HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE!!! i hope everyone had a wonderful wonderful holiday! and i hope everyone enjoys the long weekend and all the crazy shopping that will probably ensue :)

Things I am Thankful For:

Bart
my mommy
my family
Bart's family
my friends from college
my friends from home
my girls Randi and Jackie and Cheryl too
Brewer
MSU
Chicago
my great apartment
my job
the troops
the internet and satellite phones

and so much more! most of all i am thankful for the amazing people in my life who are always there for me, making me smile and always supporting me. this roller coaster wouldn't be nearly as fun without all of you! and it wouldn't be anything like what we're blessed with if it wasn't for Bart and all his various colleagues. don't forget to thank those who matter most :)

2 weeks of amazingness :) that's all i have to say :) nothing in this whole world makes me happier than Bart. i love him more than anything and i can't wait until he's home for good.

well, my friends, it is definitely true that everything happens for a reason. and right now, that reason would be to give me a wonderful opportunity for a great future and a great career in commercial real estate :) as of Thursday, October 26, 2006, i am no longer in the job market :) i am no longer a statistic of illinois unemployment :) on November 13, 2006, or possibly a few days after that, i will start employment with US Equities Realty. i will work as a property assistant at 69 W. Washington, the Cook County building, downtown Chicago. i am more excited than i can even express here on my little blog!!! the timing couldn't have been more perfect, the job certainly couldn't be any more perfect, the manager is beyond belief amazing...everything has definitely worked out!! i'm so very happy and definitely excited to start this job. it's going to be awesome experience and definitely will afford me a lot of opportunity for the future. on top of that, the company is awesome, so i know i will be happy and satisfied in my job. the pay and benefits are great too, so that's just icing on the cake. and then the sprinkles on top (if you know me you know i love sprinkles and they are the best part of anything) are that i get to spend the entire 2 weeks of Bart's leave with him :) i will start after he leaves again in november. perfect!!!! utterly perfect :) and now i am a real Chicagoan...i'll be taking the metra to work and power walking from union station to my building :) love it!!!!

finally i feel relieved and excited and in a normal place again!!! now i'm just waiting waiting waiting, as usual, for my baby :) less than 3 days now though, finally!!! i was disappointed last night to learn that there would be an extra day tacked onto the already brutal wait right now, but hey, after 8 months, it's just another day :) my Soldier will be home in a few days and it will be AMAZING!!!! i'm ecstatic now that he is out of harm's way, safe and sound, on his way home. in fact, he should be out of afghanistan by now, and that's the best news in 8 months! i should hear from him again tonight with an exact time for his arrival, and that will send me soaring no doubt :)

things are good. things are really good right now :) i feel like myself again!

ok things going on right now:

1.) My old roommates and I are being sued. SWEET!!!
2.) I'll hear tomorrow from Hostmark whether I get to come in for a last interview, kind of a trial run with a short analysis. Wish me luck!
3.) I should hear this week from CTMT whether I get a 2nd interview. Wish me luck again!
4.) I pick up my black wool winter coat from the dry cleaner on Tuesday. Yesssss!!! I love that coat!!! (I don't really love that getting it cleaned means it's winter...)
5.) I've got a massive list of cleaning and laundry type things to do this week to keep me busy, along with working out and stocking the house with homecoming goodies :)
6.) I still haven't heard from Bart. It's been about 2 weeks. I'm worried and getting paranoid, but trying to stick with the Army wife/gf mantra: no news is good news. No news is good news. No news is good news!
7.) The pumpkin that I carved this fall is quite disgusting and all rotted and moldy from sitting outside on my porch. I guess it still looks cute from far away...
8.) My baby will be home in a week!
9.) My sexy boyfriend will be home in a week!
10.) MY SOLDIER WILL BE HOME IN A WEEK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yes, I am excited. And that is all. Pretty much nothing else in this world exists to me for the next 3 weeks other than Bart being home. Thank you and goodnight :)

