Friday, June 28, 2013

Vacaciones!

It's official!  Am about to ceremoniously move my work keys from my purse and into the desk drawer where they will sit until the night before I go back to work.  They are heavy and I'm not schlepping them to Mexico.

Today was my first full day off and I have to admit I've been pretty darn lazy.  I did finally get moving and headed to Target to pick up some last minute stuff.  And I also got my swim suit on and swam for awhile - and scrubbed the pool and spa.  Even put on my diving mask (we had them out to get things ready for the trip) and attempted to scrub the bottom of the pool.  Not sure how successful I was.  Who knew fat was so buoyant?  No weight belt so I had a hard time staying on the bottom.  Did somehow manage to scrape my knuckles across the bottom, though - so that's proof I did eventually manage a few passes with the brush.  The scraped knuckle is a great addition to the burn that's finally looking better - a burn that happened on Father's Day when I made cupcakes for dessert and promptly turned into the worst thing ever.  In a horribly bad place on my right (dominant) hand and it refused to heal.  It's finally improving.

It is hot here - but I have to be careful about saying that 'cuz it's approaching 120 degrees in Phoenix which is where my family lives...so Holy Cow - makes our 102 seem 'mild' in comparison.  We are running both AC's AND even splurged and heated the pool a couple degrees.  We can't use the cover 'cuz the algae is continuing to perplex us - so it was a tad cooler than I like it.  Heater worked like a charm!

Tomorrow, we will pack and organize stuff around here.  Also take Chloe to the puppy spa - enlisting H.'s help in transporting her.  The kennel moved from a little bit down the street to a couple cities away and a drive on the freeway with a crazy dog isn't something that's safe to do alone.  H. is available -

I am a little nervous about leaving H. alone for close to two weeks.  I agreed I would 'front' him some of the money he will earn for being the person responsible for the care and maintenance of the house - but I fear as soon as he has it, he will spend it.  Two weeks is a long time for a kid who spends every dime he gets the minute he gets it.  I'm tempted to 'hide' money in envelopes strategically hidden around the house - like a Christmas scavenger hunt in July - and reveal them every few days.

I also gave him a Winco gift card for food - thinking he and his roommate had shopped there a lot when they had the apartment.  Turns out, he's never been to Winco.  Hopefully, he'll go.  If not, we'll have the card available for groceries when we get home.

I had a couple good interactions with our new sup which helped ease my worry considerably.  Something happened in my department that I thought he should have a heads up about - and the conversation and subsequent emails about the status of the situation assured me that things will probably go better than I thought...so that helped a lot.  I was so glad he responded back so quickly - 'cuz it was the type of issue that I would have stewed about for the two weeks I am supposed to be doing everything humanly possible to NOT think about work.  Isn't actually possible - but I will disconnect as much as I can.

Time to get going on more stuff around here....I haven't gotten to my crazy 'cleaning the baseboards' or 'dusting the Cow Parade collection in the dining room' which are the two most likely things I do when there are trillions of other things I should be doing.  Darn baseboards.  Darn cows.

Tuesday, June 25, 2013

Chicken Chiboken

Kudos to J. who most certainly is eligible for Father of the Year!  Getting H.'s apartment cleaned up and everything moved out has required Herculean efforts on the part of my beloved.  He handed me a kitchen floor mat in a plastic garbage bag and said 'we just need to try to hose it off!'.  Yuck!  Boys apparently weren't the best housekeepers.

We had no idea just how much food H. had in the place - 20 pounds of various chicken parts (breasts, thighs, legs) made their way home.  I cooked wings (which I had thawed from our freezer not realizing that I would soon have more chicken in the house than I could possibly imagine) and legs last night.  Still have 10 thawed legs to cook later this week.  Tonight, we're having pasta with fresh tomatoes and basil (from our garden) along with the leg meat cleaned off the bone.

He also had a 'utility closet' that he forgot about and it was loaded with laundry soap, paper towels, etc. so we are well stocked on that stuff for awhile, too.

