Happy New Year!!

Have a wonderful New Year's Eve!!

Be safe. Don't drink and drive!

I hope you make 2020 your b*tch and all of the good things happen for you!

Behave!

It's Almost Over...

The Holidays, I mean...

We just have New Year's to get through... Oy... I have no idea what we're doing about that yet... We have several invitations, but we may just end up on Main Street in our little town for a few minutes. Don't know yet.

We had a pretty darned nice Christmas! Christmas Eve was good! Good soup. Good company. Great niece holding! Grandsons! Siblings! Friends! (lots of !!!!!) We did our first White Elephant gift exchange and I think it went pretty well! We'll definitely do it again next year.

Folks went home. We cleaned up. Re-set for Christmas Day!

I was the last one up in the morning, which is surprising! Usually I am the one that is making coffee, turning on the lights, and taking the dog out. That Man had coffee ready and K4 was already through her cup by the time I came down! She was happy with her presents. We broke up the chaos a few times like we always do, but this year, we waited on breakfast until K3 and A got here.

Got breakfast done. Mimosas. Presents. Made the stuffed shells for the birthday dinner. Travelled to see K1 and J and the boys. Split up from there. K3 and A went to see A's gma. We stopped at That Man's second job for keys. I stayed in the car and I shouldn't have. The boss wife came out to see me, but she just had neck surgery. I felt bad for being a slump and staying in the car. They gave me a glass of wine and we journeyed home.

A quick nap. And shells. And Birthday stuff. K3 and A came back for the naps and stuff.

It was a good day. We were in bed way late, but it was okay.

Off Thursday and Friday! Beautiful! A little sleeping in on Thursday. We went to the mega hardware store for supplies to get K4 back into the attic. A little change in walls, etc, and she's got her little apartment up there. She's ecstatic and we just have a little more work to do before we can move her stuff up there.

Of course, she has no bathroom or kitchen, but the space will still be amazing! The renovations we did last summer ( summer before last?) are still amazing. The floors are beautiful.

Today, I actually changed out of my jammies and took a shower! Ha! (I did put real pants on to go to the mega hardware store!) I went to the grocery store and caught up on the fiasco that is my national writing chapter at the moment. I am not sure if I am cancelling my membership at this point or not... It's all a bunch of bullcrap...

And that's all I have... Tomorrow is Sunday... Our last day off. We work all day Monday and a partial day Tuesday. Off Wednesday and then back to work on Thursday. Though I will say it's exciting to start the year off with all of my vacation time in place! Whoot!

That is all... I'm off to edit now...

Behave!

Christmas Eve...

Very Merry to you and yours!!

That is all...

Behave!

Feel Good Friday - The 5 Days Until Christmas Version

Crazy Countdown!

Here's the list:

1. Work week done! Whoot! Only a day and a half to work before a very long weekend!

2. Leaving early today to have a nice dinner with That Man! We worked through lunch so we could leave an hour early. It's our 33rd Anniversary today! We went to a steakhouse we had a gift card for. The service was pretty awful, but the food was good. We're still stuffed and we ate dinner like 3 hours ago! Ha! I can't believe it's been 33 years. And we still like each other - a lot! Ha!

3. Stopping to get a few last minute things. We're not "quite" finished, but my confidence is high. Gift-wise, we're just waiting for the delivery guy. We have a massive grocery store run to take care of in the morning.

4. Getting two of the grands for our annual shopping trip tomorrow. We started this tradition with K5, and now it's grown to include Mr. B. I'm sure it will grow further as we go. We'll pick them up and head to the store so they can shop for each other and their parents. Then, back here for wrapping, crafts, dinner, and their gift exchange. We're doing a sleepover this year, which is usually interesting, and then we'll have "Christmas Breakfast" Sunday morning. We're looking forward to it, even though we have a million things to do before time to pick them up.

5. Dinner out with the writing gang this week. That was fun. It was a small crowd, which just means more personal and deeper conversations.

