**brief summary: i am no longer employed. it felt great to work, earn money, interact with people and be busy, but in the end it was NOT worth the pay, the time, the demands of the position, etc (lots of other cons, but like i said, brief summary...)
since leaving that job, our home has returned to its lovely state of cleanliness and yummy smells. there is fresh produce in the refrigerator, dinner is being cooked and we have clean clothes. in the month that i was working, things took a bit of a tumble around here. jared has been fairly vocal about how much better life has been since i quit (aka- less tired, less grumpy, less high strung beckie).
and it's not like we need the extra money.
we only live in one of the countries most expensive zip codes, with a 9.5% sales tax, $5 a gallon gas, two older cars, and a billion other bills we kinda didn't realize we'd have...and...i like nice things... but who needs money. ok. we do. so yes, i am eagerly seeking a better fit for my employment and excited to help contribute more.
no job means i am back to an aimless and boring existence. and worse- jared is out of town for an entire week on his annual "gentleman's pheasant hunt". in his absence, i have reconnected with my former love/hate relationship with jillian.
i love this yoga dvd. i have loved yoga for years and my dedication to the lifestyle has been spotty but i love how quickly my body gets back in the mode. this video is traditional yoga/pilates with cardio. so yes, it is definitely a more westernized version of the practice, but it gets the job done and my spine is already feeling fluid again.
it is also a good idea that i incorporate a bit more exercise into my daily routine. because i think that i am getting fat. this past weekend was one of the best since we have lived here and we ate a lot. two of jared's old roommates and best friends, zac and shane, came to LA for a few days and it was everything we hoped it would be. when i was dating jared, i was also somewhat dating his whole apartment. when those boys get together there is more joy amongst them than a pack of unicorns. jared had been working SO hard to get everything in order at work, church and home before leaving on his hunting trip. having the boys stay with us was another reward for his diligence. friends in town is also a good time for us to explore more things in the city. but we do have our favorites...where we take EVERYONE.
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(sorry, most of you are on my fbook or instagram too, so these pictures are repeats...)
there was 800 degrees pizza, diddy riese, hollywood, the temple, rodeo drive, celeb houses, croquet, the beach, and late nights of sharing giggles and feelings.
(i thought that was a cute outfit, until i saw this picture and realized i look like a 7 year old. and zac stole jared's glasses...his eyes aren't naturally more squinty than mine. shane and zac matched on purpose.)
and when we go to the pier, we must get our bacon cheese dogs. grilled, buttery bun, fake cheddar cheese, a giant hotdog wrapped in bacon. AMAZING. how did i ever do that vegetarian life? thanks to spud and katie for actually being the ones to introduce us to the glorious caloric monstrosity.
we also had a little history lesson when we went and saw Argo.
ben affleck has yet to let me down as a movie director. it was outstanding and from what i read, pretty accurate. we had seen Looper a couple of weeks ago and i assumed that it would be my favorite film until the holidays (when les mis and great gatsby premiere!) but Argo is now on my list. i happen to love alan arkin and john goodman, especially together. that duo combined with gritty historical controversy, a strong sense of patriotism and mr. affleck make for a completely enjoyable and justifiable reason to sit for 2 hours.
one of our last adventures was going to lunch at a russian restaurant in hollywood. it was AUTHENTIC russian food. luckily, jared was able to speak with impressive fluency. one reason that i liked him when we first met was that he wasn't one of those guys who was constantly referring to his mission. he was so humble about the whole experience. he loved his mission, he served faithfully, and would love to go back, but he has never felt the need to broadcast it. the food at this restaurant was amazing, jared was able to enjoy his some of his favorites, speak russian with ease, and teach all of us more about the culture and share some his experiences.
but all good things must come to an end. within 36 hours, all three boys were gone. and now i am home, watching way too many episodes of vampire diaries and laughing/crying my eyes out to this book:
which reminds me that i really need a dog. these "mr. husband outta town" days wouldn't be so bad if i had a puppy to run around and cuddle with.
