Ready, Set... COUNT!

Ready, Set... COUNT!
Originally uploaded by reasonenoughtocelebrate2

Today was our first official day of "training" I guess. The past two days have been nothing but listening to policy and security procedures. Blah blah. You might get robbed, don't freak out, blah blah.

Luckily, there are 7 women in my training class who I adore, so the time passes quickly. I honestly never expected to laugh as much as I have this week, surrounded by these women.

Even more exciting? One of those women graduated in 2003 from a high school that neighbors my high school's school district... and ALSO went to the University of Arizona the SAME years I did!

Instant friends. All we've done recently has been discuss Tucson obsessively... which has made us both incredibly homesick for it.

So I guess the job... so far so good.
It's not my life's calling, but it will suffice for now.

Commute

Commute, originally uploaded by reasonenoughtocelebrate.

When I get on the T to go to training downtown, its dark outside.
When I get off the T after a long day, its dark outside.

In fact, the only sunlight I've seen the past two days has been when I'm riding across the river to downtown Pittsburgh and I can see the sunlight hitting the buildings. As I leave downtown that night, I can see the light fading away in the distance. I can't imagine how people do this for years. Its depressing.

I'm also not used to this whole "hour and 20 minutes" commute thing.

Nope. Not one bit.

New Places, Friendly (Known) Faces

New Places, Friendly (Known) Faces, originally uploaded by reasonenoughtocelebrate.

Today, I started my training downtown for bank telling.

I was ridiculously nervous. I didn't sleep well last night, woke up way too early this morning, got to the T station far to soon, caught an earlier trolley... and ended up downtown (what I thought) was 45 minutes before I was to start.

Then I realized my paper said 8:30 instead of 8 a.m.

Which meant I had an hour and 15 minutes to kill.

But other than that... the day was okay. We only stayed til 2:45 instead of 5, which was good. It was a little overwhelming to be starting at so much paperwork for 6 hours, so I was happy to leave, despite the missed hours of pay.

You know, already I think I'm torn between loving it and hating the job. I think the "loving it" comes from the fact that I haven't worked in three months and if I sit still for another moment longer I may just explode. But its hard to sit there and realize you aren't utilizing the degree and tools you've worked so hard to obtain....

Speaking of sitting, I felt like I was going to have a "first day of school, who am I going to sit with at lunch" moment. But luckily, I randomly text messaged my old coworker and friend Jess (who I havent seen in two years!)... and not only does she work downtown - but she works for the same bank I work for! So she met me for lunch!! And she's planning on meeting me for lunch for the rest of my training...

So not only do I not have to worry about feeling like a loser all week, I actually have something to look forward to each day -- reconnecting with an old friend. :)

What Drives Your Life? ...Money!

What Drives Your Life, originally uploaded by reasonenoughtocelebrate.

So my mom bought me The Purpose Driven Life book last Christmas, and I never got around to reading it.

Week after week, my mom would nag me to start it. Finally, as pathetic as it sounds, she knew I was short on cash and offered to pay me $25 to start reading it.

I read the first chapter... and back onto the shelf it went. I just haven't had time to read lately, especially for a book I don't really have an interest in reading.

Well, my mom owes me some money that she is now holding hostage until I start reading the book again. So I finally sat down to read Chapter Two... only to see a $10 bill fall out.

Apparently she put that in there weeks ago.

Puppy!

Puppies!, originally uploaded by reasonenoughtocelebrate.

The point of this blog is to remind everyone of how cute Jasmine is.

The end.

And... It Starts

And... It Starts, originally uploaded by reasonenoughtocelebrate.

Today was the first day I had to sit in the car and wait for the frost on my windshield to defrost before I could back out of the driveway.

Something tells me I'm not in the desert anymore.

Cuddles To Last

Cuddles To Last, originally uploaded by reasonenoughtocelebrate.

I did NOT want to put Gage Michael down this morning.

Kelli even gave me some more time and let herself be a few minutes late for work so I could get some extra time in with him. I think she understands how sad I am to say goodbye each time. It's not like I hide it well.

But there we were again - at the door. He cuddled his face into my neck, before I finally told him he had to go to Hope's, his babysitter.

"Cuz Kahwee, you go to Hopey's too," he asked.
"No I can't. I have to go home," I told him. "Give me a kiss."

Then he did his infamous Gage Michael "MWAH!" kiss, complete with sound effect, before I handed him back over to Kelli. Then, like a stereotypical and somewhat pathetic movie, I watched them drive away before I dragged my feet around the apartment, collecting my things to put back into my duffel bag.

And before I knew it, I was back in Pennsylvania.