6. A Christmas Celebration with friends the next night. That was really good, too. Lots of food, laughter, and silliness. It crazy snowed though and they live on a hill on top of another hill in the middle of nowhere.

7. Getting most of the wrapping done last night. We ran out of paper, so I'm glad we made the effort to get done early. Got some paper tonight, so we'll get the last few things done here in a bit. Then I need to clean the office so we can wrap with the kids tomorrow.

8. My lists! I don't think I could survive without them! I have a very hug shopping list, and a list of things to do that shrinks and grows at the same time.

9. Sleeping in a little tomorrow. Just a little, but it will be good.

10. The kitties still leaving the tree alone. Except for the tree skirt. It has turned into a superhero cape, and slidey toy, and the object of fights. I put it back and they just take it away again. To be clear, we're not putting any presents under the tree until Christmas Eve - just in case. For one, the dog will open them. She absolutely loves to open presents, so there's that. We've come home to wrapping paper and open stuff a few times over the years, and I'm not going there again. I also don't trust that the kittens won't do the same, plus they are all over the boxes in my office. Twice last night I had to do repair work on wrapping because they walked over or attacked something. Ha!

And that's all I have to say...

The wrapping, writing, and my lists are calling to me!

Behave!

Seven Days...

It's the final countdown.... (cue Sponge Bob... lol)

We're almost there. Did the inventory and are pretty good except for a few final things. We couldn't go crazy this year, we've got some big expenses coming up - like a major tree trimming and the cost is so outrageous I'm still having trouble wrapping my head around it. But it must be done. Whatever. It's not about the presents at all, and it would do me good to remember that!

Here's our tree!

It's not as fat or tall as I normally go for, but it's beautiful and it smells amazing!

So far, the kittens have left it pretty much alone. The tree skirt is all bunched around the back, but that's normal. We had that when it was just Spenser. *Knock on wood* Not one cat has gotten into the tree at this point. We shall see though. It's early...

This time next week, I should be making K4's birthday cake and working on her stuff shells for dinner. We're having an Italian feast this year for her 20th birthday! And the ultimate goal is not work a lot on Christmas! I will do as much as possible before so I don't have much to do on the day.

The really nice thing is That Man and I are off the days after Christmas. Which is awesome! Sleeping in! Whoot! We'll need it after this week and next!

But first we need to get through this work week...It's an easy week for the most part.

That is all.

Behave!

Feel Good Friday!

Here's the list:

1. Seeing our grandbabies on Sunday! They are so stinking cute and they loved the ball pit/fortress we got them. We're not sure mom and dad loved it, but... Ha! Grandparent prerogative! We had dinner and cupcakes for Baby A's birthday, lots of good conversation, and lots of sticky kisses, hugs, demands on where pappy and nanna have to sit, and instructions for head bands.

2. Getting the Christmas shopping almost done. Though... we did think we got Mr. B something super cool and when it came... it was super small and stupid, so... yeah, not there yet. I would say we're about 90% done.

3. Today's work Christmas Party. It was good. We ate well (the food was amazing), and talked to people. We got to leave when it was over (about 2.5 hours before the end of the normal work day), which was cool.

4. Talking to my kid for over an hour tonight! He is so funny and awesome! We talked about future plans, current plans, and the fog outside right now. It was a fantastic conversation.

5. Our tree is up, but not decorated. It's currently drying while it drops. Next, we will tie it to the wall to prevent the kitty babies from destroying it. Tomorrow is decorating. I hope! We will see what it looks like in the morning. Ha!

6. My cover for Into the Fire being in the top ten in the cover contest! Less than 24 hours left in the voting until the next round! It's been fun!

7. Shopping on our way home tonight. We hit the mega store for the stuff we ordered for pick up and got some other stuff, too. That pick up thing is the way to go though! In and out in less than five minutes! Whooo! Then the grocery store with the rest of the crazy people.

