A very belated good news posting ...

Ok, so I have a job now. If you didn't know that, I am sorry. I keep forgetting to post and tell everyone that I got a job!

I am working at United Health Care in Duluth. I am in a 16 week training class for claims processing. I am learning the in's and out's of health insurance right now. This is challenging, but enjoyable at the same time. I just finished my first 2 weeks of training and I can't imagine what else they have in store for me to learn!

The drive to Duluth takes me about 50 minutes in good weather and who knows how many when it's doing what it is doing right now outside my window! I talk to my friend Kasey on the way to work every day since she works at UHC (United Health Care) as well at the other location. It's nice to have someone to keep me awake on my way to work!

So, needless to say, I am already missing my time off that I had while looking for a job. My wonderful hubby is now on layoff and enjoying his time making his mark on our couch! :) He is helping out so very much with helping to keep our house clean, laundry going, and even getting some dinner that I pre-made into the oven for me! Wonderful man! :)

Now for the REALLY good news about this job, I get to come home in a year to work! They provide the desk, chair, computer and whatever else that I need to get my job done. Apparently a good chunk of the employees from UHC work from home already. So, if I can meet my quota per hour/day that I need to do without making lots of mistakes, I can come on home! WHOO HOO!!!!! When we finish remodeling that back spare bedroom, this room will also function as my office! I am happy! I can now be like my sister-in-law, Stef, whom I teased for sitting in her bed working all day from home! Now, all I need to do is work myself up to HER salary! TEE HEE!

That's all that I have for now on the work matter, but I am happy to at least have a job! God is good! Oh on that God note... I told Tyler that God has a sense of humor and that I will probably won't find a job until the day he is laid off. I got the call the morning that he got laid off, the day before Thanksgiving. Yup, God is an awesome God! :)

Oh and to just add, I have to get up at 530am now to get to work in time and I go to bed around 930pm every night. Yeah, I am not enjoying that, but oh well, what can I do?? :P

Tagged !!!

Ok, so Meghan is trying to consume her time before she goes into labor and is filling goofy things like this out.

So, here it goes ...

Tagged

Rules:
1. People who are tagged need to post these rules, and 8 random habits/facts/quirks about themselves.
2. At the end of the post you need to choose 8 people to get tagged and list their names.



8 Random Ana Facts/Quirks/Habits


1) I love flip flops. I wear them all year, no matter what the season. They are cheap at Old Navy for 2 for $5, they come in every color of the rainbow, and they are easy to put on/take off!

2) I have very muscular arms and have been known to beat several guys that I know at arm wrestling :P

3) I would rather spend my day hanging with the guys ice fishing than spending the day with a bunch of girls shopping.

4) When I turn the volume up or down in the car, TV, etc, I have to either find an even number or I have to make sure the lines are all even, and not like a bunch of lines with a half line. OCD coming out I think :P

5) I love to quote movies with certain friends, or even use quotes as part of conversations. For example "Silence! I kill you" OR "Look Mom, I'm road kill!" OR random ones like that. Cera knows that I am talking about :P

6) I've got to have milk with probably every meal that I have. A huge glass. I prob drink 1-2 gallons per week. It's a sickness I tell ya! But my bones are good and healthy!! :)

7) Anyone who knows me, knows that I am a naturally loud person. I recall my father calling me a foghorn when I was a kid.

8) Most people don't know this, but I really don't care for candy, cookies or chocolate. I know, there is something wrong with me!


TAGGED PEOPLES

JULIA
MICHELE
CERA
MANDA
SCOOTER
ERIN
JUSTIN
AMELIA

Two months since the last post ....

and there is still nothing to post about!!!!

My weekdays are spent hanging out with Angie and her kids. They are so cute. I enjoy hanging out with her and helping out with the kids. It gives me something to do and since our husbands work together on the road, we have something in common!







The rest of my weekdays are spent interviewing for jobs. UGH! I am so sick of the interview stage of the job hunting. I just want a job so badly! Tyler is getting laid off very soon and we have no money to make it through the winter. Unemployment isn't enough!!!!!!




Cold weather is settling into the north country and propane is really high this year! We are looking into alternative methods of heating our home, like the Heat'n'Pure or some other form of electric heat.










We have recently listed our truck on Craig's List and CarSoup.com to sell it. We need to get out of our payment since we can no longer afford it! :( Tyler is bummed, but he rarely uses his truck anymore.











So, this morning, I sit and watch T.V. in my very chilly house. I spent the past couple weekends holding a garage sale. It was so nice every weekend outside, that I thought a garage sale would work. Of course, it was cold both weekends. I made about $250 the first weekend, but this past weekend, maybe $40 bucks. Oh well. It helped with some grocery shopping! Ebay and Paypal have such high fees, so it's frustrating to list anything on there!



I got my haircut a couple weeks ago for a change. They screwed it up, but it is growing on me.












Well, that's all I feel like posting for now. I have no life! lol

-Ana

My Funk ...

So, I have been in a kind of a funk lately, this being for a few reasons:

1) My hubby has been in a funk: we are both worried about money and how we are going to make it through the winter since i don' have a job yet ...

