A very big thank you is in Order to Danielle and Shawn for Hosting Thanksgiving Dinner and inviting us over. A Special Huge thank you to Danielle for Spending the Day cooking a Delicious Dinner For everyone.

Isn't she adorable too.

Here is a Picture of Dinner. Yumm.

It was a small get together But filled with Great people. Shawn, Danielle, Zay, John aka Pops, Brian and Myself . I took this picture without anyone knowing while i was outside smoking a cigg.

I wish i had a pic of Danielle's adorably Pregnant Belly. But its not visible in any of these pics. Sad panda.

Brian and I took care of dessert for the thanks giving feast. Brian Brought home a Loaf of Dave's Killer Bread Sin Dawg Bread. Its like a Cinnamon Roll of deliciousness. Which seemed to be a hit with everyone.

I made cherry short cakes pictured below.

I also made a Chocolate Cream Pie.

And i also made a from scratch Apple Pie. All desserts pictured below. YUMMMM.

Shawn Devoured The Chocolate Cream Pie. I say from the smile on his face i did an OK job.

From baking with Danielle I knew that was a fav of his so I had to make it.

This is all that was left of it by the time we departed and i think the damage to this pie was Shawn and Brian's doing.

My Apple Pie was so good. I must say i think i did an OK job for it being my first attempt.

The apples were soft and flavorful, The crust was perfect.

After dinner we hung out and enjoyed some TV time by the fire as the Turkey started to make us sleepy. It was a great night with great people. I am thankful for good friends.

The next day it was Back to Helping Tiffany with her move. This was actually moving day.

As in Moving Furniture from her apartment pictured above to her new condo. Please make note of the colors of the walls at her apartment below there will be a reference to it later on in this blog.

Lucky that she was moving from a studio and doesn't own much besides book. We Started our day off with a lil Starbucks. I love when Starbucks gives me a Tiffany in My cup of Coffee and this cup is so true. When we are together snowmen come to life .

This Huge TV was the biggest mission of the day but Brian and Tiffany managed to get it down the stairs n onto the truck. Thank god that is over. I hate moving.

Later on i decided to frame her. hehehehehe

on my way back from Helping move her in a sign reminded me that art fills the void. So i figured i need to incorporate more art into my day.

The next morning i met with Tiffany again to Begin Painting Her apartment back to white. Yes Remember the red walls above i told you to take note of. We had to use special paint that the rental agency uses standard in all the apartments to paint it back to the way it was before she moved in.

So i got a little creative in the process and painted pictures and messages on her walls in the process. You know making art fill the void. Yes i know I'm corny

First came a few coats of primer to try to hide the red. We started this project at about 11am Sunday morning.

We ran out of tape in the process so decided the new tenants will not need windows so we just painted them.

Scraping this later will not be fun.

The walls in the main living space, The kitchen and the Trim all took different paints. The Trim Paint was a nightmare. It was Miller semi gloss and sticky as hell. Look magic. Well maybe not. That is just the paint on her hand being so sticky that the bush stuck to it.

By about 2am we had made this much progress but were still seeing red spots shining thru the white. We decided to call it a night and try again the next day.

Dear Paint we are so not friends anymore.

Dear Miller I hate your paint.

We met again Monday afternoon to Finnish painting with a little help from Brian earlier in the day and then some help from Erica later in the day.

While Painting I felt a pinch on my chest and pulled down my shirt to find a bite mark and this red swollen spot on my chest. Even tho everyone told me to go to the ER that is not in my budget right now. So i took a benydryl in hopes it would help with the allergic reaction i was having to the bite.

Then I killed this so I'm guessing he was what bit me.

Regardless of the stabbing pain from the bite. The dizziness and the benydryl making me sleepy We finished Painting and cleaned up. DONE N DONE.

I'm happy i was free to lend her a hand cause it would have broke my heart to know she was alone dealing with this huge plate of insanity.

This huge moving and painting project also gave us a chance to share quality awesome time and lots of laughs and new stories to The Adventures of T&T. 

I love this lady.  

Then it was time for some much needed rest Since the benydryl was making the swelling and red go away but making me drowsy.

My Theory is

Now that Tiffany is all settled into her condo. Her apartment is back to the standards of the rental company. and her keys are handed in Its back to job hunting for me.

Brian now has even better of a work schedule with Fridays and Saturdays off finally.  He is still working 6:30pm till 3am which leaves his sleep schedule a lil off but, He is enjoying his new job and the new crew he works with. He even made a friend who lives not too far away that gives him a ride to and from work to save us money on gas. 