8. Sleeping in tomorrow! Whoo!

9. Writing well this week! It's going pretty good! I'm editing what I have so far and I'm almost done! We just came off of our 50/50 challenge, which is pretty much writing every day, even if it's crap. So I'm cleaning up the crappy bits so I can proceed.

10. Weekend plans! Not sure exactly what they are yet. The plans have changed at least five times since this morning, but whatever we do, it will be good!

That is all!

Behave!

Christmas Party Saturday...

I know it's late! We've been home for a little while, but have to wait for the furnace to catch up, so we're watching a Christmas movie and chilling. Well, actually, That Man is snoozing on the couch... I would be too, but I started sneezing like a maniac a few minutes ago and now my sinuses feel like they're going to blow apart.

Anyway...

It was Christmas all day here (even though my Fall decorations are still on the porch).

Up early to decorate the white chocolate raspberry cheesecake I made for the party. Homemade whipped cream and fresh raspberries. The cake actually made it to the party in one piece, though I dinged it on the door on my way inside. I ended up making strawberry sauce for it since I failed on buying raspberry jam, but it was fine.

I had to be there early for a board meeting. It was my last board meeting since I am not on the board in 2020. It was productive and good.

Then the party - lots of good food and conversations. I requested and received good kitten advice, talked podcasts, cheesecake, book covers, and random stuff. It was really good to connect with my chapter mates!

Got home and took a tiny rest. That Man got home and we wrapped our white elephant gifts and hit the road to the next party. It was a good time. Lots of good food, laughter, and conversation. We connected with one of the office ladies and her husband and talked about a ton of stuff. It was a good time. The white elephant was a blast. I came home with a bottle of champagne and That Man came home with two awesome candles. Our gifts were a hit, too.

Tomorrow is the usual chores, but then we are going to K2's for dinner. I have to make mac and cheese.

And that is all...

Behave!

Feel Good Friday!

Thank you Friday!

Though I have to say... my weeks are far less dependant on Friday! It's been a struggle to accept the no stress. In fact, it's been such a struggle that I have been making that stress for myself. It wasn't until last night when I talked to a friend that I realized that... Today was different with that knowledge and I had a good talk with a coworker. It's really good and while I miss my old peeps, I am still confident that my decision was the best.

And my brain is healing... It is... I have ideas and thoughts and critical thinking!

So on to the Feel Good...

1. Figuring out the Christmas stuff with That Man... We have a weak plan at this point, but at least we're getting somewhere.

2. Dinner out tonight. Well... kind of. I wasn't too hungry, so I ordered an appetizer for dinner, but it was brought out right away when it was supposed to have been brought out with That Man's food. Whatever. It was fine. We still had some quiet time and conversation.

3. Weekend plans. That Man has to work a half day. I have a morning Christmas Party. Then we have his part-time job Christmas party - which is always fun. We bought a hysterical gift for it. They do an amazing White Elephant thing and I can't wait to see what happens!

4. Sunday is up in the air, but laundry will be done. And hopefully some decorations will be put out.

5. Writing has been done this week!

6. Good conversations with K4. Her "girls" are recovering and now shedding, which is a good thing. I do have a container of worms in my fridge, which is whatever... I don't necessarily like it, but I don't care either. They are so freaking cute!

And that's all I have...

Behave!

Tuckered Out Tuesday...

I literally just sat down about 10 minutes ago... Well, I mean I sat down a lot today - I work in an office, and have to sit to travel back and forth to work, and...Ha!, but 10 minutes ago was when I finally was able to think about actually sitting on my couch and putting my feet up.

Did a lot of running around at the office today though. Annual calendar shipment and distribution and by the time I was done, I was sweating! Up and down the stairs at least six times, into and around the warehouse several times - and our warehouse is ginormous. Anyway - for my first big order, I only messed up one calendar and I hope he's going to be okay with what I accidentally ordered for him. If not, well, that's okay.

