Monday Interview

So I went this morning to "interview" at Remedy Staffing Inc. They're a temp, temp-to hire and permanent job placement service. It wasn't like a typical interview where they ask you all about you and all that. It was basically a bunch of paperwork to fill out and then a safety movie to watch and then they told me what they had that fit my qualifications and asked me if I wanted recommended to these jobs. Of course I said yes. :) Then they email my resume and information to the company that requested someone and we wait and see. They recommended me for a couple of full time, temp-to-hire, medical receptionist jobs and I'm excited to hear from them. I'm not really interested in "temp" work but temp to hire is better than nothing! I guess what that means for these places they recommended me at is like a probationary 90 days and then if they like me and I like them, we keep it up. Until the end of that probation I technically work for Remedy Staffing and they're the ones that pay me and all that. Its neat too because I can terminate at any time, any of the assignments I'm give and don't have to explain myself and all that happens is we find something else better suited to my needs and qualifications. The downside to that is I can also be terminated at any time with no explanation, but I don't see that happening. Hopefully I hear from someone by the end of the week because both the places that they really think I'd be good for are needing someone to start right away so it would be really cool to be working next week. :)

The only other iron in that fire is a bank teller job that Key bank is considering me for but the downside to that is the hiring manager for the specific location they are hiring at is away from work for a few weeks so we wouldn't know anything until she gets back anyways. Everything else I've applied for I haven't gotten but as much as that sucks and takes a punch at the pride, its been a learning experience because I can look back now at interviews that I thought I nailed and kind of pick them apart to see what went wrong. :)

Cross your fingers that I get a job this week. That would really help things out. :) Happy Fall!!

Results

OMG. I just weighed in and am down a total of 13.8 since August 28th...not even a whole month. None of my pants will stay up and my wedding ring just spins around my finger. Yay!

Makes my heart sad...

Really cool beauty tips...

1. Powder Your Roots

If your hairline starts to look greasy, dig up a big, fluffy makeup brush, and dip it into a pot of loose powder. Tap it once on the back of your hand to remove the excess, then dust it over your roots. It mops up oil and blends into your strands, so no one will know you didn't shower.

2. Scent Strands with Perfume
Spray a light shot of fragrance into the bristles. Run it through strands from roots to ends and your hair will smell amazing throughout the day.

3. Cure Calluses with Vaseline
Slather on the petroleum jelly, and put on socks before bed to dissolve tough calluses overnight.

More from Cosmopolitan.com Hair That Gets You What You Want Find Your Perfect Jeans Style The Sexiest Shoes for Fall More from Yahoo! Shopping Back to School Beauty and Makeup Back to School Fashions for Girls

4. Spot-Treat Smudges
Dip a cotton swab in eye-makeup remover, and trace it along your lids to erase any slipups or goofs when there's no time to redo your whole look.

5. Fix a Flushed Face
If you turn red and stay that way after exercising (like seriously red for hours, even though you're healthy and hydrated), take an antihistamine like Benadryl when you leave the gym to reduce redness.

6. Soften Your Bod with Avocado
Take a ripe avocado, remove the pit and skin, and mash it up in a bowl. Slather it all over your body, let it sit for 20 minutes, then rinse off. Your skin will be so soft — avocado is a natural moisturizer.

7. Super-Glue a Nail
Instead of tearing off your nail when it breaks, put a tiny dab of Super Glue over the split, and paint a generous layer of your favorite nailpolish shade over it. Go for an opaque option (like red, purple, or coral) to camouflage and seal the crack.

8. Use Makeup Remover on Stubborn Lipstick
Don't try to rub off red lipstick (which makes it smear across your mouth — not so sexy). Instead, take a cotton ball or tissue, dip it in makeup remover, and just dab to erase the dark stain fast.

9. Tame Brows with Eye Cream
Pat any kind of rich eye cream over brows to help keep them hydrated and banish those icky white specks that look like dandruff.

10. Buff with Baking Soda
If you find yourself streaking (not glowing) after applying self-tanner, put some baking soda on a loofah, and scrub away the stripes.

11. Brush on Hair Spray
For the final step of your blow-dry, spray hair spray onto your brush, and run it through strands from roots to tips. This way, your do isn't so plastered and stiff but still holds volume and shine.

12. Boost Body Lotion with Baby Oil
If you're craving shiny legs that aren't greasy, blend a drop of baby oil into your normal body lotion for extra luster.

13. Dab Essential Oil on a Hangnail
Put on apricot oil, the kind found in health-food stores, to protect cuticles from turning rough and raggedy.

