I am officially an employed RN! I went through the painstakingly tedious orientation that dealt with the benefits and history of the company. It is the second time that I have experienced this particular part of orientation but we must do what we need to do. After that it was a week of classroom work and presentations to learn the policies and procedures of the specific hospital that I am working at. This is not so bad but it is just as tough to sit through 8 hour days now as it was for nursing school classes. The big difference is that I was getting paid to do one and not the other. Friday was my first day on the unit. It was really a day to learn where everything is located and to get the feel of how things flow. I can safely say that my unit will not be boring! My preceptor so far is pretty awesome. She laid out the plan to get me up to speed with being on the floor and I am agreeable to it. I am actually really happy with who they placed me with because she seems to be pretty open about how everything is going to go and she seems to be someone who will be a constructive teacher. I still really wish that I would be in the critical care units or in the emergency department but this will be a good place to get in and get my feet wet. Many people have told me that the floor that I am starting on will be a good stepping stone to either place later on. So I think that I will have to make a plan and see where I want to go in the next year or two. I know that I want to start back to school after about a year off and just working. This way, I will have at least half of the tuition forgiveness taken care of and a year of experience that is uninterrupted and concentrated under my belt. As for school, it will be a choice between RN to BSN or RN to MSN. Both programs will take about the same time but one will take me to just a bachelor's and the other will take me to master's (rolling my bachelor's degree in along the way). I guess when the time comes it just depends on how many degrees I want to have. I figure that I might as well go with the RN to MSN because I will end up with more at the end of the same time period.
This Saturday marked a BIG milestone for me, despite how small it seems to everyone else. I am FINALLY working only one job for an extended period of time (and possibly for the rest of time!). I am not long on the management team at White House Black Market and it feels good to not have to go into work on my day off. The stress of dealing with a person being promoted to a position that she can't handle and everything that was being piled on top of that is great to be free from! I know that another person of the management team is also leaving. She found a position that will make her much happier and give her a better schedule in life. I am really proud of her because I know that she was really unhappy with where she was in the company and how she was being treated. Our district manager even admitted that she did not have a "fair shake" with the company. I know that the store manager is not happy with they way things are going. She is in panic mode right now. Half of her management team has jumped ship in two weeks and right now there is a HUGE possibility that the other sales lead will be leaving as well. I am hoping that she gets through her interview and gets to interview with the district manager. She is being passed over for a promotion to assistant store manager. She has been told that she needs to post an add on craig's list for a new ASM. I know she is angry and I would be too. I think that a new job with a new company would be good for her. She needs to go somewhere that the company is not against them just because of the store they are working in. I started to see this when I first started working there. I had been promoted for about a week or two and I felt very pushed to the side and always berated even for my best efforts. Making numbers and big accomplishments were never a reason to celebrate because they were not as great as if another store had done the same thing. We never got credit for doing amazing things that never happened in our store.
Tomorrow will be me second day on the floor as long as we don't have class. As far as we know, our whole orientation class, is under the impression that we will be on the floor on tomorrow so that is where I will show up. I do have to talk to our unit manager about some schedule conflicts for the classes that I am scheduled for this month.
There is stress but it is a different kind of stress.
Sunday, September 30, 2012
Sunday, September 23, 2012
Leaving the old and starting the new
Tomorrow is orientation for the hospital system I will be working for. I will be sitting through an orientation day from 730am to 5pm. That is a very very long day. I have done this once before and can safely say I may just fall asleep for part of it. After tomorrow, I will be at the hospital that I will be stationed at for the rest of time. I am still questioning whether the money was worth it but I guess we will see soon enough.
In the same step, I am only one week away from being out of retail. This means that I may not be living paycheck to paycheck anymore. My work hours will still be quite insane. They will be rotating shifts and I will have to work holidays but I am already used to never having weekends or holidays, ever in my lifetime. I know that with this field of work that I will never have these days off until I am about, oh say 90 and dead, but I guess that it would be worth it. I am hoping that this will make affording life and a wedding much easier than it currently is. Leaving retail will be one of the best things ever! I have been there way too long and have dealt with too many stupid things that I can't believe even happen half the time.
