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Monday, June 30, 2008

30 Days.

So today is day 30. I am a happier person overall - spending more time at home makes a world of difference for me. I feel that I get to spend SO MUCH MORE time with Mike and Abby - and I wish Rio were here, too - I always wanted to spend more time with him but never had the chance.

Thinking about the last month, I feel sort of bittersweet. I miss my friends at CCC. I miss my job at CCC. I miss the responsibility and being in charge (even if it was only a mirage).

I have spent the last four weeks playing with Abby outside, cleaning my house, cooking dinner, having dinner with Mike and Abby, visiting with family on the weekends, and being a better and more-involved mom.

At this time, I feel like Clarkson Eyecare is not a long-term solution for me - which is fine with me because I am planning to have another baby sometime next year. I am enjoying my summer - and see myself staying here until after the next baby is born. We'll see. Today was sort-of rough - I was bored and crabby at work...but isn't that the way most of America feels?

We went camping!

I haven't posted in a while - believe it or not, my new job keeps me pretty busy! That sounds strange, I know.

This past weekend, Mike and I went to the property that my mom's family owns - and used our pop-up camper for the first time. It was really fun! We played washers and horseshoes and ate really good food. There was a big storm on Friday night that kept Mike up almost all night - I, myself, had consumed enough beer to sleep through it. It rained on us on Saturday afternoon, but it was brief, and helped to keep it cool enough outside to be comfortable.

We packed up and came home on Sunday - we were home, showered and unpacked by noon. I didn't take many pictures - I was having too much fun to stop and document the weekend.

Abby stayed with Mike's mom for the weekend, which turned out to be a good thing, because there were LOTS of ticks and chiggers at the property. Mike and I were both really lucky with the ticks - neither of us had a single one - but the chiggers on the other hand, we both have some bites. I am glad that Abby doesn't have any of this.

Tuesday, June 17, 2008

Two weeks in

It's been really nice having time at home with Abby and Mike. We've had dinner together like a family almost every night. I've been able to give Abby her bath and put her to bed. I am really enjoying having more time with her.

I am getting more comfortable at my job. I really need a vacation, but that's a pipe dream for me right now. I have a list of things I want to do - mainly cleaning my house.

I haven't had a paycheck yet - and there is still a big part of this that seems surreal to me. I am looking forward to July 4th for a 3-day weekend. I think that will be really nice!

Sunday, June 15, 2008

Happy Father's Day to Mike

Mike's second Father's Day was spent mostly driving home from Arkansas. He did have two un-interrupted hours of nap-time with Abby, which was really nice. She fell asleep on his chest - which doesn't happen much anymore. We got home around 7 p.m. and Abby went to sleep pretty well. I thought we would drink a beer together, but we were both exhausted from the weekend. Mike and I drove to Little Rock to surprise his Grandpa for Father's Day - and it worked like a charm. Grandpa was very surprised to see us (not that it had anything to do with the fact that it was almost midnight when we got there Friday night). Before we left, I gave Mike his Father's Day present - a humidor, finally. I bought him 3 cigars to keep in there and he was VERY excited. I think he's a dork, but he's my dork!

Friday, June 6, 2008

The car situation, thanks Topher, Danny and Joe!

So, we've been looking for a car. For me. Two nights ago, we went to Boemler Chevrolet on Telegraph, and test-drove a Chevy Trailblazer and an Isuzu Trooper. We decided that we wanted both vehicles, and strategized about how to best handle it. I called my uncle Danny and my friend Topher. Mike called his Uncle Joe. We talked about it and this is what happened.

I went in, with my game face on. I asked for his best deal - and when he came back with an almost insulting amount, I said thank you for your time, and he offered me something more than 2K over my asking price. I said no thanks and left.

Within two hours, he called and met me more than half-way. We haven't signed the papers yet, but will head up there in the morning. I am happy with the deal we made, and thank our friends and family for their advice and support.

My new job

Hi. It's Friday. I have made it through one week. I feel like i have screwed up a lot. I don't yet know what I am doing. I miss my old job and my friends. I concentrate on telling people that I am from "Clarkson Eyecare" and not "Creve Coeur Camera". I focus on the phone number that I tell people to call me back at. I know I will screw up those things - but it happens. How many people have never switched jobs? Really.

