Last Christmas

I am ecstatic to report that tomorrow will be my last Christmas as Miss Elizabeth Mack! I am so excited to say that! David and I just celebrated the year anniversary of our engagement on Dec. 17th. The countdown has really kicked into high gear now.
I am excited to get to spend Christmas at home with my family not only as an unmarried woman for that last time but also as an Ohioan. After the new year David and I will be Texan's. While Ohio will always be home and where we grew up, I am eager to adopt Texas as my new home state.
I have a new dress to wear tomorrow which I am very excited about. I dropped about a dress size while at work the last time and can't wait to see how the dress fits. I am going to be more serious in the new year about exercising (come on Beto keep me motivated). Speaking of exercising, Jumping Jacks are really kicking my butt! I didn't realize the side pains I have been having is from the jumping jacks. They seem to be paying off because my sides hurt where I want to lose the pounds and so the jumping jacks will continue. The zumba should help with the hips as well.
I am preparing for the wedding by preparing my skin as well. I need more water and have ordered proactive. The system costs about 120/yr and we can afford that right now. I may quit in the future (after the wedding).

The next four days promise to be filled with fun and excitement as I have at least one party a day if not two. My bridal shower is on Sunday and I can't wait to see all the women that are important in my life. I will be missing a few women and wish they could make it but I know they have obligations. I will let you know if I survive the next few days!

Have a Merry Christmas

The Big Move Part I

Ah moving again. After four years of college I would think I would be used to moving. I think I am getting worse with every move actually. Since leaving college I have shuffled from place to place. I had a job where I didn't get to be home a lot so I was basically living out of my car. My stuff was and still is scattered all over. Now some of it is in storage at my sister's and the rest is at my in-laws. Moving to Texas is the longest move I have made thus far. I decided to make a trip down to Texas to bring some stuff down before the big move in January. My car was packed to the ceiling. D packed my car, which I was very happy about. I am fairly good at packing but I have so much stuff that isn't really packed because of the size, shape, and general scatteredness of my things these days. I can't wait to get everything in one place so I can sort through it all and see what things I no longer need. I should probably downsize before we move but in reality I do not really have time to do this before we leave in January. I am going home to a wedding and the holidays. On the list of things to do includes taking care of errands for my own wedding.

My drive down to Texas was really uneventful. I stayed at a really nice new Holiday Inn Express. Holiday Inn Express are now my favorite hotels! I have a rewards card, not sure what it actually does for my or what my rewards will get me but it helps me justify staying at the hotel. The rate per night is a little expensive but when traveling especially after about 10-12 hours in a car I like a comfy bed to sleep in. I love, love, love the beds at Holidays Inn Expresses. I almost want to get one for my own house. They also provide both hard and soft pillows for you choosing.

I arrived in Tyler for work. I filled out the required paper work and took some time to learn the new system I am using for work. I looked up some things to do while I was in the area because I had time after filling out paper work. I found that Tyler has a Rose Garden. It was one of the biggest in the nation. I spent a couple hours looking at all the roses. There were several varieties of roses that I loved because of the bloom, color, and smell.

I hope to go back someday with D and pick out some varieties for our house, when we have one.  

Coda Travels

Well I am back to work again. I decided to bring the dog with me this time. At first this seemed brilliant! I would get Coda (the dog) out of the house so my mom wouldn't kill him and I would be able to take over his training. There has been a few surprises. First, the car ride. On the way from home to Akron Coda passed out on my lap, life was good! Yay! When I got to Kent to have lunch with Jen (which went well btw) Coda got stung by a wasp. Then I had to stop and get him Benedryl and a syringe with which to give him the medicine. Now finding the benedryl....brain dead. Finding the syringe....not so easy. I ask the pharmacist after spending 5 min. looking myself and they don't give them out without a prescription. I look  around some more and find a baby syringe on an endcap but not in with the baby stuff!!! I hate it when stores do this! I proceeded to give him the medicine and all was good. Driving from Kent to PA. Coda decided to sleep in the back seat on top of all of my stuff. This was fine with me as he was out of the way and up high so he could see and not throw up. He was restless though. Once in PA we hit the sack.
Driving to work has been another matter entirely. I think the drive to PA may have scared him. On the way to work he wanted to crawl onto my shoulder to see out the window. Not good for me or Coda. I caved in and bought a seat booster thing to get him higher so he will be happier. I have read I might have to get a pillow to go in to raise him a bit but not too hard to make myself.
At work Coda has been just ok. The first day he barked up a storm! He finally decided I would come back and calmed down. He now chills out on the couch, plays, and sleeps a lot. I am still working on getting him to go to expel his waste on the pee pad. Other than that things are going well with Coda.
I on the other hand am not excited about being back to work. It is not so much I mind having Coda here but the issues that come with him are kind of stressing me out. I am also a little stressed about my budget. Things are going ok but I would love to be making more. Being off for two weeks is getting old fast. I do not think I will be going home after this well but I will see. On another note. I did not end up going to the interview with the other company. Firstly, I was still at work. Secondly, David and I are not sure what is happening if anything with his potential employment at Marathon. Because of this it does not make sense for me to change my career right now when I may have to quit in a few months anyway. Better to stay with one company as long as possible and get as much experience as I can at one company. It looks better on a resume right? So I am staying put and hoping for a raise soon. I have health insurance now with my company too. I don't want to lose it by changing companies. So I am staying where I am for now till I see what happens.
PS David and I are going on an Alaskan cruise for our Honeymoon I am so excited.