It also looks as though I am getting out at just the right time. On my heels, Sam is leaving as well. She is waiting for her job acceptance letter and some specifics before she submits her 2 week notice but as of this morning she is still set on leaving. After she (and the rest of us) found out that the plans for the store were not going to pan out as they were told to us and our store manager who was leaving, things got really really bad. There was a really shady plan going on and they brought in an ASM from another store to see if she is ready to get a store of her own. Not cool. Sam has not been happy and I don't blame her. This person that they brought in has no idea what she is doing. She has not hired any new associates, delegates tasks to people who do not get compensated for these tasks, offends customers and sales staff, and she is very poorly organized. There is much much more of her incompetence than can fit on a blog. On top of this, her private life is interrupting the functioning of the store on an everyday basis even when she is not there. These are not the traits of a good or competent leader. Half of her management team is leaving with just the two of us finding other jobs. She is going to shit her self and freak out when Sam gives her notice. This is going to leave her without resources and a team to do her work for her. She is going to have to do it herself, which will never happen. Her store manager at another store that she still reports to and the DM think that she is behind everything, even when she and I sign something. I am hoping that they wise up and see that this was a horrible move on their part. I know that the DM does not like our store in any way shape or form but the way she acts towards us is really just belittling and unprofessional. I feel as though these girls that I am working with are not getting the recognition they deserve for the jobs that they are doing and that needs to change. I am hoping that two members of the management team leaving and a third trying desperately to get out wave a HUGE red flag that something it wrong.
To be getting out at the right time is good. To be taking a step in the right direction is amazing. The new is scary but it can be done.
In the same step, I am only one week away from being out of retail. This means that I may not be living paycheck to paycheck anymore. My work hours will still be quite insane. They will be rotating shifts and I will have to work holidays but I am already used to never having weekends or holidays, ever in my lifetime. I know that with this field of work that I will never have these days off until I am about, oh say 90 and dead, but I guess that it would be worth it. I am hoping that this will make affording life and a wedding much easier than it currently is. Leaving retail will be one of the best things ever! I have been there way too long and have dealt with too many stupid things that I can't believe even happen half the time.
It also looks as though I am getting out at just the right time. On my heels, Sam is leaving as well. She is waiting for her job acceptance letter and some specifics before she submits her 2 week notice but as of this morning she is still set on leaving. After she (and the rest of us) found out that the plans for the store were not going to pan out as they were told to us and our store manager who was leaving, things got really really bad. There was a really shady plan going on and they brought in an ASM from another store to see if she is ready to get a store of her own. Not cool. Sam has not been happy and I don't blame her. This person that they brought in has no idea what she is doing. She has not hired any new associates, delegates tasks to people who do not get compensated for these tasks, offends customers and sales staff, and she is very poorly organized. There is much much more of her incompetence than can fit on a blog. On top of this, her private life is interrupting the functioning of the store on an everyday basis even when she is not there. These are not the traits of a good or competent leader. Half of her management team is leaving with just the two of us finding other jobs. She is going to shit her self and freak out when Sam gives her notice. This is going to leave her without resources and a team to do her work for her. She is going to have to do it herself, which will never happen. Her store manager at another store that she still reports to and the DM think that she is behind everything, even when she and I sign something. I am hoping that they wise up and see that this was a horrible move on their part. I know that the DM does not like our store in any way shape or form but the way she acts towards us is really just belittling and unprofessional. I feel as though these girls that I am working with are not getting the recognition they deserve for the jobs that they are doing and that needs to change. I am hoping that two members of the management team leaving and a third trying desperately to get out wave a HUGE red flag that something it wrong.
To be getting out at the right time is good. To be taking a step in the right direction is amazing. The new is scary but it can be done.
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
Moving on Moving on
It is getting close to move on in the job world. I have accepted a nursing position and will be starting at the end of the month. It is not my dream job but it could be much worse. I have either six months or a year if I decide that I want to transfer. I am hoping to be able to spend at least a year to two years on this floor and then move on to critical care or emergency nursing. I have to start somewhere.
