Today I found myself crying (not sobbing at least, just tears coming out occasionally) on an airplane. Yet another week of travel for me. Left this afternoon and then out of town in 2 different cities for work before coming home late Thursday evening. My parents are flying through home on Thursday afternoon to pick up my son and take him to another city south of where we live for a long weekend so I won't even get to see him until my husband and I arrive there on Friday evening after driving after work. I will be home for a few hours to shower, unpack and repack, and then take the dog to the pet hotel first thing Friday morning before a day in the office and then hopefully hit the road by 4 pm for a long weekend with my family until Tuesday. I really need the break. I am going to have to work some but hopefully not too much.
And then I'm supposed to get on another plane next Tuesday to fly to a city on the East Coast for interviews. But I haven't gotten any details yet still and it's less than a week away...and I'm starting to wonder if it's worth another night away from my family but then I remember that it is worth it if it's better than the situation I'm in now and hence the tears on the airplane today.
I don't know if I was naive or sheltered by my parents or if times are just tougher these days than they normally are, but I guess I never realized how difficult it would be trying to be a working mom in my early 30s and trying to balance wanting a career with wanting time to my family and time for me. The me time is out the window almost entirely (with the exception of a Zumba class I went to with a friend last weekend that benefitted breast cancer awareness and rocked!). And therefore without any time for me, I am not thrilled with how I look either - clothes don't fit as well as I'd like them too, I think I always look tired, my face is always breaking out from stress, and don't even get me started on my endometriosis issues and what happens with that when I'm under stress!
The family time is pretty limited. I work most evenings until at least 6 and by the time I drive home in traffic, I'm lucky to be home between 6:45 and 7. Lately, I've been working until 7 and getting home around 7:30. That's the days when I'm in town and then I have spent many weeks traveling 2-3 nights during the week which is really hard for all of us too. Oh and then the work I usually have to do on the weekends as well.
This morning my son was all grumpy and not wanting to get ready and just not acting himself. And I knew it was because he knew I was leaving and was upset. And that kills me (another reason for the tears on the plane today!). We have been trying to live each moment to the fullest when we are together which has been great - got to celebrate our 7 year wedding anniversary this weekend and have been trying to do fun things with our son (pumpkin patch!, mini-golf, bowling) each weekend to spend some quality time together.
However, I still feel very stuck. I sort of feel like I'm inside this box and I'm not really sure how to get out. I can't take another position because they don't have as good of benefits or the commute is even farther than the one I have now or it doesn't pay quite as much or some other host of things. I can't stay in the one I'm in now because my boss drives me crazy, they hired the most idiotic person I've ever met to work with our team (not much help at all and a lot more work to "train" her), there is no career path, there is no real chance for raise, I'm traveling like crazy, they put undue stress on me 24-7, etc. I can't adapt to a different field quite yet because I would probably need to get a masters to do that, but I don't have TIME for a masters degree when I am getting killed at work with travel and hours. So every direction I look, the sides of the box are there and it's hard to figure out where to go next.
There is a light at the top of the box still and I focus on that. I know that one day I will figure out a way out and it will be awesome. I have a very tiny glimmer of hope tonight from a phone call I had with a coworker about a possible opportunity within my current company. I don't have a lot of faith that it will work out because they can be so difficult sometimes PLUS I'm sure my boss will try to put the kibosh on it. But I'm going to hold on to that glimmer of hope until it's put out and then I will find the next one.
I just need to shed a few tears and to vent on here to make myself feel a little better and I will continue to keep the hope alive! :) Thanks for listening and hope to hear from you all soon! :) I miss my few commenters!
Showing posts with label family. Show all posts
Showing posts with label family. Show all posts
10.04.2011
8.23.2011
Little Man
Yesterday my baby boy started kindergarten. I really can't believe that he is already big enough to be starting real school. It seems like only yesterday I was cuddling him in my arms as a sweet newborn. The time really does fly by! It makes me question a little bit what I'm doing with my life and if time goes by so quickly, am I happy with how I'm living it?
I am so very very proud of him. He has grown into such a fun, sweet, and loving boy (with the occasional temper too!). He has his own little personality and loves to carry on a conversation these days. Last night, he was telling me about how he got "green" (meaning he listened well) yesterday, and I asked him how he did that and he said "because I nailed it" in all seriousness. It was the cutest thing ever! I am so thankful for him in my life because without him and my hubby, I just really don't know what I would do. He especially brings me so much joy and I wish I could spend even more time learning from him to take life more simply and enjoy it.
Instead, I often just feel like crying. I just don't know what I'm doing with this job situation any more. I haven't heard back from the first "dream job" at all which I think is really strange and annoying. I'm okay with rejection, but just ignoring me completely is just plain rude. I have this other interview on Thursday, but I'm not all that enthusiastic about it because they sent me the benefits package with the e-mail confirmation for my interviews, and it is significantly more expensive (try double) what we are paying now and for much less coverage. So to make up in that difference alone would probably be $5k+. So I'm really bummed and feeling even more stuck than ever. I can't continue doing what I'm doing now and be happy and yet I can't really leave either. It's a terrible predicament.
I often wish I had been braver about figuring out what I wanted to do when I was younger. So maybe I could have gotten a masters degree in psychology and done counseling or maybe I could have gotten a masters degree in speech therapy or something like that. At least then I would have a career and a bit of a path of what I wanted to do and be and I could just switch jobs when I wanted to get a raise or better benefits or be closer to home. But now I am where I am and while I like what I do, it also takes me away from my family a lot (a lot more than what is made up for by the $$ or benefits), and it causes me a lot of stress (which is now showing through physically), and it causes me to miss out on things like working out or taking dance class or spending time with my family and friends. It also causes me to commute daily (and the commute is about to get longer if I switch to some jobs and/or when our office moves next year) and that's more time away from me, my family and friends. Ugh! I just feel really lost and frustrated right now...hope to feel better about this all soon!
I'm still going to go on Thursday for experience if nothing else, and I'm going this afternoon to the doctor to talk about some pains I've been experiencing lately in my arms as well as my anxiety. I know this will all get better soon and there are lots of other people out there dealing with way worse. But for me, it just feels like a very tough year and I'm ready for change to come to better it for all of us. I am trying to be patient. I really am!
For now, I will focus on the good in my life - like my son and his awesome love for school and excitement about life. I wish I could bottle it up and drink it in. :)
I am so very very proud of him. He has grown into such a fun, sweet, and loving boy (with the occasional temper too!). He has his own little personality and loves to carry on a conversation these days. Last night, he was telling me about how he got "green" (meaning he listened well) yesterday, and I asked him how he did that and he said "because I nailed it" in all seriousness. It was the cutest thing ever! I am so thankful for him in my life because without him and my hubby, I just really don't know what I would do. He especially brings me so much joy and I wish I could spend even more time learning from him to take life more simply and enjoy it.
Instead, I often just feel like crying. I just don't know what I'm doing with this job situation any more. I haven't heard back from the first "dream job" at all which I think is really strange and annoying. I'm okay with rejection, but just ignoring me completely is just plain rude. I have this other interview on Thursday, but I'm not all that enthusiastic about it because they sent me the benefits package with the e-mail confirmation for my interviews, and it is significantly more expensive (try double) what we are paying now and for much less coverage. So to make up in that difference alone would probably be $5k+. So I'm really bummed and feeling even more stuck than ever. I can't continue doing what I'm doing now and be happy and yet I can't really leave either. It's a terrible predicament.
I often wish I had been braver about figuring out what I wanted to do when I was younger. So maybe I could have gotten a masters degree in psychology and done counseling or maybe I could have gotten a masters degree in speech therapy or something like that. At least then I would have a career and a bit of a path of what I wanted to do and be and I could just switch jobs when I wanted to get a raise or better benefits or be closer to home. But now I am where I am and while I like what I do, it also takes me away from my family a lot (a lot more than what is made up for by the $$ or benefits), and it causes me a lot of stress (which is now showing through physically), and it causes me to miss out on things like working out or taking dance class or spending time with my family and friends. It also causes me to commute daily (and the commute is about to get longer if I switch to some jobs and/or when our office moves next year) and that's more time away from me, my family and friends. Ugh! I just feel really lost and frustrated right now...hope to feel better about this all soon!
I'm still going to go on Thursday for experience if nothing else, and I'm going this afternoon to the doctor to talk about some pains I've been experiencing lately in my arms as well as my anxiety. I know this will all get better soon and there are lots of other people out there dealing with way worse. But for me, it just feels like a very tough year and I'm ready for change to come to better it for all of us. I am trying to be patient. I really am!
For now, I will focus on the good in my life - like my son and his awesome love for school and excitement about life. I wish I could bottle it up and drink it in. :)
8.18.2011
Thank You
Thanks for your comments! They made me feel much better. I still have yet to hear back from them (so strange to me) and it's now one week since my interviews, but I'm trying not to think about it too much. In other good news, I received a call about another position yesterday (another good company) and did a phone interview that went well and they are setting up in-person interviews for me early next week. I don't think it's quite as an ideal situation as job #1 but still a great company and a better position than what I'm in now so it's worth a shot. Fingers crossed something great comes along for me soon! :)
Tonight is my son's "Meet the Teacher" night. I think we are all SUPER excited - I hope he/she is great! Of course I have to drive there and then back to downtown for a dinner tonight because my life couldn't get any busier/complicated if I tried! Ha! This morning one of my tires read really low so in my dress for work I filled it up and about to go check on it to make sure it's not going flat again. I'm hoping it was a random incident due to the heat!