Change of Setting

I finally got back to work in July. June was a month of change. Not only did I get a year older (ugh!) but I got a new puppy! Coda Scrambles the death dealer, is his name. He is a precious yorkie who will be 5lbs full grown! I miss him bunches but will be going home in the next week to pick him up.

My dad had open heart surgery with 4 bypasses last month as well. I am happy to report he is recovering at home now and doing great! As far as I know he still isn't smoking and is eating healthier. The surgery was pretty scary and I am glad it is over. 

As for the wedding plans things  are progressing quite well. I have started my new diet for the wedding lol I wanna be able to fit into my pretty dress with only minor alterations. I should start running or walking but it is hard to get up in the morning and do it..I should really break out those exercise DVDs. 

In other news the well I am on is going well and has taken a fraction of the time the others have. I am really excited about this. I am up for promotion in mid-Aug and will be on my own rig. I am excited about this! Hopefully I will get a raise too. I have another job opportunity coming up and may take it. I will be moving south though and be far away from the family and David. I am not sure if this is the best option for me right now. Getting in touch with my potential future employers has been a bit of a problem but I do have a meeting/interview on Mon. I will see how that goes and make the decision from there. I believe the best option at this point would be to stay where I am at and move up and see what happens with David. All depends on the meeting on Mon.

TTYL!!

Pouring

Well, let's just say work is not going so well right now. The well feels like it is taking forever. This is probably because I arrived a week early with not much to do. I have been working for about two weeks now and hopefully will be done sometime next week. I am hoping to be home for a wedding but we will see.  I am really frustrated with my job. My partner in crime lol is leaving for a family event in Tx, a reunion and graduation parties. While I am happy that she gets the time off it is really crappy timing. I am on my first well by myself and now I am going to be in charge. I have confidence in my abilities to do my job. I do not however, have confidence in the other loggers abilities they sent me. I am worried that things will get fucked up and I will be responsible for his mistakes because I am in charge. I really do not want to lose this client. I like them very much and would like to continue working for them. I personally think I could probably have my own company with the information I have learned so far. I could be an independent contractor and work out of my own trailer with equipment etc. I think the situation at work may have been fixed after my co-worker experienced the incompetence of  the replacement and complained to enough people. We have issues on this well to deal with and it is unfortunately nowhere near completion. (Huge shock right?) I only have about 3K left so I am hoping and praying for next week but who knows. Susan may be back before well is done.
I am looking forward to the time off to spend with David and family. I miss them all very much and look forward to seeing them all soon. I am going to go eat now. the tater tots are calling. I will let you know more  later about the work situation.

Hoarding

I have a problem. I like watching shows about hoarding. I find it very interesting in learning about the psychology of what is going on in a persons head. I see these tendencies in people I know.  I also worry because I have tubs of stuff in my parents basement I need to go through and clean out. It now really bothers me I have this stuff there when I feel my parents house is already too cluttered. I can't move it out right now though because it doesn't make sense since I will be getting married in a little less than a year. I am hoping David finds out if he will have a job after he graduates near the end of the summer so I can find an apartment for us to live in. I can then start to move ALL of my stuff out of my parents house and get rid of all the stuff I don't need or use. I think this will be a lot of things since I will have lived without a lot of stuff for the better part of a year and it will make it more clear what I want to keep and what needs to go.
One thing I am looking forward to doing is finishing my scrap book from college so I have that to keep and get rid of other things I no longer need. It should be an interesting process. I have statues and things I am not sure if I want to keep from childhood. I can not wait to clear these things out of my life ASAP

Waiting Again

I am back to work again. I was off two Sat. ago but still had to go to training in Latrobe, PA. I went to three days of training and headed back to Akron. I stayed there on Thurs. night and Sara came to visit. Friday we went shopping and then loaded up the truck to head back home. I am moving things out of my apartment since I do not know how many times I will be back there before the lease is up at the end of Sept. On Sat. was the Cinco de Mayo party which was awesome! I ended up having too much fun and being worn out from work turned in early (11pm) and party ended at midnight. I spent Sun, and Mon with the family and then got the call to go back to work. 

