Life's Little Surprises

Once again, I have been given a Second Chance at Life... an opportunity to make my life better, perhaps?

Makes sad not to include any of my Valentine graphics, so I pulled this one out of the woodwork. =.) I started to write this post so I will continue with it here, although the graphic might not match. LOL...

This year's New Year's resolutions are not much different from last year's: to make money at an honorable job with not-as-much-stress. Yes @ I found a job last year but it was too demanding and stressful so I am back to job searching. Unfortunately, all the jobs that I applied for in years past were probably written with a permanent marker, because they continue to be there year after year and are still there today and will probably be there tomorrow as well. The only thing that has changed is that there are more questions on the applications and more documents to include... I suppose the only reason why they do not ask for your Bra Size is because it would discriminate against men; but they want to know everything about you, and I mean EVERYTHING... marriages and divorces, where you have lived for the past 10 years, all the jobs you have had since age 16, etc., etc., etc. It used to be that I would only do job searches in the mornings and leave the afternoon open for interviews, personal time, errands, or housework. Job search is no longer like that. Now it is a full-time job just to look for work. Still, it is another opportunity to find something better... but where are the better jobs at?... inquiring minds want to know.

The second New Year's goal: CUERPAZO. Yes to the same stupid goal most of us make: to lose the weight. On January 1st, I told myself: This has to be the last year that you put losing weight on your New Year's list. What were you thinking when you gained back the weight over yet another bad breakup?!... OMG at third New Year's goal interrupting second New Year's goal?!! ~ OMG at more about that later...

Ah-hem... as I was saying before I rudely interruped myself... It was on January 1st that I decided on a plan to lose the weight for the last time by eating what I want but not eating as much and not eating past 7:00 p.m. I figured that even if it takes me all year, even if it is slow to become a reality, it is still a plan. As luck would have it, a couple of days ago, I noticed that my pants were fitting loser. I told myself that it was probably just the elastic wearing down, but just for fun, I decided to measure myself. When I put the tape measure around my waist, there was the proof. I lost three inches from my waist! How was this possible? No exercise, no change in diet except not eating as much and not eating after 7:00 p.m. I ate pizza, bread, tortillas, sugar, even cake.... How could this be? Still trying to convince myself that it wasn't true, I took out the scale to meet the next challenge. OMG @ YES to additional proof of 25 lbs lost since January 1st! How many days is that? I am tempted to get out a calendar, because I still do not believe it: It is 51 days. Time will tell where the next 51 days leads me...

Back to goal number three... to find a boyfriend. I am ok with this goal, because I do not plan for him to become a husband... least not yet, anyway. I don't know why this one is even on the list, because almost all of the relationships with men in my life have been fiascos, but what is common with all of them is that I did not do the choosing. I chose to accept the relationship, but they were not men that I chose. Could that be the reason why? Am I just too timid to make my move? It seems so much easier to accept or not accedpt if a man approches a woman first. A couple of weeks ago, I was curious about what it would be like to put in an ad, so I answered an ad. The man wasn't what I would like in a boyfriend, but he was kind enough to answer my questions. On a recent trip to the Library, I ran into a man I had seen in the Library last year. I do not know anything personal about this man, except that he seemed excited to know that I am single. Only time will tell if it leads to anything or not.

"The moments of happiness we enjoy take us by surprise. It is not that we seize them, but that they seize us." ~ Ashley Montagu

::Two Years of Dust::

Swish!! Swoosh!!! ::Cough::Cough:::... So this is what two years of dust looks like!!! Winivere, Winivere, where have you been??!!!#

Well, for one thing, I have not been able to get into my blog, because I forgot how to get in. For another thing, I got a bug on FACEBOOK for having a friend who has a friend who sends viruses! Beware of viruses on Facebook! You may end up losing access to your own computer!

So the facts, as boring as they may sound are these: I have remained computer-less for the past two years and have no clue as to when I will be able to purchase another one or if I will purchase one at all. Because I am unable to access my computer, I have also lost access to my PhotoShop files, so I will not be able to create new Graphic Images for my Blog. That part makes me sad most of all, but fortunately, I do have access to some of the images that I have created in the past.

So when you lose access to your computer, when you lose access to your PhotoShop files, as long as you can be successful at finding your way back into your blog, there is always the Local Library to come to the rescue! YAY!

During this time, I found a job that brought a strong woman like me to tears and tested my enlarged heart on more occassions that one from all of the stress at fighting off the paranas and the huge amount of paperwork. Long and constant prayer is what brought the job to an end... prayers at wishing for an end to all that stress, heart racing, nightmares, constantly getting sick over it. God heard my cry and brought my job to an end. He has given me an opportunity to find something else. He has saved me from death so many times. Surely, that has been because he has a purpose for my Life. Tell me, Lord, what is it that you would want me to do? You know all that I am capable of.