It is only Tuesday and I am not sure how well I will survive this week, let alone the next few. This new stretch assignment assistant manager that we have been surprised with is not going well at all. She is being the face of the manager at another store in the district. I am not a fan of how she thinks that if a person does not buy something, the sales team did something wrong. I can safely say that people really do walk into our store just to waste time and browse. We can only control so much but this whole world of behaviors and ambushing is really starting to get to me. I think it is getting to me way faster than it did at my other store because this woman is up in my face. She does not think/act like any one on our store team knows what they are doing at all. We have one girl who has a bonus sale almost every time she works and this woman is wondering why the sales associate is looking at her like she has three heads (that she would like to chop off) when she is asking her "What did you do wrong? What behavior should you be utilizing?" blah blah blah. I look at the woman like she has three heads because even though I took a break from the company, I think I still out rank her in years of service... That is sad. I don't know why this woman is on the path to get her own store because today, I has to deal with screwed up registers and insanity. I had an issue even opening the registers because this super genius closed all the empty register drawers with the key in the register...Smooth. She apparently has the extra key and if she were not there this morning, I would have had a hell of a time trying to open the registers, without the bank, let alone the store. So, I finally get the registers open and what do you know, register two is short a dollar. All the paper work from the night before says that the register was closed even and with a deposit. I was really unhappy not to find the dollar that was missing. I was happy to find that he did not mix up the register bags like she almost did the one night.She is just a wreck and none of us have any respect for her as a boss because she has shown us sooo many times that she can't handle it. She has no communication skills and is like a puppy that needs Ritalin.
On other notes in life, I have not been running or going to the gym. Sadly, I have to get my foot checked out because it hurts to wear regular shoes. I have no clue what I did to my foot but it does not seem to be good. I wore some new not really broken in shoes to a wedding in mid August and thought that this was the issue. I was hoping it was just a bruise and nothing more. I kept running and working out at the gym and it just continued to get worse. It was starting to get better for a while and then it flared up again. I am hoping that it is not a break of any kind. Broken feet are not fun. I am also hoping that it is not anything that will require any sort of surgery because with starting a new job, getting married, and just trying to stay sane there is no time for surgery and the recovery period that comes along with it. I am hoping that the worst thing that happens is that they boot me for a while. The best would be just a bruise and I can get back to running.
It is only Tuesday and I am not sure how well I will survive this week, let alone the next few. This new stretch assignment assistant manager that we have been surprised with is not going well at all. She is being the face of the manager at another store in the district. I am not a fan of how she thinks that if a person does not buy something, the sales team did something wrong. I can safely say that people really do walk into our store just to waste time and browse. We can only control so much but this whole world of behaviors and ambushing is really starting to get to me. I think it is getting to me way faster than it did at my other store because this woman is up in my face. She does not think/act like any one on our store team knows what they are doing at all. We have one girl who has a bonus sale almost every time she works and this woman is wondering why the sales associate is looking at her like she has three heads (that she would like to chop off) when she is asking her "What did you do wrong? What behavior should you be utilizing?" blah blah blah. I look at the woman like she has three heads because even though I took a break from the company, I think I still out rank her in years of service... That is sad. I don't know why this woman is on the path to get her own store because today, I has to deal with screwed up registers and insanity. I had an issue even opening the registers because this super genius closed all the empty register drawers with the key in the register...Smooth. She apparently has the extra key and if she were not there this morning, I would have had a hell of a time trying to open the registers, without the bank, let alone the store. So, I finally get the registers open and what do you know, register two is short a dollar. All the paper work from the night before says that the register was closed even and with a deposit. I was really unhappy not to find the dollar that was missing. I was happy to find that he did not mix up the register bags like she almost did the one night.She is just a wreck and none of us have any respect for her as a boss because she has shown us sooo many times that she can't handle it. She has no communication skills and is like a puppy that needs Ritalin.
On other notes in life, I have not been running or going to the gym. Sadly, I have to get my foot checked out because it hurts to wear regular shoes. I have no clue what I did to my foot but it does not seem to be good. I wore some new not really broken in shoes to a wedding in mid August and thought that this was the issue. I was hoping it was just a bruise and nothing more. I kept running and working out at the gym and it just continued to get worse. It was starting to get better for a while and then it flared up again. I am hoping that it is not a break of any kind. Broken feet are not fun. I am also hoping that it is not anything that will require any sort of surgery because with starting a new job, getting married, and just trying to stay sane there is no time for surgery and the recovery period that comes along with it. I am hoping that the worst thing that happens is that they boot me for a while. The best would be just a bruise and I can get back to running.