14. Quell a Cold Sore with Cream
When a cold sore is coming on, dab a bit of thick moisturizer, like Aquaphor, over it to prevent it from getting worse.

15. Freeze Your Eyeliner
If the tip of your eyeliner pencil crumbles and smears on your lids, store the liner in the freezer for 15 minutes before use so the tip is firm and goes across your skin smoothly.

16. Use Toothpaste on a Zit
Use just a pea-size amount. Let sit for 15 minutes to absorb the oil so the pimple won't get more clogged, then wash off.

17. Heat Up Your Curler
If you have stick-straight lashes, try blasting your metal eyelash curler with a hair dryer for a couple seconds to heat it up so your lashes bend more easily. And use a waterproof mascara. The formula dries faster than other mascaras, so it sets the curl more effectively.

18. Use Soap Without Water
You know those fancy bars that are actually too pretty to use? Toss them in your underwear or tee-shirt drawers to make your skin smell delicious.

19. Groom Brows with a Toothbrush
Mist an (unused!) toothbrush or eyebrow comb with hair spray to help flatten and tame unruly brows.

20. Put Diaper-Rash Cream on Dry Spots
Slather on a thick layer of diaper-rash cream to heal cracked elbows and feet.

21. Lubricate Your Lashes
An easy way to draw attention to your eyes without putting on a pile of makeup is to comb petroleum jelly lightly through the tips of eyelashes to get a sexy, subtle sparkle.

22. Spike Lotion with Bronzer
If you don't have time to book a self-tanning session, mix a few pumps of body bronzer with regular hand lotion and pat it on your legs for a gradual dose of sexy, beachy color.

23. Air-Dry Your Curls
Let your hair dry indoors before going out in the cold. The curls will be really bouncy and piecey-perfect.

24. Press a Tea Bag on Splotches
If your skin is sensitive or just looking irritated and puffy for some reason, steep a bag of green tea for a minute or two, let it cool down, and dab it over your face. The antioxidants in the tea take down inflammation.

25. Shave with Conditioner
Ran out of shaving cream? Do double duty by coating your stems with a thick hair conditioner. It softens the hair so it's easier to shave off and makes legs feel amazingly silky.

26. Amp Shine with Vinegar
Mix one part vinegar with four parts carbonated water, and soak dry hair. Leave on for 15 minutes before you shampoo to lock in shine and combat dullness.

27. Exfoliate Your Pits
If your underarms start to look dry and flaky, an easy trick is to exfoliate them with a gentle face scrub to keep that skin pretty when going sleeveless.

28. Customize Your Body Lotion
Instead of shelling out for an expensive perfumed body product, you can make your own by pouring a few drops of fragrance into any scent-free lotion. Rub it on-the scent will last for hours.

29. "Brush" with Mouthwash
If you're too wiped out after a late night of partying to clean your teeth, rinse with water and mouthwash, then use a dry toothbrush on the area where your teeth hit your gums.

30. Make an Egg-White Mask
To revive tired, dull skin without hitting the spa table, try this: Crack open an egg in a bowl, separate the yolk, and use the egg whites to make a face mask. The proteins help to heal and restore skin's moisture. Leave it on for five minutes, and rinse off.

This will explain that blank look a man gets so often...

Notes from the marriage retreat

This retreat really helped us understand the way the other thinks so I'm going to summarize for you. :)

This is from the class called "How to Have Great Sex".

• Men imprint on the place/way/situation where they first had sex (hotel, car, on top, on bottom...) which is why its so easy for men to have a hard time later in life. He talked about a man who loved his wife but couldn't "perform" unless they were in a hotel room. He had been single for a while and had meaningless sex in hotel rooms with women and had imprinted that in his mind as sexy or hot so plain old lovin' with the wifey at home just didn't do it. He had to work really hard to retrain his brain to appreciate the wifey and that plain old lovin'.
• Women imprint on the emotion/feelings/actions after sex. Thats why a woman can feel hurt if her hunny falls asleep right after sex and doesn't automatically roll over to snuggle. If when she first experienced sex, her partner was a cuddler after, she'll always relate that to what is supposed to happen.
• Basically all this was to say not to have sex before marriage. If you have loveless quickies with people you date before you find your one & only and get married you'll imprint on those places, feelings and such. If your first times are with the person you'll be having sex with for the rest of your life you imprint on them, their actions, behaviors and that is what will matter and make it sexy later on down the line.
• He taught the men that instead of just rolling over, nudging the woman and saying "you want some?" (LOL) they should lay still for a minute chanting "be nice to the girl" over and over in their head and then approach her in a nice, romantic way. This will lead to less rejection and name calling and more lovin'.
• He taught the women that the smartest way to get a man to do/buy/say what we want is to barter with him. Its the reward system. Say you want to teach your dog to sit. You know your dog will learn faster if he/she is rewarded for this behavior. Men are very similar, as we all know. So, barter: dangle what he's going to "gain" before you ask for what you want. Such as: honey, remember that little red number I got for valentine's day last year? He'll no doubt remember it. Now you've got his attention. This next part is very important. It's all in the approach. Say, "want me to wear that tonight?". He will no doubt be practically panting by now and very enthusiastic about the idea. Now you drop the bomb. "Tell you what babe, if you'll pick up cat food and check the mail on the way home, you'll get that little red number tonight." Ding!! He will not only pick up cat food that night but (in my experience) he will call you right after he gets the cat food to make sure you know that he got the cat food which he remembered to do all by himself (might even ask if remembering it means he gets a 2nd treat) and he'd be home in 1/2 an hour!!
  