well, my friends, i continue to be the happiest and luckiest girl in the entire world because my boyfriend is amazing :D he's incredible. sometimes i still can't believe that i somehow got him!! we spent pretty much the past 24 hours talking and wow, that was really something i needed. i was missing him and then i missed a call from him and then some bad stuff happened and i was worried about him, plus leave is coming up...it was sooooooooooooo good to wake up to the rooster alert :) turns out we both really needed each other, so it was perfect timing for spending a day talking. and it took up almost 2 days on this crazy countdown to leave!!! that's exciting :) i know i'll hear from him again this week, probably next week, and then while he's on his way home, so hopefully the next couple of weeks go by quickly. at some point, i'm sure the days and hours will start to creep, but they're still flowing at normal speed so far, and i'm very thankful for that!!! i can't even explain how excited i am to see Bart in less than 3 weeks. there are no words. i mean seriously, the guy made dinner reservations for us at an amazing restaurant in chicago from freakin afghanistan!!!!! how can i not be excited!!!???? it just doesn't get any better than this!!!!!!!!!!!!! :D

well, i guess a job would be the one thing that would make things even better, like icing and whipped cream and ice cream on top of a nice piece of birthday cake. i had another interview this morning and it went well. i haven't heard from hostmark again about coming in for an interview, and i'm super nervous about it. very very nervous. the guy i talked to is a VP of the company and he spent most of last week out of town, so i understand if the new hire isn't his first priority early in the week, getting things back to normal and whatnot, but that just doesn't make me any less nervous. what if they never call back? what if they hired someone already? what if the CEO's nephew just decided he wanted to work there and they're not going to bother with anyone new anymore?? a million things are running through my head, but i'm trying to stay positive. i'm just more nervous now because i turned down an offer today to wait for one of these two things i have going now. i obviously really want the hostmark job, and the one i interviewed for today would be great as well. i'm just nervous because their processes are kind of strung out right now, and we all know i like knowing things rather than uncertainty, especially in this situation. the lady i interviewed with today was actually doing the interview for another manager who is out of town for 2 weeks, but wanted to have me come in right away and talk to her. so i guess he gets back on like the 20th or something, they will talk and look at my weird little test scores, then if she says good things about me and he decides that's good, i'll go in and interview with him too. on one hand, it's good because the process will take a while and i won't have to worry about starting before Bart's leave, or during it. on the other hand, it just drags it all out and makes me scared that i won't get either of these jobs and i turned down the offer that i had and then i'll be screwed. it's a vicious cycle :) just keep wishing me luck, everyone!

other than that, nothing is new. i'm just happy happy happy about my baby and happy happy happy that he'll be home in a couple weeks!!!!

so wow, talk about a whirlwind couple of weeks!!! i was so terrified of everything that was ahead of me when i left Centex, and now i'm excited. i was very scared that i would be sitting around worried out of my mind for 12 weeks job searching. well, not the case at all. in less than a month, i've secured 6 interviews, probably 3 of which i'm really interested in. i have already gotten 2 offers, and another one looks very very promising. i never thought that things would be so positive so soon!!! it's really encouraging :) i guess i underestimated my talent a little bit, but i'm still not overconfident about anything. confident, yes, cocky, no. overall, things are really looking up and i think they will turn around very soon!

so just as an update, i had an interview for a meeting planning position last friday and i just got the offer today. it would be ok. the pay is alright, not as low as the last one, so i would be ok with it, plus there is opportunity for overtime and for travel and bonuses. the downfall is that the commute would probably be about an hour and a half every day and that is very long, especially in traffic. it's almost maddening. so i have to evaluate this offer very carefully while i continue the process with the next interview that i have this week. i had a phone interview for the job that i really want with Hostmark Hospitality yesterday and it went really really well. the guy i talked to had nothing but very good things to say, just from talking for about 20 minutes on the phone. he said he thought i would be a great fit for the position and that he wanted me to come in right away to meet in person. i'm pretty stoked because the job is awesome and it will be excellent experience for me, combining my hospitality education with my passion for real estate. plus it pays well and it's much closer to my house, less than an hour commute. so i'm really waiting to see how that goes and hoping that i get that offer soon!!! YAY!!! on top of all of that, i got another call for an interview today!! it's with a commercial real estate services firm as a coordinator for their property department. i think it would be another awesome opportunity, so i'm excited about this opportunity too. i didn't think i would get a call for it, but i did, so hey, it's good news!!! i'm in a little bit of a waiting game now for these next two jobs, but i'm sure within a week or so, i'll have answers. it's just so cool because i actually have options to choose from, and they are very good options! it is definitely the best possible situation. wish me luck everyone :)

