My Michigan Vacation

So now that I've written about all of my car drama I can get to the good stuff. I had a wonderful week in Michigan. It was a great long vacation from work and it was awesome to get to see so many family and friends. I got in late Saturday and visited with my family and my dog (who peed all over when he saw me, he was super excited!). Sunday I woke up early and had breakfast with Tiffany and Steve and their friend Scott at Big Boy. I'm so glad I got to see Tiff, it had been about a year since I last saw her. It was a short visit, but nice that we got to run into each other. I got to see both sides of my family on Sunday as well, so it was a long day, but I don't know when I'll be back home again, so I had to fit everything in.
The rest of the time in Algonac I spent relaxing, playing with my dog, and walking along the boardwalk. I also made some time to visit with some friends from high school. I got to see my friend Jenny, her new house, and her new baby Harmony, she's so cute! I also saw my friend Laura, who just bought a fixer-upper house on 9 mile, in D-town. It's so crazy to see all of my friends with houses and stuff. I still feel so young!
I had a crazy surprise while I was home as well. I found my laptop that I had at school; the one that broke a year and a half ago. I was going to sell it for parts on e-bay. I took one last look at it, opened it up and poked around, and tried to turn it on just for the heck of it. It turned on! It was like it never broke, it still had my same background and all of my files on it! It was so crazy. So I took it with me when I left. Unfortunately it quit working a few days later, so now it's my little project to try to figure out whats the deal with it.
For the next half of our Michigan trip, Dave and I headed to Midland. We visited with his family and their golden retriever Sandy (who I was extremely allergic to!). It was a nice relaxing time. We went shopping and I found "short" jeans, which are always hard to find for some reason, so I bought four pair, because they actually fit! And I bought the first season of Bewitched, which is like my favorite show ever :)
Originally I was planning on going out on St. Patrick's Day, but the thought of a long night out and then a 13 hour drive, just didn't sound like fun. But I did get to catch up with some Alph Gams on Friday so that was fun. We went to Sonya and Ben's house (it was really nice), and it turned out that they lived 3 houses down from where Dave grew up....small world. Christine came over too and we had a nice time catching up and eating (my fav Alph Gam activity) and drinking.
Overall, I had a great time in Michigan. It was great to see everyone that I did, and sad that I couldn't fit more in, in the short time that I had. I can't wait to come back again sometime!

My Car Situation

I finally got to return to the paradise I call Michigan, after 8 months of misery in Omaha, Nebraska! I was so excited, but just getting there was such a hassle. To start off the story, I have to first bring up my lovely piece of shit car, the Ford Focus! I am leasing this car because it was the cheapest thing I could find (I got the employee discount since some of my family works for Ford). I will never EVER buy a Ford (sorry for those of you who work there). That said, my car is less than a year old and has been in the shop three times for the same problem.
I took my car in the Tuesday before my vacation because it was acting up again. They told me it would be fixed by Wednesday at 5pm and gave me a rental car since I've been there so many times and was a little upset. Well Wednesday comes and they say they need a different part and it will be there Thursday and I can have the car Thursday at 5. This is when I start getting nervous because I was planning on leaving Saturday at 6am and wanted to have everything packed and done by Friday. Thursday comes and goes, still no part to fix the car. They didn't even call me, I had to call them like 5 times on Thursday and Friday for updates on the situation.
Finally on Friday, they decide that since they can't fix it, they'll put the car back together and give it to me so I can go on my vacation to Michigan. (For some reason this doesn't sound ok to me...). So I call back later on Friday only to find out that everyone I've been speaking to has gone home for the day. They say my car is not put back together and they wouldn't recommend driving it. So I say "I can just take the rental car for the week then??" and the dude was like "Well yeah I guess so, and we can just figure it all out when you get back." (Ford is paying for the rental, but he wouldn't guarantee they would pay for it if I went o Michigan with it for a week). At this point I'm so frustrated because this is my first real vacation and it's not off to a good start. I decided to just put the whole thing out of my mind and deal with it when I got back.
The rental car they gave my was a POS Mitsubishi without Cruise Control! I didn't even know they made new cars without Cruise. It was tiny and uncomfortable and ugly, but atleast it worked....or so I thought. I drove 13 hours on Saturday (Dave was supposed to drive half the time, but he "threw his back out". I think it was just an excuse so he could play video games and sleep the whole time.) I noticed this light on the dashboard that said "SRS" the whole time I was driving. I had Dave look it up in the manual and it said it meant the airbags weren't working and to take the car to the dealership immediately. (The plot thickens...)
So I call the Enterprise dealership by my house in Michigan and ask them what to do. They say they'll swap me out with a different car, a Kia (wow, I'm just having the best of luck huh, atleast this one had Cruise). So I pick up the Kia after an hour of hassle with calling the Omaha Enterprise and crap. Then two days later they call me back and say I have to swap back into the Mitsubishi that they fixed because they didn't want the Kia going to Nebraska. At this point I was already in Midland, MI and told Enterprise where they could stick it. I was done dealing with the car. I told them I was on vacation and didn't need to be doing all of this. So long story short, I kept the Kia and got to use the Cruise all the way home. 13 hours of Cruise Control is almost as boring as 13 hours without it.
To end the story after 18 days at the Ford Dealership they have fixed my car again, for the 3rd time (for free since its under warranty) and picked up the $700 rental car bill. I'm glad I'm leasing this car and I definitely won't be buying it when I'm done!

