A Bit of Catching Up

I think it is going to take awhile, and certainly a lot of "Oh yeah!" moments, over a number of blog entries to catch people up with the last two years. I am not even sure exactly where to start. There have been job changes, life changes, many, many events involving the children, trips...

Today, I think I will catch you all up on my (and my husband's) job changes. I am not sure if my husband still worked at the computer repair shop when I last posted. Due to some unfortunate events, he found himself unemployed. It took him awhile to find something new. When he did, it was a job from home. A call centre for Apple products. It was good, in the sense there was no commute, and that it was somewhat in his line of expertise. But then as time wore on, it was discovered that the company he was working for was severely flawed. After several paychecks that were severely lower than they should have been, due to their error, and on part due to their faulty equipment, he decided to cut his losses and again search for a new job, this time away from computers. Again it took a few months. EI was not available to him, do it was a rough ride until he ended up working with me. Six months of this, and he decided this was not the place for him, either.
This ended us in the biggest adventure yet. He went back to school. He spent three months away from home, studying to become an apprentice electrician. He passed his exams with flying colours, and even had a job lined up before the exams. He now works up north, four days a week, making more per hour than he ever did before. It has been quite an adjustment in the last four months, after having him home every night, first having him away for all but two weekends while at school, and then this past month of having him away four days, then home three. But he is doing well and enjoying the job, so we are adjusting...and if he is still there in a few years, once I am an empty nester, I will move up there. We choose not to uproot our son from his high school.

As for myself, I worked at my truck driving job until he went off to school. Then I had to change jobs because I wasn't making enough, not getting the hours I needed, being the sole provider during that time. I wish it had been possible to stay... now that he is in this job, I could have worked the hours now and had it be enough...but they have a policy to never rehire anyone. Too bad...I really liked that job and the people there.
So I took a job at McDonald's. I lasted the three months he was in school, and then quit. The stress was just too much. The hours were sufficient to help pay the bills, but the pace and some of the shifts wore me to the point of tears...not to mention the three times I burned my hand very badly with tea or coffee. It took three weeks to heal from the last time.
Now I am a bit of a freelancer...I make and sell bagels, baked goods, casseroles, and jams. I am the janitor at my church for a few hours each week. I am filling in for the church secretary while she is away. I mystery shop. And i have recently been taken on by a modeling agency. I hope to appear in a magazine, a flyer, on a bus or billboard, that sort of thing someday...but first I need to get some professional photos taken and start a portfolio, and study up on how to look and act like a model. The agency offers packages, but I can't afford them, so am trying to get all of this done on my own. If I can present them with impressive enough photos, they should be able to help me get the casting calls. Fingers crossed!

So as you can see, a lot has happened, just in the area of jobs! Maybe the next topic will be one of the children.