A Very Black Friday

Mayhem. When asked how working black friday was, that was my initial reaction. Absolute chaos. Noisy, uncontrollable chaos. Interestingly enough, I work at The Children's Place. Not your first thought when you think of great deals on the wonderful day of buying things at 4 in the morning.

My shift was 4am-1:30pm. Nine and a half excruciating hours of being on my feet, with the exception of a 30 minutes break. Don't get me wrong, I do like my job, and I am more than thankful to have it. But 4am is slightly ridiculous.

Many people doubted Children's Place when I told them we were open at 4am. They thought, "noone would possibly be anxiously awaiting for you to open." Oh but they were. Atleast 10 people were waiting when we open in the wee hours of the morning.

Now, this is my first Black Friday experience. I've never been a part of it, worked it, or had anything to do with it before and I must say, it is definitely as dangerous and exciting as it is cracked up to be.

From a Marketing perspective, it is genius and had become a worldwide known doorbuster event. It intrigues me, as anything with sales does, how people can become so deal-crazy on this one day of the year.

We had everything in the store 30% off before noon which is kinda a big deal. And we made a large sum of money.

A little business history for you, the reason it's called Black Friday is because it is the one day a year that business work hard to be "in the black" as opposed to a lot of businesses being "in the red" or negative in profit. So a lot of company make huge sales and profits on this day after Thanksgiving tradition.

I was anxious to see the outcome of people that would come, but was not excited to leave my family so soon on Thanksgiving break. I got less than two days to spend with them. A short but very sweet visit.

Here is a photo I snapped as I drove past Best Buy around 3:45am.

Sorry it's a little blurry, I was trying to not look creepy.

All in all, it was an interesting experience and I learned that some people are crazy for deals, not that I blame them.

Glad to be done with it, but looking forward to next year.

The Knightmare Before Christmas

Well this Halloween, much different from years in the past, I actually participated. I just want to preface by saying that I am not a fan of the whole gig. Dressing up just isn't my thing I guess. I don't know why, I can't really explain it. However, this year my roommate and I came up with two fantastic costumes. She had an idea to be Miley Cyrus and so I went with obnoxious hit pop sensation, Justin Bieber. I know, I know, I can hear the groans already. However, I must also say that I didn't dress up like him in order to glorify him, it was anything BUT that. I am not a fan of his music or his fame at all, but I figured his hair style and the way he dresses would be a hilarious costume, so I went for it.

Before we get to costumes though, I'll start on Thursday. Julia and I had crazy schedules and so we finally found time on Thursday morning to get pumpkins at a Catholic church down the road. We went and picked out the perfect pumpkins with ideal shape for carving. Here were our results (mine is on left, julia's is on right):

It was a lot of work, but a lot of fun. We were kinda rushed because we wanted to enter our apartment complex's pumpkin carving contest (that we didn't win) and we only had a few hours. We proudly display them on our front porch for everyone to admire.

Next, we went through a lot of preparation for our Miley Cyrus and Justin Bieber costumes. I've posted both the pictures of us and the pictures we used for inspiration of our pop artists. I spent a whopping $11 plus a few borrowed items for my costume and I believe Julia's total came to around $18. Here's the results:

The look for Miley Cyrus:

And here was mine for Justin Bieber:

And finally we finished up Halloween festivities by making dirt cake! I know it sounds disgusting but it is quite delicious, and bad for you too. Ingredients include Oreos, cream cheese, gummy worms, cool whip, butter, vanilla, and chocolate pudding. Here is the ending result:

A Comic for Fun

I came across this cartoon today and I felt like it was a perfect example of the way I'm feeling this week.
Enjoy!

I know it focuses on getting involved in church activities, which I do a lot of too but I think it can be applied to work, school, friends, family, everything cramming my agenda planner. :)

Penciling In

Today I took a good hard look at my very messy planner page for this week. It's a blur of colors, times, arrows, X's, and plans I've made. I took a big long breath in and out to brace myself for this week to come. As my life goes on I find myself getting busier and busier. Not that I should really complain, because as my family knows I'm one that loves to keep myself busy and moving nonstop. I do enjoy the occasional downtime but for the most part, I don't like just laying around doing nothing.

Literally just 10 minutes ago, with agenda planner and pen in hand, I walked over to my roommate's room and sat down and said, "OK, let's figure out when to carve pumpkins." Which is so sad that I have to pencil a specific time in. Not because I'm an obsessive compulsive planner, but because I fear I will accidentally book myself up and not have time to do it. So while it make seem ridiculous to have "carve pumpkins" in my agenda, I have found that it is the best way to do it. Especially if you have the tendency to over-book yourself.

