oh by the way...

mood:pleased

Two or three days ago, I applied for six jobs. We'll see what comes of that. I found almost all of them in the classifieds.

One was at a real estate office, one was at an insurance office, and two were at hotels. All four of those were advertised as receptionist/secretary/front desk-type positions. Since then, I've learned that the real estate office is actually looking for something entirely different - a "listing/marketing coordinator" who will assist the agent in putting the locations on the market and selling them, and possibly eventually get a real estate license. Not what I was looking for.

The other two positions I found on the internet. Actually, I applied at two hospitals, and at each hospital I applied for 4-5 non-clinical positions.

Now I just have to "hurry up and wait" on these jobs. I've also found some other receptionist jobs in the classifieds that I will probably apply for.

Pia, thank you so much for all your support and encouragement. Please know that you are in my prayers, and I certainly hope that all of the visitors to my blog will say a prayer for you.

she's alive... and she updates!

mood:cheerful

You'll never believe this, but my sister, also known as Jennifer from "Bits from an Artist", previously a prominent member of my blogroll, has UPDATED!!! Who would've thunk it? I had given up on her!

And yes, yes, yes, I know I need to update my blogroll. Apologies to all. I'm probably going to design a new layout soon. Hopefully. We'll see!

classified ads

mood:amused

Lately, I've spent many hours cruising the classified ads, searching for a job. I frequently come across sds that I find very amusing, so I thought I'd share them with you here.

You could be working for the largest telecommunications company in the world!

Do you have a charming voice?
Do you love chit chat?
If so, you may be the perfect candidate for telephone acting! You MUST have an open mind, and a very charming voice!

Paychecks mailed WEEKLY!
Flexible Hours - full/part time or work as an independent contractor setting your own hours!
Complete and total anonymity!

We employ hundreds of women and men nationwide and entertain over 10,000 clients daily. Our top agents earn $15+ per hour. (hourly rate plus bonuses) You must be an adult, have a private area of your home to work from, and a very positive attitude!

Please call 1-800-325-6608 for more detailed information regarding this position!

Sound like a fun and easy way to earn money? It is!

For more information, call and speak with one of recruiters today or visit us at www.phoneactress.com

*Ahem* wonder what they REALLY want?

waiting

mood:boredboredboredboredbored

I am so sorry that I haven't been updating this blog more frequently, but there is seriously nothing going on in my life. I'm considering insanity, if only for the entertainment. I have no job, no prospects for getting a job, and at this point, no money. So my days have just become incredibly monotonous.

My days go something like this: Wake up. Check email to see if I've received a reply from Mercy Ships. No reply, so I log onto the websites for 2-3 local newspapers and check the classfieds for a potential job. After that, I usually have another 8-10 hours to putter around the house. I read my Bible, do puzzles, surf the internet, then start that cycle over again. I can't afford to eat out. I can't even afford to fill my car with gas again.

I don't mean to complain. It's just that since I don't go anywhere, nothing ever seems to happen in my life. So I feel like I have nothing to say. Blah blah blah. Well, it will improve soon. Just waiting, waiting, waiting, waiting.

sorry for the delay...

mood:lazy

I would have posted sooner, but our internet has been acting oddly for the past few days.

Last Tuesday, my best friend and I went downtown to donate plasma for money in another of our crazy money-making schemes. We were told that we were not eligible to donate, which baffles us, because our blood is certainly more pure than that of the people we saw there. All I can say is, based on what I saw, I really hope I never have to get a plasma transfusion.

On Thursday, my mom and I accompanied a couple of other ladies from our church to a "Ladies' Night" at a local greenhouse/nursery. We ate dinner together with my father at a Wendy's, and got to watch the cleanup from a nasty motorcycle accident. My dad witnessed the accident. He said the motorcyclist actually tipped forward and basically ate the pavement. No helmet. Very messy. Naturally the motorcyclist died. In light of this and the recent NFL player who had an accident without a helmet, all I can say is, I don't get people.

