I'm still here!

Howdy all!

I'm still around. Life has been leaving me in the dust lately. Here is a quick update on things...

Carlos and I are still together! We are coming up on 8 months of happy, fantastic, dysfunction. He's the best guy ever and I'm a lucky girl to have him. Did I mention that he cleaned my car out?! He's a brave man too.

The new job.... I love my kids. I love teaching. I have a TERRIBLE boss. She's so terrible to me. She's demeaning, rude and never misses an opportunity to cut me down. She's an asshole.

I've recently gotten into making homemade bath and body stuff :) all natural lotions, creams, scrubs mad maybe some candles eventually. I really hope that I can get good enough at making the stuff so I can sell it and make some extra money.

I got a job!!

I'm so excited!! I finally got a call for a job! And a fantastic job at that! I am the newest ELA teacher at Shoemaker HS in Killeen! HOLY COW!

I'm sososososososososososoooooooooooo excited for this opportunity. I have no idea on any details yet, but I will know more on Monday.

Oh? Best part? The school is like... 2 blocks away from Carlos' house! I may actually get to see my boyfriend on a near daily basis, instead of this once a week nonsense.

On a separate but related note, if I know you in real life (like spoken to you face to face) and you read my blog, don't use it to spy on me... I know who you are and you irritate me to no end. Oh... And your stuff? I'll get to it eventually... I'm busy being an adult... Maybe you should try it out sometime...

After that little tidbit of negativity... Back to the swooning over my job! I start on August 12th, meaning I have to cut waaaaaaay back on my shenanigans at Denny's. I love my current job, but I'm so ready to actually start my career. Career.... What an adult word... O_O The best part? This is just one more step on my road to funky-dom! Goodbye chunky!

Faith and Patience

Today's post is a tad short... I had an interview with my DREAM school district last week. I haven't heard anything yet and it's making me really nervous. I need a dose of faith and patience. Asking for prayers/vibes/thoughts/whatever it is that you believe.

I hope and pray that Harker Heights HS is where I'm supposed to be. Hope and pray... I loved the place and the people. I know I will get the job I'm meant to have... But quite frankly, I haven't wanted anything this bad.. Ever... I want this so bad it causes me physical pain.

Social Experiments

Good afternoon loves! It's my day off! Woohoo! Damn have I earned this bad boy this week.

If you know anything about me from real life, or from reading my blog, twitter, instagram or pinterest, I hope one of the tidbits you've taken away is that I'm a nerd. Nerd. HUGE nerd. Learning is fun for me and I enjoy most things geeky and obscure.

Being the nerd that I am... I devised an experiment... Will wearing makeup to work increase my tips? If you haven't noticed, I'm not a makeup girl. Hell I can barely paint my nails without looking like I went to a half blind baboon for a mani. It's embarrassing, but it's a fact of life for me. My mom have ULTRA sensitive skin and can't wear it and my grandma is stuck in the pancake days. Ew. Not cute.

I have some Bare Minerals foundation that I bought a year or so ago that has sat unopened and unused. It works as both a foundation and concealer. The lady I bought it from at Sephora told me that much. I also bought some Almay eyeliner and mascara specifically for hazel eyes. I've watched a couple how to videos on youtube, so I just went for it. Why not? What can it hurt? I've always been a big chicken when it comes to eye makeup. Quite afraid of stabbing myself in the eye.

Not too bad for a first attempt, huh?

Seeing as though it's an experiment, I need to be able to replicate the results for it to be filed as a causation, and not just a correlation. Based on last night, I saw a HUGE correlation. I didn't act or dress any differently. I saw about a 50% increase last night. O_O Holy crap. Last night (Tuesday night) I brought home about $100 in tips. DAYUM. A normal night is $50-$60.

After all was said and done... Foundation and eyes..

I didn't think I looked that much different, but I guess I did... My little brother and best guy friend said that I did. I'm not wearing anything but the mascara, eyeliner and foundation. Nothing on my lips or anything... Not too shabby, huh?

