Hello all,
So I'm sure you have all heard about the national debt. One of the things that is likely to get cut is financial help for schooling. That means me. At the moment almost if not all of my money to go to school is through FASFA and loans/grants. So all this talk about not giving out those loans and grants is scaring me. I have no idea if I will be able to go to CUSLB in the fall. So I've been trying to figure out back up plans. If my financial aid doesn't go through then I will have to find out a way around it. I'm hoping that I will be able to go in the spring no matter what. I've already started looking into classes at SMC and west la community. Sadly I doubt I will be able to take any classes that will help me. I need 9 units (3 classes) to keep my health insurance. So I can take 3 classes that don't help me at all and that i don't want to take or I can just sign up for 3 classes and then drop them. This would mean that I would be working through the whole fall semester. I might even be able to work 5 days a week and save up so that even if my financial aid doesn't go through in spring I will be able to cover at least some of it myself. This might be the plan I go with. Of course I hope that it doesn't come to that and that I get the financial aid I need to go this fall.
I hate thinking about money. It drives me crazy. And there never seems to be enough. Well things aren't that bad actually. Both Jono and I are working full time and making about 2 grand each every month. We make enough to cover our bills. It's helping out his mom that is taking such a strain. But it will get better. I know it will. It has to at some point right?
hugs+kisses
mce
Friday, July 29, 2011
Thursday, July 28, 2011
recipe hunt
good morning!
So I am on a recipe hunt. Now this isn't to say that I need more recipes. I have over 300 on my computer alone never mind all the pictures I took of books and cookbooks I have. I think it's a bad habit. I have more recipes then I could ever make at this point and I will still clip out recipes in magazines and check out as many books as I can carry from the library. Sifting through all of them is a ton of work. The one on my computer are the only ones semi-organized. and even those are missing key parts of some of them. I started just copying and pasting recipes from sites into my program (notebook). I didn't have the name of the site I took them from or a picture of what it should look like. Then I starting putting in the name of the site when I took recipes. And later I starting getting the pictures as well. But that means that I have all three types all mixed together. So now I have to go back and get what ever missing pieces each one has.
Ok but what really started this whole thing is my need of quick recipes. While I was off I could spend 3-4 hours cooking, but now I can't. I have maybe an hour at most during the week. And pretty much no time at all for lunches. So I need to find things i can make on the weekend and have leftovers for lunches during the week. I also need quick dinner recipes. Healthy recipes. I think the biggest issue is the lunches. It's hard to find food that tastes as good the next day as it does freshly made. stew works well. And rice if I eat it within 3 days. Salads are iffy because if I assemble them before then they are soggy by the time I get around to eating them. So that's my mission this week. Or at least for the next 2 days. If any of you has any helpful hints they would much appreciated.
hugs+kisses
mce
So I am on a recipe hunt. Now this isn't to say that I need more recipes. I have over 300 on my computer alone never mind all the pictures I took of books and cookbooks I have. I think it's a bad habit. I have more recipes then I could ever make at this point and I will still clip out recipes in magazines and check out as many books as I can carry from the library. Sifting through all of them is a ton of work. The one on my computer are the only ones semi-organized. and even those are missing key parts of some of them. I started just copying and pasting recipes from sites into my program (notebook). I didn't have the name of the site I took them from or a picture of what it should look like. Then I starting putting in the name of the site when I took recipes. And later I starting getting the pictures as well. But that means that I have all three types all mixed together. So now I have to go back and get what ever missing pieces each one has.
Ok but what really started this whole thing is my need of quick recipes. While I was off I could spend 3-4 hours cooking, but now I can't. I have maybe an hour at most during the week. And pretty much no time at all for lunches. So I need to find things i can make on the weekend and have leftovers for lunches during the week. I also need quick dinner recipes. Healthy recipes. I think the biggest issue is the lunches. It's hard to find food that tastes as good the next day as it does freshly made. stew works well. And rice if I eat it within 3 days. Salads are iffy because if I assemble them before then they are soggy by the time I get around to eating them. So that's my mission this week. Or at least for the next 2 days. If any of you has any helpful hints they would much appreciated.
hugs+kisses
mce
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Working out
Good Morning!
