Brrr....it's almost winter... =/

Ahh winter is coming. It is starting to get pretty chilly out & this weekend I actually had to start the heat in our house. =[ Dont get me wrong, I love winter & the snow & all, but fall is my absolutely favorite season & it's going wayyy too fast! It just started & I'm not ready for it to be over yet. =[[

Anyways, this weekend has been a rather boring one indeed. Cory worked most of Saturday & all of Sunday so I was just home trying to keep little Steve from getting into everything, while still trying to maintain a semi-clean & organized house and not pulling my hair out. Then yesterday & today was more work at my amazing, awesome job. I really love it there. It's seriously like my perfect job & it sucks so much that I won't be able to stay longer then 3 weeks, but I have faith that I can find a great job in MCA too. I did some more job searching & submitted my resume to a couple place [and even got one interview scheduled for November 13th] so I'm just going to keep my eye out for any new job openings posted & keep my fingers crossed for the ones I already applied for. =]

There really isn't much to post about unfortunately. But I didn't want you to think I forgot about my blog... I'll update further with any news that comes up. And also, our camera batteries died & we lost the charger so that's why there's been no new pics either on this or my myspace. As soon as we find the charger [or just give in & go buy disposable batteries] I'll take a bunch more new ones & post them. =]

Some great news

Well, it's official so now I can finally update & spill the news: we're moving to Mount Carmel!!! =]] We had some issues with our landlord and to make a long story short, we ended up terminating the lease we had on our house early. This was for many reasons, one being financial reasons, of course. But it's not necessarily a bad thing...we now get the chance to move from Lancaster to a place which we feel will be a GAZILLION times better for Steve, so we're pretty happy. I'm a little sad to leave my house, since it's absolutely perfect & I love it [minus the neighborhood it's in] but I do believe that we will find another one just as nice up there, but in a much better neighborhood. The move is officially for November 10th, but we are welcome to stay at "the Dobak house" for a while if we can't find a new house before then. I think this could be the start of something wonderful. =] And yes, we're keeping our business going of course. Now that Dani is a member of our team, he'll help us start it up in Mount Carmel so we should be able to continue there like we were here. Hopefully, at least...

I also have a couple other big news: I got two [yea that's right, two!] jobs this week!! =]]] Of course wouldn't you know that I got called about these after I stopped actively looking for jobs, but I'm not complaining! =] I am now working full-time as a receptionist at a law office, Monday-Friday 9-5. I am also working weekends 4-midnight at Donnelley, the place Cory works. This all started Wednesday and already I couldnt be happier, seriously. I now feel like I have a purpose in my life again. Of course, they are only temp jobs for the next three weeks until we move, but they both are giving me awesome pay and in addition to being a nice little financial boost for our move, they will be a nice start for my working-mom status because when we move, the decision has been settled that I will definitely be a working mom. I've been doing some job searching & it definitely seems much more promising in that area then what it did here [although the jobs would be a bit further away, like 15-20 miles from our house, but that's not a big issue].

My biggest concern was daycare, but it turns out I didn't really need to worry as much as I did. The babysitter we chose is amazing and although she says he did act extremely clingy today and had one scream-fest this afternoon, he didn't scream all day or anything extreme like what we had expected. In fact, she picked him up at our house this morning at 8:15 and the first time she heard him cry today was after 11. So it wasn't too bad at all and hopefully the clinginess will diminish some after he gets used to her & her house and gets into his comfort zone.

Well that's about all I have for tonight, but now that I know it's official, I can start posting again. =] I just didn't want to give anything away and since most of the last week was spent preparing for the move, I didn't want to update and "slip"...

Ready for some news?

Well I might have a big announcement to make soon (and no, I'm not pregnant yet & I didn't get a job) but we're not 100% sure yet. I'll update once we find out it's official. =)

Our company's expanding!! =)

I got some great news last night. A friend of ours from Mount Carmel is going to school for Graphic Design & needed an internship with a graphic design company, so he thought of us. We started talking & all of a sudden me & Cory saw a chance to do the expanding we've wanted to do so bad. We've been talking about advertising our company in many other areas outside of Lancaster county, but limiting it to graphic design jobs, which we can do through the internet & phone. But we weren't sure about some things that are better done in person, like showing our portfolio to customers. And also, we didn't want to make the customer responsible for things like scanning an old picture that they want restored. So Dani (our friend) is going to start being responsible for a "branch" of our company down there & take care of all that stuff that needs done in-person. He'll meet with customers, scan anything we need to work on, print out the final copy & give it to them, take their payments, etc. And of course, he's getting a large portion of the payment. As for the actual work, him & Cory will collaborate & come up with a joint finished project. Although if there's ever a job that one of them really wants to do on their own, that's okay too.