Our Savings account has officially hit ZERO. We are back to living paycheck to paycheck off Brian's pay. It barely covers the bills but I am thankful that with him working we are keeping our heads just above water. If someone out here would just give me a chance with some employment We would be OK. Thank god for the dollar store selling food and Brian getting lots of free bread from work.

I have too much pride to apply for food stamps and just keep praying that the New Year holds amazing opportunities for both of us.

 When Brian was brought on board with Nature Bake aka Dave's killer bread they told him if he does good there is a chance of being hired as permanent and getting a raise after 12 weeks. I keep Hoping that happens for him. Ive been counting down and as of now he has six weeks left.

Brian keeps joking hes going to claim 6 on his tax paper and get me some gold fish and a plant n give them all SS numbers to keep his checks. Which in reality we wouldn't do but its funny.

Its crazy to think what our bills in total are now are just a little more then my rent was when i was my own in California. I was also making alot more money doing photo shoots, modeling, working at bars and cocktail waitress in LA. its hard to wrap my mind around the fact that i was paying  LA Rent rates as well as a car payment, car insurance, a cell phone bill, Credit card bills, Student loans ,Food and what ever else SOLO.  I look back now and realize i was way over my head in bills. If i could do that back then and survive 6 1/2 years in LA. Then I'm sure i can figure out how to survive this time too. Just with a more reasonable realistic over head and a husband to help.

I keep driving by Christmas tree lots and dreaming of having a Christmas tree since we wont be able to fly home to be with our family for the holidays.  Hopefully i can find a good deal on a little tree along with $1 Christmas stockings and some lights. Thanks to both of our families we already have some decorations for the tree when we find it.

But right now On a brighter note I'm still grateful to be in a town that i strongly feel holds some good opportunities for me its just a matter of finding them. I am also grateful to have a roof over my head.

I would like to apologize to everyone in advance that i will be unable to mail home Christmas gifts for everyone due to the tight budget we are living on. I do have some stamps left so i will try to mail out some cards in place of gifts to let you all know you were in my thoughts for the holiday.

I have to much pride to ask for help n will figure this out.

I'm a tough cookie and have survived worse.

The thing that bothers me is i am determined, hard working, and am quick to learn things. Maybe my resume just sucks so they don't want to give me a chance. Or maybe its the opposite Maybe my resume is too good and they don't want to short me. Or maybe that is just me trying to stay positive. Honestly Right now I would take a seasonal min wage job just to pass the time and to help out with the bills. I would like to shoot higher but will settle for now a job is a job and the economy isn't the best.

. 

My resume is only a list of positions Ive professionally held in the past few years  

Minus exact business names, My personal info, schools, Reference names and numbers. Since i don't feel that should be public knowledge. 

  This is sort of what my resume looks like.

To whomever this may concern,

I am seeking out to apply for the (Insert Position Here) position with your company.  I have an extensive, diverse work history that aides in my ability take on any task at hand and produce successful results.  From having continuously taking on new roles at different trades, I have become adept at seeing a situation from multiple viewpoints. This has given me the advantage of being able to bring together various views with a team and find the best solution for the task at hand. My successes in diverse backgrounds have given me much sought after traits. High pressure environments such as photography and videography have sharpened my problem solving skills and ability to adapt to continuously changing demands on the spot without having the luxury of a '2nd chance.'  Retail management has honed my customer service skills while mailroom distribution has sharpened my attention to detail. I am confident and determined to succeed at any task - especially new and unfamiliar ones.  I am able to multitask, and can work incredibly well under pressure. I am aware that my resume may not reflect much in the way of maintaining long term employment partially due to the job market and the economy,  I recently moved to Portland OR from NJ in search for better opportunities I am committed to establishing firm roots here.  My goal is procure long term, full time employment here in Portland.
Thank you for your time and consideration.

Best,

Name 

Address

Phone

Email

Objective
To secure a position where I can utilize my skills and experience. 

Employment

May 2011- August 2011
Production Manager, Assistant Photographer
Scout Locations according to clients requests. Setting appointments.
Duties Included set up and break down of video, photography, and lighting gear.
Live Stream Video of weddings and other events.
Photographing live events and studio stills for clients.
Using my creative abilities to obtain the most unique photographs to par the clients request.



