Overwhelmed

On Monday, I learned that my brother is in the hospital after hitting his head and lapsing into a coma. He is expected to recover but the waiting day to day for updates (I live on the east coast and he lives on the west coast) is awful. I would be at the hospital every free minute if I lived closer to him. I'm relieved that the initial news is positive but I will be on edge until I know he is fully awake, breathing on his own, and functional.

Previous to receiving such bad news, I had been gearing up for my career job licensing exam which takes place May 9th. I feel totally unprepared and have only added to my stress by visiting various universities around me trying to determine what I need to do in order to finish a degree separate from the one I graduated with in 2003. I've determined that my best option is to return to school in pursuit of a second bachelor's degree. I was hoping to finagle something on a Master's level but my previous bachelor's degree does not lend itself to other fields. To get my second degree will take about two years and I will likely have to quit my job (of the past 5.5 years) so I have waffled back and forth dramatically over whether or not to go forward with this idea. On one hand, I have a job in the middle of a recession. On the other hand, I work in a notoriously low-paying field for even less than the average rate because I work for a religious organization. Such was the case before the recession and such will be the case as long as I work here. I could go for a Master's degree in this field but unless I were to work in the medical/healthcare arena it would probably not benefit me as much as following through on my desire to finish out this second degree. Workers in my second degree field make about $15,000.00 more a year than I currently do working in my first degree field. Money isn't everything but I went to college in order to take care of myself long-term. Though I didn't choose I high-paying career, I thought I'd have more to show for it by now.

In conversation with Axl yesterday, I came to the conclusion that had I been earning what I should have been all this time, I probably never would have considered changing careers. So, this morning, I got to work and filled out an online admissions application. With a little luck, I will be a student again in the fall.

Weekend Finds

I bought this dress for $10.00(!) at the Hebron Gap Outlet:




I found the above pictures on ebay and I'm assuming the person who posted them borrowed them from the Gap website. I'm not sure what I think of Gap's decision to advertise the dress layered because it is gorgeous on its own (well, maybe not in brown). The next picture is of the dress in the color I bought it in (navy). This picture is borrowed from seller mothgirl13 on ebay. She had her name on the hem of the dress in the photo and I took it out but wanted her to get proper credit for taking the picture. I could take one of my own but I don't have a mannequin in order to properly show the shape of the dress. It is a cotton blend that has a silk sheen to it. I was so happy to find this dress on Saturday because I had to give a speech (twice) on Sunday for work and it was nice to have a pretty dress to wear in front of all those people.


My other find this weekend was this necklace (picture is from the Mod Cloth website):

I was so excited to find the necklace locally because I had been debating buying it online. If you like it, you can buy one here.

If I Had Twelve Thousand Dollars

I borrowed the following pictures from this site. There is one of these for sale not a block from my house and I want to buy it so bad I can't even tell you. It has only 8,300 miles on it, it's in this exact color, one owner, all original interior. The only hang ups are that the fuel guage isn't working and neither is the radio. The man I spoke to about it yesterday was so nice. He's asking $12,500 for it and I am wailing and gnashing my teeth for not being smarter with the money I saved when I was a teenager.

Seen While Driving #2

I didn't have a chance before we passed her to snap a picture of the sticker she had on the opposite side of the window that said, "If you're going to ride my ass, at least pull my hair." I kid you not.

Seen At The Flea Market

Last Thursday, Axl and I drove to his parents' house to spend a few days before coming back to visit my family for Easter Sunday. Axl's mother is into scavaging for vintage pieces similar to the way I am and we had a ball driving around to different shops during our visit. Axl's parent's live in a rural area and what better than a rural area for a flea market? Though not the flea markets I remember from my youth, Axl and I attended two on Saturday that provided many worthwhile sights and sounds. Axl took this picture for me with his iPhone because my camera was acting up:

What would a flea market be without a bust of Elvis (and Laurel and Hardy hanging out in the background)?

The man who owned this gorgeous guy offered to let me hold him. Thinking about it now, I probably should have done it because I have very few opportunities to hold a rooster in my day to day but I figured getting scratched and pecked wasn't worth it. Drawing on my roots, my exact words when the owner offered were, "Lord, no." Sure was a gorgeous bird. And loud.


The following were unexpected. Good thing I'm not a little girl or there would have been tears at wanting to take them all home with me. Beagle and basset hound pups!


These two guys were next to the others and $450.00 more. Corgi pups! I don't support dog breeding what with all the animals in shelters needing a home but oh! The cuteness! They wouldn't hold still for a picture which is why they're all blurry. I got to hold the one on the right and it was all I talked about for the rest of the day.

Have A Good Weekend

I'm on Easter holiday. See you next week!

WTF Weather

Last Friday, my mother and I passed under an apple blossom tree whose petals were falling in the breeze and she said to me jokingly, "Look! It's snowing!" To my surprise, the weather took a turn over the weekend and we had actual snow yesterday:


The temperature outside felt more like November's temps than April's. Today, the temperature is back in the 50's and climbing. I wish Mother Nature would just pick a temperature and stick with it because the warmth is so nice when it's here but we don't seem to be able to keep a warm temperature for more than a day or two. Going back and forth between a light jacket and a winter coat is wearing on me. I don't enjoy cold, wet weather. C'mon Spring!

Seen While Driving

It wasn't easy to get a discreet picture of this car because it was right next to us and there I am all with my camera like a big dork. Axl's rearview mirror is in the way but you get the general idea. Naturally, it would've been cooler-looking if you could have seen it for yourself. I was completely done in by the fish fin on the top.

Andy Samberg Is Always Good For A Laugh

Craigslist Taste On A Thrift Store Budget

I love Craigslist. I like to look at all the good deals to be had and daydream about changing my apartment furniture out for a dream piece I received a good deal on. For the first time, I am selling some furniture and odds and ends on Craigslist and I just have to take a minute to say to all the other sellers out there, “Bless your heart!” I know there is nothing to be lost by making a ridiculous offer on something you want because the least the other person can say is, “No.” Still, some people who have responded with offers to my items act as if they are doing me a favor offering such a low price. It’s not that my items are of great desire or value but they’re nice and in like new condition so I’d like to not lose out on the deal, you know? Craigslist is not a thrift store or a yard sale so if you’re shopping on there, you should expect to pay a bit more than thrift store and yard sale prices. Despite the slightly higher price tag, there are still good deals to be had. Axl has four IKEA Snille chairs for sale on Craigslist that he bought no less than a year ago. He’s offering them for a steal and hasn’t received a single bite. We thought someone would surely snatch those up. Heck, the nearest IKEA is 100 miles away! I guess it's two parts recession, one part living in a hick town. Sure is disappointing.