Getting ready for NYC!!

Black clothes=check
memory card for camera=check
finding luggage=check
little soap, shampoo, body gel=check (airport security, bite me!)
cash=check
maps=check
subway directions=check

Hmmm......Can you tell I am just a little excited....

20 more days!!!

My itinerary for New York....

I'll be there for 2 half days and 1 whole day so I have this in mind...

Central Park
Rockefeller Center
Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island
Ground Zero
Empire State Building
NBC Studios
1 Broadway Play (Probably Wicked)
Food, ummm...we'll see about that.....


I can't wait!!!! Notice there is no shopping involved. I don't shop for stuff, I sightsee and I can't wait!!!!! Take lots of pictures of sights and dream of not getting mugged, killed or maimed.....Bring on the fun!!!

*WOW* I just cannot wait!!!!!

NEW YORK CITY HERE I COME!!!!!

Flight is booked and accomodations are made, I'm coming! Watch out! I am so excited!!!!!!!

Details later!

My third (first real) week at work...

The first two weeks at my new job was training so I was learning and shadowing the people at work so I really physically was not working at all. My brain was hurting on overload by the weekends though. This week was all me doing the work and doing paperwork for my boss for the clients he was seeing. Monday was hard. I cried on my walk, called hubby and my sister to vent during lunch, and was generally just overwhelmed by the work. My sister told me that it is a genetic trait in our family to not want to ask for help. We want to do it all ourselves and be capable long before it is feasibly time enough to do the job correctly. So, Tuesday was better and I was ok with the work, asking for help if I needed it. I had to do pull paperwork from several sites and organize it into a presentation for the client. I looked at my notes and was pleasantly surprised that the time it took to do it, went amazingly slow and I was able to complete it within the time frame I needed. Wednesday time went amazingly fast. Computers went down for a spell and then came back again Thursday and Friday so time was spent waiting for them to come back online.

My office is fun to work at. I have said before that the people I work with are funny and inviting but I am here to tell you, they make life at the office a lot of fun! Staff meetings have an air of silliness to them even though they are also very informative and full of training materials. I have also resumed my walking schedule. I need to buy a pedometer today so I can track my steps throughout the day. There is a sidewalk surrounding the Office suites in our complex so I have been walking that for 20 minutes on my lunch break. We have had gorgeous days and it lets me calm down from a tough morning or settle my brain into what I have to do the rest of the day. Plus I get my activity points done at work.

Oh yeah, I lost another pound last week. 13 pounds and counting! YEAH!!!!!

Well, we were going to go to the airshow today but rain is in the forecast and I do not want to walk in rain with a 6 year old.

Have a great weekend and I'll update again when I have time.

Time Out For Women!

Here are some pictures we took at Time Out!


Here is the gang from our little group.



This is me with Hilary Weeks. Her songs are most inspiring. I had Hilary autograph the book that I bought. She writes like she talks. I could listen to her for hours!




Stephanie took my picture so I took hers with Hilary. We both bought the CD. Hilary signed Stephanie's CD.




I came to this conference initially wanting to meet Jane Clayson Johnson and she was a highlight of the day.



Barb was talking to Pam Hansen and I took this picture for her.

I spent entirely too much money on books and cds but it is all worth it if it brings out the feeling that I got this weekend. I feel wonderful! Uplifted and ready to conquer the world!

It was a wonderful two days of music, inspirational talks, laughs, love, bonding of friends and family. The presenters Saturday talked on a variety of subjects, including Finding Joy in the Mirror(Pam Hansen), Stop, Listen, I'm Here (Jane Clayson Johnson), Accents of Wonder (S. Michael Wilcox), and The Power of the Written Word (Jason Wright). Hilary Weeks and Cherie Call were the musical entertainment and they were awesome to listen to. Made me think of things going on in my life that have been buried for awhile. Music brings those emotions to the surface and makes me remember those emotional things that had long been forgotten or hidden away. That is what I love about music. It tickles the senses.

Friday night was also a forum for music and discussion. We were not sitting in seats that were picture productive so I only have my minds eye to remember the sights. Sorry. Michael Mclean was the musical entertainment along with Hilary Weeks and the presenter was Kim Nelson. He talked on the Golden Nuggets of Life and the differences between men and women in terms of communication. Truly makes you think about how you react to your spouse in any given situation. We're all doing it wrong, apparently. I learned something about how I act towards hubby. A real eye opening night. Oh, and we had a blast! I am so glad that we went as a group! So much more fun that way!

Til later!

Having a great weekend!

I am going to work today but then I am heading off to a womens' conference with three of my close friends from church. It's tonight and tomorrow. It's a spiritual uplifting experience that I have gone to every time it's been in St. Louis the past 5 years. After the past two weeks of training at work, I know the lift is badly needed because Monday I go to work and do it all myself. I know I can do a lot of what my job entails and my speed at doing it will be faster as I do more but right now the prospect of having that load on me is daunting. It scares me to know that I am expected to do it all. I know time will help me, but walking into that office Monday is really really scary, to say the least.