Saturday, September 1, 2012
without getting trampled on or taken advantage of
I am not sure how much longer I am going to be able to run on all engines without all the supplies I need... I feel like I am always at work ( I understand that is mostly my doing) but how is a person supposed to not be homeless without a paycheck?? It has been confirmed that I have done more than my fair share of schedule manipulation and extra hours to help out at work and get things to where they need be, but some how people seem to think that I am not doing ANYTHING to aid the store. Just this past week, the other person in the same level position as me, found out that I was switched to an opening shift because the spot needed to be filled so that the store could be opened for the day and this caused an open spot in the evening. We called a new associate to see if she would be able to fill in but the answer was no. We also had three potential new associates that would be able to fill the gap but, one was not in the system, another not going to be working for another week, and the third decided that she was not coming to work for us anymore. The two other associates that are barely ever at the store were called and both declined to come in and one girl tired to trade a shift (??)! All I heard about the rest of the night was how SHE was going to have to work ALL day, blah blah blah. In between the bitching and moaning I kept hearing, "Unless you want to work a split shift... You can work a split shift!" which was followed quickly with "No, I can not work a split shift" in an increasingly annoyed tone. Needless to say, the other girl ended up working the double shift with an attitude of a 5 year old (with tantums to match) along with complaints of how she doesn't have a enough hours so that she can pay her bills. Answer me this, if a double shift falls into your lap when you can't pay your rent WHY would you try to give it away and complain about working it when you KNOW you need the money?! I was more than done for the night. I also did her a favor when she asked and she became extremely angry with me and started to cry...Yeah... then she expected me to drive her home after she refused to talk to me and was basically a brat! When I said no, she turned and ran away from me and the next day proceeded to tell the assistant store manager that I hate her and that I really did not have anywhere to go that night. I can not wait to get out of retail. I like the store and I really like my assistant store manager but I can not deal with this girl much longer. Last night she was getting upset because I had a bonus sale and she did not. It just feels like such a drain to have to bring the attitude and moral of the store up all by yourself and it is twice as hard when she starts to get like this. I saw something last night and was informed by this girl that she did something that I found really shady and I don't know what to do about it. If anything is off I will know why and I will be going to the assistant.
I am still going after nursing positions but so far nothing. I am hoping to hear from at least one of two positions this coming week and then I am also hoping to get a call back for an interview that could be my dream job... I had a phone screening/interview yesterday as I was driving to the store. I am hoping that this HR office calls me in because it would be possibly the ultimate thing for me to at least even get an interview. I am hoping that my answers were appropriate but I didn't realize how much I struggled in school with work and all until I had to tell them everything over the phone. I can safely say that I have never been fired from a job but the hostess job I had and was never told that I was no longer working there does look VERY sketchy but I hope that ignore that.
The wedding plans are going. I found my dress! As soon as I have the time and I clear down somethings, I will be getting measured and placing the order! My mom wants to see the dress and I am okay with that but she is only seeing it when I go to get measured. My one sister made the mistake of taking her to see the dress when she was still looking and ended up leaving behind the dress she fell in love with and going on a wild goose chase for another dress. That is not to say that she did not find another dress that she loved but she let someone talk her out of it and I don't want that and I will not tolerate it. My mom seems to think that we all need to try on bridal gowns and then MUST try on a lace dress. Not sure what her obsession is with lace but I am not in the position to spend that kind of money and I love this dress. It is perfect for the venue and fits exactly what I want. I am the one that has to wear it not her so I will see how truthful her comments were when she said she likes the dress BUT still wants to see it BEFORE I buy it....
I am still going after nursing positions but so far nothing. I am hoping to hear from at least one of two positions this coming week and then I am also hoping to get a call back for an interview that could be my dream job... I had a phone screening/interview yesterday as I was driving to the store. I am hoping that this HR office calls me in because it would be possibly the ultimate thing for me to at least even get an interview. I am hoping that my answers were appropriate but I didn't realize how much I struggled in school with work and all until I had to tell them everything over the phone. I can safely say that I have never been fired from a job but the hostess job I had and was never told that I was no longer working there does look VERY sketchy but I hope that ignore that.
