Can I Go on Strike?

I just need to sort through my thoughts. Bare with me.
Jed has asked me to start looking for a[nother] job. I have a part-time job, I do an aerobics class on my day off, and I am currently taking an online class as well. On the one hand, I do have quite a bit of time on my hands, but on the other hand, I am getting things done (losing weight and getting an education). We're trying to save for a house and I know that the extra income would be so helpful, but I am scared that if I get a full-time job it will become my whole life. Not literally, but I know myself and I foresee me being too tired in the evenings to work out and study. Sigh.
So that's the big thing on my mind right now.
I really love my aerobics class and would be really sad to give it up. The summer session starts at the beginning of June and I have to sign up soon, but I don't want to sign up, get a job, and lose my registration fee. Plus, it really motivates me to have a class to go to and the ladies in there are so nice.
I really like the job I have now - I love the mom and girl I work with and the schedule is ridiculously flexible. I don't know if I'm ready for a 9-5 job. That's a long day, every day. Then I also have to be so good about planning my food because I'll be away from home all day. I'm doing so well with my diet (not diet, just food intake) right now and I don't want to slip on that.
I don't even know where to start job hunting. The last two jobs I've had have been nannying and the three before that were through a staffing agency. I would just go to a staffing agency, but there aren't any good ones where I live, or else they rarely have jobs (I looked in to it when we first moved here). Also, because I've mostly worked through agencies, I am so rusty on my interview skills and my wardrobe would need a face lift. Ugh. I'm just dreading it.

101 in 1001 Monthly Update

1. Make a wreath for my front door
2. Go to the Texas State Fair - 10/4/10
3. Eat a meal from a food truck
4. Go to the symphony
5. Go 1 week without watching TV - 1/9/11
6. Finally buy wedding pictures...
7. Hang wedding pictures
8. Go to the ballet with Jed - 11/27/10
9. Go to The Sixth Floor Museum
10. Finish my T-shirt quilt I started 2 3 years ago - 3/23/11
11. Go to the Ft. Worth Zoo - 10/2/10
12. Lose 20 pounds!! - 11/3/10
13. Lose 20 more pounds
14. Go snorkeling again
15. Catch up on 30 Rock - 12/6/10
16. Eat vegetarian for a week
17. Go to a Rangers game
18. Do a ropes course
19. Write in my journal every day for 1 month
20. Go rock climbing again
21. Go back to school - 3/23/11 :)
22. Take a picture each day for 3 months
23. Ride a train
24. Bear my testimony in church
25. Get my picture taken by a professional (once I get under 200lb)
26. Get our family photo taken by a professional (once I get under 200lb)
27. Swim 10 continuous laps
28. Get a dog
29. Visit NASA
30. Family prayer and Personal scripture study every day for 1 month - 2/3/11
31. Visit San Antonio during a holiday
32. Join a choir - 10/10/10
33. Make a sourdough starter
34. Go white water rafting again
35. Pick up the violin again
36. Take Jed to a rodeo - 1/20/11
37. Buy cowboy boots or hats - 11/6/10
38. Get in the car and drive 2 hours in one direction with the windows down and the radio blasting
39. Visit all great-grandparents' grave sites
40. Go to the Dallas Temple - 2/23/11
41. Take Jed to a jazz bar
42. Fly a kite
43. Go to a haunted house with Jed - 10/25/10
44. Complete Couch to 5K Challenge
45. Participate in an organized 5K
46. Get my palm read or fortune told
47. Go on another cruise with Jed
48. Help build a Habitat for Humanity house
49. Make Mom's cinnamon rolls - 10/30/10
50. Make Theresa's cinnamon rolls
51. Go to Schlitterbahn with Jed
52. Buy a homeless person lunch - 3/14/11
53. Have a baby
54. Watch the Zombie Walk - 10/16/10
55. Pay off Jed's car!! - 10/19/10
56. Go fishing with Jed
57. Be 100% debt-free
58. Ride horses
59. Go to the Dallas Aquarium
60. Dance to a vinyl record
61. Take a cooking class
62. Get an SLR a video camera
63. Skydive
64. Visit Gettysburg or Williamsburg
65. Make out in the rain
66. Go to Six Flags with Jed
67. File my own taxes without calling Daddy - 2/22/11
68. Make a hole-in-one
69. Take a hot-air balloon or helicopter ride
70. Change my own oil
71. Go to NYC or San Francisco with Jed
72. Take an art class
73. Jump around in a mosh pit again
74. Go to a circus - 10/14/10
75. Deep clean my bathroom - 2/10/11
76. Visit my sister, Laurel, in California
77. Ride a motorcycle  Buy a house
78. Get a TX driver's license again - 9/29/10
79. Go one week three days without carbs
80. Dance barefoot
81. Get all dressed up and go to a fancy dinner
82. Get on a bike again
83. Buy myself flowers for no reason - 2/12/11
84. Go camping in Texas with Jed
85. Go camping on a beach
86. Go to the Texas beach with Jed
87. Donate blood again
88. Spend a night with the lights off, watching a lightning storm - 11/15/10
89. Go to the Grand Canyon
90. Have a meaningful conversation with a beggar
91. Paint pottery again
92. Join a bowling or softball league
93. Watch a movie at a drive-in
94. Grow and eat my own vegetables
95. Sing karaoke again
96. Take the Riverwalk boat tour - 11/6/10
97. Don't eat out for 1 month 2 weeks
98. Go to the batting cages with Jed
99. Donate plasma
100. Eat fried green tomatoes - 11/6/10
101. Do 1 correct push-up

