What would you do?

Last week a position at work was opened up. I had first of all, no idea that the posting was up, but I also had no intention of signing the posting for that position. I knew that any day now a different position would become available. One that I'd much rather have.

Well, I was pressured into signing the posting last week for the Events Coordinator position, which I really don't want. I don't want the EC job for 2 reasons. And if you know my current work situation you'd understand. I don't want the job because:
1) there go my weekends
2) I'd still be working in the Visitor Center.
The posting for this job has closed, and interviews will be taking place later this week...

The position that was posted today is for the Quality Assurance Administrative Assistant. My best friend has known this was going to become available, so she's been talking me up to just about everyone in that department. I'd much rather transfer back there. I'm tired of the drama and politics of the department that I currently work in. This is definitely a step in the direction that I need to take. This position's posting opened today and closes on Wednesday. That's not the problem.

Do I withdrawal my name from the Events Coordinator applicants? Do I sign another posting? I don't want to look like I sign everything, but this is what I've been waiting for and I was pressured into signing the first one. How should I go about handling this situation???

I AM

I am a child of God ... I am funny ... I'm an observer ... I am a good cook ... I am faithfully waiting ... I love to take pictures ... I am an emotional being ... I am a woman of God ... I am hopeful ... I am analytical ... I am someone's friend ... I am a wreck ... I am loved ... I am a daughter, sister, niece, cousin ... I am in need of change in my life ... I am a traveler ... I am a foodaholic ... I love my pj's ... I have dreams ... I enjoy music ... I like non-exercise workouts ... I am a sinner ... (But) I am forgiven ... I am confident ... I am scared ... I am loving ... I am thoughtful ... I am someone's soul mate ... I am misunderstood ... I am broken ... I am a work in progress ... I am hard working ... I am determined ... I listen well ... I am passionate ... I am loved by many ... I am disliked by some ... I am hurt easily ... I am anxious ... I am calm ... I am fearful ... I am clumsy ... I am captivating ... I am creative ... I am a dreamer ... I am brave ... I am fearless ... I am complex ... I am unique ... I am sophisticated ... I am friendly ... I am real ... I am radiant ... I am determined ... I am amazing ... I am brilliant ... I am compassionate ... I am understanding ... I am indescribable ... I am determined ... I am blessed ... I am loved by God ... I am lazy ... I am overwhelmed ... I am antsy ... I am an individual ... I am quiet ... I am a procrastinator ... I long to be pursued ... I am a chicken ... I get frustrated easily ... I love to entertain ... I enjoy being entertained ... I am loved by many ...

Weekend of Weddings

This past weekend I had the honor of attending two weddings. On in my hometown and one in Fresno. I'd like to share with you a couple of pictures from the events. Enjoy!

Christy & Corey

A toast to the couple!


1/2 the Montague clan


This gal's gettin' married in October, and I'm in the wedding!

Keith & Julie

Hate to admit it, but I was a little tipsy in this picture...


George, Krista, and myself trying to stay cool


The happy couple!

Congrats to both happy couples. May God bless your marriage.

Hello summer!

Is it just me, or did it go from nice cool spring weather to immediate HOT? I do not like being hot, sweaty, sticky. Hello summer and 100 degree heat. I, floating in a pool, will wait for fall. Then it won't be so bloody hot.

The end.

Gotta Love Overtime!

This past Saturday I got to work a little bit of OT (12 hours to be exact, woot woot!) for work. It was great fun, although the feet were a little tired. We were catering a wedding, a beautifully done reception. But, one of the coolest things at the event was that they had a photo booth, kinda like at the fair just nicer. So as the guests were leaving and clean up was happening a few of us sneaked into the booth to take a few shots. And this was the result...

Let the summer begin!

June resolution time

1. Actively seek God in my day to day life, worshiping Him and bring Him glory. Being like Jesus to people.

2. Continued control from nibbling at work. No pastries, desserts, and nibblings.

3. Again with the losing 5 pounds. Summer is here! Not only that, but I am in my best friend's wedding in October. My goal, which is totally obtainable, is to lose 20 pounds by then. Help hold me to it everyone!

4. Go somewhere out of the area. Don't know where yet...

5. Start planning a bachelorette party weekend for said bride of October wedding. Anyone have any ideas? Possibly having friends from across the country joining the party.

6. Have a good attitude with current job.

7. Quit rewarding myself with food. If I do something good or deserving or a reward (went on a walk, lost weight, made it through a day at work, etc.) I tend to treat myself to something with calories, and lots of them. Time to reward myself with something different. A pedicure, manicure, new shirt, or purse, or whatever.

