About a month ago, we were saddened and terrified to find out that Tony had lost his job at Healthy Living magazine. We weren't sure what to do or how we were going to survive, but Tony being Tony, went at it and put some ads for himself on KSL classifieds and on Craigslist. He had been getting little "side gigs" for people here and there helping them build websites, but the only permanent prospect was the interview he got with a company called QuickCutz, a place full of engineers that make die cuts for scrapbookers out there. We knew that the chances of Tony getting this job were slim because of his inexperience compared to others with web development but he went in and gave it his all, and felt pretty good after the fact.
After his fist interview at QuickCutz we waited a week with no response. I encouraged Tony to email the Senior Web Developer and ask when they thought they would make a decision because Tony was getting lots of freelancing offers. Promptly after that email, the web developer emailed him back, asking for a second interview which would include the head hancho of sales at QuikCutz.
We considered this pure luck. Tony thought the only reason he got the second interview was because of the email he sent telling them that their company was his first choice. In the second interview they expressed their concern with Tony's lack of experience, but were very impressed with his "well-roundedness." It seems as if companies looking for these computer geeks are trying to steer away from the typical geek that can't communicate outside the worlds of Java and PHP. Tony having an English major was appealing to them because he could help edit content as well as actually develop the site. The second interview on Thursday went really well, and Tony felt great about it, but we wouldn't hear anything until Monday (today) or Tuesday.
Today at around 4:30 Tony got a call from QuickCutz on his cell phone. He quickly went into the bedroom (because I had the TV on) and I had no clue who he was talking to, but my ears perked when I heard him say, "really? Thank you so much!"
He got it. They offered Tony the job.
We proceeded to scream and jump and yell things like "WE'RE GOING ON A CRUISE!" We called family and everyone celebrated the success with us. What a relief!
Tony will be getting a salary and this job includes benefits and 401K plans. Tony deserved this job. He is such a hard worker and I can tell that he is so relieved. Today after celebrating he plopped on the couch and said "I'm so relieved I feel like I'm losing weight." :) I am so happy for him, for us, and for the future! He was telling me that the web guys at QuickCutz make pretty darn good money and he's confident he can move up in their world (as am I).
Thank you for all of your thoughts, prayers, concerns, and efforts to help us during our jobless situation. I wouldn't have said this a week ago, but maybe this period was good for us and helped us grow. It sure was humbling to not have money, haha!
Yay!
4/27/09
4/20/09
The Dinky Little Race ROCKS!
As you all know, I ran the Salt Lake City 5K this past weekend. It was a morning full of fun and excitement. Let me recap.
We (yes we, Tony was such a good husband and woke up with me to come watch) woke up at 5:30am and got ready for the race. I made some muffins the night before so I munched on those as I whipped my hair up in a ponytail and headed out the door. I, luckily, wasn't too tired because I had been practicing going to bed at a decent hour the whole week.
We arrived at the Gateway Mall at about 6:30 and my race started an hour later. Tony came and dropped me off at the trax train that took me to the starting point. It was a little chilly for my taste, but I somehow survived. I was so not looking forward to taking off my comfy sweatpants and giving my "gear bag" to the nice people who were taking it to the finish line for me.
The starting of the race was exciting...for a couple seconds. I had been telling myself all morning that I was going to run just a little harder than I usually do, so I could push myself and get a decent time. The gun went off, and I did just that. I set my pace a little quicker than normal and off I went. I was smiling from ear-to-ear thinking about running in my first official race. Then, one by one, everyone started passing me. I was passed by Spiderman, and other folks who I thought weren't a threat to pass me. I got really discouraged thinking that I was going to be finishing with the walkers at the back of the chute. But I kept my little pace steady and kept my chin up.
