What a week I had! I will just go chronologically, even though it might skip around about some things.
The girls and I left for Florida on Thursday, November 18 after having a week from h*ll with the girls. I just wanted to get there and give the girls to their daddy and run away for a couple days. I didn't, of course. We arrived pretty late at A's hotel, but he was able to snag adjoining rooms, so the girls had their own - or more importantly, A and I did. I took a refreshing shower (after that long drive and hard work of the day, I needed it before I'd even let my husband near me for a kiss) while he put the girls to bed. The next morning, we all had breakfast together in the restaurant before A did a couple hours of work. The girls and I enjoyed a quiet morning of cartoons and just being lazy (something that had been alluding us as life has been go go go lately) and me making cards for Christmas gifts. Right about the time I was finishing up, A finished his work day (at 11 am!) and we headed out to the west coast (of Florida, folks!). We stopped off for a potty break right about where I loved to eat lunch when I was a working girl, so that is where we ate (Sweet Tomatoes) - lovely husband that I have. After lunch, we headed on to A's parents' house.
Friday night, we had a nice dinner (just pizza) with A's parents and grandparents. So good to be home. I think I mentioned in a post last week that we went to the park Saturday with some friends and then to lunch with them. That night, A's dad went into the hospital.
Father-in-Law Update
He is doing better. On lots of medication, came home from the hospital Tuesday. He has a not-great prognosis of congestive heart failure. His heart function is very low (about 30%). He has to totally alter his lifestyle - eating nothing with salt, drinking less than 2 liters fluid/day, including soups, ice cream, watery fruit, etc. He has to choose his activities wisely, meaning he will not be able to complete tasks each day that he normally has been able to - he can no longer take the garbage out or do anything really as far as home maintenance goes - he has to save his energy for more essential things that only he can do. This might sound like a good deal to many people, but after watching him for a few days, I can't imagine being as exhausted as he is - just from reading books to my kids or other very physically low impact tasks. He is having a hard time adjusting to having to rest most of the day and doesn't like sitting still for so long. Long term prognosis is not so bad as long as he takes care of himself and does everything he is supposed to do.
Sunday night, my mom kept the girls while A and I went on a date and then back to Central FL for a night alone and a look-see with the realtor on Monday. We looked at many houses and narrowed it down to 3. I went back to the west coast to get the girls since they were at my mom's. I won't go into the situation there. I don't want to bitch and I know that is what would happen if I opened that can of worms here now.
I stayed overnight at Al's house on Tuesday. Since FIL had come home and my kids were sick. Oh, yeah, did I forget to mention that my kids were both sick? Fun week. Living like hobos with sick kids. Anyway, had a fantastic night, we rented the first Bridget Jones movie and watched that after all the kids went to bed. I didn't get much sleep that night for sweating over an irrational fear I had of making the top bunk fall (with me on it) onto my sleeping children below, surely killing them. The next day, I made pies for Thanksgiving and had a leftover pie crust so I whipped up a creation that happened as I mixed items together, hoping they would taste good. It did turn out great and they were like tarts, almost... I made them in a muffin pan and created some sort of lemon cream cheese stuff that turned out something like but unlike cheesecake. Anyway....
A returned from work Wednesday and we moved to my other friend's house - she lives across the street from A's parents and had left town for the holiday, so we had her house to ourselves. Because she is a wonderful friend, I tend to care for her dog when she is out of town and I am in town, lovely dog, well-behaved and never bites our children. On Thanksgiving Day, we had dinner at my mother's house. It was a nice day, wonderful food and nice to be with family that just hasn't been around much in the past years' holiday celebrations.
There was an unfortunate string of events following dinner that has caused some anger and hurt feelings within the family. I won't go into it here, since I am unaware of who reads this webspace, but suffice to say it was all ugly. There is a lot more to the story and if you REALLY want to know, you will just have to call me. ;)
I finished up my Christmas shopping on Friday (yay, me!). Al and I went shopping and then to breakfast at my favorite hometown cheap eatery. I can't really remember what else we did that day - I took a nap? Saturday, Al and I went to see the new Bridget Jones movie (see a pattern here?) and later, A and I went on a date to our favorite Thai place - ummm!! I can't believe I totally blew my great new eating habits over the weekend.
I left Sunday to come home. A tried to convince me to stay until today, Monday, but I know there are just too many things to get done before the packers come next Wednesday and I wanted not to waste a day, not that being with him would be a waste... Anyway, one the way home, I had a great idea to try to stop in and see Cara and family for a break in the road trip. It worked out great and the girls and I had lunch before Cara, Tommy and crew (minus napping Baby Jay) arrived to play at the wonderful McD's playland. The girls had a wonderful time and re-cemented V's view of Liah as one of her "bestest" friends. Wonderful how these girls who've only been together twice now, treat each other like they are the only 2 girls on the planet when they are together. It was, of course, a wonderful break from the road trip and so so nice to meet Tommy and to just chat with Cara for a bit, though I am afraid I talked way too much.... You know me, monopolizing the conversation....
So, now, we are back. I am working on my list of things that have to get done before we move. I will do a whole other entry regarding the stresses of that later. For now, I have to close - it has taken me nearly 3 days to get this entry finished - so many many things to do.
-Oh, I am Mom of the Week (thanks again to Cheri for nominating me!). Please ask your questions in the comment section of that entry!
God bless you!
November 30, 2004
Thanksgiving Week Happenings
November 29, 2004
I can't believe it! A has anOther Woman!!!
...The day after I arrived in Florida, we made a pitstop where A's mom and dad work where I learned that one of their dear friends, we'll call her Generous (a woman older than them, I think) is in love with my husband. That is right. She told me herself. Okay, well, not really in love, but definitely smitten.
You see, the week before, A fanagled a dinner invitation to Ruth's Chris Steakhouse with a small group of his parents' friends. Generous was the hostess for this little party, which was a celebration for 2 of the ladies' birthdays. The food was excellent and the champagne flowed (at $105 each bottle). Generous picked up the tab, joking that a miniature donkey recently sold at her donkey farm (seriously!). This woman has interesting details oozing from every pore - I so cannot compete. Anyway, as a thank you, A sent her a dozen yellow roses with a thank you for the wonderful dinner/evening. Apparently this is the first time in more than 20 years (she's a widow) she has been sent flowers of any kind, let alone her favorite yellow roses (possibly the best guess he ever made, that man - sending yellow!).