Mar 2011 – May 2011
Mail Room Clerk, Temporary  Seasonal Position
Duties included manual insertion of Proxy Packages, 10k's, annual review's,
assisting machine operators, Open and distribute mail, open and handle
Stock Certificates, as well as open Checks to renew stocks.
Open business reply envelopes and separate different companies responses.
Reference letter available upon request


Aug 2009 – Mar 2011
Buyer, Merchandiser Manager
In this capacity, my responsibilities were Key Holder, Merchandise Buyer,
researching new products, acquiring new accounts. Designing ads, Stock
Photography, researching ad placement and setting up window and floor displays.
Also scheduled employees hours, received goods into inventory, loss prevention.
web design, web maintenance. Responsible for cash, in cash out and credit card sales.
Answering phones.Assisted customers through their shopping experience.

 Jan 2008 – Feb 2009
Manager
Responsible for opening and closing of retail store and paint ball fields.
Answering phones. Scheduled employees and referees. Maintained Re-ball/Paint Ball Field.
Also, responsible for cash registers, gear rentals, maintenance, stocking and re-distribution.

Education
Highschool
Sept 1995 – Jun 1999
General Education, Fashion, Art and Business Studies

College,
Sept 1999 – Jun 2001
Majored in Marketing, Art and Design
Minor in Photography

References

Now in your honest opinion am i missing something? Is my resume that bad? Feel free to message me or comment below. 

Should i put in there That i have a clean driving record, Or maybe that i have NO criminal background, Or maybe that i am fully capable of passing a drug test. ALL which are true.

Here is what my resume doesn't reflect.

When i was 18-20 i was a NANNY for my neighbors 3 kids ages 1,3,and 5. I was the only babysitter/nanny that the mother trusted to drive the kids anywhere/

Ps kids seem to like me, and listen to me. 

My friend Adrienne can vouch for that too.  

The elderly also seem to like me too. I was one of two 24/7 care givers for Brian's grandparents. and had to administer meds , cook, clean, change diapers and so on.

I worked at an Art and Craft store, I worked Stock at a Victoria Secret, I used to go to work with my mother and assist her with filing and other duties in air freight.

I worked at a Christmas tree lot selling Christmas trees and making wreathes and grave blankets.

I was a bartender at a lil shot and beer place in NJ. I was a waitress back in college. don't forget cocktail waitress at a club in Orange county California, Model, Pin up Photographer, Entertainer,
Assistant tour manager for national touring bands, Personal assiatant, PR for bands and models. Touring Freelance Photographer for national magazines specializing in Sports and Music.

Ive done Graphic Design for merch companies. And been responsible for bands merch orders from start to Finnish. Ive worked merch booths for bands on tour.

Ive done set up and break down for tattoo artists at conventions.

Ive been a helper at a screen printing companies warehouse.

Ive done pick pack work to help friends out with their business'.

Ive driven coast to coast at least 6 times most of those solo.

I helped many people make business connections on many levels.

Too bad i didn't get paid every time that happened. lol.

i am not scared to get my hands dirty as i have dug ditched to reroute water on friends property, Ive built sets for photo shoots. Ive take up carpet and tack strips

And i can go on for hours.

But I'm almost sure you don't want to read on about it. cause yes i know all of my sentences start with Ive done.

I may not be the best writer, a rocket scientist, and may not have a college degree but i am determined and will succeed at anything someone gives me a chance to try my hand at.

If i had the money and time i would go back to school but that is not an option right now. All i want is a chance to succeed and that will take someone giving me a chance to prove myself.

NOTE: I'm not writing this looking for pity. I am just being honest with what is going on, and i hope that maybe one day someone who wishes to take a leap of faith to start over on a new coast can read this and either not make the same mistakes as me . or maybe someone will read this and know they aren't alone and someone else went thru the same thing and that there is hope as long as you keep thinking positively. Cause my intention is to have this blog grow to be filled with lots of happiness and great accomplishment's come 2012 and beyond if not sooner.

Thank you for following my rambling and run on sentences. I appreciate you taking time out of your day to look at the words and pictures i post.

If you feel like sending some Christmas Cheer my way. I love surprises.

 Click here to see things that will make me smile 

For now I'm off to search the Internet for employment opportunities and then do a little cleaning of my apartment and maybe take a relaxing bath to wash away the days stress.

The days before Thanksgiving update

Well Hello sorry for the delay in update but life has been very very busy. Brian is still working at the Bread Factory and is liking it alot more. He now works in a new department with new people and even has new hours. He was moved from the make up department which was alot of rolling dough to the mix room which is a little more laid back but he is measuring the ingredients and mixing them into dough. Every one is telling him he is doing a good job and might actually have a future with the company with possibility of a raise and being hired on full time in 8 more weeks. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for him. His hours now are a little more like a bartending shift. He now goes into work at 6pm and leaves work at 2:30am which works better for me and him both. I am still unemployed but have been making good use of my time by helping friends and am finally starting to feel like me again and am coming out of the slump i was in.

