even had chili cook-offs, and my older brother won honorable mention (or something like that) with his recipe for chili.  It's a good recipe ;o).

So forthe next few weeks it's going to be all country here in Houston, and that's fine with me.  Them country boys are mighty fine, and gentlemen to boot ;o)  I haven't been to the rodeo in years, but if I can get a group together I'll go this year.  It's always more fun to do stuff in groups than by yourself.

Saddle up, pardners, it's time for the Rodeo! ;o)

Yeah, I need to keep up with this thing.

As most of you know, Single's Awareness Day is coming up this weekend.  For those of you who may not know what Single's Awareness Day is, it's most commonly known as "Valentine's Day."  You read correctly.

So often during this time of the year, people are extremely hung up on finding that "someone" to spend February 14th with, being so afraid to try and handle this particular little holiday alone.  People are so focused on the idea of the "couple" that everybody seems to overlook the concept of the "single."  So many people are single on Valentine's Day, there seems to be no thought put into succoring their needs.

What about MY needs, people???  Why can't Hershey make Single's Awareness heart, or something like that?  I propose that candy corporations get together and make a care package/basket for those of us who remain alone during this time.  Something budget worthy, but worthwhile would be best.  Single people can't justify spending $40 bucks on themselves in chocolate and flowers; so why not make something that's chuck full of pity-party goodness, but without a huge price tag on it?  I'd definitely cough up $15 for a basket with lots of chocolates, maybe a few nicely scented lotions/body washes, and a movie or something.  But not a romantic comedy.  Seriously.  The last thing a single person wants to see on Valentine's Day is a romantic movie, reminding that they don't have that in their lives.

It freakin' sucks.

So this weekend, I won't be spending Saturday with the "special someone" that I don't have.  Instead, I'll be throwing a "Single's Awareness" party for all my single friends, anybody dating/engaged/married NOT invited.  It's an exclusive shindig ;o)

Instead of wishing you a happy Valentine's day, I will instead bid you a pleasant, heart-free Single's Awareness Day.  Stick it to the lovebirds, single people!  Power of the ONE rock on ;o)

It's been a long time since I've been on here to blog, and a whole bunch of stuff has happened since the last time.  The job is going well, and I really like what I'm doing now.  It's kind of stressful right now, being the holidays and all, and me still learning about all that I'm supposed to be doing.  Not much room for error here, but somehow I'm making it work.

Unfortunately, I've been letting some of the stresses of work spill into my personal life.  That, of course, is never a good thing and some of my friendships have suffered for it, but through no fault of anyone else but mine.  Sometimes it's hard to want something from someone who either doesn't know how to give it to you, or isn't ready to.  You find yourself growing closer to someone, and hope or imagine that they are starting to feel the same way, but then rude reality rears its ugly head to give you the revelation that things aren't as peachy as you want them to be, or that things aren't really going in the direction you had thought.

Fear of driving someone away will make you do some crazy things; things you never thought you'd be capable of in the past, but find yourself willingly participating in in the present.  Things the world would have you think are "normal," but you know better.  And just when you think you've gone past the point of no return, hope lights a path upward out of the darkness.

Hope, one of the greatest of all gifts, brings a brightness to our lives that otherwise would be dark and depressing without it.  This hope that I've received couldn't have come at a better time for me.  Just when I thought I couldn't be more alone in my endeavors of life, I've been sent the best friend anyone could ever ask for.  One that is always true and faithful, ever by my side and never wavering in His loyalty to me and my happiness.  But this happiness, TRUE happiness, cannot come apart from this most blessed friend of mine.  And He's not the only one I have, though He is the best and foremost.  I have more friends than I realize; I just need to open my eyes to them and welcome them into my life with open arms, free of prejudice or judgment.

This Christmas will be, for me, a time of rebirth.  I've had many such rebirths in my life, but I'm hoping that this one will be the most poignant rebirth to date, and that it will take root in my heart so strongly that I will never let it wither and die, as I have with many a previous one before.  Christmas is such a wonderful time of year, even if it is sometimes stressful.  There is always a greater feeling of love that abounds in the hearts of men and women, and children are more innocent at this time of year, too.  I wish I could go back in time to those days when it was all about decorating the Christmas tree and listening to as many Christmas songs as possible before the season was over, instead of about how much do I want to spend on whom, and who will be less offended if I don't get them anything and the like.

My wish, then, for myself and all those around me at this Christmas time is to find the child within and let him/her play freely.  Wonder at everything you see, smile at every little joy you would otherwise ignore, and let the reason for the season enter your heart without caring a fig of what others might say or think.  CELEBRATE!!!!

Merry Christmas!  Feliz Navidad!  Joyez Noelle!

I gots me a new job!!!!  :D

So...I don't remember if I posted this, but I got laid off before Ike hit, and I wasn't exactly too thrilled about that because I couldn't really afford to be without an income.  My sister-in-law told me about an Office Administrator (or OA) position available with her company, a huge restaurant chain here in Texas (and several other states, too).  I applied thinking "it can't hurt," right?  RIGHT!

