Growing Up and other things...

I've had a very productive couple of days. Last weekend was spent in Oklahoma City where I got to see ACE and other friends from college. One of my friends, we'll call her Sevans, started working at this company in OKC called Chesapeake. It's the largest independent energy supplier or something crazy like that. Anyway, they have the most amazing employee benefits package I have ever heard. First of all, they have their own workout facility that offers five different lunchtime classes like Latin Salsa Dancing, circuit training, pilates, etc. Their employees are given free stock. Sevans' is valued at $9000 right now and grows everyday. They have wonderful incentives, including bonuses for good health reports and fitness challenges. That's the way a company should be run, so if I ever have the means and resources to create an incentives package, I will do so accordingly.

Today my tooth broke. It didn't hurt, though. It was actually a popped filling, but it was enough to scare me for two reasons. 1) Are my teeth really that brittle?, and 2) I don't have health insurance right now (!!!). We'll find out more about that later, but under the gun, I checked into health insurances and found out a bunch of things. First, I was looking into a Healthcare Savings Account, which you deposit money into and it takes your premium and other medical expenses out of it. All of this is TAX DEDUCTIBLE! After talking to my dad, we're checking into COBRA, which means that I'm allowed an individual account under his company's healthcare. We'll see how they pan out, but at least I know my options!

While I deposited my check (HOORAY PAYDAY!) I also set up a meeting with a financial rep at Bank of Oklahoma to set up my ROTH and savings CDs. Keep in mind that for insurance and savings and Roth and IRA, I have no idea. I took the required Business, Economics and Society class in college, but I was too busy talking or sleeping or something. This is a completely different language for me. It makes me appreciate having parents and a boyfriend who know what they are doing and can help me. As much as I try conducting my own research, this stuff is too important to mess up just because of my pride!

Work has been going well. We've been getting a lot of media hits for our authors. My supervisor has been giving me rave reviews. I'm glad that I can help. As far as my desire to freelance edit and write, I have been given new motivation. When I first started job hunting, I mentioned a contact who owns a good Christian publishing company here. He didn't have any jobs, but referred me to a woman who runs this editing business and a ministry. She agreed to have lunch with me soon, so I am excited about that.

Looks like I am finally becoming important and busy, but I am still just little old me. I have to admit...I can't wait until JT gets back from his business trip! Two more days, hopefully!

Sweet dreams are made of these...

I got another job interview! It's Friday at 11:00. This one's a sales writing position with a pretty big company in Tulsa. Here's the description:

Sales Coordinator - Sales Communication Writer

Summary: Respond to Request for Proposal (RFP) and Request for Information (RFI) from potential and current clients. Write and maintain company and industry information. Edit information from other sources to create a clear and concise message. Maintain Sales Intranet Site which is a repository of the above information.

Responsibilities:

Manage RFP/RFI projects using fundamentals of project management: o Create and execute project work plans and revise as appropriate to meet changing needs and requirements o Identify resources needed and assign individual responsibilities o Create and manage expectations o Manage day-to-day project tasks and scope o Keep all team members and management apprised of project status o Review or submit for review deliverables prepared by team o Ensure deadlines are met, expectations exceeded o Ensure all items relating to project are correct and complete o Archive project documents appropriately Create engaging, informative, well-organized presentations Create and modify web pages for the Sales Intranet Site Convey our corporate message for both written and verbal discussions Maintain the integrity of the information contained within the Sales Intranet Site Assist and comply with defining and determining standard policies and procedures. Resolve and/or escalate issues in a timely manner Communicate difficult and sensitive information appropriately • Facilitate meetings when requiredRequirementsQualifications Bachelor degree in English, Journalism or related field. 2+ years of experience handling similar responsibilities to include web management. Advanced knowledge of Microsoft Office; Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Access and FrontPage or other web editing program required. Ability to work efficiently and effectively in a fast-paced environment with shifting priorities and tight deadlines. • Must possess excellent written and verbal communication skills with ability to work comfortably with multiple levels of management.

Sounds like it would be fast-paced and involve a lot of different things. We'll see how much they're willing to fork over. It might be kind of interesting to work downtown. The drive's kind of bad, but not awful. Definitely worth 30 minutes if it means having a steady job! And who knows, maybe I'll move somewhere closer to midtown soon.

Also, I got in touch with an old acquaintance who's one of the key contributors to Radiant Magazine, which is kind of the female equivalent to Relevant Magazine. Both are wonderful for my demographic, or any Christian young adult! Anyway, she's kind of inspired me to start writing again and actually try to get it published. The writing industry is harder to get into than it looks, you know. Most writers are rejected over and over again before someone finally thinks they are worth it, and then that person proceeds to rip their writing to shreds and isn't satisfied until three drafts later (grrr).

Nevertheless, it's always been one of my biggest dreams to start a magazine for Christian girls who are in the process of shedding their tutus and tea parties for a corner office and wedding bells. The premise for my idea is based on Diana Hagee's book The Daughter of the King, but it would be a little bit different. The magazine wouldn't try to promote marriage or anything like that, but instead, it would give women practical tips for preparing themselves as the Bride of Christ. Freedom would be emphasized, both as one of the key biblical themes as well as through sharing stories, recipes, devotionals, beauty tips, and other helpful advice for a very confusing time.

Anyway, I got that vision sometime in college, but I've always understood that a person can't just jump into that kind of thing. I was talking with the Boyfriend about it tonight, and it helped me realize that that's why I haven't been decisive about a career. I know that whatever job I land is only going to be my bread-and-butter. My real fulfillment will come from writing and striding toward this ultimate vocational goal, no matter how long it takes.

Did I mention, today, that I'm pretty much crazy about a certain man?

Just procrastinating!

I needed to blow off some steam. I just got out of the shower, kind of nervous about tomorrow, the first of two anatomy quizzes this week.

New Friend, who can safely be called Lana now, accompanied me to Nordaggio's, a coffee place I used to frequent in high school. Since I didn't have class today, I had already gone through the chemistry assignment while watching a movie, and helped Lana with it occasionally whilst drafting an outline for our anatomy quiz.

One of the old gang was at Nord's, behind the counter this time, and it was so good to see him and catch up. He'd even grown a mullet! I also saw an unwanted face from the Metro days, but successfully managed to avoid all unpleasant and awkward situations.

I'm thinking about starting a novel. I've written several works in progress that kind of fizzled out, but this one could go a long way because it has an autobiographical basis. Granted, I'm not going to write out my life story because I don't want to disguise myself under a fictitious name. My story isn't phenomenal (yet), but I'm merely going to throw in some of the colorful situations that people can learn from with good humor. We'll see.

One of my brothers got in huge trouble today. I'm not going to talk about it, but I feel bad for him, and I'm glad I wasn't around to see The Confrontation with the 'rents.

The weathermen are predicting snow. Again. Just when we finally got rid of the last batch. I am so sick of winter, especially if it jeopardizes my plans to see Best Friend. I so needed this mini-vacation, with the massive amount of work I'm dealing with.