I headed to Toledo on Tues. morning to have lunch with David. I saw an accident on the way and a truck that couldn't avoid the accident and needed to drive into the other lane. It was a crazy afternoon. I finally got to David's and we went to eat at Mongolian BBQ. It was delicious! I was planning on only staying for a few hours when I got a message that we wouldn't be needed until Thurs. I decided to stay with David that evening. I then left the next day and had lunch with Jen at Parassons after picking up what I needed for work from my apartment. I then learned I might not be needed at work until the weekend. Having almost nothing in my apartment and no other pressing plans I decided to go to the apartment in Muncy. I arrived on Wed evening. I went to dinner at Orllie's with Susan. It was very good. Then we went to Hull's landing to hear the Pop tarts play. I sat down at a table with 3 casing guys, Susan knew. The conversation immediately turned to an uncomfortable topic as they are men and were already drunk and gleaned the information that I was getting married. I was uncomfortable and Susan recognized that and asked if I wanted to leave. I said yes and we left. Susan stayed out partying the night away. The next day I got up and ran some errands and went out to the rig. Susan stayed in bed all day due to her hangover. Friday was fun as we had dinner with Ken and Tony at Highland Lake Gun Club. My food was ok but apparently the others was not. Susan and I headed to Dogz to have a few drinks. I had a a few beers and then a a couple of cherry bombs. I then drank a lot of water. On Sat. I didn't get up too early but early enough. I headed in to work for a bit and Susan stayed in bed. Sat. night was not too interesting as we stayed in ( I think). On Sun. we headed out to meet someone about some equipment Susan was looking at getting. We had Coffee at a little shop in Lewisburg and toured Bucknell University. We stopped by to see a local bar owner, Lorene at New Mountain Tavern and had a nice chat with her. Then we went back to the apartment for a bit and then headed to Dogz for wings and to visit Mel.  Today I headed to work for a bit. Susan showed up and we went to the mall. I got some chocolate and chocolate, caramel covered apples. Not good for someone supposedly on a diet.

I am very sick of not working. There are things that I could be doing at home. Such as preparing for the wedding. 

I have been figuring out what I owe in total on loans etc and need to come up with a better budget. Luckily I am getting paid stand-by and possibly some full time since I was called out early. I think I may be working by Wed. night or Thurs. 

I just finished a book called the clouds roll away by Sibella Giorello about Forensic Geology. I wasn't even aware Forensic Geology is a field of geology. I am now very interested in reading books about forensic geology. I just bought some by Sarah Andrews off Amazon. I have taken my books off of vacation and hope to make some money to help pay off loans. I am all about paying off loans these days.

Flowers & Rain showers

Spring is finally here! Well at least I think it has arrived. Currently it is 45 degrees and rainy at my job. I think it might snow...again! Q will love this! 

Work is a tad irritating right now. Our well has been ongoing for three weeks. I would expect by this time to be done and on my way home or sleeping or anything but still working. We are having trouble and have had to trip (ask if don't know I will answer or google in relation to drilling) about 5 or 6 times. I have lost track. It is very annoying and now it takes all day! I am really enjoying work and started working on my own yesterday to get used to being on my own. I am doing ok but need to be more aggressive with the other contractors out here to get the information I need to keep the geologist informed of the situation. I am working on it. 

 

I have missed a couple of big family events this month. To my family I am sorry! I wish I could have been there with you! I missed cousin Jenn's wedding to Kyle, Joe's confirmation, and Lynn's wedding, which is today! Hope she is feeling better (she had a cold) and the weather is nice there! I hope to be home soon and visit my family. I probably will not get to see David's extended family till this summer some time or this fall. Seems like too long :( 

I hope S & J get their house soon so I will have something to work on when I get home/off. I might have to go to more training depending when I get off though. I should go so I can get paid more and move up. I would love to do this. I am looking forward to getting a few more wells under my belt as well. Hopefully they all don't last 4 weeks but if they do the year should go fast.

Bring on the Sun and flowers!

Movie Review of Twilight New Moon, Twilight in Forks, & REMEMBER ME

I watched New Moon this weekend after it was released. I still like the movie a lot. The makeup could have been a bit better in this movie. Some of the lead actors performances were still a little shaky. I believe Taylor Lautner is the best actor of the love triangle. The preview of Eclipse was very cool. I am excited because there will be more action in the next movie and David Slade will bring a darker edge to the movie.
Twilight in Forks came with the combo pack I purchased. I did not think very highly of the documentary. There was a biblical scholar or scientist or priest trying to talk about all the different meanings in Twilight. I agreed with a few of his points but not all of them. Some of the opinions of the townspeople are a little much though. I would have liked to see more of the ton and less of people talking. I might watch the end some day but not right now.


WARNING: I plan on giving away a lot of details in this review. Please do not read if you do not want me to spoil it for you! Well I have not cried like that in a long time. Where to start. Well the movie begins with Rob or Tyler getting arrested for mouthing off to a cop. One of the lawyers from his dad's firm comes to bail him out of jail. The cop that arrested him has a daughter and Rob's roommate sees her at school. Ally (the girl) turns out being in Rob's class and they hit it off. They end up hooking up. The story continues and we find out more about Rob how his brother Michael committed suicide when he was 22. The family is split up. Rob has a little sister who is gifted at painting. It ends up the sister gets made fun of at school and other girls cut her hair. The love story between Ally and Rob continues and they go through trials and tribulations of normal relationship. They broke up for a bit but get back together when the whole hair cutting incident occurs. The workaholic father steps up again when Rob/Tyler throws a fire extinguisher through the window at his sisters school. His father bails him out of jail and asks him to show up the next day at his office to talk to the lawyers. This feels like a turning point in the relationship when father and son start to reconnect. The next day the father (lawyer) goes to pick up the daughter and bring her to school. The father calls Rob to tell him, that he would be late to school. Rob says this will be fine and sits at the desk and looks at family pictures. The secretary asks how long ago Michael killed himself and Rob says it was 6 years ago on May 1995. The picture pans out to Rob standing in the window, he is up really high in a building. The picture goes to the sister in school and the teacher writes 9/11/2001 on the board. The picture goes to Rob in the building and pans out to see both the twin towers. The sounds is of the voices of the workers in the twin towers and then the screen goes black.  I had lost it by this point. I was crying hysterically. I can not handle anything relating to Sept. 11. The last thing I saw was people in NY leaving their offices and schools and houses. The last thing Sara saw was a notebook Rob wrote letters to his brother Michael to in on the ground in the rubble next to a ladies shoe. I had leave the theater I was so upset.  I wish I would have known what was going to happen at the end bcause then I would not have gone to see the movie.
key Point I missed because I was so entranced in the love story:
Beginning you see NY with twin towers
American Pie was playing in movie theater when Rob saw movie
When Rob went up to the Father's office on 90 floor or something.
I wish I would have known. The love story was going along really well and bam it ended awfully. Next time I will read the reviews before I go see a movie.