In other good news, we tried out a church last Sunday that I've been wanting to try out for a long time, and we really liked it. I think we are going to go back again this Sunday and bring our son along this time and let him go to the Wee Worship that they have. Ha! Right now, I really need something like this in my life, so I'm glad it is starting to work out. Now I hope we can meet some great people there too because I'm getting really tired of all of my friends being crappy friends!!!
Other than that, not a whole lot else to report - just trying to survive day by day! Hope you all have a great rest of the week and hope to have good updates again soon. :)
Tonight is my son's "Meet the Teacher" night. I think we are all SUPER excited - I hope he/she is great! Of course I have to drive there and then back to downtown for a dinner tonight because my life couldn't get any busier/complicated if I tried! Ha! This morning one of my tires read really low so in my dress for work I filled it up and about to go check on it to make sure it's not going flat again. I'm hoping it was a random incident due to the heat!
In other good news, we tried out a church last Sunday that I've been wanting to try out for a long time, and we really liked it. I think we are going to go back again this Sunday and bring our son along this time and let him go to the Wee Worship that they have. Ha! Right now, I really need something like this in my life, so I'm glad it is starting to work out. Now I hope we can meet some great people there too because I'm getting really tired of all of my friends being crappy friends!!!
Other than that, not a whole lot else to report - just trying to survive day by day! Hope you all have a great rest of the week and hope to have good updates again soon. :)
8.04.2011
Where Has the Time Gone?
Time flies these days. Sometimes in a good way, sometimes in a not so good way. I have a lot to write about but most of it is frustration so I've been avoiding writing because I don't want everyone to think of me as a negative person. I swear I'm not! I'm just ready for a change and my patience is wearing very thin with my work situation and yet there isn't much I can do about it. So I'm trying to suck it up and move forward and just hope that a positive change comes very soon!
On the positive side, we are on vacation this week at the beach. It's so relaxing. It's one thing I miss from growing up in Florida - the sound of the ocean and the way it can instaneously relax me. I wish it was closer so that when I'm stressed, I could just listen to the waves and relax. This vacation couldn't have come at a better time and I'm thankful to have the opportunity to do it. I love spending time with my husband and son and not having to think about work too much (still have worked 1.5-2 hours each day but at least it's on my own time!). I love having time to read a good book (reading "One Day" this week and really enjoying it) and "sleeping in" a little bit until 7:30 or 8 and staying up a little later. I love enjoying all of the great seafood down here and get tanned at the beach and fishing and all of the fun things about this place.
I can't believe it but my son starts kindergarten in a few short weeks. I couldn't be prouder of him. He has learned how to swim well this summer and is not afraid any more. He is doing so well with his school stuff and is excited about kindergarten which is great. I am a nerd and always loved school so I'm hoping he will feel the same. I hope he gets a great teacher!!!
My brief comment on work is that things are pretty much the same as before but EVEN WORSE because they have hired a complete idiot to be our employee in the other Texas office. She can't even use a computer properly. It's ridiculous. So instead of getting help, we are having to babysit someone and make things take longer. Good times! To top it off, every few weeks my boss randomly decides to yell at me for no reason whatsoever and I feel like I'm constantly under so much stress yet no additional pay or career path available. It's infuriating!
Before I left for vacation, my stress level had caused my shoulder/arm/back muscles to get so tense that I was having pains in my left arm which was then causing panic attacks because I of course thought I was having a heart attack or something. Luckily, I got a massage here on Monday and she was a lifesaver working it all out. I just hate what this job is doing to my body, but I also don't know when/if I can change it any time soon. I had a phone interview last week, but found out this week that they decided to not move forward with me for interviews. So I either stink at interviewing or they don't believe that I'm capable of as much as I am because the things my current work is doing to hold me back doesn't speak as highly of me as it should. Or maybe a combination of the two. Either way, I need to resign myself to the fact that this is how things are and try to deal with it however I can for now.
We went to a church the weekend before we went out of town but didn't really like it. However, I'm really excited to try out another one not this weekend because we will just be getting home, but the next weekend I'm hoping we can go. I've heard it's great, I've watched a bunch of the sermons online, and I think it might be want we are looking for. Fingers crossed because I feel like I need that in my life right now (and wouldn't mind meeting some good people as many of our friends have been flaky lately!).
Also, if you haven't seen "Horrible Bosses" run to the theater now! I thought it was awesome. Be forewarned that there is a lot of bad language and "dirty" scenes, but it's HILARIOUS if you aren't offended by that type of thing. I think I love it so much because 1) I have a horrible boss myself! and 2) it is funny because it's so true to life on the idiosyncracies of work life.
I think that's all I've got for now - maybe I can keep up with this more by making time to write things out and hopefully that will help with the stress as well! I start traveling the week I get back (overnight trip to our other Texas office), then have one week off, and then start the next week with my heavy fall travel which will last through late October. Ugh! At least we are taking 2 days off in October for a mini-vacation with my parents during our son's fall break. For now, I'm going to enjoy the vacation - talk to you later!
P.S. Note to self - don't watch Shark Week when you're at the beach! My brother-in-law keeps putting it on and it's driving me crazy and making me scared to go into the ocean!
On the positive side, we are on vacation this week at the beach. It's so relaxing. It's one thing I miss from growing up in Florida - the sound of the ocean and the way it can instaneously relax me. I wish it was closer so that when I'm stressed, I could just listen to the waves and relax. This vacation couldn't have come at a better time and I'm thankful to have the opportunity to do it. I love spending time with my husband and son and not having to think about work too much (still have worked 1.5-2 hours each day but at least it's on my own time!). I love having time to read a good book (reading "One Day" this week and really enjoying it) and "sleeping in" a little bit until 7:30 or 8 and staying up a little later. I love enjoying all of the great seafood down here and get tanned at the beach and fishing and all of the fun things about this place.
I can't believe it but my son starts kindergarten in a few short weeks. I couldn't be prouder of him. He has learned how to swim well this summer and is not afraid any more. He is doing so well with his school stuff and is excited about kindergarten which is great. I am a nerd and always loved school so I'm hoping he will feel the same. I hope he gets a great teacher!!!
My brief comment on work is that things are pretty much the same as before but EVEN WORSE because they have hired a complete idiot to be our employee in the other Texas office. She can't even use a computer properly. It's ridiculous. So instead of getting help, we are having to babysit someone and make things take longer. Good times! To top it off, every few weeks my boss randomly decides to yell at me for no reason whatsoever and I feel like I'm constantly under so much stress yet no additional pay or career path available. It's infuriating!
Before I left for vacation, my stress level had caused my shoulder/arm/back muscles to get so tense that I was having pains in my left arm which was then causing panic attacks because I of course thought I was having a heart attack or something. Luckily, I got a massage here on Monday and she was a lifesaver working it all out. I just hate what this job is doing to my body, but I also don't know when/if I can change it any time soon. I had a phone interview last week, but found out this week that they decided to not move forward with me for interviews. So I either stink at interviewing or they don't believe that I'm capable of as much as I am because the things my current work is doing to hold me back doesn't speak as highly of me as it should. Or maybe a combination of the two. Either way, I need to resign myself to the fact that this is how things are and try to deal with it however I can for now.
We went to a church the weekend before we went out of town but didn't really like it. However, I'm really excited to try out another one not this weekend because we will just be getting home, but the next weekend I'm hoping we can go. I've heard it's great, I've watched a bunch of the sermons online, and I think it might be want we are looking for. Fingers crossed because I feel like I need that in my life right now (and wouldn't mind meeting some good people as many of our friends have been flaky lately!).
Also, if you haven't seen "Horrible Bosses" run to the theater now! I thought it was awesome. Be forewarned that there is a lot of bad language and "dirty" scenes, but it's HILARIOUS if you aren't offended by that type of thing. I think I love it so much because 1) I have a horrible boss myself! and 2) it is funny because it's so true to life on the idiosyncracies of work life.
I think that's all I've got for now - maybe I can keep up with this more by making time to write things out and hopefully that will help with the stress as well! I start traveling the week I get back (overnight trip to our other Texas office), then have one week off, and then start the next week with my heavy fall travel which will last through late October. Ugh! At least we are taking 2 days off in October for a mini-vacation with my parents during our son's fall break. For now, I'm going to enjoy the vacation - talk to you later!
P.S. Note to self - don't watch Shark Week when you're at the beach! My brother-in-law keeps putting it on and it's driving me crazy and making me scared to go into the ocean!
5.17.2011
Things Are Looking Up!
