I really need to get better about this blogging thing!

So I completed disappeared for about two months, but now I am back again and will try to blog more often.  I didn't get an iPhone yet (being kind of bratty about it because I heard the iPhone5 was coming out in June/July and I figured if I have waited this long, I can probably wait a few more months!), so still won't have tons of pictures but hopefully I can get better about plugging in the camera more often and posting. 

Updates:
1) My surgery went well.  It was way more painful than I remembered my c-section being (probably because this time they had to move things around in there and scrape things all up), but I survived and now almost 8 weeks afterwards, I'm starting to feel back to normal other than the flabbiness around the scar which I started working on yesterday with my workout routine.
2) January & February were pretty hellatious months for me for a number of reasons.  Mostly having to do with work but some other factors as well - Austin's aunt passed away from cancer in January which was sad, work was utterly crazy including the time I was SUPPOSED to be on medical leave so I never really felt like I got a break, and the weather here in early February made things even more complicated because despite school and work being closed, I had a TON to get done so didn't get to enjoy it much. 
3) I am SO thankful for the warmer, sunnier weather.  I have realized that the weather really does affect my mood at times and the combination of the freezing cold and all that was going on with my recovery and work and everything else just made me slightly out of it.  I'm glad to be feeling more normal again!  :)

The biggest thing that you can probably see throughout this post is that work is driving me nuts in all ways.  Not only did I have to work for half of my "medical leave" which really sucked, but I had to work like crazy helping out the other half of my team with their stuff and no one ever wants to help me.  I wouldn't mind but I was busy too and things just got crazy with having to plan things for two different cities/offices and people cancelling at the last minute and everything.  It's all over now and things should be slower for the next few months at least, but it was really just a very trying time. 

Additionally, this time of year is our review time, so that always makes things feel worse around here.  It seems like every year we hope that something will finally change and be better and yet it doesn't.  I feel very, very stuck in many ways because we have such good benefits here and those are very important to my family due to my hubby's type 1 diabetes and my endometriosis and our son.  Plus I make decent money so everyone just thinks I should stay here.  Which would be great and all if I could actually be recognized for all of the work I do and if I was actually making the kind of money that would justify me traveling as much as I do, spending as much time on my vacations/sick days/etc. on work as I do, and generally working my tail off.  But I'm DEFINITELY NOT and the money that they shorted me last year when they switched me from non-exempt to exempt is still probably not going to be made up this year according to a few people who are "in the know."  I makes me furious that my "raise" this year will still not even put me at the amount I made in 2008 & 2009 and that last year in 2010 when I was supposedly promoted as well, I made several thousand dollars LESS than those previous years.  How is that a promotion?! 

Additionally, there is nothing else for me here.  There is no career path, no opportunities for advancement, nothing more than continued hard work for middle pay.  And I think I'm better than that.  But the question is where would I go?  How would I find another place with just as good of benefits and more money and opportunity?  I'm sure they exist but where and how do you know?  I had no idea when I started here 5.5 years ago that I would reach my peak in salary 3 years after I came and then go downhill from there...this is just now how I envisioned my work life to be when I was younger and I just don't know what to do from here. 

Okay, guess I have rambled enough for now...just need to try to let some of this go.  But I will try to write more frequently now that things have slowed down a bit for work.  I'm looking forward to taking vacation in a few weeks - we are going to Hilton Head with my family for a week and I am hoping for nice weather so we can walk on the beach and just relax.  Now I just need to fnid a good book!  :)