'When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would have not a singe bit of talent left and could say, "I used everything You gave me." '~ Erma Bombeck

The Life of this Single Girl Continues...

Good Morning, my lovelies... Yes @ I am still alive! LOL...

@->---

As you probably predicted, my "job of little pay" took complete control over my Single Girl world of non-existance. Squeezing blood out of every penny takes great creativity, not to mention a lot of Self-Denial of the everyday things that you can only wish for. The year 2010 stormed into my life like an unbelievable twirling tornado that is almost at yet another year's end... and now, the vicious circle of my life has returned to the same crossroad where I was in January... Yes! My job of little pay with a little bit of security has come to an end and I am back to Square One: looking for work so that I can get unemployment. Unfortunately, it's as if I never left, because the only leads are the same high-turnover jobs that I applied for in January!

@->---

I have been in MK for three months, but the hours at my previous job kept getting in my way. My work hours were so unpredictable that I was unable to plan anything for my business, and sometimes, I was not able to attend the meetings... And yet, someway, somehow, my business was blessed with three MK customers. Last month two people in my unit won Mary Kay cars and I was witness to four people in my area who received Recognition and Achievement on stage at the Dallas MK Seminar. I KNOW the opportunity is there, because I have been a witness to it. I just need to make the efforts required to make it happen for me...

@->---

Although it doesn't seem like a big deal to me, I got people buzzing about my efforts to get to Seminar. My job ended on July 21 at 8:00 p.m. I got home a little after 8:30 p.m. I was still undecided about going to the three days left of Seminar, because the girl I was going to room with was going to Seminar in August instead of July, so I didn't have a place to stay. The registration was unrefundable. The bus ticket was unrefundable. What's a girl to do? You got it! At last minute, I decided that if there was no place for me to stay, I would go for a day... and if I got the burning desire to stay an extra day, I would sleep over at the bus station for one night to get an extra day of Seminar... So I quickly packed only what fit in a backpack and a large purse, called a friend to take me to the bus station, and was at the bus station by 10 p.m. The bus did not arrive in Dallas until 9:30 a.m. the next day. Sitting down on the bus all night bus paid it's consequences on my bad knee, and the first thing that happened when I got into Dallas was that my backpack came apart!!!!! But what was so wonderful was that the Convention Center was within walking distance! It was only about four blocks away. I registered, got my free products, went to the day's events, had to go to First Aid to get an icepack for my knee, but was able to watch the rest of the day's events through a big TV screen in the hall, because I was unable to go up and down the arena stairs. When I came in contact with my director, I discovered that she and two other directors separated from the group, because there were originally nine people in a suite. That meant that I had a place to stay and that I could stay for the rest of the Seminar. Breakfast was free at the hotel and Lunch was free. That helped, because I could eat some and save the non-perishables to eat at night. Seminar was wonderful... the most wonderful entertainment, great speakers, wonderful stories of Success, and regular ladies like you and me in beautiful evening gowns receiving honor, recognition, awards, tiaras and roses.

.

XX,

Winivere =.)

always KISS me goodnight:::

I am feeling a little blue today, knowing that 2010 is almost heading into summer... I am blue, because although I bring myself to the point of exhaustion, spinning my wheels with the busy-ness of everyday life, my progress continues to stand still and I continue to lose money working at a job that pays only half what I used to make... I do not regret leaving my previous job, but I do wish that the efforts I make in my current job would bring at least a little bit of reward...

I am grateful that I have a job, even if it is a temporary job, but my mind and my body have become so exhausted that not even sleep brings renewal or relief... and what's worse is that the color of my eyes has gone from brown to red... Good grief @ who was the nut who invented money and did he hoard it all for himself?!

As a single person, my struggles are usually about money, because single people have no other choice but to work in order to survive... If you can't make the money, you learn to do without... but my biggest struggle is that I want to do more than just exist!

Sometimes I wonder how my life would have turned out if there had been an encouraging person in my life to always kiss me goodnight... Unloved children with no support learn to comfort themselves with their own words and with their own arms... and so, I put my arms around myself once more, and tell myself that everything will work out for the best...

::Le Update::

Hi. I am still here, but because of technical problems, I won't be able to post a tag. (sorry) They changed my schedule from 12:30 to 9:00 at work, so my eyes look like kermit. I have not been able to catch up with sleep with all of the time changes at work. Grrr...

