Thanksgiving Eve...

It's my second child's birthday and it's the actual day she was born!

I remember this day vividly. There are a lot of memories...From the day itself to the day after and the day we came home from the hospital. It seems like a lifetime ago.

The kids have a messenger thing going on which is awesome and there are many gifs and comments being shared. I love that.

Anyway.

We got off work around 2 today. Stopped at the store for heavy cream since there was none at the store last night. We stopped at a different, less busy, store, which proved to be a good thing the whole way around. Came home and chilled. Made dinner. Then, K4 and I made some pies.

K4 has a different obligation that we do tomorrow, but she's supposed to bring a pie. And so am I. So we made them together. It's fun to cook with her.  She's learning the secrets to homemade pie crust. And she's a master with the mixer. We had a blast, though she ditched me once the dishes were finished and put away so it's now my responsibility to make sure the pies are done - though she was just down here a few minutes ago to check on things.

Tomorrow - the actual Thanksgiving - we will travel to my sister's house and I will see my siblings. I am looking forward to it.

First, I will sleep in. Then I will make potatoes, shower, and then enjoy the day with my siblings!

I hope your day is special!

Behave!

Thanksgiving Two...Done...

We had a really good day!

Lots and lots of food. The turkey turned out well. The mashed potatoes were a little runny, but still pretty good. I made way too much gravy. Which is fine. Also discovered that adding cream cheese to the pumpkin pie is the best ever. And homemade whipped cream. It was a fun day and I am still exhausted.

Back to work today. The day went quick. On Monday's I have to cover the front desk, which is fine, but I also have a lot of regular stuff to do. I'm still training, but I am doing more and more by myself. Woo!

This week consists of prep for the final Thanksgiving. I am making mashed potatoes. I just hope they don't come out runny this time. I am also making pies. And homemade whipped cream. I'm planning on making the pies the night before so I can sleep in a little on Thursday.

The writing is going well. I'm making good progress, even though my numbers were a little low over the weekend.

That's it for now. It's an early bedtime for us tonight.

Behave!

Thanksgiving Shopping and...

So That Man and I went shopping for our Thanksgiving Two. Oy!

The store was insane! Our bill was equally insane! I "think" we have everything we need now. Though we do have to stop for charcoal, drinks, the prescription pick up, and whatever else we forgot we need.

Yes, charcoal. We're grilling the ham - still figuring out how to make that work! We think we found out glaze recipe!

We will stop for the rest tomorrow night. Then, Saturday we will clean. It's not terrible around here, but it's not awesome either.

I have a book signing on Saturday. It's the annex for the book store that I often sign at. I just realized I have pretty much zero inventory. I have enough, but in my mind, ack!

So I will make pies before my signing, and then get the turkey ready after. It will be a crazy day!

oh and the and....

K2 is expecting her fourth child in May... Due date a day after my momma's birthday. We will find out the gender shortly after the new year.

This will be my seventh grandchiild. I am too young for that... LOL.

That's all...

Behave!

Tuesday...

It's only Tuesday, but it's been a pretty decent week so far.

I'm digging into the new day job. Making things my own and making my own decisions. It's going over pretty good so far. Don't get me wrong, I'm not making massive changes or being obnoxious in any way - just putting my own spin on stuff. I still have a lot to learn and a lot of connections to figure out, but I know certain things are my responsibility and I already know how I want to manage those.

Today we took our boss out to lunch for bosses day. (Yes, late) I got to tag along even though I wasn't there when the original plans were made. It was a good lunch, even though I still feel awkward and not quite in the "fray" yet. I mean, it was my seventh day. But we had good conversation and a lot of laughter.

I am still dealing with the transition. It's like I don't remember the change a lot of the time. I still say "we" when I talk about my old job, and "you" when I talk about my new job. I don't hear questions relating to either job the way they were intended and need to say "wait, what?" a lot. Though every day it does get different. And better.

I am still doing pretty decent in my writing group's 50/50 challenge. I rarely miss a day and when I do, it's because I planned it that way. I have restarted my story and I am in a good place. And I am pretty much writing more than 50 words each day! Most times loads over that, sometimes only two words over that, but still... Good stuff.

It's freaking HOT in my house right now. The temperature came up about ten degrees, but the internal temps came up at least 20. Last night I was under a blanket. Tonight I am in a tshirt and shorts. Oy. It is what it is with a coal furnace though...