Things are definitely looking up these days. We have had BEAUTIFUL weather here and I think it makes all the difference in my mood. Of course, we are supposed to have storms later this week/weekend, but it's okay because we've had a week of great weather! I have the windows open now enjoying the breeze! Here's what I'm thankful for right now:
1) We just finished a wonderful weekend with my parents. We all got along really well and had a lot of fun, and I'm glad they were able to come and be part of our son's PreK graduation (too cute!). I am also very thankful because they helped us purchase our son's new bedroom furniture (now need to sell the old furniture to get some $$ for new paint and bedding!) and also bought me some new clothes for work so I will be styling when I go back to Boston at the end of the month for my training sessions.
2) If we can get ourselves motivated by this new furniture arrival, we can get our house back in order and start making fun additions to the house. My next big wish is some new flooring - not sure if/when that can happen, but I'm hoping maybe by Christmas/the new year if we can find an option where we can make payments with no interest!
3) There is a SMALL chance that something at work might open up soon in my favor. I'm trying not to get my hopes up at all because at this point it's just a rumor and I'm not even sure if they would actually be cool enough to consider me for it (even though I'm quite qualified). But I heard yesterday that the HR manager (who actually isn't all that great at her job to begin with) has fallen in love with some guy in another city down south and is talking about moving soon to be with him. Since we don't have an office in that city, she would obviously have to leave the company, but apparently she claims the reason she is out sick all of the time is due to stress at work. It is a stressful environment but I think some people are more equipped to handle it than others. I am just praying that she does decide to move and then that I can land the job!!!! Maybe this is what the plan has been for me all along?! Only time will tell...keep your fingers crossed!
4) The Dallas Mavs are in the Western Conference championships starting tonight, and I just found out that we got free tickets to go from hubby's work! I'm excited! Originally we thought we only had 2 so hubby and son were going to go but now we have 4 so I get to go too. I will be sleepy tomorrow but it will be worth it!!!
Hope you all are doing well and hope I can keep up my positive attitude. Ready for things to keep progressing! Next to-dos are to start exploring churches and keep working on the house! Life is good!
1) We just finished a wonderful weekend with my parents. We all got along really well and had a lot of fun, and I'm glad they were able to come and be part of our son's PreK graduation (too cute!). I am also very thankful because they helped us purchase our son's new bedroom furniture (now need to sell the old furniture to get some $$ for new paint and bedding!) and also bought me some new clothes for work so I will be styling when I go back to Boston at the end of the month for my training sessions.
2) If we can get ourselves motivated by this new furniture arrival, we can get our house back in order and start making fun additions to the house. My next big wish is some new flooring - not sure if/when that can happen, but I'm hoping maybe by Christmas/the new year if we can find an option where we can make payments with no interest!
3) There is a SMALL chance that something at work might open up soon in my favor. I'm trying not to get my hopes up at all because at this point it's just a rumor and I'm not even sure if they would actually be cool enough to consider me for it (even though I'm quite qualified). But I heard yesterday that the HR manager (who actually isn't all that great at her job to begin with) has fallen in love with some guy in another city down south and is talking about moving soon to be with him. Since we don't have an office in that city, she would obviously have to leave the company, but apparently she claims the reason she is out sick all of the time is due to stress at work. It is a stressful environment but I think some people are more equipped to handle it than others. I am just praying that she does decide to move and then that I can land the job!!!! Maybe this is what the plan has been for me all along?! Only time will tell...keep your fingers crossed!
4) The Dallas Mavs are in the Western Conference championships starting tonight, and I just found out that we got free tickets to go from hubby's work! I'm excited! Originally we thought we only had 2 so hubby and son were going to go but now we have 4 so I get to go too. I will be sleepy tomorrow but it will be worth it!!!
Hope you all are doing well and hope I can keep up my positive attitude. Ready for things to keep progressing! Next to-dos are to start exploring churches and keep working on the house! Life is good!
5.03.2011
Travel is my new middle name
I enjoy traveling for pleasure. I don't particularly enjoy traveling for work (moreso because I miss my hubby and son, than because of the actual travel), but it is okay and I enjoy the miles and points. :) However, these next couple of weeks are a bit crazy on the travel front!
Last Thursday morning bright and early, my hubby and I jumped on a plane to Philly for my grandmother's funeral on Friday. We stayed the weekend with my aunt and uncle and it was nice to have some family time. Then we came back late Sunday night (cheapest flights are always first thing in the morning and late at night - grr!). I was at work yesterday and today. Then I will work from home tomorrow until around lunchtime and then head back to the airport, this time with my son in tow. He and I will fly to Florida tomorrow for the "celebration of life" on Thursday for my grandmother (it just made sense to do something there since she knew so many people there even though she wanted to be buried in PA, and 5/5 would have been her 104th birthday) and then fly back home on Friday afternoon so we can enjoy one weekend at home together all 3 of us. Then Monday afternoon I have to fly to Boston for work until Thursday night (don't get in until 8:45 pm!) and my parents fly in that day (already planned before all of this other family stuff obviously) for my son's PreK graduation on Friday evening. They are in town next weekend from Thursday evening to early Tuesday morning and then we have about 2 weeks to ourselves. Then on Memorial Day Monday (still bitter about this!), I have to fly BACK to Boston for work from Monday evening to Friday evening, come home and spend Saturday with my hubby and son, and then come back to work on Sunday to get ready for my intern group who starts Monday, including attending a welcome dinner that Sunday evening. Then I have one weekend to ourselves in between, and then my mom flies out to watch our son and my hubby and his parents and brother are going to Vegas from Friday morning to Sunday evening for my father-in-law's 60th birthday. Then after that, I am hopeful not to travel again until the fall for work (except we do plan to go to the beach the first week of August but we will drive). Just thinking about it makes me tired!!!!
So that's my life in a nutshell right now. I've been swamped at work and at home in between trying to get everything done and figure out what goes where and everything else. And my mother has been incapable of making any decisions about anything so I've had to make all the decisions about the arrangements from picking the casket and clothes she would wear to be buried in (ugh!) to ordering butterflies for a butterfly memorial release we will do in Florida on Thursday evening. It's been a whirlwind! Let's hope I survive...and somewhere amongst all of this, I would love to find my next new opportunity so that I can challenge myself at work and get out from under my evil boss...not sure when that time will come but I'm ready for whenever it is! :)
Hope you all are having a less hectic few weeks than I am!!! Hope to talk to you soon and will try to at least send picture posts occasionally since I finally got my new iPh*ne - hurray!
Last Thursday morning bright and early, my hubby and I jumped on a plane to Philly for my grandmother's funeral on Friday. We stayed the weekend with my aunt and uncle and it was nice to have some family time. Then we came back late Sunday night (cheapest flights are always first thing in the morning and late at night - grr!). I was at work yesterday and today. Then I will work from home tomorrow until around lunchtime and then head back to the airport, this time with my son in tow. He and I will fly to Florida tomorrow for the "celebration of life" on Thursday for my grandmother (it just made sense to do something there since she knew so many people there even though she wanted to be buried in PA, and 5/5 would have been her 104th birthday) and then fly back home on Friday afternoon so we can enjoy one weekend at home together all 3 of us. Then Monday afternoon I have to fly to Boston for work until Thursday night (don't get in until 8:45 pm!) and my parents fly in that day (already planned before all of this other family stuff obviously) for my son's PreK graduation on Friday evening. They are in town next weekend from Thursday evening to early Tuesday morning and then we have about 2 weeks to ourselves. Then on Memorial Day Monday (still bitter about this!), I have to fly BACK to Boston for work from Monday evening to Friday evening, come home and spend Saturday with my hubby and son, and then come back to work on Sunday to get ready for my intern group who starts Monday, including attending a welcome dinner that Sunday evening. Then I have one weekend to ourselves in between, and then my mom flies out to watch our son and my hubby and his parents and brother are going to Vegas from Friday morning to Sunday evening for my father-in-law's 60th birthday. Then after that, I am hopeful not to travel again until the fall for work (except we do plan to go to the beach the first week of August but we will drive). Just thinking about it makes me tired!!!!
So that's my life in a nutshell right now. I've been swamped at work and at home in between trying to get everything done and figure out what goes where and everything else. And my mother has been incapable of making any decisions about anything so I've had to make all the decisions about the arrangements from picking the casket and clothes she would wear to be buried in (ugh!) to ordering butterflies for a butterfly memorial release we will do in Florida on Thursday evening. It's been a whirlwind! Let's hope I survive...and somewhere amongst all of this, I would love to find my next new opportunity so that I can challenge myself at work and get out from under my evil boss...not sure when that time will come but I'm ready for whenever it is! :)
Hope you all are having a less hectic few weeks than I am!!! Hope to talk to you soon and will try to at least send picture posts occasionally since I finally got my new iPh*ne - hurray!
4.21.2011
Crazy weeks!
I don't really have time to post right now but want to at least say something. I started off the week more positive than last week at least. I've come to the realization that even though it's not fair or right, the things my boss says and does are things that are out of my control, and apparently I have no recourse other than to move forward and hope one of these days she gets the karma she deserves. If I complain too much or make an issue out of it, it makes me look immature and unprofessional - even though I'm right!!! - so I just have to move on. I can't fix it right now, but it will get fixed one way or another eventually.