Another topic he touched was the 5 things necessary to having great sex in your marriage:

1. Exclusivity: 1 man focuses on 1 woman. Here he went into society today and the toilet our minds are swirling around in. He spoke about how common porn is in society today and how much damage it can do to a relationship. Here's where the exclusivity comes in. If your hubby (or wife I guess) is addicted to porn, or even not as deep into it as addicted but frequents porn, most likely he will start asking for those small things he sees on his porn and will sometimes even stoop to thinking about the girl in the porn while he is with you. 1 man, devoted to 1 woman means his sexual experiences lie with you (and even maybe with rosy palm) and not with some late night tv sexcapade or internet site. Exclusivity. :)
2. Privacy: This comes into play mostly for couples with children. Basically, children are the "anti-sex". :) Moms are touched all day long by the kids wanting and needing so when hubby comes home he gets the "touch me and die" look/attitude from mom. This can ruin a relationship. Women focus more on being a mommy than on how men don't change during the day and still want touched and attended to at the end of the day. Men focus more on each individual task during the day and not on how the woman might just want to be left alone after a day of wants, needs, peanut butter and jelly. Solve this by helping the girl rest for a while, take care of the kids for her so she can re-charge and be wifey that night.
3. Time: Men need help lasting longer and women women take longer. So you have to work together in order to stay together in your loving. Men need to focus on the girl for a while before she focuses on him in order to stay on the same page and "finish the book" at the same time. Women need to help the man stay focused on prolonging while at the same time enjoying the attention she is receiving.
4. Foreplay: This kind of plays into what we said above. Basically, men are microwaves and women are crock pots. He has to slow roast the girl. The average length of a man's sexual experience is 2 minutes (no joke). The average length of a woman's sexual experience is 14-17 minutes. Men always have the desire to have sex, women don't, so men need to arouse the desire in the woman, which is hard for a man because men are the biggest fans of instant gratification. (Hence the 2 minutes...) The best foreplay starts 24 hours before the "act". He said that men tend to just want to grab the coconuts...they have to remember that in order to get the most coconuts off the branch, he has to climb the palm tree slowly and take his time. (women are the palm tree...you can imagine what the coconuts are)
5. Romance: This means that sex in marriage is not just physical. An orgasm is different from "ejaculation". That plays into the porn/masturbation/exclusivity part of this also. An orgasm is a physical, emotional and hormonal response to your mate. Ejaculation, which we are all capable of is just a mental and physical response to stimulus. If you romance your spouse you're going to experience orgasms instead of ejaculations, which are much more satisfying.

A couple other points he made:

• Some therapists have actually been known to recommend having an affair to improve your marriage. Culture today says that the key to great sex is lust and fantasy, which we all know doesn't work outside of Hollywood.
• On an episode of Family Fued where the contestants were all soap opera stars the following question was asked, "How can you improve your relationship with your spouse?" All of their answers were lust based: watch porn together, have an affair, etc. This is because their jobs are so filled with lust that they take that on in their minds as the norm.
• Its a big deal to the initiator of sex to be turned down. A man can take rejection 3 times before he stops trying. For a woman its more of an emotional rejection. This is where most affairs start. Generally affairs start because of an emotional connection, not a physical one. Picture this, "bob" comes home and initiates sex with his wife. She turns him down...repeat...repeat again. After this "bob" stops trying. His secretary notices that he's not in a very good mood lately or he looks sad and initiates that contact with him. "gee bob, you don't look to happy today, is everything okay?" Bob then sees someone who is interested in him, which he's not seeing at home.....and then it starts.
• He also challenged all the guys to focus only on their spouse for 30 days, i.e no porn or fantasies and no masturbation and see what happens. He says "she will come alive from the attention and exclusivity. Makes sense to me. :)

