31 December 2011, Last Day of the Year.

2011...had so many amazing opportunities for my husband and myself. I feel very blessed for all the time we've spent together, making up for all those times the military had him away from home. I had the most amazingly epic adventures with my friends who came up to visit...I overcame plenty of obstacles in my decisions and life...

Overall, this year was one of the greatest and challenging years of my life.

I'm so ready for more.
2012,
Lets do this!!!

Winter has officially arrived.

Here in Washington all the seasons come when you least expect them to. And this morning...definitely a drop in temperature. Seems 'ol man winter is here.

02/30 | 30 Day Blog Challenge

2. Who are you? In comparison to who you used to be. What made you change?

+ I feel I'm the same person, just wiser and more independent. I haven't really changed...I grew up. I still have the same dreams, same goals in life plus additional ones. I'm stronger and more driven yet laid-back. I remember little things used to bother me. But that's out the door...I've moved on in my life and I've learned there are certain things you shouldn't spend your whole life worry. I've learned that all people have some kind of good in them but you can't trust all of them. I've learned to appreciate the relationships/friendships in my life even they don't last. And I've learned to be comfortable in my own skin.

I'm still me and happier:-)

First of November.

I love Fall... There's just something amazing about the cold weather, getting to dress up in layers, bundling up under blankets, being cozy by the fireplace, tree leaves changing hues, and watching the world from inside. And of course, there's the pumpkin spice, hot chocolate, and warm Pho perks:)

Hope everyone had a safe Halloween and Happy FIRST of the MONTH!!!

October Wellness.

This month I decided to participate in October Wellness month at my work. Its basically a goal set for the month to enhance/improve your wellness, whether its financially, mentally, physically.... you name it! I thought it would be really fun! Plus, my office is the first thing people see so I figure why not let people get to know a little about me! Here's what I decided to do:

1) To improve my digestive/immune system, I have decided to drink more water and less soda! Drinking 8 Glasses of water per day is the minimum that people should be drinking so that is my goal. (Its not that I drink more soda than water, I just don't drink enough. What can I say.... I'm an eater not a drinker:P)

2) To improve my financial wellness, I am putting away 5% of my paycheck into a savings to help with an "Emergency Fund". To save it for a rainy day, or perhaps to travel:)

3) I've decided to pool in inspiration and start snapping again. Snapping photos that is!!! I am quite a camera/photography/filmography afficionado but the past months I haven't done enough of it! I feel like I've slacked off with trying to just really enjoy life and its moments (before stuff like Myspace and Facebook ruined candid moments). Though will all that said, doesn't mean I cannot enjoy both!!!

So there you have it, my three goals of wellness.
Anyone else have any goals for this month?

Servus!

Guten Tag! I had one of the most amazing adventures this past weekend and although I am crunched for time at the moment I thought I would give you a sneak peek:)

5th Year Wedding Anniversary:)

Today is officially our 5 year wedding anniversary!!! Ahhh we made it:) And we'll keep on going strong!!! I cannot believe it... In fact I have no idea what to really say. I have waited for this moment and it has finally  come. I really feel that we have overcome a lot throughout the five years. We overcame my fear of starting a new life. We overcame the fears of moving in together (Although I don't think we even had much fear at all). We overcame all the years and holidays that the "Military Life" had kept us apart. And not to mention our own worst fears of ourselves and each other. This year in particular has truly been the best because he is here for every holiday... or everyday in general. It feels really good to have him home. I remember how it all began like it was yesterday. How I never had the intentions to find someone that I would spent the rest of my time with. But then I found him and all the pieces fell right into place. My husband is truly an amazing guy. And I hope that he doesn't doubt any second that I love him with all my might:)

5 Tips To Land A Job!

I'm gonna be brutally honest with you... You know how hard it is to find a job. Well that's not even the hard part. Its probably doubled that these days. Companies are looking for capable workers but not those who overstep their their boundaries. Here is 5 tips that will help you narrow down your job search. Trust me....

1. DO NOT BE PICKY.
Let's face it, you not only need a job but you need the money. And unless by some miracle you have found your dream job, you shouldn't be afraid to start at the bottom. What do you have to lose?

2. DO NOT SET YOUR SCHEDULE.
This is a definite RED FLAG. Why should a company hire you to work for them, if you are trying to set your own schedule???

3. FILL IN THE GAPS.
Its true, hiring managers look at those gaps in-between your work experience. If you have a good reason then go with that, BUT MAY I ADD, be honest but DON'T TELL YOUR LIFE STORY. (IE; "Reason for Leaving: Because I had medical issues that allowed me not to complete my job."). Which leads to my 4th....

4. BE BRIEF.
Save the stories for an interview. Its okay to leave brief descriptions in your "Reason for Leaving" section. We need to know your intentions but NOT YOUR LIFE STORY.