On Monday afternoon, I received a call from my mom that my grandmother had been taken to the hospital that morning and wasn't doing well. I knew then that it was her time, and by Tuesday evening, she had passed away. It was peaceful and she was almost 104 (her 104th birthday would have been 5/5/11) so it was time. When I saw her last (March 2010), she seemed like she was stuck in her body. Her mind was still there, but she wasn't as happy and she felt like she was burdening everyone around her. It was her time and I'm sad and I will miss her, but I am at peace knowing she is now at peace and with my grandfather and happy once again. I was blessed to have much longer time with her than I really should have. (And if you are wondering how my grandmother was almost 104, she had my mom went she was 35 and my mom had me when she was 37).
Since she died in Florida (where my parents live and I grew up), they are embalming her there and then shipping her by plane back up to Pennsylvania. We leave a week from today to go up there, pick out the final details (ugh!), and then hopefully have the service next Friday (4/29) and then we will fly back on Sunday after spending the weekend with family up there.
January & February of 2011 were pretty rough - March renewed my faith that 2011 could be okay, and now April has been rough again. I'm hoping that May will bring good things again! :) I will probably be in and out until after the funeral because I have a lot of work to get done both at work and at home, but I'll try to at least check in. Hope you all are doing well and hope to talk to you again soon!
P.S. One other good piece of news - I just got my iPhone today (my other phone just couldn't last any longer and I figured I might as well get it before they take away the policy where I could get reimbursed for it!) so hopefully I can more often add photos and posts by phone!
On Monday afternoon, I received a call from my mom that my grandmother had been taken to the hospital that morning and wasn't doing well. I knew then that it was her time, and by Tuesday evening, she had passed away. It was peaceful and she was almost 104 (her 104th birthday would have been 5/5/11) so it was time. When I saw her last (March 2010), she seemed like she was stuck in her body. Her mind was still there, but she wasn't as happy and she felt like she was burdening everyone around her. It was her time and I'm sad and I will miss her, but I am at peace knowing she is now at peace and with my grandfather and happy once again. I was blessed to have much longer time with her than I really should have. (And if you are wondering how my grandmother was almost 104, she had my mom went she was 35 and my mom had me when she was 37).
Since she died in Florida (where my parents live and I grew up), they are embalming her there and then shipping her by plane back up to Pennsylvania. We leave a week from today to go up there, pick out the final details (ugh!), and then hopefully have the service next Friday (4/29) and then we will fly back on Sunday after spending the weekend with family up there.
January & February of 2011 were pretty rough - March renewed my faith that 2011 could be okay, and now April has been rough again. I'm hoping that May will bring good things again! :) I will probably be in and out until after the funeral because I have a lot of work to get done both at work and at home, but I'll try to at least check in. Hope you all are doing well and hope to talk to you again soon!
P.S. One other good piece of news - I just got my iPhone today (my other phone just couldn't last any longer and I figured I might as well get it before they take away the policy where I could get reimbursed for it!) so hopefully I can more often add photos and posts by phone!
4.05.2011
Weekend Update & The Craziness of the Week
I've been a slacker for a few days and haven't posted. So here goes a quick version:
-Friday night, we went to dinner with Alli and the Architect. It was fabulous! The Architect is a great guy (and we all know how great Alli is!), and the four of us spent over 3 hours just chatting away about everything from work to friends to everything in between. It was a blast and I can't wait to do it again! :)
-Saturday, I got a lot of errands done that I really needed to do: got our son's savings account transferred over to the new bank and requested an ATM card so we could make ATM deposits, went by the library to drop off and pick up books, took and picked up a photo of what I want for hubby's birthday cake (we are doing a Hawaiian theme so I took a picture of one of his Hawaiian shirts and they are going to do a pull-apart cupcake cake in that design), picked up party decorations for the party (it's his 30th!), went to Target and did some grocery shopping (and got the new Target debit card so I can now save 5%, get pharmacy rewards, and give rewards to our son's new elementary school - love me some Target!), and then finished up the bakery/meats/produce shopping that evening after dinner. It was a whirlwind day but we got everything done! :) We also got to go out to dinner with another of our favorite couples - the husband is one of my hubby's best friends since like 2nd grade and the wife went to school with them as well and they have a daughter who is a bit older than our son and are expecting another baby at the very end of May.
-Sunday, I got up and did my 3rd run for week 1 of the Couch to 5K. For my reward in completing the first week, I purchased "E.T" by Katy Perry (the regular version, not the one with Kanye because that one is a bit too dirty for my taste and I usually don't get bothered by that stuff!) and the new Britney song (something about on the dance floor!). :) Then we headed to R2GoKids to check out some new furniture for the little guy. The main piece we are looking at is below. We love it because we think it will be functional for a long time and his room is kind of small so it will allow him to have lots of storage plus a desk and two bed options. We are going to keep looking a bit more and mainly research mattresses and hopefully purchase it in the next month or two.
The rest of Sunday was lots of laundry and trying to clean up the house although we have a lot of spring cleaning yet to do! :)
After such a fabulous weekend, I didn't want it to end and have to go back to work and yesterday started off crazy with scary thunderstorms waking me up in the middle of the night, followed by forgetting my laptop at home and having to turn around yesterday morning, and just a generally tense mood around here because it's "review" week. I'm sure I will have more good stories to tell soon enough! ;)
Other than that, I did my 1st run of my 2nd week of the couch to 5K this morning and it felt really good. We also did our workout here after work last night so I'm getting in a groove with the workout part of my life at least. ;) Looking forward to the weekend even though it's already Tuesday because this is a rough week and I'm ready just to relax and celebrate my hubby's birthday (which is actually Monday but we are big into birthday weekends in our family and his party is Saturday night!). :) Hope you are having a good week and will try to check in more often.
-Friday night, we went to dinner with Alli and the Architect. It was fabulous! The Architect is a great guy (and we all know how great Alli is!), and the four of us spent over 3 hours just chatting away about everything from work to friends to everything in between. It was a blast and I can't wait to do it again! :)
-Saturday, I got a lot of errands done that I really needed to do: got our son's savings account transferred over to the new bank and requested an ATM card so we could make ATM deposits, went by the library to drop off and pick up books, took and picked up a photo of what I want for hubby's birthday cake (we are doing a Hawaiian theme so I took a picture of one of his Hawaiian shirts and they are going to do a pull-apart cupcake cake in that design), picked up party decorations for the party (it's his 30th!), went to Target and did some grocery shopping (and got the new Target debit card so I can now save 5%, get pharmacy rewards, and give rewards to our son's new elementary school - love me some Target!), and then finished up the bakery/meats/produce shopping that evening after dinner. It was a whirlwind day but we got everything done! :) We also got to go out to dinner with another of our favorite couples - the husband is one of my hubby's best friends since like 2nd grade and the wife went to school with them as well and they have a daughter who is a bit older than our son and are expecting another baby at the very end of May.
-Sunday, I got up and did my 3rd run for week 1 of the Couch to 5K. For my reward in completing the first week, I purchased "E.T" by Katy Perry (the regular version, not the one with Kanye because that one is a bit too dirty for my taste and I usually don't get bothered by that stuff!) and the new Britney song (something about on the dance floor!). :) Then we headed to R2GoKids to check out some new furniture for the little guy. The main piece we are looking at is below. We love it because we think it will be functional for a long time and his room is kind of small so it will allow him to have lots of storage plus a desk and two bed options. We are going to keep looking a bit more and mainly research mattresses and hopefully purchase it in the next month or two.
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| Photo from Rooms to Go Kids website |
After such a fabulous weekend, I didn't want it to end and have to go back to work and yesterday started off crazy with scary thunderstorms waking me up in the middle of the night, followed by forgetting my laptop at home and having to turn around yesterday morning, and just a generally tense mood around here because it's "review" week. I'm sure I will have more good stories to tell soon enough! ;)
Other than that, I did my 1st run of my 2nd week of the couch to 5K this morning and it felt really good. We also did our workout here after work last night so I'm getting in a groove with the workout part of my life at least. ;) Looking forward to the weekend even though it's already Tuesday because this is a rough week and I'm ready just to relax and celebrate my hubby's birthday (which is actually Monday but we are big into birthday weekends in our family and his party is Saturday night!). :) Hope you are having a good week and will try to check in more often.
3.28.2011
I'm Back!
I can honestly say that this is the first trip in a REALLY long time where I actually enjoyed myself 100% and had a true vacation. It was so wonderful not thinking about the bs of life on a daily basis. I didn't worry about money or work or Cooper's school or any of the things that cause me stress on a daily basis. I just enjoyed time with my two guys and my family and it was great. We relaxed most days going shopping and then to the beach and pool, and the weather was awesome every day except for Friday which is pretty great! I wish every vacation and day could be so carefree and fun.
Of course, we got home on Saturday night and were slapped with reality on Sunday with cold, rainy weather, Austin injuring himself a bit (luckily just a minor sprain of his calf) on his half marathon, and the $$$!!! bill at the pet hotel from putting the dog up for the week we were gone. Oh and then grocery bills at the store and Sam's...and now this morning back to the craziness that I call work.