Today will be final touches on the cleaning; a final vacuuming and then turning in the keys.  We will immediately start praying it gets rented - though we will leave H. a check for the rent before we leave for the beach in case it doesn't.  Ouch!  $1055 out the door - for an empty apartment -

We'll get back whatever we can when they rent it - here's hoping.  H. has some of the money available to help offset the rent....but still.  Yowza!

The house was appraised again by our new (actually is our current) lender and it appraised for $15K over the appraisal of just a month ago!!  Yeah us!  It's looking like this refi is actually going to happen!!

I am working 4 hour days this week so I slept in until 7!  No alarm setting this week!  Get there when I get there and work 4 hours and then head home.  'Tis a beautiful thing and I could get used to working part time.  Not that it will ever happen on a regular basis - but shorter days are a nice change. So is coming home and getting busy around the homestead.

It's rainy here which is odd.  It's not really cold - just wet.  The solar isn't generating much power but it's OK 'cuz we aren't needing the AC much either so it's a wash.

I might send J. to get corn tortillas and some green chilies - found a recipe for a Mexican chicken casserole that looks good!

Monday, June 24, 2013

Battery

B. called yesterday.  'Hi Mom.  Can I talk to Dad, please?'.

Uh oh.

He needed his Triple A card number 'cuz his battery was dead.

He has a new battery now and $160 less in his checking account.

Welcome to the joys of vehicle ownership!

I'm awake earlier than I need to be but just couldn't sleep any more.  Working 1/2 days this week as I slide into two weeks off.

Happy Monday!

Sunday, June 23, 2013

SuperMoon

Finally catching up on sleep and actually able to stay up late enough last night to see the Space Station glide overhead.  Both J. and I get email alerts on the time and location - 9:32PM last night from NW.  Sure enough, there it was!  A couple minutes early.  What surprised me is how 'close' it looked and how fast it moves.  Can't wait for the next alert!

We also marveled at the Super Moon - full moon at the closest it will be to Earth for another year.  It was huge and bright - like a search light shining in the window of the bedroom at 2AM this morning.

J. asked 'what's on your agenda today?' and I replied 'nothing'.  'Cuz while there should be a lot on my agenda, I don't want to do much.

J. got the new suitcases ready and upstairs - time to start packing.  And making lists.  And cleaning baseboards.

Playa, here we come!!  Just one more week to go.....

Saturday, June 22, 2013

There Are Blueberries Everywhere

The farm/ranch next to the blueberry farm was for sale.  I had convinced H. that 'we could buy a property and you could live there.  You would 'work the farm' all week and Dad and I would be here on weekends.  We could raise chickens, grow berries for 'u-pick' business, maybe alpacas and a cow or two'.  He seemed mildly interested -

H. wants a 'fresh start' somewhere.  His friend (who moved to Texas) seems pretty set on enlisting and H. doesn't want to.  He wants something 'new'....and I am sort of feeling that way myself.  I try to help him see that life is always full of possibilities and opportunities.  It's such a gift to have so many options - I try to get him to focus on the options.  He's having a hard time - unemployed again and moving back home.  It will all work out -

Last night, I decided to attempt blueberry jam.  I went to the store to get pectin...and went when I was hungry and came home with (also) potato chips, Cracker Jacks, a chocolate croissant (there were two but I ate one last night); G2 Gatorade (grape!) - it's my new 'favorite' drink; and one box of pectin.

I watched You Tube videos to learn how to do it and wanted to do the 'simple' version - refrigerator/freezer jam.

First, I had to clean the blueberries.  J. used the 'pick each one off the bush carefully one at a time' method.  He wasn't all that fast about filling his bucket - but it got the job done.  H. and I used the 'find a branch with a lot of berries and just run your fingers down the bunch and pull all the berries off'.  Works great for speed.  Not so great on the other side - cleaning the berries.

We have no strainer with holes large enough to allow the stems and leaf pieces to go through - so I settled for filling a huge bowl with water and stirring the berries round and round.  Most of the stems and 'dirty pieces' float to the top - then I'd use a strainer to 'scoop' out the pieces.  This took FOREVER and even then, I still had to remove the berries in small batches, double check for pieces....it was a long evening.