Things like Grandmas famous Open Faced Grilled cheese sandwiches make me smile. even tho i made it for myself it still makes me think of her.

Danielle Dyed my hair the other day. I figured i would go darker for the fall and winter as she bleached her hair to go lighter. I love it. Now i have to get my hair trimmed.

I took this picture shortly after she died it, I think the new color makes my eyes pop.

I also found my curling iron and decided to doll myself up a lil just to feel pretty again. its been a while since i did anything with myself. It felt good.

Its never nice when i go to shower and realize Brian left all this behind for me. Its nice since i dyed my hair that he cant try and blame me since my hair is not darker. I left a happy lil note for him and it hasn't happened again.

My friend Tiffany Just closed on her condo.which is really exciting.  This picture was taken the day she got her Keys.

Upon wandering on the NW side of town with her me and my hipstmatic app had a lil fun photographing some unique findings around town. I loved that there were Umbrellas hanging upside down on a rainy day outside the umbrella store. Welcome to the Pacific North West in the fall.

Many trips to Starbucks with Tiffany.

I love going out and wandering around here there are so many fun little things to photograph like the fire button at Tiffany current Apartment.

Upon grabbing dinner and tea with Tiffany and Erica i discovered this amazing flyer on one of the Whats happening local billboards. I want to steal this and frame it. But was told i couldn't take it till after thanks giving so mark my words I'm going back for it tomorrow.

I decided since brain had a day off i would make a mini thanksgiving dinner for him last week. we each had a Cornish hen, some stuffing, potatoes, fresh green beans and biscuits. It was a delightful dinner.

Regardless of the delicious Dinner i made i am noticing a huge difference in my waste line. I am losing weight and now fit back into pants and shirts i was about to donate to the homeless. I think the weight loss is mainly from not eating fast food since we got to Portland, not eating pizza every day, and barely eating meat. I cook meat on occasion for Brian and myself but with hanging out with Tiffany, Erica, and Sage we usually end up at a vegan place or a vegetarian place to eat. and on occasion when we do end up at a place that serves meat something vegie catches my eye. I just now need to tone up my belly n turn it into muscle and i will be happy. and no i am not sucking in my belly in this pic. most of my clothes now fall off me. but our budget doesn't allow me to go shopping just yet so i invested in a belt.

Or if anyone wants to Donate a gift certificate or Buy me something new or even start christmas shopping early Click here for my Amazon Wishlist

Upon going on a job interview for a job i did not get down town I ran into this on #N17 here in Portland. Yup riot cops for the Occupy Portland Bank day. Not fun.

There were unique people with signs all over the place down town.

Even Anon was present.

This quickly turned from happy peaceful people in protest to a mess of riot cops on horses and people getting pepper sprayed. Let me tell u pepper spray does not smell good and it makes u sick to your stomach.

The next day I went over and helped Tiffany slap down a first layer of paint in her hall way and bathroom. We had fun writing fun things in paint on the walls before covering it over. TNT Fo Life Yo. LoL

She saw a white room and wanted to paint it black no color anymore just wanted it to be black. and that is just what we did. And may i say it looks amazing.

The next day was going to be relax time and Off to see our friends Band Alabama Black Snake at the tiger bar. But so much for relaxing. I got a phone call from a friend from Oakland that his band was rolling into town a night early cause their show in Bend Oregon was snowed out. They rolled into town and i picked up my friend and off we went to meet up with Brian and Shawn over at Tiger Bar. Had a drink or two and bounced over to another local spot. And just before Alabama Black Snake was going to go on we got a call from the rest of the band that they were ready to be picked up and were ready to take on the town. I felt bad leaving before they went on. Off we went to get the boys and i managed to fit 7 grown men in my car and off we went to Devils Point a Local Bar that has video poker and Live entertainment. Tonight was Fire Dancers.

Cheap drinks, Close to home, and Free admission, as well as great entertainment. It was nice to get dolled up and actually go out and get to chill with friends from out of town. After their set Zay and Shawn came and met up with us for a crazy fun night of lots of laughs and just good old fun. We ended up staying out till 4am and every moment of it was well worth what was to come the next day.  

I had promised Tiffany that i would meet up with her at 8am to start demolishion on her new condo to get things ready for the contractors to come in so she could have a few dollars. So regardless of how tired i was i kept my word and picked her up bright and early. We slapped a second coat of paint on most of the rooms and Began taking up the carpet with the help of Erica for a lil. The carpet came up one two three but then there were the tack strips which were nailed into concrete. My back , Hands , Arms and Legs still ache but not as bad as my head did that day.

