Circus Freak :)

So after a fun day at work at Massage Envy undergoing more and more training (product training with Murad Skincare)  and working on my sales pitch, I learned a few things.. 1. OMG... Some of these Murad lines are for ages 23-35 and are focused on ANTI-AGING!!! Minor freakout as I realize I am getting older and apparently need to think about anti aging face care?!? whoaaa. 2. When people say that a face product is Organic... it isn't. It only needs a small percentage to be organic. 3. Ok, so after listening and testing products for the past 3 hours, I want to get a facial! haha... good thing I work at a spa.

Anyways, the fun stuff...

I signed my sister Tania, my mom and I up for an Aerial Dance class on Wednesday nights from 730-930pm. Aerial dance is kind of what you see in Cirque de Soleil with the girls in the hoops or on the silks doing all the cool things that make you wonder how the HECK they can possibly let themselves unravel from the long, suspending silk, and catch themselves in these incredible overly-stretched poses!!

Really, really cool.

So of course, me being the dare devil that I am, the gymnast and cheerleader in me decided that I absolutely just HAD to do this. I am glad I did! It was so much fun! We learned some neat moves on the hoops, hammock(which you see me on) and the tissu(or silks).

I had a hard time on the tissu due to my lack of shoulder.. and in fact, I really need a massage.. *cough* thankfully I work at a massage spa*cough*

The time is now... Go learn something new you guys.. Life is too short and you have to have fun with it.

xoxo

Job Hunt

I had an interview Friday at a cute clothing store a few streets over from my house called "Heavenly Couture" and honestly, the sales girls are all like 15 and incredibly immature. I cannot tell you HOW MANY TIMES while I was waiting for my interview did I hear the phrases, "Uhm, who works here?" or "I need a fitting room, where is the girl?" or "Uh, where's the sales girls, I'm ready to check out.." or this was my favorite.. "Really, I have been waiting up here to check out for 15 minutes, I'm about ready to just walk out and forget it."

Coming from a prior clothing sales girl - THAT is UNACCEPTABLE!!!!  Ugh. And meantime they are all giggling and gossiping in the back of the store.

But I had an interview Saturday with Massage Envy in San Clemente. After a brief chat with the owners and managers, they hired me on the spot! The cool thing is, that I can transfer to a Massage Envy in Colorado! They said my training would start either Tuesday or Wednesday and they would email me to let me know.

So... as I had plans already to head up to Mammoth to see a certain boy.. I decided to continue with my trip. I hadn't seen him since before I left for Italy. Unfortunately, my trip was cut short, as they decided they needed me on Monday, but the trip was worth it - he always is.

I left him at 8pm and was asleep by 1am. My first day of training started at 10! I was pretty tired, but I made it through the day, and I love my new job!

Blood Drive and Bone Marrow Registry

Volunteering at the blood drive was really fun today! After a quick training in the parking lot with the handbook on the hood of the car (yes.. this is really how she trained me.. not a typical situation..) I was tossed into the cantine - which is the refreshment area where we have the recovering donors sit and drink juice or water and eat some yummy snacks - while I watch them for signs of fainting or reactions. I volunteered from 9am to 3pm in the cantine, and Tania at the registration. It was really fun and some of the donors were really chatty and hilarious. This drive was held at a business center and the majority of people were donating on their breaks.

Very cool if you ask me.

Several times I was asked if I had ever donated blood, and no I haven't. I cannot donate because of my frequent visits to Costa Rica, donors have to have not travelled to Costa Rica within a year. I have always had a minor fear of blood donation, hearing the horror stories of people fainting or blood squirting or the cruel phlebotomy techs that poke you until you can't move your arm from being badly bruised. But I didn't experience any of that. The techs were all very nice and gentle with their donors, and I didn't have anyone fainting on me! So that was very good!

I did do something special today though.. I joined the National Bone Marrow Donor Program. For those who don't know what that is, here are some educational points:

• To be on the registry- you must be between 18 and 60 - meeting health guidelines of course
• Volunteers should be committed to helping any patient
• If you decide to register - you will remain on it until you are 61
• The process is easy - fill out the forms and take the swab packet they provide and swab your cheek cells - See... no pain to register. 
• Doctors search the registry to find a donor whose tissue type matches their patients. If you are chosen, your donor center will contact you. If you agree, more testing will be scheduled.
• Next step is to attend an information session with the staff of your donor center when you are a match and review the donation process, risks and side effects.
• There are two ways they can choose from to collect the blood forming cells - either from the marrow or from the circulating blood (aka PBSC donation).
• Here is where you decide to donate or not.
• Receive a physical exam.

Now if it is a Marrow Donation:

• Marrow Donation is a surgical procedure
• While you are under anesthesia, doctors use special hollow needles to withdraw liquid marrow from the back of the pelvis bone. 
• Some marrow donors receive a transfusion of their own previously donated blood.
• Some side effects: Soreness in the lower back for a few days or longer. Most donors are back to their normal routine in a few days.
• Did you know, your marrow is completely replaced/regenerated within four to six weeks?!
• And of course, a follow up.

