Jill Victoria

We are now 18 days away from my wedding day. I can’t even wrap my head around what all needs to be done. Although we have gotten so much accomplished in the past eight months in preparation for both the wedding and the move, I now feel like nothing has been done.

I’m the type of person who likes to have a plan of what will happen way in advance, mostly so I have time to plan more and tweak things. Now we’re down to last minute things and I don’t have time to tweak those.

I’m so ready for the wedding to be over with, but at the same time I’m rather sad that it will be over in just 18 days. I won’t lie, the attention David and I have gotten has been nice. Though not having to plan things or deal with drama will be nice when this is over. The cruise will be great!

On top of the wedding, I have school. My first block of classes ends this week and I’ll be starting my second the week before the wedding! I need to finish my two papers for the current classes and then have to tell my new professors that I’ll be out of class for almost a week and a half.

I’m not stressing about any of that at all. //sarcasm

On a lighter note, I have had some fun lately. Saturday David and I went up to Atlanta to buy my wedding band. Last minute, I know. We went to the Solomon Brothers, which was interesting. The Solomon Brothers is located in an office building, which makes you wonder if you’re in the right place. You even have to sign in to go up to the store!

It was a lucky thing for us. David and I had to wait for a while to be helped, but that paid off well. By the end of our visit, the price of the ring we wanted was reduced for us AND we were offered a free amethyst bracelet! So, I’m obviously going to be using and recommending the Solomon Brothers from now on!

Good news for Emily! She now has herself a boyfriend! No surprise to some of us, and I’m so very happy for her. She’s now in a relationship (officially, since Facebook says so) with a guy she and I have both known the majority of our lives, Greg. I honestly think its a great match and that this will work out very well.

I have started playing World of Warcraft recently. It really helps me take out my frustrations. Lauren and Carlos play too and have been teaching as well as helping me. I really like the game and I believe that David will be getting into it too.

Wednesday I have my final meeting with my wedding planner. My mom and future mother-in-law will be going with me. I could use some prayers for the day of and before the wedding. According to the almanac, its supposed to rain and our ceremony is outside! So, please pray and pray hard to keep the rain away those two days!

Also pray about a new job for me. David talked to a guy he knows who said he is interested in hiring me. That would be so very great! Please keep me in your prayers so I’m not stressed, finish my first block of classes with good grades, have a dry wedding day, and get a new job soon.

Life. Its crazy!

I’ve been trying to update for the past week. Things have just been so hectic it’s been hard to find time to.

Last Sunday was my first bridal shower. It was given for my family by my mom’s best friend. It was a lot of fun and nice to see the family I don’t get to see often during the year.

Most of this past week has been me working on school. The assignments are coming more often and take more time to complete, so I end up spending half the day (and sometimes into the night) working on assignments.

Watching the kids in the afternoon has been easy enough. It also gives me time to do some reading for classes since the boys are fine just watching TV or playing on their own. I do work with Cameron on his spelling words. He really loves to spell them out loud and then on paper for me.

Monday I went and got contacts for the first time in my life. I had always been afraid of contacts, thinking I would either mess them up or they would cost me too much. I really love that America’s Best has such affordable doctor visits and contacts/glasses. So far I’m very happy with them. It’s a liberating feeling, though I feel naked at times without my glasses at times.

When I’m not doing school or watching the kids, I am either packing up my room or helping to pack up the Fayetteville house. Most of yesterday was me helping (with what I could do) Ms. Deb and John go through things in the Fayetteville house to either save or get rid of. It’s a huge task once you start opening up closets and drawers.

Today is the bridal shower thrown by my mad/matron of honor and bridesmaids. Laura can’t be there because she’s actually giving birth to her precious daughter, Bevanne! I’m praying that everything goes smoothly for Laura and we have a happy and healthy baby girl and mama before the day is over! I think it’s funny that we set this particular date for the shower because it was one of the only times that both Krista (who gets married two weeks from today!!) and Laura could be able to attend. You just never know what will happen!

On the same note as the showers; I’ve been given some grief by people about having three showers. I don’t really appreciate the remarks of some about it. I’m not the one who asked for three showers; three different people (and groups of people) offered to give me a shower. I’m having three because with all the people who are invited to the different ones, if I had one, or even two, I’d have close to 100 people show up. That’s not me bragging or whatever else people might call it. It’s just what’s happening. David and I both come from very large families. What should I do when someone offers to give me a shower? Say no? That would be rude and ungrateful.

I guess no matter how I do things with the wedding or the preparations, someone will be pissed off at me.

I’m so ready for this to be over and still feel like it hasn’t even begun yet! I’m stressed out, worn out and still having fun at the same time.