I'm going to try to use this thing again...

So, it's been a while...about 6 months now. I almost forgot about this page. I'm not a big blogger, as you all can see. I've never been good at keeping journals. Anyway, I'm still living in Omaha, Nebraska working for Union Pacific Railroad. I'm actively looking for a new job and am finally sending in all the necessary information to finalize my application for the Peace Corps. I do not like my current situation. I hate Nebraska, I hate my job, and I still have no friends here.
I'm going home next week for the first time since last May. I'm super excited. I'm hoping to see alot of old friends, since it is also MTU Spring Break and alot of girls will be back home. I'll be home (Detroit-area) for 4 days and in Midland for 4 days visiting Dave's family. I'm looking forward to the break from work and am hoping this will get me out of my current depressed state and get me back to my hapy-go-lucky self.
Looking to the future, I'm hoping to move out of Nebraska sometime this year. I don't like it here, there is nothing to do and the economy is not that great. I'm thinking of returning to Michigan (I miss all the trees and water). However, what I'm really hoping for is to finally take the big plunge and do my 2 and a half years in the Peace Corps. The more I work in my little cubicle, the more I think that I want to change my career path. Currently I'm thinking either University Professor of Language and Culture, or Non-Profit/Social Services type of work. I want to Make a Difference and enjoy my life, instead of wasting it away staring at a computer for 50 hours a week.
Hopefully, my upcoming blog entries will not be so dull and I'm hoping to keep them short and sweet. Enjoy! I miss all of you.

I'm still alive

I know I haven't updated this thing in a while so I figured I'd try doing it again. My goal is once a week, gotta aim low right! ;) I'm still living in Omaha working for UP. Wishing I was in the UP at Tech having fun with all the girls. Pretty much I work, workout, eat, and sleep. I don't know how people do it, like have kids and families and all kinds of activities. I feel like I have no time! I'm starting to adjust out here finally. But I definitely don't think Nebraska will be my permanent home. I'm just waiting to get some good experience with my company and see where I can go from there.

Last weekend my company had this big outing where we all went to this like pumpkin patch/amusement park/petting zoo place. It was actually pretty fun. Dave got to go too. The only bad part was that it was like 90 and way humid so we were all dying of dehydration. Then afterwards I went to Daves and watched the BIG Nebraska football game on TV then passed out. Overall, I had a fun weekend. I think I watched a total of four or five football games. Needless to say I got nothing productive done.

I miss all my girl friends. I'm going shopping tomorrow because I seriously need some help in my closet. I'm trying to dress semi-professional at work. Its business casual. Some people wear suits, others wear short skirts with a teeny shirt. I can't seem to find the right mix. I don't want to overdress, but get bored wearing pants and a blouse everyday. Hopefully I can find some fun stuff at the store tomorrow. Any advise would be great! I wish I had someone like Maria here to help a sista out!

I love reading everyones blogs once in a while they're quite entertaining and a great way to stay in touch. I'll try to add some pictures up here when I get a chance too, so you can see what an awesome place Omaha is! (yeah right!)

Trip to the gym

I've been trying to get my workout routine started again. Its been a few months since I've worked out regularly. Luckily, my company has a really nice, free fitness facility thats open 24/7. Anyway, I walk into the gym today, get on the elyptical machine and look to my left and started squinting and making funny faces at this girl next to me trying to decide if it was really someone I knew or if I was blind. Turns out I'm not blind, the girl I was working out with went to Tech! I used to see her in the gym there all the time and she was in all my classes. I guess she works for UP too, but in Portland, OR. She was just in Omaha for a week for training. Such a small world! She says there are like 5 people in Omaha right now from Tech that all have the same job and are getting trained. Crazy. It's like a little reunion. I don't think we'll get together this week, we're all kinda busy. But maybe next time they come for more training we can all hang out. It'd be pretty sweet. On another note, Dave is here!!! He moved to Lincoln, NE last Friday, which is about 45 mins from here. Not too bad, since before we were about 13 hours apart! I'm happy, yay its a good week. Hope everyone else is doing well too! :)

I made friends...yay!