She told me that beautiful Friday afternoon that if I don't get myself moved to Florida straight away I would be in danger of losing my husband to an older woman. ;) Lovely. The woman is lovely. Really. She bought my children darling dresses for Christmas and then some pink ones just because they were cute, oh, not to mention the amazing kimono outfit for little A - from high priced-I don't shop there cuz we can't afford it-wonderful-department store. I can't wait to post pictures of them all after Christmas. Is it gross to allow your husband to have an affair with an older woman just so your kids can dress in fancy name brands? Actually, I would bet money that she'd support the girls' private schooling if A would ask sweetly. She's just that Generous. Wouldn't it be nice?
Anyway, I started out with a Thanksgiving week post, but digressed and will do another post with my Thanksgiving week information. I guess today will be a catch up day - but I also have to get some work done - the movers are coming to pack in 9 days! Yikes!
Until next time, I love you all and missed you terribly - God Bless You!
You see, the week before, A fanagled a dinner invitation to Ruth's Chris Steakhouse with a small group of his parents' friends. Generous was the hostess for this little party, which was a celebration for 2 of the ladies' birthdays. The food was excellent and the champagne flowed (at $105 each bottle). Generous picked up the tab, joking that a miniature donkey recently sold at her donkey farm (seriously!). This woman has interesting details oozing from every pore - I so cannot compete. Anyway, as a thank you, A sent her a dozen yellow roses with a thank you for the wonderful dinner/evening. Apparently this is the first time in more than 20 years (she's a widow) she has been sent flowers of any kind, let alone her favorite yellow roses (possibly the best guess he ever made, that man - sending yellow!).
She told me that beautiful Friday afternoon that if I don't get myself moved to Florida straight away I would be in danger of losing my husband to an older woman. ;) Lovely. The woman is lovely. Really. She bought my children darling dresses for Christmas and then some pink ones just because they were cute, oh, not to mention the amazing kimono outfit for little A - from high priced-I don't shop there cuz we can't afford it-wonderful-department store. I can't wait to post pictures of them all after Christmas. Is it gross to allow your husband to have an affair with an older woman just so your kids can dress in fancy name brands? Actually, I would bet money that she'd support the girls' private schooling if A would ask sweetly. She's just that Generous. Wouldn't it be nice?
Anyway, I started out with a Thanksgiving week post, but digressed and will do another post with my Thanksgiving week information. I guess today will be a catch up day - but I also have to get some work done - the movers are coming to pack in 9 days! Yikes!
Until next time, I love you all and missed you terribly - God Bless You!
Kate and Brody Need Your Prayers!
November 24, 2004
Thanks for The Prayers
Unfortunately, nothing short of a miracle will help my FIL. We are praying for a miracle.
I will update after we know more about his long-term prognosis...
UPDATE 11/24/04:
Well, after many tests and evaluations, my Father-in-Law has a prognosis. It isn't a very good one, but at least they aren't talking timelines or anything like that yet. It appears that his heart damage is caused by the chemotherapy drugs he had over 17 years ago. The report from his catheterization showed "severe heart damage". They have told him not to drink more than one liter of fluid per day - this includes eating watery foods like fruit and soup. Absolutely no salt/sodium. And now he has a number of medications to keep his heart rate down, the fluid off, and some other stuff as well. They are hoping that if he loses about 20 pounds (without exercising, which could stress his heart too much) and is strict about his diet and fluids plus resting a lot, with the medication he can live indefinitely (comparitively speaking) with this condition.
We are all praying for a miracle, though.
God bless you and Happy Thanksgiving.
I will update after we know more about his long-term prognosis...
UPDATE 11/24/04:
Well, after many tests and evaluations, my Father-in-Law has a prognosis. It isn't a very good one, but at least they aren't talking timelines or anything like that yet. It appears that his heart damage is caused by the chemotherapy drugs he had over 17 years ago. The report from his catheterization showed "severe heart damage". They have told him not to drink more than one liter of fluid per day - this includes eating watery foods like fruit and soup. Absolutely no salt/sodium. And now he has a number of medications to keep his heart rate down, the fluid off, and some other stuff as well. They are hoping that if he loses about 20 pounds (without exercising, which could stress his heart too much) and is strict about his diet and fluids plus resting a lot, with the medication he can live indefinitely (comparitively speaking) with this condition.
We are all praying for a miracle, though.
God bless you and Happy Thanksgiving.
November 22, 2004
I'm the next MOTW!!!
Thanks to Cheri for nominating me.... Bring on the questions!
November 17, 2004
The Many Shades of Me
Okay, I know I mentioned in a previous post that my hair has been a big fiasco. I have some pictures to show you just how much of one.
Here is what my hair looked like when I made the first mistake (note the shiny blue-black - wouldn't it suit me to have a pierced eyebrow?):
Then, after trying to get the black out, it ended up a strange ashy/spotty brownish/black (note the bald spot - this is from the sores I had on my head from trying to get the black out - my head oozed for days, the chemicals burnt me so badly):
Then, today I went for a color correction and this is in the middle of the process (if there was any question about just how bad one can look... check out the bags under my eyes here!):
And this is the final result. Not as dark or as brown as we expected it to be, but much more acceptable than the black (I am not sure what the hell I was smirking about here, but hey, never underestimate the possibility of looking like total crap, even when you are happy you no longer have a strange color hair):
This is all in a matter of a week and a half. The last 3 pictures were all taken today. Yikes. Now, we just pray that the color doesn't fade too fast due to the bleaching to get the black out - the stylist told me I may need to color again in a couple weeks to refresh the color concentration. Ugh.
My new motto? Always check the bottle at least three times before dumping it on your head.
One last thing before I sign off for the night. I am leaving tomorrow to join my husband in Florida. I won't be back until the Sunday after Thanksgiving, so if I am unable to get to a computer before then, know that I am praying for you and wishing you well during the holiday.