Another class we attended was How to Stay Married and Not Kill Your Spouse:

Avoid bitterness and resentment:

• Women would rather receive a single rose 12 times a year than a dozen roses once a year.
• Don't surprise a woman. Tell her what you've planned ahead of time so she thinks and talks about it all week leading up to the event. Every time she tells a friend "bob is taking me dancing Saturday, he arranged for a sitter & everything!!" you're getting bonus points with not only your wife but the women around her. These bonus points could come in handy next time she's venting to her friends about that dumb thing you did.
• Acknowledge when she speaks. Even if its a "really?" or "wow that's cool", it will mean the world to her to know you care enough to listen.
• Women: earn bonus points with sex and believing in your man. Validate his ideas, especially when he makes it a point to share with you. He's asking for validation and an ego boost, which we all know men need repeatedly throughout the day. Be his #1 fan. If you're not his #1 fan, he'll learn that he can't share his dreams and thoughts with you and will stop sharing, which cuts your communication severely. Remember, there will always be a bimbo elsewhere who will listen and validate your man, which is emotional for him...remember how affairs start??

Learn how to keep the reset button handy:

• Use this button when everything is out of whack and the "scores" are out of control. When those points & bonus points are starting to control your world and your marriage, hit the reset button.
• Remember that forgiveness is an act not an emotion. You'll remember and feel the pain of what was done forever but you can move past it and forgive. Forgiving means saying, "I forgive you. I'll never bring it up to you or anyone else again." Can you imagine the relief of knowing that even though you screwed up, he/she isn't going to throw it in your face somewhere down the road? I know it might be a really hard thing to do, to be the one who feels the pain but moves forward and "forgives" but it will strengthen your relationship. Just remember that if you "forgive" them now, someday you'll feel the relief of knowing they've "forgiven" you for that dumb thing you'll no doubt do somewhere down the road. Its all a 2 way road...forgive to be forgiven.
• Find a way to accept the reset button. Getting help with this is okay if you need it because the forgiveness and reset buttons are critical parts of our emotional and relationship life and well being.

To end the retreat we were challenged to find somewhere quiet and memorable and to recite their "re-vows" to each other. We were then told that when we were done reciting our vows...go where the emotion takes us and remember there's nothing better than lovin' when the room is free!

The Husband Vows

Honey, I'm sorry:

For not always being the kind of husband I should be to you.
For not giving you the attention you deserve.
For being too caught up in my own world instead of "our" world.
For demanding too much and not giving enough.
For not loving you like I should.
Please forgive me.
With your love, your support, your patience and your prayers,
I will strive to be the kind of husband God expects me to be.

The Wife Vows

Honey, I'm sorry:

For not always being the kind of wife I should be to you.
For not always appreciating all that you do.
For not always being the lover I know you need.
For not always believing in your hopes and dreams.
For not loving you like I should.
Please forgive me.
With your love, your support, your patience and your prayers,
I will strive to be the kind of wife God expects me to be.

Ahhh, Monday Monday.

