February update

Good evening fellas! 

How has everyone been doing in life? I missed you guys just as much as you guys missed me (kidding!). It's been a long time since I last blogged I honestly don't remember what was the last thing I wrote. I'm getting more horrible at writing posts because my life has been - *beeeee-zeee* (can you hear the bee's flying around? No I'm not crazy!)

I will just mention a couple things happening in my life right now because every knowing every single detail of my life would probably bore you as much as it would be torture to my fingers typing it all out. First of all, I've been keeping busy with work. Working extra full time and doing things around the house keeps me busy. My cousins keeps me on my toes too, and it's a lot of work to live here with my aunt in law and her family. Hard work will pay off though because you know what? I'm headed to school in AUGUST. I probably said this a million times but AUGUST cannot come any sooner. I can't wait to start and live in the dorms. 

With that being said, every single thing I am doing right now is having an effect on my future rather. Working full time and getting a pay check means I will be able to save up for school. What headache will it be to know that you won't have enough money for XYZABCD when the time comes? I know I'm going to be broke when I start school, but who isn't broke in college? I'm also thinking I should keep a tight budget each week; for food, entertainment, gas, insurance, and a little left over. That's a lot of planning but it will do me wonders when I start school. Orientation is set for June and I'm signed up for the first session.

I get to meet my roommate that day too AND also orientation will be a total of TWO days. Over night stays at the dorms is also preferred and offered too so I am excited about that. I'm going to be surrounded by people my age, and living on my own for the first time. This will be the first time I will be far away from family. Wooaah.. it feels like I'm growing up and being a "big boy" now haha. Literally, I will be 350 miles away from my nearest family member. The thought of that sounds frightening at first, but we all have to grow up and become accustomed to changes at one point or another of your life. It's not like you need to be around family all the time anyways, they are just a phone call away. I guess I am at that one point of my life where I want to go explore the world, and live on my own - be productive yet becoming something in life. I'm really excited just to be living on campus because I know I won't be distracted. 

My whole life depends on these 4 years, and I know I will make the most of it. I already have a buddy that's going to the school - his name is Elliott! Isn't that weird? He's in a fraternity called SIGEP, AND he said I should join. It's not like a drinking frat from what I hear, but we'll see my options when I start school. I'm def. not going to be a hermit, because in all honesty I'm completely comfortable with the idea of establishing friendships which might be valuable to me in the future. I hear stories of these college grads from work going to their friend's weddings in FL and other parts of the countries. Mind you, these were the friends they met in college. I can't wait :))

I've been keeping my head pretty busy too with a couple of textbooks that I've ordered. These textbooks are: microbiology, medical terminology, sociology, and my english textbook/manual thingy. I'm taking notes and so on so everything will come more easily for me. 

Over all, my mentality has improved over the past few months. There were a lot of downs that I had, but I realize that I always find a way to pick myself back up. After all.. who else is going to stand up for you in this life? You gotta stand on your own two feet to find success. After finding success, you'd be respected by many, and your soul will thank you.,

I'm off to sleep now. It's blizzard-ing (is that even a word?) outside right now, and I have work tomorrow as usual. Talk to you guys soon.

Anthony

The ball is ROLLING!!

With the passage of my state board examinations, another door of opportunity has yet again presented itself. Work is picking up because of the holidays, but every night I get about two hours to myself before the alarm clock makes that high pitched sound to wake me up the next morning. I think a lot, as well as analyze the series of events that have happened and will happen. Blogging also keeps track of my thoughts so don't mind the useless rambling I'm about to go on and detail.. It's not just for my readers to know what's up, but for future reference for me too.

First and foremost, my license guarantees me employment at any salon in South Dakota. I can live in the Black Hills of South Dakota, which is the western half of South Dakota or in Brookings, located on the eastern half of the state where my university is at - and still have a job. It's a lovely stepping stone to everything I want to accomplish in this life. Brookings is a small college town, kind of like the town I'm living in. It's located about 40-50 miles away from a major city - Sioux Falls. I've researched job opportunities regarding my employment during the school year and bingo.. I found a list of salon's IN Brookings and also Sioux Falls. My plan is not to call these places yet as the earliest reasonable time frame to contact them will be in the summer. It's silly to think of calling them now because I won't be able to set up an "interview." I hope to land a part time job in the salon's located by my university as that would be more convenient in regards to transportation. 