I love you and God Bless You and Yours.
Here is what my hair looked like when I made the first mistake (note the shiny blue-black - wouldn't it suit me to have a pierced eyebrow?):
Then, after trying to get the black out, it ended up a strange ashy/spotty brownish/black (note the bald spot - this is from the sores I had on my head from trying to get the black out - my head oozed for days, the chemicals burnt me so badly):
Then, today I went for a color correction and this is in the middle of the process (if there was any question about just how bad one can look... check out the bags under my eyes here!):
And this is the final result. Not as dark or as brown as we expected it to be, but much more acceptable than the black (I am not sure what the hell I was smirking about here, but hey, never underestimate the possibility of looking like total crap, even when you are happy you no longer have a strange color hair):
This is all in a matter of a week and a half. The last 3 pictures were all taken today. Yikes. Now, we just pray that the color doesn't fade too fast due to the bleaching to get the black out - the stylist told me I may need to color again in a couple weeks to refresh the color concentration. Ugh.
My new motto? Always check the bottle at least three times before dumping it on your head.
One last thing before I sign off for the night. I am leaving tomorrow to join my husband in Florida. I won't be back until the Sunday after Thanksgiving, so if I am unable to get to a computer before then, know that I am praying for you and wishing you well during the holiday.
I love you and God Bless You and Yours.
November 15, 2004
Hearts and Brains
Okay, first and most importantly, please pray for my father-in-law Tuesday as he has an echocardiogram to try to determine what is going on with his heart. This is the first test in a possible long line to figure out what is causing his heart failure.
Second, please pray for me. I don't often ask for help, but now is a time that I really need it. To give you an idea how freakin' crazy I am right now, let me share a story about my morning today:
I had an appointment to have my hair bleached and colored. Maybe I should backtrack a week for those of you who haven't had the privelege to hear this illustrious story... Last weekend, I colored my hair. It turned out black. I mean, blue-black - it was so black. A beautiful black, but black nonetheless. Now, I am not at all prejudiced, but me in black hair? All I needed was a pierced eyebrow and it would have made sense. But, I look terrible with black hair.
So, I called my friend who is a stylist and she suggested I get a stronger developer and a blond color to strip out the black without too much damage to my hair. Well, I had a reaction to the developer and burned my scalp - to the point that it has been one huge scabby (ick!) mess for the whole week. Needless to say, I didn't leave that sh*t on my head very long and it didn't strip out the black - just managed to make me less black and more blue (it was still pretty black at this point). So, my friend, the stylist, had me come to her house and she tried on Wednesday to get the black out of my hair. Didn't work. Not budging. The good news? She did manage to get a lot of the blue out. The bad news? The result was a little brown, a little ashy grayish, a little blue mixed in with a lot of black. Crap. It looks like crap. The other good news? She gave me an awesome cut. I love it - really, I do. So... back to today.
As I said, I had an appointment with her (at her house again) for this morning. I arrived to find no car in the driveway. I tried banging on the door and ringing the bell, but no answer. I called only to get her voicemail. While we were waiting the 20 minutes in the driveway, V threw up. All over herself. All over the carseat. Ugh. Carsickness is a tricky thing with a 4 year old - she never told me she was feeling ill, just that the sun was making her mad. I guess I better get her a sunshade. Anyway... after waiting 20 minutes, I left, but did leave a note on the front door. I decided, since V insisted that she was feeling well, to go get V something clean to wear (we were 35 minutes from home) and run some errands and if my friend called, we could just hop back over to her house. Well, I waited around her end of town for quite a while without hearing from her, so I headed back toward home.
I needed to stop at Michael's to get some things to make Christmas gifts and while I was there, my friend called. She wondered where I had been. They had been waiting for hours and I didn't show. I explained to her that I was in her driveway for nearly half an hour and banged on the door and even tried calling. She said her husband was on the computer, so that is why I got the voicemail; and lamented that she didn't hear me bang on the door or ring the bell. We wondered how this could have happened and then something she said made me realize I had been at the wrong house. Right next door. Crap. Her daughter went and got my note off the neighbor's door and we rescheduled for Wednesday. damn. I have this strange black hair another 2 days.
Anyway... just an indication of how little my brain is functioning these days. SO, please pray for my FIL whose heart isn't functioning well and please pray for me, whose brain isn't functioning. Plus, I am quitting my job tomorrow, so pray for that too. I am not looking forward to telling the principal - I know she might cry and I just have to be strong and do what is best for me and my family.
Besides, we have decided that the girls and I will leave Thursday instead of Friday to go to FL! Oh, boy!!!
Until next time, (as Laura says) Namaste!
Second, please pray for me. I don't often ask for help, but now is a time that I really need it. To give you an idea how freakin' crazy I am right now, let me share a story about my morning today:
I had an appointment to have my hair bleached and colored. Maybe I should backtrack a week for those of you who haven't had the privelege to hear this illustrious story... Last weekend, I colored my hair. It turned out black. I mean, blue-black - it was so black. A beautiful black, but black nonetheless. Now, I am not at all prejudiced, but me in black hair? All I needed was a pierced eyebrow and it would have made sense. But, I look terrible with black hair.
So, I called my friend who is a stylist and she suggested I get a stronger developer and a blond color to strip out the black without too much damage to my hair. Well, I had a reaction to the developer and burned my scalp - to the point that it has been one huge scabby (ick!) mess for the whole week. Needless to say, I didn't leave that sh*t on my head very long and it didn't strip out the black - just managed to make me less black and more blue (it was still pretty black at this point). So, my friend, the stylist, had me come to her house and she tried on Wednesday to get the black out of my hair. Didn't work. Not budging. The good news? She did manage to get a lot of the blue out. The bad news? The result was a little brown, a little ashy grayish, a little blue mixed in with a lot of black. Crap. It looks like crap. The other good news? She gave me an awesome cut. I love it - really, I do. So... back to today.