Family News/ Funny

Ok for the interesting news I have been with holding. I am not sure if the word is out yet for sure so please keep on down low. My male cousin on my dad's side, closest in age to me, has decided to join the Navy and will be going to Newport, RI to train soon! I am really excited for him. I think he is making a good decision and he wants to make a career in the Navy. I believe he is going to join for the right reasons so I am behind him 100%. I love him tons and can't wait to go visit when he gets time off.  We were really close growing up since my Aunt watched my sister and I a lot. We got along pretty well because we were both geeks. We grew apart once we started I would say middle school but I still feel closest to him. I know how hard he has worked since he graduated looking for a job. I am glad he found something he knows he wants to pursue. I think he will do very well in the Navy. I am worried about his safety but I know he can take care of himself. Plus I will make sure I keep in touch more now (should have before too) with letters.
In other news my sister is funny lol. Here are just a few things she said when we were discussing things in the family room:

Montgomery buscott (boycott)
you were a baby boomer....you boomed (IN response to Mom being born in 1949)
Was that after WWII when everyone did it? (referring to baby boomers).
Dad you were a late boomer...(Born in 1952)
She should be a comedian!
Next funny thing. I have been playing with the dogs since I have been home since I like to do it and end up being the only one who does it. I have to lock Jackson (Sara and Josh dog) in bedroom when I play with Angel so he doesn't tear her to pieces. They don't play well together. Angel likes to be chased around the hallway and it is oval shaped so it is a good sized running track for a dog. Makes an interesting running tracck for the human doing the chasing too. I was playing with her using a stuffed Cat slipper she loves. Well she decides she needs to be chased with the stuffed cat slipper in her mouth that is about the same size she is. So I chase her around the hall while she is carrying this stuffed cat in her mouth. We do this about 4 times and I have to stop because I am dying of laughter. It was just so funny to see this little white fur ball carrying around a white slipper about her size with me chasing her. I wish the video camera would have worked! Oh well.

Time off

As of Wed. night I was officially off work! I got to hang out with my BFF Jen and watch American Idol. I did all the laundry and chilled out. I got to sleep for 12 hours which was a nice change. I finished my tasks and was sucked into CSI. Sara needed my help with directions so it was fortuitous I was near a computer. I helped her out and then decided to leave for home before I got too tired. The drive home was nice but I think a couple of people thought I was crazy. I was singing in the car, messing with GPS, and calling people. It was an interesting drive lol. I washed my car when I got home and it still isn't completely clean. I will be home for a few days visiting family since I am not sure when I will be home next. I am hoping to make it home for a cousins wedding in April but since my work schedule is variable I am not really sure what will happen. If I get off before the wedding or after I am hoping to go stay with my Aunt and Uncle in Maryland (which will be 2 hours away) instead of driving 8 hours home. It is nice to know I am near some kind of family no matter where I go (at least on East coast anyway). I really hope I can be home for the wedding though.

I have no big plans for my time off. I am looking forward to dinner with in-laws family, buying New Moon & maybe Twilight in Forks, possibly seeing Remember me or The Runaways, and hanging out with Sara. I may go see David before going back to work but I am not sure when that will occur. well time to relax. Interesting news is coming tom night (at least for Mack's)

Two weeks

The last two weeks you may have felt like I dropped off the face of the Earth. Well I did! I am in the middle of no where PA (don't tell the locals I said that). The claim to fame right now is (or was) the American Idol Aaron Kelly. Anyway, I am out here near Williamsport, PA for work. I will elaborate on work a little more since I didn't know too much before.

Work is going well. I understand my job, I can trouble shoot, and know what to do if there are problems, of which there are many! I understand what everyones role is on the rig and how I fit in. In my position I am the low rung on the totem pole. Basically, I tell them what they are drilling through and that gives the Geologist a better idea of where we should be going. The geologist relays this information to the driller, directional drillers and company man. I hope once I gain more experience I will be more useful.
My first week here didn't go so well. I was a sample catcher and learning the ropes. My trainer had to leave for a funeral so I trained under someone relatively new. I looked forward to the day when my trainer (Q, as I will call her returned). Q finally returned and life has been great since. I have confidence in my abilities to do my job and have been given the opportunity to do the work required on my own. I am responsible for operations during my shift. I am settling into a routine and look forward to the next well I am on. I understand the rig crews and company men I work for might not be as nice as the ones I have had here but I am up for the challenge. I plan on moving up and advancing myself while I am here. Doing the best job I can is not only good for me, but my company, and our clients!
David came to visit me this week while I was training! He is on spring break so he was not busy with too much else. I was glad he decided to come. He was able to come out to the rig and see what I will be doing everyday. I look foward to seeing what he tells his parents when he gets home. Q said he should come because he was off and it would be good for us to be together since we didn't know when the next time I would be off. I may have to go directly to another job from here. Everything is uncertain.
I am enjoying my new job and look forward to the challenges I will be presented with when I start working on my own.

