Wednesday, June 27, 2007

I Survived My First Day of Work

Amazing, I know! But it's been a LONG day and I am SO ready for bed. When my alarm went off at 6:30 I thought there was NO way I was going to survive my first day. The earliest I've been up all summer is 8:00!! Rough life, I know! :)

It was a rather dull day because all I did is really sit and watch my co-workers do their job although during the afternoon I got to do some of the data entry. My co-workers and boss are GREAT! It will definitely make going to work a lot easier. Hopefully tomorrow will be a little more exciting. I believe we have a meeting with customers to close a loan so that should be interesting. Just a reminder, if you don't remember, my position is Assistant Loan Officer.

I think I'm going to enjoy my job but I'm also going to REALLY look forward to my days off!!

Tuesday, June 26, 2007

Still Sick

Well, I'm not feeling better yet. This is not how I wanted to spend my last days of "freedom" or how I want to start my job tomorrow!

I thought I was getting better on Saturday and even went to the pool and down the tube waterslide and lazy river! (I don't think I'll be going down the tube slide again - I did NOT enjoy it!) However, Saturday evening I started getting sicker. My sore throat was almost gone but then I got a cough. And I've been coughing ever since!! So my sore throat is BACK but not nearly as bad!! And my sides, chest, stomach, and back ache from all my coughing. And of course, I'm not sleeping (what is new?) so I feel like the walking dead!! AWESOME! NOT!!

Yesterday I wasn't feeling too bad so we went to the pool. You can't keep the kids and I away when it's sunny and 90! I figured I was going to try to sweat out my cold. When that didn't work, Hayley and I enjoyed the lazy river. It's hard to believe someone can be cold when it's sunny and 90 but with me, everything is possible. The water was cold and when the sun went behind clouds and with the wind, oh, I was cold!! So I guess I even tried freezing the cold out of me. But none of it worked. I still have my cold!

So tomorrow I start my JOB! I'm looking forward to my first day of work but yet dreading it. Darn it, I should have taken the whole summer off!! I had the opportunity but didn't seize it! Wish me well - it should be interesting being I've been out of the workforce for so long!!

Friday, June 22, 2007

Who the Heck Have I Been Kissing???

I'd really like to know and so would my husband! I awoke early yesterday morning with a sore throat. I HATE sore throats. I think I'd rather have my hand cut off! It was tolerable until late yesterday afternoon when it became VERY painful. I finally quit verbally communicating with my family. I used finger snaps, hand claps, pounding, pointing, and "my" sign language to get my point across. The kids did really well with this but my husband is denser than a solid door. He said he didn't do sign language. So I pointed to my lips and said lip read. He said he doesn't lip read. (Hello, didn't you just read my lips?) Then I pointed to my head and his head and he said he doesn't read minds neither. So pretty much there was no conversation between the two of us last night but the kids and I could communicate! It was awful sitting out in the hot sun at Hayley's softball game and feeling terrible but I'm a dedicated mom and wanted to watch her play. And she played really well last night so it was worth it.

We ran to Culver's for supper being they were having their grand opening celebration and even root beer floats didn't soothe my throat.

Finally at 8:30 last night I decided I'd had enough and I was going to bed. I was starting to get a headache (and I was praying I wasn't getting strep throat)! So I took my birth control pill, a sleeping pill, and three ibuprofen and went to bed. Do you know how HARD it is to swallow FIVE pills when your THROAT is on FIRE plus you tense up and squirm when you're only swallowing your saliva?!?! How I got those pills down me is a miracle!!!

Well, I sure didn't sleep very good last night. I think I was awake more than I was asleep. In the middle of the night my nose starting running which is a nuisance but good news because the sore throat signals a cold and not strep throat. YEAH!

So I woke up this morning and still have a sore throat (not as bad) and a slightly stuffy nose but no headache so I think I can safely assume I do not have strep throat. I REALLY did not want to go in for a throat culture.

So back to the kissing...... My husband hasn't been sick. My kids haven't been sick. So where did I get this sore throat from??? My hubby is waiting for an answer.........

Wednesday, June 20, 2007

lia sophia

Friday night my sister had a lia sophia jewelry party. They have some pretty awesome jewelry so I decided to host my own party. Being I'm starting a new job, I need some new jewelry. I decided to have my party on Friday, July 13th and I'm getting a lot of slack from people - superstitious people! I've never had anything bad happen to me on Friday the 13th so I think I'll be just fine! (I know, there's a first time for everything.) I'm so excited as there is so much jewelry I want to buy.

Do I hear carpool?! All my fellow blog readers in M are invited to come on up to my party.