We had to take the new car back to the dealer to have the catalytic converter checked. We took it on Monday and picked it up today. They replaced the converter. It cost us nothing. They put it under the warranty, which is awesome. I mean, really, we had the car for less than a month when the light went off, but they couldn't get us in until after the warranty expired. We totally appreciate the fact that we didn't even have to fight them about it.

We are nine days away from the Christmas season going totally crazy. I am thinking about it, but I can't take action yet. I just can't. Though That Man and I did buy a Christmas present already. It was for Mr. B and we couldn't pass it up. Nine days though! Holy crap! Though we are only 35 days from Christmas! CRAZY!

That's all I have!

Behave!

Thanksgiving One... Done...

We left for That Sister's late yesterday.

First we took out air conditioners, winterized sheds, grocery shopped, cooked, took care of leaves, changed the sheets, cleaned the bathroom, cooked more, cleaned stuff, cleaned more stuff. By the time we left we were already exhausted.

Dropped the Floof off at my sisters since K4 wasn't sure of her plans. Our goal was to get to That Sisters before the deer started trying to kill us and wreck our car. We had about three run across the road on our journey... Oy. Like we need that. And, of course, on our way, another engine light came on in the very new car... Ugh! It has an appointment tomorrow to check stuff out.

We had the greatest time at That Sisters. Dinner was amazing - ham and cheese sliders, mac and cheese, chips, and then, in typical Smith fashion, we both basically made the same dessert without prior discussion. Their new pull out couch was super comfly. The dogs were hysterical. We slept pretty darned good. This morning was coffee and lots and lots of talking.

The brisket was amazing. Like seriously amazing. I can't even tell you how good it was. And smoked salmon spread. Oy! Crazy good. We had coleslaw and lots of meat. It was the best. 

Got home and threw laundry in. But haven't done much else except write a bit.

This was a good weekend.

Tomorrow is back to the new day job. I already know what I need to do and I am happy with that. The transition is a bit complicated for me. I haven't yet wrapped my head around not needing to know as much stuff as I did before. I wake up thinking about the old day job and what needs to be done and needs to be known. And then I remind myself that it's not my job or my problem anymore. It's a process I guess, considering how many years I had in there.

I am still 100% sure I made the right decision though, so that's something...

Behave!

First Week Done...

It was a good week! 

I did my first check run today. It was full on accounting joy. It was good. I am happy. All of the numbers matched. I checked them three times. I made nice with vendors who have been lost in space for the past month and a half. I cut expense checks which always make people happy. Everything came together and it was a beautiful thing. 

I also got a new heater for my office. And a new calculator. (Seriously, my calculator was a teeny tiny thing that would only work with tiny baby hands.) (and we won't talk about how ridiculous putting the paper feed in the new calculator was. lol) I'm waiting for my second monitor. I need that. 

We picked up our car at lunch. They said it was something with the catalytic converter which might need replaced. We are not okay with that. When the light came on, we'd had the car less than a month and hadn't even made a car payment yet. We see the Honda guys on Monday and we'll figure it out from there. 

That Man and I went out for dinner to our little place down the street. Again, it was amazing. The food is amazing and tonight we talked to the chef. He is a funny guy and was happy to hear our praise about his food. 

We got home and watched a super dumb movie, which I liked. It was stupid. But...

It's bedtime now... Tomorrow is a new day...

Behave!

Three Thanksgivings?

Yep. That's what we're doing!

Up first is Thanksgiving with That Man's sister. We'll spend the night and eat awesome food. It's a non-traditional meal with brisket, cole slaw, and I don't know what else... We're looking forward to it! It's just the four of us for this one. We have much to discuss and much to catch up on! We really dig the idea of "going away" for Thanksgiving, so this is awesome!

Thanksgiving Two is our Thanksgiving with our kids. They can't make it to our regular Thanksgiving. Which is fine and expected. We had discussed expectations and how we weren't going to hold them to our old traditions. Being with their friends is completely acceptable and really something I wasn't able to do at their age, but to be clear I have no regrets at all for my past Thanksgivings. At the time, being where we were was the only place I would have wanted to be. It's time for my kids to make new traditions. (and the hope is to eventually drag all of these friends into a huge Thanksgiving dinner at Nana's house. Ha! I know Mom did that, and it did work on some scale)

Thanksgiving Three is the traditional Thanksgiving. We're gathering at our sisters. It's pretty much the adult kids in my family, which (see above) is fine with all parties involved. I've already talked to my sister about the kids having alternate plans and she's understanding. It will be nice to be together as siblings. I'm really looking forward to it. I'm making mashed potatoes and pies.

