May the road rise up to meet you

Okay! So the decision has been made.  The application has been mailed and the trascripts have been requested.  I'm going back to school to be a Nurse.  :-D  And I am excited about this.  I finally know what I want to be when I grow up!  There are few odds and ends that still have to be wrapped up in order to be excepted into the program.  I don't think that will be as much of a problem since I've gotten a head start on the whole process. 

Even more good news to share...I got a raise.  My debt snowball will be rolling at a faster rate this season and I'm so thrilled.  I've been working non-stop for months now, well...even years and I'm beginning to see the sun through the clouds.  I continue to pray that my goals will stay right on track.

May the road rise up to meet you.
May the wind always be at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
and rains fall soft upon your fields.
And until we meet again,
May God hold you in the palm of His hand.

New Year but no new resolutions

The style in which I rang in the new year will probably be a good indication of what is to come.  I began the evening working at Spirits Pub & Grub, knowing damn well that we would not be remotely busy for this particular holiday.  (Working in the service industry and having a degree in Operations Management has made me very intuitive in this aspect.)  I putzed around most of the evening, seeing as how I only had four tables in four hours.  I looked forward to the fact that I would be able to get home and sit in my sister's cozy house with my husband to ring in the new year.  And then it happened.  Shortly after 9 o'clock a couple walked in, part of a larger party, 'dressed to the nines'.  The gentleman was even wearing a matching bow tie and cummerbund.  (Really?...Really? Matching cummerbund LOL).  My manager made an honest mistake and gave me a party that was already reserved for another server.  He was unaware of that fact, and didn't ask the right questions, that this couple was part of the original reservation.  I served a few drinks and the rest of the party walked in. The mistake was realized.  I repeatedly offered the other server the table, (mainly in an attempt to not stay ALL night) but she followed server etiquette and told me to keep the table.  It's an easy transfer in the system but again she told me to keep the table.  Let me not forget to mention, this party planned to Ring in the New Year at our fabulous little pub.  I was stuck.  No longer was this other server closing down the restaurant.  The glorious task now fell upon me. Whoo....hooo.  Since
the evening was now going to be consumed with serving duties I called my husband and kindly asked that he come up to the pub sometime after 11 so I'd at least be able to kiss him at midnight.  The night wasn't terrible but definitely not how I expected to spend my New Year's Eve celebration.  Granted this one party supplied me with more then half of the tips that I ended up making but I wouldn't have missed it either.

Happy New Year to me

I probably should make some sort of point in the symbolism aspect of that evening.  Spirits Pub & Grub is my part-time, second job.  In my lack of patience for debt freedom I applied for a server job (Desk jockey by day, table runner by night).  The job was meant to be a two or three night a week job in which every last penny went to pay off debt my husband and I have accumulated.  Our goal is debt freedom by the end of this summer.  Fingers crossed everybody.  Come to find out over my three month employment there, this restaurant does a lot of "cleaning house".  And apparently when you are good server you tend to acquire more shifts.  I also began to get calls from other servers asking me to cover his/her shift.  I have weaknesses in this area (which sort of go hand in hand): I'm a workaholic and I can't pass up an opportunity for money.  "The trouble with opportunity is that it always comes disguised as hard work."  My part-time, second job has now turned into my practically full-time, second job.  I miss my husband immensely but I can't wait to tell Bank of America to &*%$ off! :-D

As far as resolutions are concerned, I guess I have a few. For the most part these resolutions have already been in progress. First and foremost: I'm (We - Brian and I) going to get out of debt. We have been well on our way and are making larger and larger leaps in this process. Since I don't know the exact amount of tips I make each week, we've set an approximate time frame of the end of this summer. And maybe I should be more realistic in stating that we will be free of all consumer debt by the end of the summer. I have family members I wish to pay back as well. In order to continue my motivation, I've set separate goals for these two different types of debt. Second and more importantly: I need to get a handle on my stress. Those close to me know the vicious cycle I cause myself with my inability to get control of this (probably the only thing I feel I don't have control of). I've decided I will do what is necessary to be the type of person I've always admired. This is coupled with the idea that I don't want to loose my marriage and the few friendships I have over the fact that I'm a cynical ass who sarcasm and inability to filter myself has caused enough heartache. (Deep rooted childhood issues table for one.) "The secret of success is learning how to use pain and pleasure instead of having pain and pleasure use you. If you do that, you're in control of your life. If you don't, life controls you." Anthony (Tony) Robbins (and yes I just quoted Tony Robbins) Third and probably last: I want to start yoga. I honestly would love to start cross fit training and have the hot, muscular body of someone like Gina Carano but I'll start with small goals first. Yoga is something I know could and will be a life long activity for me and probably will help me greatly in my quest to be a calm and healthy individual. Any of you who are near and dear to me and live relatively close, I would appreciate any beneficial help you can give me in my current goals and welcome any constructive advice.

Gina Carano - too damn hot for words

I'm not much for journaling

I've recently come to the conclusion that I truly have too much going on inside my brain.  I've never embraced the need for journalizing my thoughts but recent events have led me to believe it would be worth a try.  In my quest to focus on myself this year, the idea of blogging was an unexpected brainchild.  I hope this turns out to be a rewarding concept.

Hello world

August 1, 2011 began what I coined as the "Year of Alys."  Feeling like a rat trapped in a wheel, I decided enough was enough.  I felt that maybe focusing my myself and what I needed in my life would then allow other bearings of my life to correct themselves. It is almost a mantra that I have to repeat to myself in order to stay focused on the goals that I have.

"You must live like no one else in order to give like no one else."  - Dave Ramsey's motto for financial peace.  Another mantra I continuously repeat to myself.  I decided in this Year of Alys that I would personnally do whatever it takes to help get my husband and I out of debt.  Without resorting to my trustly calculator, I guage that my husband and I owe around 25,000 dollars in debt.  Which is 10,000 less than we owed last year around this time.  That was not fast enough for me.  In the o'so wise words of father Eslinger "Patience is a waste of time." And with that in mind I rolled up my sleeves, lowered my neckline and plastered on that pretty smile my parents paid so much for when I was a child.  Desk jockey by day, table runner by night.  Though I'm exhausted, it has already proven to be fruitful in my endeavours. Plus the fact that I've lost around 10 pounds isn't something to be ignored. 

Sometimes I wonder if being extremely busy has caused less stress since I don't have time to focus on it or more stress since I'm both physically and mentally tired.  Either way, it's a trying time for our marriage.  I believe that if we can make it through this without any lasting scars than our marriage should stand the test of time.  To make things more difficult on myself, I've surrendered to the instrinsic art of extreme intense couponing.  It is painfully rewarding and definitely not for the faint of heart.  My idiosyncratic need to be organized has been a blessing during my development of this hobbie, but it also has been a curse due to the time consuming nature that already plagues the world of couponing. 

Many hours of work

- To end the day with a quote:
It is the epitome of life. The first half of it consists of the capacity to enjoy without the chance; the last half consists of the chance without the capacity. - Mark Twain