Thankful Thursday - Thansgiving Style

I am thankful for a roof over my head.
I am thankful for my steady income, a paycheck I can count on.
I am thankful for Jed's job.
I am thankful that I live in a free country.
I am thankful for fast communication - phones, internet, Skype, etc.
I am thankful for our cars.
I am thankful that all four of our parents are alive and well.
I am thankful for all of our siblings, biological or 'adopted'. :)
I am thankful that we live close to some family.
I am thankful for modern conveniences, like microwaves, indoor plumbing, airplanes, pillows, dishwashers, etc. SO many things to be grateful for.
I am thankful for Archie, Sharky, Goldie, and our other fish. [Original names, huh? ;)]
I am thankful that all five of my grandparents are alive and well.
I am thankful for a cozy, warm bed.
I am thankful for my new clothes.
I am thankful for the Gospel and what it brings to my life.
I am thankful for my good sense of direction.
I am thankful for my ability to learn.
I am thankful that I am able to go to school.
I am SO thankful that it hasn't really snowed much yet this year (knock on wood).
I am thankful to be able to be a part of the Provo Posh & Chic Boutique this year.
I am thankful to have enough food that I don't ever go hungry.

I am thankful for my Savoir.

I am thankful that I am never truly wanting - I have everything that I need.
I am thankful for my wonderful, patient, warm-hearted husband. He is my world and I love him.

Thankful Thursday

I am thankful that I have a job interview tomorrow with a company in Orem. :)
I am thankful for Jed.
I am thankful that I have a loving family and good relationships with them.
I am thankful that my dad will be coming in to town next week and I get to go to dinner with him.
I am thankful that it hasn't really started snowing yet (knock on wood).
I am thankful for the success that I've been having at my current job.
I am thankful for the Gospel.
I am thankful for the Atonement.
I am thankful that I am able-bodied.
I am thankful that I have the chance to get an education.
I am thankful for my car.
I am thankful for the opportunity I have to be a part of The Provo Posh & Chic Boutique on Black Friday - more on that to come. ;)

Thankful Thursday

I am thankful that my grandparents live close and I can stay at their houses on Wednesdays after school.
I am thankful that I don't have to drive home late on Wednesdays.
I am thankful that I have a job.
I am thankful for Jed.
I am thankful that I have Fridays off.
I am thankful that Laurel and her boys are coming to visit this weekend.
I am thankful that I get to watch the boys for two whole days!

Thankful Thursday

I am thankful that Jed was able to come to SLC with me last Saturday when I worked.
I am thankful that Chris and Hanna came to see me at work on Saturday.
I am thankful that we split the nursery again on Sunday.
I am thankful that we were able to go camping with the Burkes on Sunday night, even though I worked on Monday.
I am thankful for good friends and family.
I am thankful for the Gospel.
I am thankful that I have a job.
I am thankful that we have health insurance.
I am thankful that I was able to go to Jed's capstone meeting last night.
I am thankful that I am able to go to school.
I am thankful that I was able to go to brunch with Jed this morning.

Thankful Thursday

I am thankful that we were able to go to California this weekend.
I am thankful that Jed was able to handle the car when the tire blew and we didn't flip or anything.
I am thankful that my parents were in town at the same time we were.
I am thankful that we were able to go to Wicked!
I am thankful for Laurel and Nathan and their generosity.
I am thankful that we got to see Nathan when he was in town this week.
I am thankful that my first week of school went well.
I am thankful that I was able to stay at Grams' house so that I didn't have to drive home after school.
I am thankful that I was able to go to brunch with Grams and Cheryl this morning.

