1st week down

Well I officially completed my first week at my new job last Friday.  So far so good.  Last Tuesday I got my computer, got all my passwords & all that good stuff.  Wednesday thru Friday I spent working with Dawn learning the ropes of the systems, but it didn't take me long to catch on.  I spent some time on my computer playing around in the programs myself.  I'm one of those people that once I do it myself I've usually got it.

My new office furniture arrived Friday, but it still has to be assembled & that will have to be scheduled.  Hopefully soon, so I can get settled in & get my office arranged like I want, so I can start digging in & getting to work.  I'm ready, I'm more than ready!

I was nervous at first.  Leaving one job for another is always a little shaky & I was a little nervous about starting over again, but after completing my first day I felt 100% better & was confident this is where I belong & I made the right decision.

Everyone is so nice there & has been amazing to work with so far.  I felt like I fit in from the moment I walked thru the door.  That's a great feeling to have starting a new job.

Last Thursday I met my bff Kat to eat dinner, which was nice.  We're trying to meet for dinner at least once a month, to spend some time together.  I rarely ever get out of the house & hang out with friends, so I enjoy it when I do.  After I got home from eating dinner w/Kat, Fred & I went over to Joe & Tina's to hang out for awhile.  Got home at midnight & passed out for the night.

I was supposed to have received my new laptop by now... but I haven't so I'm little pissed to say the least.  I called Dell on Friday to find out what the deal is & apparently my first order was cancelled for some crazy reason & they had assigned a new order number & forgot to send me an email about it.  Long story short, my laptop is on hold waiting for parts to come in & the estimated delivery date is on or before April 7th.  Urgh really!  Talk about aggrivated, pissed off, etc.  Yep that's what I'm feeling right now to put it lightly.  Especially when the sales dude that I had been talking to all along, now won't return my phone calls or emails!  Oh I hate that.  I'll just be happy when I'm holding my new laptop in my hands.  My patience is wearing thin.

Fred left for western Oklahoma on Friday.  I took my mom to the grocery store Saturday & spent most of the afternoon w/her.  Cleaned house & did laundry on Sunday, all the fun household chores.  That's about the extent of my exciting & entertaining weekend home alone with Abigail.

That first week flew by fast.  Now here I am on my second week at my new job!

Tomorrow I have a dr appointment to go over my results from the liver test I took at the weight clinic a few weeks ago.  I would be lying if I said I wasn't a little nervous about it, but I'm trying to keep my hopes up that everything's just fine & there was some crazy glitch in the blood testing at the weight clinic that day.  Hey it's possible... anything can happen right?  Everyone makes mistakes, nobody's perfect... so I'm just hoping it was an error & it's all good.  I probably won't sleep very good tonight.  I usually never have trouble sleeping, but when something's on my mind, I have trouble falling & staying asleep for very long.

My sweetheart is still in western Oklahoma. I'm hoping that he'll be home tomorrow.  The thought of the possibility of  having not-so-good-results at the dr office then coming home to just Abigail kinda scares me a little.

Plus I do miss him a little... blush.

Happy St. Patrick's Day

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

2 more days & counting...
We had our "pot luck" dinner at work today & it was nice.  Definitely a wide variety of food there.

The entire day was crazy with phone calls, emails & the boss's handing me lists of things they wanted me to document or write down for future reference after I'm gone.  It's been very stressful there from the moment I gave them the news.

Courtney has done an exceptional job at learning everything, I'm very impressed.  She's extremely sharp!  Since she's been sharing my office with me, we've gotten to know each other better & she's opened up to me allot, which she informed me that she doesn't ever do with anyone.  She's 19 years old, full of energy & eager to learn the ropes.

I wish I had more time to train her & get her more comfortable & confident before I up & leave, but well, that won't happen because Friday's my last day.

Well I still haven't made it to any stores to do any shopping for new clothes yet.
Yeah, Yeah... I know... time is closing in on me & I'll end up running crazy this weekend to find clothes at the last minute I'm sure.

I still dread the thought of shopping & trying on clothes, but I don't have a choice... sometime between now & Monday I've gotta get it done.

