California Livin'

If you read this post then you know that I am staying with my grandparents in California right now. Even though I am here to help them out I have been enjoying this time between work and school. It has been really nice to talk with my grandparents - about how they grew up, about how they met, my mom's childhood, and even my early childhood. Even though I'm "on duty" 24-7, I have gotten a lot of time to relax by reading and tanning by the pool. I have been here for a week and I have gotten into a routine...one that I definitely can't complain about!

.*I was outside reading and my grandpa came out and asked me if I could "stand a margarita." Why yes grandpa, yes I can.

8:00am - Wake up time! Even though my grandma usually gets up before this time, it's around now that she makes coffee and wants breakfast. So Emily to the rescue! ;) Mainly she just needs someone to carry over her coffee to the table, and then help getting all the things she needs for breakfast.

10:00am - By this time we are all either sitting in the living room reading our books or I am out in the backyard tending to the garden. On Sunday I spent a good two hours or so outside watering all the plants. She has tomato plants, citrus trees, and flowers galore!

Although this is a tiring feat, I am loving it. It definitely helps that I'm able to do all this outside work in 70 degree weather instead of 100. I'm thinking that I want a lot of flowers blooming in my future home...and might even make it my semester project to plant some flowers in my college home!

And then this happened:

She wanted me to do some trimming of this plant so I went out with the little garden trimmers I had used before and she told me where to cut. While I was behind the bush she disappeared and came back with these ginormous clippers. You have to admit it's quite comical...my grandma in a leg brace with her walker, but using these clippers to cut her plants out front. That's what I call dedication!

12:00pm - Lunch time! We usually just have a sandwich and chips and depending on the weather we'll go outside to eat. Nothing too fancy, but it's just another nice time we get to chat.

2:00pm - It is around this time that I suit up and head for the pool. Before my aunt left she made sure I knew how to set up the rafts so that I could lay out and read in the pool. It is glorious. But because I have #whitegirlprobs I try to only stay out for about 30 minutes. I'm trying to just get a darker shade of white, not tomato red here. ;) So it's about an hour total tanning the back and front and getting my read on.

*I'm proud of myself because it only took me three tries to get this picture. But then my grandpa came out and asked me if I wanted him to take my picture and now I'm embarrassed.*

5:00pm - Dinner time! Can you tell I get excited about the times when food is involved??? 5 o' clock is a little early for me to be eating dinner, but what the grandparents want, the grandparents get! I don't do anything too fancy. My aunt said for dinner it's "meat, vegetable, salad." I can handle that! Grandma likes to feel helpful so she'll make the salad as I prepare the rest. Grandpa likes to have a glass of wine every evening with dinner and when he offers a glass to me, I only slightly hesitate. ;)

7:00pm - By this time we are all seated in our comfy chairs in the living room watching the news. I have to say, I never knew the news could be quite so interesting! We watch the 5 o' clock news; local and world news! After that we watch jeopardy. At first we were watching kid's week which was grand because I could at least answer some of the questions! Or is it question some of the answers... But then we got into the grown up stuff, and the only answer question I knew was "What is Doctor Who?" Figures. Then we'll either watch more TV, play a game, or read until bed time.

10:00pm - This is my "me" time when at least grandma is in bed and I hit the weights! Okay, not really. They have a bike that I have been riding for a few miles every night and then I do a tone it up work out. It may not be much, but it makes me feel good!

12:00am - Sleep..........and then repeat!

I could honestly see myself being a caregiver. 18 more days of this!!

A Guest Post - Debunking Job Myths: The Truth About Civilian Employment

When Emma first emailed me about a possible collaboration, I admit I was really excited. I love my little "lifestyle" blog but sometimes I struggle with things to write about. Dillon happens to be my main topic, but with our long distance relationship, stories with him are rare. A big part of our lives, but not something I talk too much about, is the military. Dillon goes to the United States Air Force Academy and is considered active duty, however I know that what he does now is nothing like what he will do as an officer after graduating. The academy only requires a five year minimum (for most jobs) service after graduation, and as of now Dillon is thinking that he will serve those five years and then get a job in the civilian world. I don't know exactly what will happen in our future, but these are some awesome things to know about job searches for people coming out of the military, and some are even helpful in general!

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Believing the rumors you hear without taking the time to find out whether or not they are true seldom does any good for anyone. This is particularly true for those transitioning into the civilian workforce after serving in the military. Whether you’re retiring from the service or returning to civilian life after completing a minimum commitment, you’ve probably heard a number of myths about the difficulties of finding post-military employment. Here are the truths behind some of those myths.