Laters Baby

Howdy my darlings! I've missed you so! It feels like it's been FOREVER since I've posted. I know I've published a couple from my phone, and I'm still working on replying to your comments. Thank you all so much for the wonderful words of encouragement after my trippy binge last week. It took some time, but I think I'm mentally healed from it. It sucked for a while and I felt like shit, but I am over it and moving on.

My weekend was 100% uneventful. I really didn't do anything except work and sleep. I was also completely boyfriend-less for the weekend. Carlos went to A-Kon in Dallas from Thursday to Sunday and left his phone at home. So I didn't hear from him until this afternoon. He said he had a good time, but he's not going again next year. The people that throw the convention moved it to a new hotel, which made prices for stuff go through the roof.

Did I mention that he said he missed me like crazy?! Woo!

He's also having some troubles at home. Poor guy. I really don't want to put his business out on my blog, but if you pray, please say a quick one for him. His family is driving him BSC.

I'm really excited for Wednesday.. It's my next day off, meaning I get to go running! I want to do some kind of exercise on my days off, but it's too damn hot in the daylight and I'm a bum that works the evening shift.

I've recently started re-reading the 50 Shades of Grey books. Why not? It's an intriguing topic and one that I've thought about exploring some. There's a fine line between pleasure and pain... Sometimes I like to pick that line up and skip rope with it :)

Laters Baby!

Fluffy Friday! Pieces of Happy :)

Good morning my darlings! I am linking up during this morning's Fluffy Friday with the beautiful girl, Kenzie over at Chasing Happy! So... What is happy for me this week? Oh so much :)

>>Date night with my Carlos!

>>The Great Gatsby... Best movie adaptation of a book... EVER!

>>Getting a good 2.3 mile walk in on Wednesday night

>>My last day of having 3 jobs is... TODAY!

>>Being 100% obsessed with my new job.

Except at the end of 12 hour shifts... Yikes...

>>My dear friend Rudy has a date tonight! I'm so excited for him!

>>Planning Carlos's birthday awesomeness! I'll give my sweet readers details, but HE GETS NONE! :-p

Yep.. Taking him to Schillterbahn! Along with other various things :)

>>@psiloveyou__ on IG! They have some of the absolute sweetest pictures... Sigh

>>That funny feeling I get in my chest when I hear Carlos say my name.

I hate this picture of me... But it captured the moment perfectly...

>>That funny feeling I get in my chest when I catch myself daydreaming about my boyfriend :)

Well.. I'm alive?

I made it through the weekend..

Good morning my sweet readers! I've missed you all so much! This weekend was pure CHAOS! I worked a grand total of 25 hours this weekend at Denny's, plus I had my regular work week last week, and I cleaned my great-grandma's house.. 3 jobs my loves... 3... I'm a bit tired...

I have to say, I love being a waitress! It's so much fun and the money is really good! I never would have imagined that I would enjoy it so much :) It's really exhausting though. I was asleep last night by 10pm. Carlos called around 11pm and I think I had about a 15 minute conversation with him. I don't really remember.

Speaking of Carlos.. We are going out tonight! He's finally making good on his promise to take me to see Great Gatsby :) We are also having dinner and hanging out at the mall.. It's a good half way point between our houses. I'm really excited! Plus I look absolutely adorable today! I'm wearing my new skirt from Lane Bryant and my favorite green shirt :) Maybe I'll take a picture for tomorrow?

Not much to say today.. Work has me all kinds of busy. Thankfully this is my last week at school, so I'll be down to 2 jobs, instead of 3. Yipes. I'm tired...

Good night blogosphere.. ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

I've Been MIA...

Good morning my darling readers.. I have to say that I've missed you so! I haven't had the time to sit down and type anything, much less actually put together a blog post that has some semblance of cohesiveness. Let's just say that I've been busier than a one legged man in an ass kicking contest!

 For the last two days I've been in a classroom that has driven me to the edge of insanity and Spartan kicked my ass off the ledge kept me on my toes. Never in my life have I given up on a class and said, "Screw it! Let them peel the paint off the walls and eat it. Don't bloody care anymore." It was ugly. One of the periods was actually REALLY good and helped me practice my Spanish skills. I explained in broken Spanish/English that my boyfriend (HOW AWESOME IS THAT WORD?! AHHHH) is Puerto Rican and his parent's first language is Spanish. I want to be able to talk to them more, so I'm really busting it trying to learn.