I must say by the end of the night i was proud of how much work we accomplished.

Tiffany took this cute pic of me and Erica during the beginning of clean up.  

After demolishion work was done it was off to my apartment for a quick shower and change of clothes. Then off to The Hawthorne Theatre to Enjoy some more Bro time and to see High on Fire play. Regardless of some technical difficulties it was an amazing show. Pike Killed it on the Guitar and Vocals, Des was great on the drums as usual and Jeff surprised me on Bass since this was my first time seeing him preform with them.

Metal Wolf says it was an awesome night too. LOL found him in the Dressing room. After the show the opening band invited us all out for Last night of tour festivities. It was a great time all around. They are all great people. The guys from the band INDIAN were mad chill as were all the techs and tour managers from both bands.

Then at 2am it was off to get Brian from work and back to reality.

The next Day i slept in a lil but was back off to Help Tiffany Take on her Kitchen. This time we got to play with Red Paint. We noticed some water damage to her ceiling upon painting which is not going to be a fun project. But it was fun hanging out on top of the refrigerator painting. isn't she cute up there edging. There is a picture somewhere of me up on the fridge with the roller but i don't think she sent it to me yet. Friday is the official moving furniture in day for her which Brian and i will be helping out with too. My theory is that is what friends are for. To be there for each other and to help out when needed.

Speaking of friends. I got a message from a friend from LA  (Matt Grayson) that i hadn't heard from in a while and turns out he was in a motorcycle accident and was hit by a car and had some bad stuff happen to him. He is an amazing Photographer who actually took one of my favorite pics of myself that my mom has hung in her office. He is out of work and has medical bills galore and has to learn to walk again and has some serious pins and rods in his leg. He is a tough cookie and i admire him for many reasons. For more info on him, what happened or to make a donation to help him out Click Here

Now to prepare for tomorrows feast my job is to bring dessert So i decided to make Home made apple pie From Scratch.

NO APPLE IS SAFE FROM ME N MY MONKEY PEELER

This is the final out come of my Pie i even put lil Snow Flakes on it.

I cant wait to try it. It smells so good.

I decided out of boredom and a great price on a mini ham last week that i was going to surprise Brian with a 2am Thanks giving dinner of our own in our new home. Ham, Green Beans, Stuffing, Mashed Potatoes, And Jalapeno Corn Muffins.

With Brian working at the bread factory i think we have enough bread to feed an army. now what to do with all this bread? we have been giving it away to friends and even giving full loafs to random homeless people we pass around town. I think we may go donate some to a homeless person or five today. This is 6 loafs and two cinnamon rolls aka Sin Dawgs on our counter.

Then we have another 8 in our freezer. I wish our family was closer so they could try the amazing bread Brian takes part in making every day.

So as you may have noticed I am updating this on Thanks Giving as i lay on the couch and relax with a coffee in my hand. I miss my family dearly and know they are enjoying an amazing meal together at my uncle toms. I got to Skype with them for a few earlier. And it was nice to see every ones faces. and hear their voices.

I must say i really wish if i have to be away from my family for this holiday i would prefer to be in Los Angeles. I rarely flew home to NJ for thanks giving while living in LA. I really miss helping feed the homeless with LA's Gobble Gobble Give. This was the most amazing thing i had ever done on a holiday. I volunteered as a driver where i would pick up a helper and they would fill my car with pre packed fresh cooked thanksgiving dinners, care packages, and clothes, tooth brushes , tooth paste and other great gifts. And we would drive out to the LA river and along the freeways and find homeless people who didn't know it was thanks giving or didn't feel like going to the soup kitchens and would deliver them food and other goodies. It was so great to get to see them smile and see the hope fill their eyes. I think i may sign up to do some volunteer work with the homeless here in the near future. i have been told i have to fill out some paper work and pass a back ground check which is no prob.


I must say life is getting a little better. I smile a little more, I laugh often, and figure life will work its self out and maybe i wasnt ment to have a job right now so i could help a friend, Realize im still alive and feel like myself  again. Its been a while but it feels good.
Enough fun its time to get down to business. I have bills to pay and as of monday its off to apply to any job and every job imagineable and pray someone likes me enough to give me a chance in this working world.


I hope everyone is Having or Had a Great Thanksgiving. Filled with Love, Family, Food, and Friends.
I love u all and thank you for reading. Today i am Thankful for many things. But for the moment I must Go start getting ready to go to dinner at Danielle and Shawn's House. Which i am grateful that i have great friends up here to spend this day with and many other days too. I will update later if i feel up to it after i eat lots of turkey. Yum Yum Yum.