24 October 2008

'Tocktober

Now that I see from my sis' site that dog tocks count, I thought I'd add Scully to the 'Tocktoberfest. She always gives me the business end...

An Election Day Suggestion

Yesterday as I was sitting in a training class to learn my duties as an Election Inspector for the upcoming primaries a thought came to me that I'd like to share with you. This election is being said to be the most important election for our country in 40 years. Not only for the presidential race nationwide, but in California for Prop 8. My thought was this: arrange your schedule to get to your polling place at the opening time in order to pray through the site for the will of God in that place. Naturally, you can't pray out loud, however, since the election process in the US is an open process you CAN stay a little while and observe. You can't interfere with the Election Officials or the voters, but you can watch the process. While you are there to vote and/or observe you can be praying through the site.

I know that in California many people vote by mail (formerly called absentee voting). This is one of the things that California has been trying to get voters to do for years. Even if you vote by mail (as I do), you can still observe the process. If an election official asks what you are doing, simply tell them that you are there to observe the election process. It doesn't have to be your home voting site. This will give you the opportunity to pray through the site.

Also, while it is too late to register (at least in California - the deadline was Monday) if you are registered to go to a polling place in California and for any reason can't make it to your home polling place you can vote at another polling place. You will vote on a provisional ballot, but all votes will be counted. If you are outside of California, check the website for your state to see if this is true for you. We need to not only fight the wars in the spiritual realm, but we need to do our part and vote.

The site where I am working for the election has four precincts voting there. I'm glad to be on site not only from 6am until 9pm, but I go the day before and get things set up. This place will be covered in prayer for sure.

18 October 2008

Off the Market

I forgot to mention, Paul & Vickie took the house off the market when they got back from vacation this month. They had decided if there wasn't a good offer by the time they got back they would go ahead and rent it to their son & daughter-in-law (Phillip & Christie) instead. Vickie said they'll be moving around the holiday time and then Phillip & Christie will move in. Ofcourse, Scully and I are staying.

"We're" getting a new dog ~ Phillip & Christie have a small dog named Abby. She's been here several times and Scully doesn't seem to mind her. They were here this morning and Scully just sat on her couch looking at Abby while she meandered in the yard. I hope that Scully will not "alpha all over her" and that they will get along and be friends. I've been praying about her "alpha-tude" and talking to her letting her know that Abby is moving in and she needs to be her friend.

On another note, Will, Wendy and I were talking about the SAT's the other day. I can't remember how we got on the subject, but it made me think of my old high school friends. I'm 23 years out of high school and haven't talked to anybody for over a decade. I moved out of state and ended up losing track of people (or being lost track of - I'm not sure which). So this week I pulled out my year books and went through them looking for phone numbers. I figured I had to hit some that still had parents living there. I started calling today. I actually only reached two of my old friends so far. It was only two because both phone calls ended up being about three total hours. They were the only two I had called too!

We left it that we'd keep in touch, naturally exchanging email addresses and phone numbers. I'm looking forward to making more calls and reconnecting. It's fun to talk to people that you once held so dear in your heart. The funny thing was that both of these people had said they were just thinking of me recently and recalled the memories they had that made them think of me. I look forward to meeting their families one day.

14 October 2008

Still Lookin'

I'm still in the hunt for a job. I've been checking the "big three" websites every day: monster, careerbuilder and Yahoo! Hot Jobs. Since I live in Southern Cal, my two "local" papers are the LA Times (which uses CareerBuilder) and the Ventura County Star (which uses Yahoo). Another thing I've done is send out an email to everyone in my address book that I'm looking. I did that the day I was fired. Friday I started going through the yellow pages. I'm searching companies that seem like they would be a good fit for my personality and then checking for a website with employment opportunities. I'm still in the "A" section.

Paul & Vickie are back from vacation. They came back to the eastern edge of our city being on fire. Autumn is fire season in So Cal. The Santa Ana winds kick up (60 mph) and arsonists go out and start fires. It horrible! Resources get stretched so thin and then the fires burn up thousands of acres. This year they have already claimed more homes and buildings than in previous years. Plus the air quality is less than poor. That's the only good thing about being off work right now: I don't have to leave Scully outside in the smoke and ash.

