2009 SCFF & Demo Derby

Rain or Shine. We will enjoy fair food! Buffalo Burgers!

Best Shishkabob's Ever!

Cheese curds, you have to finish!

Mighty Mini(van) Stock Heat - Lucky #13 Go Mike!

Crunched from both ends.

Hit 'em with the back end.

Def. need ear protection.

The car died at 3rd.

Dad and Deb (stepmom) were watching with me and Theresa.

The Winner and the AeroStar van!

SCFF (Steele County Free Fair) Always the 3rd week in Aug, in Owatonna, MN.

Farmers Market Adventure

Today I ventured to the Richfield Farmers Market off of 64th St. and Portland Ave. I had never been to any of the farmers markets up here in the cities before and since I was up at the crack of dawn to wake my sister up I thought I would go! I'm sure the one in Mpls is bigger, but there was plenty of people, food and flowers, if I didn't already have breakfast, I would have gotten a crepe (Yummy!). I poked around first and started making a few perchases, my favorite is the fresh flowers. Who needs a man, when you can buy your own? I'm teasing, I loved when Brent bought me flowers. So fresh air, sunshine, and all my purchases and I had only spent 22 dollars! I was impressed!

Here's the break down for you:
- Flowers $6
- Sm. Summer Sausage $5
- 6 Bakery Fresh Rolls $4
- Green Beans $3
- Carrots $3
- Huge amount of Fresh Sweet Basil $1

Wow, I am so going again! Later in the month or in Sept. I hope to see Apples!!! Honey Crisp is the best!

List: Reasons To Live With Someone

Living alone is great, but don’t get me wrong, someday I want to be married, maybe have a kid (no more then 2) and have enough yard for everyone, plus a dog to run around on. When you live alone you can do what you want, when you want without bothering others. Staying up till wee hours of the morning, making a mess in the kitchen, which you are the only one to pick up after, not sharing food or liquor, etc. It’s all grand, till you realize one day it starts feeling lonely. There’s a long list of reasons to enjoy living alone and I’ve done it now for about four years now. (Yes, I had roommates in college, but we never talked or hung out, so it was more like cohabitation.) But, the list of reasons to live with someone looks more appealing every day. Maybe, it’s just being out of work or the recent break up that leads up to all this, but never the less, I love lists.

01. Having someone to cuddle with.
02. Having someone to help me carry in the groceries.
03. Having someone to kill all the spiders and bugs.
04. Having someone else to cook for beside myself.
05. Having someone to vent to without using cell phone minuets.
06. Having someone there to take care of the pets when I am away.
07. Having someone else’s opinion when I’m trying to pick out clothes.
08. Having someone to take me out when I’m feeling cooped up.
09. Having someone to take care of me when I am feeling sick.
10. Having someone around, just to be around.
11. Having someone else to share all my hopes and dreams with.
12. Having someone to care about, daily.
13. Having someone to care about me.
14. Having someone notice when I get my hair done or wear a new perfume.
15. Having someone who I can wear my scrubby clothes around and wont care.
16. Having someone to pick me up when I fall.
17. Having someone to scratch or rub my back.
18. Having someone else to worry about.
19. Having someone to make me smile when I am sad.
20. Having someone to laugh at my corny jokes.
21. Having someone to run their fingers through my hair during romantic movies.
22. Having someone to help worry about the bills.
23. Having someone who makes me feel hot.
24. Having someone who loves sexy text messages as much as I do.
25. Having someone to share my eclectic tastes of movies and music with.
26. Having someone to take pictures with me.
27. Having someone who will enjoy travel as much as I do.
28. Having someone who thinks it’s cute when I get a little tipsy.
29. Having someone who doesn’t find me ever boring.
30. Having someone who shares my ideas of romance.
31. Having someone who takes the reins when I need them to.
32. Having someone who always takes my side.
33. Having someone I can depend on, everyday.
34. Having someone who gives me a natural high.
35. Having someone who understands my train of thoughts or how I think.
36. Having someone to gaze into my eyes forever.
37. Having someone to say I’m beautiful.
38. Having someone I can take care of when they need me the most.
39. Having someone to keep me on my toes.
40. Having someone who spoils me and lets me to spoil them.

Finally Out & About

(I had 2 pics from us bowling, but due to web stupidity, I deleted them and have no way of getting them back. Use your imagination. ^_^.)

It's been a hot and sticky Saturday. Spent most of it sleeping since lately I've been living like I work a 3rd shift (up all night, sleep during the morning/early afternoon). My sister and her fiance' called me up, they wanted to come up to the cities and do something fun. We went to the new Sonic on American Blvd in Bloomington and then hit up the AMF Blowing in the Southtown Center. Fun! I did rip a nail though. Ouch.

MxPx Puts It Best

Life Will Go On

Life has been tough over the last few months, but the last few days have been even tougher. It was a normal Tuesday; I slept in, had a little lunch, and popped on my Adium to see if my boyfriend was a round to chit-chat. By the end of it, I found myself in a mutual break up with said boyfriend. But, I WILL NOT be the evil ex-girlfriend who runs his name in the dirt. He is a wonderful person and always will be, but in the end it wasn’t meant to be. I actually have a list of the top 101 Reasons to love him, but no one want to read all that, the first 10 are good ones though.

01. The way you silently smile at me.
02. The smell on the neck of your shirt, that lingers for hours.
03. The color of your eyes.
04. The way you run your fingers through my hair.
05. Because you think I’m cute.
06. How nerdy you can be.
07. You make me feel so special.
08. The way you can just stare into my eyes quietly.
09. Your sense of humor, it always makes me laugh.
10. The way you like to spoil me.