Ok so I have a confession to make. I hate working out. I will do anything I can to get out of it. I would rather clean the whole apartment by myself with a toothbrush then workout. That's actually my fall back plan every time. I clean instead. Good for the house but not for my health. Working out or sports were never part of my childhood. We did music and acting instead. Trying to get into working out is ridiculously hard. I'll go to the gym for maybe 2-3 weeks almost every day but then it's over. I just can't stay motivated. I never really cared about my lack of working out before but now that I live and with later marry a man who is all about working out and being healthy I realize how unhealthy my lifestyle is. I always have high hopes. And I really do try to get into it. I also don't really have the right clothes for it. The shoes I have make my toes go numb after 15-20 minutes working out. I don't know why. It doesn't matter how loose I tie them. So I have a new plan.
Now one of my main excuses is that I don't have time when I'm working. Well I'm going to try to work around that. I have drawn up a weekly outline that breaks down each day wither I'm working or not. That way I have no excuses. I am also going to print it up and post it all over the house so I can't get away from it. I am also going to do different things. I can't seem to always get to the gym (it is like 20 mins away) so I am going to do at home videos. I normally hates these as they make me feel stupid and they aren't very entertaining, but I need to get over that. I am also going to start going to yoga again. I had stoped because of money but it is something I like doing and will actually go to so that will be at least 2 workouts a week that I will do. I'll just have to budget for it. I always feel better afterwards and it helps with my stress levels while I'm working.
So that's the plan. I'm going to be working a lot more from now on. For the past 3-4 months I've been working a max of 2 days a week with short hours. Now they are back at work and I'm back to 11-13 hour days 4-5 days a week. I need to stay focused so I don't get annoyed at the kids, and I'm hoping that working out with help with that. I just hope it works!
Wish me luck! I'm going to need it. And if anyone has any ideas on how to make it more pleasant please let me in on them.
hugs+kisses
mce
Ok so I have a confession to make. I hate working out. I will do anything I can to get out of it. I would rather clean the whole apartment by myself with a toothbrush then workout. That's actually my fall back plan every time. I clean instead. Good for the house but not for my health. Working out or sports were never part of my childhood. We did music and acting instead. Trying to get into working out is ridiculously hard. I'll go to the gym for maybe 2-3 weeks almost every day but then it's over. I just can't stay motivated. I never really cared about my lack of working out before but now that I live and with later marry a man who is all about working out and being healthy I realize how unhealthy my lifestyle is. I always have high hopes. And I really do try to get into it. I also don't really have the right clothes for it. The shoes I have make my toes go numb after 15-20 minutes working out. I don't know why. It doesn't matter how loose I tie them. So I have a new plan.
Now one of my main excuses is that I don't have time when I'm working. Well I'm going to try to work around that. I have drawn up a weekly outline that breaks down each day wither I'm working or not. That way I have no excuses. I am also going to print it up and post it all over the house so I can't get away from it. I am also going to do different things. I can't seem to always get to the gym (it is like 20 mins away) so I am going to do at home videos. I normally hates these as they make me feel stupid and they aren't very entertaining, but I need to get over that. I am also going to start going to yoga again. I had stoped because of money but it is something I like doing and will actually go to so that will be at least 2 workouts a week that I will do. I'll just have to budget for it. I always feel better afterwards and it helps with my stress levels while I'm working.
So that's the plan. I'm going to be working a lot more from now on. For the past 3-4 months I've been working a max of 2 days a week with short hours. Now they are back at work and I'm back to 11-13 hour days 4-5 days a week. I need to stay focused so I don't get annoyed at the kids, and I'm hoping that working out with help with that. I just hope it works!