I've been looking over my new employee handbook & it was a little overwhelming at all the benefits they offer.  It's so exciting I just want to jump up & down.  It's almost like a dream come true when you go from a company with absolutely no benefits to a company with tons of benefits.

Well all in all this has been a good St. Patrick's day.

Fred made biscuits & gravy for dinner tonight... YUMMY!
Oh how I love biscuits & gravy.  I could probably eat it every single day.

My goal is to be in bed by midnight tonight.  I'm keeping my fingers crossed it happens.
Happy St. Patrick's day!

new job new wardrobe

I've been lucky for over 10 years now with every job I've had.  I've been able to wear jeans or more casual clothes to work.  Now... with  my new job, I'm required to wear business casual clothes & we can wear jeans on Fridays.  This means I have some shopping to do & I hate shopping, especially for clothes.

With me starting my job on Monday, I should probably get motivated to get out & shop, but so far I just haven't had the motivation to do so.

Does anyone know how to lose 20lbs in less than a week, without surgery or starving yourself to death?
Just kidding

This week has been absolutely crazy busy.  Trying to train Courtney & put a process procedures book together at the same time, wow my mind is about shot to say the least.

I've been trying to get to bed at a decent hour this week to prepare myself to start getting up & around earlier for my new job.  But... it hasn't quite worked out that way just yet.  Midnight is about my norm & well I have a hard time waking up.  Back n the day I used to be a morning person, but the older I get... well the harder it is for me to get up in the mornings, period.

Tomorrow everyone is bringing food for lunch for a "pot luck".  Friday is my last day at work, but several people won't be there Thurs/Fri so they wanted to do something Wednesday that way everyone can join in.  Everyone talked me into bringing Apple Dumplings, which is no problem.  It's the easiest desert to make & wow talk about addicting!  It's hard not to eat them until tomorrow at lunch.  The smell while they're cooking in the oven is ridiculous & makes your mouth start watering.  It should be illegal I swear it.

Officially 3 more days & counting until I move forward onto a new job & start over.  Wow.  It's still hard to believe it's all happening even though... it is really happening.

already here

Jr. Rodeo season is a little over a month away now.  Truth be known... I'm not ready yet.

Last year we had record breaking entries every single night & didn't get home until sometimes 5:30am in the morning.  Totally crazy in my opinion.  After the season was over, I'll admit I was relieved, but I always miss seeing everyone between seasons though.

I'm not 100% sure that I'm burned out with it all just yet, but somedays I do think about throwing in the towel.  After the rodeo meeting last night & with everyone voting on adding another event to our already extremely long rodeo night... I'm a little stressed out about that for sure.  Not even quite sure what to think about it actually.  I guess we'll just have to wait & see how the first rodeo weekend goes.

Don't get me wrong, I'm all about having a variety of events for the kids to participate in & giving the older kids more options, but I just think somewhere we've gotta draw the line.  The rodeo lasts long enough as it is, so I'm not sure what will happen after we add another event... will that bring in more entries every night?  How much longer will the rodeo last?  I guess we'll know the answer to that after the first few rodeo weekends pass.

With me starting a new job in another week & it 's about a 30 minute drive to & from work... making it to the rodeo early on Friday nights is going to be hard.  As always though, I will figure someway to make it all work out.

Between now & the first weekend of rodeo, I have a ton of stuff to get done... and I'm just not quite motivated yet, LOL!

crazy news

What a crazy week this has been so far.  It's only Wednesday & it feels like it should be Friday.

It also seems like it's been weeks since I gave my 2 weeks notice at work... but it's only been 2 days.

I've been absolutely swamped at work trying to get things in order & put together a "Reference Manual" for my future replacement... whom ever that might be.  I'm a very detailed person & I don't have much time left to get it all in order & in place like I think it should be.

So I went to the weight clinic yesterday to start getting back on track again & lose some weight.  They did blood work, I sat thru a seminar thing & visited with the dr... a 2 & 1/2 hour process.  I'm excited about the weather starting to get warmer so I can be outside & be more active.  I'm looking forward to losing some weight again & being able to fit back into clothes that I have in the closet.