And if it is a PBSC Donation:

• PBSC donation takes place at an apheresis center. 
• To increase the number of blood-forming cells in the bloodstream, donors receive daily injections of filgrastim for 5 days prior to collection. 
• Blood is then removed through a needle in one arm and passed through a machine that separates out the blood-forming cells. The remaining blood is returned back to your body in the other arm.
• Side effects: possible headache, bone or muscle aches prior to collection - a side effect from the filgrastim which increases the number of blood-forming cells. The effects disappear shortly after collection.
• Once again, a follow up. 

The National Marrow Donor Program helps people who need a life-saving marrow or blood cell transplant. They connect patients, doctors, donors and researchers to the resources they need to help more people live longer and healthier lives.

What a great thing to do for humanity. I even sported my awesome sticker all day.

For more info:

www.BeTheMatch.org

Aerials and Errands...

Today was filled with dropping off applications, picking up kids from school and random errands for my family. My sister Tania called and offered to treat me to a mani and pedi if I would pick her up and bring her to our favorite nail salon in San Juan Capistrano. So of course, I was most obliging..

Now that my fingers and toes are happy in a spring-inspired lavender, I ran over to Marshalls to pick up a few clothing boxes for my mom, and found the cutest skirt! Had to have it! Plus it matched my fresh, shiny new paint job.

The skirt is similar to this, but instead of the orange it had green and purple splattered flowers... Very cute :) Definitely going to be sporting this sweet and spicy number tomorrow!

Good thing it has been nice and warm lately! My pale limbs are crying for some sunshine! Whip out the SPF 50!

Oh, tomorrow, I haven't told you yet! I am volunteering at my first blood drive in Fashion Island!

After driving my sister Tania to some of her blood drives and hearing how much she actually enjoys it - she has to do so many community service hours because of a DUI... but she said it was something she wants to continue to do even after her required hours were up. So, me (unemployed and bored out of my mind) with my nurturing nature, decided to sign up and volunteer. I am actually pretty excited about this! It is for 6 hours, so it is a whole day, but we are allowed to bring a book or magazines to look through during the down time, which is great especially since Jane Eyre and I haven't been keeping very good contact the last couple days..

I have been wanting to take dance classes for months now.. finally I found a place that had great prices AND offered a class I didn't even think about taking! Aerial Dance! It is what you see the Cirque du Soleil girls do on the suspending hoops and silk ropes. Needless to say- I am sold! I signed up and I have my first class on Wednesday! I can't wait!

Silks here I come!


This will be me :)



Is Wednesday here yet...?

HOLY CRAP ITS MARCH?!?!

WHOA!! Where did the time go? I cannot believe it is already March. Well.. I better start working harder on my New Year's Resolutions.. Well I have been a little bit..

Lets recap those goals..

1. Travel - Enjoy the world
2. Write - Express to remember, forget and learn
3. Speak - Learn a new language
4. Play - Pick up a guitar
5. Learn - Finish College

Yes, it is already March and I have visited 2 countries, Costa Rica and Italy. So I have been faithful to Goal 1. It is early in the year, maybe I will have more traveling. I know I will be moving back to Colorado and going to Las Vegas for a weekend for my best friend's bachelorette party! So that is some travel...

I have been writing on a regular basis. I write here in my blog, in my pretty pink journal, and I am trying to work on two very different books. Goal 2: We are doing well :)

Speak... yikes this is a hard one for me, but I have been learning some Italian. Some days it is slow, others it comes easy. I can understand a lot more than I can respond! So Goal 3 - we have some work to do..

Now, Goals 4 and 5 - I have not even touched yet. I have thought about them, but haven't exactly done anything about it yet. Time to get crackin!

Hopefully I will have an idea about Goal 5 by the end of March. Hey, thats my March goal! Haha..

Wasted Time with Jane Eyre and Housework

Waking up at 5:30 am with absolutely nothing to do for the day is really beginning to drive me crazy. I'm only on day 5 of being home in the states...

I spent my day with Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte, imagining my life elsewhere. I did 7 loads of laundry for my mom - helping her catch up - she has been really busy and isn't quite moved in to the new place so I also cleaned the kitchen and all the floors in the house. I also made my first pot roast - and I think I did pretty good! Bored, you ask? Yes.

I am ready to get out, move on, start my life over. But you never can start your life over, you can change your life any day you want. It is just hard taking that first step, wondering if it will be the right one, if you will regret it later.

For some reason, any time I make plans, they fail. I don't know what it is. I must be making the wrong plans, but everything has to work out for the best. Doesn't it?! I hope so.

So, I am planning on moving back to Colorado, find a job, a place to live and finish school. Hopefully this plan works! I only have 22 credits left to finish.. However, it is much harder then it sounds. I owe the school $10,000, and have no means of paying for school in the fall. My family is trying to find a way to help me out, but I don't know if it will happen. Either way, I am not happy here in California. Not right now at least. I love the city I live in, and how I'm just right here at the beach, but I don't have friends here. All the girls I grew up with, have moved away, gone into drugs or become pregnant. Hmm.. Doesn't sound like the greatest choices I have to pick from.

So instead, I am with my family. I hang out with my sisters - which is okay, but I can't go out dancing or grab drinks with them. I have my mom, who I love, but she is currently dating and moving on with her life. That leaves me here, at home, wishing I was elsewhere.

I am sick of being here and wasting away my life.