The Good and the Bad

Things that are good (great!) right now:
1) Spent a wonderful 5 days off this weekend enjoying the holidays with my son and hubby and some of hubby's family - included getting our Christmas tree, reading, getting stuff done around the house, cooking, and the Parade of Lights which was super fun
2) Trying hard to enjoy the holiday season even though it's hectic this time of year and we have at least one thing (sometimes both days) every weekend from now until the new year, but my husband is like Clark Griswald and his enthusiasm is infectious
3) Picked out super cute glasses yesterday after finally going to my overdue eye appointment and they should be in soon
4) Had a good conversation with my parents/mom a few weekends ago and am working to repair that relationship again - really hoping it sticks this time so this nonsense can stop - so far so good

Things that are not so good:
1) Went to my gyn today to do another check-up on my endometriosis/ovarian cysts and found out the left one is continuing to get bigger and I am likely going to have to have surgery AGAIN to remove the cyst (and possibly part of the ovary depending on damage) - I am none to pleased on this one because I just had surgery in December of last year and that one was fairly easy - this one will require an overnight hospital stay plus 2 weeks of recovery :(  and I am dreading the possibility of this happening every year from now until I get a hysterectomy....grrrrrrrr.  Of course calendar-wise, there isn't much good timing left either before I get busy with work again so may need to do it the week after Christmas or at the latest the first week of January or will have to wait until March which then interferes with son's birthday and potential family vacation to Hilton Head
2) Still very frustrated with job situation.  Right now I feel a bit better because I'm not traveling and not so crazy busy that I can't think, but I want more out of life than this and not sure how to fix it without losing the awesome benefits that we have here.  This is one I will continue to work on in 2011 I think! 
3) Due to #2 and their lovely idea of a "promotion" we are more short on $$ than I would like to be with housing taxes needing to be paid in January and Christmas presents to be bought.  We are trying to be frugal this year and keep our credit card debt as minimal as possible, but it sucks.  Can't wait until I get my bonus in April and can pay things down and hopefully get a raise and then in the fall of next year when we will get money back from not having to pay for preschool/daycare any more. 
4) Feel like a bad mother some days because 1) son was picked on by bullies last week and had a black eye for Thanksgiving weekend because some stupid kid pushed him into a pole and he hit his cheek bone and 2) back to #3, we are likely going to have to put son in public elementary school at least (not opposed to public school but our district is not as good as I want it to be and especially won't send him for middle/high school there) to save some money for a bit.  Hoping he will get into the charter school (lottery on 12/18 - fingers crossed), but if not it's only a few years right?  :) 

I am trying hard to focus on the goods and not the bads because that stuff can get me down.  We are very blessed compared to so many other families this year and if it means we have to sacrifice a bit now for a bigger payoff later, then so be it!  I am just ready for some good things to start happening with work and the economy!  Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving and hope to write more now that I have a bit more time at work.  :)

I survived

So I survived my crazy weekend at work, and if I can get through the next two days, I will get to enjoy the weekend to myself!  Having worked the Sunday before, a full week last week, the weekend, and now another full week, let me tell you that I have no idea how people who have two jobs or have to work 7 days a week do it!  I'm on day #12 and each morning becomes harder to get of bed.  Between my sleepiness and the chilliness outside, I just want to snuggle in bed all day!  But I get up and go about my day and survive ;) 

I have been thinking a lot on my drives about where I want to go from here.  I thought that 2010 was going to be "my year" after the health issues and such we had last year.  And while we are blessed to be healthier this year and have had many other blessings, we have also had a very tough year in terms of work and friends.  I am ready for things to get better in both areas, and I try not to let the craziness of the holidays and the $$$ drain it has on us to get me down.  I'm trying to figure out ways to make this year super special but without going overboard on our finances!  The good news is that if nothing else, by next fall, we should be saving a lot more money when our son goes to real Kindergarten.  We may have to do an after-school type program and obviously pay in the summers, but it will not be the constant drain on the bank account every month that it is right now.  And hopefully, in 2011, I can either get a new job (!) or at least get paid better as our reviews and raises take affect April 1st. 