I have a lot of questions in mind that I will be asking around the area once I get there; some of the things that are on my mind are: reputation, clientele age range, and price of services. Working in the customer service industry and dealing with people since June, I've gain knowledge that the reputation of a salon matters. For example, my uncle has competition right in front of our salon in front of Walmart. The workers are known to drill into people's nails causing painful, "ring of fires," which can cause tissue and even nail damage. This salon is also known to charge outrageous additional fees to the service, such as an extra five dollar charge for the scrub used in a pedicure and other miscellaneous "hidden fees." Word of mouth can make or break somebody, and this salon is suffering the consequences of their bad service as most clients avoid going there. My uncle has been in business for about 10 years in this town and obviously, if you had to choose from going to my uncle or aunt's salon's after hearing of the scenario I just explained - you would probably go to my uncle or aunt. Reputation is only one of the few things I have to consider when choosing a place to work part time at.

If you haven't caught on, yes I decided to work part time during college. Even if I can only work weekends, that's still extra income. It's better to avoid whatever amount of loans I can to save myself from a not-so-pretty looking loan bill after graduation. There's plenty of college kids who work part time and go to school full time. In fact, some people's situations differ from mine to the point that some student's have to work FULL time and take a full course load. I admire people like that because they know what real hardship is. Sometimes there's even people who are nontraditional students, who chose to go back to school with a full time job AND with the responsibility of being a "mom" or "dad." They make it through just fine, and I will too. Nothing is given on a platter in this life, you have to work hard so that your sense of accomplishments will give lead. 

The thought of paying almost five grand to go to beauty school and obtain this license is useless if I don't put this "license" into use. It's a win-win scenario, so that's why I decided that I'll be taking up a part time job.

Transportation is another point I almost forgot to mention. It doesn't seem reasonable to pay close to 25 grand to get a truck with a 4 wheel drive. The burden of car payments will be greater than that of my "future stress" from school. I do not want to be pillowed under hundreds of dollars of car payments during school, so I decided to just consider a compact car that will work. I thought about getting a used car, but you never know.. Used cars are sketchy because you're basically buying somebody's car that's already used. You don't know if the used car has been in a car accident, or whether or not there's engine problems. If you ask them, sure they will probably say something minor but how do you really know that they are telling the truth? People who sell used cars need the money too. Fixing my car is the last thing I want to worry about so getting a new car is best. I'm currently looking into the Kia Rio right now. It has great gas mileage. 27 city/ 36 highway. Double of that of a 4x4 truck that I was considering to get. 10 year warranty which means up to 100,000 miles insured for any faults that occur during that time frame - the company will fix it at no cost. It's a pretty sexy car, I'd have to say. 

My estimated car payments will be around 150-200 a month so that isn't too big. Insurance will be about 100-150 also, so I'm looking around 250-350 a month. I will need this car to get around to places, so it will be a good investment. I'm probably gonna get this car around next summer.. no reason for me to be paying now since I don't need a car to go anywhere. I just hope I do well in the snow with this car, since it doesn't have 4 wheel drive.. but hey, snow tires or all season tires were invented for a reason; as well as my common sense: it's logical to stay off the roads when appropriate!

Ahh.. and my university.. talked to an admissions counselor today and I can't wait until I start!! It's a 15 minute walk from one end to the other with an enrollment of around 12 thousand (and growing!). SDSU is one of the largest universities here in South Dakota. I'll let ya know what I think of it when I do a campus visit. Buildings are 5 minute walk from one another.. Big gym, lots of recreational stuff, you know typical college life.. with the DORMS! I'm gonna be living having a random roommate assigned to me since I don't know anyone...yet.. ahh! The thought of having someone random to live with for 6 months is kinda.. scary at first, I hope he isn't a psycho killer like the one in that one movie "The Roommate." I've been watching too many scary movies haha. No chicken here. In all honesty, I just hope my roomie and I will click! I have a pretty easy going personality.. I'm thrilled and can't wait to meet people and have a social life again. Starting college in another state, is def. a "reset" button. I'm gonna make college a blast.. I'm just happy that everything is figured out now... the ball is rolling now! Until next time.. It's getting late here, 

hope all of yall are doing good.

Oh and I didn't put pictures up in this blog post.. oops. Wall of text, sorry. Got kind of lazy.. you know it's late and all.

Anthony

State board examination results!!