I don't know if this is the job that is made for me. I think being manager at East was made for me - but I do feel like I have spent more time with Abby, and I am looking forward to the first weekend of the rest of my life. This week, I have had time to go see Brandon play ball, shop for a car, and even barbecue one evening. This is much more time than I had at CCC - I wouldn't ever have been able to accomplish all of that in one week there.

I don't really feel like someone else is driving my body - which is how I felt Monday and Tuesday. I feel more like a square peg in a round hole. I will give it another week, and hope it gets better. I figure that being at my own desk and working on my own offices will make a difference. I have always hated training - at every job I have ever had.

Wish me luck!

Thursday, June 5, 2008

Car shopping

Mike and I have been looking for a car for me, and we found somthing interesting, at least. I really wanted to buy a car this time - but haven't found a car I like. I drove a few cars, and they weren't all bad, but they didn't excite me at all. I couldn't get excited about buying one. Last night, I drove a trailblazer. It was awesome - except for the whore-smell (which could still be a deal-breaker). Mike liked the Trooper - which wasn't that comfortable for me. I gave this a lot of thought, and am thinking about buying them both. I mean, Mike's truck isn't a family car - and that has bothered me ever since I was pregnant. I really wanted to get rid of the S10 before Abby was born and that didn't happen. The economy sucks right now, and SUV's aren't in high demand. I think we could possibly get a good deal, on these two cars, if we buy them at the same time. But, I still think about the car, and better fuel mileage. I don't know what to do, but am thinking about low-balling these two cars tomorrow to see what happens. I don't think I would regret buying the trailblazer - I have always enjoyed driving my blazer, and I loved my bronco. We'll see!

For anyone wanting an update on my job satisfaction - I will post that tomorrow, after I have completed one full week.

Wednesday, June 4, 2008

Luck of the Irish, or Bob...

Tonight, I went downstairs to my corner of the basement that is reserved for my pictures. I started looking for some frames to decorate my cubicle with, and saw in the very top box that there was an envelope (of pictures) that was WET. I began looking closer at it, and realized that the entire box of pictures and CD's were wet! I frantically opened each package and laid the pictures out to dry. Most of these pictures were the ones that the server ate when it crashed. This is adding insult to injury! Also, as ironic as this is - a lot of the wet pictures were pictures of my coworkers from CCC, or company events with CCC (CCC at the ballpark - my picture with Albert Pujols...etc.). How did this happen?

That's a great question. My bathtub is leaking. Not the pipe - it was dry. The subfloor is wet. I don't have the energy to go into this much right now, but for those who don't know - I am no stranger to this.

Tuesday, June 3, 2008

It was on fire when I lay down on it.

So, yesterday, I learned two insurances. Today, we were short two employees, and I had to jump in and just start doing it. I was so slow! I maybe got one done for every six that everyone else finished. I am sure that speed will help this job not seem boring. I haven't looked at my offices yet - I had to help with the other offices yesterday. Since we work two days in advance, I won't know how bad I screwed things up until Thursday. They said training should be about a week long. I can't wait for this week to be over already!

Monday, June 2, 2008

My first day at Clarkson

Today was wierd. I learned verify two different insurance types and enter them into our company's database. I spent most of the day doing nothing - which will get better, I know. I still feel very out of sorts, but plan to give myself some time to adjust. I did get to go to Brandon's baseball game tonight, which was really nice. We had dinner together as a family - something else I really missed during my time with CCC. All in all, I just feel strange. I don't know a better way to describe it. I will write more about that later.

Sunday, June 1, 2008

So...that was it...

I am home, after my last day with CCC. Work was slow. We didn't have any rowdy goings-on, except for the cop and the singing performance artist, but that's a story for a different day. My party was nice. My staff was there, and a few other important friends. I got a lot of encouragement, and some good advice. My plan is to move forward. That's all I can do. It's strange. I feel very empty and like I am no one's boss, which I am not...anymore.

I hope for the best for my employees.

I still feel responsible for them.

Good luck, Sally, Michelle, Topher and Jason! Happy time-without-me Allen! You guys are awesome!