Success was mine as we hit State Street. The majority of the 5K was on this street and it was quite uphill. Not horribly uphill, but enough to cause a lot of people to struggle. When I turned the corner and saw the big stretch in front of me I said (out loud) "Thank you, Tony." He made me train on this horrible hill by us and even though I was able to run it easily before the race, I hated running it every time. I was so lucky I had trained on that hill! Sorry, I kind of got off topic there...success was mine was we hit state street....my steady non-sprinting at the start line pace made it so that I, as others stopped and grabbed their aching sides, was able to chug my little way up State Street, easy peasy. No matter that I stopped for a couple seconds after the climb because I wanted to puke...I DID IT.
The rest of the race was downhill from there and there was only about half a mile left, so it was smooth sailing. I picked up the pace quite a bit and made my way to the Gateway Mall and crossed the finish line. What a cool feeling. I was so proud of myself! My goal was to finish in 35 minutes (don't laugh, it was my first time), and I did it in 34:11!
Here are some "pictures" of my finish line cross. They're actually screen shots from the video Tony shot. The video is like 10 minutes long because Tony wasn't sure when I would cross, so I saved you the time and just took screen grabs of my finish :). I've outlined my head with a nice little square so you can see me.
Yeah, I totally beat that girl in the pink. We were battling it out the whole last stretch.
Wooo hoo!
#21883, that's me!
We (yes we, Tony was such a good husband and woke up with me to come watch) woke up at 5:30am and got ready for the race. I made some muffins the night before so I munched on those as I whipped my hair up in a ponytail and headed out the door. I, luckily, wasn't too tired because I had been practicing going to bed at a decent hour the whole week.
We arrived at the Gateway Mall at about 6:30 and my race started an hour later. Tony came and dropped me off at the trax train that took me to the starting point. It was a little chilly for my taste, but I somehow survived. I was so not looking forward to taking off my comfy sweatpants and giving my "gear bag" to the nice people who were taking it to the finish line for me.
The starting of the race was exciting...for a couple seconds. I had been telling myself all morning that I was going to run just a little harder than I usually do, so I could push myself and get a decent time. The gun went off, and I did just that. I set my pace a little quicker than normal and off I went. I was smiling from ear-to-ear thinking about running in my first official race. Then, one by one, everyone started passing me. I was passed by Spiderman, and other folks who I thought weren't a threat to pass me. I got really discouraged thinking that I was going to be finishing with the walkers at the back of the chute. But I kept my little pace steady and kept my chin up.
Success was mine as we hit State Street. The majority of the 5K was on this street and it was quite uphill. Not horribly uphill, but enough to cause a lot of people to struggle. When I turned the corner and saw the big stretch in front of me I said (out loud) "Thank you, Tony." He made me train on this horrible hill by us and even though I was able to run it easily before the race, I hated running it every time. I was so lucky I had trained on that hill! Sorry, I kind of got off topic there...success was mine was we hit state street....my steady non-sprinting at the start line pace made it so that I, as others stopped and grabbed their aching sides, was able to chug my little way up State Street, easy peasy. No matter that I stopped for a couple seconds after the climb because I wanted to puke...I DID IT.
The rest of the race was downhill from there and there was only about half a mile left, so it was smooth sailing. I picked up the pace quite a bit and made my way to the Gateway Mall and crossed the finish line. What a cool feeling. I was so proud of myself! My goal was to finish in 35 minutes (don't laugh, it was my first time), and I did it in 34:11!
Here are some "pictures" of my finish line cross. They're actually screen shots from the video Tony shot. The video is like 10 minutes long because Tony wasn't sure when I would cross, so I saved you the time and just took screen grabs of my finish :). I've outlined my head with a nice little square so you can see me.
Yeah, I totally beat that girl in the pink. We were battling it out the whole last stretch.See? Beat her!
Wooo hoo!#21883, that's me!I can't tell you how proud I was of myself. Running that race made my weekend. I'm STILL on a high from it! I'm about to go on a run now, and I'm excited about it. I would encourage everyone to do this! It really makes you feel great.
I'm planning on continuing to train and I want to run my next 5K in 30 minutes. I am going to do a couple more 5k's to improve my speed, then I'm moving on to a 10K!