I had a nice conversation with a friend last night that I really needed. She is my best friend here in town. I am so glad that I have her in my life. I was feeling down about friendships in general and she made me realize that I do have friends who care about me and want me in thier life. Perfect timing, kiddo. Thanks! You are the blessing I needed last night.

Til later....

September lows!

Ever wonder why a bad thing happening in your life can wreck your mood for the entire month? Having a death happen in a particular month can ruin your mood for a week before, a week during and a week after year after year. Oma died on September 30 of last year. She was 91 years old and had Alzheimers since 2003 so it was kind of a blessing when she passed. But I miss her like crazy, especially when my life is finally going the way I want it to. I know she would be so proud of me and happy that I am suceeding at a job that I love and loving life. I think she would have loved to meet hubby and see that I am finally happy. I miss Oma and this month is already getting hard. I can't imagine what my mom is going through. I just have to deal with it and move on. And I will....

Weight Watchers Update...

Yeah, I did it again. I lost another 1.4 lbs to make a total of 12 pounds since July 7.

Just wanted to update! Happiness keeps coming!


Till later...

The DVDs came in!

I had all the movies from the kids that I still had transferred to DVD from VHS tape. There are videos of Jessi at age 4, 7, 9, 13, and lots of pictures. I have video of Allen at age 3, 5, and 10 and Arielle at age 2, 4, and present. I have tons of pictures of happy memories that I have hidden away downstairs. I need to get all these out one of these days and go through them. I have a few of me when I was younger, 19-20 and I still look like a young, young, girl.

Amazing how life brings back memories when they are triggered by an outside stimuli. Watching these videos are so cool yet so sad because Jessi is not here to watch them with us as we enjoy them. I miss her so much and I know she is learning how to be an adult. She is 17 and this next year is going to bring her so much learning and trials. I remember splitting from my parents at that age. I just cry when I realize how much hurt I gave them both at that age. Time circles around and bites you in the butt in revenge for treating your parents badly. Shame no one tells you that until you are experiencing it with your teen and regretting those times. Not that they don't try but the teenager is so much smarter than the wise parent. LOL! Oh the joys of parenthood!

Oh well, I am so grateful that I do have these videos of the kids. I don't have the videos from Christmas time or of Jessi as a baby but I have pictures to cover those memories. I'll be watching videos for awhile and making homemade compilation videos in the near future....Maybe I'll put them up on youtube...who knows....

Til later....

Tuesday posts

This blog is having trouble keeping posts with it's day that I posted it. I posted the last one on Tuesday and today is Friday. Post says it was posted Wednesday. WRONG!!

And last week I got the job on Tuesday but it says I got the job on Monday. Nope, wrong there too.

Anywho.....job is good, job is wonderful, actually, I was able to create and print out a much needed document for a client and I did it right so I was really happy that I knew what to do there. The job atmosphere is professional but the group environment if friendly and happy and giddy. Our "crazy" employee just makes me laugh. She is so out there that it keeps the morale in the office at a non stress level that I have never felt before. There is no contention with anyone there except when the computers go down and then we feed off each other to keep it high, none the less. All of us in computer freeze hell makes for some wild conversations with each other and with "IT" until they can get the computers going again.

*PING* flies a rubber band over the cubicle. It's cool but we do still get our work done and it makes for a fast day at the office.

I officially move into my cubicle today and I am able to hang pictures of my loved ones on the wall and personalize it a bit. It's so cool! I am so happy now with this job and I am so glad that I stuck through with it so God could bless me this way. I truly am blessed with my life, and I love every part of it! It's about time!!!!

Job update...

Well, it's going to be a long road to know this job. It's a lot of information and lots to know but I know I am absorbing it at an amazing pace. This job is everything that I want and helping people too. My enthusiasm is a little overwhelming and my trainer and I got into a bit of trouble because she was doing every day work and she was leading me through it. I am on a 2 week training schedule and the boss, she's really strict but means well, doesn't want me deviating from it at all. I do like her, matter of fact, there is not a person there I don't like. I got to work on a training module on the computer late in the afternoon and I loved every bit of it.

I know this job is everything I could hope for and I am so happy I am there. The long hours could go away but I guess I have to get used to those. It's the first time I have worked 40 hours a week and it's a bit daunting coming from a part time or stay at home mom stand point.

Til later....

Happy Labor Day!

Well, since I ceased from my labors on Sunday, I had to double time it today since I have a very busy schedule coming up the rest of my life. I walked two miles this morning, mowed my lawn, trimmed all the bushes, cleaned the weeds out of the flower garden, picked a ripe tomato and ate it right there, cleaned out my patio, swept the front porch, made the garage somewhat more organized than before, and cleaned up the kitchen and living room to where I could walk through it again.

I am excited about tomorrow but I am also scared for the heavy load that I have to learn and remember. But I am also glad that I have the kids taken care of and they are in school while I am working and Angel is not at the babysitters too long. If she were at the sitters all day long, I'd also worry about the cost of the daycare and stuff like that.

I have to finish some other stuff around the house but I wanted to make a quick entry and tell some things on here.

Hope everyone has a wonderful Labor Day holiday.