England Bound...Again

So as of last night it is official...I'm headed off to England again! Last year I hardly had any time there. I spent just about as much time travelling to get there as the time I spent there. I loved my short vacation but this August it's going to be better. I'm actually going to spend some time with friends in their hometown in Newcastle where (if I can do some sweet convincing) I'll get to go see where the castle that they use for Hogwarts in the Harry Potter film. I'm so excited to meet up with my buddies again. A year is a long time to see people you've grown so close with! But I'm also very excited that I actually get to see more of the British ways. I just hope they can handle a home-spun American gal like myself.

Vacation Blog

Hey everyone!I've set up a blog just for this vacation. I know it seems like that's all I talk about and I'm making a big deal of this, but it is to me. If you care to watch my day to day adventure Down Under, follow my blog!
http://thehalefamilyvisitsthelanddownunder.blogspot.com/

I'll see you in a month!
Enjoy!
Luvs & Hugs,~ Nicole

Life Changes = Head Spinning

Well today is my last day at The Document Group and I honestly don’t think it has hit me until now that I most likely will not be coming back here. I gave up working here so that I can go on a vacation with the folks and sometimes I wonder if I made the right choice or not.

So many people are without jobs right now and I voluntarily left mine. What am I thinking?!? But again, this is a chance to start anew, something I think I desperately need. Honestly this vacation couldn’t come at a better time with all the drama that has surround me lately, but I’ll have to come back to eventually.

I will miss this place. I love the people I work with and I couldn’t ask for a better boss. I guess it’s time to step down and give someone else a chance of working, in the meantime…I’m getting ready for a trip of a lifetime!

Just Say No to Travelocity

For the past four days I’ve been trying to rebook my trip for Australia and New Zealand because there was a cancellation with the company that my father is training for down there. All I want to do is change if from travel in February to traveling in April. I know my exact flights I want to change to, I’m know about the all the change fees and all of the regulations and I'm willing to pay all of that, I just need someone to make that change. Doesn’t sound that hard does it? WRONG! I’ve had more fun at the dentist than trying to deal with Travelocity to make these changes. I have spent at least nine hours on the phone with this company! That’s more than a regular day’s work! I’ve been hung up on seven times (twice by the same agent and twice by managers) and then when I finally got someone on the phone they said there is nothing we can do to help you. WTF?!? If you have ever seen a Travelocity advertisement they say “Satisfaction Guaranteed! We'll make sure everything is right.” and that “We’re #1 with customer service”. This is the biggest pile of crap!

I don’t like to throw out numbers around but I want everyone to know how big this trip is. The cost of airline tickets, hotels and cars is over $12,000 and they turn around and tell us that there is nothing they can do for us. By the way, we have used Travelocity so much in the past we’re Gold V.I.P. members and this is how we get treated. I can't imagine how they'd treat first time users.

I’ve had enough of the run around so I’m out to boycott this company until they do something for us to get this changed. So I just want everyone out there that is booking travel online, NOT to use Travelocity. There are plenty of other sites out there that I’m sure will be more willing to help then Travelocity.

Emotional Roller Coaster

My life lately has been filled with so many ups and downs, twists and turns, I’m literally making myself sick. After my last blog talking about how I’m making some decisions and changing my life, with into two days everything I decided on hit me like flaming bag of poop thrown at my face.

I thought I FINALLY had everything worked out: my vacations, my work situations, my decisions on school, etc. After booking my flights, cars and hotel rooms for my trip to Australia and New Zealand I had to give my boss two weeks notice that I was leaving to go on this trip for 4+ weeks. It was 48 hours later that I got notified that the trip has been cancelled because the job there was cancelled. The job is only for 2 weeks, but I planned on another two weeks vacation there. So needless to say I’m out money no matter if I don’t go or if I reschedule everything. Plus, I quit my job for this trip!