I don't ALWAYS highlight like I did below, but sometimes it helps to draw my attention to something I might have missed.

Work is really crazy this week and so that will take up a big portion of my time but I know that it's worth it and I am extremely greatful to have a job in this terrible economic times. So I keep my head up and I think positive thoughts because complaining never gets anyone anywhere.

With that being said, I thought you might enjoy an actual picture of my agenda planner for this week of October 25th-30th.

Here's a color key:

Pink = School-related things

Green = Work Schedule

Orange = Any extra fun

As you can see, it's not all required stuff that I jam my life with. And I don't let school take over my life. I get my work done early so that I can get stuff done that is more enjoyable during the rest of the week. I learned this the hard way from last year and being a procrastinator. However, I do still let assignments sneak past me and I end up scrambling.

All in all, this was really just a reflection of my life and me telling myself how much I enjoy it and how much I really love the people who are in it. :)

Obsessed with These Fashions

I have never been a huge follower of fashion trends. I'm never super up-to-date on the ever-changing fads of the runway. However, when I first saw these next two styles, I thought I might give it a go.

Style Number One

Shirt tucked into short combination. You should have seen my face when I first saw girls walking around the their shirts tucked into their shorts. I thought, how old fashion, that trend will never catch on. I was wrong. It's more popular than ever. I'd say there are a certain percentage who can pull this look off and I decided to try. What really drew me to this combination is the fact that I already had the items I needed. Here's what I came up with (I feel the need for a belt, however I didn't bring any with me. Gotta get one soon):

Note: I have found, through trying on many different combinations. Chose shorts that aren't worn

out and ratty with holes and distressed pockets. It doesn't match the style you're going for. Also, when choosing a shirt, here I tried a looser fitting tank and it worked. But I personally think it looks good with a tight tank or long sleeve v-neck too. I'm not one for the boots on the girl above, but i think she pulls it off well.

Style Number Two

This one is similar to the first but it's a skirt. I think this is adorable. I first spotted it at church and at first glance I thought it was a dress. BUT at closer evaluation, I saw that it was a shirt paired with a skirt with a tight band in the middle, giving it the illusion of a dress. What made me especially excited for this look was the fact that I could mix and match my shirts and skirts to make a bunch of cute combinations. I don't own a lot of skirts and I was not thrilled to run out and buy one. However, my roommate's mom bought her an adorable floral printed skirt that was perfect for this look and I asked to borrow it to experiment. Here's what I came up with:

Now, for this look, I have found that it looks best with a loose, printed skirt and a tight fitting tank, v-neck short sleeve short, or any long sleeve shirt. Pairing a flowy skirt with a flowy shirt just doesn't do it for me. And you can use a solid skirt with a striped or patterned shirt if you so choose. So there are lots of combinations. I chose some short camel-colored cowgirl boots to complete my look, but there are many types of shoes you can choose to fit the occasion. Wear heels to dress it up (above) or some flats/sandals to dress it down.

Shopping Woes

Everyone loves shopping... right? Not. Plenty of my friends HATE it. Not only do they not enjoy it, but they avoid having to do it ever. It's so sad to me. Because I truly enjoy it. Recently though, I've found that that might be a result of my working retail. Seeing "behind the scenes kinda" deal has it's advantages. So, in order to pass on my knowledge, I'd like to offer you a few tips!

1. Time. You need time to go shopping. Unless you know EXACTLY what you are looking for and you're looking to make it an in-and-out trip, time is a necessity. Especially if you are looking for bargains. You have to be willing to look through every item of the sales rack because that's how people get deals. Check items outside of your size sections, things don't always get put back where they should. So, make sure to leave some extra time for searching in those clearance sections. Most of the time, it's worth it. Plus, then you get to brag to all your friends who compliment you, on how little you paid for it.

2. Ask. Associates are there for a reason. We aren't just there to run the registers. We are there for customer service. And, 9 out of 10 clothing stores, have a stockroom. They have to, you can't run a clothing store without one. Therefore, stockroom means they might have sizes in the back. And sometimes associates are too busy to make sure all the sizes are out so asking one of them to check never hurt anyone. If they don't have it, no big. But if they do, score.