The wedding plans are going. I found my dress! As soon as I have the time and I clear down somethings, I will be getting measured and placing the order! My mom wants to see the dress and I am okay with that but she is only seeing it when I go to get measured. My one sister made the mistake of taking her to see the dress when she was still looking and ended up leaving behind the dress she fell in love with and going on a wild goose chase for another dress. That is not to say that she did not find another dress that she loved but she let someone talk her out of it and I don't want that and I will not tolerate it. My mom seems to think that we all need to try on bridal gowns and then MUST try on a lace dress. Not sure what her obsession is with lace but I am not in the position to spend that kind of money and I love this dress. It is perfect for the venue and fits exactly what I want. I am the one that has to wear it not her so I will see how truthful her comments were when she said she likes the dress BUT still wants to see it BEFORE I buy it....
Wednesday, August 22, 2012
Can there be a break soon?
I can safely say that it has been quite a few weeks since I have had a spare second to do anything that was not work related. After being at WHBM for a few weeks, I accepted a promotion as a part time member of the management team. Although the position is part time I am working closer to full time hours. Don't get me wrong, the reward is better than not working or working at Scrubology but I just don't feel like there is enough time to get anything done! I was finally able to get to the gym for the second time in 2 weeks. That is not like me at all. I am usually there about two or three times a week and switch it off with running the other days. I have been closing the store down a lot so that does not leave a lot of time after work to go for a run. Plus, I am really not a twilight runner. It kind of creeps me out. I know that as long as I am doing something that is better than nothing but I still need to find a way to challenge myself with the workouts or else I won't be getting much out of them.
Work is going well. We are having a bit of a rough segment right now. There are some changes going on with in the store that are causing some upheaval (not bad like an uprising but enough to cause some issues) and it is having an effect on the store. Some of our people are getting discouraged more easily than others and it is showing on their faces and in their work. It is getting a little harder each time to try and not only pull them out the funk but to bring everything out of the funk is getting harder to do as well. Hopefully, this transition will become easier despite it being rough.
I took my boards and I passed! I was soo excited when that license popped up in the state website the next morning! I no longer have to worry about if I will pass or not and how that will affect everything else in my life. I think the fact that I am at a job that will pay the bills and keep me in a good place (and look good on my resume) kept a lot of the pressure off of me when I went in to take the exam. I think that if I had been using my TPP (a waste of $35 since I never used it) I would have been a lot more on edge and anxious than I was. I also took the test in Morgantown. I know what most people are thinking, "Why would taking the test in another state and a city you don't live in help you..?" It just so happens that the Morgantown testing site had an appointment with in the time frame I was looking to take the test. If I would have settled for a date in Pittsburgh I would still be waiting to take the exam (and probably ripping my hair out). I also was more familiar with the area in Morgantown. After doing my undergrad there I knew exactly where the testing site was and how to get there. It couldn't have been better! We stayed in the same hotel we stayed in a few years ago for a friend's wedding. It was still a very nice and affordable place. I was able to get a good night sleep and feel confident about getting to my test on time. I was very happy with how the day went.
The wedding plans that are going very swimmingly right now! I made a great move and a huge mistake at the same time. I saw a dress through the window of the BCBG store near my store. From outside it looked like it was just an all white strapless dress. I figured I would go in one day and check it out and possibly try it on. I went in the other day after work and it turns out that the dress has a black little sash around it but other than that it was a simple strapless chiffon gown. It is beautiful and simple, just what I am looking for! I tried it on and it fit almost perfectly. I feel like the top may have been a little tight but they said that it would stretch as I wore it. Also the hem was a little long. One of my bridesmaids has agreed to go to the only dress shop that seems to have the other dress I have my eye on to physically see it and try it on and then head to BCBG to see the dress there. I would really just buy the dress at BCBG but I don't want to be thinking, what if I would have had the chance to try on the other dress?? I have been looking at this dress for months on the J.Crew site and I really just feel like I need to see it and try it on before I go and buy another dress. I know that sounds silly but it is true. I don't need "dress what if" while planning a wedding!
Hopefully this will all pan out the way that it is supposed to. I just hope that everything continues to go smoothly and that the kinks get worked out accordingly.