Homebody

Life is moving slowly these days. On Thurs. around midmorning I got a return email from my manager. I had asked if I would be called out to work in the next couple days or if I could head home. He thought it would be a good idea to head on home for a few days. Next thing I know I am loading up my Escape with my inflatable bed and computer chair.

I had to mess up my nice organized vehicle to fit the computer chair in my car! I was not very excited. I brought everything I would need for work with me just in case I was called out while at home. I stopped in Toledo to drop the chair off and ended up staying with David to eat dinner. I then finished my drive back to Kalida.
Friday morning I went to a doctor's appointment Sara had in Findlay. After the appointment we stopped at Papillion Boutique  http://thepapillonboutique.com/ . I looked for a wedding dress. There wasn't many that were catching my eye. The associate pulled a dress and I just had to try it on! I put the dress on and I knew it was the dress! It was a Maggie Sottero dress. The dress is a Satin with tulle over top. The top is a sweat heart neckline with bedding. and the bedding pulls to the side with beds defining my waist. It is just gorgeous. The dress has some form from the satin but is a little more girly from the tulle, the bedding gives the dress just enough glitz, and defines my waist. I am so excited. It is a little too small but not too small that I will not be able to work towards wearing it in a year and a half!  The wii fit, balance balls, and weight balls are my new best friends!
After going to Findlay I went to Walmart with my mom and ordered vases with my mom for the wedding. I had a busy Friday night ahead of me. I traveled to David's house after we got back. David's mom was having her birthday party in BG with her sisters and I was going ! I was really excited. We traveled up to BG and eventually Toledo with David's Aunt and Uncle. I had a great time at the bars in downtown BG. Even though bars are not really my thing I wouldn't mind going back because of the selection. The party continued to David's Aunt's house in Toledo. I stayed up till at least 2am just chatting. I really enjoyed the time spent with David's family. In the morning I awoke to a light in my eyes! It was only about 7 am! Ugh! Breakfast was good and filled with more conversation.
After Breakfast we traveled to David's cousins house. I really enjoyed this part of the trip. I really envy his cousin and his wife. They both seem to have good jobs, they have a nice, house and they just got a puppy. All are things I am looking forward to having in the future! The house was an older house with a lot of character! I loved it! The size was just right. I could see David and I living in a house similar to theirs for a while. The ride back was good and I managed to get a little nap.
My tooth has been bothering me for the past week. I had been out with my bf Jen to a movie and ended up getting popcorn stuck in between my gum and teeth. I managed to finally get the popcorn out around Wed. or Thurs. but the area was still inflamed. Sat. on the drive back it was hurting again. I took some Ibuprofen and called it good. I used the water pike and hydrogen peroxide when I got home. It was an interesting experience having hydrogen peroxide foaming in my mouth. The gum seems to be  bit better but still really irritated. there was no way I was going to the urgent care clinic when the previous day I had received my bill from my Christmas trip for a sinus infection for $70. I will see how it is on Mon. and decide whether to go to the dentist.
Sat. night I just planned to relax at my parents but after having comp. troubles and deciding we wanted to watch Zombieland David and I traveled up to the video store to rent the video. We drove past seeing the store was closed. We ended up watching Olympics with David's parents and friends. Sunday was the bridal show at he American Legion in Fort Jennings. There were two very good caterers there and good cake as well. I ended up wining an arch entrance way for the wedding!! Yay! One less thing to buy or rent! The rest of the day was spent trying to fix the computer and doing taxes! At least  I get a good return and can pay my bills thru March! Ugh! Responsibilities!

Blogs I love

Well I have been a bloggie for a while now. I had one before and have one again. Here is a collection of blogs I love to read and a short description.
www.postsecret.blogspot.com Secrets are posted every Sunday. I find it interesting the personal secrets people do not want to share with those around them but can tell complete strangers. http://www.hollyanddrewkennedy.blogspot.com/ Holly and the Hounds. Blog written by my cousin Holly in Texas helps keep in touch with events in her awesome life!
http://thepioneerwoman.com/blog/category/black_heelstractor_wheels/the_night_i_met_marlboro_man/
Confessions of a Pioneer Woman. I came across this blog when it was nominated for a blog award! I just this morning found how she met her Marlboro Man! The story is the most romantic love story I have read in a while and reminds me why I love the country so much. I recommend you read it !!!!
http://cakewrecks.blogspot.com/ Cake Wrecks
I love cake and I enjoy seeing well made cakes and blunders.
http://marriageconfessions.com/ Confessions of a Young Married Couple. I enjoy this blog because I will be a married person soon, well soon enough anyway. I also enjoy reading about Bean, their adorable little man. I hope I have a kid that cute some day.
The next two I have found in my surfing but I am not sure if they are keepers yet.
http://www.melissa-singlegalinthecity.blogspot.com/
http://queenofquirky.com/
 I am glad I only have a few favorite blogs in addition to facebook and twitter. It keeps my surfing to a minimum....and that still is hours :P