5. VOLUNTARY vs. INVOLUNTARY QUIT.
If you were consistent with how long you've worked and when. This actually is irrelevant.


And may I add..... Be courteous to others.
You never know who you will be interviewing with:)

PART II coming soon.................

Reasons I Blog/Vlog.

"The Internet is so big, so powerful and pointless that for some people it is a complete substitute for Life." -- Andrew Brown

First off, I would like to mention that I never intend on impressing an audience with my words or videos. If you end up on my blog or my youtube channel, and you actually enjoy it. I thank you.

I simply enjoy blogging/vlogging but I don't do it often. The internet used to be a big part of my life and then I woke up from all that and realized half of it is a big waste of time. I don't use Social Networks (Just Say No to Facebook, Myspace, whatever people use now a'days!). So this is basically my means of semi-communication aside from texting:P I love being able to type out what I feel, when I feel, without anyone really judging me with "likes" or "comments". I don't like the feeling of being stalked. I just enjoy getting to speak my heart out knowing that someone or no one is listening (or in this case, reading.).

And that's all I have to say about that.

Cheers!

What's In A Name?

I can never seem to decide whether or not I want to bring a domain back. (For those of you who don't know, I ran a web/graphic/hosting site back in 2009-2010...It was really fun until I forgot about it:P). I go back and forth in wanting to make a name for myself and my photography. Photography is one of the toughest businesses because its either all the same or all seen before, or redone. But none-the-less I enjoy capturing moments in life. Once I start I can't stop! Which is probably why I have tons and tons of photos and media files on hand.

So my main things is.... do I use my common username as a domain name or do I want to break free and use my actual name? Or should I come up with something new?

Why is it so difficult to just... deal with a name?

(via Tumblr post)

iPhone Fail.

For those of you who are trying to reach me...My iPhone has officially died. Completely. I cannot reset, restore, or restart. ITS DEAD. Its my 2nd iPhone within the last year and they both didn't last for very long.

I officially hate Apple.

As for now, you can email... I check it every now and again. I have a temporary number up until my upgrade in September. Time to decide which phone to get next.

Definitely NOT the iPhone 4.

To Higher Ground...

I cannot believe how blessed I have been the past month. And I just couldn't help but write about it. It has taken me quite a journey over the past years to finally break out of the mold that people, mainly my family have put me in. The mold to be like them- to show perfection, to show strength, to show that I can do anything THEY want me to do. Not that it was too horrible but the creative ME was just itching to get my own life on. I am my own person, and I have always known that from the beginning but being the youngest sister I have always felt the need to respect others wishes, to put their feelings and such before mine. And here I am. On higher ground... on my own.

So enough of that back story (for now)...SO LET ME JUST SAY THIS, I feel very blessed to have the opportunity, after FOUR long years of hard work and persistence to move up from within my workplace. I thought the time would never come. When I first started my job, I really felt it was just a temporary setback, a need-to-have kind of basis. It was definitely NOT comparable to the two jobs I had back home, one at the corporate accounting level of $23/hr, the other being at $20/hr at a nightclub in SF. Here I am, at the the starter job for most teens making the minimum wage of Washington State. It was a job nevertheless. I quickly climbed my way through the retail food chain, training in many places of the Department as possible. And then finally reaching a comfortable halt within the Photo Lab. MY ULTIMATE LOVE. film, photography, developing... I was all over it and learning it faster than ever. Soon enough I was a permanent member of the Lab. And with every part of life, world, work (not to mention living in a very HIGHLY populated military world)....people come and go, changes arise, and somehow I found myself unhappy AND also being pushed out of my normal workstations and losing hours. I couldn't figure it out... I thought it was personally towards me until I realized half of the store was getting the same treatment and dropping like flies. So I did what I could to change my fate by trying a completely different position and avoiding anything that had to do with my old one.

FAST FORWARD, that didn't work out as I would hoped. So I started back at the beginning, which would be horrible for some people but I for one was just happy to be back to what I knew best! And starting to see some more familiar and friendly faces. Yet here I was again. Stuck in time, stuck going nowhere - neither up or down. 2011 - another new year to turn things around. I was getting more hours, which meant I working more, which meant happy paychecks. But what could I do to get ahead. Get back to living my potential.

And then there was the recommendation, from my previous supervisor. I didn't believe it at first when she asked me if I was interested but the words, "I would love to be trained!" was already flowing from my mouth. March, April, May..... I went from working on the Floor, to working from a desk. Its been amazing! I enjoy every bit of it, even though I'm still trying to remember certain tasks and routines. The even better part, I also got my goal in the works. Before I even knew that I would have the opportunity to train in the Office, I had expressed A LOT of interest in working in the Pharmacy for the B-Tech program. I start my training in a week:) I hope that this it the beginning for greater things.

Even if this recent success could suddenly disappear, I am really grateful for all the new knowledge it has given me:)

Sorry if that was long!