Bless Your Heart

So I’ve decided how I want to spend my golden years. After Jon dies I refuse to go into a home. I’ve decided instead to live out my remaining years on a variety of cruise ships. Turns out I’m not the only one with this idea. I mean, what more do you need? Great food, see the world, maid service, doctor on board, Vegas style shows, and your grandkids will come visit all the time. I won’t have to live in some urine smelling nursing home that would just depress me- I can switch destinations and ships whenever I want and live my final years in style!

We got our firm date for our homestudy- the 30th. Jon’s in a frenzy of home improvement projects. We finished the half bath downstairs- pics to come, just gotta find the befores. and we painted the upstairs hallway. Jon put in a new faucet in the 1/2 bath and we put in a new mirror, but changed our minds on it, so that’s still in limbo. We used to be such careful painters, taping off, drop cloths, the works. Now all we need is a brush and some paint and if we spill we remind ourselves we’re not married to our carpet anyway.
Yesterday Jon, Marc & Kevin (our BIL and friend) went to watch football for the afternoon while Sara and I took care of the babies. Kevin’s little boy Nicolas was there- such a cutie. We all got back together at Sara’s later for dinner. I’ve been getting lots of diaper practice in, and now that Joey’s on baby food I’ve been practicing that too. Jon came in while I was feeding Joey dinner and announced we’d have a drain in our kitchen floor so Jon could just hose off the walls, high chair, baby, me. It’s a messy process that’s for sure!

For some reason it weirds me out if they keep cutting back to shots of the commentators during football cause then I have to accept the face with the voice and sometimes they don’t match. I don’t mind the pre-game commentator intro, but I don’t wanna see them again for the rest of the game.

My main role at work is recruiting. I spend hours reading resumes and calling people to come in for interviews. In the last 3 weeks alone I have seen and heard some seriously funny stuff. From this I have decided that there are lessons to be learned when it comes to writing resumes, talking on the phone, and sitting through interviews. *All names and identifying characteristics have been changed to protect the stupid innocent.

Lesson #1: Dude, get someone to read over that resume, and don’t forget spell check.
-“….dong business.” Instead of doing business.
-Under Special Skills: “I don’t really have any skills to speak of, but the ones I do have are surfing the internet and getting the email.”
-Under Summary: “I just turned 21 and am getting married soon, so I want to be a big time executive.”
-Leave your name as just your name and skip including nicknames like “Schizo”. You don’t want what is basically the title of your resume to read: Jonathan “Schizo” Smith.

Lesson #2: When you are job hunting, be prepared to speak to a prospective employer any time the phone rings. Change your outgoing answering machine message to something more professional.
-“I was just thinking about you” dramatic music “Why can’t we get together” dramatic music “Leave your number” bom bom bom BOOOOOMMMMMMM! This was a machine message. OMG.
-Another message I heard recently: “Hi this is Lucy Washington. Standard stuff about not being able to get to the phone, then the clencher: And remember, if you THINK you can….YOU CAN!”
-Yet another machine preached to me: “GOD is mercy. God is love. God is almighty. IN THE NAME OF THE SAVIOUR JESUS, leave a message.”
-After I did my little speech about the company and the position available one lady says to me, “So you’re not a photographer?”.
-I described the position and duties and this one girl says “So would I have to go out to places to do something?”. Yes I said, you’d go out and meet with clients. She says “Oh, well I can’t be doing none of that. Why can’t I just sit at a desk?”. Don’t call us, we’ll call you.

Lesson #3: When you come in for the interview, remember, you are there for an interview! Act professional! I heard these nuggets during informational interviews, the first step in securing a job at my company.
-When asked why the applicant was interested in my company one girl said “Oh, well, I thought I was here to be a receptionist.” Then spent the rest of the time applying makeup.
-My favorite, let’s call him Dave, when asked the same question as Mary Kay makeup: “Well, my name is Dave. I just graduated from Wonderful State University. I have a girlfriend, and well, SHE’S PREGNANT. So I, uh, need to be making more money than I did selling cars.”

I finally put up a hummingbird feeder- I’d been wanting to put it out since we moved in but didn’t feel like looking through the garage boxes for it. I’m so excited, this morning 2 little hummingbirds were fighting over who got to eat there. I said simmer down babies, there’s room for everyone. I just love them, they are so tiny and mighty and beautiful. I was telling Lisa about them and asked if she had them in Baltimore and she said “Yeah one time at my aunt’s house one flew into my hair. But then it flew out and hung upside down from a tree cause it wasn’t a hummingbird it was a baby bat.” Ah, urban nature at it’s finest.

My baby boy Ike Jit-Boo Kung Pao turned 2 (or 14 human) years old yesterday. It’s hard to believe he was once so tiny! Now he’s such a big boy! It seems like he’s been with us forever and I can’t imagine life without him, as crazy as he is!

The rest of our Labor Day weekend was spent with a paintbrush. I’m the cut in girl and Jon comes back with the roller. I’ve finished the 1/2 bath and worked on the hallway. I got caught up on laundry and vacuuming and whatnot too. I feel like I have so much to do, but we’re still drawn to the news, and the horror of what is going on in our country in the wake of this hurricane just leaves me feeling so sad and empty and tired. Once Jon rolls out the bath and the hall I’ll post pictures. I have so many other things on my list. Just 2 more weeks and I’m planning on having a yard sale. So lots and lots to do. I can’t be setting up for the sale with one box and hope to make enough money to get us to China!

We spent most of the afternoon and evening at my sister Sara’s new house hanging out with the family and some friends. I got a look at the fence my husband helped my BIL Marc build last weekin Marc & Sara’s back yard, lots of hard work, picket by picket, but it looks great. (for some reason blogger won’t let me post pics today so you’ll have to click the pic to enlarge) We grilled hamburgers and hung out playing with the boys, my nephews. Jake had a big time opening and closing my cell phone, and now it doesn’t work. Must remember that just because they look cute it doesn’t mean they can’t break things. My camera is acting up too- taking all these psychedelic pictures when you turn it on, but going back to normal after shot # 2 or 3. I can’t have all my electronics die at once! Jake had a big time playing with my sunglasses. He looks like such the tortured movie star!

In a mad frenzy to get some home improvements taken care of before the homestudy, I bought some paint for the front door (I know I painted it red but it doesn’t look good with the bricks & siding), and I’m also repainting the half bath and painting the hallway. I painted the half bath creamware, but it was really cream only in direct sunlight otherwise it is yellow in disguise. Dag! So I figured since I’ll be trapped at home this weekend due to the gas situation I might as well be productive! Pictures to come- I’m a big fan of before and afters!

I keep watching CNN and MSNBC and I just can’t look away. I feel so badly for the victims of Hurricane Katrina. Luckily I have a dear friend who works for Red Cross and she sent me a list of ways I can help. Please check with your local Red Cross on how you can help too. And pray.