Great Book Series Reads

I have decided to get rid of my books on Amazon. I have read them and they are now just taking up room in my apartment. I will prob. want to read them again but I will go to the library. My favorite book series is still Twilight by Stephanie Meyer. I will never part with these books as they are too near and dear to my heart. The many sleepless nights I have read them. Next, would have to be Harry Potter. I do not have these with me at my apartment but I do not think I can part with them in any event.  My obsession with vampires has translated to the books I have read lately. I have read the Night World series by L.J. Smith. I have read books 1-3. Each book contains three stories detailing the separate stories of all the characters. I also like the Alyson Noel series entitled The Immortals. I am selling the books I have read from the last two series on amazon. I just got some more to read in my time off. I will hopefully start reviewing them on here.

Bloody Psycho in the Snow!

My evening started out nice and normal.....AND THEN the bloody psycho appeared at my door!

 Ok to explain  what happened. I had a great evening with my friend Jen. Including shopping at stores in Acorn Alley in Kent and Maurices. I scored $35. boots for $8 dollars. I in total got Jeans, sweet boots, and socks for $34. That is right! I was stoked. We also ate at Parasson's Italian restaraunt yum o. We had chocolates for dinner from Empire chocolates! The snow had been coming down since I left at 3 pm and by 7ish it was about 4 inches deep. I dropped Jen off and decided to head home. It took 45 min when it usually takes 15 min because of the snow covered roads. I saw a tractor trailer 90 degrees to the highway with the cab pointed in the wrong direction and a tour bus in the middle median strip (luckily still upright but stuck). It was an interesting drive. 

I made my way to Sheetz intending to get my self some adult beverages on my snowed in Friday night and had the pleasure of having my door opened by a young gentleman with the same idea. I was in a pretty good mood after all the events of the night.  I sat down to fiddle with my new netbook (for my job) and relax. After a chat with my Mom and David I continued watching Twister. AND THEN! 

Around 11:30 there was a pounding on my door. I had been hearing rough noises from upstairs all night so I just thought it may be a stupid drunk neighbor playing a prank. I was severely wrong. The pounding on doors continued.....and then returned to my door. I was scared after the first pounding because I am all alone tonight. I locked the top lock just after the first pounding. When the pounding returned again I asked what was wrong. A man returned to my door and said he needed help. Being taught to not trust strangers I was trying to figure out what he needed and if he was a psycho or not. The man was acting pretty shady and distraught. He was asking for help because his girlfriend was bleeding to death.  I at this point still did not believe him but said I will call 911. Well I tried to call on my cell but the batt. was almost dead so I switched to the landline (sorry 911).  I finally explained to the dispatcher and then the fire department dispatcher what was going on. I decided I needed to go downstairs and open the door so they could get in when they got here. The man was still going crazy. He was in a complete panic. Me being level headed was trying to get him to calm down. He was having none of it and I could barely hear the dispatcher. She asked me to put him on the phone and so I just let him have my phone. He went back up to his apartment. I went up to my room put on my crocs and coat and went down to direct the authorities to the right apartment while he was helping his girlfriend. Well the authorities were taking a while because the weather is awful. So I decide to go up and see if this guy needs any help. Well he is on the phone cursing up a storm because they aren't arriving fast enough. Granted there was blood everywhere on the carpet on him, on her and on the cabinets but she was still conscious. I helped hold her up while he applied pressure to the head wound. The girl was a mess. First of all her hair was matted and dyed red (didn't help to see where she was bleeding). I don't think matting was all from blood. Then she only had on panty hose (no underwear) a bra with sweater pulled up. She was rolling around and moaning. An officer finally arrived and took over the situation. The paramedics were there soon after. I asked for my phone back and told the officer about which apartment I was in if she needed to talk to me. I then proceeded to go back to my apartment with a bloody phone and hand and rushing adrenaline. I cleaned off my phone at least twice with Lysol disinfectant and cleaned my hands at least twice. 

Sadly, the blood almost made me throw up. I think I did a pretty good job of keeping my cool. While my neighbor friend was psycho. I really hope I don't have to deal with him again. He managed to come back down and thank me for being the only one to answer my door. I think I was the only one around but who knows my other neighbors may just not give a damn ( nice to know right). 

Here is what I think happened. The girlfriend of my neighbor was not actually his girlfriend but a hooker. I really have no idea. Makes the story better though. Anyway, I believe the noises I heard before were them coming home drunk.Then things were getting hot and heavy and something went wrong. She "hit" her head on the corner of his square glass table. This girl had almost no clothing on. She was wearing panty hose, no underwear, a sweater which was pulled above her bra. She was squirming all over and the man was so panicked he must have been drunk. I honestly don't know what happened but I will not be speaking to this particular neighbor again unless it is necessary.  