After a few days of mopping around I did find out the trip was rescheduled for the end of April. Yeah, I get to go on a trip. I still need to rebook everything because I honestly don’t want to spend the money on the exchanges yet. Unfortunately after speaking to a neighbor that’s from Queensland, she said well that’s usually when it floods there. ARGGH! Oh well…If I do end up finally going I’m going to enjoy it even if I’m walking waist high in water. But if I do stay as long as I planned, that means I have to cancel my trip to California to go to BotCon. So far my “Year of Travel” isn’t working out too well.

So I’ve been very nervous about what I’m going to do when my job ends in two weeks, I won’t have that income and I’d have way too much time off (I can’t sit around too long, I need work). Well, my boss goes to the same LDS ward (church) as my family and my mother and my boss’ wife got talking. Well, it wasn’t long that it got back to my boss and he told me I could stay as long as I needed to. I wouldn’t be surprised if he offered me my job back once I returned home, but that’s another decision I don’t want to think about.

I’m more confused on what to do with my pathetic life as ever. Hopefully once this first trip comes around and I actually get to go, I’ll get to relax and think things over. Sorry for the rambling, but my mind feels like it’s in the spin cycle.


Quirky Quote: Anxiety is a thin stream of fear trickling through the mind. If encouraged, it cuts a channel into which all other thoughts are drained. ~Arthur Somers Roche

Moving On - A Tough Road

My last post and this post have a lot in common. It’s the beginning of the Chinese New Year. Oddly this usual is when I make my resolutions for the new year. It gives me a few weeks to step into the changes that I need to make.

This year is going to be the year I take care of myself. It’s all about me in 2009! I know that sounds so selfish, but I need to work more on making myself happy and not putting myself last. I believe this is why I have been very unsocial lately. My depression taking a major toll on me and I just don’t have much time away from work so I just don’t care to be around many people these days. If you’re just read that, don’t be offended, it’s just I rather lay on the couch or my bed in the few hours I have then have to talk or face anyone, included the closest people in my life.

Late last week was the start of this new making of myself. I made the decision to cash in what I have in my Camaro fund and booked my trip to Australia and New Zealand. I’m so happy that I get this opportunity to do this. Almost 4 weeks away from any work and I get to be by the ocean every day, better yet…the Great Barrier Reef! I’ll start saving for the Camaro again later on this year.

Unfortunately this decision for this once in a lifetime trip came with the heart-breaking decision to leave one of my jobs. I knew I couldn’t take that much time off of work, so I put my notice in yesterday that I’ll only be with the company for 3 more weeks. Why does this break my heart to leave…because I love my co-workers and my boss is probably the most enjoyable boss to be around. He makes coming into work fun! I guess I’ll have to wait until after my trip to decide if I want to make my part-time job my full-time job or look for another job. Gotta start saving again for that Camaro!

So many twist and turns are starting to happen; I just hope it all just doesn’t come to smack me in the face!

Quirky Quote: Although every man believes that his decisions and resolutions involve the most multifarious factors, in reality they are mere oscillation between flight and longing. ~Herman Broch

Pageant of the Giving of the Waters

Last week I actually took some time off from work (yeah I know shocking) to go to an annual event in Thermopolis Hot Springs, Wyoming. This celebration is a Native American ceremony where a portion of the hot springs water is giving to the people to use. The ceremony was inspirational…well, from the parts I could hear. There were about 12 very disrespectful kids that were yelling and screaming right behind me and of course they’re parents were nowhere to be found. Anyway, the ceremony had Shoshoni singing and dancing and the best part was the costumes with bright colors and elaborate detailing.

For about a day and a half we swam in the hot springs pools, which is what I defiantly needed. I haven’t been so relaxed in weeks. But one of the greatest moments is when I met up with my old art teacher Mr. Dion, who was selling his pottery. I couldn’t believe he remembered me after all these years, but then I guess it hard to forget one of the students that pranked him (all in good fun) and gave him a hard time each day. He even remember that most of my pottery blew up in the kilns :S

Thanks so much to April and Barbara for getting me out of my mundane work mode. I had a great time. Thanks to Connor for letting me have an excuse to act like a kid and get away with it. And to Mitsi, I had a great time getting to know you.



Quirky Quote: Vacation: a period of travel and relaxation when you take twice the clothes and half the money you need. ~Author Unknown