Wish me luck! I'm going to need it. And if anyone has any ideas on how to make it more pleasant please let me in on them.
hugs+kisses
mce
Sunday, July 24, 2011
Home
Well I'm at home now. It's been a crazy week. I've done a lot of driving and I got to say it's nice to be home again.
Now I'll recap our trip in order. It will help me remember this great adventure.
Thursday
I worked and then packed. We picked up Viktor at the airpot around 10:30pm and started out. My mom drove most of the night.
Friday
We got to Las Vagas around 6am. We stopped to make breakfast and headed out again. We drove to the North Rim of the grand canyon. It was absolutely beautiful. We were only there for about two hours before we started off again. This is where things went a little off. We had been using our GPS (Susan), as this point Susan decided that we really wanted to go to New Mexico. I woke up around 3 am and found out we were heading to Albuquerque.
Saturday
We got into Albuquerque around 6am. Thats when the gloves came off. We were trying to get to Lizzy's wedding before 4:30pm. It was a crazy drive. We managed to get to the wedding just as the ceremony ended. But we made it. Joey and I went to the party and my Mother and Viktor went to my uncle Eric's.
Sunday
We went into Bolder. It is an amazing city. We went to a River nearby the city. Then we went back to my uncle's house. I got to cook with Patricia my aunt. She is from Peru and it was so much fun!I'll have to post the recipe we made another time though.
Monday
We drove to yellowstone. Joey really wanted to go. It was the first night I actually cooked. I had made pizza dough before I left, and we decided that we should try to cook them. Now we hadn't been able to get the oven working. So I was left with a fire pit that had a built-in grill. not ideal. But I made it work. I was pretty proud of myself. We made a few different ones.
Tuesday
I made pancakes on the fire. Again pretty proud of myself. We then went into the park and saw the geysers and lots of animals. It was one of the most beautiful places. We found another campground inside the park for the night. We went on a hike in the rain. Did you know that misquote’s get worse after the rain? Well now you know. We got eaten alive. Not as much fun. We managed to get the stove working that night and I made pasta.
Wednesday
We drove through Idaho on our way to Portland. Drove most of the day. Exciting uh.
Thursday
We drove along the Columbia River and went on a little hike. We got into Portland around 1pm. We all decided to split up and spend about 3 hours in Portland while we waited for Sheri to get off work. Joey and I went to the food carts. They are not like ours. First off they don't move at all. Got to say they were pretty good though. Then we went to Voodoo doughnut. What a line! Pretty good. We went to Lake Oswago and had wine and cheese with aunt Diane, Byron and her boyfriend. Once Sheri got off work we drove to her place. We made dinner with Holly. I love visiting Sheri. She reminds me of my mom and is sooo much fun.
Friday
We drove back into portland. We had only gotten to spend about an hour in Powell's the day before so of corse we went back. For those of you who don't know, Powell's is the biggest bookstore ever. Maybe not but it is really big. It is a full city block square. You get a map at the front door so that you don't get lost. It has got to be one of my favorite places. And of corse joey's. That night we went out with Sheri.
Now a little aside about portland. I love it. I haven't been up in a long time. After this trip I am thinking about moving there. Now it's not a set thing just an idea. There is a lot that would have to change but I have to admit the idea of living up there is really tempting. And living near Sheri and the gang is definitely a perk.
Saturday
We drove all day. We got home around 2:30am.
Home at last. It's been a crazy time and we had a lot of fun but now I have to come back to the real world and take care of everything I need to do.
Hope you all had a fun time!
hugs+kisses
mce
Sunday, July 17, 2011
road trip update
Hello All!
So we made it to Colorado. We got in just at the end of the wedding ceremony.
We started out Thursday night at 11pm. Yes a little late to start a trip. We got to Las Vagas around 5:30 am. We went on to the Grand Canyon. It was absolutely beautiful. But our GPS hates us. It decided that we really wanted to go to Albuquerque. So around 6 am Saturday morning we were in Albuquerque. We really booked it to get to the wedding on time.