If you remember, awhile back I went shopping in SF for a new work wardrobe and didn't fair too well. Well, this past week, I've been shopping here in W and I have found so much stuff!! There was no need for me to leave town to do my shopping. I'm so excited I've found (and bought) so many clothes! My last two trips to the dressing rooms resulted in almost everything fitting and looking good. That never happens to me!!! Out of the 15 items I usually bring into the dressing room (I know, only 5 are allowed - sue me!) I usually leave with 2 (if I'm lucky) that I liked and fit! OH, Happy Day!! (I'm doing the happy dance!)

Sunday, June 17, 2007

Happy Father's Day!

My dad is GREAT! I couldn't have asked for a better dad!! He has always been there for me. I'm proud to say I am daddy's girl!! He's a quiet guy, a man of few words. He's honest, kind, considerate, and caring. He rarely, if ever, raises his voice (unless he has just electrocuted himself or smashed his fingers). My dad is a jack-of-all-trades, there's hardly anything he can't do or won't try. Dad has always had high hopes and goals for me and without those, I probably wouldn't be who I am today. (Thanks, dad!) My dad is always there to give encouragement and guidance. I never hesitate to talk things over with dad. I look forward to our weekly chats, however, I sometimes get caught up in my busy life and more than a week will go by without our weekly chat (sorry, dad). My dad is my idol, my role model. Thanks for being a GREAT dad! Happy Father's Day! I LOVE you dad!



My hubby is a GREAT husband and dad! He is very involved in our kids' lives. The kids look up to him and enjoy spending time with him. Dean treats the kids and I very well. What can we say, we're spoiled. We couldn't have asked for a better husband/dad (well, maybe someone with a better memory and someone who listens the first time we talk but we'll still keep you). The only thing Dean loves more than us is golfing (just kidding). We enjoy spending time as a family whether it be out golfing, going for a walk/bike ride, playing outside, playing games, or watching movies. You are such a loving and wonderful person. Thanks Dean for being a GREAT husband and dad. Happy Father's Day! We LOVE you!






Thursday, June 14, 2007

Summer Activities

Our summers have been busy the past few years. As a kid, I did not get to participate in summer activities and because of this, I have allowed my kids to (almost) join every summer activity they want to. I say 'almost' because last year they didn't do everything they wanted. I initially had their events penciled in on the calendar and then they wanted to join one or two more activities so I showed them the calendar so they could see how busy they already were and let them make the decision whether to add those extra activities. They decided not to. They wanted pool time and time to just play in the neighborhood with friends. Good choice, kids!

This summer we're not quite as busy as previous summers for a few reasons: 1) we're in a new town, 2) we just didn't know how many activities they could participate in if I was going to be working, and 3) there were time conflicts. (And I say 'we're not quite as busy' because I'm the one who has to get them to their activities.)

Here's what our summer months look like. I like to color code activities and I just hate it when I have more activities than I do highlighter colors. :)

JUNE


JULY


AUGUST

Hayley is participating in golf league, tennis lessons, softball, and swimming lessons. Tanner is participating in golf league, tennis lessons, summer reading program, and swimming lessons. The only activity I require is swimming lessons - those are non-negotiable. The rest are up to them. Last year, in addition to the above activities, Tanner participated in basketball and arts & crafts, while Hayley participated in basketball, arts & crafts, and dance. So as you can see, this summer is a breeze!

We start out busy and as the summer goes on, we get less busy with activities. Therefore, we plan our vacations for August. However, we haven't decided yet what we want to do this year. Any suggestions?

I know some people think it's not good to overschedule your kids but I don't. They do. And as long as they are enjoying themselves, that's all that matters to me.

Monday, June 11, 2007

Such a Busy Weekend

So this is what we've been up to lately. We've been busy!

FRIDAY
The kids and I went to SF shopping. It was a LONG day as we had lots of things planned. We were on the road by8:30 am. I just HATE that it now takes me twice as long to get to SF - boy, is that A LOT of wasted SHOPPING time. And oh, the construction - I believe we went through FIVE or SIX areas! YUCK! We didn't pull into our driveway until 8:30 pm.

Our first stop was Best Buy. I got myself a printer/ scanner/copier. I haven't used it yet but I'm looking forward to it. Then we were off to Kohl's and the mall for my new work wardrobe. I was under a HUGE time constraint as we had plans to be in M by 3:00 to visit our old neighborhood friends. I didn't get all my shopping done so I'll be going back again soon. Aw, darn it! :) I hate it when that happens!