HEY guys.

I have WONDERFUL news. I passed my state boards!!!!!!!! It's been a long time since I last posted. I had to wait a grueling 2 weeks to get the results. My life is changing, for the better. I am delightfully excited because with this passing of the boards; I can do nails now to support myself.

Some benefits of this license:

• I don't have to worry about going hungry when I go off to college or worrying about money.
• Job security (obviously, not gonna do this for a living) due to the demand for nail tech's in South Dakota
• High prices to do for services than other states = more $$ = less work to earn a pay check.
• I do not need anybody to support me now. Since my mom left the picture totally, I'm the first person in the family to be able to know how to make money, eg. not depending on parents like my cousins.
• My doorway to success = COLLEGE next year 2012!

My uncle whose been supporting me these past months through payments for beauty school, a place to live, to eat, etc. was the first to find out and he called me. He was THRILLED. I called all my family members (aunts, uncles) )to tell them, except for my mom and practically everyone was happy for me. They don't need to worry anymore knowing that I have my life in my hands knowing that I can be fully independent..

Despite the mistake I made during my practical examination, I passed with an 85 on the "hands" part which consisted of doing a manicure, silk wrap, sculptured nail, nail tip, and polish on a mannequin hand. The only mistake I made was that my when I was filing my sculptured nail, the nail completely fell off and hit my face! Bizzare because out of all the times I practiced, that moment when I was testng had to be the most unlucky one! I scored a 95 on the written exam and a 94 on the laws and rules which consisted of 110 questions and 25 questions respectively.

Now, it's time to rock n roll. The nail business may not be the best job out there, but heck, it'll put me through college with some extra money left over. It's better than working at a fast food joint making minimum wage, whereas I earn a commission now!

Did I also mention that I got a pay raise of 10/hr now? I got paid 8/hr before, but now it's 10/hr. My uncle ROCKS. I've been working full time, getting more than 40 hours per week, but out of respect I do not go over 80 hours for two weeks since that's too much of a burden for my uncle to pay me this time of year.

My plan is:

• Work until Fall semester begins of next year.
• during that time, around June I will fully be a resident of South Dakota, meaning I can qualify for in state tuition which saves me 5 grand a year in the long run. 
• I'll also be making moolah. I'm gonna be saving up though for expenses related to college, eg. food, tuition. 
• I'm not gonna get a car because I can't handle the car payments, insurance, and gas costs. I'll be living on campus, surely I'll make plenty of buddies to car pool with if I need to go anywhere. Might be annoying, but it's better than paying 200/mo + 100/mo for insurance, and another 50 for gas. 
• How am I gonna be getting to school from where I live to my school? Simple, there's a greyhound bus that runs through my town directly to my university for only 50 bucks! Greyhound FOR THE WIN.

I have time to decide on my major now in between and some studying to do. Currently, my major will be Nursing with a minor in Aerospace studies (air force reserves officer training corps)... save that talk for later. I am DETERMINED!

I'm no longer pissy about going to work now because I look ahead to my goals. "Don't lose sight of your goals," was what one client of mine told me. I will never lose sight of that goal.

Other news.. of my loove life: my ex and I have been talking lately, heck, there's a lot of love there still. We are no longer sad, but enjoying each other's company by webcamming, talking on the phone, etc. The words "friends" was never mentioned. He has admitted to me that I need to come back to Georgia so I can hang with him and have fun with him "like old times." and that he misses me. Absence does make the heart fonder, but I am not jumpin in with my two legs just yet. Life is going too good for any man to bring me down, haha. Taking it one step at a time. We are cool, and I'm glad he's in my life again, as well as he is too. He's single.. I'm single, and that's not gonna change. The best friends make the best lovers. Him and I are friends, with some love there; gonna stay that way for a long time though because we both aren't ready to jump the gun. He's goign through a lot of issues with his health... losing weight, his glow and you know what, I thought to myself; I loved this dude at one point of my life and still do, I can't let him know that I left him for good. I know him better than anyone out there.. he's on multiple meds, for me to disappear from his life would taint his image of what real love is. Meds cause him to lose track of his emotions, and worst of all his best friends are always with their boyfriends.. it's like they forgot about him from what he implied. He's been let down by many people, despite our past, my love for him is like a phoenix. from the ashes from what was, i'll love him with what's left. I got his back, he's got mine.. we indirectly said so during our talks. Love is when you are strong enough to let go, he said it himself and I can say that I've let go already. Our communication is getting better, he's more happier that he can talk to me without the burden of me bringing any lovey dubby stuff up. I love that dude DESPITE all the stuff he put me through; it has made me a better person and a more stronger, person. I learned sooo much about myself, and all the people who cared for me in the time of need; I'd like to thank them so much and that they have my heart right back at em, you know who you are!!