The clinic called today to inform me that they got my blood work results back & my AST/ALT numbers were to high & told me I should make an appointment with my regular dr to get some more tests ran.  Just great.  Just great I tell ya.  Intially I felt a little weak & was hoping that I was having a daytime-nightmere of some sort, but that wasn't the case.  It was real.  I called the Indian Clinic to make an appointment to get some more blood work done & hopefully get this figured out asap.

Of course I had no clue what AST/ALT meant when they told me so I asked & they said it was the liver.  Yep, that freaked me out just a little.  So I looked it up online earlier, cause I wanted to know a little more info.

Aspartate Transaminase (AST)
It is raised in acute liver damage. It is also present in red blood cells and cardiac muscle, skeletal muscle, and kidney and brain tissue, and may be elevated due to damage to those sources as well.

Alanine Transaminase (ALT)
Significantly elevated levels of ALT often suggest the existence of other medical problems such as viral hepatitis, congestive heart failure, liver damage, biliary duct problems, infectious mononucleosis, or myopathy. For this reason, ALT is commonly used as a way of screening for liver problems. However, elevated levels of ALT do not automatically mean that medical problems exist. Fluctuation of ALT levels is normal over the course of the day, and ALT levels can also increase in response to strenuous physical exercise.

I was hoping that I would find something positive to read, but nope.  I'm thinking their blood tests were wrong.  Maybe the person that was doing the testing was in training & screwed something up.  Hey it could happen.  Mistakes happen all the time.  Ya never know.  I will feel better once I get an appointment with the Indian Clinic & get this figured out.  They're supposed to call me back tomorrow so we can get something scheduled, so we'll see.

If it's not one thing, it's always something else, isn't it?  Geez.

the news

Well I broke the news of my new job today & gave my 2 weeks notice at work.  What a relief it was to finally get it off my chest & not carry that around with me.  Now it's time to start wrapping things up, getting things organized & ready for the transition for whomever takes my place after I'm gone.

I'm an extremely organized person & that's that.  Some might say... a little too organized from time to time, but I just can't help it.  I try really hard not to drive everyone around me crazy, but I know sometimes I do.

Moving on...
I'm excited!  Wait... I'm extremely excited!  I can't wait to start a new job with better pay & get back on my feet again.  Getting bills paid off & maybe having some xtra money eventually... the idea of it makes me smile from ear to ear.

I'm hoping my new laptop will be in my possession in another week... oh I can't wait.
My desktop pc which I'm on right now, well it has issues.  Lots of issues.  It hooked up with a friend called "virus" & refuses to get rid of it's friend.  Needless to say, it's annoying, frustrating & somedays I'm ready to throw it thru the wall & write it's final eulogy.  It just has a mind of it's own.  Sometimes it will work ok, then other times it will freeze up & cuss at me.

Now I'm ready for a celebration!  I'm ready for nothing but good things to keep happening now.
I have a few things in mind that would just make my entire world smile bigtime, but I will keep those thoughts in my head & keep praying for a miracle.

My hopes are that maybe a few months from now, I can sweep my sweetheart away for a weekend road trip somewhere nice.

Things can surely only look up from here, right?

jessica

DVR is great... especially when there are so many shows I can't watch when they actually come on.

I love watching Oprah.  Personally I think she has some really good shows with good topics.

Last night, I watched an Oprah show I had on DVR & she was talking to Jessica Simpson.

The question came up about her "famous" fat picture that was on the cover of every magazine last year.  I remember when that came out & thinking what the hell is wrong with people?  I mean seriously.  Every magazine critizied her for what she was wearing & then had the nerve to say she's fat & gained a bunch of weight.  Come on.  It appears they didn't have anything else to write about at the time & so they took it upon themselves to make a bunch of money publishing garbage like that.  So what if she gained a few lbs.  What's the big deal?  Everyone who wrote articles about her weight gain or "fat" picture... how much do they weigh... what's their story... have they ever gained weight before...?  It's obvious their pictures aren't posted all over every magazine & critized for what they're wearing or if they gain a few extra lbs.  Instead they hide behind the words they write & make money off trying to humiliate or hurt someone.