I also started my new job at Denny's this weekend... Let me tell you... IT'S AWESOME!! I'm still just training, but I'm in L-O-V-E! Both of my trainers have commented that I've picked it up quick and that they are really impressed with me. Score! Finally something I'm good at! But I have to make my book look cute.. Right now it's just boring and black and I don't like it.

I have noticed that I've been eating like SHIT for the last few weeks. It came crashing down on me last night after dinner. I was bloated, miserable, and just down right crabby. Mom commented to the effect, "You were so much more pleasant to be around when you were eating right." You know what?

Reality-1 Sammie-0

It doesn't help that my lovely Auntie Flo decided to make her visit A BLOODY WEEK (no pun intended) EARLY! Bitch. No wonder I was such a joy and delight last week... She's also been wrecking havoc on one of my relationships too. (Have I mentioned that Lady Shark Week turns me into a Bat Shit Crazy heifer when I'm not on birth control?) I posted last week that my dear friend Rudy had been ignoring me... He wasn't ignoring me... Apparently he had a cold that flat put him on his ass. I finally heard from him Saturday morning and things are.... Semi-normal... Lots of crap we're still working out that has nothing to do with anything happy or fun. Mostly my bat shit crazy girl emotions getting in the way of he and I being friends. Stupid girl.

Anywho... I should be around for the remainder of the week.. Thank goodness.. Blogging is my sanity.

Guess Who Got A Summer JOB?!

Yeaaaah.. Good morning sweet ones!! It's Wednesday! Happy Hump Day!! (snicker... Giggidy)..

I'm in an inappropriate mood this morning.. And inappropriate is a good thing! I GOT A SUMMER JOB!! Is it the ideal job? Hell no.. I was offered a job as a waitress at Denny's. Do I care that it's not an ideal job? Nope. RED HAIR DON'T CARE!! IT'S A JOB!! I'm actually really excited! (Couldn't tell huh?) I've never actually been a waitress before.. Could be an adventure? Maybe! Who cares... I'm employed and I don't have to worry about losing my car or paying my bills!

I'm working on a blog entry that I will probably schedule to post later... So a quick poll..

What does love mean to you?

What is love?

How do you know when you are in love?

If you would, PLEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAASSSSSSSSSEEEEEEEEEEEE answer in the comments or shoot me an email at peppersandonionsblog@gmail.com. Please! Do know that if you answer, I will not attach your name to your answers, but I will use direct quotes. This research is completely not sciencetific in the least and all opinons are welcome.. Some of them I've gotten so far have made me laugh my bum off. I take everything from cynical to sappy. Please let me know!!


-Sammie

Non Scale Victories! Galveston Island Style

Good morning from the beautiful Galveston Island! Yesterday was pure insanity. I love all the kids that I'm traveling with.. They are an amazing, diverse group of young adults.

Our hotel is maybe 25 yards from the gulf. It's so beautiful. Except for the seagulls... Foul beasts.. I hate seagulls.. They are the bane of my existence!

My victory is a little bit bass-ackwards for today.. Yesterday, I let myself have an all out, no holds barred cheat day. From breakfast to dinner, I let myself go insane. And guess what? I don't feel bad about it. I'm back on healthy eating today (maybe except for that bagel, but whatevs) and I'm going to visit the fitness center tonight. My leg is feeling much better, so I think all I needed was a real cheat day. Just a day of vacation-esque break.

Today the kids from the Biomedical Debate Team have testing and we are set to attend the opening ceremonies tonight at 7:30pm. Then on Friday our PSA team competes and the Biomedical Debate team will get to debate if their test scores are in the top half of the competitors. Friday we are also planning on going to Pleasure Pier on Friday night! I'm really excited!

I've made sure to attach pictures from yesterday. I'll make sure to take lots of pictures today, we're going to the beach! I think we may also be going to the Rainforest Café for dinner tonight! I'm really excited :)

It's too early for this shit...

Love these kids!