4/18/09
A Spoonful of Sugar!
I don't have time to post tons of details right now, but I just wanted everyone to know that I got a new job! I start this week! I'm nannying two kids (boy-5, girl-3) for an LDS lady who recently had brain surgery and can't move around very well right now. I'm so exctied because it's more money and a better fit for me! YAY!
4/14/09
Super Delicious
I saw this commercial the other day and almost died laughing. The commercial itself isn't that funny, but one of the girls in it is TOTALLY my sister, Morgan. Take a look, and if you know Morgan, tell me that the girl in glasses isn't her. "She thinks you're super delicious." hahahaha that is totally something Morgan would say.
I Just Felt Like Runnin'
Ever since we've returned from Bulgaria I have been running for exercise. I've learned to really enjoy it (well, more than I used to) and it's kind of become my "thing" I guess. I decided in February that I would run a 5K when I felt I was ready. Tony agreed to help me train for it so that I could run the whole race start to finish. I know this doesn't seem like much, but for someone who was anti-running before, running 3.2 miles non-stop seemed like a huge feat.
As our budget is tight, I was realizing that I may not be able to pay for registration for this 5K I was planning on. It was only $30, but every penny counts in our current situation. I continued running and my motto was "only the money will stop me." I wanted to keep running like I was still meeting this goal, and the only thing that would prevent me from being able to finish this race was the fee I had to pay by yesterday.
Well, last night Tony and I did our favorite 4-miler and during that run Tony told me to go ahead and sign up for the race. So, I did! I am currently registered to run in the SLC Marathon 5K race this weekend. My goal isn't to get in the top three for my age group, or to beat a world record time, but simply to finish the race. Since I'm new, this race will be a good starting point for me. I just want to RUN the entire thing. I'm planning on running the Steel Days 5K this summer in American Fork, and I plan on actually racing in that one. I want to beat whatever time I get this weekend. Wish me luck!
As our budget is tight, I was realizing that I may not be able to pay for registration for this 5K I was planning on. It was only $30, but every penny counts in our current situation. I continued running and my motto was "only the money will stop me." I wanted to keep running like I was still meeting this goal, and the only thing that would prevent me from being able to finish this race was the fee I had to pay by yesterday.
Well, last night Tony and I did our favorite 4-miler and during that run Tony told me to go ahead and sign up for the race. So, I did! I am currently registered to run in the SLC Marathon 5K race this weekend. My goal isn't to get in the top three for my age group, or to beat a world record time, but simply to finish the race. Since I'm new, this race will be a good starting point for me. I just want to RUN the entire thing. I'm planning on running the Steel Days 5K this summer in American Fork, and I plan on actually racing in that one. I want to beat whatever time I get this weekend. Wish me luck!
4/7/09
Count My Many Blessings
I don't know if this is too personal for my blog, but I have been so filled with gratitude today that I want to express it somewhere!
Our lives have recently become a little bit harder, as Tony has lost his job due to the poor economy. I luckily have my Wendy's job, but that is nowhere near enough for us to survive. I haven't really been "freaking out" like everyone around us has (parents, in-laws, etc.) but I am slowly beginning to realize the seriousness of this situation. I have committed to being positive about life through all of this, so that we can be happy even though we may be struggling. A couple of things happened recently that I consider true blessings. These things are helping me look on the brighter side.
Blessing #1
Yesterday after a long day at work, I walked out to the car and noticed a voicemail I had from my dad. I raised my eyebrows a bit, as my dad usually doesn't call (he usually talks to me when my mom calls). I proceeded to listen to the voicemail, which brought tears to my eyes. My dad, who doesn't wear his heart on his sleeve, expressed how much he loved Tony and me, and how he knew that we would be okay. He encouraged us to pray and remain positive and promised that he would help us the best he could. He'll probably be embarrassed that I put this for all to see, but his message of encouragement added a smile to both of our faces as we listened to it and it truly made us feel better about our situation. Thanks, dad.