so other than the job search and interview situation, not a whole lot else is going on. my mommy just left after visiting me for 5 days, and that was really fun. we hung out, did some shopping, watched some movies, worked out, made yummy food, and went to a pumpkin farm :) that was a total blast!!! actually, i want to go again :) i'm glad she was here for a while because i needed the company and something to pass some time. it was nice to have someone else in the apartment with me. if anyone else wants to come visit, feel free :) just give me a call!!

so now pretty much i am just playing the waiting game until the end of the month when my baby comes home :) i am so insanely excited i feel like i might piss my pants when i think about it. haha. not really, but i'm very very every excited!!!! i still cannot believe that it's less than a month until Bart will be home, actually closer to 3 weeks. it still doesn't seem real that he'll be here, in person, in the flesh, a real man!!! it's weird when you don't see someone for so long, they take on more of an idea quality, and to have them be tangible again is so amazing. it's difficult to explain, but what it boils down to is i can't wait to just wrap my arms around Bart's neck and hug him and kiss him until he can't even breathe anymore!!!! it will be so amazing to spend two weeks with him!!! i just can't wait!!! somehow i have to get through the next 3 weeks without going out of my mind!!! haha. everyone do something to keep me distracted :)

last but not least, i got my cat a new collar and it has a bell on it. it's pretty funny. he really doesn't like it and he tries to bite it and stuff, which is hilarious because obviously it's around his neck and that's just awkward. haha. poor little guy :) he's freakin adorable though and i love him!!! pets are sweet :) can't wait to get a puppy when Bart gets home!!!

so i was just reading through some of my previous entries in this crazy little blog, and i was cracking up!!! possibly the best entry ever: IAPPY NEW YEA!!! hahahahaaa i had forgotten all about stupid Bill. hahaha. ridiculous :) i had forgotten about a lot of stuff from not that long ago, and it's just kind of fun to read through it all and remember the small stuff.

the other side of that is that i read through the past couple months and all i had written about was how much i loved Centex. to me, that is like the saddest thing in the whole world. i really wanted to and thought i would retire from that job. i did love it, and obviously it showed. *sigh* life goes on though. it's just kind of strange, yet cool, to see it all represented here in my blog forever.

another thing i noticed is that i used to get way more comments on my blog. how sad, no one reads it anymore :( but just in case, the comments are enabled, even on my fancy new pretty blog skin :) sometimes the comments are the funniest part of everything!

anyway, nothing too exciting going on, so this will be short. i miss my Soldier and i'm trying to espn him to call me tonight. hopefully that works...

i don't really think i have anything specific to write today, but for some reason, i felt like i wanted to post an update.

i've been very bored lately. i do NOT like being home. trust me, i was built to work. my brain just races and time just slows to almost a stop when i am forced to sit home by myself. i hate it. so i spend at least 4 or 5, if not more, hours on the computer a day, searching, probing, attacking the internet for possibilities. so far, it's been ok for me. in just 2 weeks, i've gotten 2 interviews. not much other than that, but i've slacked off a little bit this week, and next week i'll be trying a new avenue, so hopefully i'll get some more stuff set up that way.

anyway, the interview i had this week went really well, almost too well in fact, because i found myself in a position of being the top candidate for a job that would make me take over a $10,000 pay cut. yeah, no joke, that's big. it's a cool job, involves travel to the tropics, fun stuff, busy, etc etc etc, but i couldn't come to terms with taking that big of a pay cut. money is certainly not the only thing i'm going to take a job for, i am very very big on job satisfaction. however, i know what i'm worth, and it's not upper $20s, especially after i was making over $40k with bonus potential in my last job. i just couldn't in all good conscience take that job and live with myself. in addition to that, it was a very stressful week because the lady needed the person hired to start on monday. so i had to go over every pro and every con in a very short period of time, run it by everyone meaningful i knew, and try to come up with a yes or no for myself. as i leaned more toward no, i went into my second interview being very very honest with this woman. as such, i think she made the offer to the other person, and i'm fine with it because it takes the stress off of me having to turn down an offer. overall, the whole thing gave me just a pinch more confidence that after only 2 weeks, i could pretty much get an offer. i'm going to be ok.

