The Job Search

Charlie from Always Sunny in Philadelphia
expressing my thoughts.

I graduated college in 2009, right after the financial crisis. Even today I hear how tough the job market was and is. I was fortunate because the museum I interned for in college had a job opening. This is the first time I've done a "real" job search instead of just investigating my options.

Looking for jobs is daunting. Brandt and I have been applying since March when we made the decision to move. Almost two months later, still no jobs. Last week, he sent me the picture of Charlie and I had to laugh. At times, I want to throw my hands up in the air and yell sarcastically about why I don't have a job lined up yet. I have applied for about 44 jobs and finally got my first phone call Friday. Unfortunately, that call was for a group interview on Monday. It was nice to know at least one place was interested in hiring me. Brandt has been doing better! He's had several interviews and hopefully he'll have a job offer soon.

My new resume is the
one on top. I love the green!

I decided to be proactive about my situation and I reformatted my resume. I spent several hours researching and designing it. I think it looks great and hopefully will catch the attention of potential employers! I think my old resume was too text heavy but I wanted to include as much information as possible. As I learned in my journalism/mass comm. classes: white space is good! I'm hoping that the phone calls will start rushing in now.

A Vacation Before We Move

In October, Ann (Brandt's mom) and Kris told us they were sending us to Las Vegas for our birthdays and Christmas. We decided on mid April because the annual fundraiser at my job was in March. Everything was booked when Brandt's position was eliminated at work so we decided to do Vegas on the cheap.

Our first day was uneventful. We started walking the strip in search of a place to eat. Our hotel was on the far north end and we didn't find many places worth trying. I was getting very hangry (hungry+angry=hangry) so we stopped at Senior Frogs. It was loud, expensive, and had OK food but my blood sugar levels had evened out!

Day two we walked all over the strip. We had a great (and cheap) breakfast at a Mexican place and explored.

M&Ms World

Walking on the strip.

Balagio Gardens were beautiful!

I met Yoshi!!

We took a trip up the Eiffel Tower.

We took a break at Ceasar's Palace and watched
the sea horses at next to one of the bars.

We watched the Balagio fountains twice from the
top of the Eiffel Tower.

Before we left, my boss told me how she had fed the sea turtles at Mandalay Bay. I was able to get one ticket for the one day they had open. It was amazing! I wish I could have gotten closer but it was still a great experience. The Shark Reef was also fun. I got to touch a sting ray and horseshoe crab (first time)!

Waiting in line for the Tournament of Kings.

We went to the Tournament of Kings at Excalibur. They didn't allow pictures but I snuck in a few any way. We sat in France and our king was very interactive and fun. The show was great but the next morning Brandt started to feel sick.

Our view from the first row at the Tournament.

Peppermill Fireside Lounge.

We kept it low key the next day and I enjoyed a morning by the pool. We ate at the Peppermill Fireside Lounge, which has been featured in movies and TV shows including CSI: Las Vegas. We also went to Cirque Du Soliel: KA, which also didn't allow pictures. Brandt was feeling sick but went with me any way. I loved the music, acrobatics, costumes, and mostly everything. We were in the center of the 5th row and I could feel the fire on my face! We could see the expressions the actors made and could hear their voices.

When Brandt was researching which show we should go to, he discovered that last June one of the actor's ropes broke and she fell to her death. I was surprised the show was back on but glad we were able to go. Unfortunately, the final battle scene was recorded and projected on the set. It was anticlimactic and I wished they had a disclaimer. I did understand their reasoning though. Overall, it was a great show and I'd love to see another Cirque show some day.


THANK YOU to Ann, Kris, and Brandt's grandparents (who own the timeshare in Vegas) for sending us on this amazing trip! It was a great break from reality and it will probably be a long time before we have a chance to relax again. We appreciate the generous gift and truly had a great time... well until Brandt got sick, but we still made the best of it!

The Journey Begins

Brandt and I have always wanted to move out of the Midwest. I was born and raised in Winfield, KS, I attended college at Kansas State University (and loved it!), then moved to Wichita. Brandt was born and lived in Tulsa, OK until he was about 4. He grew up in Topeka and moved to Wichita a few years after graduating high school.

We started dating in 2010 and fit together seamlessly. While he enjoys technology and I have a passion for writing and the arts, we have many things in common. In early March, Best Buy reorganized and cut many positions in every store. Brandt's was included. We decided to take the severance and follow our dreams of living on the west coast. Oregon appealed to both of us and we decided it was now or never. We have decided to move in mid or late May.

We have been applying for positions in the Portland, Salem, and Euegene areas. Our move date will be determined by a job offer or we'll decide on a date and place by the end of April.