We got to M at 3:15 and the kids were so EXCITED to see their neighborhood friends. Their mom and I chatted while they played and the next thing we knew, it was 5:30! YIKES! We couldn't believe it. Where did the time go? We then met my friend Maria for some GREAT Chinese food at China Moon. They even had my FAVORITE green bean dish. It was all so YUMMY! And I got to see little Jordan, her son. He's such a cutie! I can't believe he's already 8 1/2 months old.

SATURDAY
I was invited to play golf with Dean's mom, aunt, and sister. How intimidating! I've never golfed with anyone except my hubby and kids and then last summer, my dad, who told me I had an UGLY golf swing. So needless to say, I was a bit worried. Plus, Dean comes from a family of golfers. I swear they were all born with a golf club in their hand. Dean's family even lived across the street from the golf course and his parents have also managed a golf course. I do enjoy playing golf (for the most part) but I am NOT good. I finally agreed to play with them as long as they didn't laugh at me. So at 11 am, we set out for a round of golf. I found that even they have bad shots. Me a little more often than them. However, I still had some really nice shots and they let me know it. How kind! And they kept their word, nobody laughed at me! Then we had lunch at the clubhouse.

I finally got home about 2:15. I had arranged for Dean to take the kids to the pool at 1:00 because if you don't get there when it opens, you don't get a chair. Seriously! (A few days ago we arrived 5 or 10 minutes after it opened and ALMOST didn't find a chair.) So I went to relieve Dean from his post because he doesn't like going to the pool. When I got there, I had one lobster of a hubby. He remembered to spray the kids with sunscreen but not himself. Geez! And of course, he left it at home instead of taking it with him. His legs and arms are still really RED. STUPID guy, REALLY! I get so angry with him when it comes to the sun because he has LOTS of MOLES and last fall he had a cancerous spot removed from his temple so this is serious business. Anyways, the kids spent three hours swimming to their hearts' content.

When we got home, I thought it was a GREAT day for rootbeer and orange floats. So we called up Dean's parents, Dean's aunt who was in town, and Dean's sister and her three kids and invited them over. They were YUMMY! Then we all headed to the tennis courts/park because the kids wanted to play tennis. Here's Tanner & Hayley playing with their cousin Rylea.


SUNDAY
For the past four years, I've been using my mother-in-law's old golf clubs, which are a petite set. For those of you that know me, you know that I am not petite. Well, on Saturday, Dean's mom finally saw me use them and later told Dean I really need new clubs because they are too small for me. So, being Target had a set on sale, I ran out and got me a new set of golf clubs - just my size! They are so COOL! And isn't that the most important thing about golf clubs? Besides being the right size? :)

The kids and I decided to go to the pool AGAIN. The weather was just so nice it'd be terrible to pass up a nice day because you don't ever know how many of those we will have. Also, there's supposed to be RAIN for most of this week so we definitely needed to go. So we spent another THREE hours at the pool. (My tan is looking pretty good! And YES, I use sunscreen.)

After supper, Grandma invited the kids over to watch a movie she had rented from Netflix. However, when they went to start the movie they found that the DVD was cracked. So they didn't get to watch Lemon Snickety's: A Series of Unfortunate Events (or whatever the name is). Instead they watched Shrek - an all-time kid's favorite.

Being Grandma had the kids, that meant the hubby and I were free to do .......... something! But what??? Well, we just couldn't stay home, could we? NO WAY! We did something WAY more EXCITING!! Instead we swung by Culver's and got a turtle sundae to share and drove through some of the dealerships looking at vehicles. How romantic, huh?! Guess you can tell we've been married awhile!

MONDAY
Today the kids had golf league this morning. And you guessed it, we went to the pool AGAIN. However, we didn't get there until almost 2:00 because of golf league and there were NO free chairs. This meant I would be on the ground. (I'm too old and spoiled for that.) At least I didn't have to lay on the cement because they have a grassy area. In M, I always took my own chair because they didn't have any at ALL but I don't think you can bring in your own chairs here in W, or at least I've never seen any brought in. (I might have to check on that because laying on the ground is not comfortable, especially if I'm going to be there three hours.)

I'm thinking this upcoming weekend should be a nice lazy weekend with no activities...........

Wednesday, June 06, 2007

Another Job Offer......