Thankful Thursday

I have been so blessed recently - I finally found a job after FIVE MONTHS of unemployment!
I am thankful for my new job.
I am thankful for the fun environment that I work in.
I am thankful that I have a reliable car to make the HOUR-LONG commute each way, every day.
I am thankful that school will be starting soon...maybe. We'll see how thankful I am in a few weeks.
I am thankful that Jed and I were able to go to Lagoon on Saturday.
I am thankful that Jed's brothers (Tyler and Matthew) made it to Provo safely - they drove from WV.
I am thankful that Jed has three brothers who live in town.
I am thankful that I was able to go to Tucanos for free today! :)
I am thankful WICKED AT THE END OF THE MONTH!!!

Monday Memoirs

Friday - We went Geocaching and this time it was a success!! We had such a fun time hunting for the "treasure"!! We ended up finding four geocaches and we got a few little treasures to take home. We will definitely be doing this again - SO fun!!!
Justin, Amanda, and Heidi came over and we picked up Nathan and went to get frozen custard (even though it was freezing outside). It was really good! Thanks for telling us about that place, McDaniels. Jed and I were home fairly early, so while he was in the bedroom studying or reading or something, I turned on Harry Potter because I was randomly in the mood for it. As soon as the music starts, Jed comes in and asks if he can watch it with me. He got all excited like a little school boy. It was a good night. ;)

Saturday - In the morning, I went to Bed, Bath, and Beyond to get a present for my friend's bridal shower, that started about a half hour later. They couldn't find her registry, and then after I picked out the present, they had a 20-minute wait on gift-wrapping. I was there for an hour, and was late to the shower. It worked out ok though. So my friend Angela Nelson is getting married!! Her shower was way fun and I got to meet Megan (a friend of mine's wife whom I had never met) and see Sabrina and J'Nette. J'Nette didn't bring her baby, so I'll have to make the drive to her house to see the cute little guy. Angela is great and she deserves the best. I'm so glad that she found a wonderful guy like Chance to treat her right and be an awesome husband to her.

After the shower, I ran over to my partner's house to work on our stupid project for school. It is taking entirely too long to finish this thing. I was there for three hours and we barely made a dent in it. So frustrating!

Then I went over to Adrianna's house for a facial party. A woman from home (San Antonio), Charlotte Ekstrom, was there and it was so good to see her again. She actually taught me piano when I was younger. I hadn't seen her in years and it was so fun to catch up on things.
Jed had to go in to work, but when he got off, we went out to dinner to Fuddruckers with Charlotte, Adrianna, her boyfriend Tony, and Charlotte's niece Megan. It was really good - the company was great!

Jed had never seen Drop Dead Gorgeous, and I was in the mood for a good laugh, so we popped it in. I love that movie!

Sunday - **Warning: this is a bit of a rant** If any of you have worked in the nursery at church before, you know that sometimes kids cry and cry for their parents for a long time. And then there are the parents whose kid is fine, but yet they stay in there for who knows what reason. Well we had a guy yesterday (I don't think they are in our ward, or else they're new) who came in for the first time with his kid. We were doing puzzles at the table with the kids and a few of them were reading books. The guy's kid tries to come over and do puzzles with us and his dad yanks him back and like makes him read a book and the kid starts crying. Weird, right? Then the guy stays in nursery the entire time (which, if your kid is having a rough day and crying a lot, etc, is fine) even though his kid is totally good and doesn't need his dad in there.
Well my philosophy is that if you are skipping class to be in nursery with your kid, you are responsible for your kid - I will not watch kids whose own parents are in the same room. This kid keeps running around stealing other kids' toys, turning the CD player up full blast, then he goes over to the toy closet and starts pulling a huge tub of wooden blocks off the shelf above his head. I saw it coming. I knew it was going to fall on him. Where was the dad? On the other side of the room, not even looking in the direction of the child. What the crap? Leave already. So Jed was near the kid and stopped him before he knocked himself out. Not two minutes after that, this little kid goes over to one of our girls and gives her a hug and then leans in for a kiss on the cheek. Cute, right? No. He bit her cheek as hard as he could. The dad wasn't even paying attention. The duo left right after that. AND GOOD RIDDENCE!

So....that was my weekend. :)

Thankful Thursday

I've only been to one class so far this semester, but I am glad to be easing back into school and I'm grateful for the opportunity I have to pursue higher education. The class I went to was New Testament (we'll be studying the Four Gospels and the life and teachings of Jesus Christ) and I am actually really excited about it!

My teacher is awesome!! He teaches 2/3 of the year at BYU-Provo and 1/3 of the year he spends teaching/excavating in Jerusalem! (Yeah, he's an archaeologist by profession and he knows Arabic and Hebrew!) He is extremely knowledgeable and has had many personal experiences in the Holy Land. He is very engaging and I can tell that I am going to learn a lot from him and his class. I'm super excited about the Bible. How often does that happen?!? :)

Anyways, I'm thankful that I have the capabilities - physically, mentally, financially, etc. - to go back to school and learn. I've missed learning in the past two years and I can't wait to start up again. :)