Vickie let me hang on to their car key. She said that I can still use the car. She has a car and she said Paul could use the motorcycle if all three of us need to be gone at the same time. That is a blessing.

My sis called me yesterday about a new position at her company. My resume doesn't directly qualify me for it, but just like she said I can easily learn anything. So yesterday, I sent my resume over to the person filling the position. One cool thing about it is I would work from home. That way I wouldn't be stressed to go out and get a car. There's a market within walking distance so I could pick up a couple of things at a time as needed until I get a car.

I'm still make calls and working on building my ecommerce biz. With gas prices so high it makes more sense to shop online. I have everything you need for your home, your health and your self care. Plus, all red tag items qualify for free shipping at only a $75 pre-tax order. Check it out: http://lgfintl.mychoices.biz.

Also, the contracting corporation was "green" before it was "the in thing." My main household cleaner, L.O.C., was created in the late 50's. It stands for Liquid Organic Cleanser. It cleans EVERYTHING. In fact, I had just cleaned the mats in my car a couple of weeks before the car accident. I was impressed at how well it did. They looked new. My oldest sister's son moved out and she was going to clean the carpet in his old room. I told her to add just a capful of the LOC to the water in the tank of the carpet cleaner and it would do the job. A friend of hers had done the actual cleaning and was so impressed with how well it did that he ordered some right then and there. I'm wishing she had taken before and after pictures.

That's it for now. Back to the fun job search!

02 October 2008

Gettin' Knocked Around

Well, I've not had this much personal stuff to pray for in quite some time. It's been others that have coveted your prayers. So, to add injury to insult (pun) Scully and I were in a narly car accident last night on the way home from counseling. We were bumped at the left rear fender as we were changing lanes. That pushed us into the center divider which we "bounced" off and glided across six lanes of traffic before slamming into a wall on the right side of the freeway and we came to a stop on the shoulder. We were even facing in the right direction. As soon as we were hit I shouted "Lord Protect Us!" and then repeated it again as we were going across the lanes of the freeway. I saw the "wall fast approaching" and turned the wheel to the left. It was very hard to move it.

The adrenaline has worn off, however, it's 3:30 and I can't sleep. My friend suggested I take one of the pain meds that I was on after my surgery in June, but I thought better of it. I took ibuprophen. I didn't let them take me to the hospital because they would have taken Scully to the pound. That place is no place for any animal! The paramedics checked me out. When we started my BP was 146 over 78 and pulse was 100. When they checked me before they left it was 122 over 78 and 88. He had me stand up and make sure I could walk.

I have like a rope burn on my neck where the seat belt rode up. And pain and brusing down the line of the seat belt. I don't have any abdominal pain so no concerns there. Plus, I have the neck and upper back stuff consistent with a car accident. My car was a '91 so there were no airbag injuries.

Praise reports: 1. Scully and I are both alive and will recover. She has no problem with mobility and when we arrived home she came in and ate her dinner which tells me she feels fine on the inside too. 2. Nobody else was injured in the accident. 3. Only one other car had slight damage to it. In going across the six lanes of traffic nobody else hit us!

So, the prayer requests: 1. my car was a '91 so I only had liability on it. It's totaled. As I looked at it when the tow truck driver was taking it off the truck I was amazed that Scully and I walked away from that. Pray there would be a chop shop place that would pay me a decent amount. If the accident is deemed my fault, I'll have to pay $1000 deductable for the other drivers' car. 2. I need a car, but being unemployed I can't go buy one. Pray God provides a safe car for us. 3. Being unemployed and not having a car will make it difficult to go on job interviews as they come. Pray that the right door will open where I can travel locally and not have transportation issues. 4. Pray against this attack on my finances. Roadside assistance paid only 8 miles which left a $101 bill to pay. I asked him the discount for unemployed, uninsured (don't have full coverage) people. He only charged me $100. That tells me God has a plan for that dollar!

I'm sure there are more, but then we're going on to the almost 4:00 in the morning thing and I haven't had time to decompress yet.

Ofcourse the kicker is that Wednesday night was the final night of my Esther fast. We have an ememy and he fights dirty. We have a God Who is so much bigger! I am glad to call myself His daughter.