Really, I’m beginning to have some sympathy for the girls who go bridezilla at times. It’s hard to keep your cool when everyone is either a critic or meaning well but making you feel pulled in ten different directions at once. I’m just glad I haven’t lost it on anyone. I refuse to take out any stress I’m under on anyone else. That wouldn’t do anyone any good.

I finally have time to sit down and do an update!

I started working regularly on Monday at my new job. So far it’s not my favorite job ever, but it’s also not my most hated one. I do enjoy most of it. Working with Laura is fun and the other women in the office are nice.

There’s not much to tell when it comes to what we do. Mostly it’s making phone calls. I do also do data input and help ship out orders.

Getting a job when I did was great. With my last boss still owing me close to $1,000, I was getting way behind on bills. My parents and David were helping me with what they could, though I hated having to rely on someone else to support me. I know they did it out of love. If they were in my place and I in theirs, I would be doing the same thing.

It really is great to see how God works things out. He tends to make things happen exactly when I need them to, even if it’s not in the time frame I had in mind. Obviously, He knows best.

Tomorrow David and I are going up to Chattanooga to get our engagement pictures done by David’s cousin, Kathleen. She is an excellent photographer and was even nominated for a Pulitzer Prize! We’ll be going up Saturday morning to do some inside shots and then we’re spending the night and doing photos outside on Sunday morning as well. I went and picked out some outfits, so hopefully those turn out well. Just need to get with David and coordinate them.

Please pray for good weather and for good hair days for me!

Oh, and I’m still doing Mary Kay! We have some great new products for the summer, so make sure you check out my website and order while you can!

Current Mood: Cool

Today was my first day at my new job. It was just Laura and I along with another girl (whose name escapes me right now) all day, so it was very leisurely and nice.

Laura trained me how to do the input for the spread sheet, how to fill out forms and what to say when we answer the phone. It should be a good job and she says that everyone there is very easy to work with. And since I filled out my direct deposit form, I know I’ll get paid on time every time!

While at David’s house this evening, we got a surprise! A group of balloonists dropped in on the field next to David’s. I haven’t been up close with a balloon in about ten years. My uncle Steve owns a balloon and I’ve been up in it a few times. I have always loved going up in a hot air balloon! The best time of year to do it (in my opinion) is in the winter. The warm blast from the fire feels so good mixed with the cold air surrounding you. That was when we always went up anyways. That could also be because my uncle would come for Thanksgiving and bring the balloon then.

At least it wasn’t a house being carried by thousands of balloons like in the movie Up!. I still need to go see that. I love Disney movies!

David got to take a ride up in the balloon. The people who owned it were training another guy to pilot a hot air balloon. So, when they landed, they had David get in to help with weight and balance while the guy learned how to lift and drop a few feet off the ground.

I was a little jealous I didn’t get a chance to go up, even if it was just about six feet off the ground. I think it would have been a lot of fun to get back in a basket again!

David and I worked on some wedding stuff we have to give our wedding planner soon. Every time we have to make all the choices, I feel overwhelmed or like there’s just too much involved. Everyone has an opinion and I get tired of trying to fit ours as a couples in and filter out everyone elses. It’s not like we don’t appreciate the input, because we do. We actually take it into consideration; but when we make our own choice about something, it doesn’t help to hear others say they would do it differently. Thanks, but that’s you. We want things a certain way, seeing as we’re only doing this once… unlike my dad’s brother who has divorced and remarried the same woman at least ten times now.

Now we just need to pick out our first dance song, father/daughter, etc. It sucks! There are so many good songs for the dances, but none seem special enough. At least not yet.

This really has been a good weekend thus far. I hope Sunday is just as good or better!

Here’s a life update on me.

Today has been a very good day! I had my second meeting with Leslie, my wedding planner. Felisha, the proprietor of the Hazlehurst House, was also present for this meeting. My mom and Emily came and we all talked flowers and center pieces and cake and layout for the ballroom. It was a lot to take in, but I’m glad it got done all at once. I have some paper work to fill out for Leslie so she can get the ceremony planned and timed out, and then our last meeting will be in September.

It’s a lot closer than I thought!

Before I got to the meeting, Laura called me to tell me that her boss at her new job was looking for someone to do data entry. She asked if I would come in for an interview and bring my resume. I told her I could be there after my meeting with Leslie, so I headed out there right after I finished up.

The interview was very quick and I was hired on the spot. I go in tomorrow so Laura can train me.

So, that is one prayer answered! And not a moment too soon, either.