Neither one of us are off the day after Thanksgiving. Which is a shock to me. I always thought That Man's company was off that day. Now that I work there, I have learned that he takes vacation that day every year. I don't have vacation yet. He's used all of his up. Dang. Whatever. Next year....

Anyways... I have a lot of lists to make... I have pies to make, and a pretty huge grocery list. I am looking forward to the whole thing!

And then... we will go into Christmas! Whoot!

Behave!

So Far, So Good...

It's Wednesday... Halfway through the week.

It's going pretty good. A lot of the old memories are coming back and I'm getting back into the system I helped set up way back in the day. It's nice to be with the people I've known for a really long time. They are all coming to see me and telling me how glad they are that I'm back.

The only frustrating thing is that everyone thinks I'm completely up and running, and I have no idea what I'm doing yet. I am learning though. And I am comfortable there. I've done my supply inventory and made my spreadsheet. But I am not able to do my actual job without help yet. And that freaking kills me.

I'm learning that I'm not chained to my desk at all times and that I'm not going to get "the eye" if I'm not hunkered down at all times. That's a hard one for me. I am not used to a relaxed office environment. I mean, I thought my old office was pretty relaxed, this is just different. I don't know how to explain that one...

Getting up earlier has been fine. Except tomorrow might not be. We have to drop the new car off at the dealership before work to check a light. And we have to be there super early. Thankfully, that's under warranty, but the light has since went off... I questioned whether or not we should even drop it off, but since it is under warranty, there's no reason not to.

We've packed our lunch every day so far. We have a lot of leftovers from my weekend cooking spree. That Man makes sure to bring me yogurt every day, which is good. I've been too scattered to remember to pack my own breakfast. And he makes me coffee every morning, and stops by my office to fill my coffee throughout the day. And he brought our extra container of my favorite creamer to the office with my name on it. That's awesome.

I did get a key for my office. It needs to be locked during off hours due to financial security and the "good" supplies. I have a pretty big office with awesome windows. It tends to get cold in there, but that's okay, I have a heater with a remote. I'm getting a second monitor, which will be amazing, and is much needed. I'm looking forward to making the space my own. Right now, I have some pictures That Man printed off for me and some pictures I brought from my old office. But, I have possibilities now.

I have been writing. Except for Monday. I planned Monday as a non-writing day. I knew I would need the down time. But tonight I wrote more words than I have combined in the last two weeks, which is good. If I could only figure out where to re-start this story, I would be gold.

That is all for now...

Behave!

And A New Chapter Begins...

Tomorrow is my first day...

It's still super surreal to me. I am thinking the change won't hit me until morning. Or maybe until I get there. Or maybe at lunch. I don't know. Or maybe, I'm just comfortable with my decision and know it's the right thing? I think that might be it...

Friday night I met my previous coworkers at our little place. We hung out, laughed, cried a little, and then that was it. I will miss them tremendously. Almost six years is a long time... and it's a lot to get used to.

That night, it was a group chat with the kiddos. All four of them. And it was hysterical. I was crying with laughter and crying because it was so awesome to have all four of them bantering back and forth. We were trying to remember when we came up with certain recipes and why we named them what we did. Now there are at least 50 versions of the same story...

Saturday, we settled up with the landscaper who wrecked our flower beds. He's a super nice guy and was super apologetic. And he gave us some info... There's still some craziness there, but we'll see what happens. And we'll talk about it when it's resolved. It's frustrating though. And has turned into an interesting story...

Anyway... Saturday we had breakfast with some friends. Went to the home store to get wood and stuff. Got home and worked on the camper. I made sweet and sour chicken for dinner (amazing), did some laundry, wrote... We were exhausted and in bed at a stupid early time.