My nice day ended in a crazy psycho neighbor and snow. I am hoping the rest of my night goes a little smoother. I hope I can relax enough to sleep tonight.

Training

My training for Geosearch Logging is now complete. I am happy to report I passed with flying colors. I am now qualified to be a well log analyst. I will be in the field soon under a mentor observing how to do my job in the field and learning how to properly carry out my job in the field. I hope to break out quickly as I would like to prove myself to the company. I am going to do my best. I have a lot of studying and reading to do to understand the background geology of the PA, OH, and WV region. I really hope I don't have to drill on air but I am sure I will have to at some point. I am looking forward to doing my log and doing a very good job. I want to impress both the client and my company. My trainer described how it is possible for a client who likes my work to put me on retainer so I will be available for the next job they would like me to work on. I would love for this to happen to me. I am going to do my best to keep everyone happy and impress everyone. I have learned so much in the last 4 days.  I will make sure I review it all to keep it fresh. I also need to go over the materials presented to me. 

I am in a waiting game now. My manager is away for a company meeting. I am hoping to hear from him by Mon. I am excited to get started on my first well logging job! I will continue to update about interesting places to eat, things to do, and hotels I stay in for my job.

I have bought many things for my job recently. I have a new set of tools. I have stuff in my car I never thought would be there like my box of 100 calorie food, my supplies if i get stranded and other things. I still have more things I need to get too. I need lighters, tow ropes, WD-40 electrical tape, and other assorted stuff. I am going to try and get a lot of stuff on my list done tom.

Hopefully I hear soon.

Sushi at Robokyo

Sushi! Yum, Yum!  On Wednesday night after three days of training I decided to go out and get some sushi. I had been driving past a steakhouse all week. I figured it would be a good place to get some sushi. I stopped in on Wed. night and made my way to the bar. The bartender was very nice. I ordered a Rainbow roll and a peach martini. The martini was very good with only a slight hint of acidity (from orange juice). The bartender was kind enough to bring both regular and reduced sodium soy sauce. My sushi roll arrived and was beautiful. The rainbow roll was Cucumber and crab roll with tuna, salmon, red snapper, shrimp and avocado slices on top. I really enjoyed all of it. I only wish there had been more. The bartender was more than happy to help in any way necessary. I very much enjoyed my sushi and drink. They helped me to relax. I would recommend going if in the area. I look forward to going back when I am in the area for work again. Next time I will stay for dinner.


Robokyo-Japanese Steakhouse
Address: 910 East Pittsburgh St, Greensburg, PA 15601

Review of Knights Inn in Greensburg, PA

While at training in Latrobe, PA I stayed at a Knights Inn. I had a room with a single bed, a recliner, fridge, and microwave. The room was decorated in a style from another decade. Which I am not sure since I haven't been around for that many. The room could have used some fixing up and it smelled of smoke. I had to get a small air cleaner to ensure my allergies did not act up too badly so I didn't get sick. The refrigerator was nice to have since I was there for four days, but it was loud. The heater was also a bit of an annoyance because it was again loud but more importantly clicked and popped a lot. The wiring in the unit was not great as well as when the refrigerator air cleaner and heat were all on at the same time the lights dimmed. The bed was clean, and didn't have any bed bugs. The mattress was less than desirable because it was firm but not a good firm. Firm from the springs, I am glad I will be back in my own bed tonight. The bathroom was not too bad. There was no mold, but the shower head was a hard spray. There was plenty of hot water which was a plus. The carpet did not look too bad but I rarely walked around on it without shoes or socks. The tv was alright but couldn't be turned. The lock on the door didn't make me feel safe either. The door locked every time it was closed but I had to really pull/push to get it shut. I also had to fix the sliding lock because the one screw was pulled out. Overall, I would rate the room as a 2.5/5 for a business traveler on a budget. It will do in a pinch and worked for me while I was at training. More hotel review will follow as I travel more for my job!

Knights Inn

www.knightsinn.com

1215 South Main Street
Greensburg, PA 15601-5319
(724) 836-7100

Organization

Today I finally left for Akron since my work boots arrived yesterday. I finished laundry and watched Charmed season 8 with Sara. She is almost done watching the series. I am glad she likes it as much as I do.  I left after that. I got back to Akron without much trouble. The drive in my new vehicle was nice. I unloaded most of the vehicle when I got back. Grabbed the two textbooks I had sold on Amazon and headed to the Post office to mail them out. Upon arriving home I decided to tackle my lists. I thrive off of lists. If I have a list I won't forget something because I will cross it off. If something on the list doesn't get done today, it will tom. Lists are my way of organizing my otherwise crazy life. I make lists for almost everything. I would rather be super organized than unorganized. So I started by unpacking my things, and repacking at the same time for my orientation next week. Then I decided to sort through my paperwork that I have been neglecting. Considering I have a new savings account, and new car paperwork I thought it would be a good idea to get this done ASAP. After all that was done it was time for dinner. It was darn near close to 8pm by the time I decided to look for something. I found some mashed potatoes, sauerkraut and sausage if freezer and ate that. I will go to grocery store tom. It is supposed to snow here tonight and tom. I am not really worried about that so much as the cold. I have my personal heater so I am not too worried about keeping my room warm but going out will be a challenge. After eating I looked through the homework the company wants us to do before we arrive. I read the employee manual and found out I am an at will employee which is very interesting . I can quit or they can fire me anytime with/without notice. I do not know how often this comes into play but I know someone who has worked there for a while so I am not too worried about not surviving. This will definitely be different from any other job I have had in the past but I am going to embrace it for what it is. I am up for the challenge this work will present. I know it will be hard but I think it will make me stronger as a person and give me time to figure myself out. I am sure there may be plenty of long blogs coming up. I am nervous about next week because I may be the only female in my training class but I am a Honors college graduate, I am sure I can handle what they throw at me. Hell I am thinking of reviewing a course book before next week because I will need it. Not to mention reading about the geology of the Appalachian area in which I will be working. Well I have turned my organizational post into one about my job. That is where my mind is right now though. Somehow it still feels unreal. I am sure I will feel better when I arrive at the hotel on Sun. afternoon and then the job on Mon. morning.

