Just an update...

Sorry for not updating this weekend. It's been a weekend full of relaxing. =) Me & Cory pretty much hibernated up in our bedroom with the first season of Dexter and lots of snacks. I couldn't ask for a better weekend. =) And tomorrow the usual starts again...CareerLink in the morning, then work in the afternoon...
Today is my first day of working for The Center For Independent Living, actually. I was supposed to start at 1, but the caseworker called me & wants me to go in for 3...I'm just waiting for her call now to let me know she's here. I'm really excited. I finally get to have money, but besides that, this job is a great chance for me to use my compassion & love for people. =) What job could be better for me? I think I'm going to do great.
I have great news about my car situation. I finally found an absolutely perfect one for me! =) It's a 2000 Hyundai Elantra. Shiny black exterior, 4 doors, power everything, CD Player...pretty much everything I want in a car, with a warranty. Now of course, we have to test drive it before I'll agree on it, but I think this is the one I want so I'm talking to Krissa first thing in the morning tomorrow. Hopefully I'll be able to drive it home tomorrow night. =) There's a reasonable chance I might have to wait until later the week, though, for all the paperwork to go through. But in the end, it'll be mine & completely paid off. And we've decided that even though the Explorer is my dream car & everything, it'll be Cory's primary vehicle since I'll have the Elantra. It'll be really nice having my own car, so I doubt I'll mind giving up the Explorer in return.
Well, I have to go to work soon, so I'll update later. =)

Some of our new flyers (you have to click on them to see them full size)

I've got a whollata good news. =))

My interview this morning went perfectly! =) The guy who interviewed me said he got a TON of resumes (70+ the first day alone) but mine had stuck out to him for two reasons: 1st, my background in respiratory therapy, and 2nd, because I'm not from around here....seriously. Apparently, anyone he's hired who grew up in this area never had good work ethics. They basically expected things to be handed to them, without really having to work hard for it (this is just his perspective, mind you, so don't be offended if you're from the coal region & reading this...but from what I've been told, it's not a far-fetched thought). But he was impressed by my resume & cover letter and seemed to really like me in person also. =)
Let me tell you a little about the company: it's a nation-wide company and ours is the Pennsylvania branch (there's only 6 other branches in PA). Within our branch, there are only 5 employees. My position would actually be titled "Customer Service Representative" (my bad for saying Receptionist last night)...I would answer phones, schedule appointments and set-ups, maintain the company records, etc. The other employees are medical professionals (generally RN's & RT's) who travel to the patients' houses and set up the equipment/take care of the patients. My job would be Monday-Friday, 8-5:30, with NO mandatory overtime (since everyone else is on call during the nights & weekends, this is a big deal...having a set schedule is really a great privilege). The only reason I'd have to work overtime is generally if I asked for it (like if I wanted to stay late to catch up on paperwork or whatever). There's a great benefits package (medical, dental, etc) and you start with 2 weeks vacation your first year, which changes to 3 weeks after you've worked there for a year, plus of course paid holidays.
And when we're talking job security, this company definitely offers it. He told me that everyone who works there is "in it for the long haul". They all plan to work there until retirement and hopefully I will too (if I get the job). I don't have to worry about the company closing, either....there will always be a need for medical equipment, no matter what the economy looks like. Plus, this company has been growing significantly and shows no signs of stopping growing. So if I can just manage to get chosen for the job, I might have a good paying, great hours, full benefits job which I can work at for the rest of my life. How perfect would that be?!? =)

Anyways, he said I was the first person he called & the first person he interviewed, so he's going to have to call a couple more people & interview them, but he'll make his decision within a couple weeks. I actually feel really confident, since he seemed to really like me and was truly impressed by my resume, but keep your fingers crossed for me anyways. =)

On a side note: the place that Cory interviewed at yesterday (in Montoursville) called him in for a second interview tomorrow! =)) This is really awesome, since usually if you get called in for the second interview at this place, you basically have the job. I'm so proud of him & excited for our future. =)

Even more good news: I called the lady who I was hired to be a caregiver for (Alicia) and found out that the motor for her wheelchair is going to be installed tomorrow afternoon so she's either going home tomorrow or Monday at latest (and of course, I start work that same day). Yay! I've been so excited to start working there. =)

And yet my last bit of good news for the day: I spoke to Krissa this morning (our caseworker at CareerLink) and she said that on the day I start work, I am immediately eligible for the car. So she suggested I start looking for & pick out my car this weekend, and then if I start Monday, I might have a new (to me) car that same day. =)) I am sooo excited!!!

Another job??!???

Woot! I just got a call about a job interview for tomorrow! =) Since I have that job as a Personal Care Attendant (which has not started yet....the start date got pushed back...grr!), this would be a second job, but it couldn't be more perfect for me... It's for a receptionist for a home health care company that specializes in Home Oxygen/Respiratory Therapy equipment. In case anyone doesn't already know, I went to school for Respiratory Therapy, so I am already extremely knowledgeable about 90% of their products, saving them a ton of time & money training me about them. Plus, most of my work experience was as a receptionist, so it's really combining the two things I'm good at. =) The hiring rep who called me said I was the first person he called and he really liked my resume. I just hope to god I can impress him as much in person as I did on paper. =) Keep your fingers crossed, people! lol

On a similar note, we drove to Cory's interview in Montoursville this morning and it went really, really well. =) He even wore a three piece suit (which looked great on him, btw). He loves the company and was uber excited when he got back in the car, talking up a storm about how awesome this job would be for him. They kept his resume and will hopefully call him next week for a second interview. =) Keep your fingers crossed for him too!

