Gainfully Employed

I just thought since my last post was so pathetic, I should update with the good news. Jeff spent the last few weeks going to several interviews.

He actually had two great offers to choose from, as well as a few other places where he was in the process of interviewing that wanted to continue with him. But on Tuesday he accepted an offer with a company in Valencia. They write software for attorneys. He thinks he will be happy there and I do as well. They have very low turnover, offer great benefits, and from what Jeff can tell, they have a nice working environment. He will start either this Monday or next, depending on how quickly they can complete his background check--gee, I hope he passes :)

So we're relieved that he won't be unemployed at all. The way things have turned out, he will have his last day with El Camino on Friday and start his new job on Monday. It's all better than we could even ask for and we're so grateful for everyone's thoughts and prayers for us :)

The only tiniest down side of all this is that I no longer get to dress Jeff for the interviews. He never bothers with what I want him to wear, so I've had a bit of fun picking out nice things these past couple of weeks. The new job, he can wear whatever he wants, so I suspect I'll get even less of my way :( Oh well, it's a small price, and I'll gladly pay it. Congratulations Jeff !

What is Wrong With Them?

I love mornings when the girls come in our bed and snuggle before they start bugging us for something to eat. This morning was no different and the question inevitably came, "What's for breakfast?" I like to make Valentine's Day special for the kids, so I usually make them something fun like heart shaped muffins or something to start the day off right.

Since V-day is what the girls refer to as a "candy holiday," I thought what the heck. I told them that we were having pie. Yup, I told my kids they could have pie for breakfast (mother of the year, I know). I had every intention of letting them have some of of the Chocolate Satin pie in the fridge. Why not? I never let them eat stuff like that in the morning...But all three of them made the same shocking comment, "Gross!"

What the crap?!!!?? None of them wanted pie for breakfast? I was beyond shocked. I could understand Jeff not wanting pie, but what kind of kid turns down pie for breakfast? Crazy...

When it Rains..

This isn't a pity party post, just an observation. Have you ever noticed that things all go to crap at the same time?

Sparing all the details, the company that Jeff has been employed by for the last 14 years is shutting down. We got the news last week, though we have no idea how long it will take to get everything squared away, we're thinking within the month though. I'm fine (now), past freaking out, and feel fine that he's going to find a job soon (he's at his third interview this week, and who wouldn't want to hire such a smart geek).

But on Tuesday I came home and my garage door won't open. Fine. It's annoying, but not that old so I'm sure it's under warranty. Then yesterday, I'm deciding what to fix for dinner. I walk out to the freezer in the garage. When I open the door I am greeted by a wind of warm air that stinks beyond gross. I quickly close the door and figure out that sometime (recently I can assume) the freezer decided to break. Again, not that old, but clearly broken. This latest is not the end of the world either but I'm irritated that the meat I had stored is all rancid.

Add these little annoyances with my broken camera, which, by the way, Jeff had ordered a new LCD for it and when it arrived it was broken. What is going on here? I thought things happened in three's. Well we've met our quota and I'm ready for stuff to stop breaking.

Not good!

I love my camera. It's small enough to carry in my purse. I use it all the time for work so it comes in handy to just keep it with me.

So Friday night we were enjoying a "Family Fun Night" and I had taken a couple of pictures. I put the camera back in my purse and later went to retrieve it. This is what I saw when I turned on the camera:

Crap! So amidst the fun, it looks like my camera took a blow and this is the result. Kind of artistic isn't it though?

Stupid DMV!!

I hate stupid rules and even more so when my tax dollars go to support these retarded policies. It was time to renew my drivers license and I had received notice that I could do it by mail. Well my birthday came and went and I forgot to send it in. Once I realized this, I was totally paranoid that I was going to get pulled over. And since I have apparently lost my talent for talking my way out of a ticket, I wanted to get the thing renewed as quickly as possible. I noticed that the renewal notice had an option to renew online. So, I went to their stupid website and walked through the process but there was some code that was missing from my renewal notice-of course.

I didn't want to chance sending the thing in and waiting for the new license to come in the mail. Since I was over in the area (after taking an hour long spinning class-and mind you, I don't dress up for the gym) I decided to the pay my fee and be on my way...not exactly. Now the wait was pleasantly short, I don't even think it was 5 minutes. But once I paid them and the bureaucrat was almost done with me, she says, "Now I just need you to step over to the camera for your photo." What??!! I explained that I didn't need a photo- I was eligible to renew online so why did they need my photo now? The one I already had was perfectly awful and I still looked the same!I looked to her for some sympathy. After all she was a woman and as far as I know, a human. Well, no such mercy from her. In fact, I could even read the bit of delight she took from my frustration that I had to get a picture taken when I was clearly not in any shape to be in public, let alone photographed. She stated that anytime you go in the offices for a renewal, they have to take your picture. Blah, blah, blah....something about fraud...blah, blah.

How dumb is that? So I really had no choice. I couldn't come back after a shower and finish the process. I was trapped in their stupid rules.

Jeff took great delight when a couple of weeks later the envelope arrived. He even committed a crime and opened my mail to see the thing. I guess it's not as bad as Nick Nolte's mugshot, but it's right up there. He's threatened to do something awful with it, but I'm sure he knows better. I think it might get lost...Stupid DMV!!

Great To Be Eight!

With turning eight, Cara was old enough to decide that she wanted to be baptized. It was such a great day for her and we are so proud of her decision.

She was able to wear the same dress that both my mom and I had worn when we were baptized. Her daddy baptized her I can't believe how fast she is growing up! We are so grateful for all the support of family and friends who came to share this special day with us. I made my first movie for the program. It was easier than I thought it would be. And since I was pleased with how it turned out, I thought I'd share it.

An American Girl B-Day

My Cara turned Eight on Friday. She decided she wanted to have her party at the American Girl store. So she invited a couple of friends and we had a "Girls Day." Those of you who don't have girls who are into this, may not be able to understand the "experience" so, I'll illustrate for you :)

A quick happy car ride..

We started downstairs...there was a 3 hour wait to get your dolls hair done (at $10-20 each, so we decided to skip this)

Then it was upstairs to more shopping, the doll hospital, doll photo studio and the cafe.

Waiting for our 2:30 lunch seating

Then it was time to take our seats

And of course the dolls each get a seat

Deciding what to order

Yummy cinnamon rolls...

The tasty appetizers...

mmm...Pizza

Sharing food with the doll...

Blowing the candles out on the cake

Enjoying the cake with peppermint ice cream

A fun and delicious meal!

Happy Birthday Cara!!