Sunday, February 27, 2011

30 Days of me - Day 14, Day 15, Day 16

Day 14- A picture of you and your family.

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Day 15- Put your iPod on shuffle: First 10 songs that play.

*I don't have an iPod so I'll list the first 10 songs on my playlist on my phone.

1. All I have featuring LL Cool J - Jennifer Lopes
2. Candy Shop - 50 Cent
3. Do you wanna ride? - Adina Howard
4. Don't go - J Holiday
5. Fly like a bird - Mariah Carey
6. I gotta be - Jagged Edge
7. Into the Groove - Madonna
8. Let it Go - Keyshia Cole
9. Like a Virgin - Madonna
10. Smack That featuring Eminem - Akon

Day 16- Another picture of yourself.

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Wednesday, February 23, 2011

30 Days of me - Day 13

Day 13- A letter to someone who has hurt you recently.

JT,

I love you so much! I have wanted so much more for you than what you are doing now. I understand your childhood was not the greatest with everything that went on... and I can't imagine how it felt to live with mommy and watch her slowly die. I know you're hurting and I know you want help... you just have to drop your stupid pride and do what you know you need to do. It really hurts me that you have not trusted in me and in yourself enough to take me and Darrell up on our offer to help you. I know you had a shitty childhood and I can't even imagine what it must have been like to watch mommy die and I feel guilty for not being there when you needed me the most. I have always been the one constant you could count on and I let you down... it hurts me that you don't do better for yourself...that you don't love yourself enough to do better. It's not too late to change the direction of your life. You can still do it... make me proud, make mommy proud from heaven, most importantly, make yourself proud!! Show your father you are more than what he is and has been... don't let him hold you down... I think it hurts me so much because I look at you as more than a brother to me.. I have a motherly instinct that kicks in when it comes to you, I'm assuming because of how much I took care of you when you were younger up until I left New Jersey... You and Jackie are all I have left of our "family"... mommy is gone... Grandma and Aunt Sharon are here too but they aren't my siblings... I want so much more for you... Jackie is in a good place and getting the love and care she needs and deserves so I'm not worried about her, but you... you are screwing up so bad and it's killing me... I will always be here to help... I love you...

Love,
Sissy

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Sunday, February 20, 2011

30 Days of me - Day 12

Day 12- How you found out about Blogger and why you made one.

I started writing a blog on wordpress when I began my weight loss but I didn't really like wordpress. So I googled "blogs" and found blogger...

I decided that I needed a place to keep the info I find for army spouses and just stuff to share in general. So, I use my blog for my personal experiences and as a place to keep informative things for the ladies I like to help =)

Saturday, February 19, 2011

Job Search ~ Part 2: Opportunities

Finding a job will be a lot easier if you know where to look. Your options are not as limited as you may think they are. Consider the following options:

Federal Employment - Appropriated Funds ~ USAJOBS -find something in your area

Federal Employment - Non-appropriated Funds ~ these are government jobs, but these are paid for by locally generated MWR activities... Army Civil Service

Defense Contracting ~ examples: Bank and credit union employees, transition center employees, education center employees, computer techs at the telecommunications center, network planners and their support staff, payroll specialists, & aircraft and weapons technicians

Military Exchange System ~ Check out AAFES Careers

Self-Employment ~ If this is something you consider make sure you choose a business that can travel with you. Also make sure you no the rules and regulations on your post if you live in housing where it concerns home businesses.

Private Industry ~ Make it a point to visit the Department of Labor, Chamber of Commerce, and employment agencies in your area to find out about the opportunities there.

Opportunities Abroad ~ Going Global - International Careers

Volunteering ~ This can be a very beneficial choice if you absolutely can't find any work. Volunteering will help you keep your job skills current or help you learn new job skills. Volunteering can be put on your resume. It may also open the door to a new employment opportunity. Find out about volunteering by going to your ACS office.

**thank you Jenn for your input!! - Jenn P. - One very good thing that you forgot to add is temp services! Register for temp services. Some of their positions are temp to perm but even if they just lasts a few weeks, it allows you to network while bringing in some money. Also lets you start getting local references. You can be placed in a wide array of companies and that can help you figure out WHERE you want to work. Some temp services are worldwide (like Kelly Services) which is great for military spouses.

Don't forget to read Job Search ~ Part 1: Your skills

30 Days of me - Day 11

Day 11- Another picture of you and your friends.

For this one with pictures of me and my friends I will take it back...

Here is me and Steph... I don't remember exactly how old I was lol.