After the interview, I stopped by Moye’s so I could give some of my Mary Kay customers their orders. Then I went to meet my two maids of honor, Emily and Krista, for lunch at La Parilla. We had a good and cheap lunch there and then I headed to get my eyebrows waxed. They were long overdue.

Tonight I’m eating at Baci’s in Fayetteville, where mine and David’s rehearsal dinner will take place. It’s a family owned Italian place with excellent food! My stomach rumbles just thinking of it!

In other news, my room is well on it’s way to being cleaned and packed up and ready for the big move in October. I get a weird sensation whenever I think of moving. It’s crazy to think that I’ll finally, and I mean FINALLY be out of my parents house! Not that I don’t love them, I just want to be out of their house and out living my own life. I’m sure they want me out as well.

Hopefully David will be off soon and I’ll see him. I haven’t been able to get in touch with him all day, so he doesn’t even know I had an interview, let alone that I got the job. He’ll be excited to hear it!

Maybe life will get back on the right track now. *crosses fingers*

Current Mood: Esctatic

It’s been a while since I last updated. I used to make a point of trying to write on my blog every day during the work week. At that time, I was also at a desk and online for eight hours. Ever since I got cut from full-time to part-time, I haven’t been online as often as I used to be. I’ve missed writing here. Every so often I’ll see something or hear something and think to myself, “That would be a great blog topic!”. Then I never get around to it. I still have a hord of ideas, though.

So, what’s been happening in my life? I’ve been working a lot on Mary Kay. Today I sold to a cashier at Bed, Bath & Beyond, who is now one of my customers. I also sold more products to a lady at my mom’s work. She’s probably my best customer after David.

Lauren and I are working hard for two events this coming weekend. We have the Geranium Festival in McDonough on Saturday, May 16th and then A Taste of Fayetteville this Sunday, the 17th. We’re both looking forward to it because it means building a bigger customer base for us both.

My mom went with me Tuesday night to Mary Kay’s customer appreciation night. She won a lot of free stuff and had fun. She told me today while we were out doing our errands and having mother/daughter time that she wishes she had known more about Mary Kay at a younger age. She would like to sell it now, but doesn’t think that at her age she can. I told her that she could! If she has the mindset and the will power, she can. You can do anything you want as long as you’re going to put the work into it!

I don’t get the people who bash Mary Kay. I mean, I understand that it’s not for everyone and that people can become discouraged and take it out on the company. But my experience with Mary Kay on several levels has been nothing but good. The directors are wonderful and inspiring women and they have never pressured me to buy inventory or to meet a made up quota (Mary Kay doesn’t ask it’s consultants to meet any type of quota on a monthly or quarterly basis) or force me to do anything I don’t want to do. It’s MY business. They want me to succeed and are there to help me, but they will never FORCE me to do anything.

Mary Kay isn’t for everyone and not just anyone can come in and expect to make a lot of money or end up driving the signature pink Cadillac. It takes hard work, dedication, creativity, and knowing that just because you lose one doesn’t mean you’ll lose them all. When God closes a door, He open a window.

Just like not everyone is cut out to be a rocket scientist, a brain surgeon, a preacher, a missionary, a solider, a pilot, a singer or actor… not everyone is cut out to be a Mary Kay Independent Beauty Consultant. I didn’t think I was, but I have become rather good at individual sales and have started to build my client base and my business. I’m proud of myself and so are my family, friends and my fiance.

If Mary Kay is a bad company with a scam running, then why do I sit in a room with women earning around $60,000 a year or having weeks where they sell close to a thousand dollars? Even better, why has Mary Kay been around for 45 years as a billion dollar, debt free company if it is not a good company? How many companies want you to climb the ladder and reward you with diamond rings and cars? How is it earning a profit when the media keeps saying we’re all doomed to an ecomonic downfall?

Obviously God has had His hand in this company. The motto for Mary Kay is: God first, family second, career third. I honestly believe that’s why both Mary Kay and Chick-fil-a both earned profits last year as other companies failed.

Sorry for the tangent on Mary Kay. I’ll get back to my life now.

My mom and I did a lot of running around today. We went all over McDonough, Peachtree City and Fayetteville today. We mailed things at the post office, returned stuff at Coldwater Creek, hand lunch and did a lot of shopping in Fayetteville and then in McDonough. I love spending time with my mom. I’ll still have to make Wednesdays our days even after I’m married.

David came over, per usual on Wednesday nights. We did vary our routine by going to Lauren and Carlos’ to hang out tonight. I showed Lauren all the stuff I got for the events this weekend and helped her with some stuff while David played video games. It was fun.