All the prayers helped. I'm thrilled!!!!!!! Hope yall are doing just fine. 

Going to sleep with a big smile on my face; Good night guys!!
 Anthony

Lessons taught by observing and learning

Now playing: Hide and Seek - Imogen heap

I had a wonderful day at work today. I learned so many things, some stories touched me more than others, but I will write about that later. I met an elderly lady living in a small town about 900 people, in between the border of South Dakota and North Dakota. Life has changed by technology as kids are no longer growing up the way "they used to." I met another young lady, whose life was changed drastically by a major head-on-65-mph collision with a van full of kids while heading to a soccer tournament. It only takes a moment to change your whole life; for the better or for the worse. Another lady whose getting married tomorrow on 11/11/11. Love comes when the time is right, and should not be searched for.

Multicolored balloons filled the dining room floor.  It was my aunt-in-law's birthday.

She turned forty today, so I made a joke saying that she's four decades old (which is true!). She still looks like she's young. I believe I should "just go with the flow, and follow your heart and ignore everything else" (something along the lines of what Judee told me). She laughed and then she picked up the phone. It was her sister, wishing her happy birthday.

Just a couple moments ago, we gathered the entire family upstairs in the dining room and my uncle bought out the cake he bought for her. He actually had to stop playing the new COD game, or whatever new shooting game just came out just for his wife. He smiled a lot, and then we lit the sparkling candles up. The candles came in many different colors; pink, green, blue, and even a mixture of colors stripped! 

The moment came, and the happy birthday song begun. Everyone was smiling, and singing happy birthday regardless of what conflicts have been going on the family. For just that moment, I felt happy that everyone was smiling, so I smiled too. At that very moment, I knew everyone was focused on the cake, and the singing. Though not vocally talented in singing, I sang along too. We took pictures together as a whole, and the candles were acting up. It took several, more than 8 blows to knock those candles out. See, I even had to help blow out the candles but the candles that we got were "special," in the way that it never went out! You could keep on blowing, and it would stay "unlit" for a while, and then start the flames up again. It was an amazing sight, because the lights were off in the entire house and all you could see was the sparks from the candles. Oh yeah, my uncle bought 20 candles as a joke. I was like to my aunt, "You're turning 20 today right?" Hahah. Before you knew it, the candles went out and we were all clapping. Alllll smiles.

The birthday was a success. The cake was delicious. It was a four type cheese cake from Safeway - a store on the other side of town. The cake was divided into strawberry, chocolate, and vanilla, along with coconut. I chose to eat the strawberry slice, and my aunt chose the chocolate. My cousin Emily chose the Strawberry, Andrew chose the chocolate, and Robin the vanilla. Emily and I were the only ones that picked strawberry so we gave each other high-fives. 

I sat there eating my cake anxiously taking and actually "eating" each bite. The strawberries from within collided with my mouth, and created a SUPER delicious feeling. Everyone else was devouring their cake, as we do not get to eat sweets as often. For just that moment, everyone was eating, talking, and getting along with each other. That was enough to make me smile, and I will make sure that my family that I raise in the future will be great.

I felt at ease, happy, and learned that without struggle, there would be no happiness and appreciation. Even though my aunt can be a total butt sometimes, I'm going to look past that as she was raised differently. I know that she cares about me, as any human would knowing how I was raised with no dad, a mom that abandoned me and chose her boyfriend(s) over her children, and other misc. information. She may not be a perfect person, and may anger me at times, but I accept that. She might be my aunt in law, but she is still family. She makes my uncle happy, and their marriage has been successful in the way that things are going so far. Just think about it, three kids, a house, a boat, and everything that they could ever ask for. As long as their marriage remains filled with smiles, then I'm happy too because my uncle is happy.

Two minds can collide like an asteroid going hundreds of miles per hour towards earth, but in the end - what matters is your willingness to put up with the differences as life doesn't always go the way you want it to. You cannot control people's personalities, but you can definitely maneuver your mind in such a way that you think positively.. There's my two cents for tonight.