As I said, I had an appointment with her (at her house again) for this morning. I arrived to find no car in the driveway. I tried banging on the door and ringing the bell, but no answer. I called only to get her voicemail. While we were waiting the 20 minutes in the driveway, V threw up. All over herself. All over the carseat. Ugh. Carsickness is a tricky thing with a 4 year old - she never told me she was feeling ill, just that the sun was making her mad. I guess I better get her a sunshade. Anyway... after waiting 20 minutes, I left, but did leave a note on the front door. I decided, since V insisted that she was feeling well, to go get V something clean to wear (we were 35 minutes from home) and run some errands and if my friend called, we could just hop back over to her house. Well, I waited around her end of town for quite a while without hearing from her, so I headed back toward home.
I needed to stop at Michael's to get some things to make Christmas gifts and while I was there, my friend called. She wondered where I had been. They had been waiting for hours and I didn't show. I explained to her that I was in her driveway for nearly half an hour and banged on the door and even tried calling. She said her husband was on the computer, so that is why I got the voicemail; and lamented that she didn't hear me bang on the door or ring the bell. We wondered how this could have happened and then something she said made me realize I had been at the wrong house. Right next door. Crap. Her daughter went and got my note off the neighbor's door and we rescheduled for Wednesday. damn. I have this strange black hair another 2 days.
Anyway... just an indication of how little my brain is functioning these days. SO, please pray for my FIL whose heart isn't functioning well and please pray for me, whose brain isn't functioning. Plus, I am quitting my job tomorrow, so pray for that too. I am not looking forward to telling the principal - I know she might cry and I just have to be strong and do what is best for me and my family.
Besides, we have decided that the girls and I will leave Thursday instead of Friday to go to FL! Oh, boy!!!
Until next time, (as Laura says) Namaste!
November 14, 2004
I QUIT
I quit. That is what I want to say when I go into school on Tuesday.
Today was the silent auction and I have to say this was one of the most miserable experiences I have had at this school. The woman who was the committee chair - we'll call her Sally - was gone all week leading up to this event and therefore the last minute details fell upon others. One major issue was food. Supposedly, the food was arranged to be donated by this man - we'll call him Joe. Joe supposedly had a crew lined up to prepare and serve the food as well as help set up tables, etc. Well, Sally called the school Thursday and asked me to have someone contact Joe and firm up plans for the food for Sunday and find out what his menu of choice will contain. Well, we had a difficult time reaching Joe and finally someone connected with him on Friday, only to find out that he had no idea what we were talking about! That's right, every time Sally had been asked the status of the food, she answered that it was all taken care of and I am certain she intended to take care of it, but never did. That left us with no food coming on Sunday and we had barely more than 24 hours to come up with an alternate plan. Well, one person got the spaghetti and another made sauce; one family bought bread and rolls and I bought salad and dressing. The bread and salad was enough for 150 people, yet we had less than 60 actually eat. So, more than half of what I bought went unused. This makes me angry because I easily could have bought less salad. This means I spent over $40 on items that half went unused. After we realized the mistake, we offered the bags of salad (3 lbs bought at 2.80 each) to the people in attendance for $2 each (trying to get at least some of what was spent back). Some of the bread was also sold, but the remaining can be frozen and used for another event. The remaining bags of salad? A total loss. I hope someone had the sense to take them to a food pantry.
The other, more major, thing that has me seething over this experience is the fact that in meetings re: this event, I was assigned the task of getting the bid sheets organized at auction end in order to facilitate easy payment and pick up of the items. I picked up about half of the bid sheets (the rest were picked up by other women) and took them to the back of the room, where I could sit in a quiet place to organize the papers as quickly as possible. I requested several times that the rest of the sheets be brought to the back where I was, only to have Sally snap at me that they needed to be near the stage. I have no idea why anything had to be near the stage, because not once were those sheets taken on the stage and items announced over the microphone. Later, when I took the bid sheets from the items I won along with a check to the cashier table, Sally snapped at me again, snorting that she HAS to check to make sure my check was written for the correct amount. Now, maybe you all don't know that I am a math genius, or maybe it is hard to believe when I admit that I cannot easily enter the password to get on Jen's blog, but this was nearly insulting. She had to double check my addition? WTF?
Well, if there was ever a question about what I would say to the principal on Tuesday (I had already decided was giving my notice on Tuesday anyway - more on that in a minute), there is no question now. I refuse to work with someone who creates chaos and then treats me like a child, not to mention - why assign me a task, then snap at me for trying to complete that task? I don't need this stress.
As for me resigning: I am under a lot of stress - the holidays are quickly approaching and I am moving a mere 10 days before Christmas. I am trying to get things ready for Christmas before the move so I can store everything at my IL's from Thanksgiving to Christmas. This will allow me to deal with the packers and movers without worrying about which boxes Christmas gifts are in, etc. Also, since most of our things are going into storage, I really need to go through everything to determine what is needed in the apartment once we move. I also need to spend some time with my girls without wanting to wring their necks - I believe that working at the school has complicated my life in ways I never imagined. Even though I know I would still have stress due to my husband living in another state right now, I know that I did not feel like this last year when we were separated before moving to Georgia - and I was selling a house then. The icing on my stress-cake seems to be my father-in-law's current health concerns and well, something has got to give.
I am not a patient mother and I am crying nearly every day over the stuff going on at school. I am tired of the bologna that is going on there and the fact that it consumes me. It isn't my school and I am not responsible for what happens there. I have busted my tail to help them and Sally is reluctant to implement anything I suggest. Forget that I have the most office experience of anyone there. Anyway, I digress. I have not been a good mother since I am under all this stress. The biggest stress is actually being in that school and I just have to do what is best for me and family. I have earned enough to pay for nearly all of Veronica's tuition for the year (yes, we have agreed to uphold our financial commitment to the school in spite of the fact she is only going to be there half the year). We never anticipated that I would be working anyway, so we are prepared to pay the remaining tuition out of our household budget.
This will allow me to get a little control over my life. Ana needs me. She needs to be with me. She needs to grow up a little and it just isn't happening in the nursery with the babies at school. Veronica will still finish the semester at school and Ana and I will have time to get some things done at home to prepare for the move. I can leave here with happy memories and hopefully in the weeks before our move, the bitterness I feel now will fade. I believe in this school and its mission. I love the people here. I will pray every day for the success of the school and all its students and staff. I just can't be an employee anymore. My family needs me more.