Myth #1: Since you are used to taking orders, you will never be a successful entrepreneur.

Truth: Many former military personnel run their own companies. Although you learned to take orders in the military, you also honed several other skills that are valuable within the business community. Recently, the U.S. Small Business Administration started a program to assist veterans interested in starting their own businesses. This program provides classes and mentorships, among other resources for veterans.

Myth #2: During unemployment, you should only focus on applying to jobs.

Truth: Use this time to get involved in your community or with an organization whose cause you can support. Volunteer work looks great on a resume, and you will likely be able to do some valuable networking while volunteering. Sometimes volunteer positions can turn into gainful employment, and other times volunteer work helps job seekers connect with prospective employers.

Myth #3: If you spent time in active duty, companies will not wish to hire you.

Truth: Companies are legally required to consider military veterans as potential employees regardless of their previous service. Additionally, the federal government has passed laws and created incentives to encourage employers to give preferenceto applicants with military experience, especially if you are disabled due to service-related injuries or served during specific time periods.

Myth #4: Employers simply don’t care about job seekers.

Truth: Today’s employers understand the competitive nature of the job market. In order to ensure that the best workers don’t slip through the cracks, many companies have made it easy for job seekers to apply by utilizing mobile recruiting platforms, like JIBE. By using this service, you can upload resumes and other job-related documents right from you tablet or smartphone.

Much of the anxiety that you may face during your transition back into civilian life can be assuaged by learning the truth behind some common myths. Although change can be difficult, many opportunities lie in wait.

Emma is a mid 20-something year old with a passion for life, love, fitness, and helping others. She loves to be active and get involved in as many sport and community activities as possible. Emma is currently studying to become a Career & Life Coach, and loves to network with people from around the world! Check out Emma’s blog at Smile as it Happens! 

To Be A Blessing

Right now I am sitting in a bed that is not my bed, but will be my bed for the next three and half weeks. I am staying with my grandparents in California, but it's not necessarily a family vacation. Let me backtrack just a little bit...

The job that I had as an advocate for a girl with special needs at a summer camp was scheduled to be 10.5 weeks of the summer. That is a long time but by the time it was to end it still left me with three full weeks of summer before school started. I had never known exactly what I would do with those three weeks.

Should I go back home? Should I try to find another job? Should I try to shadow an OT? Should I fly up to North Dakota to see my dad and brother?

I had a lot of options, but I never actually considered coming to California.

That was until a couple weekends ago when I went home to visit with my mama who had just come back from North Dakota and she told me about what was going on with my grandparents (her parents). My aunt (my mom's sister), her husband, and her two boys were visiting my grandparents from Oregon and had decided one day to go to the aquarium. I guess my grandma had different plans because they didn't quite make it to the aquarium...walking from the car to the building, my grandma didn't see a curb and ended up falling and breaking her knee cap (patella for all you nerds (; ). After going to the doctor and finding this out, they scheduled the surgery, and were told that she would have to have a walker/wheel chair and would have to keep the leg completely straight for at least a few weeks. My uncle and cousins drove back to Oregon, and my aunt Lee Anne stayed behind to help around the house; but she couldn't stay forever since she had to go back to work. Her and my mom were going through their options of who would stay there, if they could get help from the neighbors, etc.

I jokingly said "Well after work I can just fly up there." But then realized that I could actually do that!

There were a few in between details such as having to take off work earlier than expected and buying the plane tickets, but now, here I am!

I'm really excited to be staying up here with them. They are getting older and I am really happy to have the opportunity to spend such a long amount of time with them, and to be a blessing to them.

My grandpa is hard of hearing and if my grandparents were in different parts of the house and my grandma needed help, he would not be able to hear her. She has her cute purple walker and can get around for the most part by herself, but it's the small things like bringing the food to the table and such that she needs help with. My aunt has been here since I got here on Tuesday but she is leaving today and then I will be on my own to help take care of the house and my grandparents. I am a little nervous, but I think once I get into the swing of things it will be alright.

I do believe that there is no such thing as a true selfless good deed (as FRIENDS so wonderfully taught me), and being able to help my grandparents does make me feel good; it makes me so happy that I can be a blessing to them at this time. But I also think this is one of those experiences where even though I am helping them, they are also blessing me with this time together.

