this is my last chance

Hi, friends! I hope everyone is doing well. It's only been a week since Lent began, and I miss Twitter already. I really don't miss facebook as much, but oooh do I miss twitter. It's been good, though. One less thing to worry about.

So, what have I been up to? Babysitting every morning from 6:30-7:45. (Yep, only a little bit each day, but hey, it's steady, and I know I'm getting a check for it every Friday). Picking up other random babysitting jobs (doing a couple overnight jobs in the beginning of April), volunteering at Cristo Rey, playing volleyball (championship game tonight! woo!) and applying for jobs. Well, really searching for jobs. I've sort of hit a wall with the applying. There just aren't that many anymore. Trust me, I look. I spend 3-4 hours every day searching, writing cover letters and sending out e-mails. I've started keeping a spreadsheet, so I can follow up better. From March 10th-today (I don't search on weekends), I've applied for fourteen jobs. Not one of them is in Michigan, but it's starting to look like I will have to move (if I get a job, ha). Unless, of course, I get accepted to Grad School. I should be hearing sometime in April or May, so please keep your fingers crossed. Oh, I also had a phone interview yesterday for a job in Detroit. I try not to get my hopes up anymore, though, so I'll just say- it was fine. They will get back to me in a few weeks.

But you know what? Overall, I'm pretty happy. Sad when I don't get a job, yes, frustrated, yes, but happy. Taken care of. My parents do a wonderful job of supporting me, comforting me, encouraging me. Most of my babysitting jobs have been through my mom, which I'm so grateful for. I've also just been enjoying (as cheesy as this sounds) getting to know them. I think most of us spend our whole lives trying to impress our parents or make them proud, and yes, I still want that desperately, but I'm so glad that I can actually form a friendship bond with them. Don't worry, they can still intimidate me, and tell me to clean my room, but living with them is so much more fun (no offense, mom and pops) than I imagined. They give me space but they are there for me.

I've also been able to see three of my best friends recently. My friend Sarah and I are in similar situations, she's back home, taking a few classes and trying to find a job. Not only is she one of the funniest, most understanding and honest friends I have, but we also share a love for Idol and Glee. I saw her twice last week and I'm sure that will continue, which makes me happy. On Monday I had lunch with my friend Christine, who I've known since I was five. Yep. Friends for 18 years. We're also on a similar journey, so it was nice to vent. Finally, I had dinner with Alex Monday night. It just made me so happy to see him and reminded me why we are best friends. I love that kid to death, and I'm so proud of him. He's doing a year of AVC at UofD, and loving it. I'm sure the feeling is mutual with his students :)

So, that's my life at the moment. Other random updates that no one cares about? Sure.

-What I'm Watching: Detroit 187, Glee and Idol, duh. 187 is such a good show, makes me sad that it probably won't get picked up. Last night's Glee episode was wonderful. The original songs were so much better in context, Mercedes got a kick-ass solo, and Klaine happened. Oh, and they actually mentioned Quinn's baby. Idol? I'm having a love affair with this season. Seriously. Thank goodness it is so much better than last year, and honestly, probably better than Season 8. I pretty much like everyone, but Casey and Jacob are my favorites. BUT, I will say Paul is becoming one of my favorites. His voice is very similar to a lot of the artists I listen too. Also watching Modern Family, always hilarious, and Greys which is back tomorrow night.

-What I'm Reading: Just finished I'd Know You Anyhwere by Laura Lippman. Loved it! Highly recommended. Page turner, mysterious, emotional. Now I'm reading Get Lucky by Katherine Center, which is good, and the writing is excellent, but I've read so many books too similar. Still good, though. While I read those, I'm reading God Loves Ugly by Christa Black, which is a self help book aimed at young girls, but I really think every woman should read it. It's a beautiful story that is allowing me to really examine myself. When I finish that, I'll start The Highly Sensitive Person, to continue to learn about myself :)

-What I'm Listening To: The CD's that are in constant rotation in my car are: 21, Adele (I listened to it for literally two weeks straight, without stopping once or switching to radio), Incredible Machine, Sugarland, and, most recently, the LIVE Cd of Melinda's Love 101, which is absolutely amazing. When I'm at home, you can usually find me listening to Nicki Minaj. Seriously. Whenever I sit down to apply for jobs, I put on Pink Friday. And that's...a lot. It's like I can't stop. I forget I even have other music on my Itunes, sometimes. Wow, that's creepy. Anyways, if I do stray away from Nicki, I'm usually on Pandora, on my Spill Canvas channel. Some of my favorite bands have been discovered from that station- Cartel and NeedToBreathe are two of my favorites right now.

Here, have one of my most recent obsessions.