Until next time, God Bless you.
Today was the silent auction and I have to say this was one of the most miserable experiences I have had at this school. The woman who was the committee chair - we'll call her Sally - was gone all week leading up to this event and therefore the last minute details fell upon others. One major issue was food. Supposedly, the food was arranged to be donated by this man - we'll call him Joe. Joe supposedly had a crew lined up to prepare and serve the food as well as help set up tables, etc. Well, Sally called the school Thursday and asked me to have someone contact Joe and firm up plans for the food for Sunday and find out what his menu of choice will contain. Well, we had a difficult time reaching Joe and finally someone connected with him on Friday, only to find out that he had no idea what we were talking about! That's right, every time Sally had been asked the status of the food, she answered that it was all taken care of and I am certain she intended to take care of it, but never did. That left us with no food coming on Sunday and we had barely more than 24 hours to come up with an alternate plan. Well, one person got the spaghetti and another made sauce; one family bought bread and rolls and I bought salad and dressing. The bread and salad was enough for 150 people, yet we had less than 60 actually eat. So, more than half of what I bought went unused. This makes me angry because I easily could have bought less salad. This means I spent over $40 on items that half went unused. After we realized the mistake, we offered the bags of salad (3 lbs bought at 2.80 each) to the people in attendance for $2 each (trying to get at least some of what was spent back). Some of the bread was also sold, but the remaining can be frozen and used for another event. The remaining bags of salad? A total loss. I hope someone had the sense to take them to a food pantry.
The other, more major, thing that has me seething over this experience is the fact that in meetings re: this event, I was assigned the task of getting the bid sheets organized at auction end in order to facilitate easy payment and pick up of the items. I picked up about half of the bid sheets (the rest were picked up by other women) and took them to the back of the room, where I could sit in a quiet place to organize the papers as quickly as possible. I requested several times that the rest of the sheets be brought to the back where I was, only to have Sally snap at me that they needed to be near the stage. I have no idea why anything had to be near the stage, because not once were those sheets taken on the stage and items announced over the microphone. Later, when I took the bid sheets from the items I won along with a check to the cashier table, Sally snapped at me again, snorting that she HAS to check to make sure my check was written for the correct amount. Now, maybe you all don't know that I am a math genius, or maybe it is hard to believe when I admit that I cannot easily enter the password to get on Jen's blog, but this was nearly insulting. She had to double check my addition? WTF?
Well, if there was ever a question about what I would say to the principal on Tuesday (I had already decided was giving my notice on Tuesday anyway - more on that in a minute), there is no question now. I refuse to work with someone who creates chaos and then treats me like a child, not to mention - why assign me a task, then snap at me for trying to complete that task? I don't need this stress.
As for me resigning: I am under a lot of stress - the holidays are quickly approaching and I am moving a mere 10 days before Christmas. I am trying to get things ready for Christmas before the move so I can store everything at my IL's from Thanksgiving to Christmas. This will allow me to deal with the packers and movers without worrying about which boxes Christmas gifts are in, etc. Also, since most of our things are going into storage, I really need to go through everything to determine what is needed in the apartment once we move. I also need to spend some time with my girls without wanting to wring their necks - I believe that working at the school has complicated my life in ways I never imagined. Even though I know I would still have stress due to my husband living in another state right now, I know that I did not feel like this last year when we were separated before moving to Georgia - and I was selling a house then. The icing on my stress-cake seems to be my father-in-law's current health concerns and well, something has got to give.
I am not a patient mother and I am crying nearly every day over the stuff going on at school. I am tired of the bologna that is going on there and the fact that it consumes me. It isn't my school and I am not responsible for what happens there. I have busted my tail to help them and Sally is reluctant to implement anything I suggest. Forget that I have the most office experience of anyone there. Anyway, I digress. I have not been a good mother since I am under all this stress. The biggest stress is actually being in that school and I just have to do what is best for me and family. I have earned enough to pay for nearly all of Veronica's tuition for the year (yes, we have agreed to uphold our financial commitment to the school in spite of the fact she is only going to be there half the year). We never anticipated that I would be working anyway, so we are prepared to pay the remaining tuition out of our household budget.
This will allow me to get a little control over my life. Ana needs me. She needs to be with me. She needs to grow up a little and it just isn't happening in the nursery with the babies at school. Veronica will still finish the semester at school and Ana and I will have time to get some things done at home to prepare for the move. I can leave here with happy memories and hopefully in the weeks before our move, the bitterness I feel now will fade. I believe in this school and its mission. I love the people here. I will pray every day for the success of the school and all its students and staff. I just can't be an employee anymore. My family needs me more.
Until next time, God Bless you.
November 13, 2004
Please Pray
I found out last night that my father-in-law, a man whom I love very much has heart problems. He had a stress test Thursday that showed his heart is only functioning about half what it should be - only 30% function (at his age, it should be just over 60%). He is going next week for a catheterization procedure to see if there is a blockage or some type of infection impairing his heart function. For now, it is called Cardio Myopathy.
I spoke to him this morning and he is in bed, resting as much as possible. Not even going to mass this morning (they go every day), he is obviously concerned - he's not one to miss church, even on bad days. He told me that he gets winded just from walking to the trash can and back. (They have a large house, but it isn't down the block to get to the trash in the kitchen!) I think they are more worried than they are letting on. I know A is freaking out more than a little that his dad is having these problems, I think he is glad he has been spending so much time with them lately.
I am worried. I am scared. I can't lose another parent, not right now; my kids can't lose their Pop-pop; my husband can't lose his dad right now; my mother-in-law can't lose her husband.... I am sick with sorrow over this and we don't know anything definitive yet. All I know is that heart disease has killed lots of people in my family and I thought I was safe allowing myself to fall in love with A's family - all his grandparents are in their 80's!
Please pray for my father-in-law and my mother-in-law. I can't imagine if I am this scared how they must be feeling.
