I'm not sure the "one year in Florida" plan is actually going to come to fruition. We've both changed our focus a little since coming back from NY and me starting this temp. job and such. It started with a resume-request from one of O's friends, for a position in Palo Alto, CA. This is the same company he was considering during the summer, but we ruled it out because of location. Now, however, we're starting to wonder if we need to change location because let's face it - things have not been all that promising for us here in Florida. We'd both been hoping this possible position was in the company's DC-area office, but it turned out to also be in CA.

However, the company does have a similar (though not identical) position in their DC office. This realization got some wheels turning for both of us, and we're both feeling like maybe that area is the way to go. If anywhere is going to have a decent job market at all, it's going to be that area first. And we have friends there. And the seasons, while much milder than NY, still change there. And it's closer to NY. And there are long-term opportunities there in fields we both desperately want to get into.

And it's not on the west coast, which is looking to be our other major option. If we have to do that, we will. But neither of us want to, particularly. (The thought of it still makes me want to cry; I'm just afraid of closing any doors right now.)


I am posting this as a desperate plea for prayers/positive thoughts/etc. Please keep us in your thoughts in the coming weeks as we try to put this new plan in motion. Please pray that this works out for us in the way we are hoping. I am praying as hard as I can, myself.

I left the keys in the ignition last night, and not fully turned off. The car won't start this morning. Waiting for Geico's roadside assistance folks to come help. Great impression to make during my first week of work, no?

*sigh*

Does anyone have a good remedy for antibiotic-induced diarrhea in a toddler? Filling him up with yogurt a couple times a day for the probiotics is not doing the trick. Not even close, in fact.

Right now I'm sitting in a kind-of-scary-but-will-suffice-for-one-night hotel room near Rochester, while L and O are out walking off some of L's excess energy before bedtime routine begins. The visit has been a whirlwind of family and friends, and I have loved every second of it. We fly back tomorrow afternoon, and we're planning to spend the morning at the museum before we head to the airport.

We spent the first part of the visit in Ithaca (after driving down from Rochester the morning after we flew in). Wednesday was spent with my mom, Thursday with Gramma, Sissy & Ken (and mom), and then Friday morning we went to Museum of the Earth so Liam could look at and play with the dinosaurs there. After some computer repair work, we drove back to Rochester, where I met up with a couple of RWCC friends and O put L to bed at our friends' house, where we were staying for the weekend. Yesterday was spent in Victor with my Bethy & her family, and then John & his new girlfriend, and her newborn baby. Then today we spent a little more time with the Houstons (with whom we were staying), and L got to play with Claire all morning and part of the afternoon. A quick stop at our storage unit, another one at Wegmans, and that brings us to now.

This has been so wonderful, and (so far at least) not as bittersweet as I had been expecting. I may feel differently when we get to the airport tomorrow and/or when we get back to FL, but even if I do, it was worth it. I needed this taste of autumn, this time with my loved ones, and this break from the day-to-day routine. Yes, it was expensive, at a time when we need to be frugal... but it's only going to get more expensive from here. This was the last week we could do it without being in the holiday season, and after mid-December, we'd have been paying for 3 tickets instead of 2.

In a couple of days, it will be back to the grind of sending out resumes, etc. Hopefully the cold (no fever or anything, just a cough and runny nose) L has picked up along the way will wait until after our travels to catch up with O & I. I'm sort of hoping that this will work like solving a puzzle or writing a difficult paper - that taking a break from the job-hunt, etc., will have been just what we needed in order to achieve the desired result.

Is anyone here any good at resume-writing/tweaking/etc., and willing to help me out with mine? I'm thinking it needs some extra pizazz in order to make it stand out. It definitely needs something, since I've been looking for 2 months and haven't even had a single interview.

I can't afford to pay much, if anything, but I could really use some help. (Feel free to send other folks my way, if you know someone.)

I adapted this recipe to suit my needs.

Applesauce, unsweetened, 1 cup
Granulated Sugar, 1 1/5 cup
Flour, all-purpose, 3 cup
Ginger, ground, .5 tsp
Cinnamon, ground, 3 tsp
Allspice, 1.5 tsp
Baking Soda, 2 tsp
Pumpkin, canned, without salt, 15 oz can
Egg, fresh, 2 large
1/2 c. egg-substitute
3/4 bag of white choc. chips
some (what we had left) dried cranberries

This makes 2 loaves. I mixed everything in one bowl, in the order stated above, stirring between items (and between each cup of flour). Since I only have one loaf pan, I'm baking one loaf at a time at 350 for 45 minutes to start out with, then will adjust as needed. (Will edit this post if the timing needs drastic adjustment). If you have two pans, you can bake for one hour at 350.

(direct x-post from the BearFamily blog)

A few weeks ago, we were at Walgreens to get our seasonal flu shots, and the other man who was waiting there with us struck up a conversation - mostly with L. It turns out, he's a local fire commissioner. He told us who in the district to contact about getting L a tour of the firehouse. We'd actually intended to do it for Fire Prevention Week (which I wouldn't even know about if it weren't for FireMom, so thanks for that!) last week, but we didn't make it there until today.

Liam had an absolute blast, though! We told him we were going to see fire trucks, so he was very excited. Though I don't think he quite believed us when we walked in:


Once he got inside, though, and got to sit in an actual truck, he was thrilled!