I tried not to think about work much while I was gone and it was nice as it has been consuming my life in many ways lately. Of course, I have come right back to the time which will be rough as I will be likely getting my review and piddly raise sometime in the next two weeks. Also, I'm just not sure what to do and I hate this helpless feeling. I don't think I'm being treated fairly here and have no opportunities for advancement and have an annoying boss who doesn't care about my career at all and lets the whole office steamroll us without ever pushing back. And yet I have some of the best benefits you can imagine with our insurance and vacation and things which will be hard to find somewhere else and are very important to our family with my hubby's Type 1 diabetes and my endometriosis. It just sucks to be stuck. I would be fine if there was something here that I can move into or some change I could consider, but as of right now, there is nothing. So I either have to just deal or try to find something else which is equally as good and will probably take forever to find. What a mess!
The weather is kind of crappy here this week, but I'm looking forward to this weekend as I get to meet up with Allison & the Architect for dinner on Friday night and some other friends on Saturday night. Lots of laundry to do too but it was worth it for the fun we had last week! :)
I need some motivation. I wonder what classes I could take and get the company to cover this year! :)
Of course, we got home on Saturday night and were slapped with reality on Sunday with cold, rainy weather, Austin injuring himself a bit (luckily just a minor sprain of his calf) on his half marathon, and the $$$!!! bill at the pet hotel from putting the dog up for the week we were gone. Oh and then grocery bills at the store and Sam's...and now this morning back to the craziness that I call work.
I tried not to think about work much while I was gone and it was nice as it has been consuming my life in many ways lately. Of course, I have come right back to the time which will be rough as I will be likely getting my review and piddly raise sometime in the next two weeks. Also, I'm just not sure what to do and I hate this helpless feeling. I don't think I'm being treated fairly here and have no opportunities for advancement and have an annoying boss who doesn't care about my career at all and lets the whole office steamroll us without ever pushing back. And yet I have some of the best benefits you can imagine with our insurance and vacation and things which will be hard to find somewhere else and are very important to our family with my hubby's Type 1 diabetes and my endometriosis. It just sucks to be stuck. I would be fine if there was something here that I can move into or some change I could consider, but as of right now, there is nothing. So I either have to just deal or try to find something else which is equally as good and will probably take forever to find. What a mess!
The weather is kind of crappy here this week, but I'm looking forward to this weekend as I get to meet up with Allison & the Architect for dinner on Friday night and some other friends on Saturday night. Lots of laundry to do too but it was worth it for the fun we had last week! :)
I need some motivation. I wonder what classes I could take and get the company to cover this year! :)
3.15.2011
It's Going to Be Okay
Update to my earlier post today - just got a call from my son's pediatrician and the xray was okay. He does have a mild curve to the right but it is only 7 degrees which isn't bad (must be 15-30+ to be considered scoliosis), and hopefully we can just watch it once a year to make sure it doesn't get worse and hopefully as he grows again, it will get better. I haven't been able to think of much of anything else the whole day, so I was relieved to get that call. The pediatrician is going to talk to his orthopod friend just to make sure that he wouldn't recommend anything else, but I think we are out of the woods for now at least! :) Thank God for everything He does great and small - we needed this good news!
Fear
This morning I took our son to the pediatrician for his 5 year old checkup. He was so excited to go because he knew he wouldn't need any shots and just was ready to be a big boy! Everything was going smoothly until his doctor had him bend over and touch his toes and noticed a slight curve to his back. He asked us to go over to the imaging center and get an xray of his spine just to check and make sure he didn't have scoliosis. Scoliosis? It hit me like a ton of bricks - how could he have scoliosis?
He said it might just be the way his ribs grew to his spine or something and not to worry, but I am a mom and I'm worried. We sat for an hour waiting for the 5 minute xray and it's done now and I'm at work but waiting waiting waiting for the doctor to call this afternoon to tell us the results. Did I mention how much I hate waiting?! They pulled the xray up to show our son and he was so excited to see his bones, and I did notice a slight curve when I looked at it but I don't know what to look for. I called my dad who was a pediatrician for nearly 30 years and he said not to worry and that he would be surprised if he had it so young and even if he did, it was easily treatable at this age. But I'm scared.
We are so excited about his new school and him turning 5 and everything else and now one day later, I am worried about what will happen if he has to have surgery or wear a brace all the time or a number of things. I'm praying and hoping that I am just worried for nothing and it is just something we can watch and that it will correct itself as he grows. But I'm scared. So I'm posting because I don't know what else to do and I don't want to start crying at my desk at work. I know it will be okay. I just need time to pass by more quickly!
In positive news, he is doing great otherwise - hearing and vision were great, he is 4 feet tall already(!), and very healthy. We might take him to do a little speech therapy just to make sure he talks a little slower and more clearly (I think I talk pretty fast too so he probably imitates me!), but that's not a big deal at all and is more a preventative than a necessity. I just hope that this xray business was just for nothing this morning too. Please let us get good news this afternoon!
He said it might just be the way his ribs grew to his spine or something and not to worry, but I am a mom and I'm worried. We sat for an hour waiting for the 5 minute xray and it's done now and I'm at work but waiting waiting waiting for the doctor to call this afternoon to tell us the results. Did I mention how much I hate waiting?! They pulled the xray up to show our son and he was so excited to see his bones, and I did notice a slight curve when I looked at it but I don't know what to look for. I called my dad who was a pediatrician for nearly 30 years and he said not to worry and that he would be surprised if he had it so young and even if he did, it was easily treatable at this age. But I'm scared.
We are so excited about his new school and him turning 5 and everything else and now one day later, I am worried about what will happen if he has to have surgery or wear a brace all the time or a number of things. I'm praying and hoping that I am just worried for nothing and it is just something we can watch and that it will correct itself as he grows. But I'm scared. So I'm posting because I don't know what else to do and I don't want to start crying at my desk at work. I know it will be okay. I just need time to pass by more quickly!
In positive news, he is doing great otherwise - hearing and vision were great, he is 4 feet tall already(!), and very healthy. We might take him to do a little speech therapy just to make sure he talks a little slower and more clearly (I think I talk pretty fast too so he probably imitates me!), but that's not a big deal at all and is more a preventative than a necessity. I just hope that this xray business was just for nothing this morning too. Please let us get good news this afternoon!
3.14.2011
5 Years
Today is my little man's fifth birthday! Where oh where has the time gone? I know that before I know it another five or ten years will go by, but for now, I can barely believe he is already five. I still remember preparing for his arrival, meeting him for the first time, bringing him home to meet his furry brother and sister, and all of the many memories from his first few months and years of life. He has been a wonderful blessing to our family and has made me a better person just by being around him. I may not be a perfect mother, but he loves me unconditionally and makes me feel good even when I'm feeling down. He is the best, and he is growing up way too fast, but he will ALWAYS be my baby!
1.03.2011
Hello 2011!
Even though I have been off work for the past 10 days, we have been busy busy bees! But it has been a ton of fun! I can't wait until later this month when I can hopefully get my iPhone for work, and then I can actually post more pictures (always forget otherwise to get out the camera!). Here is a quick recap:
Pre-Christmas: Did a LOT of cooking which was so fun since I had gotten a few new gadgets as early Christmas gifts! Went to see the Peanuts Ice! at the Gaylord Texan and had a ton of fun!
Christmas: Even though we cut back A LOT this year, we had an amazing Christmas! I don't know why we have felt in the past that Christmas had to be this big production because we all had a wonderful Christmas this year, got a few great things that we really wanted, and overall had a wonderful weekend. I am so thankful that we were able to give our son and each other a few great gifts and I really enjoyed the holidays this year.
Post-Christmas: I decided to let my son stay home from school the week between Christmas and New Year's since I was going to be home anyways. We had to pay for that week regardless but at least he and I got some great bonding time which we had been missing out on from all of my travel in the fall. I am SO thankful for this time we had together because we had a blast! Sure, I could have probably gotten more done around the house if I had dropped him off for a few hours each day, but I am his mommy and I was so glad to have the extra time with him. We did a little cooking and cleaning and relaxed a lot, playing with his new toys and gifts from the holidays. We also got to go to the Armed Forces Bowl on Thursday, and even though S-M-U lost, we had a blast!
New Year's Eve/New Year's Day: We didn't do a ton for NYE, but we went to my favorite dinner spot (Tillman's) with hubby's family and then came home, got in our PJs, and had a family game night on the Wii! :) On Saturday, we were cleaning like crazy in preparation for my parents' arrival tomorrow, and then we were able to have my best friend, her hubby, and son over for dinner. It was so awesome to spend our first day of 2011 with them because we hadn't seen them in awhile, and I have known her for over 25 years! It was great to just be in the company of great friends. Yesterday was mostly cleaning, taking down the inside Christmas decorations, and trying to get the house back in order.
Things I learned on my break:
1) I am SUPER BLESSED to have such loving friends and family! We had a great holiday break and I am thankful for our health and happiness!
2) 1100 page books are REALLY long especially when it's not necessarily one you would pick on your own - I'm reading "Under the Dome" by Stephen King for my book club at work, and while it's not terrible, it is a really long book to be reading when the subject matter is disturbing and it wouldn't be my first choice in books!