Work is going well. We are having a bit of a rough segment right now. There are some changes going on with in the store that are causing some upheaval (not bad like an uprising but enough to cause some issues) and it is having an effect on the store. Some of our people are getting discouraged more easily than others and it is showing on their faces and in their work. It is getting a little harder each time to try and not only pull them out the funk but to bring everything out of the funk is getting harder to do as well. Hopefully, this transition will become easier despite it being rough.
I took my boards and I passed! I was soo excited when that license popped up in the state website the next morning! I no longer have to worry about if I will pass or not and how that will affect everything else in my life. I think the fact that I am at a job that will pay the bills and keep me in a good place (and look good on my resume) kept a lot of the pressure off of me when I went in to take the exam. I think that if I had been using my TPP (a waste of $35 since I never used it) I would have been a lot more on edge and anxious than I was. I also took the test in Morgantown. I know what most people are thinking, "Why would taking the test in another state and a city you don't live in help you..?" It just so happens that the Morgantown testing site had an appointment with in the time frame I was looking to take the test. If I would have settled for a date in Pittsburgh I would still be waiting to take the exam (and probably ripping my hair out). I also was more familiar with the area in Morgantown. After doing my undergrad there I knew exactly where the testing site was and how to get there. It couldn't have been better! We stayed in the same hotel we stayed in a few years ago for a friend's wedding. It was still a very nice and affordable place. I was able to get a good night sleep and feel confident about getting to my test on time. I was very happy with how the day went.
The wedding plans that are going very swimmingly right now! I made a great move and a huge mistake at the same time. I saw a dress through the window of the BCBG store near my store. From outside it looked like it was just an all white strapless dress. I figured I would go in one day and check it out and possibly try it on. I went in the other day after work and it turns out that the dress has a black little sash around it but other than that it was a simple strapless chiffon gown. It is beautiful and simple, just what I am looking for! I tried it on and it fit almost perfectly. I feel like the top may have been a little tight but they said that it would stretch as I wore it. Also the hem was a little long. One of my bridesmaids has agreed to go to the only dress shop that seems to have the other dress I have my eye on to physically see it and try it on and then head to BCBG to see the dress there. I would really just buy the dress at BCBG but I don't want to be thinking, what if I would have had the chance to try on the other dress?? I have been looking at this dress for months on the J.Crew site and I really just feel like I need to see it and try it on before I go and buy another dress. I know that sounds silly but it is true. I don't need "dress what if" while planning a wedding!
Hopefully this will all pan out the way that it is supposed to. I just hope that everything continues to go smoothly and that the kinks get worked out accordingly.
Saturday, August 4, 2012
So, if I am here, When am I getting there...?
Things are moving. Some seem to be going at the never ending sail pace of life and other are flying by that I barely realize that they actually happened! I feel like we have been in our new place for more than just a month! It seems like that but in a good way. We are all settled in but we are still finding that we need some little things.
Lately, I have been trying to be more social than normal and I kind of like it. I hate to say it but I can be quite the homebody. I really do love nothing more than to curl up with a book or to go outside with book and just get lost. One of my friend's sister (well she is my friend as well) is moving down south to go to grad school. Even though I was unable to go out to the club with them, it was really nice to just hang out with some really fun people that I have not been able to see in a while. We have also been to the movies in the park. We saw The Muppets last Sunday and this Sunday, I for sure, and going to have the viewing pleasure of The Temple of Doom. Movies in the park just happen to be a free event that I forgot to take advantage of this summer. I will need to remember this for next summer for my weekends off.
The wedding planning is still up to par but we need to get on the planning train again before we get behind. The Save The Dates are in the process of being printed so they will be sent out in a month or two. We are trying to get the DJ booked with in the next week or two so that all of our big vendors are off the list of things to do. I have not made a decision on what I want to do about flowers. We are not using them for center pieces but I know that we will probably need then for the bouquets and the guys but other than that I will NOT be getting any corsages or flowers for mothers, grandmothers, ect. There is not need to add that uselessness into our budget.
On the job front, I am working retail again. So far it is working out and I have a fall back in case this whole nursing thing does not pan out in real life time. For the nursing front, so far mostly only rejections. I did have an interview this past week but I am not really going to get my hopes up to high. By the end, I felt like it went really well but I also thought that my other three interviews went well and I ended up not getting the job(s). Hopefully I will get something soon. I will not be counting my chickens until they have hatched!