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Here is me and Dawn... This was in 6th grade.

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Steph and Dawn have been my friends since FOREVER!! LoL... They were sisters to me growing up and although our lives have grown apart some they will always be family to me...even when we fight. =)

Thursday, February 17, 2011

30 Days of me - Day 10

Day 10- Songs you listen to when you are Happy, Sad, Bored, Hyped, Mad.

When I'm happy I listen to:



When I'm sad I listen to:



When I'm bored I listen to:



When I'm hyped I listen to:



When I'm mad I listen to:

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

30 Days of me - Day 9

Day 09- Something you’re proud of in the past few days.

Something I am proud of in the past few days is something from today... I went back to the gym!! I did 3miles on the treadmill and I will be going back tomorrow too. Gotta get back into my routine and drop these pounds =)

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Sunday, February 13, 2011

30 Days of me - Day 8

Day 08- Short term goals for this month and why.

My main goal for this month is to lose 10 pounds. Why? Because my ass needs lose weight lol.

Really though, that is the goal my doctor and I set together. I lost 30 pounds last year and I'm looking to lose another 60 this year. Baby steps is the way to go =)

My other goal for this month is to have a great Lia Sophia jewelry party on the 25th! I'm really excited about it. I know, no life, lol....

Saturday, February 12, 2011

30 Days of me - Day 7

Day 07- A picture of someone/something that has the biggest impact on you.

My kids have had the biggest impact on me.

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I had DeeJay when I was 19yrs old.... During my teens I partied a lot...more than I should have at such a young age. When I say "partied" I don't mean hanging with my girlfriends, drinking soda and being silly....lol... I did a 180 when I had him...no more partying while he was young unless my MIL offered to come get him, but even then, I mostly wanted to catch up on sleep during that time, lol... I was not the kind of mother who pushed my child off on others so I could "do me"... He was my responsibility, no one elses. I was very fortunate to have the help I did, but I had to grow up.

Then came along Richie.... and DeeJay was only 13 months old! We were still living with my mother at the time but looking to get out on our own. Having two kids in diapers was no fun!! LOL... It certainly wasn't fun either when I was working and had to take them to daycare. I was fortunate again to have help with that. I must say it was extremely exhausting.

Alexis didn't come into the picture until 2005, after Darrell's first deployment. DeeJay was in 1st grade and Richie was in Kindergarten. Two young kids and an infant is sure to "make you" or "break you"... well, I'm not broken, lol...

My kids are my life and the reason I keep going. They give me strength when I feel weak... they cheer me up when I am down...

This pic is when we were going to the Fort Hood Fourth of July event in 2007:

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Friday, February 11, 2011

AWDIWH Links to Meet Friends in your Area~

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On *Army Wives Do It With Hooah* we have several posts in the discussion topics for meeting new ladies in your area. Listed below are the links to these topics. Just look for your location =)(please let me know if I missed any)

**Please remember OPSEC/PERSEC when posting in these threads. This is for general discussion. Thank You.**

Fort Eustis Friends~
Fort Rucker Friends~
Fort Huachuca Friends~
Fort Knox Friends~
Fort Dix Friends~
Fort Jackson Friends~
Fort Sill Friends~
Fort Lee Friends~
Rose Barracks Vilseck Friends~
Fort Polk Friends~
Fort Drum Friends~
Fort Richardson Friends~
Fort Irwin Friends~
Walter Reed // Fort Meade// Forest Glenn Area Friends~
Fort Bliss Friends~
Fort Leavenworth Friends~
Fort Gordon Friends~
Macdill AFB Friends~
Fort Stewart/Hunter Army Airfield Friends~
Fort Carson Friends~
Fort Leonard Wood Friends~
Fort Riley Friends~
Fort Hood Friends~
Fort Campbell Friends~
Fort Bragg Friends~
Fort Benning Friends~
Fort Wainwright Friends~
Fort Lewis Friends~
Fort Irwin Friends~
Fort Sam Houston Friends~
Schofield barracks/Wheeler army airfield Friends~
White Sands Missle Range Friends~
Katterbach, Germany Friends~
Schweinfurt, Germany Friends~
Camp Casey Friends~
Camp Humphries Friends~
Yongsan Friends~
Osan Friends~
Camp Ederle, Italy Friends~
Fort Worth Friends~
Kaiserslautern, Germany Friends~
National Guard/Reserves Friends~
Fort Story Friends~
Goodfellow Friends~
Redstone Arsenal Friends~
Mannheim, Germany Friends~
East Camp Grafenwohr Friends~



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Thursday, February 10, 2011

30 Days of me - Day 6

Day 06- Favorite super hero and why?