God Bless you all.
I spoke to him this morning and he is in bed, resting as much as possible. Not even going to mass this morning (they go every day), he is obviously concerned - he's not one to miss church, even on bad days. He told me that he gets winded just from walking to the trash can and back. (They have a large house, but it isn't down the block to get to the trash in the kitchen!) I think they are more worried than they are letting on. I know A is freaking out more than a little that his dad is having these problems, I think he is glad he has been spending so much time with them lately.
I am worried. I am scared. I can't lose another parent, not right now; my kids can't lose their Pop-pop; my husband can't lose his dad right now; my mother-in-law can't lose her husband.... I am sick with sorrow over this and we don't know anything definitive yet. All I know is that heart disease has killed lots of people in my family and I thought I was safe allowing myself to fall in love with A's family - all his grandparents are in their 80's!
Please pray for my father-in-law and my mother-in-law. I can't imagine if I am this scared how they must be feeling.
God Bless you all.
November 11, 2004
Craziness
Gosh, I love you all. I never imagined that I would get that kind of support regarding my quest for a healthier, happier, sexier *grin* me! I really appreciate it. As far as that is going, I am on Day 6 and I am doing fine with the "diet". It is easier than I anticipated sticking to it because I can substitute practically anything for the "plan" meals - just in the right portion sizes. It makes me feel good that there is an allowance for "fall off the wagon"-type meals like pizza. It kills me on the fat content side of things, but man, just being able to have a slice of pizza with friends (that's what everyone else wanted for dinner) makes this an easy plan to follow. I can go on and on about it, but I will save it for our fitness/weight loss support group we are forming! I am so excited about that, by the way!!! I didn't want to have a separate blog to chronicle my journey, but I love the idea of many of us using the same one for that purpose!
Anyway... I keep promising an update and here, you will get a little one. Life for me right now is C~R~A~Z~Y!! Getting ready for Christmas (I have to have everything done for Christmas at Thanksgiving so I don't have to deal with gifts in the midst of the actual move - we are going to store all gifts at A's parents' house) is really being pushed aside because I have had so much going on with V's school. There is enough to talk about as far as that is concerned for a whole entry of itself, but I will spare you the boring details. Suffice it to say that I find myself sometimes praying to be fired. Bwa HAAAHAHAHA! Okay, now I am actually counting down: only 8 more days of working here. Sad, but it has been stressful and as much as I want to make an impact here and help them all get to where they need to be, I have a feeling that the changes I make will not be implemented once I am gone. You just can't make people be willing to change.
Our Family
We are coping as well as possible with the separation. Little A tells me every day that she "weally weally miss(es her) daddy". V tells her daddy (in response to him saying he misses her) that she doesn't miss him - "I love you the same if you are here or if you are far away". She is so practical. I am having some stress issues that must stem from being a full-time-stay-at-home-"single"-mom. I am relieved to have some wonderful friends who have agreed to babysit tomorrow evening so I can go to a crop at church with some of my friends. And then Saturday night, I will take the girls to a parents-night-out at church (the teens babysit for free, but donations are accepted) from 6-11pm. I think I will see if Becca wants to catch a movie or something. If not, I have a backup plan to go out with another friend and one of her friends who will be visiting from out of town (whom I have not met).
I think A is feeling DONE with living in the hotel. There is so much going on at the hotel with the renovation and the issues that come up when a new thorough manager comes in... Well, he loves it, but he hates it. I think in the long run, things will be great for him there, particularly with this company.
I will go off for now. I have a lot to do with getting dinner for the girls and things. I PROMISE I will update more later. Suffice it to say that tomorrow is a busy day and I am still trying to make my hair something lighter than BLACK!
God Bless you all.
Anyway... I keep promising an update and here, you will get a little one. Life for me right now is C~R~A~Z~Y!! Getting ready for Christmas (I have to have everything done for Christmas at Thanksgiving so I don't have to deal with gifts in the midst of the actual move - we are going to store all gifts at A's parents' house) is really being pushed aside because I have had so much going on with V's school. There is enough to talk about as far as that is concerned for a whole entry of itself, but I will spare you the boring details. Suffice it to say that I find myself sometimes praying to be fired. Bwa HAAAHAHAHA! Okay, now I am actually counting down: only 8 more days of working here. Sad, but it has been stressful and as much as I want to make an impact here and help them all get to where they need to be, I have a feeling that the changes I make will not be implemented once I am gone. You just can't make people be willing to change.
Our Family
We are coping as well as possible with the separation. Little A tells me every day that she "weally weally miss(es her) daddy". V tells her daddy (in response to him saying he misses her) that she doesn't miss him - "I love you the same if you are here or if you are far away". She is so practical. I am having some stress issues that must stem from being a full-time-stay-at-home-"single"-mom. I am relieved to have some wonderful friends who have agreed to babysit tomorrow evening so I can go to a crop at church with some of my friends. And then Saturday night, I will take the girls to a parents-night-out at church (the teens babysit for free, but donations are accepted) from 6-11pm. I think I will see if Becca wants to catch a movie or something. If not, I have a backup plan to go out with another friend and one of her friends who will be visiting from out of town (whom I have not met).
I think A is feeling DONE with living in the hotel. There is so much going on at the hotel with the renovation and the issues that come up when a new thorough manager comes in... Well, he loves it, but he hates it. I think in the long run, things will be great for him there, particularly with this company.
I will go off for now. I have a lot to do with getting dinner for the girls and things. I PROMISE I will update more later. Suffice it to say that tomorrow is a busy day and I am still trying to make my hair something lighter than BLACK!
God Bless you all.
November 07, 2004
Fat and Disgusted
That's me. Disgusted. and Fat.
Remember in my last post, I talked about buying some new clothes? Well, it makes me disgusted to even think why it was necessary. But it is time to stop hiding about it and do something about it. I am not going to go into great details about exactly how much I weigh and all that, but damn, I am so disgusted with myself. I have been scrapping pictures from when we went to Disney back in September and I have to say - damn! yuck! It doesn't even look like me, bloated and fat.... Ugh.