That Time I (Spent the Weekend with Dustin)

I know what you must be thinking..."Who the heck is this Dustin that is not Dillon?!?"

Don't worry guys...Dustin is Dillon's brother!

Phew, now that we got that worry out of the way, let me tell you about the fun weekend we had!

His mom was going to be gone for the weekend up north for a scrapbooking weekend, so she asked me to come hang out with Dustin for the weekend!

Friday I didn't get there until late since I still had work that day. I think we ended up going to Target and then to Chick Fil A for dinner. We watched some TV and then it was ready for bed.

Now, After 3+ years of dating Dillon I have gotten to know Dustin pretty well. So well that I would consider him my younger brother...and like all younger brothers, they like to make fun of/play jokes on/scare their "older sisters." Sooooo I'm in Dillon's room getting ready for sleep and I'm getting into bed and I move one of the pillows, and this lovely thing is under it:

I seriously jumped. But I shouldn't have been surprised. He finds a new way to scare me with this thing every time I come over. And what's that in it's mouth, you may ask?

A turtle...it's supposed to be Tuck. Rude!

We went and saw Pacific Rim on Saturday, which was actually a much better movie than I was expecting! And Charlie Day is in it, and anything with him is just amazing.

And then the rest of the weekend consisted of shooting paintball guns! Dustin got really creative and we had a few different targets...including that dang lizard!!

Mine is the right...I may have lost every single round...

And then the most amazing dog, Brutus. :)

Now don't forget to check out Alex over at Let Life Be Like Music where she talks about winning tickets to go see O-Town!

The Day My Dream Almost Came True...

...But then it didn't.

So I almost got a tattoo yesterday. I have wanted one since I don't know when, and I was this close to my dream becoming a reality. But that's the thing with dreams, huh? They are never quite how you imagine them, and never live up to your expectations.

Before my now roommate even became my roommate, we made a pact that by the end of the summer we would both get tattoos together. Yesterday as we were driving around I was thinking about said tattoo and how much I would be willing to pay and all that, and then as I was thinking all this Brittany says "Emily I really want to get our tattoos." And that was that, we took it as fate and decided that we would get them that night. (Okay it took a little convincing on my part due to financial issues and the fact that I have to swim for work...but they are really good at convincing me to do things.)

So we stopped by the first tattoo parlor we could find and asked the guy there what the minimum was for the kind of tattoo we wanted (we didn't want the same thing, but both wanted script on our foot). He told us $60...alright, not bad. We left, decided that we really wanted to do it, called back, and they said they had a guy who could do both of ours that night! So we rushed right back. We both told him what we wanted and he started drawing it up for us. Brittany's came out and it was perfect! Mine came out and...bam...disappointment. It was not at all his design, that I loved. But my quote was too big to fit on my foot the way I wanted it, and he said that he couldn't go much smaller. The solution would be to wrap around my foot, to start on the side but then wrap around onto the top. But it was just not how I was expecting it and dreaming of it, so I had to say no. I didn't want to make a rash decision when it just wasn't something that I was in love with. And for tattoos, as much as it was spontaneous, I don't think that it's smart to just jump completely into it without knowing that you're going to love it.

So here are my options, and I would love your input!

1.// Still get it on my foot but have it wrap around onto the top. Something like this:

Except for it would start back towards my heel a little bit and probably wrap around all the way to my big toe.

2.// Different location, the shoulder:

3.// Find a different place that can make the text smaller and fit on my foot the way I want it. I'm all for this, but I just really liked the guy who did my roommate's and I know that he'll do a good job with it. And when it comes to tattoos, I think it's smart to go to someone you have seen work before and know will do a good job.

Decisions, decisions.

But here is my roommate's finished product! I kinda love it. :)

Things I Am Really Good At

Just admit it, you love to brag about the things that you are good at. Yes, we should all try to be humble, and no, we should not proclaim our amazing-ness every chance we get. But come one. Sometimes your talents won't get noticed unless you show 'em off a bit.

So here are five things that I am really good at.

1. Getting crumbs in my bed...especially the day after I wash the sheets. Do I really have to eat the last of the chip bag (which is all crumbs by now) in my bed with the sheets down? No. But I am really good at it.

2. Biting my lip...and then re-biting it. Seriously? I feel like there is nothing worse, but hey, I'm really good at it.

3. Procrastinating...at everything. I know I have talked about how ridiculously good I am at this before. And there is just something about summer that makes me want to do absolutely nothing except for lie in bed, eat, and watch tv. It even took me a few days just to write and finish this post. I'm tellin' ya, I'm really good at procrastinating.