Anyway, we went to the nursery and had a very pleasant time. There were Avon reps, Mary Kay reps, Tupperware reps, and many many more. We got lots of free samples, free food, free plant seeds, and some free plants.

No new updates on Mercy Ships, but rest assured I'll let you know if I find anything out. No job either, but I'm not highly concerned. I've started selling aggressively on Ebay and Half.com, so hopefully that will be a tidy supplement to my income.

And an update on David- He went home last Monday, which is good. It means he is improving. But of course keep him in your prayers.

on a different note...

mood:oddly relaxed

Hey y'all, would you also please pray for my pastor's wife's brother? His name is David. He lives out in the country, and he was cutting up a tree with a chainsaw, when the saw kicked back and he basically severed his hand (at approximately his mid-forearm).

He was in surgery for 10 hours with 9 doctors, and his hand was successfully reattached. However, now the wound has to heal, and that will take time.

He seems to be healing, praise God, but it will take a few weeks before we will know for sure if he is healing. Right now the doctors are keeping a very close eye on the bones. If the bones heal, then it is a good sign that the wound will heal completely. But it will take somewhere between 4-12 weeks before they will know if the bone has healed.

He and his wife also have to decide what to do in the future, in terms of rehab. There are a couple of different hospitals and rehab centers around the country that specialize in hand trauma, but none of those is close to their home. Their is also a hospital/rehab center near that home that is almost brand new and very good, but does not specialize in hand trauma. Of course, recovery and rehabilitation will take several months, if not years. So this is a difficult and very important decision.

this does not make sense at all

moodconfused

Today I got an email from the principal on the ship (who I've corresponded with before), telling me that they have a new opening in their school.

Like I said, this does not make sense at all.

catch up

mood:stressed

What an exhausting weekend. Last Friday I got a couple of emails from Mercy Ships, telling me that they had received my application (good), but that they were not interested in me as a teacher due to my lack of experience (bad). However there is a slim slim chance that I could still get a clerical position or a position as a seamstress. That's better than nothing, but it's not what I'm looking for.

On Saturday I took two Praxis tests. The first test, 10041, was about English Language, Literature, and Composition: Content Knowledge. The second test, 20069, was about Middle School Mathematics. If I pass one or both tests I can receive state certifications in those areas. I think I did okay on the tests, but it's worth noting that I did not take any classes to prepare for them.

I think I'm ready to take a nap.

bocelli

mood:restless & numb

I heard this song earlier and I can't fully explain why it touched me so deeply.

Wise men say only fools rush in
but I can't help falling in love with you
Shall I stay
would it be a sin
If I can't help falling in love with you

Like a river flows surely to the sea
Darling so it goes
some things are meant to be
take my hand, take my whole life too
for I can't help falling in love with you

Like a river flows surely to the sea
Darling so it goes
some things are meant to be
take my hand, take my whole life too
for I can't help falling in love with you
for I can't help falling in love with you

I think it's just the raw emotion within this song. This has been a really difficult, emotional day for me.

I have to go study. I have those tests tomorrow, and I really don't feel ready for them.

aaaaarrrrrrrrgggggggggggggg

mood:exhausted

Help me! I'm seeing problems with polynomials in my sleep, and I can't solve them!

help!

mood:worried

I have a hamster with a squinty eye. Which, even though hamsters blink one eye at a time, I don't think it's normal. And the vet won't be in her office again until Monday.

Phooey on people who make so much money that they can set their own hours.

Speaking of which, I don't even think I can afford to take her to the vet on Monday.

Phooey on being broke!

i am so blessed!

mood:thankful

Tonight I realized how blessed I am to have such wonderful friends. I don't think words can describe how blessed they make me feel. Thank you to all my friends, for just being there!

To Beth~ We've known each other for 15 years, and during that time we've had a lot of other friends. But always, when times were difficult, when everyone else walked out on me, you were there for me. I will never be able to repay you for all the kindnesses you have given me.

