Job update

Well, after weeks of applying for jobs all over the Portland Metro Area it has finally paid off... For Adam!!! He wanted to pick up a summer job to save up for a down payment on a house so he applied for general labor jobs and got picked up by a paving company. So that puts us at 2-0. However, I did get an e-mail back about a volunteer position I applied for a couple weeks ago. The agency is called Morrison Child and Family Services. They are letting me know this week about what is available. I applied to volunteer in either the office or as a youth mentor. At first I thought this was just a cruel joke in life that my husband could get two jobs and I get a volunteer spot. But I figure this may be the way to go because the agency focused on the social welfare of the family and if I make it into an MSW program I have great experience to build my education on. I could always hold out for a paid position as well.
Adam and I have been talking a lot about how having a degree doesn't necessarily guarantee a respected job. I'm disappointed because I got my Bachelors degree thinking that it was my ticket to any job out there. I thought employers would looking at my application or resume' and see "Bachelor of Arts Degree" and hire me right away. Apparently, this is not the case! Almost every job ad I have seen asks for at least three years of experience. I thought I was awesome with two years of experience. The conclusion of this conversation is that I have to lower my standards. My search is being reduced to Nanny jobs and other domestic type work. This is a blow to my ego. I thought, I'm a college graduate and I'm going to make some money and be able to enjoy life, go shopping more, and maybe even travel. Now I'm applying to minimum wage nanny jobs. Not to say that Nannying is a bad job or anything. I just thought I would wait a few years before having to be responsible for children!
On a more positive note, I have started a new hobby! I bought my first basil plant! Adam and I took a little trip to Fir Point Farms in Aurora, OR. It's about a 10 minute drive from our apartment. They have green houses with plants you can purchase, they bring in local produce, and have a farm with goats, chickens, and bunnies! There is also a hiking trail and a farm store where you can buy more local products like honey and preserves. I submitted an application there too. I bought a basil plant thinking the weather should stay warm enough to leave it on my patio. A day later the clouds and cold came back and I have to move it inside. It's still alive!! I'm thinking about the advice in the movie "28 Days" with Sandra Bullock. She goes to rehab and one of her peers asks the counselor when they can start having relationships after leaving rehab. The counselor advises they buy a plant and if they can keep the plant alive for a few months they should buy a pet and if they can keep the pet alive for a few months then they are ready for a relationship. At the end of the movie Sandra Bullock walks into a plant store and runs into the old friend from rehab and he is arguing with the store owner that they sold him a bad plant because it died. The friend also has a dog on a leash with him.

America's Struggle... At least one of them.

As of the past few weeks I have hit the job hunt pretty proactively. I would estimate I have sent in at least one application or response to Craigslist Ad's a day for the past two weeks. The number of responses from those applications, nada!!! Before I left California I felt very confident in my ability to get a decent, well paying job. Now I feel almost completely worthless! However, to put things into perspective I have considered the follow outside factors that would be causing this delayed response. First, the response volume for ad's on Craigslist is extremely high and employers who are posting probably get very overwhelmed and only view the first 20 or so applicants. Second, I have also applied to two of the largest hospitals in the Portland area, these are the big wigs of Portland and let's face it, they probably have more important things to do before looking at hiring 100 applicants, first reason also applies. Last, connections! Some of these people who are posting probably just throw it out there to be fair to the public and then hire someone who is an acquaintance of a current employee. I know that last one sounds cynical but you never know! I can't help but feel that the inadequacy is not the fault of the employer but also part of the applicant, me. Yes, I got my degree and I have two years of great job experience but that doesn't seem to be raising any eyebrows. I think my main concern is that I pursued the wrong degree. Sociology is a great foundation for a Masters degree but I was so busy planning a wedding and trying to get my affairs in order to make the move to Oregon that I didn't really focus on my career or Graduate education. I am planning on applying to Graduate programs but that doesn't open up till next Spring. I can't do nothing till then! Among applying to jobs, I also applied for a volunteer position with an agency that helps families who are struggling. I can't sit in this apartment forever and do nothing! Unfortunately, our church doesn't exactly offer any outreach programs so that avenue is blocked. I guess one of my points here is that I really should have set myself up a little better with my education, either by achieving a more specialized degree or by being ready to enter a Master's program upon moving here. Bottom line, I'm starting to feel America's hurt for jobs. We want to work!!!
On a more positive note, I have began watching a new television series on Netflix. It was a show on Showtime that aired a few years back called The Tudors. I have actually gotten passed the funny language and have gotten somewhat hooked. The series is about King Henry VI (I think that's the number) and some of the historical events that took place. The series is not historically accurate which makes the show confusing but it's still amusing. I have to say that the language doesn't seem accurate either, the script seems to fall in and out of that Old English language. I could be wrong though!

I know everyone has been waiting for wedding pictures and my photographer just finished and sent all 500 photos to me on a CD! I have no idea how to e-mail a file that large and I'm actually sure that it's not possible so I thought I would just share a few photos on here to give everyone a little idea of how awesome my pictures turned out!

New Chapter

Adam and I have settled in to our apartment in Wilsonville, Oregon! Our first month as a married couple has gone pretty smooth and we're so happy to be together again! I decided to start this blog in an attempt to keep our family and friends posted on what is going on with us here in Oregon. I have a few friends and family that blog instead of relying on Facebook to be the messenger of their whereabouts. I'm inspired by this because I don't give much detail to our lives on Facebook and where better then a blog to talk about yourself and your family. Having studied Sociology, I'm always intrigued on what other people are doing so I figured it was also time to share a little about what's going on with us! I have to say that this new chapter in our lives is very exciting but at the same time we're kind of asking each other, "What's next?". For a long time we were trying to graduate college, graduate Medic school, apply for firefighting jobs, get jobs, and create a life for ourselves. Now here we are in our apartment, in this little city, with the road clear ahead of us! For everyone at home, I just want to give you an idea of where we live, we are in Wilsonville which is not Salem nor Portland! I will attempt to post a map on here. It's a very quite town, we have two grocery stores, a movie theater, and a Red Robin. We also have our own public transit system which we learned was installed for the major corporations that are established here such as Xerox, Sysco Foods, and Mentor Graphics. Adam and I hopped on one of the buses and half of the stops were at these establishments. The other perk that I must share is that we live less then five minutes away from Target! Yay! There is also a Costco and Pier 1 in the same shopping center. It's the small things like having Target nearby that make me feel a little more at home.
Other then that, Adam and I have began some interesting newly wed projects. We decided to buy a table from Goodwill and re-finish it ourselves. With a new electric sander and some tools that my dad gave to Adam, we've slowly but surely made some progress on one chair so far! Luckily, we have Tia Patty's (Adam's aunt in Portland) garage to do our project in. Speaking of Tia Patty, Adam and I have been making a much need effort to have Sunday dinner with her and her sons, Daniel and Leo. This is a custom that we used to do with my family back at home and we insisted on bringing it to Oregon. I've also been taking advantage of her company while Adam is at work. Patty is also off work for the time being so she likes the company!
Adam and I have also started going to a church here in Wilsonville called Athey Creek Christian Fellowship. It's been a very good experience so far, they have a lot of great ministries for Adam and I. They have a newly married couples group, a hiking group, and a snowboarding group. The church is filled with young couples and young families which is good for Adam and I. We're trying to make new friends in our area.
I think that's all for now!