So, I am doing something about it. Silly, what I have decided, but I have learned from my past attempts at weight loss that I have NO willpower past day 2. Therefore, I am doing a slim-fast plan. Why? because their website tells you what you can eat. And I can track every single damn thing that goes in my mouth. I am committed. Why? Because I was relieved that the picture Becca took of me turned out the way it did. Because when I look at the pictures of me and Cara and our kids at the Creative Discovery Museum, I cringe at myself. Because if I don't do something drastic now, I am going to have a heart attack in my 30s and they are just around the corner...
So there. You all know. I am on a mission. I am going to lose serious weight (the kind of weight that you need surgery afterward because of so much loose skin). And dammit, I need your support - cuz lord knows, Adam will have chocolate cake waiting when I see him again (as a reward for me driving all that way? I don't know why he encourages me and insists on sharing high fat sin with me...) and I need you all to cheer me on when I say "No, thank you. I am working on a healthier me and I have decided I can have chocolate cake in 25 pounds and then not again until 25 pounds after that and 25 pounds after that..."
Had to get that off my fat ass, er my chest. I thank you in advance for your support and encouragement. Do you think I should be posting before and after pictures??? should I post a before picture and risk really feeling awful about myself, when all my blog friends (and a few IRL friends) see just how awful I look now? Or should I wait til the middle or end of my journey??? Does anyone know if it is psychologically beneficial to post pics now?
God Love You.
Remember in my last post, I talked about buying some new clothes? Well, it makes me disgusted to even think why it was necessary. But it is time to stop hiding about it and do something about it. I am not going to go into great details about exactly how much I weigh and all that, but damn, I am so disgusted with myself. I have been scrapping pictures from when we went to Disney back in September and I have to say - damn! yuck! It doesn't even look like me, bloated and fat.... Ugh.
So, I am doing something about it. Silly, what I have decided, but I have learned from my past attempts at weight loss that I have NO willpower past day 2. Therefore, I am doing a slim-fast plan. Why? because their website tells you what you can eat. And I can track every single damn thing that goes in my mouth. I am committed. Why? Because I was relieved that the picture Becca took of me turned out the way it did. Because when I look at the pictures of me and Cara and our kids at the Creative Discovery Museum, I cringe at myself. Because if I don't do something drastic now, I am going to have a heart attack in my 30s and they are just around the corner...
So there. You all know. I am on a mission. I am going to lose serious weight (the kind of weight that you need surgery afterward because of so much loose skin). And dammit, I need your support - cuz lord knows, Adam will have chocolate cake waiting when I see him again (as a reward for me driving all that way? I don't know why he encourages me and insists on sharing high fat sin with me...) and I need you all to cheer me on when I say "No, thank you. I am working on a healthier me and I have decided I can have chocolate cake in 25 pounds and then not again until 25 pounds after that and 25 pounds after that..."
Had to get that off my fat ass, er my chest. I thank you in advance for your support and encouragement. Do you think I should be posting before and after pictures??? should I post a before picture and risk really feeling awful about myself, when all my blog friends (and a few IRL friends) see just how awful I look now? Or should I wait til the middle or end of my journey??? Does anyone know if it is psychologically beneficial to post pics now?
God Love You.
November 05, 2004
TGIF! (edited)
I am looking forward to dinner with Becca in just a little bit! I am wiped out from a crazy week, and I PROMISE to give an update this weekend about what's been happening in my neck of the woods.
I want to wish Kelly and Jen a fantastic weekend together! I hope Kelly got there safely this afternoon after a long drive by herself (maybe that solitude was better than Kelly anticipated!).
I was to send Cara best wishes as she and her family move this weekend - if you need to make a pitstop in the middle, give me a call!! I am excited you are going back home!
I want to remind everyone to pray for Kate and her sweet, fighting boy.
Oh, let's pray for some relief for Sandi - she has had so much tragedy all around her lately and I know the anniversary of her father's passing is upon us, so let's offer up some prayers for her and her family.
If I have left anyone out, please forgive me - and send me a comment so I remember to keep you in my thoughts and prayers too.
****
(edited 11/6 AM)
I had a great time meeting Becca for dinner, in spite of the fact it took me an hour in traffic to get there (ugh!). We didn't have much time together due to the traffic, but it is always nice to spend some time with a good friend. She is wonderful and while we were there, she pointed out a kiosk that sold hand painted name things. I don't know what you would call them, but I have attached a picture so you can see. One of the artist's examples was V's name (unusual for us to see!), so I was interested right away. After looking closer at these beautiful posters, I soon realized they are all birds and flowers and butterflies. I decided to get one for each of the girls for Christmas in colors that will match their homemade quilts my grandma made them last year. We enjoyed watching this talented man create these beautiful pieces of art - of asian influence and if you look closely, you can see that the beautiful details in the letters.
I wanted to use the gift card I've been holding onto for a year to get some new shirts and something to wear for Christmas this year, so we headed to Rich's/Macy's. It was a nightmare and I quickly realized why I have very little in my wardrobe that fits. Aside from the fact that I am at my heaviest weight ever, my darling little A was a nightmare. She was throwing Christmas ornaments off a display and throwing tantrums and generally being a very terrible two. I now know why this part of toddlerhood is referred to that way.
I want to wish Kelly and Jen a fantastic weekend together! I hope Kelly got there safely this afternoon after a long drive by herself (maybe that solitude was better than Kelly anticipated!).
I was to send Cara best wishes as she and her family move this weekend - if you need to make a pitstop in the middle, give me a call!! I am excited you are going back home!
I want to remind everyone to pray for Kate and her sweet, fighting boy.
Oh, let's pray for some relief for Sandi - she has had so much tragedy all around her lately and I know the anniversary of her father's passing is upon us, so let's offer up some prayers for her and her family.
If I have left anyone out, please forgive me - and send me a comment so I remember to keep you in my thoughts and prayers too.
