life and such...

who would have thought we would be where we are today a year ago? last summer, dylan had lost his job, i wasn't working yet, & he had just taken a week long course at college and started a new job. that new job was like the devil to me, it sounded absolutely terrible, even though you couldn't deny the pay was fantastic. but since then, he's taken his exam and become fully licensed, and i'll admit, it's not completely terrible. yes, some days i still hate his job, the hours, and the inability to plan things in advance. but, for the most part, we've become accustomed to it and its working out well for us. that said, he wants to switch companies in the spring/summer, & i hate change, but one step at a time, ya know?

as for me, i still can't believe i'm back in school, and actually really enjoying it. it's going by incredibly fast; in one month, exams will be over and i'll be off for just over 4 weeks! oh sweet relief. then it's 1 semester down, only 2 to go. i also can't believe how well i'm doing. a few 80s, but mostly 90s and even 100s. i only hope i can keep that up for finals and the next 2 semesters.

 i think i can attribute those high marks to the fact that i'm older now. i've (finally) realized the benefit of studying, doing homework every night, not letting things pile up, and not procrasting on assignments. it only took all of college and university to realize that (actually 4th year university, 2nd semester. smart, huh?). but at 26, i'm more serious about school and know the benefits of doing well and being the top of the class. do i want the best placements in 3rd semester? heck yes! do i want the program coordinator to recommend me as 1 of 3 to go to an 'honors dinner' in 3rd semester with one of the law firms with the hopes of being hired on? absolutely! so, if things get a little quiet (like they kind of have been), it's because i'm working my butt off!

unrelated picture, but the post needed one (the mall already has the christmas stuff up)

all this said, i'm off to class to write yet another quiz. college just loves the quizzes. seriously. at least 3 a week!

weekend ways...

what a day yesterday, i tell ya. the rest of the weekend was good; friday saw the movie prisoners, which is absolutely fantastic, and saturday we went a friends house for a small party. but sunday, man that threw us for a loop. we started out by going to a nearby park for an art festival. we had planned to leave around 2pm to head to my parents for dinner, leaving early because the main highway into the city was closed for the weekend and we knew it would take about about 2 hours to get there. we head down to our car and don't we see a flat back tire. just great. we call caa and wait over an hour for them to come and put a spare on it. by the time it was all fixed, it was about 4pm and dylan didn't want to drive that far on a spare and it had gotten to late. he's gone to get new tires today.

we went back up to our place and i decided that we might as well do a few groceries, so i put a little list together. back down we go to our car. we have a key that starts our key, plus an auto start fob that has all the automatic unlock, lock etc. buttons on it, too. weird as it is, the car won't start with the key without clicking a button on the fob. of course, of course, the fob is dead. and as luck would have it, the fob on our second set of keys died a few months ago and for whatever reason, we never changed the battery on that one. we called around to find a place that sold that battery and then walked 40 minutes to go buy a pack. 

the only good thing to come of this is that we decided to do groceries because had we not, dylan wouldn't have gone down to the car until 9:30pm when leaving for work and then he would have been in trouble.

saw lots of these cute guys around the city this weekend.

on a happier note, it's officially time to welcome fall and i did so by buying a few candles. while yesterday was a crummy day, we enjoyed ourselves at the art fest and were bundled up in boots and big scarves because it was the perfect crisp, cool first day of fall.

monday night scare...

what.a.night. last night. i'm sitting, relaxing on the couch watching 'the following', while dylan was at work. at about 9:15, this beeping starts. oh great. the smoke alarm batteries need changing i figure. grab my step stool, stand up to the smoke alarm and listen. hmmm...doesn't sound like it's coming from there. take a look around our place and don't see another one. check the hallways and see if it's coming from another unit. nope. must be the smoke alarm. so i'm up there, with a butter knife, trying to get it off the ceiling, but it really doesn't sound like it's coming from there. i take another look around. go into the office and see a carbon monoxide detector hiding in the corner. oh crap.

now i start to panic. you don't mess with that shit! i'm thinking it's probably the batteries, but i give dylan a text and my parents a call. i also called the landlord and no answer. tried to google some answer, but not much help. i changed the batteries and it was still beeping about every 60 seconds. after about 30 minutes and multiple calls (even to the fire dept, but they were closed at that time. i was reluctant to call 911 just yet), i went to the girl downstairs who has lived here for years to see if it's ever happened to her. she said it happened to her parents once and she called 911 and they just came to check it out. so, that's what i did.

they told me to close all doors and windows and wait outside. about 5 minutes later, a fire truck pulls up, and 4 (4!!) guys get out. i'm in my pj's by the way, definitely didn't change. and there was a cute one, too ;) they did a test with their machine and got no reading and figured that somehow, it was still faulty batteries. and just like that, they were off. i felt bad about 'wasting their time', but with that, you just never know and can't take the chance.

 on the porch waiting.

nothing like a good carbon monoxide scare to keep you on your toes.