So I have some random stories to tell, but the bottom line, is I had some interesting social interaction this weekend. I got home from work Friday and my apartment complex was having a Luau (am I the only one who thinks this is weird?) There was this 60-year old DJ playing classic rock/britney spears, and all other crazy stuff. It was out by the pool and was decorated with Tiki torches and stuff. I thought LAME! There were screaming kids and their 3 different baby's mommas running around after em. I was like "no way am I going" I don't care if I don't meet anyone.....Then, by some stroke of magic I saw em there glistening in the sunlight....thats right, two nice cold kegs of BUD LIGHT! They were screaming my name after a long week of work. So I bit the bullet and wandered outside. I was going to just grab some free food and beer and run back to my apartment but I wound up finding two people my age and sat down and talked to em. I found out they were my neighbors and lived right above me. Six hours and two empty kegs later, I found out that I don't drink much anymore and am losing my tolerance...lol. Also, I made two more friends :) We went to a bar on Saturday night to watch their friends' band play. Come to find out this bar called "Connections" is really a lesbian bar. I was beginning to wonder where all the guys were at?.....then I figured it out. So Saturday was interesting for sure. Also, one of Cat's friends from Houghton just recently moved out here. I haven't met her yet but she's super nice. We might do something on Thursday. Then, Maria just told me Bradey the Delt Sig lives out here. I was like "no shit!" I swear I saw him last week at work! We both work for UP, and I saw this guy who looked super familiar, but I couldn't put a name with the face. Funny how small the world is, huh. Crazy. Well, anyway I'm excited, I'm having a good week. I discovered the company fitness center yesterday, its sweet! Also, my boy is coming on Thursday!!! Then I'm helping him move to Lincoln, NE, about an hour from here. Yay for things looking up! Ooh, I got a new phone today too, same phone number though :) Life is good...this week!

I live in the middle of nowhere surrounded by CORN!

Sorry I haven't updated this thing in so long. I just moved and finally after like three weeks, got my internet hooked up. So.... anyway, I moved to Omaha, Nebraska.... Don't ask me why, because I don't know. I work at Union Pacific Railroad, they're a huge company and have awesome benefits and opportunities and whatnot, but they happened to be located in the middle of the midwest, which means no water (lakes, rivers, not even ponds...), and it also means that once you leave the city all you see is corn fields. I'm still trying to figure out what people do for fun here, especially since it gets sooo hot (like 100) and there is no source of water except for the missouri river which is a big pile of muck! Oh, and the best part, I haven't made any friends yet. I know that sounds lame, but it sucks. I moved out here by myself and don't know a single person. I know the 20 people I work with in my department at work but they're all married with families, so thats no fun. It's not as easy as school where you are forced to socialize with people. And it sucks going to a baseball game yourself or doing anything remotely fun by yourself. So I've resorted to hanging out by the pool in my apartment complex in hopes that someone might talk to me, but the only people there are screaming babies and their parents, or really shady guys. What do I do? I need some advice, I've been here about three weeks and I can only clean and organize my apartment so many times before I start to get stir crazy. Luckily my boyfriend will be moving out here in a couple of weeks but he'll still be an hour away. Atleast we can visit on the weekend I guess. But if anyone has been in my situation and has any advice I'd really appreciate it. Its 4th of July and I'm in my apartment watching tv, how lame is that! Help! I love you guys!

My great weekend

I went to Virginia Beach last weekend for a job interview with a marketing research firm. It was way fun. They flew me out there on Friday for the interview, then I had the weekend to explore and didn't leave until Sunday. I stayed in a beautiful hotel right on the ocean. It was awesome. It was 85 degrees and sunny! (much nicer than Michigan has been lately) I went out Friday and Saturday with some people from the company, they were pretty cool. It seems like a nice place to work/live. They just called me today with an offer finally. I'm supposed to get all the details fed-ex'd overnight so I can look at everything tomorrow. I'm excited to finally be out of school, but I'm not looking forward to making these huge life-changing decisions. Luckily, my boyfriend will be back from Israel tomorrow. I haven't been able to talk to him in a few weeks, so it will be nice to clue him in on what has been happening since he's been gone. I'll update everyone when I make my decisions. (I'm still applying to the Peace Corps, just waiting for medical clearance, and also have a perspective job in Nebraska as well)

I'm Going to the Beach!

So I had a phone interview for a marketing research job in Virginia Beach, Virginia today and it went really well. I get to go to for a visit next Friday! I'm going to stay until Sunday and go to the beach hopefully too. I'm hoping to get a good offer from this company, the position sounds really interesting and it'd be nice to relocate and live only 5 miles from the ocean. I'm getting antzy at home just sitting around, so this would be a nice change.
On another note, I went to my cousin's wedding this weekend and my boyfriend Dave came down for it. We had a nice time. He even caught the garter and got to put it on some 16-year old girl who caught the bouqet. It was quite amusing, atleast now nobody in my family can forget who he is. It was nice seeing him again. We've been together for two years but only get to see each other about once a month :(

looking to the future while reconnecting with lost friends

Hello everyone,
So I've hopped on the bandwagon and started my own blog. I don't even know what the word means, but I thought it'd be a good way to pass the time and catch up with everyone. Last Saturday I graduated from Michigan Tech with a Bachelors Degree in Business Administration-Marketing with an International Minor in Spanish and a Certificate in International Business. It sounds impressive, but I have yet to find a job unfortunately. So that means I'm spending some time at home with the parents trying to figure out my life. I have an offer with the Peace Corps to do small business development in South America for 2 years, but I'm not sure that could handle being that far away from everyone I love. So for now, I'm doing the traditional job search, looking for that perfect little cubicle, wherever it may be. I should have lots of time to work on this thing, so hopefully I can keep it up-to-date and reconnect with some old friends.