Adios, 2008

I don't know about anybody else, but I am ready to put 2008 behind me. I've been giving it a lot of thought as I've been brainstorming for my one-year anniversary post for Weddingbee, and here's the thing - post-January 12th, our year went downhill fast. We've both dealt with huge stresses in our personal and professional lives, including health issues for our parents and me losing my job.

Me with my beautiful mom, who was diagnosed with breast cancer in July. She had a lumpectomy in August, and she completed radiation treatment in November. Six months after her diagnosis, she's completely cancer-free!

At the same time, I can't imagine having gone through this year any other way than with Mr. T. The old cliche is that your first year of marriage is the most difficult - and yes, ours absolutely was. But it wasn't difficult because of us - we were the easy part.

Our adorable house in the snow - the day we got home from our honeymoon!

Merry Christmas from the Ts!

First of all, I'm so sorry that I left that previous post at the top of the page for so long! Talk about miserable, right? To be perfectly honest, it was a rough week. But around Thursday-Friday of last week, I started to come out of my funk and realize that this is not the end of the world.

I'll find a job - clearly that one wasn't the right one for me. And my old boss...well, we're still dealing with that situation. For now, let's just say that he won't respond to my calls/emails. It's so very mature, I can hardly stand it.

Our Christmas cards went out last week, and we did not pick #3 - sorry, guys! I let Mr. T make the final decision, since he thought he looked like a goober in all of them.

Oh well - I think he looks great!

And now, for a little blast from the past, how about a picture of me dressed as a cheerleader? I dressed up as a member of the "Holiday Cheer Squad" for the Atlanta Santa Pub Crawl a couple of weeks ago. Gooooooooooo Santa!

So, it's not exactly the same as high school. What can you do?

Hopes Dashed

So I just found out (through unofficial channels, but it's official enough) that the job that I really really wanted went to someone else.

I don't understand - it seemed to be a perfect fit. I had impeccable references for this organization, I completely hit it off with the manager, I had a great meeting with the CEO last week, and my experience lined up perfectly with the job description. I had even heard through the grapevine that I was the only candidate that they brought back to meet the CEO.

I guess that turned out to be false, huh?

The bottom line is, I'm worried. I'm concerned that my former boss is trashing me to potential employers. I emailed him a while ago to ask him to provide references when requested, and he never responded. I have to wonder: if this is the case, how am I ever going to find something new? I work in a very small professional community, and I'm terrified that someone is ruining my reputation, phone call by phone call.

I have one more ball in the air - I have a second phone interview next week, but I truly feel like this job is a long shot.

So, today is a bad day. I'm incredibly disappointed, and really really sad.

ETA: Suspicions confirmed. My old boss is out there slamming me. The job was mine, they were prepared to make an offer until they talked to him. I'm horrified, absolutely horrified.

Potential Christmas Cards...

So, what do we think? Which picture do you like the best?

Tagged: 8 Things

Tagged by Tara!

8 TV Shows I Love to Watch:
- The Office
- Gossip Girl
- Top Chef
- 30 Rock
- The Soup
- True Blood
- Rock of Love Charm School
- Friday Night Lights

8 Things that Happened Yesterday
- A second interview! (and meeting with the CEO...woo hoo!)
- A visit from my mother-in-law
- A doctor's appt with Mr. T
- A successful london broil in the crock pot
- An interesting conversation with Michelle
- A purchase of the new US Weekly
- A viewing of Silence of the Lambs
- A difficult time falling asleep

8 Favorite Places to Eat:
- Pero's (Atlanta)
- Hal's on Old Ivy (Atlanta)
- Moe's or Willy's for burritos
- Restaurant Eugene (Atlanta)
- Avra (Atlanta)
- Stax Omega (Greenville)
- Sonic
- MF Sushi (Atlanta)

8 Things I am Looking Forward To:
- Getting a new job!
- Christmas
- Our one-year anniversary
- Becoming a mom (at some point!)
- Paying off debt
- A new season of True Blood (I'm addicted!)
- Getting our Christmas cards out
- Losing ten pounds

8 Things on my Wish List:
- This Orla Kiely wallet from Anthropologie
- Cowboy boots
- New cushions for our patio furniture
- A DSLR camera
- A truly fabulous DvF wrap dress
- A BlackBerry Storm
- Another Georgia SEC Championship
- A new job!


8 People I Tag:
I'm not going to tag anyone, because I totally don't have very many readers. Oh well! :)

Ouch.

So I just noticed that a woman that I used to work with, who I didn't even really like all that much, has de-friended me on Facebook. I have no idea why. She wasn't my favorite person, but we were always fairly friendly in the office. We haven't been in touch since I left my job, so I know that I didn't do anything to offend her.