Now we are at my uncle Eric's place for at least a day or 2. After that drive my mom is a little unsure about the rest of our plans. Those of you who know my mom know that this is how she is. And we did a lot of driving.
The wedding was beautiful. I miss my sisters so much and it was great to get to see them. It was really fun and really laid back. Very much like how I would want to do my wedding. Very nice.
We have been having issues with the motor home. We haven't really used it before and we can't seem to get anything to work. The fridge doesn't seem to get cold at all so the food is going bad. We also can't get the stove to light so we haven't been able to cook anything. We are hoping that we can get everything to work while we are here before we take off again.
Wish us luck!
hugs+kisses
mce
So we made it to Colorado. We got in just at the end of the wedding ceremony.
We started out Thursday night at 11pm. Yes a little late to start a trip. We got to Las Vagas around 5:30 am. We went on to the Grand Canyon. It was absolutely beautiful. But our GPS hates us. It decided that we really wanted to go to Albuquerque. So around 6 am Saturday morning we were in Albuquerque. We really booked it to get to the wedding on time.
Now we are at my uncle Eric's place for at least a day or 2. After that drive my mom is a little unsure about the rest of our plans. Those of you who know my mom know that this is how she is. And we did a lot of driving.
The wedding was beautiful. I miss my sisters so much and it was great to get to see them. It was really fun and really laid back. Very much like how I would want to do my wedding. Very nice.
We have been having issues with the motor home. We haven't really used it before and we can't seem to get anything to work. The fridge doesn't seem to get cold at all so the food is going bad. We also can't get the stove to light so we haven't been able to cook anything. We are hoping that we can get everything to work while we are here before we take off again.
Wish us luck!
hugs+kisses
mce
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Wedding road trip
Hello!
Let me give you all a quick update on me. I have started work again. It's nice to be working again and not sitting at home so much. Also my sister is getting married! My half sister is living in Colorado and she is getting married this weekend. I haven't seen her in something like 5 years and I really miss her. But we have run into some issues getting there.
The original plan was to drive out with Jono and stay in a hotel (we booked it around 3 weeks ago) and then drive home sunday. Well thats not going to happen. At the moment his mother is not doing well money-wise. So we are helping her. To the tune of around $1,200 per month. So we don't have the money to both go. I can't tell you how sad and upset this made me. I really wanted Jono to meet my sister since I never get to see her I felt like this was our only chance. But it's just how things are right now. I just have to accept it. Something I'm not very good at. Working on it though.
Never fear though! I am still going to the wedding. How? With my mom! Now a while back my mom said that she was going to drive out there with my little sister Joey. And now I'm tagging along! So I get to go to the wedding without spending a ton. But even that has gotten complicated.
As of right now (our plans seem to change all the time) We are leaving tomorrow night. the reason we are leaving at night is becuase our ex-exchange student from sweden is coming for a visit. He gets in at 10 pm tomorrow night. And he is getting dragged on this adventure. So at 10 pm we leave LA. We will get to Las Vagas around 2-3. We are just going to drive though. Then we are stopping at St. George. We will go to the North Rim of the grand canyon Friday morning then drive to Denver. We should get into Denver late Friday night. My Uncle on my mother's side lives there so we will be visiting them. Saturday Joey and I will go to the wedding. Then we spend Sunday with my uncle. Monday morning we drive to Yellowstone.
Now I will pause here to explain how I am doing this and working. It turns out that they are going to put the kids in daycare for this week only. Since I'm out of town a few days. it turned out that they could only put them in for 5 days so I end up with the whole week off.
Ok back to Yellowstone. My sister loves this place (I don't remember if I've ever been) so we are going to spend almost a whole day there. we will leave Yellowstone Tuesday evening. We are stopping in couer d' Alane for the night. Then driving along the Columbia river into Portland. We should be in Portland Wednesday night. We are going to stay in Portland Thursday and Friday. Saturday morning we are driving to Sacramento and stopping there. Sunday morning we are driving back home in time to pick my little brother up from the airport that night!