As if women aren't already hard enough on themselves... am I right?

I know I'm hard on myself about lots of things & weight is high on that list.

Obviously I don't know Jessica Simpson personally or anything, but I feel bad for her having to deal with all the critizing things people wrote about her.  I think she's a good actor, I like the movies she's made & I also think she's a normal person just like the rest of us.

To top it off in her interview with Oprah... Jessica said that those jeans were a size 6.
That's just crazy anyone would even think about saying she was fat & she's wearing a size 6.  I mean come on.  Just flippin' crazy.

The Silent Partner

The Silent Partner
by Baxter Black

Her name’s on the note at the PCA, boys,
Though she might have questioned the loan
She signed her John Henry ‘neath yours on the line
And she will ‘til the kids are all grown.

Nobody’s counted the pickups she’s pulled
Or measured the miles she’s put on the rake
Kept track of the pancakes or lunches she’s packed
Or the number of times she lay there awake

Praying her prayers for the man in her bed.
God only knows, ‘cause He’s keepin’ track.
She’s buildin’ up interest somewhere down the line
To use in a trade on your first cardiac.

She puts up with cows she knows you should cull
Scourin’ calves on the livin’ room floor,
Tracks in the bathroom and mud on the sheets,
Flies in the kitchen from broken screen doors.

She patiently listens to stories you tell
Recounting the skill of your blue heeler mate.
She wishes, herself, if that dog was so smart
You could teach that pot licker to open a gate!

She offers opinions that seldom sink in
‘Til time, oft’ as not, proves she was right.
But it’s damn hard to figger how she could’a known?
You’re not the only one who worries at night.

She’s old as the mountain and young as the spring
timeless in labor and wisdom and love.
Of all of God’s creatures that man gets to share
The wife of a cowman was sent from above.

So lay there tonight when you go to bed.
Remember your partner, she’s tried and she’s true.
You’re lucky, my man, to have such a friend
Take care of her, ‘cause she takes care of you.

a new start again

I have some excellant & exciting news!  For once in over a year I've got something to look forward to in my career.

My job shut it's doors over a year ago & I was forced to find another job & had to settle for whatever I could at the time.  Don't get me wrong, I work with some really wonderful people, but the fact is that you have to look out for #1 & that's yourself.

In hard times you do what you gotta do, to get by & make ends meet.  But this past year has been extremely hard for me.  I've fell behind on bills & have had to cut back on every little thing I could just to live.  It's been rough & I've been miserable.

The wonderful news is that... I finally found a good paying job again.  I can't even begin to count how many times I've submitted my resume in the past year & haven't had any luck what-so-ever.  In some cases, not even a phone call, but this time it was different.  Someone reached out to me, without me submitting my resume & waiting to find out if I'd hear a response or not.  It was honestly shocking & almost un-believable that it was happening even after I hung up the phone from the conversation.

I guess once you've been in a "rut" for so long financially & no matter what, it always seems like one bad thing after another keeps happening to you... it's hard to believe when something good comes along again.

"Good things come to those who wait"
I questioned that a few times the past year & even though after having this wonderful news... Monday my laptop crashed at home & I just wanted to crawl back under a rock & cry.  And I did... I crawled into bed & cried for a few minutes, then Fred put his arms around me & comforted me.  Sundenly I started to feel better at that point.

The first thought that crossed my mind when my laptop decided to take it's last breathe, was dollar signs flying at rapid speeds & nailing me in my face.

Then I started to come up with a "plan" to get things back on track again.
I did some deep thinking, made some phone calls & yesterday put my plan into action.

Today... I placed the other for my new laptop.
Even though this is the last thing I wanted to do, was order a new laptop & spend money that I don't have, but the fact is that I have to have one in working condition.  It will all work out... I'm trying to keep the faith.  New job + more $$ = better paychecks & catching up on bills & debt that has accumulated over the past year.

I'm so incredibly excited about my new job I can hardly stand it.
To top it off - the weather is nice outside today!  It's about damn time.