2) Adapting to small town life is hard, it seems that everyone talks about everyone all the time. If you aren't spreading the rumor, then it's typically about you. There are a few people in this town who don't know me and yet are running my name through the mud. WHY???? :( What did I ever do to them? :(

3) Partly covered in 1), but no job, why can't I find a job? I don't know! I have put application upon application in and I either never hear back, I interview and never hear back, or I interview and get the infamous rejection letter (as already discussed in a previous post). Frustrating! Why can't I just find a job? :( I even applied at Wal-Mart in Superior and they haven't called me back !!! :(

4) Tyler is gone during the week. He is gone from 3am Monday to Thursday or Friday. It's what we have to do for him to get a decent income for us. It saddens me to be a newlywed and not have him home, but distance I suppose makes the heart grow fonder.

5) Last but not least, boredom/not many friends. Being in a small town, there are clicks, and I am the new "guy" in town. Therefore, I don't really have any friends to talk to. I find some solace in Vanna in the Cities, but she is there and I am here. At least I can talk to her about my problems and vice versa.

Right now, I am sitting on my patio, relaxing, monkeying around on my computer. It's a gorgeous day that the Lord has made, so I am enjoying it. I spent the majority of the day at Lucius Woods, which is a block away. There is a nice beach there. I was there with a couple gals and their kids. It was nice and relaxing. I have nothing else to do for the rest of the day, but I am going to decidedly enjoy the outdoors for the rest of the evening I think. I need a hammock!!! Or at least a lounge chair!!!

That's all for now. Feel free to write comments of encouragement or laughter! :)

-Ana

Job Rejections

I hate those letters where you get rejected for a job!

To set up the scenario for this one ...

1) Application process
2) Invitation to take the comprehension test.
3) Once I pass the first test, I can take the performance test.
4) Passed the 2nd test.
5) Got called in for a formal interview.
6) Filled out a full background packet purchased a copy of my birth certificate & H.S. records.
7) Told interview would be 45 minutes long, I was in/out of there in under 15.
8) A week after my interview, I got the letter ...

AND I QUOTE ...

Dear Ana Kern,

On behalf of the interview panel, thank you for interviewing for the Dispatcher position in the Douglas County Communication Center.

Your interview received close consideration, however, based on structured interview portion of the process, you have not been selected to be placed on th eligibility list used for future openings for the Dispatcher position.

Again, thank you for participating in this process and for your interest in employment with Douglas County. Best of luck in your job search.

Sincerely,
Linda Corbin
HR Analyst


ARGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I just need a job!!!!

Grey's Anatomy

So, my life has reached the point where I am sitting here watching my seasons of Grey's Anatomy on DVD. It is partly in anticipation of last season coming out on DVD next month and then the new season for this fall starting next month as well.

I am addicted to this trama-filled doctor show. It's sad really. Between this show, House, E.R., all the CSI's ... my evenings are wonderful in the Fall/Spring! :)

I am sitting here, in my comfy clothes, watching my TV and my puppy sleeping. It's cloudy and rainy, so my ambition level is LOW! My brother-in-law told me that my ambition was in the cupboard next to the sink, but it wasn't . And he got me all excited too! :)

This kind of weather makes me so tired. I just want to sleep. So, cuddled up in my blanket and watching TV is my day. But, this also makes me think about my Tyler more too, since he likes to cuddle and watch TV with me too!

Ok, rant is finished ... at least for now!

Sundays are too hard!

So, I am sitting here, watching TV, simply bawling my eyes out. This is nothing new, just the same Sunday routine that I experience every week. Tyler falls asleep about now, because he has to get up around 4am and needs the extra sleep. I cuddle with him until he snores and then cry my eyes out for the next few hours. Pathetic, I know, but I just lose it knowing that when I wake up in the morning, he will be gone for the week.


We went to a wedding this weekend for one of Tyler's co-workers, it was emotional to watch, since this is the first wedding that I have attended since my own. It made me realize how much I love my husband! Not that I didn't know that I loved him so much before, but it was a tear-jerking reminder. I even saw a couple tears glisten in his eyes as well!

Go ahead and call me sappy, but my heart aches for my hubby when he is gone!! I pray that it gets better with time and I can get more used to this. Or better yet, Tyler gets a job close to home where he's home every night!!! I am simply an emotional one this weekend!!!

In about 1/2 hour, I hope to get a phone call from my Vanna and she can always cheer me up. Until then, I am educating myself with Country Fried Home Videos on CMT and watching my puppy chew up a bone. Yeah, I am pretty much a loser.


Ok, there's my Sunday rant. More excitement to talk about some other day!

First Posting

This is my first time attempt at blogging. I never saw the point of having this sort of online journaling that people could read. I have found that I look forward to reading my friends' next posts, so what the heck, why don't I try this blogging thing.

I am not even sure what to write about, but I right now, I am sitting at my sister's house in Woodbury, MN. I came down to visit while my parents and siblings were here for the week. It's always so different for me to visit them after being on my own for so long. Being the oldest, I have been away for the longest. I feel so disconnected from the family these days. I am in my own settling down stage right now.

As of now, I have been married for 158 days, which is roughly 5 months, to my love, Tyler! There's a shocker in and of itself! I never thought (and neither did most people) that I would ever get married, let alone find someone who would actually want to marry me! I love being married. It's the best feeling in the world to have someone love you more than anything and whom you can have that intense love for in return. It's a transition period, yes. It's hard at first, yes. Is it worth it...? 100% !!!

I suppose that there is a lot that I can rant about, but as of now, I am signing off. Dinner is almost ready and later, I am taking a couple of my siblings to Applebees for the infamous 1/2 price appetizers! :)