8. Per my father's request and suggestion... Be more out going towards guys. As great as it would be to just sit back and wait for God, I've also got to not wait by the door. Time to get out there. Be out going. Flirt a little and enjoy myself.

9. Exercise.

10. Forgive for the wrongs I feel have been done towards me, and let go of the unknowns for why people are the way they are. Try not to dwell on everything that does not affect me.

May Resolutions Results

My May resolutions were as listed below. The results are in bold.

1. Actively seek God in my day to day life, worshiping Him and bring Him glory.
Trying always, and a work in progress.

2. Still... No pastries, desserts, and nibblings from Hilmar Cheese. They are delicious. But they are the death of me.
Much more under control than it has been in the past. I still nibble, but I know when to stay away.

3. Yep, this one again... Lose 5 pounds. Time to get seriously serious, summer is closer than just around the corner, it's in less than a month.
During the month of May I lost between 3 and 4 pounds! Yeah me!

4. Go somewhere out of the area. Last month was Washington DC. It won't be somewhere as far, but I'm definitely going somewhere at least 50 miles away. My BFF, Rylen, and I are planning something for Memorial Day weekend. But we're not sure what to do yet. Any ideas?
I didn't go anywhere for Memorial Day weekend. But I did go down to SLO for a cousin's wedding. 3 hours away counts as going somewhere.

5. Still Target in moderation. Shopping only by a list of needs. And no, that does not mean that I'll be making the list as I shop. :)
I'm doing good on this one. I only splurged once all month when I purchased a Bosu ball, which I've been wanting for months.

6. God has a plan for me in my job situation. And I'm trusting Him, but I still have to actively pursue opportunities out there. So I will continue to look for a new job.
Still keeping my eyes open, but staying where I am for now.

7. Have the BEST darn birthday EVER (May 14)! Anyone care to join me?
I had a GREAT birthday! That night I had bible study where they had strawberry shortcake for me, yummmm.... Tuesday night my wonderful friends surprised me at Tuesday Night Dinner with a party. 2 weeks after my birthday my parents took me out to dinner, and a good friend took me out to lunch. Gotta love birthdays that you celebrate all month! Oh yea, but I did break my pinky toe on my birthday. (for more info see prior posts.)

8. Quit rewarding myself with food. If I do something good or deserving or a reward (went on a walk, lost weight, made it through a day at work, etc.) I tend to treat myself to something with calories, and lots of them. Time to reward myself with something different. A pedicure, manicure, new shirt, or purse, or whatever.
I can't say I was entirely successful at this one. But I didn't over indulge in what I did do.

Toe Update

So, my foot is magic! My bruise started not only on a quarter of my foot, but more concentrated on my pinky toe. IT MOVED! That's right folks, my bruise moved locations. And it moved not once, but twice. Although it's slowly fading now, it bruise is between the middle and "pointer" toes. But it doesn't hurt where the bruise is, my poor little baby toes hurts. I don't get it. But whatever. The pain is lessening, I'm walking better, and my pedicure still looks good. So, there an update on my broken toe.

The end.

Toe pick!

No thank you! Here's an update on my poor little baby toe. It still hurts, worse than it did Monday. Over the course of a day it went from red and slightly swollen, to 5 shades of purple. But hey, at least my pedicure still looks good! Take a look...


So if you stop by Hilmar Cheese and see someone gimping around, that's me!

Do I look any older?

So I'm officially 27 years old!


(This picture was taken earlier this evening.)

Do I feel any different? No. Do I look any different? No. Was my day extraordinary? Well, besides lots of texts and calls wishing me a happy day and eating a brownie ice cream sundae with a co-worker, no. Although, due to amount of work that has to be done on Mondays, a birthday lunch date has been postponed until tomorrow afternoon. Did I do anything exciting today? Ummm...came home from work, visited with dad, took a shower, had a SmartOne for dinner, went to bible study, had strawberry shortcake, opened cards (thank you ladies), came home, started a load of laundry, broke my pinky toe, and now I'm blogging. Pretty eventful day.

Did I mention I broke my pinky toe? Yea, it hurts.

(Guess which toe it is. I'll give you a clue, it's the swollen red one.)

On the flip side, God has provided a great year full of new friends and trips among many other things. Although, new gray hairs have been starting to sprout up more often...

