Friendly Manitoba Ain't Always So Friendly

Alright so what happened to me is funny.  I mean, you have to look at it as funny because of all the crap in my life.  I choose to laugh about this.  It starts like this...

Yesterday, after feeling cooped up, I decided I needed to get out of the house.  I drove to Solomon's, my favorite store in Portage (seriously, it's amazing).  As I was coming out of the store, I'm looking at my car and something is very off, very weird.  My licence plate is gone.  Literally, where it was supposed to be was a big black backing from the car.  It was gone. 

I was like huh?  Do people steal licence plates?  I know it wasn't loose...when did I last see it?  Is it possible that it was stolen?

So I headed on to Wal-Mart to treat myself to a bottle of diet coke and I ran into a friend of mine there.  I told her the story and she said that hers had been stolen a couple months back.  I'm like huh, so people do really steal them.

So I head back home because I have to phone my parents.  My mom gets stressed out (as usual) and my stepfather is like you have to get this taken care of right now.

So I head to my insurance place.  Well according to my insurance lady, Becky, it's something that happens in the spring and fall a lot.  People use them for stolen cars or for vehicles that aren't insured/registeered.  She said sometimes that they'll steal two different plates and put them on the front and back of the car, hoping no one notices two different plate numbers.  So I get my new plates and on her recommendation, head over to the police station to report it stolen.

So, I'm on my way to the police station.  All is well.  I had Coby, one of my pugs in the back seat.  Two blocks from the police station, I get pulled over by a ghost car.  So the cop comes over and I tell her that I'm just on my way to the police station to report the plate stolen.  I give her my old insurance (which matches the front plate) and the new insurance.  I said I had just come from my insurance plate but hadn't put the new plates on yet as I didn't have the screwdrivers to put it on.  She asks to see the new plates.  I look and guess what?  I can't find them.  I ask her if I can get out of the car to look for them thinking maybe they've fallen under the seat.  Nope.  I then have to phone my insurance place-she's says yup, you've left them here.  I ask the police officer if she needs to talk to my insurance agent.  She says no.  So I'm let go.

I go to the police station and report my plate stolen, giving them all the info.  I'm pretty sure it was stolen from my residence but I'm not impressed.  I mean, at least they left the screws for me but still...

The person who did this was SO not friendly...

I Heart Nate Berkus

So if any of you haven't checked out Nate Berkus' new show yet, you must.  It's unbelievable and it's for the everyday person.  I don't know if you're like me, but I often get fed up with some of the other shows out there as they do things that I could never do (for financial and creative reasons).  His show?  Totally doable.  He focuses on the home and stories around the home and decorating on the cheap.  I tell you, he's my kind of man. 

I've been putting some of his tips to good use and in posts to come, I'll be showing you pictures of what I've done using his suggestions.  I'm also going to be sharing some of the things that have worked for me as I know cheap....

But in the meantime, you must check out his show...it's a MUST!!!

Happy Birthday To Me (I Guess)

So today is my birthday and it sucks.  It's not because I'm 30-I have no problem with that.  I'm hoping that my 30s will be a lot better than my 20s.  It's just if I be really honest, it's been quite lonely.  It's hard to admit that you feel lonely-it makes you feel vulnerable and alienated.  Problem is I really don't have anyone left where I live except for one friend.  Other close friends have moved away.  It's not to say that I don't have friendly people in my life, but it's not the same.  When I lost my job, that affected it to.  All of a sudden, people who are in your life for what you think are the right reasons, are gone.  When my paycheck disappeared, so did they.  For others, they're so busy wrapped up in their own lives, that I just don't fit.  I get it.  Life is crazy busy, but still...it's hard knowing that your life has so radically changed.  So my friends are scattered elsewhere, and we're good at keeping in touch, but it's a bit different.  It's not like you can go and hang out at the drop of a pin. 

I'm still searching for work and really don't know where God wants me to be.  I'm searching all over but when it comes outside of Portage, I am careful with what kind of jobs I'm looking for.  Fact is, it's expensive to live and to get set up in a new place.  Then there's the cost to move.  I have to be careful when I'm applying for jobs because unless it provides a wage that I can live with, pay the bills, students loans, buy necessities-well, it's not worth applying for.  The fact is, good jobs are hard to come by.  It's difficult, but you keep searching the job sites, hoping that there's a new job that you can apply for.

All of this has taken such a toll on me.  I feel like a ghost of myself.  But yet I still have to believe that there's something better for me around the corner.  I've just been so disappointed the last many months in so many things.  I feel like I have to fight just to keep going, keep a positive attitude, and stay focused on what's important.  I'm just quite tired of this game.

Jake Glaser on the Rachael Ray show, Part Two

Jake Glaser on the Rachael Ray show Part One

Updated Info

So I needed to know what happened to Elizabeth Glaser and her family after her book left on.  Little tidbits I find, I'll add here for you to see.  Unfortunally, she died in 1994, but her son, Jake made it, due to the efforts of his mother, family, and all the generous people who got involved in the foundation.  Check it out.

http://www.pedaids.org/What-We-re-Doing/Stories-of-Hope/JakeGlaser.aspx

In The Absence of Angels...

Lately, I've started reading stories and biographies of extraordinary people.  My goal is to learn from the experienes of others-see how they have dealt with hard times, how they have built themselves into the person they now are, or learned from their mistakes.

Right now, I am reading, "In the Absence of Angels," by Elizabeth Glaser.  It's about a woman who discovers she has the AIDS virus and that her daughter and son have it too.  Back in the early 80s when AIDS first started becoming recognized, after a complicated pregnancy, Elizabeth gave birth to a baby girl.  Immediately afterwards, she hemmoraged and needed 7 pints of blood.  The blood turned out to be tainted. 

She only finds out about 5 years later.  Her daughter contracted it through her breastmilk and son in the womb.  It's a heartbreaking story but the story itself doesn't focus on death, buth rather pediatric AIDS, and the fight to garner attention, research, and funds.

I can't ever imagine losing a child, and I pray that I never have to experience that.  And while my struggle can never even compare to hers or her family's, I hope I can learn more grace by following her example.