I followed the directions on the box of pectin and ended up with three plastic containers full of jam.  When I went to bed last night, I was pretty convinced they weren't going to set correctly (something that has happened before in my attempts to make jam) - but this morning, the jam is set pretty nicely and I feel accomplished!

As we finished picking berries yesterday, I commented 'you know, if we really were growing our own food and being self sustaining, we'd be a lot skinnier - 'cuz it's a huge workout to harvest the food'...and last night, it was a huge amount of work to clean and cook the food.  And I still have two huge bags of berries to clean today!  I think I will clean and dry them, then bag them and freeze for future use.

Let's just say owning a farm and growing our own food doesn't seem nearly as attractive this morning as it did same time yesterday morning!  Not that it wouldn't be fun - I remind myself 'well, it would be different if this was all you had to do all day, everyday.  If farming were my life, I would fill my days taking care of animals and gardens and making jam would be a part of my 'job' - not something I attempt to wedge in among the other things that fill my days'.

Still, it might be an annual event - a 'u-pick' extravaganza once a year.  A berry-palooza once a year.

The berries are cleaned and drying this morning - J. is vacuum sealing them for the freezer.  I might save enough for pancakes tomorrow morning and maybe a coffee cake for breakfast at work on Monday.  Maybe.

Friday, June 21, 2013

It's All Downhill.....

Finally....past the annual budget crunch mode.  Sliding into two weeks off on a beach.  Survived my first week of working four 10-hour days in exchange for having Friday off.  Enjoyed first Friday off immensely and we were productive.  We headed to Modesto this morning and picked 12 pounds of fresh blueberries!  Even dragged son #2 with us.  It was hard work! but nice to have a reason to get moving and DO something.  Thanks Groupon!

The long days went by pretty quickly, actually - and I did get a lot done.  Next week, I'm only working 16 hours - so probably four hour days.  We have other 'year end' stuff happening that requires my signature and it's OK to work shorter days which will go by incredibly fast.  I know I will for sure stick to that many (or few...for me, few would be the better word) hours 'cuz my boss signed my year-end time sheet (confirming my carryover days) with me only being there a couple days next week - so it's done.  I will stick to it no matter how great the temptation might be to stay longer.

I do need to work on lists of things to keep my team busy while I'm off - but thankfully, the first week I'm gone is a very short week and most folks are taking time off to stretch out the 4th of July holiday as much as possible...so I should be able to come up with stuff for folks to work on while I'm away.

H. officially FOR SURE moves home tomorrow - truck rented and one of his friends enlisted to assist. Thankfully, J. will take care of most of it.  There's not too much to move, really -

J. is at a concert in San Francisco this evening with a friend so it's a nice, quiet evening at home alone!

I tried to take a nap but wasn't really all that tired - that compares to yesterday when I was home by 3 and dead asleep by 3:30 for an hour and a half...so dead on my feet that I think I was asleep within seconds of getting into bed.  Felt so good to give in to exhaustion knowing there was a three day weekend on the other side of my nap.

I said goodbye to my boss with sadness....carried over the candy jar on my desk with two last jelly beans (his favorite) in it and said 'I'm heading home so I brought you these - to say goodbye'.  He gave me a hug and said 'there are two - should it be like communion and we both have one?'.  :-)  He's funny.  He promised we would get together for lunch; gave me all his contact info; assured me we will see each other soon - that will be true 'cuz he still has his district cell phone and will get it back to me in July at some point - but we all know how it goes with former co-workers.  You don't keep in touch as much as you'd like - or you do, but it fades with time - or YOU do but others rarely do until one day you wake up and realize that the only one trying to stay in touch is you - and you give up.  (And then you hear from someone that a 'friend' commented that 'we said we'd keep in touch but we don't'.  And the 'we' they mean in that sentence is me and them.  And you feel sad - and then pissed off 'cuz you can't recall them EVER calling you to check-in - while I spent the first six months of my current job running all over the place trying to keep in touch with folks from the college - who never reciprocated).

I needed to get that off my chest and I feel SO MUCH BETTER.