I am still trying to get started with my Mary Kay business. I  received my starter kit and I have a lead for my first party. I was able to witness my director host a party, but she just reads what is on the flipchart. I want to incorporate some of my ideas to make it more fun and to make people want to share the experience with their friends! 

XOXO

::HAPPY EASTER::

I was late to work on Tuesday, because I had a torn up flat tire.  My car got me about a mile away from work, but no one at work wanted to help me to fix the tire. After work, I got sunburned and I got blisters on the bottom of my feet from walking all the way to my car. Through prayer, God sent me a nice young man to change my tire. He lay there under my car, getting himself dirty, but not one word of complaint came from his mouth. He was only focused on the task at hand. What a wonderful young man... I pray that God will reward him greatly for his kindness. 

When I got to Wal-Mart, I was surprised to discover that I didn't have one bad tire. I had three!!!  Proof once again that God has taking care of me! What if I had blown out more than one tire on the road?! Because the following day was payday, I purchased two tires... To my dismay, I was only paid for three days instead of five... I don't know what happened, but a lot of people were only paid part of their paycheck. Makes me sad...

Good Friday is the day that I died, but it is also a reminder that I was given a second chance at life. When I am continuously failing, it is so easy to forget about my many accomplishments in life... I have done a lot in my lifetime, but when I interview, I am not getting that across... mostly because the interviewers are not asking the right questions... How can I bring forth my worth?! or is it that they don't want to see it...

Last week, I read Mary Kay's biography. I could not put the book down. I read it all the way through within hours... It is amazing how one woman managed to change the world...

I don't know about you, but I came into 2010 thinking of this year as a year of Dreams... With the nightmare of last year's job, I vowed that this year has to be different... My daughter making it into the Fashion Designer world made me realize that my Dream never died... It only skipped a generation...

Yes, Good Friday is always my day of Reflection... I am grateful that I have a job and the job that I have allows me the freedom to take time off if I want, although I don't get paid for any time off, but the job I am in is not enough to realize my dreams because it doesn't pay enough... Still, it provides me with some money, so I have decided to supplement it by taking a risk. I am now officially a Mary Kay consultant. If you are in need of any Mary Kay products, let me know.

::Spring Fling::

Last month, I was surprised to see a lady at Wal-Mart wearing a Mary Kay jacket. OMG @ it's a pretty good way to advertise... so she had me fill out some survey and I got a free lipstick. That next Monday, I went in as a guest to one of their meetings. They have been having demonstrations on how to have parties focusing on only a few products at a time. 

One night they had a Lucious Lips meeting. Another night, they had a Pajama Party meeting with a Pajama outfit contest... and of course, I won that! LOL... I wore a black Tshirt with pink pajama bottoms, red Elmo slippers, fluffy pink boa, tiara, hair up in pigtails with two pink curlers, a blankie, and my guest was my teddy-bear Fonzi. LOL...  I won first place (a little bag of some Mary Kay samples). 

Last Monday, some people dressed up in this Spring's tropical trends and accessories. Some of the fashions were from Stein Mart, but most were things in people's closets that were jazzed up with new tropical glass and wood jewelry and tropical straw purses. The girls came up one at a time so that the Director could do their makeup with Mary Kay makeup. It was so much fun!

This Monday, they want all of us to dress up in something tropical. I found this fabulous material in green and turquoise on a brown background, so I will be making a simple sundress without a pattern... unless if it turns out to be a skirt...  I hope I bought enough material. LOL

As previously mentioned, I am working as a Personnel Clerk with the United States Census Bureau for only $8.00 an hour. The reason why I took this position instead of the higher paying jobs is because the higher paying jobs do not last very long. After everyone is counted, there is still clerical stuff to do, so this job can extend months longer... but it is NOT enough to pay my rent, car, car insurance, utilities, gasoline, etc, and groceries. 

I am enjoying going to the Mary Kay meetings, even if I am NOT a consultant. I am thinking about going into the Mary Kay business, but I am kind of scared, because I don't know that many people. Still, it is only $100 for the starter kit. That is not a big investment at all for something that might change my life... Plus, you get to discount utilities, phone, mileage, etc., when you do your taxes... Would this be a good opportunity for me?

::Le Update::

OMG @ has it been since Valentine's day?!! So much has happened since then...

As previously mentioned, I was supposed to start working for the Census on February 15, but when I went, they gave me the day off, because I was the only one who showed up for training. I started working for the Census as an Administrative Clerk for only $8.00 an hour on February 16. That's half what I used to make. Grrr... but after my last job, my Spirit was completely destroyed!  I have to try to rebuild my self-confidence.