3 strikes...

you know, living together isn't always easy. the other night, it was just one thing after another. all little things, but after a long day at work, it kinda put me over the edge! i got home from work around 6:30 and shortly after that, dylan left to go visit a friend in toronto.

all day at work, i had been thinking about the end of the bag of ruffles sour cream and onion that were under the cupboard. i couldn't wait to get home and eat them on the couch with some tv. note: i love the bottom of chip bags. as soon as he left, i went for the chips, and they were gone. i went out the door and yelled down from the deck as he was getting into the car, "you ate my chips!?!?" and then i might of laughingly called him an "asshole", not knowing he couldn't tell i was laughing from far away, and that the neighbors were out..oops. but really, i was a little ticked. strike one.

ok, i thought, i brought some brownie bites home from baking with my mom the night before, i'll just eat those. look everywhere, they're gone. i text dylan. he threw them out. they had cream cheese and weren't put in the fridge. i would have ate them anyways, but not dylan. out they went! strike two.

ok fine, i guess i'm left with a hunk of cheese from the fridge and i'll just watch 2 broke girls that i taped the night before. except i went to dvr list of taped items, it was 0% full. meaning everything was deleted. again, i texted dylan, and he said he thought everything was watched and he deleted it all. omg. strike three. he was on a roll that night, and not a good one. i tried to calmly inform him that when i watch something, i delete it. if it's there, i haven't watched it!

what a night.

when he came home the next morning, in fact, as i was typing this post, he had brought me an eggnog latte as a "please forgive me for ruining your night in multiple ways" gesture. all was forgiven.

stiff...

working 2 jobs is kicking my a*s right now. between my new job (typically 10 hour days), and my other job, i`m lucky if i get one day off a week. i'm completely exhausted. at my first job (the one i typically work from home, tweet, facebook etc), my boss is away for 10 days and i've been left a lot of work to do. for one thing, we've got an event coming up, and i've gotta get all the posters and info cards out, and spread the word all over the city! i'm going into the office today (office to myself, woohoo!) with hopes that i accomplish a lot, and be home for dinner, or a bit earlier if i work hard; must keep focused!
i seriously come home from work and i'm ready for bed, but usually hold off until 10 or 10:30  ;) i keep telling myself things will get better/easier soon; lets hope i'm right. new jobs are tough enough as it is.

i've wanted to read this book for years. finally decided to buy it.

most of the time, i get home, watch a show or two, and then read a chapter or so. we're slightly lacking in the entertainment/date department lately with our crazy schedules. let's hope for an improvement in that sooner than later.

on living together...

i can hardly believe that we've been living together for 4.5 months now. things have been pretty good for the most part. sure, we have the odd screaming match (ok, maybe not screaming, but definitely quite heated), and we banter about something at least every other day, but overall, things are good. it's nice to come home to someone every day, to have someone to share a bottle of wine with, and to eat dinner with someone.

living with someone before marriage was never an issue for me. naturally, this just felt like the next step for us. i actually think it's been a good thing, us living together before marriage. we get to work out the kinks, argue about cleaning up, and where things go, and dishes and laundry now, in these first few months, instead of starting off our married life angry all the time that i'm the one doing the dishes 90% of the time, or over them not being rinsed. stupid things like that, that are trivial, but make me angrier than they should. slowly but surely, he's helping out more, and it's much appreciated. the days when i come home from work and the place is nice and clean..there's simply nothing better.

the one thing i was worried about was still having me time. we spent 5 years in different cities, seeing each other maybe once a week, i lived alone in those 5 years, and i'm an only child. so i'm used to my own space, to say the least. i'm happy to say i still have lots of it :) even if we're home together, dylan spends a lot of time in the office, playing video games and such. you know, boy things.

our place now feels like a home, and i love that. we have our furniture, our car, our shared bank account (i still smile when i see both of our names on our cheques), our dog; all things we share and can be proud of. i can't wait to decorate for christmas, for the snow to start falling, and to cozy up on the couch and spend the evening inside with the tree lights twinkling beside us.

so this living together thing, yeah, it's pretty awesome.

life's crazy...