We left work and picked up K5. Took her to dinner and had a blast! She gave us her Christmas list, we drew pictures, practiced cursive, and goofed off. Had mini mozzarella sticks as an appetizer (those were amazing), a good dinner, and ice cream for dessert. I'm sure they were ready to kick us out of the restaurant for being loud,  obnoxious, and staying so long. We tipped well though. Drove around and looked at Christmas lights while we waited for her mom to get home and then hit the road for home.

Then... The regular Tuesday night chores... Trash and recycling out. Cat litter boxes. Ugh... Ran around and got that done. Helped K4 with some stuff since she fell down the steps and hurt her tailbone pretty bad. She picked up her geckos from the person who had them and got them settled in. They are so cute - Ruby and Sugar - Sugar is tiny and is missing her tail. Ruby is a little bigger. They are set up in their heated cage.

Grabbed the packages off of the front porch. Half of the grandkids are taken care of for Christmas and both December grandbaby birthdays - though one of the gifts is a heck of a lot smaller than we expected, but it should be fine. Three more grandbabies to go!

And now we're now...

I am four votes away from second place in this cover contest!! https://allauthor.com/cover-of-the-month/6284/

A little over three days to vote left and then the first 100 covers go to the next round. It's exciting and I am so freaking touched by how many people have shared and voted! It's been amazing!

And if you're so inclined, I sincerely appreciate your vote!

And that is all. I am decompressed enough to actually write something now...

Behave!

Feel Good Thanksgiving & Feel Good Friday...On Sunday...

We had a really great day on Thanksgiving!

It was awesome to hang out with my siblings, my nieces (and family), my great niece (who is beyond adorable!) and the extended family members! We had awesome food, great conversation, and a pretty much no-stress day. We even had a fire outside, which is my ultimate for awesomeness.

We got home and finished the laundry. In bed early.

Work Friday, which was kind of lame. There was no one there. The day went kind of fast, but mostly slow. We missed a trail ride with my brother, which would have been awesome. The old Jeep doesn't get out much right now. That's fine, because it's supposed to be a "recreational" vehicle, but it would have been nice to do some "recreation". We got home to a houseful of people working on K1's second car. Didn't expect that. Made "leftover meat pie" for dinner. It was a hit. Got some grandsons time.

To bed early. Up early Saturday. Hit the grocery store, and then had the grandsons all day so K1 and J could go car shopping. Their current car has left them sit several times over the last two weeks and it's not safe for the babies. They did find a car, but can't pick it up until Monday.

We had a great day with the grandbabies. Big Mr. B is so funny. We did crafts (he came up with an amazing idea for a Christmas craft for his house), made cookies, and talked about the book we are writing together. Little Mr. B is hysterical. He is so busy and snuggly! We made them dinner because we knew how stressed out they were coming back from the day of car shopping, financial wrangling, and the whole nine yards. We made Butter Chicken and it was amazing. Little Mr. B learned how to play the piano and was hysterical! He would play and we would clap and he would clap on himself and just laugh! Thankfully we got video!

Then some writing! Making good progress!

Today. Slept in. Got up and headed up to "work daughters" house to help with her water. That didn't go well, but it did get kind of worked out. Came home and took a nap. That Man had started our crock pot dinner when he got up, so that was perfect. We woke up from our nap and had dinner. It turned out really good.

Did some laundry. The kitten pissed on our shirts... Grrr.. The vet will be called tomorrow. Something is wrong with him. I don't want to have to re-home him, but I cannot abide by things getting peed on. He's a very nervous kitty, so maybe there is something we can do to help him.

I also found out that my cover for Into the Fire is in a cover of the month contest.

https://allauthor.com/cover-of-the-month

So cool! I am excited! The cover artist did such an amazing job!

Twenty-four days until Christmas. We'll be okay. We're figuring the whole thing out currently. Three of the grandkids are done. Three more to go. But we have two birthday grandkids in there.

That is all...

Behave!

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!