To all the wonderful friends I've met online~ If I forget anyone, I am so sorry!

Drea~ We're so similar and so different all at the same time! Nonetheless I am so thankful that we have met and that we now can call each other "friend".

Pia~ How can words describe the way I feel about you? I am so encouraged to know that, through my blog, we have been able to literally "wrap the earth in prayer". I know things are hard for you right now, sister, but be strong, for the Lord is with you. He will never leave you nor forsake you, and you will be able to look back on this and know that you are stronger because of it.

Tina~ One of my other international friends. It's so fun to be a part of your ministry through your blog. May the Lord continue to bless you abundantly as you spread His word to every nation!

Janna~ It's amazing how such a great big internet brought together two people so near (physically). It's always an encouragement to read your blog, and to know that you continue to lift up the Kingdom.

Anneliese~ I'm so encouraged by your continued prayer and your blog. May your church be blessed as you continue to spread God's word to your community and world.

Sparrow~ Though I know this is a time of trial for you, your unceasing prayer reminds me to always look to our Savior. May the Lord give you strength as your children grow and may your life always be blessed by family.

Everyone else who I forgot to mention~ I love you all!

A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.
~Proverbs 17:17

Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.
~I John 4:7-8

9:04 am, finally

mood:relieved

FINALLY! This morning, at 9:04 am (central time), I FINALLY mailed my application for Mercy Ships!

I can't deny that I'm a bit nervous now. I really, really want to be a part of Mercy Ships. But I am SOOOOO relieved that this application is FINALLY DONE!!!

texas wrap-up

mood:home at last

My family returned to Missouri yesterday evening. There isn't a whole lot to tell about our mini-vacation. We helped my older sister move out of her apartment and move her things into a storage unit, which meant a lot of packing and a lot of carrying boxes from her 2nd-story-apartment to her car, our car, or her friend's truck.

Drea, it was definitely warmer down there than it was in Missouri, although I was told that it was not particularly "hot" by Texas standards (80s-low 90s F). However, it definitely felt hot for us, since we were lifting and moving and carrying and packing, and there were a lot of us in a fairly small space. I'm thankful, though, that Texas tends to have a dry wind blowing, because it actually feels pretty good when you're hot and sweaty.

We did do a couple of interesting things down there, though. One afternoon we visited a small aquarium, which despite its small size, was a lot of fun. They had an alligator snapping turtle, which is native to the midwest. I've seen tons of these turtles before, but the turtle at this aquarium was larger than any alligator snapping turtle I've ever seen before - probably close to 200 lbs! They also had a breeding program for seahorses, which was very cool! You may or may not know that seahorses are one of the only animals in which the father bears most of the responsibility for the birth and raising of the children. Seahorses lay eggs, but the father carries the eggs in his egg-sac until they hatch and is thus, in a manner of speaking, "pregnant". So I got to see pregnant male seahorses, and even got to see one male seahorse "giving birth" - that is, expelling the newly-hatched seahorse babies and their egg fragments. Cool stuff!


This is a large alligator snapping turtle. I didn't take this picture! But I think it gives you a pretty good idea of the size I saw!


This is a pregnant male seahorse. It's not a great picture, but I think it shows the male's pregnancy pretty clearly. Again, I didn't take this picture.

My sister also took us to the Radio Shack outlet, which was REALLY awesome! Electronic gizmos and gadgets, CHEAP! I got two pairs of earbud headphones for just $1 each. I also got an mp3 player, a Sandisk Sansa c140, for $89. It only has 1 gig, which was less than I was hoping for, but it was on sale for more than $30 less than retail. It was in the outlet store because the packaging was oh-so-slightly damaged. I haven't had a lot of time to play with it yet, but so far I am very happy with it.


This picture is the closest I could find on the internet to what my mp3 player looks like. I think the only difference is that my mp3 player has a different menu button.