the next interview i have is october 2 for a hospitality management group. not like traditional managers, like finance managers, deal managers, etc. it's a position for a business development analyst, which is basically the exact same position that i got an offer for back in the day earlier this year from Rockbridge Capital down in columbus, OH. it's better because this company is a bigger company, plus it's local, and i know that there are MSU SHB alums there, which kind of gives me a little advantage. it's stressful because obviously i turned down this last job to kind of do myself and my search a little more justice, but nothing is for sure. i'm pretty confident that since i got an offer for the same type of job before, i have a good chance at this one, but every person is different and they will have a different opinion of me. so i'm a little scared, but i'm excited for the interview and i'm hoping that things go well. the bonus that really does make me want it is that it's in the same field as my main interest, real estate development, plus the financial analyst background would be so perfect for such a broad array of things if i want to make a career change in the future. and it also doesn't hurt that the position starts at $45k, which is actually more than i was making before. so everybody pray for me and this job, because i want it!

i'm not quite nervous yet because it has only been a couple weeks and the average job search takes 12.5 weeks. however, i'm a total worry wart and this is tough and crazy and it's a cruel world out there!!! i'm pretty terrified that i won't get this job and then i'll have no other interviews and nothing good set up and it'll be Christmas and i won't have anything. and then i'll either be really sorry i didn't take this first job, or i'll end up taking something stupid and low paying as a filler job just to make money and keep up the search in the meantime. i hope that doesn't happen, people tell me that it won't and that i'm intelligent and bright and talented and i'll get something great soon. i sure hope they're right because i don't know what i will do if things don't work out soon.

the major blessing in disguise in this whole episode is that i'll probably get to spend the entire 2 weeks of Bart's leave with him :D *BIG SMILE* i'm so incredibly excited i think i'm going to piss my pants about every 5 minutes!!!!! after 7 fucking months of agony being away from the man i love, we'll finally get to see each other again!!!! I CAN'T WAIT!!!!!!! it's going to be AMAZING and it'll just be so much more amazing if i can spend all of the time with him and not have to work. it's looking that way, even if i do get this next job. since the interview isn't until the 2nd, that means they probably have a few days that week, then they'll call for 2nd interviews the next week, maybe take some time to decide, then make offers, then negotiate. so, i have basically decided that WHEN i get that offer, my main negotiation will be to start in november, not right away. if they are able to wait for a person to fill this position for a few weeks, they're probably able to wait a few more weeks. i've got it all worked out :) and the BEST thing that i'm looking forward to the most about Bart being home is picking him up at the airport. i can't even explain how exciting that is to me!!!! i can't wait to see him walk out and to just throw my arms around his neck and drop everything and hug him and kiss him...it might just be the happiest moment of my life so far!!!!! and i get to be the very first person he sees. that's exciting too :) i still can't believe it's only a month away!!!! after all this damn time, it's only a month away!!! it almost doesn't seem real. but, it is real. it is very real :)

and speaking of it being real, so is my jiggly ass and thighs. which means it's time to go and work out. i got a new workout dvd and new weights and a stability ball, and WOW, it's definitely a workout!!!! if i do this freakin crazy thing every day for the next month, i'll look like heidi klum by the time Bart gets home!!!! errrr...probably not, but at least i'll be back to normal, not chubby, me :)

last but not least, fuck notre dame, you suck balls, GO STATE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

