*it's a beautiful life!!..

Last Monday I received a phone call from the employment agency I am working with to find a job. I am working with their perm and temp departments to find something permanent, while doing a few temporary jobs here and there. The call was for a temporary 3 day job (Monday-Wednesday) to cover for a receptionist at an Advertising/PR firm in Newport Beach. I was very excited to get back into working and the company and all of the people are very great!

On my last day (Wednesday) they asked me if I could stay a little longer, the woman I was covering for's husband was very ill, and has been for the past few months. So I am now working here until the end of this week. (My 3 day project turned into a 2 week project) She came in on Friday and looked very sad. Someone I worked with mentioned that she looked like she had lost a lot of weight in her face. Someone asked her how she was doing and she responded, "My husband is dying." It broke my heart! I can't even imagine how that must feel. They took him off all of his meds and put him on morphine and they were pretty much just waiting.. I received a call this morning from her family saying her husband had passed away this morning. My prayers are with this sweet lady and her family at this time.

Sitting here at her desk I noticed a little quote she has posted up:

Practice noticing the beauty in your life. Start now. Wherever you are, look around and make a mental note of what you find beautiful in this very moment. Do this 3 times a day until it becomes a habit.

Last Tuesday, my second day on the job, I woke a little early just to be safe and I had a little extra time, so I found out what time the sun rises and went the patio on the roof of my house and watched the sunrise. I took a picture to send to my mom and dad. I can't even remember the last time I did that. It's been way to long. But I loved that little quote she has sitting here. I look around sometime and am amazed by the beautiful things that God has given us. Some we see and some we don't. I have challenged myself to follow that quote and 3 times a day find the beauty in the world around me until it's a habit. We are so lucky and so blessed to live in such a beautiful world.

I hope everyone has a good week, and god bless the Astarabadi family at this time.

The rest of the pictures are all ones I have taken on my phone over the past few months of living in California..

It is definitely very easy to find beauty here!

*and so the seach continues..

Can I just tell everyone how much FUN job searching is.. It feels like your running in a circle really REALLY fast.. the problem is with running in a circle.. you don't get ANYWHERE..

I found this and thought it was pretty funny.. maybe I should take some tips from this kid.. only problem is that McDonald's probably IS the only place that actually would hire someone that filled out an app this way..

This is an actual job application a 17 year old boy submitted at a McDonald's fast-food establishment in Florida... and they hired him because he was so honest and funny!

NAME: Greg Bulmash

SEX: Not yet. Still waiting for the right person.

DESIRED POSITION: Company's President or Vice President. But seriously, whatever's available. If I was in a position to be picky, I wouldn't be applying here in the first place.

DESIRED SALARY: $185,000 a year plus stock options and a Michael Ovitz style severance package. If that's not possible, make an offer and we can haggle.

EDUCATION: Yes.

LAST POSITION HELD: Target for middle management hostility.

SALARY: Less than I'm worth.

MOST NOTABLE ACHIEVEMENT: My incredible collection of stolen pens and post-it notes.

REASON FOR LEAVING: It sucked.

HOURS AVAILABLE TO WORK: Any.

PREFERRED HOURS: 1:30-3:30 p.m., Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday.

DO YOU HAVE ANY SPECIAL SKILLS?: Yes, but they're better suited to a more intimate environment.

MAY WE CONTACT YOUR CURRENT EMPLOYER?: If I had one, would I be here?

DO YOU HAVE ANY PHYSICAL CONDITIONS THAT WOULD PROHIBIT YOU FROM LIFTING UP TO 50 LBS?: Of what?

DO YOU HAVE A CAR?: I think the more appropriate question here would be "Do you have a car that runs?"

HAVE YOU RECEIVED ANY SPECIAL AWARDS OR RECOGNITION?: I may already be a winner of the Publishers Clearing house Sweepstakes.

DO YOU SMOKE?: On the job no, on my breaks yes.

WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO BE DOING IN FIVE YEARS?: Living in the Bahamas with a fabulously wealthy dumb sexy blonde super model who thinks I'm the greatest thing since sliced bread. Actually, I'd like to be doing that now.

DO YOU CERTIFY THAT THE ABOVE IS TRUE AND COMPLETE TO THE BEST OF YOUR KNOWLEDGE?: Yes. Absolutely.

SIGN HERE: Aries.

Anyway.. I know most of you that look at my blog didn't live IN or even AROUND Orange County.. but if you know of anyone out here hiring.. that would be awesome to let me know!!.. Til then.. the search continues..

*XOXO

<3

*all moved in!!..

So.. I made it to California!!.. It feels like I've been here so much longer than the week and half it's been.. but I've had a blast and am finally getting all settled in.. it's been a busy week and half!!..

Last weekend ((halloween)) Dan and I carved pumpkins.. we waited until LAST minute to go get them, because I had to go over to my new house and meet my new roommates and then it was REALLY nice out so we decided to make a picnic ((which was really good.. we made a fruit salad, chicken salad sandwiches, and there was a bunch of other stuff but we got full on the fruit salad before we got to the other stuff..)) and then when we got out to go looking for pumpkins almost every place was sold out!!.. So we ended up going to this pumpkin patch place that had all the leftover ones no one wanted.. I made mine a goofy face and Dan made his scar face.. nice..