Also on the nursing front....The boards. They will be coming up in a little over a week! YIKES!! Right now, I just have to make sure I keep preparing for them and keep my spirits up. As long as I keep doing these prep questions I think I will be okay. I am actually going out of town to take the test. Where I am going it not that far but it was the only testing center that came up with a date closer than September! What is really funny is that the testing center is in Morgantown, where I went to University, and it just so happens that I know where the testing center is and could find it more easily than any other testing centers here (Where I LIVE)!! So I decided that it would be worth it take the adventure back to my old home and take my boards there. I did well on all my finals so why not my boards as well! I think I may need some Boston Beanery after my exam... or maybe some Black Bear Burrito....
Lately, I have been trying to be more social than normal and I kind of like it. I hate to say it but I can be quite the homebody. I really do love nothing more than to curl up with a book or to go outside with book and just get lost. One of my friend's sister (well she is my friend as well) is moving down south to go to grad school. Even though I was unable to go out to the club with them, it was really nice to just hang out with some really fun people that I have not been able to see in a while. We have also been to the movies in the park. We saw The Muppets last Sunday and this Sunday, I for sure, and going to have the viewing pleasure of The Temple of Doom. Movies in the park just happen to be a free event that I forgot to take advantage of this summer. I will need to remember this for next summer for my weekends off.
The wedding planning is still up to par but we need to get on the planning train again before we get behind. The Save The Dates are in the process of being printed so they will be sent out in a month or two. We are trying to get the DJ booked with in the next week or two so that all of our big vendors are off the list of things to do. I have not made a decision on what I want to do about flowers. We are not using them for center pieces but I know that we will probably need then for the bouquets and the guys but other than that I will NOT be getting any corsages or flowers for mothers, grandmothers, ect. There is not need to add that uselessness into our budget.
On the job front, I am working retail again. So far it is working out and I have a fall back in case this whole nursing thing does not pan out in real life time. For the nursing front, so far mostly only rejections. I did have an interview this past week but I am not really going to get my hopes up to high. By the end, I felt like it went really well but I also thought that my other three interviews went well and I ended up not getting the job(s). Hopefully I will get something soon. I will not be counting my chickens until they have hatched!
Also on the nursing front....The boards. They will be coming up in a little over a week! YIKES!! Right now, I just have to make sure I keep preparing for them and keep my spirits up. As long as I keep doing these prep questions I think I will be okay. I am actually going out of town to take the test. Where I am going it not that far but it was the only testing center that came up with a date closer than September! What is really funny is that the testing center is in Morgantown, where I went to University, and it just so happens that I know where the testing center is and could find it more easily than any other testing centers here (Where I LIVE)!! So I decided that it would be worth it take the adventure back to my old home and take my boards there. I did well on all my finals so why not my boards as well! I think I may need some Boston Beanery after my exam... or maybe some Black Bear Burrito....
Thursday, July 19, 2012
Surviving the job hunt, the random jobs inbetween, and wedding planning
So, after losing my job about a week ago I accepted another position with a retail company that I worked for before. I had a choice between working for this branch of the retail company or work for another retail company but in the same realm of clothing as the other store. I accepted the position because if this nursing job hunt never pops up, I may possibly move into management. It is not the way I want to go because I did not go to school for it but I will at least be able to survive and pay bills with this job.
The nursing job hunt has brought about nothing. I never thought that finding a job after school would be this rough, especially with having to be with this place for 2 years to pay for school. Job placement has been a huge joke of an assistance so I don't really know what to do at this point besides to sit and wait until I take my boards. There really is nothing else I can do and it is driving me nuts.
Wedding planning, so far, has been smooth. The next things that we are going to work on are the DJ and the shuttle service for after the reception. We have all the other big stuff so we are going to be moving on to the small stuff. The DJ is the last "big" thing that we would need for the reception. The wedding party has been picked and the best man had been picked. I am waiting to see what happens with some other events (outside of the wedding) to pick the maid of honor. I don't want to pick someone who is going to be far away from the city and have them be responsible for planning and attending every event, help me with dress stuff, and possibly some decisions.