I may be a little hurt now, but there are more good times to remember, then bad ones. And as my friend ‘Pokey’ pointed out to me, the only place I can go from here is up. I can only hope he is right. I will always cherish the times I had with my first love. I know he feels the same.

Always Ask Questions

Probably since the age of three or four, like most children, I started asking ‘why.’ Most parents try to explain or get frustrated from the repetition and say ‘because’ just to get it over with. It is by asking questions we learn the answers in life, but we have to be prepared for what ever those answers may be. To be curious is a very human trait and I wouldn’t go one day without it, but there are days where I fear what the answers may be and days where I hate what the answers were.

I am also a planner. I like trying to have a goal and a way to reach it. Even a loose to semi-idealized notion can be a form of a ‘plan.’ After three months with no job, I thought (and my mother suggested) I would go back to school. I thought, ‘Great, I can defer my loans learn something to help me get a better job and I can probably stay in the cities!’ Sadly, I learned after calling my bank/loan supplier on Monday, loans cannot go back into school status or deferment after being consolidated. This hit me kind of hard, that was one of the huge reasons why I thought it would be a good idea to go back to school. I also learned that if you were on unemployment, you would loose your benefits if you go back to school (full time, I believe).

Well, all of that felt like a blow in the stomach so yes asking questions will give you the answers you need, but I was not prepared for those answers. Unless the next month turns around for me, I undoubtedly think I will be stuck moving back home with my mother after my lease runs out.

So I Lost My Job...

At the end of April of 2009, I lost job. It's heart breaking, scary and stressful. You do feel like you're the only one it is happening to, no matter how many people tell you, you're not. I had no clue what I was going to do, but from my mom, resources and personal experience I created a list of steps to help others in the future who come across a similar situation.

1. Cry and call your loved ones (Maybe men might skip the crying part).
2. File for Unemployment (the next day). (UIMN, if you live in Minnesota)
After all the paper work and setting up stuff online is done, be sure to copy your ‘approved’ papers for loan deferments. There is a one-week waiting period and if you have any kind of severance package they take that into account. I went the first 3 weeks of May with NO money, thank goodness for parents.
3. Graduates call your loaners and look into deferments and/ or forbearances.
Well Fargo – Private Loan
Direct Loans – Federal Loan
4. Call HR from ‘said’ employer and inquiry about COBRA for your health benefits.
What to ask:
- Can I COBRA my health, dental and/ or other kind of insurance?
- Would it be the same level of benefits I have now?
- What is the price per month for this policy?
- How many months can I carry it?
- Does this reflect the new stimulus package, which usually lowers the costs?

You don’t have to agree on the spot, you can call back with your decision. I learned the hard way, I just COBRA my insurance, because I was denied when trying to get back to my parent's or previous insurance, do to a ‘previous condition.” Yes, all insurance companies are jerks, in my opinion.

5. Update/ Delete/ Edit any online media listing ‘said’ lost job.
Email Signatures
LinkedIn
Facebook/ MySpace
Twitter
Etc.
6. Find/ Edit/ Re-Vamp/ or Create a New Resume’
7. Prepare a list of references.
8. Fill out/ post your resume’ on job search websites:
Monster
Career Builder
MN Works
MN WFC
Hoovers
Indeed
9. Prepare a general cover letter as a starting point and remember to customize it for each job application.
10. Start your list of Job Offers and Contacts to keep track of whom and when you make contact and apply for job offers.
11. Network/ Contact/ Reach Out to who ever is listening, you never know who could help or offer and idea/ suggestion/ or even a job.
12. Have a part time job, anything, so while you are looking, it benefits your character as a hard, dedicated worker.
13. Apply, Apply, Apply!!!
14. Keep track of all applications to document for Unemployment, things like:
- Completed Applications
- Sending Employment Resumes
- Attend Job Seeking Seminars
- Do Networking. Research, Etc.
15. Remember ‘Thank You Letters/ Emails’ and/or ‘Call Backs.’
16. Freelance work, competitions, or even just new work for you book if you're a fellow artist, keeping busy helps.
17. I considered going back to school, but I learned that loans cannot be deferred again once they have been consolidated.

*This is all my opinion after losing my job, I am not guaranteeing that this is a sure fire way to get a new job, just how I went about doing it. I am not responsible for your path in life, you are. I'm just trying to help.

Welcome!

Welcome to those, friends and strangers alike! I’m glad you have stumbled upon my little blog, here is where I have started a place for my thoughts, rants, finds and creations. Yes, I do have other forms of connections all throughout the interweb, but I feel this will provide a new challenge for me, since I am not really a writer.

For those who do not know me personally, my name is Heather and I’m your average 23 year old, born and raised in Southern Minnesota. I’m the short one who makes you laugh, with my sarcastic humor, I’m good-natured, always willing to help and wanting to learn something new. I love music and movies too. I’m a daughter, sister, lover and friend. You’ll learn more as we move along.

I moved to the Twin Cities in 2004 when I started going to school at the Minneapolis College of Art & Design for my BFA in Advertising Design, lucky for me, four years and a huge debt later I graduated and started looking for work. After ten months of working for a Yellow Pages CMR, I lost my job due to the state of the economy and recently I have been looking for work again.

Thanks again for stopping by, please feel free to roam around my other forms of connections on the interweb. I welcome your comments and questions!

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