3. Triple check. When you think you're ready to make a purchase, check the items you have in your hand, the sizes, the styles, the prices. Be 100% sure about your purchase. Add up the approximate total cost. That way, when you hear the total you aren't shell shocked and frantically trying to lower it at the register.

4. Price check. Not all associates hate their job. With the exception of the occasional hateful, depressed, moping, sulky, workers, most of us are happy to help you with anything you need. If the item looks like it's in the wrong place, if the sale price isn't clear, or if it might have additional markdowns, ask for a price check. It takes two seconds at most stores and the associates don't mind at all.

5. Sign up for e-mail coupons. Yeah yeah, I can hear the grumbling already. I know how obnoxious this can be. Getting millions of e-mails from a bunch of stores of updates and sales and coupons that you don't have time to read. I understand that. I hate it to. However, these can be very worth it. My suggestion? Create a free email account just for coupons. Make it short and quick to write down, enter, or tell the associate. You don't have to check it every day and it won't clog up your work or personal e-mail. Then if you plan a shopping day, take a gander at that e-mail. See what coupons or sales the stores are having. Print them real quick and stick them in your purse just in case you decide to look around that store and see something you like. There's nothing I hate more than knowing you had a coupon but couldn't use it.

6. Check price tags. Here's a secret that I've found in working at Children's Place. Corporate is smart. And so is the Marketing department (maybe that's why it's my major!). However, they know the ways to say things to make you buy it without comparing. For example, we sell denim all year round at the store. Regularly the big kids sizes are 2 for $22 (12.50 ea). When they go on "promo" they usually go to around $11 a piece. This might sound like a deal because of the nice even low number. BUT, it's only a dollar cheaper than they normally are when you buy 2 of them. So just be sure to check how much an item is regularly in comparison to the promo price. Sometimes it's worth it, sometimes it's not.

Hope these tips help some shopping ventures in the future! Now go out and "shop till you drop".

Disclaimer: It has come to my attention that these tips probably don't have a huge affect on men. I apologize, however, I can't help you much. You shop differently and more straight-forward. And most likely, you will hate shopping no matter what.

The Warmth of Love

In recent days I have truly felt the love of God in ways I can't even imagine. It's like nothing I can explain in words; He has quite literally enveloped me with his warmth and compassion. I have always known and I've been told over and over again that Jesus Loves Me and I am a blessed Child of God. But I took these words for granted and until now, never realized the power they held.

I have always seen God's love through answers to prayer, the simple things in life, and through the people around me. But I have not felt it to this extent until now. And it is something that should be thoroughly shared to the ends of the earth.

I can't say that I've ever felt that there was a message or characteristic of Himself that God was trying to reveal through me as obviously as He is trying to show me this. His Never-Failing,

Overflowing Love. Perhaps that's because he tries to show me things all the time and I am totally oblivious so finally he is knocking his hand on my thick head to get through to me. Either way, I am so thankful.

Sometimes I find myself getting so down on myself, and frustrated, and angry, and at the point of tears, and then I flip on Z88.3 and hear a song that perfectly reflects how I should never feel that way because the God the Universe sees me as his Child and loves me no matter what I do wrong or how bad I mess up.

Thinking of this subject makes me think of Rob Bell and his Nooma (a short demonstrative, informative, awesome video) called Flame. It was the first one I saw of his Nooma series and I fell in love with his message, his voice, and the Lord all over again. I feel that in order to understand the overpowering love that Christ has for me, I want to really comprehend the way He wants me to love. Because we are supposed to be Christ-like and love people like He did.

The following is a brief description of the 3 different Hebrew translations that Rob Bell talks about for the word love.

Raya - translated simply as brotherly love or the way you can trust a friend. A soulmate. This has the commitment, the friendship and the trust part of love.

Ahava - the deep passionate love you have for a person. The way you feel when you don't want to be with anyone else. Rob Bell talks about his first date with his now wife and how he remembers thinking "I would rather be here. With her. Than anywhere else in the Universe". How absolutely breathtaking. It is much more passionate than a temporary feeling, Ahava is what makes things last.

Dod - To carouse, to rock, to fondle. This is the physical, sexual aspect of love.

See, one flame burning by itself will never burn as bright as all 3 burning together. Using just one flame without the others is not how it was meant to be. You need to bring all three together to live out the way God wired you to be.

Here is the link to Bell's Nooma video. I encourage you to watch it, it is incredible.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W5i_X54REmY&feature=related

"My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends." - John 15:12-13