Last Tuesday I received a phone call from a company that I'd interviewed with saying that they were not offering me the job but they were really impressed with me and would like to keep my resume on file in case another accounting position should become available. (Btw, this was the same company my hubby works at and the position was for a Cost Accountant.) It's just as well, my hubby wasn't too sure about us working at the same company. He said he goes to work to get away from me and now he'd have to take me with him. How dare he! :) So then shortly after that phone call, I received another phone call for an interview and they wanted to know if I would be available Friday. (When one door closes, another door opens.) Being I had no commitments that day, I told them I certainly could meet them for an interview and I was WIDE OPEN that day. So what do they do? Suggest an 8:00 interview!!! Are you kidding me??? 8:00 AM! Well, I didn't want to say no just because I was lazy and didn't want to get up that early so I told them that yes, 8:00 works for me! (Note to self - NEVER say my day is WIDE OPEN even if it really is.) So all last week I was dreading Friday. I did NOT want to get up at 6:30! It's GREAT to be able to sleep in. Went I went back to the interview room I found out I'll be interviewing with THREE people in the room at the same time! Oh, YIPPEE!! I prefer one-on-one interviews not three-on-one. Well, it wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it was going to be. It was formal yet informal. It sounded like a GREAT place to work. It's just a small office with 12 employees.

Yesterday I got the call. They wanted to offer me the job. YIPPEE! And this time, I took it! I am an Assistant Loan Officer and the company offers loans to businesses. Currently it's part-time, which thrills me because I wanted the summer off. However, they expect that it will probably go full-time eventually so they wanted me open to that possibility - I told them I want to work part-time this summer and then this fall or at a future date, I'd be willing to work full-time. Oh, and this company offered me $2/hour MORE than I was making when I quit my job to go back to school. Unlike the other job offer that was willing to pay me $2/hour LESS than I was making when I quit my job. I don't start until June 27th so I have another three weeks to enjoy before joining the working world. Then I will be working 8-5 Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday.

I even got childcare already lined up which really works out great for us. The babysitter is my nephew's girlfriend and lives across the street from us and has a car so she can take the kids to their activities. I was hoping I'd be working W & F because the kids don't have any activities those days so luckily it worked out that those are two of the days they wanted me to work.

Now, I can quit the job hunt! I wish I'd quit stressing out so much because everything always works out in the long run!

Saturday, June 02, 2007

Chinese Food

Argh! I'm so upset and disappointed. I first found my love for Chinese food when I moved to M and ate at China Moon. China Moon has EXCELLENT food! Sometimes you don't realize how GREAT something is until it's out of your life! China Moon's atmosphere could use some updating but its food and prices are AWESOME!!

Well, since moving to W, we've tried two Chinese restaurants. The first time was back in April, I believe. It's a newer restaurant that's probably been here about a year or so. It had a very nice atmosphere and LOTS of food to choose from. I was first SHOCKED by the prices. For our family of four to eat, it was $40!!! Are you KIDDING me?? For a Chinese buffet?! Why so expensive? Well, at this restaurant, childhood ENDS at age 8. At the ripe old age of 9, you are considered an ADULT! CRAZY! I don't mind spending $40 on a meal when we go out but I'd rather it NOT be at a Chinese buffet. Or any BUFFET for that matter!! Then we got to the food. Although there was a HUGE variety to choose from, I was NOT impressed by the taste! I didn't like anything I tasted. It was all a disappointment, especially compared to the GREAT food I've had at China Moon. I'd rather have fewer choices and really GOOD-TASTING food than a HUGE assortment and yucky food!! I vowed NEVER to eat there AGAIN!

Today, the Chinese bug hit me again. I was craving Chinese food. So we decided to try the other Chinese restaurant in town because I had no desire to go back to that first place. I was pleasantly surprised to find that this restaurant considered a child a CHILD! Yeah!! So our bill was only $28. Not bad! Then we got to the food! Again, there was a BIG assortment of foods to choose from. But again, taste should trump assortment! Well, the food was even WORSE here than the food at the other place! I COMPLAINED to my family the ENTIRE meal! It drove Dean nuts! (Sorry, Dean, but it was AWFUL!) He couldn't wait to get out of there! I know, I should be thankful I have money and food to eat because many people are worse off but seriously, I don't think starving people would have eaten this food! First of all, I think it'd been sitting there for TWO hours! And secondly, they had so many WEIRD foods! Hey, let's stick to the basics. I think they need to concentrate on making GOOD Chinese food and NOT worry about providing 50+ dishes to choose from!

Dean told me I need to quit comparing everything to China Moon but I CAN'T help it! China Moon has GOOD food! I asked Dean if he thought China Moon would meet me halfway if I call in my order!! He didn't think so. :(

So I guess I'm saying I WON'T be eating Chinese food in W. This I know, anytime I'm in M or passing through, I will be stopping at China Moon for some GOOD Chinese food.

Hey, if any of my fellow blog readers are coming my way from M, PLEASE bring me some GOOD Chinese food from China Moon! I'll gladly welcome you into my home!