Winner Winner

I have been spending every waking moment at the salon getting models ready for competition.  Here are the three models that are already done.  I still have makeover, artistic color and glamour to finish up.  It will be a total of 15 straight days worked.  I'm half way there and totally pooped.

This is the boy child category

Commercial color, she was a big brassy mess in the before photo but I promised her I wouldn't post it.

Artistic Style

Wish me luck.  I want to win BIG.

Soul Mates

As if I really needed any more proof that Andy and I were meant to be together I was reminded again a couple of days ago just how much I love Andy.

We were driving down the road and there was this middle aged couple standing at the bus stop.  They were totally sucking face and definitely needed to get a room.  As we drove past Andy and I both started cat calling as loud as we could.  We then both burst out laughing at our unplanned unanimous response.  It was all we could do to just keep driving, we were both dying to flip a u-y and scream at them again.  

I love you Andybaby.  Good times.  Good times.

Ready For Summer

I Am An Island

When I wrote the last post about us moving and why we were moving I was touched by so many that offered support and prayers on our behalf.  It is wonderful to know people are thinking and praying for you.  It gives so much strength to us to know that.

The decisions that we have had to make have been the hardest, most painful, most gut-wrenching and most embarrassing decisions we have ever had to make.  Ever.  While we only shared the news with our friends and family in the last week, these decisions have been in the works for quite some time. (Refer back to the part where we said we were embarrassed.)  That is why we have been so shocked by some of the other comments made to us about the situation.  We suddenly find ourselves defending our choices, the reason behind our choices as well as the amount of effort put into said choices.  ALL of our choices have been made only after much prayer, fasting and temple attendance.  We have felt greatly blessed to have been (somewhat) settled before the lay offs at Discovered actually began.  We felt blessed to have found something so much cheaper that fits our needs so much better.  We have struggled and cried, and yet we have had great blessings.  The things people have said have not helped but made the situation worse, we can now add loneliness to the roller coaster that we are on.  

It makes me think of what a judgmental parent I used to be.  Before I had kids I would get so annoyed with other parents with children having tantrums in the store.  My only thought was you should just control that child.  I would then look down on them as an inferior parent.  Then I had kids and I learned there is no "just control that child".  I suddenly understood where the parent was coming from and felt bad about the way I looked at them. 

The same thing goes for this situation.  I always thought people that got into this situation had done it to themselves.  They MUST have spent to much and taken exotic trips and bought lots of designer clothes and had really cool toys and it was all their own fault.  My children wear clothes from the thrift store and from the clearance rack at Target.  We canceled two trips already this year.  I have always been frugal (well, cheap really) but I have reached new heights I never thought possible.  I had no idea we could do so much on so little.  

So I have a request.  Please remember that until you have lived it, you don't really know what it is like.

An Ode

Downsized

You know when you watch the news and you see terrible things happening and you think, that is so sad, but it always seems so distant and remote?  That it has nothing to do with you and will probably never affect you?

I do.  

Or I did.

I have been watching the economy fall to pieces.  I have seen the signs outside many stores declaring deep discounts as they close their doors.  I have received the stomach wrenching notice from the city informing me of the ever dropping value of my house.  I have listened as my clients told of lost jobs of seeking new ones and uncertain futures.  

And still it seemed remote.

It was something that happened to other people.  Not to me.  I was just going to keep going along in my happy little life and be just fine.

Today Discover Card informed their employees that they will be laying off 500 people.  A few days before that Andy was told his department would be significantly reduced and possibly done away with.   There is absolutely no promoting or even movement within the company.  

And I am scared.

Suddenly it doesn't seem so remote.

Two days ago we moved out of our house and into a rental.  We are trying to short sale on the house.  

A year ago I owned two houses.  Now I live in a rental.  

Now nothing is remote.  I'm officially a statistic of the economy.  

I feel so angry.  We did everything right.  We went to all the home buyer classes.  We budgeted and bought within our means.  We planned and prepared and worked hard.  When things got tough we cut back and made do.  And yet, we are still a statistic.  

We are trying to look for the silver lining in things.  Had we stayed at headquarters with Discover Andy more than likely would have been one of the 500 headed out the door.  Coming back we took a demotion to stay together, that is what has made everything so difficult.  In the end it might be the only thing that has saved us.  Having a crummy job is infinitely better than having no job.

I am desperately looking for hope somewhere inside of myself.  It is in a tight battle with fear at this point.  More often then I would like to admit fear is in the lead.  

I keep telling myself we are young and we will recover.  I hope I'm not a liar.

Classic