But she has de-friended both me and Mr. T. It's so bizarre. Why would someone do that? Perplexing...

Update: And, I just found another one. This is SO WEIRD.

The Hunt

I haven't addressed this yet on my new blog, but here's the deal - I'm currently unemployed. I was let go from my previous job at the end of September, and I've been on the prowl for a new gig ever since. My focus has been to find a new role in the arena where I've built up my resume - government affairs. I have a good amount of experience doing contract, trade association, and corporate work, and everyone seems very impressed by my skill set, but so far nothing has popped. Last month, I interviewed with a gas company and a hospital system, and last week I had a phone interview with a national organization concerned with MS. Just this morning, I had an interview with an energy company here in Atlanta. So yes, there are opportunities out there, but I'm worried that I'm this close to exhausting them. I think the energy company I met with today is my best shot of finding something before the new year - we'll see.

Luckily, Mr. T is doing very well in his job, so money hasn't been a huge issue thus far. The main problem we're facing is that he works on a contract basis, and thus doesn't have corporate-subsidized healthcare. At the moment, we're existing on the very expensive Cobra plan my old job provided. Yuck.

It's really hard to stay positive when you're job hunting in this economy. I believe in myself, and I know that I will find something eventually, but there are only so many jobs - and many more job searchers than there are openings. It can be incredibly frustrating.

I'M OBSESSED.

Up and Down the Street

Dude. So, last night I decided that the ten pounds I've gained since the wedding are going to have to come off. My pants don't fit to the point that I've had to start buying new ones...and I like my old pants just the way they are.

So, I went to the L.A. Fitness website and printed off the class schedules for a couple of gyms in the area - whoever had a fun-looking step class scheduled for this morning, that's where I was headed. I settled on a "Step Circuit" class at 9:45 this morning. I hadn't taken a step class in probably nine months, so I was a little nervous, but I figured I would just suffer through and be sore for the next few days.

Since it was a mid-morning class, only a few people showed - seven, I think. The instructor then decided to take it upon herself to change "Step Circuit" to "Boot Camp." At that point, I was actually excited. I've wanted to sign up for one of those 30-day boot camp at the park programs, but I haven't been willing to shell out the $300 to do so. This would be the next best thing, right?

OH. MY. GOD.

I made it 30 minutes before I had to leave the room, because I thought I was going to puke. Seriously. This woman kicked oy ass UP and DOWN the street so completely, I thought my legs might fall off. And my arms, for good measure.

Wow. The entire episode made me feel ridiculously out of shape, which is kind of miserable. However, I did finish the class. And afterward, I walked another mile on the treadmill. And I'm planning to go back tomorrow for a Step + Abs class. Yes, I will be over-the-top sore for Thanksgiving, but it's a start, right? I've got to get some of this cushion off, or soon my entire wardrobe will be moot!

Sausage & Peppers

This recipe has become one of my absolute favorites lately. As far as I'm concerned, the best part of cooking is the prep - chopping vegetables, separating them into different containers in advance of throwing them all together...it's cathartic for me. There's not a ton of prep that goes into this dish, but I so enjoy it!

Sausage & Peppers (adapted from here)

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons olive oil
2-3 pounds Hot Italian Sausage
5 bell peppers, sliced (for variety, use red, green and yellow)
2 large red onions, sliced
3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 (12 fluid ounce) bottles beer
1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
2 tablespoons oregano
2 tablespoons hot sauce
salt and pepper to taste

Heat olive oil in a large heavy skillet over medium high heat. Cook sausage links until browned on all sides. Generally, I also add whatever leftover sausage products I may have in the refrigerator - keilbasa, salami, etc. Remove sausage from pan, and set aside. Pour in 1 bottle of beer to deglaze the pan, scraping up any blackened bits from the bottom. Add the peppers, onions and garlic to the pan. Stir in the remaining beer and the tomato paste. Season with oregano, hot sauce, salt and pepper. Cover, and simmer until onions and peppers are tender.

Slice the sausage into bite size pieces, and add to the peppers. Cover, and simmer until sausage is cooked through.

Serve over egg noodles with crusty bread.

This is great comfort food, and it's perfect for this time of year when it's so frequently cold and rainy!

Testing, testing...

And so it begins!

I've blogged before, specifically as a wedding blogger here. However, as I approach our one-year anniversary, I realize that the topics on my mind have changed, and I think I need a new blog to represent that.

Topics will most likely range from nesting to food and cooking to general venting...and maybe eventually pregnancy/baby thrown in for good measure. (I'm not pregnant yet, but I'd like to be sometime this year.)

So, here goes!