Good night,

Anthony

She goes by the name "Judee"..

A month ago, I was sitting in the reception area at work with my headphones on. It was a very slow day I could of swore you could hear a pin drop. As I watched the "people of Wal-Mart" pass by (which was a daily thing), I saw this lady walk towards our nail salon. She was very well dressed and I thought to myself, "She looks like she just came from somewhere formal." She wore a grey shirt with three white buttons. She walked with her head held high, graciously striding on her "one inch" black dress shoes. 

 From where I was sitting, you could tell her "mission" was to get her nails done. It sounds very silly, but when a woman has her eyes set onto the nail salon - they're most likely going to get their nails done. She approached the reception area from where I was sitting and I stood up and greeted her with "Hi! How are you doing today? What can I help you with?" as I would with everyone. I thought she was a mean looking lady at first, then her smile lit up the room (literally).


She answered that she was doing great, and asked me the same with enthusiasm. Normally, most people would not ask me in such a tone that she asked. It sounded like she really wanted to know how my day was going, and I told her that I was also "doing wonderful." She said she needed a fill, so I checked my appointment book for the day and said that I was able to get her in ten minutes from "now." She said "Okay," and sat down.  

She asked if she could use a pen, and I delightedly said that I will get her one. I try to be very happy at work, and it obviously shows through my "dimple-producing" smiles I give. I handed her the pen, and she grabbed her check book to write a check and gave the pen back. I thanked her for the pen, and she said thank you also.

A couple seconds later, my uncle tells me to start her fill by removing her brown polish that she had on and filing her nails down. I thought to myself, "Bummer!!" because I was so into my music at that time. My uncle's willingness to let me start her fill was a miracle..

I told her that I was ready to start her fill and explained to her that I was only going to be doing a minimal job and that somebody else, my uncle or our other worker - Annie, would be doing her actual "fill." She agreed that it was fine and I escorted her to our desk. Still, walking tall and proudly, she sat down and I sat down. She smiled at me, asked me a couple questions like 

• "How do you like doing nails?" 
• "How long have you been here?" 
• "What bought you to South Dakota?" 
• "Are you related to ----uncle's name goes here--?"
• "Are you going to college?"
• "Why did you choose to move to South Dakota out of all the places?
• etc

I personally, like to have a connection with my clients to know who they are so I respected her by answering her questions. Normally, people say you should keep personal life out of work life but I think some exceptions could be made. After answering questions and questions, ranging from college to what I wanted to be, and why I wanted to be a "nurse," she asked me "Are you sure that was the only reason you wanted to move to South Dakota?"

I paused removing her polish and sat there for a good thirty seconds to give a response that was suitable for the intense conversation that was going on. She saw in my eyes that I was holding behind something. I told her a brief description of why I actually moved to South Dakota..

"My mom decided to abandon me, because she put her boyfriend(s) in front of her own three children." I said.

She pulled her hands back, and looked into my eyes and told me..

"You are a strong young boy, I can see it in your eyes. I'm very proud of you, and I know you will accomplish great things in your life. Sometimes we have to put our heart out on a goal, and push everything aside that interferes with it. At times, people might push you off your track, but you are strong enough to put yourself back on track. I see you doing great things in your life, and I believe in you."

Those were the very words that she said. I didn't know how to react because I needed the extra push, all the pushes that I can get only drive me further to my goals. I had a "few" tears in my eyes.. She was truly an angel sent from above or something out of the ordinary that came into my life.....

She had her fill done by my uncle, and my uncle told her of my struggles in the past of how I was raised, how I have no dad, and the situation with my own mother. I don't mind him telling people about my life because there is no reason to hide what is the truth. 

I had to go home early that very day.. and I said my farewells to her, and wished her a great evening and walked out.

I was now at home and was helping my aunt cook dinner. Asparagus was on the menu for that night with rice. I heard the front door open and my uncle walks in and gives me this look. He walks to me, and in his hands is a hundred dollar check from "Judee." I was shocked because her service was only twenty dollars and she left a hundred dollar tip. 

My uncle told me she admired me for my strength, and my willingness to stay strong to support myself through college even though I have to leave my two sisters behind. She is an amazing lady.