Hopefully Friday (pending the graphic director's permission) we'll be able to print a ton of flyers & business cards at the graphic design press-room at Steven's. We want to get some cards printed out with just our names & others with just Dani's name & contact info (& of course the company name), all on thick, good stock cards. We're going up there Saturday & hope to give him some flyers & his own stack of business cards so he can distribute them as he pleases. We also wanted to get a copy of Cory's portfolio that he can add some of his own work into it & show it to customers if they request it.

While we were planning this, I started to see openings for expansion pretty much everywhere. That's one of my favorite parts of this business, is that we can do it in-person or over the internet & snail mail, so we aren't limited to Lancaster County or places we can drive to. We're soon going to invest in buying a domain & setting up an awesome website. Once that's done, we're hoping to start getting internet orders from anywhere in the US. Can you see how great this could be if we really have the perserverance & dedication to make it work??! =)

On other news, this weekend was good, just really loooooong. =( Cory worked 12 hours on Saturday (12-12) & 8 hours yesterday (12-8) so I pretty much spent the whole time chasing Steve around. But now that it's the week & he's back to working just 6 hr shifts, we should be able to get some fun in every so often too. =)

My political rantings

If this offends anyone, I'm sorry but I must get it off my chest.

This is for all you Republicans that believe voting Democratic is a horrendous sin & God will immediately smite you dead with a random bolt of lightening. For all of you that are so die-hard right wing you would vote for Hilter if he ran as a Repbublican: Get over it!! Stop listening to that shit spewing out of Fox News & actually make your own unbiased opinion!! Read some newspapers, watch some debates, research online, whatever! Don't just vote for the Republican candidate "because it's the Christian thing to do". That's bull. And another thing, I've heard too many friends of mine regurgiate what they hear from Fox News, chain emails, or (the most reliable of all sources) Myspace bulletins and COMPLETELY believe it. It blows my mind that people are so naive! It's shit like: "OMG! Obama is a muslim ROBOT created by Sudam Hussein & sent to DESTROY America & TAKE OVER THE WORLD!!!" or "Obama wasn't born in the US! He won't even put his hand over his heart for the national anthem!" or "OMG! It's all a big conspiracy! Biden's going to step down & put Hillary as VP then together they're going to KILL Obama & make Hillary the first Hippie woman president so she can make it legal for you to marry your dog!!". Ummm...no, not quite.

Let me help you out a bit: Obama is NOT a muslim & there really is no conspiracy. Seriously, do you REALLY believe he could fool the government, but some 12-yr-old kid with Myspace could figure it out? And then, this genius child decides the best plan of action wouldn't be to tip off the government; nope, he tells all his Myspace friends with a big scary bulletin! Thank God for Myspace!! Now everyone with internet is smarter then the American government!

But of course, if you still don't believe me, you can always go to this website: http://www.factcheck.org/faq & see that maybe, just maybe the rumors aren't quite so true.... ((This is a party-neutral website that will either confirm or deny any rumors about both presidential candidates...with proof! Just click on any short answer for the full answer.))

You see, maybe it would clarify things for you if you started off looking at it this way: Obama & McCain are both just decent American men, trying to become president & who just happen to have different opinions on what would be best for America. I'm not 100% obsessed w/my party & would rather just pick whichever candidate would be best for America, so that's the perspective I chose to have. Well, at least, that's what I started with, but to be honest, I'm not sure if I feel right calling McCain a "decent" man anymore, not with the level he has stooped down to...Why would I say that?

Well, this little article explains it all: http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/10/04/palin.obama/index.html.
A senior Republican operative says "We're going to get a little tougher. We've got to question this guy's associations. Very soon. There's no question we have to change the subject here." aka...."let's distract the American public away from the crap we're trying to tell them because we're obviously not going to win so instead let's try & make up lies about our opponent because our only hope is if we can make the public hate him more then us." So, next thing you know, Palin is essentially accusing Obama of being a terrorist by claiming that "he's palling around w/terrorists who would target their own country". Yea, real decent... They'd rather badmouth their opponent then discuss their policies. And to clarify, no, Obama is not a terrorist....it was just a lie trying to be used as a scare tactic.

