I'm Still Here...

This is not going to be my customary catch-everyone-up-on-the-daily-goings-on-in-my-life type of blog nor is it going to be a rant on something that makes me ask, "Seriously?" (although I have a few of those in my brain right now)...this is just a precurser to the catch up seriously? moments of my life to tell you that yes, I am still here. Yes, I love all of you and want to share my life. Yes, I am working and loving it and longing for the days when someone really rich dies and leaves me all their money to do whatever I want with. But mostly yes, I am still here. I will update soon. Seriously. But if you wonder who I am spending my time with these days that keeps me away from blogging, here you go:
My Favorite Girl:
And My Favorite Boy:Being an Auntie is the greatest!
To be continued...

Pick Me! Pick Me!

Job hunting is like going to PE every day knowing that there are going to be 2 captains (neither of which will be you, of course) that will divide the class into 2 teams. You wait and wait while all the rest of the class is being picked, just hoping upon hope that you won't have the embarrassment of being the last choice. Oh, little things will happen where there is a glimpse of not being left to the last, but alas when the cards fall, there you are, sitting by yourself. And you just have to go back the next day to do the same thing, knowing that the outcome will probably not change-no matter what you do. You will doubt yourself and your skills and your talents and wonder if showing up every day is actually worth it. You will even start to panic every once in a while wondering if you will ever get picked. This can go on for months...
But-just when it seems like there is no reason to hope and you consider selling one of your kidneys on the black market for some cash...the call comes. "We have seen your resume and we would like to meet with you" may be some of the most beautiful words in the English language. Then the terror sets in. I have to go and talk to someone and convince them to hire me! What?? I have to wear the perfect outfit and say the perfect thing and sell my skills as being something that no one else can bring to the table. Yikes!! So you show up and pray for a miracle. They seem to like you. They even smile while you talk about your philosophy of customer service and how you can be a big benefit to their company. Then, when you leave, they say that they will be in touch, but you have serious doubts that this will actually happen. You pray for a miracle. You even joke that it will be okay if they don't pick you. But secretly you would be devastated and start to look for ways to sell that kidney of yours so you can put gas in your car and your phone won't get shut off. Then it comes. The phone call that makes the world seem like it has started to go in slow motion. So you brace yourself. And then you hear the second most beautiful words in the english language: "We would like to offer you the position. When can you start?" And the clouds open up and the sun shines down just on you and there are actual birds chirping and you are pretty sure that you can hear a distant choir singing Hallelujah. The hunt is over. You have met your goal. For the first time since you can remember, the knot that has taken residence in your stomach has departed and you can breathe again. Not only were you not picked last, you have been selected as a captain! The happy dancing in the street can begin!
So, as you may have guessed-I GOT A JOB!! I will now be working at a law firm as the Front Office Coordinator and I could not be happier!! It is everything that I wanted and needed and really am excited. And I can breathe again and concentrate on the more important things in life. Like my renewed goal of one new pair of shoes a month...Hallelujah.

Christmas 2010

Hope that you all had a great, happy, fun, adventurous, restful, blessed and inspiring Christmas! We had a blast around here which always includes taking lots of pictures:

We had a relaxing Christmas with lots of family time and good food and fun! We also decided to start a Barlow Family blog so check us all out at the Barlow Family blog link to the right:)
Now, on to the New Year's festivities!

In Honor of Veteran's Day

Dear Mr. President:

On this day where we honor those who serve in the Armed Forces and those Veterans of wars past, I reflect on the state of our union. Not so long ago, you were sworn in and promised to make America a better place. Since then, America has come upon perilous times. There is an attitude that the United States should pull troops out from countries in the Middle East that have made no secret out of the fact that they hate all things American and will have no problem trying to bring this great country to it's knees. Our soldiers are protecting their country, OUR country, in wars both foreign and domestic. We should be proud to be Americans and vow to defend her no matter the cost. Now it seems that our Commander in Chief does little to instill confidence that the citizens of this country are the first priority. Don't worry about it, you said, and don't question me, I know what I am doing. You even tweeted about it.

Now, in 2010, America is on the brink of losing it's standing as a powerful nation. You have even stated in the press that now it is time to get to work. Well, Mr. President, the time to get to work was long ago. Stop going on talk shows, making speeches to defend your non-actions and get to work. We cannot afford to waste any more time. You need to insure that the citizens of this country are protected from any and all threats.

We need to remember that America is the home of the free BECAUSE of our brave. We need to reflect every day that we are grateful for our troops and all that they have done for us. We support our soldiers and we are thankful for our freedom that we have because of their sacrifices. As the Commander in Chief of the most powerful military in the world, you need to support our troops and let them finish what they started. They are making a difference. Be the kind of Commander in Chief that those "faceless cowards" are afraid to attack because they know that they will be hunted down and stopped. Stop apologizing for America and get to work.

Lastly, Mr. President, it is time that you listen to the people of this country and remember that you work for us.