Must have a picture in the funny hats

Mocha Almond Fudge... Coffee, Chocolate and Nuts.. Damn



Finally on the Island! The weather was terrible!



Pigtails... The only way to tame the beastly fro..

Foul beasts! EFFIN SEAGULLS!!

It was misty, windy, and damp.. But I love the beach!

Quest to Funky-dom

When I restarted my blog, I was determined to not let it be solely a weight loss blog. Chunky is more than just a body type to me. Chunky is more a state of mind. My depression, career, fitness, weight, and relationships all fit into my state of mind. Today's post is more about my career. Where have you been and where are you going? I'm going to be Funky dammit! :-)

Right now I'm in the process of trying to get a Master's degree. Currently I work as a substitute teacher and it's just not enough for me. I am eligible to apply for teaching positions in the state of Texas as an 8-12 ELA/Reading teacher. For the last few weeks I've been filling in for the librarian. I love it in here. LOVE it. LOVE IT. LOVE IT! Sorry. Point made.

Anyways, I have my Bachelor's in Psychology because.... Well.... I needed a Bachelor's degree... That's all I'd ever been told. Get a degree! Get a degree! Degree=job! Yeah... About that... Not so much.. Yes, I had a full time job before. Yes I'm subbing full time now. Know how much I made when I was at my peak income? $29k... That's barely enough to make rent and make a car payment, much less pay off my effing student loans.

I love teaching. I love books. I love teaching kids about books and with books and all the wonders that are books. (Remember how I called myself a nerd? Yeah).

My problem? I was a complete and total SCREW OFF during my undergraduate career. My ending GPA was a lousy 2.45 and my GPA for my last 60 hours was something around a 2.28. Yep... That's what I get for having NO direction. I wanted to graduate. Graduate=job, right? That's what I always thought....

Here goes my journey to Funky-dom... One headache at a time...

Books, Books, Books

As of late, I've been subbing in a high school library. One of the things that I've wanted to do is get back into reading like I used to. When I was younger (late elemetary school) I always had a book in my hand. I won numerous awards for most books read (we didn't have AR tests back then) and I often was a member of the 600 Minutes Reading Club. The 600 Minutes Club gave free tickets to Six Flags to the students that logged 600 minutes of reading time in a month's time. Even as early as 2nd grade I was able to join this club.

As I progressed into junior high I turned into your typical JH girl... Boys, clothes, friends and general pre-teen girl idiocy began to outweigh my love of reading. These habits followed me through junior high, high school, and through the first year or so of college. Then I met my dear wifey, Britt. She's not really my wife.. She was my roommate my sophomore/junior year in college. She is the absolute, ultimate book nerd. Thanks to her, I found my love of books again. It started off slow, maybe a book a month or so (I was still a college student, after all). I graduated college in May of 2010 and slipped on my reading again. I was consumed with the desire to find a job and hopefully move out of my parent's house.

Fast forward to October 2011... I am living on my own, dating a book worm and I'm slowly becoming BFFs with another bibliophile who recommends I read the Harry Potter series. I finished all 7 books in about 3 weeks. I'm back. A raging bibliomaniac with a thirst for new and exciting adventures in the form of print on pages. I have a Goodreads account that I update almost daily. Working in a library has its perks! My most recent read is Divergent by Veronica Roth. It's similar in style and genre to The Hunger Games trilogy. I love dystopian fiction!

Ouch...

Something happened at work today that piqued my interest... Apparently a bunch from the high school that I normally sub at took window paint to a rival high school's vehicles. Stupid high school assery..

I heard about what happened, so I went on twitter to check it out. Pretty reliable source, considering the kids actually fessed up to being there. So, I was searching on twitter and I came across some tweets making fun of me...

Apparently I was talking to myself in 2nd period today and the kids saw me. This is normal for me... I tend to talk to myself when I'm thinking or writing (I did both today). I wasn't prepared, however, for being made fun of... Strike one for my fragile ego :-(

I suppose this is something I should expect. I'm an adult, they're kids. They are supposed to think I'm a little BSC. I just wasn't prepared. Lesson learned blog-o-sphere... Don't search for high school news on twitter and expect to come out with your pride intact.