Hmmmm...this is a tough one... never really did the super hero thing. I like Batman, but I also like Superman. Let's compare...

Batman has no super powers, but he has some awesome gadgets!! Love the Batmobile and the utility belt... he's rich and lives in a mansion with his own secret cave underneath!! And what woman can resist trying to comfort a man who lost his parents at a young age and never really got over it? You know we love to "fix" men, mend them, comfort them.... Oh and let's not forget his Batcycle...can you imagine all that power between your legs?!! (Yes, I'm being a perv!! LOL)

Superman doesn't have the nifty gadgets, but he has super strength, super speed, x-ray vision and heat vision. Not to mention he can fly. Then there's the tights...not many men can pull them off, but POW!! He sure can! He isn't called the "man of steel" for nothing! The only downfall is his weakness to Kryptonite... I wouldn't mind being his Kryptonite! (Yes, I'm being a perv...again!! LOL)

Okay, so I couldn't choose just one, but oh well, I'm not perfect =)

30 Days of me - Day 5

Day 05- A picture of somewhere you’ve been to.

We went to Disney the weekend before my husband deployed for the 4th time... we had so much! As a matter of fact, I think I had more fun than the kids!!! LOL

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Tuesday, February 8, 2011

30 Days of me - Day 4

Day 04- A habit that you wish you didn’t have.

A habit I wish I didn't have was biting my nails!! I don't know why, but I do it. I think I will try to stop...again...lol

I can do it!! You know why? The pic says it all =)

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Sunday, February 6, 2011

30 Days of me - Day 3

Day 03- A picture of you and your friends.

Here are a few pics of me with friends =)

This is a pic of Sara, me and Sharon when we waited in line forever to see Ludacris!! It was well worth the wait..that man was delish!

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This pic is from Halloween 2010...Standing: Staci, Dee, Vanessa, Amy... Squating: Jennifer and me.

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This pic is from Sharon's bday.. Left to Right: Mistie, Carolyn, Sharon & me.

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This pic is of Me and Staci... July 5, 2010... the night before we were toasted and still partying up the next day! LOL....

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This pic is before we went out to this "Club"... Left to Right: Natalie, Trelanie and Me.

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And this one is while we were at the "club".

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So, there are some of me and my friends... =)

30 Days of me - Day 2

Day 02- The meaning behind your Blog name

My blogs URL is "soldiersangel"...

The original title of my blog was "Soldier's Angel"... not to be confused with "soldiers angels", the people who do things for soldiers...lol...

When I named my blog "Soldier's Angel" it was because my blog was going to be all about army stuff from my experiences and helpful info for other wives.

Now my blog title is "Finding My Way"... I figured since I'm incorporating other things into my blog that I should have a different name... "Finding my way" is what it is... my journey...finding my way through life... whether it be army related or something else... Which is why I also have the candle background...something to light my way ....

So there is not deep meaning behind the name like I had some revelation or epiphany... just plain and simple...like me... a plain and simple gal =)

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Saturday, February 5, 2011

30 Days of me - Day 1

Day 01- A recent picture of you and 15 interesting facts about yourself.

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1. Purple is my favorite color.
2. I am claustrophobic.
3. My eyes change color.
4. I have hypothyroidism.
5. My name is Jamie and my brother's name is "James".
6. I love to read.
7. My favorite insect is the butterfly.
8. I wanted to be a child psychologists when I was in High School.
9. My favorite author is Stephen King.
10. My wedding song was "Ribbon in the Sky" by Stevie Wonder.
11. My favorite Italian food is lasagna.
12. My favorite alcoholic drink is Southern Comfort.
13. I love tigers.
14. I am a Scorpio... to a "T".
15. I use to write poetry.