I think the odds are I will be in touch with my (now) former boss 'cuz we will both try to keep in touch.  BOTH is the important word in that sentence - with both trying, it will happen.  And I love driving out to Brentwood where he lives 'cuz it has a Trader Joe's and it's a really pretty country drive from here to there.

My new boss starts officially on July 8th (I won't be there that week).  He is a current principal in our district and this is a big move for him.  It will be exciting as we start a new year.

OK - I'm going to go make something with blueberries in it.  Probably a blueberry cobbler.  It's not too hot out so I will heat up the oven and bake.  Also possibly a blueberry coffee cake for morning.

I want to try to make refrigerator jam too - but I need to get some pectin tomorrow.





Wednesday, June 12, 2013

Klinker

Thanks to the miracle of Costco roasted chicken and with some very careful, deliberate cajoling, Klink finally came out from under the bed 13 hours after the incident.  I had tried canned food - no interest.  Water - no interest.  Shredded some chicken on a plate and he perked up a bit.  He started to move towards the plate so I kept moving back - and finally, he was out from under the bed!  Gave him a quick look - no puncture wounds.  Tufts of fur out.  He seemed OK.  Gobbled down the chicken and stayed out from under the bed while I ran downstairs to shred some more.

He walked to his box in the bathroom and was definitely walking very slowly and carefully.  Favoring his front left paw a bit.

At this point, we're pretty sure he tangled with a barbecue grate that was leaning up against the fence.  He probably walked between it and the fence - and bumped it enough that it ended up on him somehow?  And from there, he panicked (it was pitch black out and he must have felt 'attacked') and ran - possibly with the grate on his leg or something?  Who knows.  I don't see any scratches or blood.

He's better now....still out and doing OK.  He followed me around upstairs this morning and did come down with me for a bit but didn't go out.  Maybe he's learned his lesson?  He's definitely subdued but then again, he's had a traumatic experience.

I am working extra super duper hard to attempt to be off most of Friday.  Here's hoping.  I'd love a three day weekend - the first off in a really long time.  Maybe we will try to spend some time at the county fair.

Pig races and bad food - great way to ring in a weekend!

Tuesday, June 11, 2013

Cat Fight!

Yowza!  That's a great way to get your adrenaline pumping in the wee hours of the morning.

Klink has been wandering outside for about 30 minutes.  Chloe has been very 'concerned' about Klink's wandering and keeps running into the study to get me.  I get up, we walk outside, I wave my arms frantically to get the outdoor lights to come on (motion sensors are slow to sense so I make it obvious there's something out there requiring light).  Klink lingers around and won't come in.  He's meowing but he won't come in.  The dog and cat go around to the side yard - and it's too dark so I don't.  And then there's a huge ruckus - howling, snarling, barking....I hear Chloe yelp and then Klink comes running - his tail all bushy.  Clearly, there was an altercation of some kind.

They don't call it the wild outdoors for nothing.

I've closed the back door up tight.  Klink is upstairs recuperating and poor J. was awakened to 'help' me.  Not much he could do at that point - just as I asked for his help, Klink bolted up the stairs.  J. will assess any injuries when he gets up - in two hours.  Poor man.  Sorry, honey -

News....news?  Let's see.  Happening around here lately:  B. told us he would likely be deployed in two weeks.  He's in a class to prepare him for deployment and 'combat'.  He calls it 'death by Powerpoint'.  He'd much rather get to the shooting range or drive something huge with weapons attached.  They call him and another guy into an office - and (literally) flip a coin - B. 'lost'.  So it's less likely he will be deployed next week.  [I think he won the toss but I don't torture him with that observation].  They still aren't allowing him to plan for vacation in July, so I think deployment is still pretty likely.

At least he gets another few weeks (months?) to drive his new truck.  There might be nothing worse than having purchased your first car 'on your own' only to have to leave it in a parking lot.

H. will move home this weekend!  I mentioned to J. that the County Fair is happening this week - and enticed him with thoughts of really bad food and watching the pig races (so, so, hysterically fun!) - and he reminded me that we have someone to move home.  Now I'm trying really, really hard to get my board prep wrapped up in time to leave at noon on Friday so we could go that day....we'll see.