On February 17, I fell at work. I was coming in the front door during my lunch break, but a man and a woman were talking behind the door. The woman moved but she didn't move her little suitcase. and I didn't see it. I fell over the suitcase and my face almost landed in the man's shoes.  That is no way to fall for a man, even if he IS single!!! I broke my fall with my right knee and my right hand. Oddly enough, the woman never said she was sorry and she never bothered to try to help me up. I continued to work the rest of the day. 

On February 18, I was at the hospital all day... almost eight hours. They took X-rays, gave me some pain killer, gave me a knee stabilizer that is too long for my leg and some crutches. The doctors said they didn't expect to see someone so young-looking compared to the age listed on my chart. LOL... Under doctor's orders, I did not return to work until Monday. That was such a painful weekend, especially difficult getting from one room to the next. I'd finally get to the kitchen when my bladder would yell at me to go somewhere else! Grrr @ why didn't you speak up when I was closer to the bathroom?!# I kept asking everyone how do you get around on crutches?! No one seemed to give me an answer. I think I ended up hurting my healthy leg from trying to get around on those crutches.  Living in an upstairs apartment only adds to the injury.

Working that week was hard. I popped a lot of Tylenol to get through the days, but I still managed to get in 39.5 hours that week. The following week, I worked almost 50 hours... Oh, so tired...  and no time to wash underwear! I had to go buy some more, because if I am in another accident, I don't want to scare the paramedics!!! ... My knee and my hand are still in pain, but I have to keep on going...

To add to my torment, the Unemployment people kept calling me, for about two weeks, different people, all asking the same questions about my fall. I had to send paperwork to the Workmen's comp people... All kinds of people ringing my phone tunes. OMGG... STRESS... To top it off, I have lost my W2. I have to find it so I can do my taxes... Grrr...

I was disappointed at my job when I first started because all I was doing was filing. When they put me on the phones to hire people, they were impressed with me, because I hired 26 people in 1-1/2 days, so I became the "star." I am glad that the bosses see me in a good light. Two of the girls have been gossiping about everybody and whispering. I hate whispering. They also made comments to make me feel bad. One of them keeps saying my name in Spanish. I corrected her in a nice way, but she didn't like it that I spoke up for myself. She said: What? Are you white?!... I was offended because I was singled out... What about Adam? What about Pat? Why do they insist on changing mine but not theirs?! I told her that according to my birth certificate, it does say that I am white. Those two girls continued to be rude, slamming the phone, slamming down files right beside me, so I told on them., because they make me feel uncomfortable. Whenever I am around bullies at any job, I usually just keep quiet and keep to myself, but that hasn't worked for me, so this time, I told on the girls and moved to a different spot. Was that wrong? What is the proper thing to do when you are around bullies at work? 

:: Be My Valentine ::

Happy Valentine's Day! Wish I had some flowers and candy! LOL...

I had an Interview last Thursday. The woman was very young and she had her nails made up for Valentine's Day... I don't know how it went, because it went by FASTer than I can blink! I did leave a thank you note, though... I hope it helps...

On Saturday, I donated a car load of stuff for them to make money for the Children's Home. That stirred some good KARMA, because I was eXtremely surprised to receive a phone call from the Census Bureau. They want me to start on Monday. The job pays half as much as I used to make. If I am on unemployment, how does that work? I will probably have to continue my job searches, which I can do, but what if I am called to Interview? 

XX

:::Le PASSION:::

Le day of amore is right around the corner... Once again, I have let LIFE get in my way...  Usually that happens when I am IN a job. Right now, I have NO job, but looking for a job is my NEW job... so once again, I am on the edge of allowing or not allowing LIFE to pass me by... Did I catch it in the nick of time?? Well, it is NOT V-day yet, but once again, I have failed to put TIME into looking for a boyfriend, so it is pretty much the same as almost missing it... 

I know some women settle for men just because they are good for them... someone who can be a good friend, someone who can be faithful, someone who cares for them...  I have been in relationships with men who were not good for me... but it is hard for me to imagine being with someone if there is no PASSION in the relationship... Am I more willing to be in a relationship with a man who is not good for me than to be in a relationship where there is no PASSION?... Good question...

Right now, I am in a relationship with a man who is good for me, but the relationship has not gone anywhere in years... He is a good friend, but I cannot say that we are a couple, because I have never been attracted to him that way... He has a lot of good qualities... more than are on my list of "must have" qualities, but what cuts me off the most is his mouth. He seems too comfortable in our relationship that he always says things that he shouldn't... total turn-off! Is it possible to create PASSION where there is no CHEMISTRY?!... Yawn...

I have been without a boyfriend since my divorce in 1997... and I waited 13 years to find that one! OMG @ this year will hit another 13 years mark... I better keep my eyes open...

XX