Spring brings new life

So I am making a blog entry. It's been a long time. I got burnt out, and usually had nothing exciting to report. Well I do have something to report... and it is not that I am pregnant!

I have gotten a new job! I start one week from today. I am excited, but also scared. I have a hard time with change, so this new job makes me nervous. I think the whole process for this job started less than a month ago. It has moved very quickly!

I actually found the job on craigslist.com, if you can believe that! I sent in my resume and cover letter and was contacted shortly to answer some questions. I did that and then was contacted to come in for an interview the next week. I ended up going in for 2 interviews for the position in the same week! At that point they let me know they were going to write up a offer. The next week I had to provide references and answer a few more questions and then the offer came at the end of the week. So I confirmed with Zach I was going for the job, and then had to let my current boss know that I would be leaving in 2 weeks! I am now in week 2!

One of my references told me one of the advisers asked about my dependability and promptness. Ekk! If you know me, being late is one of my biggest weaknesses. She smartly answered that they never had to worry if I would show up and that at times they had to tell me to go home when I was sick. She skirted around that question. So that will be one of my biggest challenges! But I know I can do a good job at it...most of the time!! :) I just have to try hard. I will also be a lot busier. I am excited for this, but hope I don't get too stressed. I am hoping it is just enough activity.

I realized I didn't say what I am doing! I will be an assistant for 3 financial advisers, franchised under Ameriprise Financial. Two advisers are in one office, and the other is in another office just down the road. So I will be with two of the advisers 3 days a week and with the other advisor 2 days a week. I will for sure be doing administrative assistant stuff a lot at first. But they have a vision that in a few years or so that I can move up and they will hire someone under me. I could learn to be an advisor, or a office manager/handle working with their clients. My favorite idea would be the manager and working a lot with the clients...not involving financial advice! ;) So we will see how it all works out! I feel really good about the opportunity and want to give it a try!

I will be working about 20-25 minutes away from home. Well not sure with the morning traffic, but that is my best guess for now. Which brings up the next subject...buying a car! Yay! I am really excited for this!! We will not have my car by the time I start, but hopefully very soon after! I have my eye on a used Jetta or Maxima. I have been looking online quite a bit and tomorrow we are meeting with some friends and the husband knows a lot about used cars. So he is hopefully steer us in the right direction.
Well that is all for now. I will update next week to tell how the new job is going! This week I am going to get things ready to leave, enjoy lunch with some of my work friends, and enjoy my free time.

Happy Spring Everyone! :)

Oh yeah...

I wanted to tell my election day story. It's a little late, but I kind of forgot about it until I saw someones post on election day stuff.

Anyway so here we go:

I went down with Zach's grandma (just as a reminder, we live with them). We got there just before 7am. There was already a line, but not bad.

I had brought a million documents with me to try and prove who I was. Let me explain. I don't have a California drivers license, only a Texas one, but it still has my maiden name on it because I have not been back to Texas since just after our honeymoon. I don't want to get a California one because I have to take a written drivers test. I brought my new social security card that had my correct name on it as well.

So I get in and tell the lady my name. She looks twice and can't find it. She tells me it's not on the list; and I have to go see some guy (who is really old to be helping out.) I would guess he was at least in his 70's. So he gives me a provisional ballot to fill out. While I am doing this another lady proceeds to ask me if I registered. I told her yes (although I did wait until the last day it could be post marked), but still, I did register.

So I get it all filled out and then the old man tells me, "Take it over the the colored man so he can help you." Yes... you read correctly. I almost couldn't believe he said that, but then again I am from the south and know that older generations were raised to speak the way. It is just a little out of the expected here.

So I took my info over to the man and he informed me of how to mark the ballot. So I did, double checked it, and brought it over to another guy to find out what to do next. He told me to put the ballot through this feeder. It then went into a box that had a sign on it that said something like, "Your ballot is safe here."

After this I ask the man (who gave me instruction about where to place the ballot) what the difference was between my provisional ballot and the regular ones. At that moment he said something like, "Oh, you had a provisional ballot? That wasn't supposed to go in there." I thought really, could go anymore wrong?

So then he asks if I can wait a minute, and I say yes. He pulls out a little booklet that says "What to do if..." on the front. So I continue to wait. Then he and the other guy talk about where the hot line phone number is that he can call to find out what to do. I continue to wait. So he calls and gets the answer. He tells me that it is ok and he is just supposed to write on my other documents that my ballot is with the normal ones.

So in the end it was all ok. Really I like to think that because my ballot was mixed in with the normal ones it was actually counted and helped to elect the next president of the United States. Otherwise it would have been unnecessary to count since California was way for Obama.

Next time I am going to be ready much more in advance that way my name will be on the list, and I won't have all these problems.

Thanks for reading :)

Autumn...Sad I didn't know how to spell that

Nicolle posted pictures of autumn decorations, so I decided I would too. But these are my decorations at work, not home. Since it is not "our" house, it is hard to find motivation to decorate. But when Christmas gets closer, we will for sure. I have been searching online for a Christmas tree. I want one of those pre-lit ones.

Anyway, I am getting off topic, see photos below:

I wanted to get some type of decoration for Halloween, but didn't have a lot of luck finding something. Then I saw these dyed sunflowers at Costco and thought they were perfect. I found the garland at CVS. Who would have thought?

Close up of the pretty flowers. They even dyed some the leaves purple.

The cute little pumpkin sitting next to my name plate. I got this at CVS too.

I thought while I was taking pictures, I might as well show off the view from my desk. Not too bad, huh?

Here is the view once you get closer.