I'm excited to see what God has in store for me this up coming new chapter/year of my life. For one thing, my best friend is getting married and I'm in the wedding. Super uber excited for Rylen and Jim and being able to share that special day with them. I'm sure I'll be heading on a few more mini vacas and having loads more fun and experiences with friends. I'm excited that every day that passes is one day closer to when I'll meet the man God has been saving and growing for me.

I feel that this is going to be a good year! God has lots in store for me in my 27th year of life!

I have been informed...

that I have tig o' bitties!

To fully understand this you must:
1) Be dyslexic.
2) Know me.

Dad's Birthday!

So today is my dad's birthday. I'll keep his age a secret. Happy Birthday Daddy!

(Picture taken in 2001 at friend's wedding)

3 more shopping day!

Monday is my birthday :) I'll be the ripe ol' age of 27! Can you believe it? That's old!

Here is my amazon.com wish list in case you still need to get me a gift:

I'd really like the Bosu ball.

But don't feel obligated... :)

That's it.

May flowers cont.

8. Quit rewarding myself with food. If I do something good or deserving or a reward (went on a walk, lost weight, made it through a day at work, etc.) I tend to treat myself to something with calories, and lots of them. Time to reward myself with something different. A pedicure, manicure, new shirt, or purse, or whatever.

5 month old Monsters

You know you've missed pictures of the puppies. So let me feed you some more recent ones. They definitely have their own personality and attitude.


Izzie loves dryer sheets!


Monty enjoys a good bone in the sun.

May Flowers

New Month Resolutions time! May resolutions are:

1. Actively seek God in my day to day life, worshiping Him and bring Him glory.

2. Still... No pastries, desserts, and nibblings from Hilmar Cheese. They are delicious. But they are the death of me.

3. Yep, this one again... Lose 5 pounds. Time to get seriously serious, summer is closer than just around the corner, it's in less than a month.

4. Go somewhere out of the area. Last month was Washington DC. It won't be somewhere as far, but I'm definitely going somewhere at least 50 miles away. My BFF, Rylen, and I are planning something for Memorial Day weekend. But we're not sure what to do yet. Any ideas?

5. Still Target in moderation. Shopping only by a list of needs. And no, that does not mean that I'll be making the list as I shop. :)

6. God has a plan for me in my job situation. And I'm trusting Him, but I still have to actively pursue opportunities out there. So I will continue to look for a new job.

7. Have the BEST darn birthday EVER (May 14)! Anyone care to join me?

And the results are in...

April Resolution Results!

1. Actively seek God in my day to day life, worshiping Him and bring Him glory.
A continued work in progress that will never be completed or perfected until I am with my Maker.

2. No pastries, desserts, and nibblings from Hilmar Cheese. They are delicious. But they are the death of me.
I'm not going to lie and say that I passed this one with flying colors. BUT I was much more in control. Definitely one to continue working on.

3. Yep, this one again... Lose 5 pounds. Time to get seriously serious, summer is just around the corner.
I don't know how I ended the month overall. But I do know that I didn't make the 5 pounds down mark, but I did lose some. HAHA, I'm a loser!

4. Go somewhere out of the area. I got this one in the bag!
Ummmm....Hi, I flew across the country to our Nation's Capital to visit good friends. It was fantastic!

5. Still Target in moderation. Shopping only by a list of needs. And no, that does not mean that I'll be making the list as I shop. :)
I went to Target only a handful of times and was in control.

6. Heavily pursue finding a new job.
Came to the realization that if I must then I will move out of the area for a new job. Of course, I'll only move to places that I'd like to live. So far, besides the Modesto to Merced radius I've looked at SLO County. Possible potential jobs being referred to me by people I know...thank you!

And for the Lent season I have given up soda.
Piece of cake! Success!