He wanted to push all the buttons:


And try on the gear (or at least, the driver's sunglasses):


He got a hat of his own:


And even pretended to take an emergency call!



What an exciting day for a newly-22-month-old!

(More pictures, plus these in larger size here.)


~ D ~

Today was pretty neutral. We didn't do much - some straightening, I went to the gym, O made chili. No particular high-points stand out to me. But neither do any particular low-points either, so I still call it a win.

You really can't go wrong with a day that is made up of library, gym, reading, mini-golf, and Panera. :)

I thought we were getting company this weekend - a distant relative of O's. Turns out, it's /next/ weekend. Annoyed as I was when I discovered the mistake, it's probably for the best. I'm feeling very mellow and keep-to-myself-y, so having someone I've never met in the house overnight wouldn't have been ideal.

Instead, I've gotten to spend the evening chilling out with either the computer or my book, and occasional cuddles from a Bug. Definitely better suited to my mood.

Been very active today. While O was getting ready for a meeting he had this morning (and after he left), I mopped the floors all the way through the house. I also cleaned the master bathroom, stripped the master bed and our bed and threw those sheets in the wash, and straightened (including the lanai). I also did my usual gym routine after O got home and L was napping, AND we all took a walk to/from the park before dinner.

L also gave me no struggle with naptime, which was a nice change.

And I'm now enjoying some relaxy-time, and about to put the computer aside to read more Eragon.

I spent some of my birthday money today. I bought myself 2 shirts and a skirt at Old Navy, all on clearance. And a bathrobe at Target, also on clearance. And 2 workout DVDs and a camera case, plus two CDs-worth of MP3s (the SK6ERS albums I didn't have yet) on Amazon.

Yay shopping that doesn't cost me any real money. :)

Direct x-post from our family blog.

OK, so we still have blistering hot temperatures (it's going to be in the 90s on my birthday - I can't say I've experienced that very many times!), and there are no changing leaves. But we were/are determined to have some real autumn experiences nonetheless. We bought canned pumpkin this week to make pumpkin bread, and today we went to the park's Pumpkin Patch event.

( Pictures/video originally posted on the Family Blog )

I got a birthday card from my mommy today, with a check enclosed. I haven't totally decided whether I want to just use it as guilt-free spending money, or if I want to save it towards an eventual dSLR camera purchase. I/we spent a small amount today on a $5 skirt for me, two pair of Bug-jammies, and dinner at Moe's. Mmm, Moe's.

As much as it may be tiring to read the same books over and over (and over... and over ...) again, I love that L has inherited our love of books. It's no wonder, really, seeing as we were both early readers and are still bookworms to this day. But still, I love having him curled up in my lap, telling me what's on each page, or having me read him the story contained within. He points out letters, numbers, animals, and random objects, and sometimes completes our sentences as we read to him. The library is one of his very favorite places to go, and books are definitely his favorite plaything.

I spent a good chunk of this morning reading him books while O was making phone calls. And when we returned from errands this afternoon, his first request was "read please."

Even when I'm beat and want to just flump and be left alone, I can't help but to smile at how much he loves to read. :)

I think a big part of the reason I get sick more often than most people is because it is almost the only time I take days "off". Today was no exception to that rule. I woke up with a sore throat, stuffy nose (and now that I think about it, I had a sinus headache last night before bed, which I have again now), and a general sense of lethargy. Seeing as neither O nor I slept well last night (L seemed to, but was REALLY cranky before naptime and slept HARD during), we just chilled around home today. I skipped the gym in favor of curling up on the couch with him and an episode of Veronica Mars, and we did nothing more strenuous than playing with Bug or cleaning up after dinner.

While I'm generally all about the go-go-go, it's sometimes nice to stop for a while. Even if it is only because I'm not feeling great.

---

Positivity #2: I made someone smile today, and tell me she loved me. That always makes me feel good, to know I've made a difference in someone's day, if only for a moment.

There are possibilities all around right now. The most promising is some freelancing work that O has lined up, which could turn into a long-term situation and/or even a partnership. Keep your fingers crossed on that!

I am also hopefully going to be taking on the job of volunteer editor for the church newsletter. I'll be meeting with the administrator on Sunday (unless she e-mails back and wants to get together outside of church some other time) to discuss it. Sure, it's volunteer, but it's experience and it looks good on the resume, and it'll be fun!

I also applied for a job I desperately want, last night. So please keep me in your thoughts in that regard as well!

This may or may not be the light at the end of the tunnel, but there is definitely plenty of hope and excitement in the air around here. :)

I met with another temp. agency today. She doesn't have anything immediately, but chose to bring me in anyway because she only has 2 or 3 other people in my specific geographical area, and apparently folks in this area don't like to drive. So there are at least possibilities. Yes, it's temp work (if anything comes up), but it's SOMEthing. I need that bit of encouragement because in the past week I've had THREE of the jobs I'd applied to get canceled. As O said earlier, welcome to a recession. But still, frustrating. So having a temp agency at least want to get me into their system is definitely a better direction.

( Today's positive: ice cream on the beach at sunset )

There is so much happy involved here, I think I'll let the pictures (and the others from yesterday and tonight) speak for themselves. :)