I got called for an interview for the Monday after Ike, but for obvious reasons, it was put off.  At the beginning of October I got another interview rescheduled and I must say, it was one of the best interviews I have ever had.  I was a bit nervous at first, but the interviewers soon put me at ease and I was able to answer questions with confidence and pizzaz.  Ok, so maybe not pizzaz, but I did a really good job anyway ;o).  Good enough that they called me last week on Monday and said I got the job!!!! :D:D:D

I started last week on Thursday, and it was a lot of fun.  So far, I really like all the people I'm working with, and I'm excited to be doing all the office stuff that an OA does.  I'm getting great pay (compared to what my wages were before, what I'm making now is great pay), health benefits (with full coverage available after about 6 months, I think), and I even get to eat my lunches free at the restaurant ;o).  Yeah, the perks of being in management are great lol.

The best part about having this job, though, is that my Dad is really proud of me.  Every other job I've ever had, when I left it, my dad would say "Now you can get a real job."  That always upset me because in my mind, I did have a real job.  Just because I didn't get paid the same amount he did didn't make it any less of a real job.  I did hard work for crappy pay, but I got paid.  That, to me, is a job.  Ok, so maybe I didn't like the whole crappy pay part, but the point is: I was getting paid for my labor, thus I had a job.

But now my Dad feels like I have a real job, and he's happy for me, and he won't criticize me anymore ;o).  THAT, just by itself, is worth it! lol

So after the YSA Conference in Louisiana was over, I had to make a decision: Should I stay in Natchitotes and impose myself on the kindness of the family I was staying with? Should I go home? Or should I head further east into Florida to visit relatives?

After calling the emergency center in my hometown and finding out my neighborhood was without power, I decided to head on east to Florida to spend the week with cousins.  It took me 8 hours and I had to drive through several thunderstorms to get there, but I finally made it to my cousin Sarah's house by about 10:30pm.  I spent most of the week with her, and then spent Friday night with my Titi Madeline and left from there yesterday morning.  600 miles, 2 hubcaps, and 9 hours later I pulled into my own driveway back home in good 'ole Texas ;o)

I loved being able to spend time with my cousins and their families.  As kids I never really saw them all too often, and as adults it seems that only weddings bring us together as extended family members.  Sarah's 3 kids are so cute, and I got to make some memories with them.  I even got to spend a little bit of time with cousin Sergi's kids, too.  Not enough, though; so next time I'll have to make it a point to stay a couple of night with them as well.

But anywho, I stayed away long enough to miss most of the major damage that Ike caused in Houston, and by the time I got back yesterday the clean up crews were well under way.  Still a lot of neighborhoods around the city without power/water, but for the most part things seem to be running quite smoothly.  Today we had church outside because the building doesn't have electricity, and the meeting was rather short comparatively, but it was wonderful all the same.  I think in light of recent events, everyone there was very contemplative and reflecting on the good things that have happened in the past week despite all the damage and suffering that Ike caused.

I, for one, feel extremely blessed with what happened this past week.  I was able to make a bunch of new friends in Louisiana over the past weekend, and felt so welcomed and loved by people I had just barely met; then I was able to travel in safety to my cousin's.  And while I was there I was able to have such a peaceful, wonderful time reconnecting with those members of my family that I don't get to see too often.  Basically, just so many small, miniscule blessings happened to me over the week that on the whole I feel like I've had a dumptruck of God's love just poured out upon me.

Isn't life just beautiful?  :o)

Today I am in Louisiana.  I was planning to come here this weekend anyway, but I ended up leaving Houston yesterday to come to the Young Single Adult Conference here a day early because of Ike, a category 2 (currently; could be 3 by tonight) hurricane that is nearly the size of the Gulf of Mexico that is headed straight towards Houston.  Normally we don't evacuate for hurricanes (my family, anyway); but they made such a hullabaloo about leaving and all the damage Ike could cause, that I decided to leave early, thinking it would be a good idea.

WRONG.  Everybody seemed to have that idea yesterday.  What would've been a 4 hour trip to Many, Louisiana became an 8 hour trip because of all the cars on the road.  I-10 east was ok until about Beaumont, then it was super-slow going, I think even all the way to Baton Rouge.  I know my parents (who were on their way to Georgia for a wedding next week) said they were stuck in traffic around there when I called last night to check up on them.  I went north once I hit Beaumont, and I thought I would have an easier time of it once I did, but apparently everybody else had the same idea, too.  There was one part of the road where it took 30 minutes to drive 3 miles.  I felt like I was back in Houston during rush hour

I only stopped twice once I got on the road: once in Beaumont for lunch, and once in a small town near Lufkin, Texas to get gas and have a potty break.  I probably could've made it all the way to many on one tank of gas, but I didn't want to take any chances on there being a lot more traffic and running out.  Once I hit 103 east, though, it was smooth sailing from there and I could put my lead foot to good use.  There really wasn't any hurry for me to get to Many so early, but after being on the road for about 7 hours, I was happy to be able to go fast enough to be in 6th gear, so I flew! lol

The bad part about me taking such a long road trip by myself was not having a relief driver.  My car is a manual, so that makes stop and go traffic a bit tiring, not to mention the fact that I don't have cruise control, either, so that was another downside to driving so long.  Nobody to take over when I got tired, and no way to rest the one leg when it was in the same position for too long.  Sometimes I would use my left foot on the gas and just rest my right leg, but that was a bit too uncomfortable because of the way I had to sit in the driver's seat, so I couldn't do that for any extended period of time.

But anyway, despite the slow downs and the morons on the road, everything went pretty smoothly.  I was able to do a lot of thinking while I was on the road, and even though the traffic was a bit frustrating, I was optimistic and happy through the whole day :o).  Oh, the blessings of Heaven!  It's amazing to see how much God does for us when we open our eyes to the blessings he gives us ;o)