****
(edited 11/6 AM)
I had a great time meeting Becca for dinner, in spite of the fact it took me an hour in traffic to get there (ugh!). We didn't have much time together due to the traffic, but it is always nice to spend some time with a good friend. She is wonderful and while we were there, she pointed out a kiosk that sold hand painted name things. I don't know what you would call them, but I have attached a picture so you can see. One of the artist's examples was V's name (unusual for us to see!), so I was interested right away. After looking closer at these beautiful posters, I soon realized they are all birds and flowers and butterflies. I decided to get one for each of the girls for Christmas in colors that will match their homemade quilts my grandma made them last year. We enjoyed watching this talented man create these beautiful pieces of art - of asian influence and if you look closely, you can see that the beautiful details in the letters.
I wanted to use the gift card I've been holding onto for a year to get some new shirts and something to wear for Christmas this year, so we headed to Rich's/Macy's. It was a nightmare and I quickly realized why I have very little in my wardrobe that fits. Aside from the fact that I am at my heaviest weight ever, my darling little A was a nightmare. She was throwing Christmas ornaments off a display and throwing tantrums and generally being a very terrible two. I now know why this part of toddlerhood is referred to that way.
I did get some beautiful things at quite a great price (nice dressy jacket (suit-style, but can be worn with jeans too - pink/tweedy; 2 blouses, 2 sweaters, and a skirt - all for $100 - minus my $50 gift card and I paid only $50 for everything!). I am quite pleased and actually need to take 2 tops back to exchange for one size smaller. The only thing about all this? Everything seems to be in the pink family, so I guess my new color for this winter is pink. :)
****
God Bless you all, my blogging friends. I love you and pray you have a blessed weekend.
****
God Bless you all, my blogging friends. I love you and pray you have a blessed weekend.
November 03, 2004
Thank GOD It's Over!
While, of course, I am happy that the candidate I support has been re-elected, I am mostly relieved to have this whole election business over with.
Only time will tell how America is able to rally as a nation to go forward as a unified force in the world. May the left-wing and all dem0crats, as well as the liberal republic*ns and those who disagree with some of W's politics all rally as Americans and support our great nation.
Forget politics and parties and right and left... Forget agendas and platforms and hot button issues... Let's bind ourselves together - like we did after 9-11. Let's present ourselves to the world as a nation that supports each other, rather than a nation that clutches at each other's throats over politics.
There has to be a place that we can meet to agree that our children's futures, that our own futures in a free country are dependent on our support of our entire government, even if we don't agree with all the politics. We need to pray for our leaders and pray for each other, that the gaps forced wide open during this election season are bridged and we can move together toward a more stable, happy, secure America. It is essential that we build these bridges with each other to unify as a nation, despite obvious differences. My friend, Becca, has said it in a most eloquent way - isn't it amazing that she could have pulled the thoughts right out of my own head?!
God Bless You today and look forward to a back to business post from me in the coming days.
Right now, I need a nap since I stayed up for hours and hours to see the same numbers on the television...
Only time will tell how America is able to rally as a nation to go forward as a unified force in the world. May the left-wing and all dem0crats, as well as the liberal republic*ns and those who disagree with some of W's politics all rally as Americans and support our great nation.
Forget politics and parties and right and left... Forget agendas and platforms and hot button issues... Let's bind ourselves together - like we did after 9-11. Let's present ourselves to the world as a nation that supports each other, rather than a nation that clutches at each other's throats over politics.
There has to be a place that we can meet to agree that our children's futures, that our own futures in a free country are dependent on our support of our entire government, even if we don't agree with all the politics. We need to pray for our leaders and pray for each other, that the gaps forced wide open during this election season are bridged and we can move together toward a more stable, happy, secure America. It is essential that we build these bridges with each other to unify as a nation, despite obvious differences. My friend, Becca, has said it in a most eloquent way - isn't it amazing that she could have pulled the thoughts right out of my own head?!
God Bless You today and look forward to a back to business post from me in the coming days.
Right now, I need a nap since I stayed up for hours and hours to see the same numbers on the television...
November 02, 2004
VOTE!
I exercised my right to vote early - last week. I waited in line for just over 3 hours. It was worth it to have my vote entered into our democratic system. I am praying today citizens of this nation vote from their hearts. I pray that there is a runaway winner, shocking all analysts. I pray that winner is Ge0rge W. B*sh.
No political talk on my blog, please. I respect everyone's right to have their own opinion and I do not make judgemental comments on blogs of my friends with political opinions different than my own. Becca said it the best!
God Bless This Nation today. Vote!
No political talk on my blog, please. I respect everyone's right to have their own opinion and I do not make judgemental comments on blogs of my friends with political opinions different than my own. Becca said it the best!
God Bless This Nation today. Vote!
Name: Holly
Location: Free State, USA
"Celebrate we will/'cause life is short but sweet for certain..."
Location: Free State, USA
"Celebrate we will/'cause life is short but sweet for certain..."
Amy - Against the Grain
Arwen Elizabeth
Imperio
Jen - Searching for Me
Julia - Here be Hippogriffs
Kelly - The Woman Wonders
Linda - Indigo Girl
MP - Chick Chat
Megan - Charm Bracelet
Mercy Me
Nino - Cease, cows, life is short!
Rebekah - Boundary Lines
Sandi - Mom of 2 Boys
Shannon - Rocks in My Dryer
Sue - Living Upside Down, Down Under
Other blogs I read:
Laid-Off Dad
PostSecret
The Shape of a Mother
Sweet Juniper
My Homeschool Experiences
There's Grace in the Little Way
If you'd like your link included on my blog,
please let me know!
Take my button & link to me!Arwen Elizabeth
Imperio
Jen - Searching for Me
Julia - Here be Hippogriffs
Kelly - The Woman Wonders
Linda - Indigo Girl
MP - Chick Chat
Megan - Charm Bracelet
Mercy Me
Nino - Cease, cows, life is short!
Rebekah - Boundary Lines
Sandi - Mom of 2 Boys
Shannon - Rocks in My Dryer
Sue - Living Upside Down, Down Under
Other blogs I read:
Laid-Off Dad
PostSecret
The Shape of a Mother
Sweet Juniper
My Homeschool Experiences
There's Grace in the Little Way
If you'd like your link included on my blog,
please let me know!
COMING SOON!