3) I don't do well with being "bored" - that seems silly but the days that I didn't really get out of the house, I started to get stir crazy a bit! I guess I just like to be an active person even if that means running to the library or just moving around somehow!
4) Wii games can be frustrating to a 4 year old and can bring out a side of them that you never want to see! ;)
Up next: I am off work again today, but have to go in this afternoon to do my pre-op appointment with my doctor and the hospital so I took my son back to school this morning to get him back in his routine. Caught up on all my work e-mail and cleaned the house some more! Tomorrow will work a full day of work and then be out for 2 weeks (working from home some) for my surgery which is Wednesday morning. I'm not as worried about the actual surgery as I am the anesthesia (as usual) so when I wake up in recovery on Wednesday morning, I will be happy even though I will probably be in a lot of pain! I am just ready to get this all over with and move on with 2011!
Not sure if I will write before then, but your thoughts and prayers would be much appreciated and I will try to post when I'm home later this week (only one night in the hospital if all goes well). Hope you all had a great holiday season and let's all try to work on making 2011 the best year yet (even if we are all dealing with rough starts in one way or another!).
Pre-Christmas: Did a LOT of cooking which was so fun since I had gotten a few new gadgets as early Christmas gifts! Went to see the Peanuts Ice! at the Gaylord Texan and had a ton of fun!
Christmas: Even though we cut back A LOT this year, we had an amazing Christmas! I don't know why we have felt in the past that Christmas had to be this big production because we all had a wonderful Christmas this year, got a few great things that we really wanted, and overall had a wonderful weekend. I am so thankful that we were able to give our son and each other a few great gifts and I really enjoyed the holidays this year.
Post-Christmas: I decided to let my son stay home from school the week between Christmas and New Year's since I was going to be home anyways. We had to pay for that week regardless but at least he and I got some great bonding time which we had been missing out on from all of my travel in the fall. I am SO thankful for this time we had together because we had a blast! Sure, I could have probably gotten more done around the house if I had dropped him off for a few hours each day, but I am his mommy and I was so glad to have the extra time with him. We did a little cooking and cleaning and relaxed a lot, playing with his new toys and gifts from the holidays. We also got to go to the Armed Forces Bowl on Thursday, and even though S-M-U lost, we had a blast!
New Year's Eve/New Year's Day: We didn't do a ton for NYE, but we went to my favorite dinner spot (Tillman's) with hubby's family and then came home, got in our PJs, and had a family game night on the Wii! :) On Saturday, we were cleaning like crazy in preparation for my parents' arrival tomorrow, and then we were able to have my best friend, her hubby, and son over for dinner. It was so awesome to spend our first day of 2011 with them because we hadn't seen them in awhile, and I have known her for over 25 years! It was great to just be in the company of great friends. Yesterday was mostly cleaning, taking down the inside Christmas decorations, and trying to get the house back in order.
Things I learned on my break:
1) I am SUPER BLESSED to have such loving friends and family! We had a great holiday break and I am thankful for our health and happiness!
2) 1100 page books are REALLY long especially when it's not necessarily one you would pick on your own - I'm reading "Under the Dome" by Stephen King for my book club at work, and while it's not terrible, it is a really long book to be reading when the subject matter is disturbing and it wouldn't be my first choice in books!
3) I don't do well with being "bored" - that seems silly but the days that I didn't really get out of the house, I started to get stir crazy a bit! I guess I just like to be an active person even if that means running to the library or just moving around somehow!
4) Wii games can be frustrating to a 4 year old and can bring out a side of them that you never want to see! ;)
Up next: I am off work again today, but have to go in this afternoon to do my pre-op appointment with my doctor and the hospital so I took my son back to school this morning to get him back in his routine. Caught up on all my work e-mail and cleaned the house some more! Tomorrow will work a full day of work and then be out for 2 weeks (working from home some) for my surgery which is Wednesday morning. I'm not as worried about the actual surgery as I am the anesthesia (as usual) so when I wake up in recovery on Wednesday morning, I will be happy even though I will probably be in a lot of pain! I am just ready to get this all over with and move on with 2011!
Not sure if I will write before then, but your thoughts and prayers would be much appreciated and I will try to post when I'm home later this week (only one night in the hospital if all goes well). Hope you all had a great holiday season and let's all try to work on making 2011 the best year yet (even if we are all dealing with rough starts in one way or another!).
12.14.2010
Whirlwind
So much for blogging more regularly! ;) The last couple of weeks have been a whirlwind of go-go-go! I have been too busy to post and I still need to learn how to better use this thing through e-mailing in posts or posting photos and things. Rumor has it that we are going to be allowed to switch to iPhones in the new year at work, and I can't wait so I can get them to purchase one for me. I think that will make my blogging much better!
Let's see - after the fun but busy Thanksgiving weekend, we spent the first weekend of December at hubby's holiday party on Saturday and then at the White Rock Marathon on Sunday. Hubby ran his 2nd half marathon, and I'm so proud of him because he is has type 1 diabetes so this is a huge accomplishment for him. He is still training so that he can run his 3rd one at the Cowtown Marathon in February (where he ran his first one earlier this year) and try to beat his time this time!
Last weekend was EVEN MORE BUSY!!! On Friday, we had our bi-annual volunteer day at work and this year, I led a group at the Ronald McDonald House in Fort Worth. We had a great time cooking them breakfast and even though we made WAY too much food (they told us to cook for 75 and only about 12 showed!), we had a lot of fun and it was so nice to get out in the community and give back. Then I ran around that afternoon dropping off the dog at the pet hotel (ps if anyone around DFW knows of better options for dog sitting, I'd love to know - we love the pet hotel but it's way expensive!!!), picking up a few Christmas presents, and packing for our trip the next day. Then hubby got home and we got all dressed up for my company's holiday party which was a black-tie optional Black & White Ball so I curled my hair and did my makeup all fancy and hubby put on his black suit and off we went. We had a great time at a beautiful venue - great food, lots of fun, date night, etc. but we had to leave early to get our son so we could all get some rest before the next morning.
The next morning we LEFT the house just before 7 am (ouch!) to drive down to Sealy to see hubby's cousin get married. We had a good road trip, dressed in the bathroom of the church (ha!), and enjoyed the ceremony. Then we drove an hour into Spring where the rest of the evening's festivities were held. We had a good time but we were exhausted and went to bed early!!! Then the next morning, we had breakfast at hubby's aunt's house and then headed back home to pick up the dog, go grocery shopping, and I worked on our holiday cards that evening. Busy busy busy!
Needless to say, yesterday was a definite Monday and I feel like there is too much to do and not enough time before the holidays, but I also know that somehow it will all get done. I think I'm going to attempt to cook for the in-laws and us for Christmas Eve so trying to figure out a menu and hope that the house will all come together before next week! Then I will get some time off after Christmas and New Year's, go back to work for one day, and then be out for two weeks for my surgery. It's going to be a crazy month or so still but we will make it and things WILL get better in 2011 - I just know it! :)
Hope you all are having a wonderful holiday season and I really do hope to post more soon!
Let's see - after the fun but busy Thanksgiving weekend, we spent the first weekend of December at hubby's holiday party on Saturday and then at the White Rock Marathon on Sunday. Hubby ran his 2nd half marathon, and I'm so proud of him because he is has type 1 diabetes so this is a huge accomplishment for him. He is still training so that he can run his 3rd one at the Cowtown Marathon in February (where he ran his first one earlier this year) and try to beat his time this time!
Last weekend was EVEN MORE BUSY!!! On Friday, we had our bi-annual volunteer day at work and this year, I led a group at the Ronald McDonald House in Fort Worth. We had a great time cooking them breakfast and even though we made WAY too much food (they told us to cook for 75 and only about 12 showed!), we had a lot of fun and it was so nice to get out in the community and give back. Then I ran around that afternoon dropping off the dog at the pet hotel (ps if anyone around DFW knows of better options for dog sitting, I'd love to know - we love the pet hotel but it's way expensive!!!), picking up a few Christmas presents, and packing for our trip the next day. Then hubby got home and we got all dressed up for my company's holiday party which was a black-tie optional Black & White Ball so I curled my hair and did my makeup all fancy and hubby put on his black suit and off we went. We had a great time at a beautiful venue - great food, lots of fun, date night, etc. but we had to leave early to get our son so we could all get some rest before the next morning.
The next morning we LEFT the house just before 7 am (ouch!) to drive down to Sealy to see hubby's cousin get married. We had a good road trip, dressed in the bathroom of the church (ha!), and enjoyed the ceremony. Then we drove an hour into Spring where the rest of the evening's festivities were held. We had a good time but we were exhausted and went to bed early!!! Then the next morning, we had breakfast at hubby's aunt's house and then headed back home to pick up the dog, go grocery shopping, and I worked on our holiday cards that evening. Busy busy busy!
Needless to say, yesterday was a definite Monday and I feel like there is too much to do and not enough time before the holidays, but I also know that somehow it will all get done. I think I'm going to attempt to cook for the in-laws and us for Christmas Eve so trying to figure out a menu and hope that the house will all come together before next week! Then I will get some time off after Christmas and New Year's, go back to work for one day, and then be out for two weeks for my surgery. It's going to be a crazy month or so still but we will make it and things WILL get better in 2011 - I just know it! :)
Hope you all are having a wonderful holiday season and I really do hope to post more soon!