Judee came in today to get her nails done. She got the usual color she would always get, something along the lines of a brown color. I started her off, and she and I conversated back and forth about our lives, what we have been doing, how are my sisters doing, etc. She asked me if I planned on staying around the area or leaving, and I told her that I was going to most likely go back to Georgia or stay nearby to keep a look out on my sisters. I thought to myself that I could support my sisters by myself after I have my career established with nursing, and probably settle down and have a family also here in the Black Hills. She asked me if any big upcoming events was going on, I told her that my state boards was coming up on the 15th of November, and she asked me what time.. I told her at seven in the morning. I made a comment saying that this license was my door to everything, and that it was a stepping stone to my future.

She then replied, "Is it okay if I say some prayers from now and to the time that you take your state boards?"


I said, "Most definitely."


She got her nails finished off by my uncle, and then she walked to me in the back and gave me a hug - saying that I will do wonderful on my boards and that I, as well as my sisters will be in her prayers, and handed me a check in which I did not check until I finished my client that I was on.. I was stunned that she gave me another check... I checked the check, and she wrote along the memo line "Bless you!" Very spiritual, and wonderful personality.


She made my whole entire day. No, rather, my entire life.. Thank you for giving me the extra push that could always be needed. It's not the amount of money she tipped that matter, but her sweet heart that always is a caring feature of her. I honestly feel like she is an angel, she comes randomly, and never makes appointments. I saw her at the mall the other day walking by and we stopped to chat, and the mall is about an hour away. I only came to pick up something, and there she was, just walking to my direction through the door. I would think no different if she left no tip or any amount of money because that does not equate to what she has shown me - what true compassion and understanding is. It's extraordinary because she wanted to become a nurse too, so we have a lot of similar things in common along with our giving nature.  


Here is the check:

FYI- I am planning on to not cash this check in. I'm keeping it on my desk where my books are along with some other personal belongings -- will post a picture sometime.


Thank you Judee, expect something in the mail sometime. 


She's truly a blessing, I can feel it!!! You know, that feeling of peace and protection? I don't know how to explain it. Good vibes. 

Remember, you have a lot to be thankful for whether you see it or not. For anyone going through tough times, just know that it will pass and that there will be better days ahead. Count your blessings, they can come from a random stranger or even just a hand written note that says "Bless you." Be good to yourself and others, and most importantly, love yourself and share it because the universe put us here for a reason - not to start wars, but to make peace happen. War is inevitable, but we can start our own peace with others. May protection be offered to those who wish to obtain it, and may the good spirits of those guide us through the journey of what we call - Life. In the name of __________, Amen.




Anthony

Beauty school is done with, apartment, COLLEGE.

Hey guys.

It's been a long long time since I've blogged, and I feel like now it's about time to blog. I kinda need to write out my thoughts right now and let you guys know I'm still alive (I am :P)

I graduated from beauty school a couple months ago.. towards the end of September. It was overall a great experience; I met a lot of crazy girls that I've ever met in my whole life. I laughed every day and had a blast though where were sometimes where I wanted to clock out because of all the things that went on in there with the staff that directly affected us as a student body. But that stuff is over with, so I'm glad I'm out of what people call now, "Hell-lines Academy." I honestly wish I could go back; just to see all familiar faces that became my awesome ladies. I still keep in touch with some of them and I can't wait to see where they will go in life. There's some really artistic people out in beauty school. Coming from all different type of situations, I could relate to some of them with coming from a troubled past and then excelling. 

After I graduated Beauty school, I received my temporary license to do "nails." Here in South Dakota, you need a license to actually even clip or "beautify" someone's nails (eg. working in a salon). I've been working full time with my uncle and occasionally would go down to our shop in downtown, which was about a 5 minute drive to and from our home. I get paid hourly but if my actual services performed (manicure, pedicures) surpassed the amount of my hour rate, then I would get paid whatever is the highest. So I guess that's good cause my uncle's an awesome guy by doing that. All my money that I've made has gone to the debt that I've occurred while attending Headlines Academy and I have about three grand to go. My day consists of waking up early, and then heading straight to work. It's been an exhausting few weeks.. 