So what's so bad about their policies that even the candidates know they're not good enough to make them win? Well, where do I start???? First off, here's a link to the issue statement from each presidential candidate so you can read it in their words.
McCain's: http://projects.washingtonpost.com/2008-presidential-candidates/issues/candidates/john-mccain/
Obama's: http://projects.washingtonpost.com/2008-presidential-candidates/issues/candidates/barack-obama/

Well let me start with some of the issues brought up in the VP debate last week. For example, their health care plan. Okay...McCain/Palin say: let's take a $12,000/yr plan that's the average right now for people covered through medical benefits & replace it w/a $5,000 budget. Really? It's obvious that the rest is coming from the employee's pocket or you're looking at a major drop in coverage...It's simple math. 20 million people under McCain's plan would be dropped from medical benefits through their employer & be left w/a $5,000 check. How exactly is this good for the average Joe-Shmoe who just realized that he now has to pay 7,000 dollars a year for something his boss used to pay for him?! Yea, getting rid of medical benefits from jobs and making people buy their own medical insurance...that's a GREAT way to boost the American economy *rolls eyes*. But of course McCain & Palin think it's a great idea because it's separating the government from the businesses & won't cost the government anything. While that might be true, I still don't see it as such a novel idea.

Just so you know I'm not making it up & to hear a better argument, here's Palin's explanation & Biden's response during the VP debate: Palin: "He's proposing a $5,000 tax credit for families so that they can get out there and they can purchase their own health care coverage. That's a smart thing to do. That's budget neutral. That doesn't cost the government anything as opposed to Barack Obama's plan to mandate health care coverage and have universal government run program and unless you're pleased with the way the federal government has been running anything lately, I don't think that it's going to be real pleasing for Americans to consider health care being taken over by the feds. But a $5,000 health care credit through our income tax that's budget neutral. That's going to help. And he also wants to erase those artificial lines between states so that through competition, we can cross state lines and if there's a better plan offered somewhere else, we would be able to purchase that. So affordability and accessibility will be the keys there with that $5,000 tax credit also being offered."

Biden: "Now, with regard to the -- to the health care plan, you know, it's with one hand you giveth, the other you take it. You know how Barack Obama -- excuse me, do you know how John McCain pays for his $5,000 tax credit you're going to get, a family will get?He taxes as income every one of you out there, every one of you listening who has a health care plan through your employer. That's how he raises $3.6 trillion, on your -- taxing your health care benefit to give you a $5,000 plan, which his Web site points out will go straight to the insurance company.And then you're going to have to replace a $12,000 -- that's the average cost of the plan you get through your employer -- it costs $12,000. You're going to have to pay -- replace a $12,000 plan, because 20 million of you are going to be dropped. Twenty million of you will be dropped.So you're going to have to place -- replace a $12,000 plan with a $5,000 check you just give to the insurance company. I call that the 'Ultimate Bridge to Nowhere.'"

I definitely agree on that "Ultimate Bridge to Nowhere" remark... Personally, I prefer Obama's decision to aim for universal coverage & require that all children be covered for health insurance...Sounds better for my life.

Or, hey, let's talk about how McCain & Palin want us to invest all our money & resources into drilling for oil in Alaska. As Palin says (a million times during her debate w/Biden...I swear it's all she knows how to say) "Alaska is an energy-producing state" and it would be great to become energy-independent. So let's "Drill, baby, drill" and don't spend any money on anything else. Now, I agree with some parts...I do believe it would be a HUGE boost for our economy if we were to invest in becoming energy-independent. I'd love it if we didn't need to get our oil from oversees. But at the same time, like Biden pointed out when she said it the 4545421218899 time, if you invest EVERYTHING into drilling, we'd be screwed for the next 10 years until we actually see something come of it. No matter how much we put into drilling, gas flow is 10 years away. So I'm sorry, but I think that approach has flaws. We need to save some money to get us through until we actually start seeing some results of the drilling...

I love how McCain thinks that "the fundamentals of our economy are stable" or his assertion that "anyone who makes under 5 million dollars a year is middle class". If some billionaire making 4.5 million/yr is middle class, then what am I with my 25,000/yr income?!? I must be lower then low! And this man really thinks he's going to help my financial situation?

Wow, this is getting too long, but I'll try to sum it all in one sentence
(in my good friend Reed's word): McCain, a rich white asshole, is all for the other rich white assholes and big oil while fucking over the average, poor citizens. Yea, not my kind of candidate....but of course, that's just my opinion. =P

mobile blogging

I finally have my account & cell phone set up for mobile blogging so now I can blog from my phone! Woot! =) The problem is that I can only send 150 words in a text (damn Sprint!) which would break an entry up into short sections. So I don't think I'll really be updating much mobile-ly. =( But since I can still send unlimited pics & videos if you see a random pic posted w/no description or further explaination, that's probably why... Apparently it's something I wanted to share & figured "blog-worthy". =P

Our date last night

Steve's taking a nap, so I figured I had a little bit of time for another entry. I just have to blog about last night...it was AMAZING! =) When I was grocery shopping Thursday afternoon I found some marinating steaks on sale for only 3 dollars (for 2 large steaks). I could not pass them up! They were gorgeous, big, & didn't have much fat at all on them. And they were well before their expiration date. So since Friday night is our "date night" I figured I could use them then.