Then because all I had was whatever I could take on the plane with me ((one 51 lb suitcase, a 49 lb box, a 32 lb carry on, and a personal bag)) I needed to get a computer desk and a dresser.. so I found a cheap desk and walmart and then I found a dresser on craigslist for $40!!.. it was really nice to it was big and has 6 drawers and a big mirror on it and it was in great condition.. the only thing it was a light brown which didn't really go with anything else I had so we painted it black and mod podged this material on the drawers and it turned out AWESOME.. neither of us expected to turn out as cool as it did.. i love it!!.. We may start our own dresser decorating business.. we'll see ;)

Also I needed to get a new car, so I had sold mine for $1500 before I left and decided to look for one that same amount, so we found this 99 Mitsubishi Mirage, it seemed like it was in good condition only it had a funny smell to it, but there were bags of clothes in the back so we thought it might be the clothes and that it would go away after they took the bags out.. it didn't!!.. So we took it in to get smog checked ((required in CA to get registered)) and turns out the check engine light SHOULD have been on... only he had taken out the bulb and put it in the glove compartment!!.. This guy was sooo sneaky!!.. it has been problem after problem with this car.. but I think after we get it all cleaned out and fixed up it will be a good car.. I hope..

And also I went to get my CA drivers license so I could get residency and turns out my birth certificate was missing.. so I had to order a new one and have it 2 dayed to me, because I can't even get a job until I have it. But throuh all the problems it has been awesome being here!!.. The weather has been amazing.. we went and laid out on the beach in Corona Del Mar yesterday which was sooo beautiful!!..

Then today I started looking for jobs so as soon as I get my BC I can start working.. So it's been amazing.. I know I definitely made the right choice moving here!!.. :)

hope everyone is doing well!!

*NEW & EXCITING THINGS!!..

As we grow up, we learn that even the one person that wasn't supposed to ever let us down, probably will. You'll have your heart broken and you'll break others' hearts. You'll fight with your best friend or maybe even fall in love with them, and you'll cry because time is flying by. So take too many pictures, laugh too much, forgive freely, and love like you've never been hurt. Life comes with no guarantees, no time outs, no second chances. you just have to live life to the fullest, tell someone what they mean to you and tell someone off, speak out, dance in the pouring rain, hold someone's hand, comfort a friend, fall asleep watching the sun come up, stay up late, be a flirt, and smile until your face hurts. Don't be afraid to take chances or fall in love and most of all, live in the moment because every second you spend angry or upset is a second of happiness you can never get back.

Soo.. as most everyone knows by now I'm moving to California on Friday.. yes it's kind of like me to do something like that but I honestly didn't see this coming. But, I am VERY excited about this opportunity!!.. I did a lot of thinking and praying about it to know I was making the right choice and I have not felt better about any other choice I've made in my life. I am moving to Huntington Beach on Friday the 30th.. yep 4 days, into a house with a couple of LDS girls about a block and half up from the beach.. 2 weeks ago I had never been to the beach and now I will be able to walk to it.. life is full of many beautiful surprises!!.. I found out that my credits are not going to transfer to the school I would be going to there so I decided not to finish the semester and just move there and work on getting residency and then start school up next fall. Also I will only live a mile and a half from my amazing boyfriend!!.. He has done so much to help me with this move and with a lot of other things, I don't think he will ever know how truly grateful I am for that, and also to have him in my life. That was another thing I did not see coming, but I am soooo glad it did!! Ü I will start posting more once I get there and keep everyone updated on all the new things that are happening between finding a new job, living in a new place, and having new love.. all very fun and exciting things!!.. I feel so blessed right now, I feel like life couldn't get any better!!..

*muh poker face..

I am taking a class right now that ends on tuesday. It's a 'get ya back into school' type class called On Course, it's an easy, 2 day a week, 50 min, 1 credit class, that they suggest that every new student takes. So I did.. Well yesterday, we had a motivational speaker come in to, well motivate us of course!. and can i just say how much i LOVE motivational speakers?!.. i love any kinda of motivation i can get from anyone and if it's coming from a professional that's even better! Well let me just tell you a little bit about this guy. He came in and you could tell right away that the left side of his face didn't work. His eye wondered a little, and the left side of his mouth didn't move when the right did while he was talking. Also his right hand, "nubby" as he called it, was alot smaller and his fingers weren't all there. He started off by explaining why he looked that way. When his mom, who was on her 4th child in i think he said 4 years, had him she was VERY under weight and she smoked, he thinks this helps to explain his 'nubby', also when she went into labor with him they thought her water broke and wrapped her in a blanket. When they got to hospital and removed the blanket they realized it was covered in blood, it was actually the placenta that had broke. The doctors had to go in right away and pull him out in order to save his life, because he was loosing so much oxygen. So when they reached in with the forceps they squeezed to hard on the left side of his face and temple area it caused it the permanent damage, which is why he looked the way he did. Okay so on to his motivation!

He told us something that really stuck out to me.. he asked who played poker, a few hands went up. He then said that life is like a game of poker. Sometimes we are dealt good cards, but sometimes we are dealt bad ones, and there is nothing we can do about the bad cards but just continue to play that hand. He talked about the bad cards that had been dealt to him, and how even though he was given these bad things and sometimes people told him he couldn't do different things in life because of his disability he still did it anyway. After class I was talking to a friend and told him about what this guy had said and he then mentioned, which stuck out to me even more, that even when we are dealt these bad cards, sometimes no matter how bad they are we can come out on top and still win the game anyway.

Life is such a crazy thing.. it continually blows me away.. sometimes we are dealt good cards and sometimes the worst hand in the whole deck.. we just need to choose how we play and if we can

come out on top!!