I'm so ready for this day to be over. It started at 2:21 a.m. I woke up and couldnt get back to sleep. Keith and I were off at 5 a.m. to post where I slept in the car while he did unit combatives. I ended up going to the PX (in sweats & a sweatshirt) to get solution for the carpet steamer I borrowed and to change into the clothes I had brought with me to change into for my interviews. The first interview was a phone interview at 8:30, for a teller position at Key Bank. It went well, some simple questions about me and my behavior type and things like that. She said that if they decide I'm what they're looking for they will call me for a face-to-face interview by the end of the week.
After that I headed out to Fife for my 2nd interview at Continuant. It's a telephone line repair company. Basically I'd sit at my desk and take calls from customers, file work orders and do any minor service that I could. They handle big phone line clients, colleges, hospitals, etc. That interview went well also, once I was finished being lost and finally found the business, which had no sign to tell me it was there. I was in the interview for a total of 11 minutes though and it was a 45 minute drive to get there, so that kind of sucked.
Then I headed back to post and sat in the car for another hour or so reading a book and then Keith and I went to lunch. After lunch I headed out to my 3rd interview, at Anex Marketing. I was lost for 1/2 an hour before I was able to get the number and call for directions...yet another damn business with no sign on the street!! Grr. This was a great time in my day. I got out of the car, shut the door, was 1/2 way to the building when I realized I had just locked my keys, cell phone and all money in the car. Fabulous. So, since there was nothing I could do at that time I headed in for my interview. Turns out its for a Office Manager position for a new office they're setting up. They had 15 people interview for the 1 position and I was told that they would go back through the application/interview paperwork for everyone and pick 3 to bring back in tomorrow. Then they'd choose from there. Keith borrowed someone at work's car and came to rescue me since he had keys to the car. I decided that since I would probably be called back for a 2nd interview from at least one of these companies and I only had 1 nice business top I'd better go shopping. 1 phone call to Katie, her internet search, 15 minutes lost and a good visit later I found ROSS. I ended up with 4 nice tops for $31.00. Bonus.
I left there and headed to post and by the time I got there was called by Anex and informed that I was 1 of the 3 they wanted to come back tomorrow for a 2nd interview. They said that once they chose from the 3 they interview tomorrow the person they choose will need to come back for a last interview/informational meeting. The guy then told me to clear my schedule for tomorrow because they'll most likely be taking up a lot of my time. Yay! Because this is a new office, I have no idea where it will be and won't know until tomorrow when I learn about salary and all that. Hopefully its a good one...
So, moral of the story....been up since 2ish a.m....lost 4 times, 1 fight with a cashier at the PX, 1 set of keys locked in the car, 3 job interviews, 1 great deal on clothes and a big mac later...I'm exhausted. Goodnight. :)

Weighed In & Interviews

So I weighed in, lost a couple more and am down 9.8!!!
I went to a job fair yesterday and have 3 interviews scheduled for Monday. A phone interview at 8:30, a face to face at 11:30 and another face to face at 2:15. woohoo! All 3 are full time, monday-friday only jobs. :) I'm stoked.

Obama in Elko

Why I have laugh lines at 25...

Its like having a 2 year old see that you are aiming a camera at them. Thank God this one is out of diapers. :)

Weight Update

I'm down 8.6 now. Woohoo.

Keith's birthday weekend in Seattle

We spent last weekend in Seattle with Keith's brother Tony and his wife Kellie. They flew up to go to the Mariners/Yankees game with us. Tony's a Yankees fan and Kellie's a Mariners fan so it was fun. Keith and I sided with Kellie and we (the Mariners) kicked Tony's butt. :)

The next day we got up and went to the Seattle Aquarium. I was disappointed in the aquarium. You'd think a waterfront aquarium would be great but it didnt hold a candle to the land-locked Atlanta aquarium. I hear the portland one is nice so we'll have to try that some time. My favorite part of the aquarium was the octopus. He was huge. I loved him, until I ate calamari that night...that was awkward.



After the aquarium we wandered the waterfront, walked through the Pike Place Market and had some nummy food at a place called Fishermans and headed towards our water tour. I took pictures of some of the flower booths.

Tony & Keith at Waterfront
Tony & Kellie in Ye Old Curiosity Shop

We took an Argosy Cruise that took us around the Harbor in Elliot Bay. It was an hour cruise. Tony was glad there was a bar and Keith and I took quite a few pictures of course. And we saw Sea Lions. :)


(Tony)
Keith enjoying our seats.

After our cruise we headed up to the Pacific Science Center. We only had an hour before they closed so we totally have to head back that way some time soon. Its the kind of place where there are expiraments you can do, displays you can touch and play with and a butterfly exhibit we didn't make it into.
Here's Keith lifting a meteorite..it wasn't really that heavy.
I think the chairs alone would take up all my dining room... :)
Since it was Keith's birthday we headed back down to the waterfront and had dinner at a very nice restaurant called Anthony's on Pier 66. We sat outside and watched the sun go down. It was the kind of place Keith and I would go to once every couple years, where the menu changes as the fresh fish changes and the desserts are different with the fruit thats fresh in the area. Keith had a chocolate mousy kind of dessert and I had cheesecake with fresh raspberries and peaches. Kellie's aunt joined us.

Left to Right: Me, Kellie's Aunt, Kellie, Tony & Keith (the birthday boy)


Heaven
Keith after blowing out his candle on his "cake".

The next day Keith and I spent 6 hours at the Zoo. It was a huge zoo and we had a great time but were so tired by the time we got home!

My hunny...

Here's Keith enjoying his home pedi...complete with massaging soak and ice cream. What a tough guy! :)

Weigh In

I think I'm going to weigh in Monday and Thursday nights. We'll see. So I weighed in tonight and I'm down another 2 1/2. Rock on.