Oh the Weather Outside is Frightful, but My Heated Blanket is Sooooo Delightful! (294)

 

 

The weather has been generally frightful lately.  It’s been cold and windy and annoying.  But there have been a few random days that have brought some rain so that was nice.  The rain always makes me think of being in Belfast and the amazing people I met there and hope to always remain friends with.  Two in particular, although I think our bond was truly forged when they came to America and we got to spend a summer/fall together.  John and Hannah will always be my favorite inhabitants of the UK (I say UK since they now both live outside of Belfast).  

 

I have seriously neglected this blog and, trust me, it has haunted me daily.  I’ve been so tired/busy/stressed/happy/confused/worn down that I haven’t had time.  Every time I thought of taking a moment to write, I would fall asleep.  Exciting huh?  I’m going to try to make a better effort now though, especially since I’ll be going on vacation soon.

 

Here’s a recap of stuff that’s happened:

• Saw Ives the Band again (Yippee!!!) and got to talking to them after the show.  They gave Brandi, Crystal, and me free tee shirts and thanked us for being so supportive.  There’s a slight possibility that they also might come play at my church in the future but that’s not something I can really talk about yet.
• Got into a slight fender bender but the guy never called me back and never contacted my insurance so I’m guessing I’ll never hear about it again.  Whatevs.  It wasn’t in my car (I was driving Brandi’s) so that complicated things a bit.  Everyone was fine.  I was going 5 mph when it happened.  Stupid L.A.
• I’ve been working at my job now for almost 2 months and I still love the people and the company.  I’m beginning to know a bit of what we do and things are starting to make more sense.  I still feel lost at times but I’m now able to ask more intelligent questions to help me understand a bit more.  That’s really what I need to do my job well – understanding of the total process.  Hopefully things will get even easier and I’ll have even more clarity over the next 6 weeks.
• I’m moving out of my condo and into my mom’s house temporarily.  Sigh… I just didn’t have enough time to find a roommate and all the one bedroom apartments in non-life-threatening areas are too much for me to afford right now.  Maybe if I’m lucky I’ll get some good raises in the next couple of months?  Or, more likely, maybe one of my friends or someone I know and like will want to rent an apartment with me.  Hopefully.  Otherwise, at this point, I might just end up being super poor and getting a one bedroom of my own.
• I finished my weekly classes of VLI.  I’ve now just got two finals and some papers to write.  Yay!  I’ll probably end up getting my certificate in March after winter 2012 quarter is over.  I think next year I’m going to try and take classes to finish up my bachelors in English. We’ll see.

That’s about all that’s been going on.  I’ve been way too busy with ministry and studying and packing to really have a lot of fun.  My friend Crystal is back from Australia until the end of January so I plan on spending a lot of time with her.  Luckily, my company is pretty much shut down from 12/21/12 – 1/2/13 and my boss is letting me take time off through the 7th so I get a full two weeks off with no work!  Yay!  There will definitely be ice skating and movies and crocheting and reading and playing guitar involved.  

 

I’m going to Las Vegas for Christmas with my mom.  We’re meeting my brother there – he’s flying in from Montana for a few days.  I’m looking forward to hanging out with them.  I love my brother and love spending time with him.  We rarely get to see each other so it’s nice that the three of us will get to spend the holiday together.  We’re going to stay at the Mandalay Bay and see Jersey Boys.  That’s about all we have planned for now.  I plan on hitting the gym, relaxing in a bubble bath, reading a book, getting a massage/mani/pedi/facial aka spending too much money in a spa, and hopefully seeing some of the museums I have never seen in all my trips to Vegas.  

 

Now, since I’m exhausted, I’m going to go to sleep.  I’ve got many, many things to do tomorrow and I’m running on an average of 5 hours of sleep lately.  It’s not enough.  I’m definitely not 22 anymore – regardless of the fact that people tell me I still look 22.  I need my beauty sleep.  

 

Bon nuit mes amies!

 

~Jenn

 

The daily blog is back! Sorry for the loooong delay (338)

What a crazy couple of weeks it’s been.  Here’s what I’ve missed writing about:

1. I went to Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios with Jason Ingraham, Alex, Kelli, Dustin, and my new friend Jessica.  It was a blast.  There were hardly any zombie children.  The Bill and Ted show was excellent and I got so scared in the Walking Dead Maze that I tried to run out an exit and got held back by one of the workers while my friends told me I was going the wrong way.  Hello fight or flight instinct and kudos to the great job Universal!

 

2. I slept through Halloween.  Yup!  I was so tired that I fell asleep around 7pm and woke up at 11pm then couldn’t go back to sleep until 2am.  Needless to say, the next day at work was hard.

 

3.  I had my last day at Premier Valley Properties.  It was really bittersweet.  I was excited to start working at my new job but was sad to leave my co-workers.  I already miss the camaraderie with Pauline and all the hijinks/shenanigans we would get into trying to scare/throw stuff at Gus and Rebecca.  BUT I’ve really wanted to work for this new company for a while based on what all my friends say and the work schedule (9/80).  I’ll miss them but I know this is for the best.  I’ll have benefits and the start of a new career in a new field which could lead to even better things.  Who knows how God is going to use this job?

 

4. I saw Ives the Band for the 3rd time with Alex and Brandi.  They never cease to amaze me!!!  They’re brilliant musicians and all-around great guys.  I literally couldn’t keep my eyes off Kyle (lead guitarist) this time.  I love watching them play because you can tell how much they enjoy performing.  This time, Kyle was just on fire!  He was such a joy to watch him get into the music and have a great time all while putting on a good show.  I can’t wait to see them again on December 7th!  After they were done with their set, we went outside and got to have a chat.  I talked with Kyle about learning to play lead guitar and he showed me how much bigger his hand was to mine.  LOL.  It’s an inside joke with myself…I just love how I have somehow managed to play guitar even with my short fingers.  He also told me that barre chords are crap which I fully appreciate since I still cannot play them.  I’m still trying though.  I seriously cannot stress enough how great Ives the Band are.  I hope they one day get the recognition they deserve but selfishly I always want them to play small shows and remember me.  😉

 

5. Today was my first day at work.  I now get up at 5am every day…yay?  I am super tired but really wanted to write this all down.  It was a good first day.  I met a ton of people and filled out a bunch of paperwork but also got to take a tour of everything I was allowed to see and got a free tee shirt.  I know it’s hard but please, try not to be jealous of my free tee-shirt.  LOL.  It’s cool.  It’s pink and it has planes on it.  Tomorrow is day #2 and I think I’m actually going to get to do some real work.  I’m excited.  I like learning new things.

 

6. I watched my first James Bond movie last week at Jason’s (and Joel’s and Josh’s) house.  Casino Royale was better than I was expecting it to be!  Tomorrow night we’re watching the other one (I can’t remember the name of it right now) in preparation of seeing Skyfall at midnight on Thursday night.  I’m excited.

 

7.  Midterms suck so look at these photos of the wonderful band called Ives the Band.  Find them on Facebook and like them and send them some love.  They’re rad.  

 

Love you all and thanks for reading,

~Jenn