We are working through the refinancing process having switched lenders.  Capital One wasn't so great and in the end, I was considering calling the underwriter an 'idiot' and their policies insanely stupid.  They wouldn't allow us to owe ANYONE more than 80% of the value of the house - and even with an appraisal better than we ever imagined, they wanted us to come up with $50K-ish to make the loan happen.  We passed.  Not that we couldn't if we had to - but we don't have to and we're not going to.  The last thing we need in this last calendar year of J.'s bank salary is to withdraw money that is pre-tax and increase our tax bill any more than it already is.  So we passed.  Then we called our current lender and they seem to be more reasonable.  So we're in the process with them.  It's a long and winding road.

They asked us to detail specific checks that are out of our account frequently.  The checks for our cleaning lady and our pool guy...as well as confirming what the $300 checks every other week are for. It's called 'savings' - moving money to our credit union which is why we do it - the account there isn't 'tied' or linked to our regular bank so withdrawing $ from there takes effort.  Wow - they really are getting into the fine details of our finances.

We comply 'cuz we want to refinance our mortgage....but holy crap - what a crock of stuff to respond to.  They also asked 'why do you have an alias'?  Um....'cuz I have a maiden name that I haven't used in over 23 years.

OK - it's after 5AM and it's time to get showered and dress.  Very, hugely grateful to my husband who took time last night to iron my outfit for today - I'm wearing crop pants, a billowy, light weight top (with a cotton tank underneath) and tennis shoes 'cuz we are doing site walks for facilities today.  Grateful it's not 107 like it was on Saturday - but still guarded 'cuz it will be long walks all over the place - me frantically keeping notes on a clipboard while my soon-to-be-former boss rattles off the list of things he wants done over the summer.

The summer of his leaving us.  We start our 10 hour days next week.  Fridays off hardly seems worth it....but we will survive.


Friday, June 07, 2013

Nothing in This World

....will ever break my heart again.

Third post to open with a song - only this one is one you probably don't know.  The show "Nashville" is becoming a favorite and the songs just hook me.  Not a country fan usually but I like the music.

J. went to pick up sushi for dinner.  Bless his heart.  

I just put my head in my hands briefly and let out the sob or two that have been building up all day.

Saying goodbye to our boss is the hardest thing....still 12 days to go but we had a fun lunch for him today and showed him the video we crafted for him.  

I was very emotional in that dark room as the video rolled - and when one of the shots was of his empty chair, I felt myself losing it.  Grateful it was very dark....and I used the napkin to wipe my tears.

The napkins were movie themed - black and red - and they bled all over my face.  I looked like a clown.  Others did too.

I know we will be OK 'cuz frankly, we have to be.  No choice about it.  Be OK or leave.  Those are the options.  I've already said that I want to go with him and told him that if there is any job I'm even remotely qualified for, will he let me know...and he assures me he will.  I said 'I could be custodian or a clerk or anything'.  He said 'I think you might have a hard time convincing an interview panel that you really want to go from Chief Business Officer to custodian - but I guess you could try'.

I came home at 4.  It's sushi and a Friday night cold beer to unwind - and then early to bed and early to rise.  Budget is almost done and winding down.  Massive MASSIVE board prep looms...

I cried a lot when I left the college to move to my current job.  I thought that was the hardest thing I would ever do - it wasn't.  

I can't imagine ever having a boss I love so much - ever.  He works us hard and he's demanding - but oh my gosh - he is so, so much fun and such a truly, deeply stellar person.  He truly loves to lead and he brings out the best in the people around him.  

I just keep listening to bad break up songs over and over and over....poor J. .  He deserves a medal for putting up with me the past few weeks.


Oh What a Week!

Late December back in '63.......

Oh.  Wrong song....

It'll be in your head all day now.  You're welcome.