This Saturday night is the Plantation Ball, which is a charity event to benefit the Joseph Sams School located in Fayetteville. You buy a table and pay for food and there’s a silent auction. David’s parents invited me and my parents to come. My dad can’t make it because, ironically, he has to be at the school for a dance that some booster club is doing. I asked my grandmother to come instead. She should really enjoy this because she loves Ferrol “Sambo” Sams books and Sambo will be there. Plus the event will take place at “The Big House”, where Sambo wrote about in his semi-autobiographical books. When my grandmother introduces David to people, she usually does so by saying that his great-uncle is “the famous author, Dr. Ferrol Sams, from over in Fayetteville”.

A lot of people have asked me recently how the wedding plans are going, so I thought I’d put it up here too. In all honesty, the plans are done. No one seems to believe me when I say that, but it’s true! Once we booked the Hazlehurst House, all the planning was settled in one meeting. The only thing left is flowers (which is done other than meeting with the florist) and doing our final meeting and tasting. Other brides-to-be I know will talk about the stress, and I can’t relate. Yeah, I was totally stressing out there for about three weeks when I didn’t know what to do about a reception site or how to handle the flowers, the food, the cake or decorations. Going to the Hazlehurst that Saturday morning was the best decision we could have made about the wedding.

Our rehersal dinner location has changed since I last wrote about the wedding. We were going to have it at a place on the McDonough Square called Season’s Bistro. David’s parents made the choice to switch it to a place in Fayetteville called Bella Sera. The choice to move it came after many reasons. One was that since the Hazlehurst has Friday weddings, we have to have our rehersal at 2:00 in the afternoon, which is a far cry from dinner time if we finish up at 3:00. So, the travel time will put us at Fayetteville in time for a cocktail hour before dinner. The Coles also want to invite all our out-of-town guests, which will be quite a few. We needed a bigger place than Season’s offered. The price is also cheaper.

I’m excited about this weekend. It will be very busy and rushed, but it will be worth it. Please pray for Lauren and I as we continue to build our businesses. If you want to book a party or a facial, let me know. I’m also offering a $10 gift certificate to anyone who books a party with me in addition to getting free products for being my hostess. It doesn’t cost you anything to host a party and you’re not obligated to buy from me if you do. Please let me know if you’re interested!

I haven’t updated all week. For the first time since I started this blog I have been too busy to sit down and talk about something on my mind or give the obligatory life update.

Last Saturday was my Mary Kay debut party. Lauren hosted it for me and it went rather well. I sold over $400 in product that night. Over the rest of the week I sold another $243 and had two people approach me out in public after they saw my Mary Kay bag and asked to be contacted about buying products from me!

I feel very proud of myself. I set out with the “I can” attitude and it paid off! I’m placing my first order tomorrow (because some checks haven’t cleared yet) and still have other people to talk to. I’ll be having another party on May 9th and anyone is welcome to come or to contact me for more info. Also, if you host a party for me, you can receive free products!

Tuesday night at the Mary Kay class I was the top seller for the week. I was recognized in front of the whole group and got to pick out a prize from the prize table. I got the Microdermabrasion Set, which is like a $35,000 dermatologist treatment for $35. I was proud of that as well. Another director also commented to mine and Lauren’s director that we were both very well prepared for class and had ourselves together.

This job is so much fun! I get to look and feel beautiful and help others to look and feel beautiful too! Getting paid to do it is also a plus.

I put a banner on my sidebar with a picture link to my Mary Kay website. Take a look at it and tell me what you think!

I’m getting ready to head over to Fayetteville for dinner. Tomorrow is Super Saturday, a class and pep talk time for Mary Kay consultants. Kris also asked if David and I want to go hang out with her as well, and we plan on doing that later. Sunday is Krista’s birthday, but I don’t think she’s having anything big planned.

This past Monday I went to eat with Lauren, and my two maids of honor: Emily and Krista. We talked some wedding stuff and then I went with Krista to Belk for her to look at a brown dress her grandmother saw that  could work as her maid of honor dress. She tried it on and ended up getting it. After we told Emily about it, she went the next day and bought the same dress. That’s two of my five girls taken care of as far as dresses now.

Laura went with Lauren and I to class Tuesday night. She was our guinea pig of sorts. Lauren practiced color application on her and I did my part as well. I hope Laura decides she wants to sell Mary Kay as well. She has great skin and would be a good candidate for it.

Hopefully tomorrow at class will go well. I enjoy going. My mom is coming too, which should be interesting. Maybe she’ll win free products, too!