something happened this week that flipped my world upside down. i wasn't expecting it, and i'm still a little bit in shock. it's one of those life experiences that you take and learn from and become a better person because of. eventually, anyway. but for right now, i can't get past the fact that i'm sad and upset over the loss of something i've wanted so badly for a year now. something i have loved so dearly has been very abruptly taken away from me. it's disappointing, very disappointing, but i have to move on. i have to pick up the pieces and be strong and move on. and trust me, i'm a pro at that. but it's just more difficult this time because it's serious. the decisions i make over the next few weeks or maybe a couple months will not only affect me personally, but they will affect Bart too. and it's awfully hard to make big decisions without being able to discuss them with your other half! so things are tough, but i'll get through them. if i'm not being completely open about this, which i know is very strange for me because generally i'm extremely open with everything about my life, i'm sorry. it's too soon and too difficult for me to talk about right now. i don't want fake sympathy from people who say they understand. i don't want any of that. when i'm ready, and when things turn around, i'll let it all out and all the people closest to me will be the first to know. just bear with me if i'm a little weird for the next few weeks.

so just as a little word of advice, don't get complacent in your life. be on your guard and be prepared for the biggest shock of your life to happen tomorrow. don't take anything for granted, and don't think it can't happen to you, no matter how much you don't deserve it. but in the end, i guess life wouldn't be as exciting without its disappointments and challenges.

i'm starting to realize that i can finally get excited about Bart coming home soon. in a little more than a month, he'll be home and in my arms. and in my bed :) i just looked at the calendar today and really realized that in 2 days it will be september, which means it's only one month until october, which is the month he's coming home. after so long, i almost can't believe it!!! it's been so far out of reach for so long, it hardly feels real that i can start to count down in weeks and not months!!! no exact dates yet, so i can't start an actual countdown, but i'm guessing somewhere in the neighborhood of 6 weeks. holy crap!!! i'm so ecstatic out of my mind, i don't even know what to do with myself!!! i can't wait to see my baby! it's going to be so amazing!! i can't help but smile just thinking about it :)

well, if i knew i was the only person reading this, i would probably just keep babbling on about how much i love and miss Bart. but i'll spare the couple of you who check this sometimes from that monotony, because if you know me at all, you already have to hear me talk about it enough! haha. what can i say? i love my man!!! he's my world :) <-- see! there i go again!!! i'm still on a little high from talking to him on the phone a couple nights ago :) that was awesome.

anyway, i'm coming up on my 3 month anniversary at Centex. i still love every day at work and i'm still learning a ton and really enjoying myself and my job. it's a great thing! i'm definitely very lucky to be where i'm at, especially given the current market. i chose the right company to be with, that's for sure. my training is going really well. texas was super fun, just super fucking hot and very...texas. if anyone says y'all to me ever again, i might slap them. but the other "bootcampers," as we are called, are all great. we got to know each other over the course of 2 weeks and now we all have friends cross country :) i think that's a definite perk of the program. highlights for me are that i can now go visit denver or sarasota at any time and have a place to stay and some fun MI boys to party with. built in little minivacations for me and Bart :) anyway, i am now spending time back at home preparing for the next leg of my training, which is in minneapolis in september. it's been a lot of work, and a lot of work in front of the computer, which i am not a fan of. i don't like sitting at a desk, and that's the main reason i chose to become a field manager, key word FIELD!!! ha. well, only a couple more weeks of online training type of stuff and i'm back in the field even more than before. i'm looking forward to that :) i'm really looking forward to being able to use all of the things i'm learning in this training in my job in my home division. i think it'll make me a top field manager. just give me about a year and then ask me where i'm at :)

on another note, i'm very excited to see my friends this weekend for charlie's wedding!!! it's going to be so much fun!!! i can't wait :) i'm mostly excited to wear my new dress though, it's one of the best parts of the whole weekend! i love it! and i'm also very excited to see Bart's dad and that side of the family on sunday and monday. that might actually even be more exciting than the wedding. i love Bart's dad. he's so much fun to spend time with. i really miss him! i've been seeing Bart's mom and that family a lot, and i feel like i'm not evening out my time. it'll definitely be good to get up to port huron. i miss Ciara too. that girl is such a doll. i'm excited to spend some time with her too. and overall, i'm excited that i don't have to drive for the whole weekend!!!!!!! sucks to be Joshy!

well, i'm tired. i've been a little under the weather the past few days and i need to get some rest. gotta make sure i'm all set to get crazy this weekend :) hope you all enjoyed that neat little update on the life of Kourtney!