We went to Denver a couple weeks ago to go grocery shopping since there isn't any Vietnamese stores here taking my uncle's toyota tundra. It's a huge truck that I have trouble driving with because it's a long bed/work truck. It takes about 8 hours to drive there to Denver and luckily there was no snow. My uncle said he goes there at least two times a year to stack up on supplies and most importantly, groceries in which you cannot get in the stores here. That's been a great experience to finally be in the city again, cars rushing down the highway and such. I drove most of the way but switched when we got in the city because the cars were so much. The traffic reminded of Atlanta during the afternoon where the cars would rush down the lane from both sides. I'm a comfortable driver but when there's too many cars running down the highway, bumper to bumper traffic, I get kind of "car-claustrophobic". I don't even know if that's a word but you get the point. We spent the weekend there and I got to see the city, so that was a change from the city I live in.

Family life.. well I guess it's going good. I get treated like a maid or housekeeper here by my aunt but that's alright because I'm going somewhere in life. We had a worker just leave today to go back to Arizona because she only works during warm months. She cannot handle the cold because it gets REALLY cold here during the winter, although we haven't had much significant snow except for an inch. She took my room, in which had all my clothes, and the table and bed I bought. 

Before her leaving back to Arizona, I told my uncle that I wanted my room back since I bought the table and all the stuff in here, literally moved all my things in and stuff. He agreed  that I would have my room back and that was it. Now today came my aunt, whose zodiac sign is a sheep (sheep's zodiac sign in Vietnamese culture are hard to live with, and are demanding, etc) She calls my grandpa telling him that I don't get the room. Now with that being said, the Arizonan worker just left and we have another worker whose a man, mixed, in his 40's taking my room now. My grandpa said I have nothing to do with this, then while moving all my clothes back (which were on the ground from the piece of mattress I've been sleeping on the past 6 months) I get a call from my aunt. Knowing that whenever she calls, it's up to no good and always something bad. I don't pick up. She textes me something and then my grandpa comes in to tell me of the conversation. She texted.. 

"Don't move in Ann room (the Arizonan worker) because Peter (the new worker) pay us $200 a month so that should be his room."

I respond..

"I'll pay 210 a month because I have a lot of clothes and the table for school already."

She textes:

"It's not the money tony. I want the worker to feel at home so they can stay n work for us."

First..

1. This worker DOES NOT have his license yet. He has a temporary license and he speaks HORRIBLE english. He's a terrible person who wants to use me all the time to teach him how to do the practical examination, translating the book and etc. 

2. So if it isn't about the money, why did you mention the money that he paid? If I pay more than him shouldn't I get the room? I haven't been paying rent and I don't need to because my uncle invited me to live here, he's a great person but his wife is a butt. 

That was the last straw for me as I was furious of all the things I've been having to deal with. Remember when I said I was a housemaid here? I clean two sinks full of dishes each day, help cook, mop and clean the floors and bathrooms, because that's my "duty" as she says. Cleaning after her kids too, who have no sense of respect or don't contribute to "chores" that kids these days have. All they do is play games on their iPhones. Did I mention they are in 7th grade, 2nd grade, and 9th grade? All of them go out ALL the time and sleep over at a friends house on the weekend. She doesn't let the 7th grader and  the 9th grader help because as in her own words "They do enough in this house. And they are tired."

There was this one time in the summer the plants were overgrowing. She called me to cut them; let me mention to you that these plants are razor sharp and they are WEEDS. I directly said back to her that I can't do it because they are sharp. With the excuse of having no gloves, she insulted me saying that her own children have been doing it. And as a response, I tell her that why don't she call her kids to do it then or rent someone. And.. she said "You live here for free. You eat free. You use the water free. And the electricity, and you can't cut the weeds?".

I was silent afterwards because I know my boundaries. I'm a clever person and calm, many have said that so I stopped to avoid further arguments. That was the day I lost all respect for her as she sees me as this maid. 

She is a huge, huge butt.. She wants me to basically live in the basement room where all the heater stuff is now. It's dusty in there. No way Jose...

THe last straw was today. My grandpa was so angered (poor him.. at his age he should be happy now) that we went out to look for apartments today. I have a whole list of apartments where him and I, along with his daughter can share two rooms. He's also a housekeeper too. Let me tell you how evil this aunt in law is: She purposely throws knives in the sink hidden under so that we can have a hard time to wash it and throw huge pans. You could at least leave the knives out and put the oily pots on the outside so there won't be hazards. 

It's time to take action now.. and you know what, I'm a strong person. I've been through so much already that this is just another test for me, a test of strength and I will prevail.