You see, we recently started a tradition of making Friday nights really special & just for the two of us, to keep our marriage alive. It's actually an old tradition we used to do & had to stop w/Cory's old schedule but now we can do it again. We stopped eating out AT ALL any times other then Friday night, so that by itself makes it something special, a little insentive to look forward to the nights when I have a choice of not cooking. We have been keeping Steve with us because we haven't really been able to afford a babysitter, but once we have some more extra money we plan to start letting him stay w/a babysitter for a couple hours those nights & we do something really romantic & special just the two of us. Last night we ate the steaks. I marinated them in KC Masterpiece Steakhouse marinate then broiled them. They turned out PERFECT. I also made some mashed potatoes, gravy, & brocolli w/Velveeta cheese. It was a great meal. We ate it together in the dining room w/Steve (who ate mashed potatoes, a tiny bit of gravy, the brocolli, & one bite of steak) then went into the living room & cuddled up for a romantic comedy (Just Like Heaven). It was a seriously picture-perfect night & I couldnt ask for more. =)))

Now I just have to plan for next week's date...maybe going out to a nice restaurant? I'm not sure yet...

Today's been like any other Saturday. Cory's working noon to midnight and I'm home w/Steve. We have a new customer coming over later & since Cory's working, I have to take care of him by myself... I'm a little nervous since this is usually Cory's thing; I take care of the paperwork aspect & Cory does the actual jobs, but we'll see how I do. =)

I'm back!! =)

I seriously need to start posting more often...I just don't know when I'd find the time. Now that's Steve's an official toddler and, well, "toddling" around the house, it's a feat if I can manage to even find the time to get a shower anymore. But since I have my loyal fans reading this & couldn't possibly let them down, I'll start updating again. =)

So yea, Steve is walking. =)) I thought it would never happen, but on the day before his 1st birthday he just up & decided to start taking more then 2 steps at a time & it's just progressed from there. Now of course he has it mastered...he can run, squat to pick something up then stand back up, or stand up in the middle of the room w/nothing to pull up on & take off. He won't crawl at all anymore. What happened to my baby?!?? =(

He also went off the bottle & pacifier right before his birthday. & not only that, but he did it COLD TURKEY! I was like completely shocked. I was terrified of the whole weaning process & thought for sure it would take months. I mean, his pacifier was his "security blanket" and he wouldn't go anywhere without it. He also needed a bottle in order to fall asleep every night. So 2 weeks before his first birthday I decided to start the process & gave him a sippy cup with whole milk in it for his breakfast drink instead of the usual bottle of formula. He drank it right up and hasn't had a bottle since. I also "hid" the pacifiers the night before & he did just fine without them. I'm so proud of him. =)

In other news, we got our first "fur baby" as a family. =) Last month we decided to finally get a cat!! I've wanted one for a couple years (I always had one growing up & felt weird not having any pets) but we couldn't have one in our old apartment. So now that we're settled into our new house, we decided it was time & got a little tabby kitten. She's only 4 months old (born June 3rd) & sooo little & adorable. =) Steve absolutely loves her & (when he's not tormenting her..lol) he likes to pick her up & hug her. It's so sweet. By the way, her name's Tabby. Yea, we're real original...haha. I still want more cats and a couple dogs, but we're pretty happy for now.

Our business has been going great. We've had several new customers & a few repeat customers that bring all their computer or electronic problems to us. One is a really great (& generous) guy that actually owns his own business & has been keeping us rather busy. He's even decided to "invest" in our business by recently buying us all the tools or equipment which we needed! We can really see some potential for our business now... =) In the meantime, Cory's still working at Donnelley but now he's changed his shift. He isn't working until midnight or 6 am...he's home by 6 pm every night, except some weekends when he works until midnight! We are so happy!!!! =) I now don't have to worry about something happening in the middle of the night & we can finally have a decent schedule. I couldn't be happier.

And if you were wondering, no I havent found a job, but our finances have been majorly looking up & it no longer seems important for me to find one so I've stopped looking & instead I've just been spending more time paying attention to what really matters: my family. =) Now if I "happen" upon a job that is actually worth my time, I'm not saying I'd turn it down, but I'm definitely no longer actively looking.

So that's all the updates I have time for right now... I'll try & post more when I have more time & I pinky-promise to start keeping this at least a little better updated. =)