My 2009 New Year's Resolutions

So I keep getting asked the same question from all my friends: "What was my New Year's Resolution?" Instead of telling everyone the same thing over & over, I decided just to update you all on here. =) I actually had two New Year's resolutions this year, but they are kind of broad. The first is to focus more on my spirituality (I'm wiccan). I'm doing this through reading, meditation, yoga, etc. My second is to respect my body and myself more. One of the first ways I started doing this was by finally becoming vegan...no more dairy or meat for me. I also stopped drinking soda, completely, and started exercising & doing yoga for at least 30 mins/day. Did anyone else have any New Year's Resolutions? Please share... =)

Ice, Ice, everywhere!

Well, we got a really bad ice storm yesterday and woke up to everything being covered with a thick sheet of ice. On top of that, I woke up sick. =( It did not seem like it was going to be a good day at all....
The kids were canceled for school, but we couldn't find any notices for CareerLink, so we bundled up and Cory walked me to the car (I'm like a 90-year-old woman on ice...I have horrible balance issues!) and we managed to get there by 9. All was good, until we pulled up to a completely empty parking lot and a dark building. =( Since it was still 8:50ish and CareerLink doesn't open until 9 on Wednesdays, we decided to wait. After 5 or 10 mins of waiting, some guy that was shoveling the sidewalk came up to us & told us there was a 2 hr delay. Ugh, so we bundled back up, found our way back to the car without slipping, and decided the only place we could really go was all the way back to Mt Carmel (hello waste of gas!). After a slow breakfast and spending time with Steve, we drove back in for 11 and and finished our day as planned, including my amazing vegan spaghetti I made. =)
After that, things finally got a little better. Mary came over and we relaxed most of the night before going back to bed around 10/11. It was just one of thoes days.... But now it's over, and today will be much better. =)

Who's got a job??

That's right, I do!!! =))

Today I went to the nursing home/assisted living facility and spent a couple hours getting to know Alicia, the lady who I will be a companion for. She's a really sweet lady, who happens to share a lot of the same hobbies & interests as I do. For example, she wants me to go for evening walks around town with her when the weather's nice (anyone who knows me knows I LOVE nightly walks) and she mentioned playing board games a lot, which I really love. The work isn't hard. She's pretty self-sufficient, all things considered. She does have an amputated leg, however, and is not eligible for a prosthetic yet, so she needs someone to lean on when she's out of her wheelchair. Things like going to the bathroom, though, she's able to do on her own, holding on to support rails or the counters. She's expecting me to cook for her, but I'm welcome to eat it with her. The main goal of the job, though, is simply companionship. She's leaving a nursing home where she has lots of friends and she's afraid of becoming really lonely, so she just wants someone around to keep her company.

There was actually three of us hired for the job, one each for morning, afternoon, and evening, and two of us will rotate on weekends. The other two new hires were apparently adamant with which hours they wanted, which was morning and evening, so I am going to be taking afternoon shifts [perfect! =)]. One of the other new hired was also not willing to work weekends, so in addition to my afternoon shifts M-F, I'm going to be rotating with the other hire for weekend shift, which means I'll work every-other weekend. Tomorrow I go in and meet Alicia's caseworker, who will give me the personal care attendant's "new hire packet". I'm actually really looking forward to this. =))

Anywho, Cory has an interview tomorrow morning with a banking & insurance company in Montoursville, so we're going to bed early. Night. =)

Keep your fingers crossed for me! =)

I might have a job. =)) It's kind of promising, but I'm not getting my hopes up yet (I usually get really disappointed whenever I do). It's as a personal care attendant for a lady in Kulpmont. It's not like a 'help them bathe & wipe them or change their diapers' type of job...It's more of a 'companionship and helping around the house' type job. There's no heavy-lifting, which will be great if I get pregnant, and it has great hours & good pay (10.75/hr, which is decent around here). I've been calling back & forth with the hiring rep today and she wants me to go in tomorrow to see her, so let's hope I get hired! =) If so, I'll start Thursday (when the patient leaves the nursing home to move back into her house).

Happy New Years!! =)

New Year's Eve at the Dobak house was absolutely awesome! =) Dani & Mary, Boonstra, Shey, Fifi, and Joe came over for the party and of course everyone that lives here (Pam, Matt, Lil, Juan, Pammy, Gib, Doug, Steve, Cory, Little Steve, and myself) were all here so it was quite a full house. Around 6:30ish, Pam, Matt, Lil, Juan, and Joe went to dinner at Mauser's to kick off the night, while everyone else enjoyed ham or turkey breast sandwiches, Pam's Amazing Pasta Salad, cookies, brownies, ice cream, tons of candy, chips & dip, and soda at home. After dinner, we all got together and played games all night: Buzz It, Scene It, Cranium, Clue, and Guitar Hero, with a short intermission to watch the ball drop and get all our New Year's kisses. =) Around 3:30 am, I finally crashed in bed. It was really a great night. =)

I'm going to soon post pics on my Myspace...Check them out. =))