Current Mood: Happy

As bad as things are for me finacially (I have $2 to my name of money I have actually earned), I still have support. Things still seem to get taken care of, even when I feel like there’s no hope. I’m grateful for the people who support me and keep reminding me that things will be all right. I need the reminding. I need the positive voices telling me that I can do it, that things can and will get better. The buzzing in my ears is the negative voices trying to butt in. And that can be annoying.

Fighting off my demons won’t be easy. When I was depressed, I had images put in my head when I was alone. I’d get this warm feeling of how nice it would be to just put a gun to my head and end it. Those were my demons… the voices who wanted to rip me away from God. Thankfully, I fought off the demons and made the resolve that I could get better.

Just like then, things can get better. Sadly, demons are still whispering to me how easy it would be to just give up. I won’t. I’m going to keep working, keep trying, keep believing and keep my eyes on God and know that He won’t take me in the dark without a light to guide me to the day.

I go with Lauren to the first Mary Kay business class this coming Tuesday. I plan to learn how to do this and not just sit back and expect the work to be done for me. Clark Howard is always saying that the best way to find a job is to create one. Well, I’ve created one by taking on a business opportunity. Maybe I’ll take Dr. Frank up on his offer for school and get a business degree. At least that is applicable to a lot of jobs out there.

I want to get a tattoo, but not sure when I’ll be getting it, if ever. I know exactly what i want and I’d like to have it on my foot. I heard it’s extremely painful to get a tattoo on your foot. I do have a fat foot, though… so maybe it won’t hurt so bad. My ankle is another option, but I don’t really like that look.

Ok, I’m going to attempt to sleep. Things will get better, I just need to give it more time.

Current Mood: Confused

I’m still remembering to count my blessings. It’s hard right now, especially since it’s now been two weeks since I’ve been paid. I’m supposed to get paid every week. That obviously hasn’t happened in about two months. I am stretched thin when it comes to money.

My friend Lauren is selling Mary Kay. She told me how it worked and offered her help getting me started and to arrange a meeting with her lead consultant. I went to that meeting with Lauren today and, after careful research, praying and figuring that the only way I’m guaranteed to fail is to not try, I decided to sign up to be a consultant with Mary Kay.

No surprise really that I’ve heard from people that it’s a mistake. Some people who told me I shouldn’t try really aren’t in the position to offer up advice on jobs. I appreciate concerns, but this is something I feel I need to try. I plan to make this a second income in a very part time job. I also plan to make the phone calls, have the parties and go to the classes so I can learn how to be a better businesswoman. So, I would appreciate good support instead of negativity. If I fail, then I failed. But at least I would have tried before I failed.

Later today I’m going over to Lauren and Carlos’ house with Emily for dinner, babysitting, movies and I’m sure wine and talk later. I’m taking over my bottle of Bitch wine that I bought in Fernandina. I haven’t opened it yet and Lauren and Emily are the only two people I can think of who I can share this wine with and they’d appreciate it.

I really hope things improve at my full-time job soon. I’ve been looking into other places to work, but no luck so far. I almosted hoped that someone at David’s company would be fired yesterday after something happened and I could take their job. Dr. Frank offered me the oppertunity to go back to school, but I’ve no idea what I’d study! Nothing really interests me all that much and I’d hate to waste someone’s money on an education that would just be another dead end. I’d almost rather tell him I’d take the money and pay off my debt. That would help David and I out in the long run, too.

It will all work out. I believe that this is just the valley and that I’ll be climbing up the mountain and out of the cloud cover soon.

Life is slowly but surely holding a semi-steady pace for me. After a conversation with my boss Monday morning, I’m now down to working just two days a week. My salary is cut more than in two and that is hard to deal with. I’m just holding the faith that God has something in store for me, and I’m keeping my eyes and ears open for any other job possibilites that present themselves.

My friend Lauren suggested to me that I try selling Mary Kay products. I recently switched over to a mineral foundation by the company and really do love it. I won’t look to selling beauty products as my only income, but it would be at least something on the side. With the wedding less than six months away now, I need to focus hard on finding some sort of income incase things with GPE don’t start coming back around.

So, please continue to pray for my job situation. I hate to say it, but I’m sure there are some people out there who are probably a bit pleased that I’m struggling. But, I will come through this. I am still blessed highly by God. I keep having the song we sing every year at Shingleroof Campmeeting going through my head: Count your blessings; name them one by one. Count your many blessings, see what God has done.

I think of what I do have in life: a man who loves me, wants to marry me and make pretty babies and grow old with me; my loving parents and brother; my family and friends who are supportive in so many ways, wonderful future in-laws, a place to live now and after the wedding, a car to drive, food to eat (though I could do with a little less) and I’ve had the chance to go and do and experience more than a lot of people can even dream of doing. I really am blessed.