11.08.2010
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 $$ saved up and replace our carpets with hardwood floors (or at least fake hardwood!). Having a cat and a dog and a child makes for messy carpets no matter what we do!
We also got to take our son to see the Dallas Mavericks play! He had a blast cheering for the team and watching basketball. We got cheap tickets on StubHub and it was so great to see the smile on his face. He even did a little dance whenever the fun music came on! Love it! :)
This week is my hell week at work trying to prepare for the weekend ahead. I am bringing 30 people into Dallas/Houston from around the country for a weekend of wining and dining. It can be fun but it's a lot of stress and lots of sleepless nights, but it will all be over soon (at least for this year). Wish me luck in surviving!
Gotta get back to work now...looking forward to seeing what life has in store for me soon!
We had a great weekend - did a lot of housework (boo!) but at least I have nice clean, fluffy carpets again. I can't wait until we can get a little extra $$ 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!
9.19.2010
Check another box
I spent the good majority of yesterday afternoon reading and studying for my last class, and I'm happy to say that I'm finished! I have now passed all 3 classes and will receive my Masters Certificate in HR Management soon. I'm really happy that I accomplished everything I have in the past 4 months, and I am hopeful this is a sign that good things will continue to come! :) It felt so good to finish, and then I got to spend the night with my loves at a yummy dinner at one of my favorite Tex-Mex places and watching the hot air balloons light up and then some fireworks at a local festival. Great day! Today is Cowboys football watching, laundry & cleaning, and hopefully some reading and relaxing too! Let the good times continue!
8.28.2010
The photos I've Been Promising
Since it's taken me forever to figure out how to post photos, I am going to post a few of the wedding flowers I did back in June plus some from our Alaska trip. We took almost 1000 pictures in Alaska and they are almost all really good so I have a hard time narrowing it down but here's a glimpse. I started putting them individually and it took FOREVER and then the computer shut everything down and deleted most of it (I was really happy ha!) so now I just put a bunch of thumbnails and captioned them. The photos of the flowers are all the ones I did for the wedding!
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| My little love being kissed by a moose (luckily not a real one!) |
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| On a little hike around the Mt McKinley Lodge |
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| Wedding centerpieces |
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| Top of the front pieces for the ceremony |
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| One of the front ceremony pieces |
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| The other front ceremony piece |
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| Puffballs that were along the aisle |
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| The "tree" of placecards |
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| Bride's bouquet |
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| Bridesmaid bouquets |
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| Bride & bridesmaids bouquets |
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| Centerpieces before they went out |
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| Groom's bout & one of the groomsmen bouts |
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| All of the bouts |
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| Groomsmen bouts |
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| Polar bear in the Vancouver airport |
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| Coming into Vancouver |
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| We had towel animals every night - this one was a monkey - and part of my little guy's favorite things about the ship! |
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| Sea otter with a fish |
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| In Ketchikan with his Alaskan flag |
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| On our duck tour in Ketchikan |
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| Mendenhall Glacier in Juneau |
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| Sea lions lounging on the buoy |
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| One of the whales we saw up close and personal in Juneau |
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| Another whale tail |
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| Inspiration Point in Skagway |
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| See the train on the mountain? We were on one just like it headed that way |
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| I want to say this was near the Canadian border |
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| Glacier National Park |
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| We were TV stars for a day! :) Not really, just got to pour the champagne waterfall on the first formal night and they put our pictures on the ship TV channel the next day! |
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| Hubbard Glacier |
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| Our ship in Whittier - Island Princess |
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| Snow "waterfall" |
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| One of the views on the train |
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| I think this was a moose |
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| In Denali |
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| On the bus searching for animals in Denali |
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| At the end of the ATV tour - this was like 9 pm at night |
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| Natural rock |
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| Little guy by a stream |
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| Moose and her babies |
8.24.2010
Missing in action
I admit it - I have been missing in action for way too long. I am trying to increase readership and yet I go and disappear for over a month. I hope to start writing more and wanted to get something on the page for now so here are a few things that have happened while I was "gone" from the blogging world:
1) I went on a trip to Alaska with my parents and my husband and son. I saw some AMAZINGLY beautiful things and had some experiences that I will probably never have again in my lifetime in terms of pure, unadulterated beauty of nature. But I also had an awakening experience with my parents in realizing that no matter what I do or say or try to do to make things better, my mother is NEVER going to change. I had thought we were on the right path since things had been going more smoothly for the past year, but I was very sad and disappointed when this trip turned back to the same old same old. It makes me sad for myself, it makes me sad for my husband, and it especially makes me sad for my son, who has never done anything but been loving and sweet to them and try to get to know them and only has received criticism in return. Maybe one day I will open this can of worms a little further but for now that is all I am going to say on that subject! ;)
2) My work has picked up full speed. Starting on Thursday, I now have to travel for at least 1-3 days every week from now through October 22 (with the exception of the week of 9/27-10/1). It is going to be brutal, it's going to be long hours with no extra pay, and it's going to be hard on my husband and my son. I just pray for the strength to get through it and in two months it will be over. I am going to maintain the most positive attitude I can about it because it is part of my current job and there isn't really any changing that right now. At least I am earning hotel points and airline miles and can take another fabulous trip (with just my hubby and son this time!) in the future for free. :)
3) I have grown as a person in the past month. I know that seems strange to say but I've really developed my leadership skills and am working on increasing my powers of influence and leadership in my office. I was elected to represent the administrative staff to the management in helping to "fix" some of the issues that make us question our jobs. It isn't easy and it's not always fun to say the tough stuff, but I'm learning that there is a way to professionally go about things to get your point across and still maintain your integrity and respect. I am making my voice be seen and heard - I am making sure people are aware of the things I have accomplished and want to accomplish. Even though this is not specifically part of my job, I know these skills that I am developing will really help push my career and make my day-to-day work life better, so I am thankful for this opportunity and hope to use it for all that I can to make my life and those around me better.
4) I have one more class left to complete in September & October, and then I will have my Masters Certificate in addition to my professional certification. I am proud of what I have accomplished over the past 4 months and hope to make more strides to finish this year strong. I wanted 2010 to be "my year" but I think with the economy and everything else that is still going on in the world, I need to stick to my routine, do the things I can do to make myself better, and see what 2011 brings. I am happy for my health and that we both have jobs (husband's work did a TON of layoffs last week but he is fine) and that our son is doing well (he just started PreK!). Life is as good as it can be right now, and I will just continue to work hard, plan ahead, and pray for good things to come when it's time! :)
That's all I got for now - need to do a little more work before I leave. Hope to keep up a little better - maybe I can do a road journal! Ha! :)
1) I went on a trip to Alaska with my parents and my husband and son. I saw some AMAZINGLY beautiful things and had some experiences that I will probably never have again in my lifetime in terms of pure, unadulterated beauty of nature. But I also had an awakening experience with my parents in realizing that no matter what I do or say or try to do to make things better, my mother is NEVER going to change. I had thought we were on the right path since things had been going more smoothly for the past year, but I was very sad and disappointed when this trip turned back to the same old same old. It makes me sad for myself, it makes me sad for my husband, and it especially makes me sad for my son, who has never done anything but been loving and sweet to them and try to get to know them and only has received criticism in return. Maybe one day I will open this can of worms a little further but for now that is all I am going to say on that subject! ;)
2) My work has picked up full speed. Starting on Thursday, I now have to travel for at least 1-3 days every week from now through October 22 (with the exception of the week of 9/27-10/1). It is going to be brutal, it's going to be long hours with no extra pay, and it's going to be hard on my husband and my son. I just pray for the strength to get through it and in two months it will be over. I am going to maintain the most positive attitude I can about it because it is part of my current job and there isn't really any changing that right now. At least I am earning hotel points and airline miles and can take another fabulous trip (with just my hubby and son this time!) in the future for free. :)
3) I have grown as a person in the past month. I know that seems strange to say but I've really developed my leadership skills and am working on increasing my powers of influence and leadership in my office. I was elected to represent the administrative staff to the management in helping to "fix" some of the issues that make us question our jobs. It isn't easy and it's not always fun to say the tough stuff, but I'm learning that there is a way to professionally go about things to get your point across and still maintain your integrity and respect. I am making my voice be seen and heard - I am making sure people are aware of the things I have accomplished and want to accomplish. Even though this is not specifically part of my job, I know these skills that I am developing will really help push my career and make my day-to-day work life better, so I am thankful for this opportunity and hope to use it for all that I can to make my life and those around me better.