MY RIGHTS

Everyone has rights. Right now I have the right to eat 100 calorie Hostess Cupcakes because I said so and because they are yummy (and only 1 point!). I HAVE A RIGHT to have feelings, opinions and to be emotional because I am human and more so I am a woman. I HAVE A RIGHT to be bothered when people talk about things that are inappropriate. I HAVE A RIGHT to be aggravated when people act hypocritically. I'm not saying that I'm not a hypocrite, but I try hard to not be hypocritical and to learn by example of others, good or bad. I HAVE A RIGHT to be pissed off when people don't answer their phone and don't return calls. I HAVE A RIGHT to feel like a failure because I: live with my parents, have a crappy job that pays crap, and I'm single, but I know that in God's timing He'll take care of me as long as I'm faithful, patient and trust in Him. I HAVE A RIGHT to want a husband, children, a house with a white picket fence, and a successful job. I HAVE A RIGHT to be hurt when a friend tells me that, in their opinion, I've been angry lately and that's why that person hasn't wanted to hang out with me. Wow, that's compassionate and reaching out with concern making me feel loved. I HAVE A RIGHT to feel neglected when my birthday is overlooked by family and friends every year and I never do anything (fun) to celebrate. "Hi, party for one please, oh yea, and it's my birthday..." And when plans were made to go do something that I've wanted to do for years to celebrate my birthday, I HAVE A RIGHT to be unhappy when they end up not being able to happen due to work schedules, laziness, and other conflicting things going on. I HAVE A RIGHT to be extremely hurt by people that are supposed to by my friends when they say unkind, cruel, accusing things to me. I HAVE A RIGHT to feel unloved and unwanted when I clearly am truly hurting and nobody reaches out to me with concern. I HAVE A RIGHT to be offended when someone assumes that I would be offended by what they are going to say. I'm not offended by what they actually said, but by the fact that such a big deal was made because they thought I was going to be offended. And I HAVE A RIGHT to feel deserted when one of my last truly single girlfriends (not married or dating anyone) suddenly has someone new in their life and has less time for me even though they said that that would never happen. But I also have rights on how to act upon and handle situations. I HAVE A RIGHT to be jealous of others and how their lives look on the outside, but I try not to be. I HAVE A RIGHT to get upset and defend myself and get all up in your face to express my feelings. But I don't, that's not who I am. I tend to get hot, start to boil, then after some time maybe a few minutes or longer, the heat is turned off and my feelings become more of a simmer then eventually they subside and I'm over it, at least I think I am. I have chosen to use MY RIGHTS of free will given to me from God to do my best to please Him and bring Him honor. I admit, I'm not perfect and sometimes I fail, but boy do I try. I HAVE A RIGHT to hate and A RIGHT to love. And I'm going to choose love. I HAVE A RIGHT to love and appreciate the friends I do have that I've grown distant with but who still reach out to me with love when they see I'm hurting. I HAVE A RIGHT to love them back despite how others may feel. I HAVE A RIGHT to turn my affairs, friends, situations, and life over to God because really only through Him will I be able to get through whatever it is I'm going through by surrendering it all to Him. I HAVE A RIGHT to give it all to God. Maybe I'm just over reacting and being too analytical like I normally am. Then again, maybe I'm under reacting. But darnit, I HAVE A RIGHT to blog about whatever I want to blog about, and express myself however I want to express myself. Read it or not, that's YOUR RIGHT.

*The blog is solely for me to get things off my chest. If you feel offended in anyway, I'm sorry, that was not my purpose. But maybe take a few steps in my shoes and see where I'm coming from.

When I say I am a Christian

When I say "I am a Christian"
I'm not shouting "I'm clean livin'"
I'm whispering
"I was lost, now I'm found and am forgiven."

When I say "I am a Christian"
I don't speak with selfish pride.
I'm confessing that I stumble
and need Christ to be my guide.

When I say "I am a Christian"
I'm not trying to be strong.
I'm professing that I'm weak
and need His strength to carry on.

When I say "I am a Christian"
I'm not bragging of success.
I'm admitting I have failed
and need God to clean my mess.

When I say "I am a Christian"
I'm not claiming to be perfect.
My flaws are far too visible
But God believes I am worth it.

When I say "I am a Christian"
I still feel the sting of pain.
I have my share of heartaches
So I call upon His name.

When I say "I am a Christian"
I'm not holier than thou.
I'm just a simple sinner
Who received God's good grace somehow.

~Author Unknown~

Washington DC Trip Recap

WOW! That about sums up the trip in whole. What an awesome time sight seeing, learning more about our nation's history, and rekindling friendships.

Wednesday, April 11, 2007
So, Stacey and I left Wednesday April 11 from Oakland. Our flight was supposed to leave at 6:15am (yes, we were there by 5am!), flying straight to WDC. But after some computer problems at the airport and everyone on the flight was on the plane we left close to 7:30am.

After landing, getting our luggage (thank God!), and greeting Melissa and Macie, we drove to our home for 5 days in Oakton.

The countryside was beautiful, homes were gorgeous. We dropped our bags off, grabbed our sweaters and headed to Georgetown. What a great shopping area. We walked around a bit, went down to the Potomac River, walked around some more and had some dinner. Macie really LOVES her pizza! Actually, so did I, mine not hers.



Thursday, April 12, 2007
After getting a great night's sleep, and trying to adjust to east coast time, we headed off to Mount Vernon, home of George Washington. We were blessed with sunshine and only mild sprinkles. The property and house was beautiful, the back porch overlooks the Potomac. After a quick lunch we headed back out, walked through the museum where we learned more about the life of George Washington.