30 Days of me... guess I'll jump in =)

I've been wondering what it was all about so I googled and found this:

Day 01- A recent picture of you and 15 interesting facts about yourself
Day 02- The meaning behind your Blog name
Day 03- A picture of you and your friends
Day 04- A habit that you wish you didn’t have
Day 05- A picture of somewhere you’ve been to
Day 06- Favorite super hero and why
Day 07- A picture of someone/something that has the biggest impact on you
Day 08- Short term goals for this month and why
Day 09- Something you’re proud of in the past few days
Day 10- Songs you listen to when you are Happy, Sad, Bored, Hyped, Mad
Day 11- Another picture of you and your friends
Day 12- How you found out about Blogger and why you made one
Day 13- A letter to someone who has hurt you recently
Day 14- A picture of you and your family
Day 15- Put your iPod on shuffle: First 10 songs that play
Day 16- Another picture of yourself
Day 17- Someone you would want to switch lives with for one day and why
Day 18- Plans/dreams/goals you have
Day 19- Nicknames you have; why do you have them
Day 20- Someone you see yourself marrying/being with in the future
Day 21- A picture of something that makes you happy
Day 22- What makes you different from everyone else
Day 23- Something you crave for a lot
Day 24- A letter to your parents
Day 25- What I would find in your bag
Day 26- What you think about your friends
Day 27- Why are you doing this 30 day challenge
Day 28- A picture of you last year and now, how have you changed since then?
Day 29- In this past month, what have you learned
Day 30- Your favorite song.

So, I'm going to do it =)

Thursday, February 3, 2011

Job Search ~ Part 1: Your skills

Being a military spouse can have its downfalls when it comes to the career/job department. Many times we, as spouses, put our careers/jobs on hold for our servicemember. Than there are those who really didn't put anything on hold, but have trouble finding a job simply because they are a military spouse, lol. Jobs are limited and we constantly move, so it makes it kind of hard for us to find something. So I will be sharing tips and such out of several books that may help myself, or you, the reader. =)

(Personal note** It is really hard for me right now!! I have been a stay at home mom for the past 8 1/2yrs, since my husband joined. I have tons of skills, but no work experience...talk about bummer! But I'm determined to find something, which is why I have all these books for tips on finding and getting a job.)

Let's get started!!

Identify your skills - your skills represent your unique abilities to accomplish tasks...they are developed through a variety of experiences and there are 3 basic types of skills:

1. Self-management skills - these represent your personal traits...

accurate, active, adaptable, adventurous, aggressive, alert, ambitious, analytical, artistic, assertive, calm, candid, capable, careful, cautious, charismatic, clear-headed, clever, competitive, concerned, concise, confident, conscientious, conservative, considerate, consistent, cooperative, courageous, creative, decisive, dedicated, dependable, detail-oriented, diligent, direct, disciplined, eager, efficient, energetic, enthusiastic, factual, fair-minded, flexible, forceful, friendly, frugal, genuine, goal-oriented, hardworking, honest, imaginative, independent, industrious, innovative, intelligent, intuitive, inventive, logical, loyal, methodical, non-judgmental, open-minded, opportunistic, organized, perfectionist, precise, reliable, responsible, risk-taker, secure, self-motivated, sensitive, stable, talented, trustworthy, wise

2. Transferable or Functional skills - these are your mobile skills...they can easily travel between different types of jobs...

adjust, advice, alter, analyze, arrange, assess, assist, blend, budget, calculate, care for, classify, compare, compile, compose, compute, conceptualize, construct, consult, cook, coordinate, copy, create, decorate, demonstrate, diagnose, direct, drive, edit, entertain, evaluate, examine, follow up, formulate, guide, handle, improvise, include, influence, inform, insert, install, instruct, interview, investigate, learn, listen, manage, manipulate, measure, mix, motivate, negotiate, network, operate, paint, persuade, plan, post data, problem solve, publicize, read, record, refill, regulate, repair, report, sell, serve, service, sew, sort, supervise, synthesize, teach, test, type, theorize, transcribe, write

3. Work Content skills - also known as technical skills...these skills are task specific... skills you must have in order to accomplish a given task... for example, if you are a computer programmer, you must know how to program computers, or if you are a cashier, you must know how to operate a cash register...

Updating your skills or adding to them - there are several ways to do this...

1. enroll in a class at a local university or online
2. contact the family services support or community service center on the military installation where you are stationed, they may offer free skills-based training
3. volunteer your time to an organization in order to learn those skills
4. teach yourself new skills
5. if you are employed already, find out if your company will sponsor the training you want

You must know what employers want too... the three characteristics most employers seek are:

1. Ability to do the job that has to be done.
2. Willingness to do the job that has to be done.
3. Ability to fit in their company.

Specifically they want employees who:

1. Have knowledge and the ability to learn.
2. Possess solid decision making skills.
3. Can be flexible, adaptable, persistent and can take the initiative necessary to see a task through to completion.
4. Can effectively communicate and work in teams.
5. Can be assertive when necessary.
6. Have professional networking skills and a familiarity with the company's history and goals.