Sincerely,
A Concerned Citizen

1 Year in Cali: What I Know Now

It just occurred to me that last year at this time I was packing up the Jeep and making the long trek to California. So, what have I learned about myself since I packed up my life and made a, well, life-changing move? Here is just a bit of the wisdom I have accrued about the wonder that is AnneBarlow:

1-I love to read. Turns out there are way more interesting things to read than text books. I have a well-used library card and have decided that I like to read mysteries the most. I always think that I am smarter than the average reader when I can figure out who did it.

2-I have really enjoyed not working full time. Do not take this the wrong way. It is not that I do not want to work full time and have a job and a career and all the benefits that come with that. I am not lazy at all. I actually get a little anxious that I have not been able to find a job yet because I think that I have a lot to offer as an employee, but apparently the right thing has not come along yet. I just have to keep doing my part and look hard and take advantage of all the opportunities that are around me. Until I get that job, though, I have been able to spend the last year doing random part time things which have allowed me the time to do things like service and learning new skills.

3-I am a very blessed girl. I have had the opportunity to live rent free which has allowed me to not worry so much about money for the first time in my adult life. I realize that this is a huge blessing. I kind of feel guilty that I have been rent free so I try to contribute in other ways as much as I can.

4-I love love love being in a family ward. I have 2 callings-Activities Committee Chair and Primary Teacher. I get to teach the 8-year-olds and I absolutely love them. I look forward to going to church every week because I get to be with them. And learn from them. I also love all of the people in the ward. There is such a diverse population that makes up the dynamics and I thoroughly enjoy the differences we all bring to the table. It is fun to try and plan activities to meet the needs of everyone.

5-I love whipped cream. It just makes me happy every time I eat it and I take the opportunity to eat it on everything I can. Within reason that is. I would probably eat it more if I wasn't so worried about there becoming too much of me to love. If only a serving of whipped cream would count as a serving of vegetables...

I have learned a lot more than this, but right now I am watching the Giants play stellar baseball in Game 1 of the World Series and loving it so I will have to add more later:)

Bike vs Car...Seriously?

As I was driving the other day in a 45 MPH zone, I noticed that the lane I was in was slowing at a quicker than normal rate as approaching the upcoming intersection that had a green light. I was in the middle lane of a 3-lane road and I figured that someone was having car troubles or something, so I waited for an opening and switched lanes to go around the offending obstacle. Much to my surprise, the reason that we were all moving out of the lane that was going slower than normal was because there was a...wait for it...a biker.

SERIOUSLY?!?

Yep, a biker. In the middle of the lane. In the middle of the road. On a really busy street. From the looks of his very spandex laden outfit and matching helmet he was an experienced biker. Maybe I missed something-car vs. bike. The car always wins, right? This is not the first time, nor I'm sure, will it be the last time that traffic has been hindered by one of these bikers that considers themselves entitled to be riding in the middle of the road. And it drives (pardon the pun) me crazy!! I cannot stand that I have to get out of the way of some biker who is in the middle of the road hindering traffic. I am not sure what the bikers ediquette is on this subject, but I don't really care. There may be laws that say that bikers can ride on the road and I am the only person who does not know that it is okay for a biker to ride 20 MPH in a 45 MPH zone obstructing traffic. I don't care. I am a normally pretty even-keeled person who doesn't get irritated very easily, but here in Pleasanton it seems that the bikers can and do rule the road and it bugs me. I am sure that they should get extra points for doing their part to reduce their carbon footprint on the environment or blah blah blah. I don't care.
My gripe today is this: I do not drive the Jeep in the bike lane, so please do not ride your bike in the Jeep lane. Seriously.

I'm Baaaaaack...

...to the blogging world that is. I realize that it has been a while, but I haven't been feeling inspired as of late. I have had plenty going on, no worries, but I just haven't been feeling like sharing it with the world. I haven't really been on facebook, either, so maybe we can just say that I have been on sabbatical from all things social networking. Here is a picture of the new addition to our family that accounts for some of the busy-ness and lots of visits from our family who live in exotic places as far away as...Salt Lake:Meet Spencer John Barlow born on August 24, 2010. He decided to make things a little more interesting and arrived by C-Section without telling us that was how he wanted to come out. Surprise and everyone is healthy! While he was making friends in the hospital waiting to come home, I got to spend the week with my most favorite girl on the planet: We did lots of things together and had a great time and I am pretty sure that if I could bottle up the energy in that little body and sell it I would be a gazillionaire! Seriously, sometimes she just runs in circles or jumps in place because she has so much energy. I think that I will go to the gym before I see her again because then I might have a prayer of keeping up. And, someone commented that they might be forgetting what I look like because we haven't seen each other for so long, so here I am at the beach last month:

I love it there!

So, I will definitely be reporting on my goals that I wanted to reach before my birthday-most of which are going very well-and I have a few ideas in my head for some other things that I wanna write about. Number 1: Consideration. I feel like there is a lack of consideration for others in this world. Like, do the people pedaling their bikes down a busy street really need the whole lane and to block traffic? What about using the signal when you want to turn your vehicle? You get it-there is definitely more to come on this. Number 2: I have been conducting a great no-make-up experiment for the sake of myself and my skin and have some interesting stuff to report-my question to you is, do you feel confident enough in your appearance to just stop wearing make-up? How about for a month? Think about it...I'll get back to you:)