Now I just need to decide whether or not I wait around and see what happens here or explore my options elsewhere....TBD at another time!  Gotta run but looking forward to a weekend of relaxing followed by 2 days of work and then taking off the day before Thanksgiving.  I can't wait until next week:

Wednesday - off from work and cooking at home with my son (so fun!), free tickets to the Usher concert in a suite that night with hubby (yay!)

Thursday - T-day and who doesn't love that?!

Friday - get the Christmas tree (love!) and then tickets to the Parade of Lights which I have been wanting to go to for years (can't wait!)

Pencil Parable

I got this in an e-mail forward today and it really hit home for me right now, so I wanted to share!  :)

A PENCIL MAKER TOLD THE PENCIL 5 IMPORTANT LESSONS JUST BEFORE PUTTING IT IN THE BOX :


1.) EVERYTHING YOU DO WILL ALWAYS LEAVE A MARK.

2.) YOU CAN ALWAYS CORRECT THE MISTAKES YOU MAKE.

3.) WHAT IS IMPORTANT IS WHAT IS INSIDE OF YOU.

4.) IN LIFE, YOU WILL UNDERGO PAINFUL SHARPENINGS, WHICH WILL ONLY MAKE YOU BETTER.

5.) TO BE THE BEST PENCIL, YOU MUST ALLOW YOURSELF TO BE HELD AND GUIDED BY THE HAND THAT HOLDS YOU.

We all need to be constantly sharpened. This parable may encourage you to know that you are a special person, with unique God-given talents and abilities Only you can fulfill the purpose which you were born to accomplish. Never allow yourself to get discouraged and think that your life is insignificant and cannot be changed and, like the pencil, always remember that the most important part of who you are, is what's inside of you and then allow yourself to be guided by the hand of God.

Everything happens for a reason

That's what I keep telling myself and I'm going to keep telling myself that until the reason becomes more clear.  :) 

We had a great weekend - did a lot of housework (boo!) but at least I have nice clean, fluffy carpets again.  I can't wait until we can get a little extra $$ saved up and replace our carpets with hardwood floors (or at least fake hardwood!).  Having a cat and a dog and a child makes for messy carpets no matter what we do! 

We also got to take our son to see the Dallas Mavericks play!  He had a blast cheering for the team and watching basketball.  We got cheap tickets on StubHub and it was so great to see the smile on his face.  He even did a little dance whenever the fun music came on!  Love it!  :)

This week is my hell week at work trying to prepare for the weekend ahead.  I am bringing 30 people into Dallas/Houston from around the country for a weekend of wining and dining.  It can be fun but it's a lot of stress and lots of sleepless nights, but it will all be over soon (at least for this year).  Wish me luck in surviving! 

Gotta get back to work now...looking forward to seeing what life has in store for me soon!

Today

Today started out bad.  It took me an hour and a half to get to work this morning and it was slow and rainy and cold (boo!).  Someone also tried to kill me by braking to turn at the last minute and thank God I have a newish car with good brakes and traction control!  I finally made it in, and as I am walking into the office, I was checking e-mails on my blackberry and come across one saying they are taking away our corporate purchasing cards.  So that means all of the money I spend on events and catering and all kinds of other things will now be floated on my own personal credit card.  Shoot me!  That's a whole lot of money to be floating for my company (average bill is anywhere from $5000 to $15000 per month!).  I guess I will try to look at the bright side of getting lots of points!  ;)

Then I got an e-mail last night on my drive home from the manager for that position I was interviewing for.  She asked if I had time for a call today.  I pretty much realized then that meant I wasn't getting the job, so I had prepared myself.  I just had the call about 30 minutes ago and sure enough, they chose someone else.  What a day!!!  One of my friends in marketing said that she thinks they will be hiring a regional alumni person soon so maybe I can apply for that.  I hope so because I need something to change soon. 

I promised to not be as negative, but I really feel like I deserve to be treated more fairly.  I am a hard worker and give my all, I have book and street smarts, and I have natural leadership abilities.  And yet somehow, it isn't recognized or rewarded...  :(  So if anyone knows of an awesome company out there who is looking for a great worker in the event planning or recruiting or HR fields, let me know.  :)