The guest list is getting the final touches for the family and right now I am trying to be patient with my mother. Yesterday, she called me about a message I sent her asking to review the list and make sure that there are no family members that MIGHT need to be added to the list. After talking to her about people that were on there and should be on there, she tells me, "Well, I wasn't going to invite the Medinas because you don't know them and they don't know you." I was immediately confused because I can place a face with all of the names that she named and one of them was my confirmation sponsor. I was really appalled that she was not going to invite my dad's family. So I may be adding some names to the list. After that discussion, she then tells me, " Since you are keeping this small I think that you should either just have two small showers, one small shower, or I will just give you money so that you can buy whatever you want." My reply was that I am okay with a small shower. She then says, "Well, I don't really want to make any big announcements/ call outs for the shower because I really don't think it is worth my sisters and family coming in for the shower when the families are so far apart." This is where I have an issue because my brother in-law's family is from the same exact area as my finance's family. I am not sure who moved but everyone is still in the same place. This is the thing that kills me. She is annoyed that we picked our venue, bridal party, wedding date, and have guest list power without her. My fiance and I are paying for this wedding on our own and that means that we have the final say in just about everything, if not everything. I am really upset about this because she doesn't think that we aren't worth sending out a piece of paper to her family to invite them to a bridal shower. Right now, I feel like if my maid of honor plans a shower that she won't be involved in any of it unless she wants to be a guest. My fiance did not really understand my frustration with being told that my mother doesn't want to WASTE the time and energy to help plan a bridal shower let alone WASTE her family's time by inviting them to such an event. I really feel like we should just go to the justice of the peace and then have the reception next year at the Barn and not tell anyone. These past few years have been the least supported by my family (namely my mother and her family) so this makes me feel like they shouldn't be there.
Any ideas on how to keep this drama to a no boil and not let it go to a full boil?
The nursing job hunt has brought about nothing. I never thought that finding a job after school would be this rough, especially with having to be with this place for 2 years to pay for school. Job placement has been a huge joke of an assistance so I don't really know what to do at this point besides to sit and wait until I take my boards. There really is nothing else I can do and it is driving me nuts.
Wedding planning, so far, has been smooth. The next things that we are going to work on are the DJ and the shuttle service for after the reception. We have all the other big stuff so we are going to be moving on to the small stuff. The DJ is the last "big" thing that we would need for the reception. The wedding party has been picked and the best man had been picked. I am waiting to see what happens with some other events (outside of the wedding) to pick the maid of honor. I don't want to pick someone who is going to be far away from the city and have them be responsible for planning and attending every event, help me with dress stuff, and possibly some decisions.
The guest list is getting the final touches for the family and right now I am trying to be patient with my mother. Yesterday, she called me about a message I sent her asking to review the list and make sure that there are no family members that MIGHT need to be added to the list. After talking to her about people that were on there and should be on there, she tells me, "Well, I wasn't going to invite the Medinas because you don't know them and they don't know you." I was immediately confused because I can place a face with all of the names that she named and one of them was my confirmation sponsor. I was really appalled that she was not going to invite my dad's family. So I may be adding some names to the list. After that discussion, she then tells me, " Since you are keeping this small I think that you should either just have two small showers, one small shower, or I will just give you money so that you can buy whatever you want." My reply was that I am okay with a small shower. She then says, "Well, I don't really want to make any big announcements/ call outs for the shower because I really don't think it is worth my sisters and family coming in for the shower when the families are so far apart." This is where I have an issue because my brother in-law's family is from the same exact area as my finance's family. I am not sure who moved but everyone is still in the same place. This is the thing that kills me. She is annoyed that we picked our venue, bridal party, wedding date, and have guest list power without her. My fiance and I are paying for this wedding on our own and that means that we have the final say in just about everything, if not everything. I am really upset about this because she doesn't think that we aren't worth sending out a piece of paper to her family to invite them to a bridal shower. Right now, I feel like if my maid of honor plans a shower that she won't be involved in any of it unless she wants to be a guest. My fiance did not really understand my frustration with being told that my mother doesn't want to WASTE the time and energy to help plan a bridal shower let alone WASTE her family's time by inviting them to such an event. I really feel like we should just go to the justice of the peace and then have the reception next year at the Barn and not tell anyone. These past few years have been the least supported by my family (namely my mother and her family) so this makes me feel like they shouldn't be there.
Any ideas on how to keep this drama to a no boil and not let it go to a full boil?
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