Today, we took the camper for our very first visit to dump the tanks. We were more than a little nervous since we've never done it before. I mean, ever. Nor have we ever even watched more than videos on how to do it. So we did that... It was far, far easier than we thought, which was a relief. First though, we stopped at the mega mart for rv antifreeze. And clothes for the new dayjob. Mainly warm clothes since apparently my new office is always freezing... great. But whatever... Then we stopped for breakfast. Then the tank dump. Then back home to winterize the camper. We're about 3/4 done. Ran out of antifreeze.

Made stuffed shells for dinner, did some more laundry, cleaned our room, wrote, worked on the camper, cleaned up the yard,

It's bedtime soon. My day will start about an hour and a half earlier now. Technically an hour, but with morning times, it turns into that.

So that is all...

Behave!

Argh!

So...

I finally heard from the neighbor.I'm not going to say much more, because I don't know where this is going to go. And I don't know what's going to happen next.

All I have to say is that my kids are super pissed. (All of us are) This whole thing has cause a tremendous amount of trauma around here. The missing items are special to us. The ballet garden. The sea shells we lined the beds with.

Anyway...

I woke up at 4:30am. Thinking about things. It took until around 3pm to realize that I have no stress to go back to when I do go back to work . I mean, I'll have stress, but nothing like what I'm used to. That's a huge thing to comprehend. I'm not sure I've wrapped my head around it yet.

I did more things before 8am than I normally do. Wrote my words. Laundry. Updated the check book and the bill book. Figured out dinner. I did not stay in bed all day like I had planned and I'm kinda pissed about that. Instead I constantly checked to see if the neighbor had shown up... I did take two naps. That was nice. One was with my Fred on my lap and one was with Max on my lap.

Tomorrow I need to call the car dealership. We've had our car for less than a month and the check engine light is on. We have a warranty. We haven't even made a payment yet. That's not how I wanted to spend the day, but we'll see what happens.

I need to figure out our weekend plan though. Our weekend is at home. For the first time in like four months. We have a giant "to do" list and we're not going anywhere! Stuff will get fixed and managed. Yay!

That is all I have for now!

Behave!

So Many Feels...

1. It was an emotional day.

My coworkers made me cry. The CEO made me cry. The Outside Sales Supervisor made me cry. My boss made me cry. It was rough. But even though I was crying, I was so happy at how much they all support me and my dreams. They all had really nice things to say to me. Turning in my key card hit me like a ton of bricks. Talking to my sales reps one last time did too. Talking with the outside rep supervisor was also rough. He's a great guy and someone I consider to be a friend. Somehow, even though he intimidates everyone else, we became friends early on - we have common interests and values and have always had easy conversation. When he comes to the office, I always stop in and say hi and talk about stuff. That was rough. Talking to the big boss was also tear inducing.

Hugging the coworker who has known me the longest at the end of the day brought actual sobs. She trained me. She used to sit across the "cubes" from me and would try to get me to sing to her. We've been through a hell of a lot together. She's actually one of the only reasons I stuck it out as long as I did. I love her and while I know I will see her again, it's not going to be the same because we aren't united in a single cause anymore.

None if it seems real though. Part of me expects to wake up tomorrow and head into work like I have for the last five and a half years. Part of me expects to walk into the office and say "good morning, bitches", like I do every day. So we'll see how I feel tomorrow...

It's a process. I'm sure. I'm just glad I have the next four days off to process and relax.

So...

2. The contractor working on the house next door...

ARGH!! My flower beds are destroyed. Flowers and plants I have been growing for years are gone. Decorations are also missing. Seriously. I'm about to lose it! 

My lilac bush is gone.

They even mulched a tree that there is no way shape or form could be conceived as on that property. In fact, there is no way you couldn't figure out that the flower bed was that house's property! They had to go through our front gate to get to it.

I am so angry! It's not even funny! I left a note on the door for them to call me. I will be marching over there as soon as they arrive to give them the riot act. And calling the borough and anyone I can think of.

I need to let it go for tonight though. I can't do squat at the moment. I've had a long, long and hard day and this is the last thing I needed.

... So that's two, but it's enough... I'm a trainwreck!

I will update tomorrow...

Behave!

One Day More...

This week has been rough. Emotional on so many levels.

But the brain is working again. Critical thinking beyond the day job is coming back and it makes sense. So weird! lol

On one hand, my decision being the right one has been confirmed so many times. On the other hand, I am going to miss these people - my coworkers, my customers... And they aren't shy in letting me know that they're mad at me for leaving. Mad is not the correct word though. They are happy for me in pursuing my dreams, but upset with me for leaving. I get it. 100%.