It's officially Friday - not my Friday but Friday for everyone else.  No, for me, I'm heading into what I hope will be the last weekend of putting together the 2013-14 budget.  So close - and yet so far.  My week was jammed with meetings and activities - year-end things that are so fun to participate in yet make time fly by.

Yesterday, we did our (now annual, we hope - albeit led by someone else next year) Office Olympics...it was so much fun.  We played 'Infectious Disease Jeopardy' (given a list of symptoms and then you have to select the disease out of multiple choice options) - both teams scored perfectly in that 'cuz we all know our illnesses.  Lots of other fun things like Minute to Win It contests - blowing a deck of cards off a milk bottle - just leaving one card on it; shooting rubber bands into bins off the ceiling (team with the most wins).  And the finale was a chair race relay - hysterically funny - and thankfully, everyone survived in one piece.  We all laughed so hard, we were sore after.

Today we have our final Cabinet of the year followed by a surprise luncheon for our Superintendent...and the grand finale will be the video we all made for him.  Sneaking around like thieves in the night - he shrugs his shoulders as he's told 'no, sorry - can't make that meeting - have another commitment - might take awhile'.....

It's going to be a fun (and sad) day - as we prepare to lose him.

I hope to be home 'early' today (4ish is considered early at the moment) and then will plow back into it all first thing tomorrow - much to do for board prep and wrapping up budget....

Tuesday, June 04, 2013

Celebrate Good Times! Come On!

Can you name the song?  Now you'll be thinking of it in your head for hours!

I had a wonderfully fun-filled day!  Balloons, flowers, cookies, chocolate covered strawberries, presents, a rousing round of Happy Birthday sung at a community meeting when a co-worker announced to everyone today was my birthday.  I wanted to hurt her - but it was sweet and fun.  Crazy busy all day - my team wanted to take me to lunch but settled for bringing me a Subway sandwich and Starbucks iced tea!  Perfect!  Full and hydrated and plowed through a ton of budget stuff...getting sooo much closer.  I will need to remind myself that there's always a total and complete panic point (that was this past weekend) followed by it starting to come together - and then viola!  The next thing you know, you actually have a budget!  Yeah!  Still much to do but felt confident enough to come home at 5 today.  Tomorrow is meeting free and I will get much more done! 

I will work this weekend but hopefully will just be pre-preparing for board prep vs. panicking about how much there is to do (still).

Both boys reached out with many birthday greetings (texts and calls).  It was a fun day!  Another year older and celebrating felt great!

It also helped that a bunch of us spent a couple hours learning, rehearsing and recording a good-bye video for our boss.  It was hysterically funny and fun and I can't wait for him to see it this Friday. 

We were planning our last Cabinet meeting of the year this morning - and he said 'and then we'll do lunch as a group'.  And we said 'yes, we will - in the board room - be there'.  He seemed surprised and said 'we usually go out'.  'Um, not this year'.  So he knows we're having a gathering in his honor.  He just has no idea...

J. is at church rehearsal.  I'm considering firing up the hot tub 'cuz I could use a hot soak - all the dancing and stuff has my hips sort of sore.  Really, I probably just want an excuse to be in the hot tub.

 H. got a shot - and the temp agency is placing him at another warehouse where he can drive a forklift!  He did an excellent job of handling yesterday's drama and the agency complimented him on coming to talk to them and explain what the issues were vs. just picking up and leaving.  They said that's what typically happens - people leave and don't return.  H. had gone back in to the warehouse to talk to them about his options - and they seemed pleased he did that.  I sure hope they mean it and that he will be placed soon. 

Storage Wars is on - and sweet H. went to RiteAid and brought me my favorite ice cream!  Ice cream milk float is on my dessert menu tonight.


Challenges

H. is working on choosing a different path.  Warehouse work is not going all that well these days.  Temp agencies hire people; the company they are assigned to works them to death - complete with their 'regular' employees berating and verbally abusing the temps all day long.  The work is physically hard and H.'s most recent company made issues of even needing bathroom breaks!  Needed because he is sweating profusely for hours on end and needs to hydrate himself.  Water breaks they will provide.  But bathroom breaks?  No.  That's an issue.