Let's sing... shall we...

I'm so excited and I just can't hide it
I'm about to lose control and I think I like it
I'm so excited and I just can't hide it
And I know I know I know I know I know I want you

laptop crash

My laptop decided to crash Monday night.  I really hate computers sometimes.
I love 'em but hate 'em.
Especially when I can't afford to run out & buy a new one right now.

Everytime I think things are starting to look up... everything comes crashing down again.
Why does that happen?  And why does it seem like it always happens to me?

I'm just trying to tell myself that somehow someway it will all work out.
I wish God would give me a few hints though.

I'm tired of being depressed, stressed & frustrated all the time.

law abiding citizen

Friday, February 26

Fred & I went to KBow's house at 6:30pm for dinner.  He made lasagna again & it was good (minus the mushrooms, ick).  His lasagna is good but we're going to have to figure out what else he can cook for our future dinner/movie dates.  And none of us died of food poisoning either.  ha ha

We rented Law Abiding Citizen & The Informant on our way to KBow's house.

Law Abiding Citizen was good but a little freaky.  Talk about a crazy movie, wow.  Makes ya glad this wasn't based on a true story, yikes.

It would be neat if we could turn our movie/dinner dates at KBow's house into an every other Friday thing.  It's something to do & hang out with friends at the same time, which is always nice.  I've thought about suggesting a bowling night.  I think that we would have fun.

Saturday, February 27

Went to the hospital at 11:30am to see my friend's new baby boy Gunner.  He was born Friday.  6lbs 14oz.  Little bitty thing & oh so sweet & precious!

Met a friend I work with at the arena at 1pm to check it out since they had never been out there & were curious.  They're also thinking about coming to the Jr. Rodeos this season & joining the club, so that'll be fun.

Hair appointment at 3pm.  Oh how I absolutely love my hair appointments.  I love when someone else washes & fixes my hair besides me.  It's a nice treat.  Plus I was way past over due for a coloring... it was bad.  Now my hair looks fresh & back on track again!

The weather was absolutely outstanding today!  T-Shirt weather... seriously!

After I got done at my hair appointment, I headed to the house & started working out in the barn.
I've been having withdrawls for awhile now, not being able to be outside & be more active.

When Fred got home we made a pizza & popped in the other movie we rented Friday, The Informant.  I will say this... I wouldn't recommend it & I definitely won't be watching it again.  Interesting movie I guess, but it just wasn't moving at very fast pace so it lost my interest within the first 10 minutes.  I hate movies that start off slow then never pick up the rest of the way thru, but what do ya do except just watch it, right.

When you stay busy or you've been on the go the entire day, it goes by so fast.  Before we knew it, it was after midnight Saturday.  Crazy crazy.

Sunday, February 28

We spent most of the day working in the equipment barn, cleaning & organizing.  Fred's mom came over around 10am to help.

Two new babies were born!  A boy & a girl.  Both are adorable of course.  Don't worry, I'll get pics up soon to show them off.

Fred made egg, sausage, hash brown scramble & bacon for dinner - yum yum!  It was so good.  We watched The Amazing Race while we ate & then Undercover Boss.  I think I'm addicted to way to many tv shows these days.  The sad part is I have to record all of them & watch them after the fact.  Thank God for dvr!

Well there ya have it - the summary of our weekend.

march madness

Oh Maxine, how true it is.

Today is a good day, let me think only of positive things for today.

#1 - I woke up next to my sweetheart.

#2 - my bff Kat's birthday is today & she's an old woman.  ha ha
    Just kidding Kat you know I love ya.  Happy birthday Kat!

#3 - we had 2 new baby calves yesterday (a boy & a girl)
    Don't worry I'll post pics soon, they are precious!

#4 - baby Gunner was born on Friday (a week early surprise).
    Congrats & thankfully everyone is healthy, well & home.

#5 - got some really good news on Friday.
    I don't wanna jinx it, so I'll wait to blog about my exciting news!

#6 - the weather was nice this weekend & I'm hoping it continues.

#7 - today is a new day & the beginning of a new week.

There's my list of happy things for me to think about for today.