Well its been quite a while since I have posted anything. It was so busy for a while that I just didn't have time, and then after a while I got out of the habit of thinking about writing on my blog, and then I just got lazy. I guess it happens to the best of us.

There isn't necessarily anything special that I want to post about today, just a little bit about what's going on these days. Things have finally slowed down to a nice, busy enough pace. Now that the holidays are over I usually only work one or two shifts a week at New York & Co which is just enough on top of my other job. I still really like both my jobs, they are fun and challenging and I learn new things all the time.  And, when I get a little sick of working, I just try to remember how badly I wanted a job when we first moved here. That usually humbles me enough to make me get out of bed and get moving.

Just a couple weeks ago Phil and I made a trip up to Salt Lake to visit family and friends. Because of the holiday hours I had to work we weren't able to go anywhere for Thanksgiving or Christmas. Luckily, my parents and little brother came here for Thanksgiving and we had a really fun time.  Then, for Christmas we went out to Mesa to have dinner with my aunt and uncle and cousins. Two of my cousins are getting ready to leave on missions (one has been called to Panamá and the other is waiting for her call) so it was good to be able to spend time with them before they both leave. I'm really glad we have family close by here in Arizona, its hard to be away from family for the holidays.

So, once the holidays were actually over, we made our trip to Utah. We found cheap flights and were able to stay for a whole week. We stayed at my grandparents in Bountiful and ate yummy food and played cards and just had the best time. It was so good to be able to see our friends again too. We have made some good friends here, but I especially have really missed our old ward. I always felt really needed and appreciated in that ward. I felt like I knew everybody and everyone was important to me and I was important to them. Its hard to go to a new ward. I know people always say that the church is the same everywhere, but that's only kind of true. The gospel is the same everywhere, but church is not.     So, even if it was just for one Sunday, it felt really good to be back in the 11th Ward.

We also got hit by a huge snowstorm. It snowed 16 inches in one night. It was fun to see the snow, but even better to come back to AZ and enjoy the 70 degree weather we have been having this week. We had a lot of fun with my grandparents; we always do. When I was little, my family would almost always drive up to Utah every summer and visit my grandparents. When I was old enough my parents let me stay an extra week or two after they left and then I would fly home later. My grandma and I would always go shopping for school clothes and grandpa and I would fight over the remote control. Those are some of my favorite memories. Once Phil and I got married we would go out to Bountiful almost every weekend and work in the yard if it was warm or stay inside if it was cold. We would have dinner and always play cards. Its something we have really missed since we have been in Arizona, so it was really nice to stay with them the whole week and catch up on some much needed card playing.

Hopefully we will be able to make a trip out to New Mexico next. Its been over a year since we have visited and I miss it. Something about New Mexico is just so charming, and also very full of happy memories. I'm grateful to have such a good family, and grateful that even though they are far away we are able to visit. All in all, life is pretty good right now.  There are challenges as always, but the good definitely outweighs the bad.  I think I'm a pretty lucky girl.

Life lately, work finally

It has been quite a while since I last wrote.  I felt like I had nothing to tell because I wasn't doing anything.  As hard as I was trying to find a job, nothing seemed to be working out and so I was just home day after day after day.  Don't get me wrong, I love to be a homemaker.  I like to clean, I like to organize and decorate, I like to make dinner for Phil, and I look forward to when we have a family and I can be home with our children.  However, when it is just the two of us in a small apartment, there is only so much to do. And even worse, weekends aren't much fun either when you are home everyday already.  

Well, since no other jobs seemed promising, I started applying to retail jobs all over Glendale.  I've always thought I would like working in retail, but it just doesn't pay much and the hours aren't very good. Still, I had to find something.  Well, I was first hired at New York & Company, a store I always loved in New Mexico (it wasn't in Salt Lake).  I started officially on Monday and it was fun.  I like talking to and helping people who come into the store, and being surrounded by clothes isn't too bad either. Unfortunately, in the retail business, employees only work part-time unless you are a manager, so just having one part-time job isn't really enough.

So, I kept working on applications and attending interviews and was also hired to work at TJ Maxx.  I attended an orientation on Tuesday and will be starting work there next week.  I like everyone I have met so far, I like the store, and I think I will like working there.  Hopefully, between the two jobs, and with the holidays coming up, I will be able to at least get 40 hours a week.

Overall I am just trying to stay positive.  My situation isn't ideal, but its not bad.  So what if its not my dream job?  I am lucky to have a job at all let alone two when I know there are so many people struggling to find work. Phil and I worry about money, student loans, paying bills, all of that.  But, at the same time I feel peace with our situation. I know that Heavenly Father will bless us and help us and that everything will work out in the end.

I guess I haven't been feeling very clever lately because it has been a while since I last posted.  I have been feeling a bit overwhelmed and stressed out this past week.  I don't feel like I should though.  I mean, I only work part time and even though I'm in school full time I usually have lots of time during the day to study or get things done.  Even so, with Relief Society and other church responsibilities, plus midterms coming up (I have one tonight), and just normal life, I feel a little crazy.  

I think a big part of the stress is coming from our upcoming move and the pressure I have been feeling to find a job. I have been job searching a lot lately and have come to a realization. Going to college has not prepared me in the least for a "real" job.  As I've read countless job descriptions in the past few weeks I seem to find one thing always in common: EXPERIENCE.  Most jobs want you to have a degree, but more than that they really want you to have experience; sometimes what seems to me like an outrageous amount of experience, like 10 years.  I have worked in a variety of jobs over the past few years, but mostly just part time and not really in a job that had opportunity for a lot of growth. Still, I feel like a have a lot of experience, just maybe not a very measurable amount. So, I guess I just haven't been feeling very confident.  I know I'm a hard worker, and I know I could be trained to do anything I didn't already know how to do, but I just feel worried that my "lack" of experience is preventing me from getting a job that I really want, and would really be good at. 

This post seems to have turned into a venting session so I think I'll stop there before I start feeling too sorry for myself.  I know everything will work out in the end, I just need to have faith. So, back to this crazy thing we call life.