My grandpa and I were on our way to look for apartments on the other side of town, and after looking and writing down numbers on our yellow, notepad filled with notes; something told me that I should ask my grandpa if wanted to go in Safeway to test his blood pressure (as it's been high these days.) He agreed. We walked in the doors and saw this young lady who looked Vietnamese. We walked right past her and stopped and then my grandpa said, "Is she Vietnamese? She looks Vietnamese!! Ask her if she speaks Vietnamese." And then I approached her and talked in Vietnamese, asking her "Are you Vietnamese?" And she replied, in vietnamese "Yes! I am!" And she sounded very delighted to talk to us!! It turns out she was just visiting from Minnesota which is 12 hours away. My grandpa and I talked to her, and said that we were looking for apartments. She said that her husband was a real estate agent and that they have rooms for rent in their 3 houses in MN. I was SO shocked because it was like, an epiphany hit me and my grandpa. I met her husband, and now tomorrow we have a lunch date tomorrow at noon. She said that there's lots of Vietnamese people where she lives, and that she does nails too. Bingo. Potential employer and also friend who is like a family... I have no idea where of the whereabouts of the city that she has her 3 houses in, but I know it's a lot closer to my university in Brookings (South Dakota State University - otherwise known as SDSU). This has to be the work of a greater power.. because while in the car, my grandpa said to me that "We are good people. We help people, but bad things always happen to us." I reassured him that "God has a way of helping those in need, and to not worry." Then, that incident with that Vietnamese lady, known as "Cho Thanh" pops out at the safeway right at the door, getting ready to leave the store. Amazing!!!!

College wise, I received my residency applications and financial aid information for the upcoming school year. Spring semester starts in January 5th-ish. I haven't exactly made my decision yet, but I know that I need to make one soon or whether or not to start the school year without a car but my friend reassured me that loans were the way to go. There's plenty of people like me in college that start off with nothing, but are amazing people with well established careers. I'm very thankful of my uncle for helping me out get out of Georgia, either way - I'm good!! My self esteem has it's down days sometimes, but I always come back stronger. On the 15th of November, I take my state exams for my official permanent license to do nails. Hopefully I pass, but I'm sure I will! My heart says that I belong in Air Force so I've been looking at the ROTC program at SDSU. I can get commissioned as an officer. It's going to take a lot work but I can do it. I can feel it flowing through my veins.. success lies closer than you think if you work for it.

This is gonna be another beginning for me yet again. As one door closes, another one opens until I'm on top of the world. I'm sure it's the work of God; or something supernatural because I do feel my dad around me sometimes. 

Until next time,

blessings and hugs..

Anthony

The Guardian Angel (part 1)

"A guardian angel is an angel assigned to protect and guide a particular person or group."

-Wikipedia definition

It was about six o'clock on the time the moment I pulled into our steep hilly driveway. Coming home from Rapid City, it was the usual time I would be at home. It's still summer and it felt comfortable outside to the point where you it "wasn't too cold" or "wasn't too hot," just in the middle. The sun was still out shining brightly onto our lively grass filled with unusual "creatures," such as flying green and brown grasshoppers, and bumblebees. I can't forget about the gray fuzzy rabbits who have that "love--hate" companionship with the neighborhood cats.

Occasionally, we would get huge families of visitors with awesome horns and big muscles. These were known as deer, but that's beside the point. Birds were included, but I wouldn't call them "unusual" because they are everywhere. These birds that fly around are just not the usual grey-white pigeon you see hopping around on the city streets; there are actually different species of bird that call the "Black Hills" home and I happen to live where they live - in the "Black Hills of South Dakota."

One bird that never fails to amaze me is the Robin. The miraculous beauty of a robin is astonishing because they were rare to see yet I could always capture a glimpse of one flying around the house. I can even spot one flying in the air if I'm lucky. They are humble creatures from what I've observed. Birds stay high in the sky, and have a pretty good relationship with the other animals because they have that advantage of being in the air instead of being land animals. Of course they come in all different colors such as blue or red - probably even more. I've seen both of them and appearance wise - they look just beautiful. I've never seen a robin in my whole entire life except on television shows like "animal planet." The sad thing is that they do not come too often, maybe once every two weeks we would see them flying in our backyard. I guess that's why it makes them so beautiful, the fact that you don't see them often makes them a treat for your eyes. Call me crazy, but I really like what mother nature has given to us. There are just some things in life that will amaze you if you were there to see it in person, rather on a pixelated screen.