4) I have one more class left to complete in September & October, and then I will have my Masters Certificate in addition to my professional certification. I am proud of what I have accomplished over the past 4 months and hope to make more strides to finish this year strong. I wanted 2010 to be "my year" but I think with the economy and everything else that is still going on in the world, I need to stick to my routine, do the things I can do to make myself better, and see what 2011 brings. I am happy for my health and that we both have jobs (husband's work did a TON of layoffs last week but he is fine) and that our son is doing well (he just started PreK!). Life is as good as it can be right now, and I will just continue to work hard, plan ahead, and pray for good things to come when it's time! :)
That's all I got for now - need to do a little more work before I leave. Hope to keep up a little better - maybe I can do a road journal! Ha! :)
6.14.2010
Quick update
I don't have a whole lot of time to post today because our M*B*A intern group just started today and I'm trying to help out where I can. Things are good again with my son's school - had a great talk with the supervisor of his area and the assistant director of the school so I'm feeling much better about him staying there both in the short and long term. They were very open and honest about the changes (wish they would have just been from the start), and I feel safe and satisfied with him being there for another year until he starts kindergarten next fall.
Yesterday, I kind of got overwhelmed with everything that is going on. I think it's really hitting me how much extra time I am having to devote to my work and give up with my family and extra "me time." And since I am no longer eligible to make extra money to be at the events, it seems even more frustrating and time-consuming. We are just really busy right now and I can't wait until July when we have 11 days to ourselves away from computers and work and everything else. Hopefully my parents will behave and we can have an amazing trip! :) One month from tomorrow we leave for Alaska!
I am hopeful that I can pass this exam at the end of June, but I know it is very difficult and I'm trying to study as hard as I can without putting too much pressure on myself just in case. I want to pass and succeed and use it to get out of here, but if I don't, I can always take it again at the end of the year and I still have my masters certificate for my resume regardless. Deep breaths!
Okay that's all for now - hope you all had a great weekend and I'm hoping this week goes quickly and easily!
Yesterday, I kind of got overwhelmed with everything that is going on. I think it's really hitting me how much extra time I am having to devote to my work and give up with my family and extra "me time." And since I am no longer eligible to make extra money to be at the events, it seems even more frustrating and time-consuming. We are just really busy right now and I can't wait until July when we have 11 days to ourselves away from computers and work and everything else. Hopefully my parents will behave and we can have an amazing trip! :) One month from tomorrow we leave for Alaska!
I am hopeful that I can pass this exam at the end of June, but I know it is very difficult and I'm trying to study as hard as I can without putting too much pressure on myself just in case. I want to pass and succeed and use it to get out of here, but if I don't, I can always take it again at the end of the year and I still have my masters certificate for my resume regardless. Deep breaths!
Okay that's all for now - hope you all had a great weekend and I'm hoping this week goes quickly and easily!
1.27.2010
Planning!
I am a planner - love it! I love nothing more than getting my brand new calendar for the year (or in the case of the one that I keep in my purse the school year) and filling it out with birthdays and other yearly events and then anything else I know already that is coming up ahead. It is silly and I'm sure other people dread it, but I am a planner and I'm proud of it! ;) So lately, I've been trying to plan ahead for some upcoming events.
One of these is my son's 4th birthday. Saying four just seems so very old - I can hardly believe that my little baby boy is going to four this year! But he is and there needs to be a party and this is the first year that I feel like we can't do the lame adult party at our house for him and that he needs to have some friends from school and have a "real" birthday party. So I go about looking at all of the options in the area to have a birthday party for little kids, and now I feel like the cheapest mom there is. Because the place where the other kids had their party (a local jumping party place) is $180-$250 for a party which just seems ridiculous to me for a four year olds birthday especially when I have no idea how many children will actually show. We need to invite everyone in his class which is fine (11 with my son) plus 1-3 other family/friend kids. But it is the Saturday before the local spring break so I am not sure what attendance will be like. And to pay $200+ for 5 kids to show is ridiculous (in my opinion). I want Cooper to have a WONDERFUL birthday party, but I also don't want to spend a fortune on something like that because I want to be able to get him gifts too! So frustrating!
In addition, I was going to plan a friend's baby shower and another friend's wedding shower. I think we are figuring out the wedding shower situation (she originally gave us a date 3 weeks away!), but the baby shower is a totally different story altogether. I guess I was late in asking about it because I was debating whether I wanted to be involved in hosting (just hosted 2 wedding showers for this same person not even a year ago!), so there were two other women that also offered to host. I would make a third which would be great to help split cost and burden. The one other woman is also one I worked with on one of the wedding showers so no problems there - the other is someone I don't really know. I have known my friend for nearly our entire lives (25.5 years and counting), and am obviously an important person in her life. However, the date she originally suggested is the same weekend I already booked flights to go see my grandmother (the first weekend I can really get away for a long weekend to see her when her health is failing). So we worked on another date and then the one woman e-mails the others, leaving me off, and basically says she can do either date but she prefers the date that I am gone so maybe that is better. Fine by me - one less thing I have to plan and although I'll be sad to miss it because she is my good friend, she and I can do something together later which will probably end up being more fun anyways. It's just the idea of squeezing me out that makes me hot.
On top of that, I'm trying really hard to find another avenue for me to get involved in life. I have been researching churches in the area to see if I can find a place that we would like to try out. Now I just have to convince my hubby to take the time to do it! It will take a few visits to a few different places, but it will be worth it if we find a good place and can meet good people from it. I've also looked at a few graduate programs, but that seems like such a scary venture to take on since it costs so much money. I need to figure out something though because I am not feeling 100% fulfilled in my current job and I don't see that changing any time soon. Plus we have reviews/raises coming up soon, and I have a feeling that there will be disappointment again this year from that as well as the potential move of our office location next year so that my commute would be even farther than it is now. These are all things that make the prospect of staying here in the same spot very scary. Of course considering another opportunity is even scarier! I have a feeling that 2010 is going to be a very interesting year for me as things play out in crazy ways.
I am sure I have thoroughly bored you by now (although I don't think I have any real readers anyways so I guess it doesn't matter!), so I will end my tirade of nothing. I wish this day would end...I'm over it! This has been a slow week - I wish the bad weather would come in tomorrow instead of Friday because I actually have stuff going on Friday (and DATE NIGHT WOOHOO) that I would like to do whereas tomorrow is much of nothing again. I can dream!
One of these is my son's 4th birthday. Saying four just seems so very old - I can hardly believe that my little baby boy is going to four this year! But he is and there needs to be a party and this is the first year that I feel like we can't do the lame adult party at our house for him and that he needs to have some friends from school and have a "real" birthday party. So I go about looking at all of the options in the area to have a birthday party for little kids, and now I feel like the cheapest mom there is. Because the place where the other kids had their party (a local jumping party place) is $180-$250 for a party which just seems ridiculous to me for a four year olds birthday especially when I have no idea how many children will actually show. We need to invite everyone in his class which is fine (11 with my son) plus 1-3 other family/friend kids. But it is the Saturday before the local spring break so I am not sure what attendance will be like. And to pay $200+ for 5 kids to show is ridiculous (in my opinion). I want Cooper to have a WONDERFUL birthday party, but I also don't want to spend a fortune on something like that because I want to be able to get him gifts too! So frustrating!
In addition, I was going to plan a friend's baby shower and another friend's wedding shower. I think we are figuring out the wedding shower situation (she originally gave us a date 3 weeks away!), but the baby shower is a totally different story altogether. I guess I was late in asking about it because I was debating whether I wanted to be involved in hosting (just hosted 2 wedding showers for this same person not even a year ago!), so there were two other women that also offered to host. I would make a third which would be great to help split cost and burden. The one other woman is also one I worked with on one of the wedding showers so no problems there - the other is someone I don't really know. I have known my friend for nearly our entire lives (25.5 years and counting), and am obviously an important person in her life. However, the date she originally suggested is the same weekend I already booked flights to go see my grandmother (the first weekend I can really get away for a long weekend to see her when her health is failing). So we worked on another date and then the one woman e-mails the others, leaving me off, and basically says she can do either date but she prefers the date that I am gone so maybe that is better. Fine by me - one less thing I have to plan and although I'll be sad to miss it because she is my good friend, she and I can do something together later which will probably end up being more fun anyways. It's just the idea of squeezing me out that makes me hot.
On top of that, I'm trying really hard to find another avenue for me to get involved in life. I have been researching churches in the area to see if I can find a place that we would like to try out. Now I just have to convince my hubby to take the time to do it! It will take a few visits to a few different places, but it will be worth it if we find a good place and can meet good people from it. I've also looked at a few graduate programs, but that seems like such a scary venture to take on since it costs so much money. I need to figure out something though because I am not feeling 100% fulfilled in my current job and I don't see that changing any time soon. Plus we have reviews/raises coming up soon, and I have a feeling that there will be disappointment again this year from that as well as the potential move of our office location next year so that my commute would be even farther than it is now. These are all things that make the prospect of staying here in the same spot very scary. Of course considering another opportunity is even scarier! I have a feeling that 2010 is going to be a very interesting year for me as things play out in crazy ways.
I am sure I have thoroughly bored you by now (although I don't think I have any real readers anyways so I guess it doesn't matter!), so I will end my tirade of nothing. I wish this day would end...I'm over it! This has been a slow week - I wish the bad weather would come in tomorrow instead of Friday because I actually have stuff going on Friday (and DATE NIGHT WOOHOO) that I would like to do whereas tomorrow is much of nothing again. I can dream!
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