Friday, July 10, 2009

4th of July 2009

For the 4th of July, we did what we've done the past four out of five years......went to Dean's brother's cabin on Nelson Lake in Wisconsin.


It's a six hour drive with no stops so the plan was to leave at 7 am Thursday. We pulled out of the driveway at 7:25 - not too bad! The skies were blue & sunny when we left home but by the time we got to the cabin at 3:00, they were grey & overcast & the temperature had dropped considerably! It was very cool; too cool to enjoy ourselves outside so we all went inside, turned on the fireplace & enjoyed some wine (well, the adults did anyways!). Whoever thought we'd be sitting by the fireplace on the 4th of July weekend!! Not me, but it was fun!

This year was a smaller crowd than usual. There were a total of fourteen people staying at the cabin - six adults & eight children ranging from 1 1/2 years to 13 1/2 years! Oh, and can't forget, Oscar the dog! Crowded & noisy but lots of fun!

Friday morning started out sunny but shortly after lunch it was overcast skies again! The boys went golfing which is also a tradition! This year Tanner was old enough to join in on the fun & he loved it! Each family is assigned a day to make lunch & supper (for breakfast, we all do our own thing) and Friday was our lucky day. The cabin is near Hayward, WI, which has a WalMart so last year I waited until we got there to buy our groceries - which was a BIG mistake! Everything was SO picked over so this year I decided to plan ahead & bring all my groceries. This also turned out to be a mistake. Last year I made walking tacos for lunch & they were a hit! I thought about making them again this year but I hate repeating myself so decided not to make them. Well, when I got there, everyone was requesting & hoping I was making walking tacos & much to their dismay, I told them no. So now I know for next year & the following years, I HAVE to make walking tacos!

For lunch, Dean & I served grilled hot dogs & brats along with taco salad (close to walking tacos but not close enough!). I made Texas Caviar for snack. And supper consisted of grilled, barbecued chicken legs for the kids & marinated, Italian chicken breasts for the adults along with Italian pasta salad & baked beans.

It started to rain while Dean was grilling supper but he finished like a trooper! Normally the kids would eat inside at the dining room table while the adults ate outside on the deck but with the rain we had to eat in shifts at the dining room table but it all worked out being we had to grill in shifts due to all the chicken!

Of course, each night we enjoyed a bon fire & s'mores! The resort had a very nice fireworks display on Friday night. By the way, WI has mosquitos the size of small birds!! And bugs, too!!

On Saturday the kids enjoyed swimming & tubing. They also played a wiffleball game with the neighbor kids on Saturday & another on Sunday with the kids & some adults. The kids broke the two wiffleballs in half so they had to use a plastic ball which was very dented by the end but at least it was still in one piece!

Saturday after lunch we went into town to the candy store. This place is awesome......there are barrels & barrels & barrels of candy - everything you can think of - you choose what you want & put into your basket. They also make fudge & tons of chocolate candy treats. I couldn't leave without getting a 1/2 lb. of peanut butter fudge but now that I have only a small bite left......I'm thinking I should have went with a whole pound! Later we enjoyed rootbeer floats & tattoos - glow-in-the-dark & glitter ones! That evening, we also enjoyed a few little fireworks & sparklers!

Sunday morning the kids enjoyed snaps, smoke balls & firecrackers. We left WI at 2:00 & made our regular stop at Space Aliens in St Cloud! Love this restaurant - if you ever go you gotta try the Cajun Ranch Chicken Baked Potato! We finally got home at 9:15, exhausted from driving/riding for so long & many late nights!

Vacation is fun but it feels so good to get home afterwards!

Tuesday, July 07, 2009

I Gotta Job!

So I am employable......I was beginning to wonder!

After FOUR trips to the SF area for interviews, one finally paid off! My interviews began the end of April. The first interview was for a Finance Manager at a DVD kiosk company, the second for a Mortgage Loan Processor at a credit union, the third for an Accountant at a CPA firm, the fourth for an Accounting Assistant/Administrative Assistant at a non-profit food organization, and the fifth (and lucky one) for a Settlement Accountant at a third party credit card servicing company! WOOHOO!!!

I applied for a gazillion jobs......seriously! =) The good news is that companies are hiring; the bad news is that there are LOTS of people applying for jobs! Every interview I've been to, they've told me that they had a huge number of applications/resumes! At the non-profit organization, they told me they had 150 applicants! Even though I did not get offered the job, I feel so lucky to have even gotten an interview! That's CRAZY competition! I did end up getting a second interview at the CPA firm but still did not get the job......which I'm OK with......my goal is to obtain my CPA license but I just don't know if I can handle the dreadful tax season at a CPA firm!

Regarding the job I accepted, I had an interview last Tuesday. When I left about 4 pm, they told me they still had more interviews to conduct last week & would make a decision & offer by Tuesday (today) of this week. Well, at 9:30 Wednesday morning, barely 12 hours after I left, they called me & told me they liked me so much that they wanted to offer me the job & cancel the rest of their interviews! IS THAT CRAZY OR WHAT?!?! And of course, I accepted the job!

The position does not pay me nearly what I was hoping for but it is in the accounting field & the company has great perks & benefits. Plus the HR lady & my supervisor were awesome. I get to wear jeans EVERY DAY; set my own hours - work as early as 7:30, as late as 5:00, & take a 30 min or 60 min lunch; the company is located in a nice, new building in a nice, newer area; get 3 weeks of vacation the first year & 4 weeks of vacation the second year; has a great 401K! I think I'm going to really enjoy this job & the company! I'm really excited about going back to work after being unemployed for so long......since mid-December!! Being unemployed can be great, especially during the summer, but I'm ready to work! I start on July 27th - which seems so far away yet so close!

Being our house (STILL) has not sold, the kids & I are going to B tomorrow to find us an apartment to rent. Hopefully I have good luck finding a newer one with a short lease!

I GOT A JOB! I GOT A JOB!! I GOT A JOB!!!

Wednesday, July 01, 2009

Happy 4th of July

We are spending the 4th of July in Wisconsin at Dean's brother's cabin.
Have a Safe & Happy 4th of July!

I have some good news but I'm not telling you until next week......so stay tuned!