Blessing #2
This one may be TMI (too much info) but I warned you, so if you don't want to hear about it, don't read. Today I had my "annual" appointment with my "personal" doctor. He had a Healthy Living magazine in my exam room and when he asked what my husband did for a living I said "he works for that magazine right there! Well, used to work there..." I explained what had happened and my new doc seemed pretty sympathetic as he apologized for our situation.
When writing my prescription for my "baby medicine" as I called it when I was young, he asked how well our insurance covered my prescription. I informed him that we were on a high deductible insurance because we are pretty healthy folks and it's a cheaper monthly rate that way. I told him that the insurance didn't cover it at all, making my "baby medicine" $50 a month. My doctor gave me a sad face and told me he would return with my prescription. When he came back, he came back with three free samples of my prescription. He gave me three months worth of baby medicine for free! He said "I know what it's like to be a poor student. Tell your husband to take you out to McDonald's with this money you save." I literally started crying sitting on the table in my robe. I was fretting buying this prescription because I wasn't sure how we were going to afford it. Now, because of this kind doctor, I have three months free, which is a perfect amount of time for Tony to get a new job! THAT is a true doctor. Someone who actually cares for PEOPLE. What a blessing.
I don't want you to feel sorry for us, I just wanted to post these little blessings that have occurred in my life as of late. There truly is a Heavenly Father rooting for the Anderson team :). I love that guy!
P.S. If you do know of any web developer jobs (or any jobs for that matter) let us know!
Our lives have recently become a little bit harder, as Tony has lost his job due to the poor economy. I luckily have my Wendy's job, but that is nowhere near enough for us to survive. I haven't really been "freaking out" like everyone around us has (parents, in-laws, etc.) but I am slowly beginning to realize the seriousness of this situation. I have committed to being positive about life through all of this, so that we can be happy even though we may be struggling. A couple of things happened recently that I consider true blessings. These things are helping me look on the brighter side.
Blessing #1
Yesterday after a long day at work, I walked out to the car and noticed a voicemail I had from my dad. I raised my eyebrows a bit, as my dad usually doesn't call (he usually talks to me when my mom calls). I proceeded to listen to the voicemail, which brought tears to my eyes. My dad, who doesn't wear his heart on his sleeve, expressed how much he loved Tony and me, and how he knew that we would be okay. He encouraged us to pray and remain positive and promised that he would help us the best he could. He'll probably be embarrassed that I put this for all to see, but his message of encouragement added a smile to both of our faces as we listened to it and it truly made us feel better about our situation. Thanks, dad.
Blessing #2
This one may be TMI (too much info) but I warned you, so if you don't want to hear about it, don't read. Today I had my "annual" appointment with my "personal" doctor. He had a Healthy Living magazine in my exam room and when he asked what my husband did for a living I said "he works for that magazine right there! Well, used to work there..." I explained what had happened and my new doc seemed pretty sympathetic as he apologized for our situation.
When writing my prescription for my "baby medicine" as I called it when I was young, he asked how well our insurance covered my prescription. I informed him that we were on a high deductible insurance because we are pretty healthy folks and it's a cheaper monthly rate that way. I told him that the insurance didn't cover it at all, making my "baby medicine" $50 a month. My doctor gave me a sad face and told me he would return with my prescription. When he came back, he came back with three free samples of my prescription. He gave me three months worth of baby medicine for free! He said "I know what it's like to be a poor student. Tell your husband to take you out to McDonald's with this money you save." I literally started crying sitting on the table in my robe. I was fretting buying this prescription because I wasn't sure how we were going to afford it. Now, because of this kind doctor, I have three months free, which is a perfect amount of time for Tony to get a new job! THAT is a true doctor. Someone who actually cares for PEOPLE. What a blessing.
I don't want you to feel sorry for us, I just wanted to post these little blessings that have occurred in my life as of late. There truly is a Heavenly Father rooting for the Anderson team :). I love that guy!
P.S. If you do know of any web developer jobs (or any jobs for that matter) let us know!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)