Sounds fun yes? It will be. My family is all about family if you know what I mean. We have family in Denver and in Portland. So a quick trip to a wedding turned into a road trip to see more family. It also turned into a 10 day trip. I am a little sad to be away from Jono for that length of time but it will be alright. It's going to be an interesting trip for sure. We are going in a small motor home (the kind with the bed over the driver cabin) that we borrowed from my aunt on my dad's side. Not only will we have 4 people in it but we are bringing my mother's greyhound as well. Who takes up as much room as another person would. I am also in charge of feeding people. No idea what I'm going to do. We aren't going to eat out a lot if at all. I also need to figure out a way to play books on tape/cd in the motor home. So I have a busy day ahead of me!
I will update as I can along the way and there will be many pictures to come!
hugs+kisses
mce
Let me give you all a quick update on me. I have started work again. It's nice to be working again and not sitting at home so much. Also my sister is getting married! My half sister is living in Colorado and she is getting married this weekend. I haven't seen her in something like 5 years and I really miss her. But we have run into some issues getting there.
The original plan was to drive out with Jono and stay in a hotel (we booked it around 3 weeks ago) and then drive home sunday. Well thats not going to happen. At the moment his mother is not doing well money-wise. So we are helping her. To the tune of around $1,200 per month. So we don't have the money to both go. I can't tell you how sad and upset this made me. I really wanted Jono to meet my sister since I never get to see her I felt like this was our only chance. But it's just how things are right now. I just have to accept it. Something I'm not very good at. Working on it though.
Never fear though! I am still going to the wedding. How? With my mom! Now a while back my mom said that she was going to drive out there with my little sister Joey. And now I'm tagging along! So I get to go to the wedding without spending a ton. But even that has gotten complicated.
As of right now (our plans seem to change all the time) We are leaving tomorrow night. the reason we are leaving at night is becuase our ex-exchange student from sweden is coming for a visit. He gets in at 10 pm tomorrow night. And he is getting dragged on this adventure. So at 10 pm we leave LA. We will get to Las Vagas around 2-3. We are just going to drive though. Then we are stopping at St. George. We will go to the North Rim of the grand canyon Friday morning then drive to Denver. We should get into Denver late Friday night. My Uncle on my mother's side lives there so we will be visiting them. Saturday Joey and I will go to the wedding. Then we spend Sunday with my uncle. Monday morning we drive to Yellowstone.
Now I will pause here to explain how I am doing this and working. It turns out that they are going to put the kids in daycare for this week only. Since I'm out of town a few days. it turned out that they could only put them in for 5 days so I end up with the whole week off.
Ok back to Yellowstone. My sister loves this place (I don't remember if I've ever been) so we are going to spend almost a whole day there. we will leave Yellowstone Tuesday evening. We are stopping in couer d' Alane for the night. Then driving along the Columbia river into Portland. We should be in Portland Wednesday night. We are going to stay in Portland Thursday and Friday. Saturday morning we are driving to Sacramento and stopping there. Sunday morning we are driving back home in time to pick my little brother up from the airport that night!
Sounds fun yes? It will be. My family is all about family if you know what I mean. We have family in Denver and in Portland. So a quick trip to a wedding turned into a road trip to see more family. It also turned into a 10 day trip. I am a little sad to be away from Jono for that length of time but it will be alright. It's going to be an interesting trip for sure. We are going in a small motor home (the kind with the bed over the driver cabin) that we borrowed from my aunt on my dad's side. Not only will we have 4 people in it but we are bringing my mother's greyhound as well. Who takes up as much room as another person would. I am also in charge of feeding people. No idea what I'm going to do. We aren't going to eat out a lot if at all. I also need to figure out a way to play books on tape/cd in the motor home. So I have a busy day ahead of me!
I will update as I can along the way and there will be many pictures to come!
hugs+kisses
mce
Thursday, July 7, 2011
Disneyland!
Hello!
