I wanted to do a quick update of everything that has been going on lately because it has been so busy, and with the holidays coming up I don't know when I'll get a chance to post again.

First of all, I got a new job! Thanks so much to a friend from work who helped me to get in touch with a company she worked for in the past. Its a medical billing company called ASC billing and they have been growing a lot and were able and willing to hire me pretty much on the spot. I started this past Monday and am working in the posting department.  Honestly, I know nothing about medical billing, so its all new to me, but they have been great about teaching me everything and I really like it so far. I like the idea that I am in a way helping doctors to focus on just being doctors and to not have to worry about billing their patients and working with insurance companies, because even after just a week, I can say that its A LOT of work! The company is not much farther away than my retail jobs, plus its a Monday-Friday, 8-5 schedule, and I love that.

I left my job at TJ Maxx but decided to go ahead and stay with NY & Co.  I like working there and we can always use the extra money, especially around the holidays. That being said, I'm working a ton, this past week was very busy, and I'm not sure how long I will be able to keep it up. I don't think I have ever mentioned before, but I also volunteer at the Library one night a week and take an Institute class one night. Between all that Sunday is really my only free day, and I am so grateful that my managers at NY & Co have always allowed me to have Sundays off. They have really been great about working with my schedule.

I have also been busy with two callings at church. When we first moved into the ward here I was called to be a Visiting Teaching Coordinator, which basically consists with helping to make visiting teaching assignments and reporting statistics at the end of each month. I think visiting teaching is so important, it really helps women to build friendships and serve one another, so I am always willing to help where I can in that capacity. Then, just a few weeks ago I accepted a second calling as the Mia Maid advisor in the ward. The Mia Maids are the young women age 14-15 and the advisor usually teaches a lesson on three of the four Sundays out of each month. I loved the Young Women program growing up, and had some great advisors, especially Jenn who is still a good friend today, so I of course was delighted to be called to work with the young women in this ward.

My last post was about me signing up for NaNoWriMo and how excited I was to start writing a novel. I wrote and wrote ever day, until this past Monday when I started my new job. With all the things listed above I have barely had time to write much more than a few paragraphs this whole week. Its a little frustrating because I was so excited and kind of on a roll, and now that rolling has almost come to a stop. I am not giving up on this dream. I still have a story idea and am still working on it, but I feel a little sad when I look at my stagnant word count on the NaNoWriMo website. I am at 12,158 words, which is more than I have ever written in this short a time before, but the goal is 50,000. I am going to keep trying though and one way or another, even if no one ever reads it, I am going to finish this novel.

OK. Update complete. Have a happy Sunday!

NaNoWriMo

So, I've decided to write a novel. 

Seriously.

My cousin Catie gave me the idea because apparently November is National Novel Writing Month, or NaNoWriMo.  Anyway, she posted on facebook that she had signed up to do it and had the workings of a story. I had no clue what NaNoWriMo even was (good thing we have google) but once I found out I totally loved the idea. 

The gist of it is that you try to write every day in the month of November. You just write and write and write and by the end of the month you should have a novel. The website has tips and forums and a word-count-o-meter (something like that) and basically just motivates you to get from start to finish in 30 days. 

I had absolutely no idea what I would write about, but I really wanted to do it (I've always wanted to write a novel) so I created a profile and started up my count-o-meter.  I started writing about nothing really, and then it kind of turned into something, and then something else, and now I actually have a real idea and am writing a real story. Its a like a miracle.

The thing is, I really have always wanted to write a novel. But I am such a perfectionist that I never get very far because I over edit and I tend to judge myself.  I want my work to be perfect from the start and that keeps me from ever getting to the finish.  I want whatever I write to mean something because the books I read mean so much to me. I don't want to just author cheap story lines that sell thousands of copies and are made into movies, but then don't really mean anything to anybody because they don't actually have much substance (cough, cough, Nicholas Sparks, cough).  

But, having said that, you can see that that is part of my problem. Maybe I need to just sit down and spit out a story, whether it means something or not so that I can just say that I have written a novel. You have to start somewhere, right? It doesn't have to be a masterpiece. 

And, lets face it, I'm not Charlotte Bronte, nor will I ever be. But I want to do this. And I'm going to do it. So, I am posting this on my blog, against my better judging type A personality, because I want to hold myself accountable. 

The goal is 50,000 words and a completed novel by November 30. I'm at 3,923. Only 46,077 more to go!

Happy Halloween!

I LOVE Halloween.  I think I love it more each year.  I especially love dressing up, and for me the fun is in finding/making the costumes. Phil doesn't want to have to work, he just wants an easy costume that he can put on and be done, but I don't just want any old store-bought costume.  Which is ironic because when I was a kid I always thought the store-bought costumes were the best, but my mom (wisely) was never willing to spend the money and always made my costumes. They were of course way better and much nicer than anything I could have bought at Wal-Mart, but its only recently that I'm really starting to appreciate her hard work. 

These days, I pride myself on being able to find everything we need to dress up at the D.I.  Even better if I can find something ridiculous and alter it into something great. I also really like have couples costumes. A few years ago Phil and I dressed up as Princess Peach and Mario and his roommate Brian was Luigi. 

My dress was a giant size 20 that I found at the D.I. and took in by hand!  So grateful to have a sewing machine now!

Then last year we dressed up as Gnomeo and Juliet, which was really fun except that people kept mistaking us for either Smurfs or Keebler Elves.  

A combination of D.I. alterations and clothing we already owned.  I made our gnome hats out of felt.

This year I wanted to have a theme again, its just more fun that way. We were thinking for a while that we could be the Mad Hatter and Alice in Wonderland, but I wasn't thrilled with the idea and we were on such a tight budget I wasn't sure how I was going to be able to make our costumes good enough.  Finally, after searching online for ideas, I got the idea to be Sandy and Danny from Grease. I of course decided I would be the "good" Sandy which would be an easier costume, not to mention more appropriate for our Ward party. Phil's costume was what made me really excited though.  As you all know, he is attending Thunderbird School of Global Management. Well, all the students at Thunderbird are called T-Birds and what could be more iconic than Danny's T-Bird jacket?  

After a mishap with spray paint, I was able to use acrylics to paint the "T-Bird" logo on Phil's jacket.  I told him he should just start wearing it to school, I think its awesome!

My skirt was made from a large yellow muumuu dress.  The sweater and all of Phil's costume were also bought at Goodwill. 

Happy Halloween!