Tomorrow is it though... I have done lunch with my sales reps Monday and Tuesday...said goodbye, made sure they're comfortable with the way things are now. I'm going to see them both again, but they are like my children and it's hard to know I'm not going to talk to them every day. Tomorrow I am with the people in my office all day. We're going to have some cake at some point. I have no idea if I will have an exit interview. This whole thing has been treated like it might not really happen, despite the transferring of duties and training.

Thursday I will spent my day doing whatever the heck I want. At this point, with the headache still an issue, I think I will be heading to the doctor. The one lady I work with has the exact same headache and she was found to have a massive sinus infection. We shall see. It is some better today, so maybe it is just tension.

I am keeping up with the 50/50 challenge, though I took off last night to chill on the couch and go to bed at 8pm.

Why is this time change as hard as the spring one?

That is all.

Behave!

Here We Go!

Last Three Days coming up at the soon-to-be-former day job...

I'm a mess of sinus and headache.

I had a book signing today. I actually forgot about it - not on purpose - and it's fine because I remembered in enough time to not feel like a jerk. It's a fun event. A growing one. And one I'll keep doing until it's no longer fun. I got to talk to a bunch of people, sold some books, and I got to spend time with one of the besties catching up.

As I drove home from the signing, I could feel the sinus crap creeping in. Maybe it was from the old building, or the weather. I felt like utter crap for the longest time, and then a felt a little bit better. I'm still in the little bit phase though.

Anyway...

I did my words. Had an idea for the next book and wrote that down. I think it's pretty solid. I like it and the direction it will go. That's like huge considering I haven't had a really great idea or direction in a super long time. It just solidified my decision to do what I'm doing.

Oh! And K4 Nick Cage'd me... I know how to turn the extension off, but it cracks me up to open a new tab and see the Nick Cage pictures popping up. Don't tell her though. She still thinks I'm super pissed at her. Which I am a little, because just don't touch my stuff. So don't tell her otherwise. Ha!

That is all...

I'm burning out! Time change last night and I feel dead...

Behave!

Feel Good Friday on Saturday...

Hello, Weekend! You're my favorite!

It was a long and rough week, but some good stuff happened.

1. Lunch with HR yesterday. We had a blast - laughed and talked about our families. The topic of me leaving wasn't really brought up. I think that's because the other senior person in my department joined us. I'm sure I will be having an "exit interview" before next Wednesday.

2. Dinner out with That Man and K4 last night. We went to the local place that just changed ownership. It was as good as the last time we went. We talked and made plans and had a really great time.

3. Writing meeting today. I had to run the elections. Super stoked to be done with board service for now. I do enjoy it, but it's time for new blood. I declined to run again for 2020. I'm excited about the new people coming in and their ideas.

4. Getting my words on the page. I'm not getting a lot currently, but that's okay. I'm doing it though, and that's all that matters.

5. Living through Trick or Treat night. The weather was nasty. We had small numbers, but everyone was having a blast. Around 7:30 the skies opened. It was like a monsoon. J and Mr. B were still out, so K1 had to drive to pick them up. S & J were down the street at a friends. By the time everyone got back, they were drenched to their underwear. I'm handing out towels, leggings, and shirts. My living room floor was soaked. They all had a blast though. It's a trick or treat night no one will forget.

6. Talking to K5. She's so funny! We had an epic conversation over favorite and gross candy.

I have had a freaking nasty headache all week. It comes and goes in intensity, but it's still there. Sinuses and tension is what I think. When I woke this morning, I realized that I'm tensing up constantly. I'm guessing it's due to the big changes going on.

Monday is going to be crazy. I have transitional meetings all day. Same with Wednesday. Tuesday is more one-on-one training with the new girl. I left Friday with only two things on my plate. Those should be taken care of by Monday, and if they're not, I will pass them along. Next Friday, I'm meeting the crew at the restaurant we always go to for a farewell gathering. That's going to be the hardest.

I am looking forward to having Thursday and Friday to myself. Friday K4 and I are going shopping, which should be fun. Thursday I am imagining that I will stay in bed as long as possible and acclimate myself to the changes.

So that's all... I'm in the middle of making baked potato soup and then will run some errands. I'm not sure what we'll get up to for the rest of the weekend yet!

Behave!