So within the past week I have gone to Disneyland two times. Now I know this may seem excessive to some (ok most) but for me it's not. I love Disneyland. I love Disney. I know all the bad things and I don't care. Disneyland is the last place I have to really be a kid. It's the happiest place on earth! For me it's all about being a kid again. And I love it. I have an annual pass with no blackout dates so I can go whenever I want. And boy does that help.
(the one of the left is my fiance Jonathan "jono")
My life is about to get really busy again. It was nice to have a break but now my bosses are back and I go back to work later today. I always have mixed emotions about work. I love the kids. No matter what I say I truly love these kids. But at the same time they are a real handful. With little discipline and no schedule at all it's not an easy job taking care of them. Also for what I do I should be paid more. I know the family pays me what they can though, so I can't really ask for a raise. Since the kids have been with their parents for 3 weeks solid they will be even harder to handle. I'm not looking forward to that part. It will be really nice to have something to do and to be getting paid again. I've been on minimum work for almost 3 months now, and it's kinda getting to me. I don't like having to depend on anyone, and I don't like how stressed that can make me and Jono. Sales it never easy and adding the stress of being the only one bringing in money doesn't help matters. But even that is getting better. He now has two clients outside the gym that he trains about 3 times a week each. He is finally able to really do what he loves. It will be easier for him once we move to a new place. Then he will have room to train in our place and not need to drive all over town to train. Only 5 months now. Not that we are counting or anything. Ok maybe we are. But it really is getting too much for us down here. And all the driving doesn't help. We both drive up to the westside (culver city at the lowest) at least once everyday.
We moved down here for my schooling (long beach state) but now it doesn't make as much sense. I only go to school 2 days a week while we are driving to west LA 7 days a week. Yes moving will mean a longer commute for me to get to school but with that only being 2 times a week it doesn't matter as much. We can't wait to move. Really really can't wait.
Well I will post some recipes next time (haven't really made anything worth mentioning after that chicken) Hope you are all doing well!!!
hugs+kisses
mce
So within the past week I have gone to Disneyland two times. Now I know this may seem excessive to some (ok most) but for me it's not. I love Disneyland. I love Disney. I know all the bad things and I don't care. Disneyland is the last place I have to really be a kid. It's the happiest place on earth! For me it's all about being a kid again. And I love it. I have an annual pass with no blackout dates so I can go whenever I want. And boy does that help.
My life is about to get really busy again. It was nice to have a break but now my bosses are back and I go back to work later today. I always have mixed emotions about work. I love the kids. No matter what I say I truly love these kids. But at the same time they are a real handful. With little discipline and no schedule at all it's not an easy job taking care of them. Also for what I do I should be paid more. I know the family pays me what they can though, so I can't really ask for a raise. Since the kids have been with their parents for 3 weeks solid they will be even harder to handle. I'm not looking forward to that part. It will be really nice to have something to do and to be getting paid again. I've been on minimum work for almost 3 months now, and it's kinda getting to me. I don't like having to depend on anyone, and I don't like how stressed that can make me and Jono. Sales it never easy and adding the stress of being the only one bringing in money doesn't help matters. But even that is getting better. He now has two clients outside the gym that he trains about 3 times a week each. He is finally able to really do what he loves. It will be easier for him once we move to a new place. Then he will have room to train in our place and not need to drive all over town to train. Only 5 months now. Not that we are counting or anything. Ok maybe we are. But it really is getting too much for us down here. And all the driving doesn't help. We both drive up to the westside (culver city at the lowest) at least once everyday.
We moved down here for my schooling (long beach state) but now it doesn't make as much sense. I only go to school 2 days a week while we are driving to west LA 7 days a week. Yes moving will mean a longer commute for me to get to school but with that only being 2 times a week it doesn't matter as much. We can't wait to move. Really really can't wait.
Well I will post some recipes next time (haven't really made anything worth mentioning after that chicken) Hope you are all doing well!!!
hugs+kisses
mce
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