Boots are made for Walking

I have great news! My boots finally showed up this evening! I am extremely happy. Now I feel like I have everything from home at least that I need for next week. Now I am ready to head back to Akron and get my life sorted out. I want to get back, get everything unpacked, just so I can pack it all up again. I definitely want to work on my excel sheet of monthly bills. I am going to try and keep better track of what I am spending this year Well, I should prob. go to bed now. I have a lot to do tom from packing up at home, to driving to Akron, to unpacking and organizing at apartment. Night!

Errands

Today I have spent the day running errands again.I had a nice lunch with Sara at Olive garden. Then, I got a AAA car safety package just in case. I also went to Verizon to get a car charger. Turns out my phone is not being made anymore and to get my charger was only $6. I had to have it shipped to Akron, but that isn't too much of a problem since it will probably arrive by Thurs. or Fri. Let's see I called the company I ordered my boots from twice today. Once in the morning and then again this afternoon. They said they would return my call within 2 hours and they didn't so I called again. I hate being a pain in the butt, but I want to know where my boots are considering I need them for Monday. I stopped at Meijer to see if they had any boots there and they didn't. I was happily surprised when the boot company called and said the boots should be delivered today! Now I am looking at getting an induction plate. I am going to hold off on buying it for now but might be good for the hotel room and making dinners if I don't want to eat out. I will probably become the queen of only using one pan to cook in lol.

Pia

Pia

I really like this dress. It is very close in style to the Jessica dress that I have tried on. I love the layering in the dress. I am not crazy about the shimmering organza though. When I tried the dress on at Romantic gowns in Dayton the consultant said I could have the Jessica dress (almost same style) made in flat or regular organza for only $80. more. I am sure the Maggie dress is above my price range because of the crystals. I will have to go find it in a store and try the Maggie on and see how it compares to the Jessica.

Avery

Avery

I like this dress because it is close in style to the Natalia dress. I would like to try it on.

Natalia

Natalia

Dress I liked I went dress shopping for the first time.

Wedding Dress Shoping

Well I have gone wedding dress shopping a couple of times. First, I went with my mom and future Mother-in-law. I found a dress called Natalia by Maggie Sottero I really like....the link will follow the post. I am also attaching another dress I like from an online store. I went and tried the dress on and love the style called Jessica.http://www.romanticgowns.com/collection/product-page.asp?SKU=Jessica Maggie has a dress called Pia just like it... I am going to see if I can track it down and try it on. 

New Car

I finally got a new car. Well actually it is an SUV! I purchased a 2006 Ford Escape XLT 4X4 SUV. It is black. I love driving my new car. I am going to try to keep it really clean. The back 2 seats fold down to give more room in the back which is awesome since I will be living out of my car for a while. I am going to try and find a way to organize my stuff in my car. Let the lists begin lol. I would like to purchase floor mats to keep the ones in the car clean.
 I am still waiting on a call from my Orientation trainer. I hope to receive a call by Monday. I still need to purchase my boots. I was told by someone working there I need steel toe, water proof, and insulated boots. These have proven hard to find for women.  I also need to get first aid kit, fire blanket, MRE's etc to keep me warm in case I get stuck somewhere. I hope this doesn't happen but who knows. I will also be ready for the apocalypse just in case (you never know). I am going to go try and find the boots I want in the area tom. Hope I can find what i am looking for. Here is to a Friday night at home.

Job

Well since I only have one follower I think it is safe to post my news. I have dropped out of grad. school! I have job with Geosearch logging Inc. I am super excited about this new opportunity. It is a chance for me to get out into the field, get my hands dirty, and make some money. I think it is a great job to start out in and hopefully move up. I will be in a trailer next to a drill rig, conducting tests on the drilling mud which I will go collect every so often ( I get to get dirty). It is not the most glorious job in the world but is a good place to start. I am really excited about this opportunity. I will be working 12 hour shifts which I am not used to but, I figure if a nurse can do it I can certainly! I am preparing myself as much as I can. I am buying a new car (Ford Escape), getting insurance, and all that jazz. I am finding out the joys of being an adult. I will write more tom morrow about my excursion (relating to the wedding) on Tues.!

Text books

After being in college for four years I have a lot of textbooks lying around. I am currently trying to sell these on Amazon. My seller name is Zippy! Please check them out!