...there is this blog I follow written by a literary agent. Just, you know, for when I have time to start writing again someday. And she had a contest that was only lasting for ONE HOUR today. If you submitted a query letter between noon and 1:00 pm EST, she would comment on it. I read this contest announcement at 11:56 am MST. Which meant I had 4 minutes to send it.
And I made it.
We will see what happens!
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Man, Oh Man...
There's a bit to catch up on...since I've turned into one of those lame bloggers. But I've been busy. So here goes:
The end of December was an interesting time for us. Zac was supposed to be finishing his very last semester. He was also supposed to have a job offer. Or at least an internship offer. I mean, come on...we had thought it through and really prayed about it and felt like he should stay in school for fall semester. So...we did it. Then he had an interview with Pixar in November. And a second one at the beginning of December. And then an email saying something like, "we liked your stuff. But we aren't looking for modelers/texturers right now. But keep applying...most of our employees have applied three or four times..."
So there we were, between Christmas and New Years, completely unsure about our future. Because, hey, we thought it would have been figured out by now. But alas, it seemed just as unclear as it had in August when Zac decided to do "one last semester." So what did we do? Decided "one FINAL semester" would have to do.
Now I know it sounds like Zac is going to be a professional student the rest of his life, but this is what is really going down: After talking to some of his professors, he realized that his chances for a job or a residency or an internship probably wouldn't come until after the winter semester. Recruiters typically want people for larger chunks of time and therefore typically visit campuses during February and March. And when Zac's professor showed him the schedule of recruiters visiting, that's exactly what he saw. Dreamworks in February, Microsoft (yay!!!), Pixar, Sony, and some new FX company based out of Dallas, all in March. So, the Final Semester ensued.
And though we are praying and hoping something good comes out of these campus visits, we realize that it is a real possibility that Zac could get passed over. And while he doesn't need a recruiter to get hired, it sure helps. Because in this industry when applying cold for a job, companies are looking for "Senior" artists and people with 4+ years of experience...not some kid right out of college. Ugh. So we started looking into the world of "contractual work." And we know people that it's worked out just fine for (I'm talking about you, D!!!) so it seems like a viable option. The only problem? we would need to move where the jobs are. Like:
SEATTLE!!!!!!!!!
Which we are wayyyy psyched about. But I did say "problem." To be perfectly honest, we looked at our financial situation and came to the conclusion that moving was just not an affordable possibility with our (then) current situation. I mean, we would have to pay for moving expenses, find a new place, (find a place to stay while we were looking for a new place), pay the deposit and rent when we found a new place...it was getting all very expensive in our minds. And Seattle is not the cheapest place in the world. So we decided a change of employment was in order. And the job hunt began.
And I found one first! Long story short (since this post is already long enough), I was hired by a company called Guckenheimer. They were opening a new restaurant for APX Alarm here in Provo and were hiring a whole new staff and I got hired on to cook AND serve. It all seemed a little overwhelming at first...but the hours were decent and the pay is GREAT for now! I work 7-3 and make about $12 an hour. My first paycheck had some over-time included and it was $1,200.00. Which is more than we were making in a MONTH before!
Now I was apprehensive to accept the job offer because I had decided two and a half years ago that I was going to be a stay at home mom. It was something that I wanted to do because I didn't have that growing up. Both of my parents worked (which I am grateful for...I mean, by the time I was four or five we were living in a brand new house that my parents owned!) and I hung out with my grandma all day (which I am also super grateful for!!!). But the thing is, I wanted to be with my babies. I didn't want them to have to go to a sitter or to family. So I didn't know how I felt about working and leaving them. Until we realized that the 7-3 schedule worked out so well. They don't even get up until 9:00 most days and as long as I am home by 3:00, Zac can be home with the kids!!! (Disclaimer: Zac has class at 3:00 on Mondays and Wednesdays and It takes me 15 minutes to get home, so we do have a bit of an overlap where Zac's friend, Chris, babysits for us!!!) I was also having issues because I am still breastfeeding. But that has all worked out, too. I have a double-electric pump and take a break to do it every day around 11. Then she has two 4 oz bottles for the next day (plus the baby food she now eats!!!) and I nurse her in the evenings. It's turning out to be a convenient situation for all of us!