Yesterday, he stepped on a nail in the warehouse - went through his work boots and into his foot!  They told him to 'shake it off'.  He pulled the nail out of his foot (leaving a hole that is very sore) and kept working.  But he's not shaking it off - he's going to the doctor this morning to get a tetanus shot.  That's on his mother's orders - not his boss.  They couldn't care less that he hasn't had a tetanus shot since God knows when....nor that the nail left some 'particles' of something in his foot.

Needless to say, it's doubtful he will be returning to that warehouse company.  A Google search revealed things like 'it's a sweatshop'; 'management is horrible to employees', etc. .

I think the only good thing about him being unemployed again is that it is clarifying for him that education and a marketable skill is critical.  Anyone can unload trucks by hand.  Anyone.  And if you are working via a temp agency doing manual labor, you are going to be treated badly.  Even illegally.

So we are helping him look into vocational programs - and/or certificate programs for skills like welding.  He brought up welding...something I had wondered if he might be interested in.  The kid is no slacker - he works very hard.  He really does.  He has no issue with long hours and manual work - he just wants to be paid a fair, good wage and not be treated badly.

We are hoping that when he moves back home in a couple weeks, he will decide to go back to school and spend the next year or two working on an actual skill he can use to find work.  He even mentioned 'I will get a job at SaveMart or Raley's to have some money coming in while I go to school'.  Hmmm - that's quite a switch from the kid who insists he'd rather die than work in a job where he has to deal with 'the public'.

Temp jobs aren't a long term solution to becoming self supporting.  They never will be - and I think he sees that now.  I hope so.

As for son #1, he told J. yesterday that his request for vacation in July was met with a 'don't plan for any time off in July 'cuz by the way, you are heading into a three week class that will prepare you to be deployed.  We need replacements'.

Alrighty then.

Either Afghanistan or Jordan.  We are praying for Jordan.

My computer at work was acting up most of the weekend and yesterday, the county sent out staff to assist.  They also spent most of the afternoon running various scans which weren't complete as I left at 4PM - didn't want to leave but couldn't do anything without my laptop so headed home.  I'm hoping all will be resolved today 'cuz the budget is presented to the board in two weeks (from today!) and I still have quite a bit to get done on that 'project'.  Oh, and today is meetings for most of the morning into the afternoon.

And I will undoubtedly be taken to lunch as the day of my birth is celebrated.  Yep - it's my birthday and I have to say that awakening to Facebook greetings from friends and family far and wide is so fun!  It's like a once a year party of 'hey, you were born!  Way to go!'.

I commence my 54th year on the planet tomorrow - turning 53 is just a number.



Monday, June 03, 2013

Cuatro Semanas

Four weeks from this morning, we will be awakening at the beach....our first morning there so no coffee in the house.  We'll put on our walking clothes and head to Starbucks then trek on foot to the Super Mercado for a 'big shop'.  We will do a big shop probably twice this trip since we're staying for 11 nights.  We'll load up on breakfast and lunch supplies; coffee; treats; beverages of all kinds.  We'll take a cab home 'cuz it's way too much to carry on foot.  We'll unload, fix breakfast and start our first day in Playa del Carmen.

J. and I will sit together at the dining table and plot out our plans while we enjoy strong Mexican coffee and pastries from the bakery.  Mine:  read, sleep, eat too much, drink too much (not too often).  His:  pretty much the same but with some action packed days wedged in.  We've agreed to plan our day trips spread out so there's plenty of 'just vegging' time in between.

Only four weeks.....

I can almost feel the sand between my toes.....

For now, I trek off to work - I worked 29 of 31 days in May and have worked every day in June so far and likely won't be off until close to when we leave the country.

That's the kind of job I have - I have to leave the country to feel like I'm taking a break.

And I'll return to a new boss and God knows what else.

2013-14 is going to be a very interesting year.

But for now, I hold onto the beauty of four weeks from now.  I will get there.  The beach will happen. All that happens from now to then will be survivable and all that happens after will too.


March

I'm starting to think maybe I will just do a monthly post and call it what it is - whatever month we're in.  Here we are winding dow...