on saturday, after dylan woke up from working nights, we went out for a little coffee date to a cafe we've become quite fond of. we got to talking about life (like we do a lot nowadays) and how things are really changing for the good. in his first month at his new job, he made more working part time than he did at his full time job (which could afford me to stay home while looking for work for those 2 months after we moved) that he lost in july. and this is just the training wage! he's through about 1/2 of the hours he needs for training and then we'll  be living the good life.

the most incredible carrot cake with cream cheese icing.

we both put together a 'wish list' of things we would like to buy, for ourselves and each other. it was pretty exciting to know that in a few short months, pretty much all money stress will be eliminated.
this post isn't meant to come across as bragging or gloating. it goes to show that you never know how fast life can flip around and you never know what to expect.
in july: we moved into together, dylan had a full time office time and i was looking for work. we were doing good with the one income. then later in the month, he lost his job. at the very end of the month, i started working a few hours a week doing some tweeting and facebooking for an office.
in august and september: we had to use some savings for bills and such, and dylan decided he was going to go back to school for a week long course, in an industry his friend has been in for years and begging to join him. end of september, dylan took the course.
in october: dylan started his new job and at the end of the month, i got a full time job, while still doing my other part time job.

bottom line; things will always work out. and maybe quicker than you think.

updates about jobs & life...

it's been about a month and half since i wrote this post about our {quite big} bump in the road. i'm happy to say things are on the up and up, though it's still going to be a rough few months until things get easier. i mentioned that dylan had signed up for that one week course, which starts september 24th. well, he started handing out resumes to companies letting them know he would be completing this course by the end of the month and he'll be able to work. his friend has been in this industry for years and has always tried to convince dylan to join him. anyways, a couple weeks ago, dylan got a call to come in for an interview. he dropped me off in toronto for a few hours so i could wander around, and off he went. he called me not to long after that and said he got the job. you think i would have been happy, but really, i just cried in the coffee shop i was sitting in.

yes, it's a job, but in my opinion, it's awful. it's straight nights, 5 days a week, to start. he may not leave until midnight, he may get home at 4am. who knows. the reason he has to put up with this is because for work in this industry, you need about 350 apprenticeship hours (at $X/per hour) and then you join the union and your pay almost doubles, and it's a very good salary. this is one of the few companies that will train people and give them their apprenticeship hours. the plan is that once he gets these hours (it should take about 3 months), he'll quit and move to another company and work regular day hours.

other cons to this job? it's about 20 minutes outside of toronto. yes, the city i just moved from 2 months ago and love with all my heart. which also means....we had to buy a car. could we afford one at this point? nope. thank goodness his aunt and uncle are very generous (the ones we house sit for) and helped us out greatly. as of a few days ago..we bought this baby..

2007 hyundai elantra. our first car!

lets hope we can stick it out the 3 months (mostly me) and once he moves companies, it won't be so bad. the plan is that once our lease is up here, we'll be back in toronto and that makes me happier than anything really. and i know he loves that city, too.

as for me? i've been working part time with a local neighborhood BIA; assisting in the office, some social media, attending and helping with events, etc. it's a fun job, fairly laid back, but i do still need something with  more hours and more money. at least this is giving me experience in the meantime.

this was the long winded version of what's been up with us. we're still paying our bills and rent on time! we never hit rock bottom, or even close (financially), really; budgeting definitely comes in handy.

it's been an experience, this whole thing, and i gotta say, regardless of how cheap i am day-to-day anyways, i am ready to move on from it. i want to be cheap because i want to be/choose to be, not because i have to be, ya know?

sunshine and blue skies...

i have to say, i quite enjoyed my weekend. no big plans. just a lot of time spent sitting on my porch, with the sun shining down, and a glass of iced tea filled with ice. there were also lots of walks for chloe. i even got my dress for my cousins wedding coming up. finally. after trying on, i kid you not, probably 40 dresses.  i might as well enjoy my time while i don't have a job, right? whenever i tell someone i graduated, and am now looking for a job, they always say, "enjoy it! don't rush! i wish i didn't get right into work." so, i think i'm starting to take their advice. that's not to say that if i happened to get a job offer soon, i would turn it down. heck no! i'm just not going to stress myself out if/when i still don't have a job in a month. i'll be ok. i'm not going to die!

anyways, i am thoroughly enjoying this beautiful weather we've been having, and i say-keep it coming!

via

confession and such...