So, that's where we stand now. Zac is at home with the kids during the day while I work 7-3. Then I come home and he goes to the lab for a few hours to work on his film/portfolio/demo reel. Then he comes home for dinner and we put the kids to bed...TOGETHER. Which is something we haven't consistently done EVER since he used to work from 9 pm to 1 am (which he no longer does...we figured if he was working that late, I would never see him and he would be way too tired to get up with the kids in the morning.) And then we actually have time together at night. So I'm putting my S.A.H.M. plans on hold for a few months, but I think it's going to be really good for us in the long run.
And that's what we've been up to!!!
Oh, and for reading such a long post, here is your reward:
The end of December was an interesting time for us. Zac was supposed to be finishing his very last semester. He was also supposed to have a job offer. Or at least an internship offer. I mean, come on...we had thought it through and really prayed about it and felt like he should stay in school for fall semester. So...we did it. Then he had an interview with Pixar in November. And a second one at the beginning of December. And then an email saying something like, "we liked your stuff. But we aren't looking for modelers/texturers right now. But keep applying...most of our employees have applied three or four times..."
So there we were, between Christmas and New Years, completely unsure about our future. Because, hey, we thought it would have been figured out by now. But alas, it seemed just as unclear as it had in August when Zac decided to do "one last semester." So what did we do? Decided "one FINAL semester" would have to do.
Now I know it sounds like Zac is going to be a professional student the rest of his life, but this is what is really going down: After talking to some of his professors, he realized that his chances for a job or a residency or an internship probably wouldn't come until after the winter semester. Recruiters typically want people for larger chunks of time and therefore typically visit campuses during February and March. And when Zac's professor showed him the schedule of recruiters visiting, that's exactly what he saw. Dreamworks in February, Microsoft (yay!!!), Pixar, Sony, and some new FX company based out of Dallas, all in March. So, the Final Semester ensued.
And though we are praying and hoping something good comes out of these campus visits, we realize that it is a real possibility that Zac could get passed over. And while he doesn't need a recruiter to get hired, it sure helps. Because in this industry when applying cold for a job, companies are looking for "Senior" artists and people with 4+ years of experience...not some kid right out of college. Ugh. So we started looking into the world of "contractual work." And we know people that it's worked out just fine for (I'm talking about you, D!!!) so it seems like a viable option. The only problem? we would need to move where the jobs are. Like:
SEATTLE!!!!!!!!!
Which we are wayyyy psyched about. But I did say "problem." To be perfectly honest, we looked at our financial situation and came to the conclusion that moving was just not an affordable possibility with our (then) current situation. I mean, we would have to pay for moving expenses, find a new place, (find a place to stay while we were looking for a new place), pay the deposit and rent when we found a new place...it was getting all very expensive in our minds. And Seattle is not the cheapest place in the world. So we decided a change of employment was in order. And the job hunt began.
And I found one first! Long story short (since this post is already long enough), I was hired by a company called Guckenheimer. They were opening a new restaurant for APX Alarm here in Provo and were hiring a whole new staff and I got hired on to cook AND serve. It all seemed a little overwhelming at first...but the hours were decent and the pay is GREAT for now! I work 7-3 and make about $12 an hour. My first paycheck had some over-time included and it was $1,200.00. Which is more than we were making in a MONTH before!