4. Cleaning my room...and then making a mess of it right away. I sometimes don't even understand why I try. I'll clean it one day and it may stay clean for at least the rest of the day. But then things start accumulating and sooner than later it looks just like it did before, and it usually stays that way until the next time I attempt to clean it, which is usually months apart.

5. Spending money when I go to the mall...even though I told myself I would not buy anything. Last night for example, me and my roommate went to the mall with her little brother because she needed to buy him a watch for his birthday, and I told myself "You're just along for the ride, you don't need anything, and you won't buy anything." I came home with a new pair of sunglasses and "belated half-birthday" presents for my roommate. At least most of it was for a friend?? Darn, I'm just so good at spending money when I shouldn't!

So there you have it! Five things that I am really good at. Go ahead, tell me some of the things you are really good at! You know you want to. 

That Time I (Rode in a Jeep and Almost Died)

Before I say anything else, I must tell you a little about my day today.

It has been a week and a half since I last posted (I'm as ashamed as you are) but I had some inspiration today so I told myself that as soon as I got home from work, I would sit down and write. Well wouldn't you know that today is the day that the internet wasn't working. (Okay, this happens a lot, but we'll just pretend that it was today of all days.)

After unplugging and plugging every single wire, still nothing. So I said, "That's okay! I can do lots of stuff without internet!" So I read a chapter out of my book...and then tried to restart the internet. No dice (what does this saying even mean?? It is a saying, right?). Then I decided, "well now would be a perfect time to try and sell my books from last semester on Amazon!" But wait...I need the internet for that.

Then I got super productive and transferred all the pictures on my phone to my computer, started organizing all of them into folders, deleted them all from my iPhone, and then tried to restart the internet.

Finally I sat down, looked some stuff up, figured out I reset our router to its factory settings so I needed to do a bunch of crap to get it to work again, and after 30+ minutes of that, our internet finally works!

And after all this, do you know what I'm most proud of? Our new Wifi name.

I wish I could say I thought of it all on my awesome-own, but I did not. I looked up "funny wifi names" and this was the best one!

Part Four of That Time I (Went on a Cruise)!

You can also check out part two and three!

The last island we would visit on the cruise was Aruba. Our excursion was a jeep ride...

...and I swear I almost died.

Honestly it was a lot of fun. I actually enjoyed it more than Dillon did. He didn't trust the jeep/seatbelts/doors...which was fully warranted. I'm pretty sure the jeep almost tipped over at least a hundred times, almost all the seatbelts were either broken or broke during our trip, and the back door swung open at least a million times during our speedy windy insane death-defying jeep ride.

Okay...I may be exaggerating just a little....but it really was scary!

We started out by driving to some mountain or hill thing (I have a terrible memory) and when you climbed the stairs to the top it had a gorgeous view of pretty much the entire island. (See "Aruba" picture.)

We then climbed back in the jeeps, almost died a couple more times, and then headed to this gorgeous natural pool. It was right by the ocean, but was naturally surrounded by rocks. It was actually quite deep and a lot of people went snorkeling (I tried for about a minute and then opted out...I really dislike fish). D was also a daredevil and climbed some rocks until he got yelled at. Whoops!

I have no idea what's going on with my hair...

We were also able to walk through some caves of the ancient Arubian people (I probably made that up) and it was pretty neat, but of course I don't have any pictures of that. Our last stop on our jeep ride was at a beach where we could actually go play in the water! It was a little scary because apparently there was a really strong undertow and of course Dillon and his uncles were as far as they could go, but I had fun just hanging out with his cousins in the shallower area! That was until I lost my beautiful pink sunglasses. I'm seriously still upset about that one.

And then back to the cruise ship we went! Overall it was a really fun excursion! I honestly really enjoyed the scariness of the ride until the end when I started to feel a little queasy. Luckily we all made it off the jeep without any fun bodily fluids arising. ;)

Even though it has been seven months since the cruise, I am still waiting on other pictures. So even though this post wraps up my That Time I (Went on a Cruise) series for now, don't be surprised to see it resurface in the future, just so I can share some of the random pictures that I either didn't have yet, or weren't from any specific excursion! 

Luckily I don't feel too bad about skipping last week's That Time I post, because Alex did, too! Although she is a much better blogger than me and still posted that day...and on all of the days in between. Whoops! But don't forget to check out her blog, because she's the best! :)