i have a little confession to make; i'm a terrible communicator. when something is bothering me, i keep my mouth shut. i keep it all to myself. i know it's not healthy. and it drives dylan crazy. why wouldn't it? we're supposed to be partners in this crazy thing called life, but it's like i'm shutting him out for parts of it. it's like there's something stopping me from opening my mouth and letting it all out. lately, i've been having little pity parties for myself. i cry. i think about jobs. and how i'm going to keep my apartment while paying back atrocious loans. because i really, really want to stay where i am. i still don't know what i want to do. and that's the million dollar question everyone asks now that i'm done school. i don't have much of a resume. i often think, who the hell is going to hire me? then i see my friends going on all these awesome trips (but also going in debt for them, something i'm almost positive i'm not willing to do), getting jobs in no time, and their life is just coming together perfectly it seems. and mine is falling apart. well, that's rather drastic, yes. my life is by no means falling apart..but sometimes it feels like i'm never going to get anywhere. the stress and anxiety of this whole process is now physically affecting me in more ways than one. if i'm this nervous while putting my resume together and and looking online for jobs, how the hell am i going to be when/if i get an interview. pass the ativan! (joking).

 this is just part of life. some people handle it better than others. some people can hide their nerves during interviews and look all cool, calm, and collected. others may appear cool on the outside, but be trembling on the inside. and then there's people like me. who are a nervous wreck inside and out. there's nothing i can do about it, but try and move past it and work through it. because as much as i think about running away to europe and forgetting everything, that's not reality.

derek hough tweeted this yesterday, and it kind of fits perfectly with what dylan was telling me while i was bawling my eyes out on monday: "challenges & obstacles are part of life, share them. let people who love you have the opportunity to show you how much they care."

say cheese!

grad pictures are today.

just another small reminder that this chapter of my life is soon coming to an end.

 high school grad 2005. keep in mind cameras weren't what they are now! so the quality is just ok

 best friends since 2 ♥

 yaa we did it!

 our group of girls in the front row, all still friends.

"you have brains in your head. you have feet in your shoes. you can steer yourself in any direction you choose. you're on your own. and you know what you know. you are the guy who'll decide where to go"

-dr. seuss

growing up in 4 months...

oh hey school, it's you again. but guess what? that's the last time i can say that (unless i go back for more that is). i'm finished my first week back...i thoroughly enjoyed my 3 weeks off, they didn't fly by like i thought, which is nice. anyways, i am now going into my last semester. holy cow that went fast. how do i feel? scared, excited, nervous, not ready, but ready at the same time, confused...

i mean, am i really ready? i guess i kind of have to be. come may, i'll have no choice but to get a job and start paying back my loans (i've said it before, but it's true-this part-loans-terrifies me). hopefully i find something sooner than later, and on top of that, find something i like, that pays well. too much to ask? the thing is, i still don't know what i want to do. there's no other question i hate more than, "what do you want to do when you finish?" because i don't have an answer for them. and then i feel like an idiot. they're probably thinking, 'this girl has been through college and university and still doesn't know?' well yes, you would be correct.

maybe my classes this semester will help me decide more. i have one sociology credit to finish and then the other 4 classes are criminology. crim classes are always really interesting, but the amount of reading for those classes is intense.. the profs pile it on to no end.
i guess all i can really do it is put all i have into this last semester and see where it takes me in the end. which is scary for me because i kind of hate change. and i've been in a nice little routine of going to school since i was what, 3 or 4? 20 years of routine, and now BAM-change! school and classes will soon be replaced by resume tweaking and job searching and hopefully finding a job.

 that's my readings for the next 3 months. so now that the first week is done, and i've gone to my classes, i can say that i'm looking forward to them. they will definitely be time consuming (um, look at that pile, i particularly like that big fat one on the bottom..) and challenging, but i think they will all be interesting and engaging too.
if i don't blog quite as often as usual, it's probably because i'm lost in a sea of reading. but i'll try not to let that happen.

monday-wednesday schedules are awesome by the way.
but really, how did everyone else find the transition from school life to work life? harder than expected? easier? can't find a job?

finals and such

"The will to win, the desire to succeed, the urge to reach your full potential…
these are the keys that will unlock the door to personal excellence."
Eddie Robinson

pic we heart it

i have an exam tonight--a 50% exam in criminal justice. i'm nervous. whose grand idea was it to make a final exam worth so much!? but, i know i can do it; breathe, take a drink of water, relax, repeat and go for it. i can't wait to get home tonight and just relax with my magazine that i got at easter but haven't had a chance to read yet. :) also, i'm looking forward to a good sleep-when i've got finals and papers due, i'm usually up at about 630 with my mind racing and can't fall back asleep; it sucks. anyway, in about 12 hours from now, i should juuuust be finishing it and hopefully walking out feeling good!

UPDATE: it's done! yay....it went pretty well i think..now to watch ugly betty and read my mag. :)