Now I was apprehensive to accept the job offer because I had decided two and a half years ago that I was going to be a stay at home mom. It was something that I wanted to do because I didn't have that growing up. Both of my parents worked (which I am grateful for...I mean, by the time I was four or five we were living in a brand new house that my parents owned!) and I hung out with my grandma all day (which I am also super grateful for!!!). But the thing is, I wanted to be with my babies. I didn't want them to have to go to a sitter or to family. So I didn't know how I felt about working and leaving them. Until we realized that the 7-3 schedule worked out so well. They don't even get up until 9:00 most days and as long as I am home by 3:00, Zac can be home with the kids!!! (Disclaimer: Zac has class at 3:00 on Mondays and Wednesdays and It takes me 15 minutes to get home, so we do have a bit of an overlap where Zac's friend, Chris, babysits for us!!!) I was also having issues because I am still breastfeeding. But that has all worked out, too. I have a double-electric pump and take a break to do it every day around 11. Then she has two 4 oz bottles for the next day (plus the baby food she now eats!!!) and I nurse her in the evenings. It's turning out to be a convenient situation for all of us!
So, that's where we stand now. Zac is at home with the kids during the day while I work 7-3. Then I come home and he goes to the lab for a few hours to work on his film/portfolio/demo reel. Then he comes home for dinner and we put the kids to bed...TOGETHER. Which is something we haven't consistently done EVER since he used to work from 9 pm to 1 am (which he no longer does...we figured if he was working that late, I would never see him and he would be way too tired to get up with the kids in the morning.) And then we actually have time together at night. So I'm putting my S.A.H.M. plans on hold for a few months, but I think it's going to be really good for us in the long run.
And that's what we've been up to!!!
Oh, and for reading such a long post, here is your reward:
Monday, February 15, 2010
Can You Spot The Difference???
I used to think getting your baby's ears pierced was not the best idea, but after having a little girl of my own, I gave it a lot of thought and came up with some decent reasoning:
1. It's easier to do it when they're little.
-While I used to be of the school of thought that said "We'll let her do it when she wants to," I thought back on my first ear-piercing experience when I asked my mom to when I was in 3rd grade. It hurt, quite a bit as I recall. And it hurt so much that I was terrified to touch them so they got infected. Well now, I'm pretty sure K has already forgotten what happened a few hours ago. And I can clean them and turn them without her protesting it...probably when I change her diaper.
2. They will heal faster.
-Like I said, I'm responsbile for the earring care for a bit, not her, so I know they will be well taken care of. Which means minimal chance of infection, and optimal healing. And when she is ready to change her earrings and what not, she can because they will have been pierced for years and she won't have any trouble.
3. They are cute.
4. Yes it hurt, but...
-Zac has decided that our boys get circumcised and I would imagine that is just as bad, if not worse.
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Happy Valentine's Day 2010!!!
edit: Logan totally opened my box of chocolates and devoured three of them while I posted this.
(Click to make it bigger)
(Click to make it bigger)
Friday, February 5, 2010
2 Posts In One Day!!!
But this one is for solely selfish reasons. I want to win this contest:
To get a query letter reviewed by a pro.
*fingers crossed*
To get a query letter reviewed by a pro.
*fingers crossed*
Oh, Logan...
So now that I have this job (details to come, I promise) that requires me to get up at 6:00 am to be there by 7:00, I got to bed fairly early. Early for me, anyways. And last night at about 10:15, I was exhausted. Logan had been in bed since 9 and Kaylee had just fallen asleep nursing, so I took her upstairs and put her in her crib. The second her little head touched the mattress, however, she woke up screaming. Now like I said, I was exhausted so I decided to just bring her to bed with me and figured Zac could move her when he got home. Well, that worked out very nicely. K cried for about two minutes in our bed but fell right asleep, so I did, too. And I slept great until Zac got home around 11 and came upstairs where this conversation ensued:
Zac: Honey, I'm sorry to wake you up, but I had a question about Logan.
Me: Why what's wrong?
Zac: Nothing, but did you put him to bed?
Me: Of course I put him to bed. Just after Grey's Anatomy.
Zac: Oh ok. Because he is downstairs sitting on the couch, watching TV, and eating a bag of Doritos. But I'll take care of it.
Me: [rolls over and falls back asleep]
Oh, Logan.
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