FYI: There is a National Treasure 2 in the process of being filmed. One of the scenes is being filmed at Mount Vernon, just not while we were there, but the set was still up!

After Mount Vernon, Macie took a nap in the car while we drove into Washington DC to pick up Mark from George Washington University. From there we went to the Lincoln Monument and looked across the reflection pond to the Washington Monument.



Then we quickly ran down to the Korean Memorial.

Mark played with Macie while Melissa, Stacey, and I ran from Monument to Memorial. We then went home and had yummy Thai food for dinner.

Friday, April 13, 2007
Mark was very gracious today and volunteered to watch Macie for half the day so Melissa, Stacey and I could go on a tour of the Capitol without a stroller in tow. So with an early start, we caught the bus at 8am and took the Metro into the City for our 9:15am tour. The tour was amazing!
Standing in the very center of Washington DC and the Capitol building.

First Supreme Court room.

One of California's two statues in the Capitol, Father Junipero Sierra (and our tour guide, Congressman Dennis Cardoza's intern Tom from Stockton).

After the tour, standing in Cardoza's office with Tom.

Let me tell you one thing about Washington DC, it's not easy to get around the city because of the funky streets. There are 4 quadrants in the city and each quadrants have letter and number streets. So there are numerous 22nd Streets. Odd, and confusing, I know! Melissa and I even had to pull a map out, once or twice... But look at the Capitol!


After the Capitol tour we made our way to the Air and Space Smithsonian. Currently, a small portion of the exhibits from the American History Smithsonian are on display at the A&S Museum due to renovations. Of course there was a line to see the exhibits though.



From the A&S Museum we headed to pick up Macie from Mark at GWU and then catch a shuttle to the Kennedy Center. The Kennedy Center was pretty neat. About 150 countries each gave a gift to the Center while it was being build, anywhere from art on the walls to crystal chandlers. Macie got to take advantage of the long hallway to run some energy off, as well as charm the passer-byers.




After the Kennedy Center we head back (on shuttle) to GWU to pick up Mark for dinner. We walked to this really cute little mall that had a great Italian restaurant, Bertucci. The food was excellent. And Macie got her pizza.




After dinner, Mark went back to working on his paper while the rest of us took a hike down to the WWII Memorial and Washington Monument.





Saturday, April 14, 2007
Saturday Stacey and I ventured out on our own. We took the Metro all by ourselves to Arlington Cemetery. We saw the Eternal Flame by JFK's grave sight, the Changing of the Guards guarding the tomb of the unknown soldiers, and the Arlington House.





After Arlington, we made our way into the City via the Metro to the Natural History Smithsonian. After having a quick bite to eat we ran through the fossils, and made it to the "Oh shiny" room where the Hope Diamond Lives. We then made our way to an Orchid Exhibit. Mind you, we quickly made our way through this museum because we thought they closed at 5:30, but for some reason they weren't closing until 7:30... which we found out on our way out.
Big head and little arms...

Oh Shiny!



Pretty flowers!




When we were done at the Natural History Smithsonian, we decided we had time to make it down the the Jefferson Monument. It was quite a hike from where we were, but we forged ahead. After our hike, we made our way back to the Metro station where we made our way home to dinner.





Sunday, April 15, 2007
Our last day of busy touring, and the one day that it really rained. We were going to take the Metro into the City, but ended up driving in to avoid having to be outside too much. So Melissa dropped Stacey and I at the Vietnam Memorial, she waited in the car with Macie while we quickly ran through it.

She then dropped us off outside of the White House Visitor Center. We walked through that then ran across the street to the White House.



After the White House, we drove down to the Holocaust Museum. The Holocaust Museum was unbelievable. We weren't allowed to take pictures inside the permanent exhibit. Words cannot describe what they show in the 3 floors of information and documentation. When we were done at the museum, we drove home to rest, pack, hang out and have dinner. Macie even wanted to help in decided what to have, which was of course pizza.


Monday, April 16, 2007
This was our departure day. We packed our stuff up and headed to the airport at about 10:30am. Stacey and I flew from Dulles Airport to Denver where we had a 3 plus hour layover. We walked around the terminal a few times, had dinner, and almost decided to take advantage of free tickets from our over booked flight. But we came home on our scheduled flight and made it back into California around 7:45pm or so.

The trip was fast a furious but definitely a great time. I recommend everyone go to Washington DC at least once in their life.