TMI, but bare with me...

I had a great interview on Thursday. It was so good that, immediately after, I was asked to come back on Monday morning for a second interview. I had to turn that time down. It was too short a notice and she said it was the only time. I had an important meeting scheduled with my current job at the same time. I hope the company I interviewed with will have a heart and realize I would be an asset and call me back. We shall see. Yet, Thursday was, still, a good day.

Later that evening I went to my oldest son's basketball practice. When it was over my husband ( he was already there because he is the coach) walks up to me and gets ready to speak but looks at me strange and says "Look at the big hickey on your neck! Looks like someone thumped you on your neck!"

WTH?!?!

I felt like a teenager coming home from a school basketball game, whose mother just confronted her about where she'd really been and who with because the evidence was all over her neck (disclaimer: this never happened to me.....)

Well, I go to the bathroom and there it is.

(the picture does not do it justice which is good because I don't want you guys to think differently of me)

Yep, my husband put a nice one on my neck and I interviewed with it stamped on my neck, "You had a good time before you came to this interview!"

I am so embarrassed because I hope to schedule a another interview with this company. I don't guess my impression was too bad because they did want me to come back but I am still embarrassed, nonetheless. (Just not too embarrassed to post about it, ha ha!)

Random thoughts on a Wednesday

* My husband gave me a surprise birthday party this past Saturday. I didn't see it coming! When I get pictures I will be sure to share.

* I was sick this past weekend. I was probably sick at the party. Being sick seriously sucks.

* The heater in my office is broken. That sucks, too.

* Tiger Woods is now a CHEAT-AH! (LOL! I read that one on facebook.)

* My son's glasses have been broken 5 times in the last thirty days. Thank goodness we got the warranty.

* I don't have any little girls but I am excited about Disney's The Princess and the Frog. I may get my oldest niece to go with me.

* I had a job interview yesterday. I have another job interview with a different company on Thursday and another on Monday. None of them are making me jump out of my seat but I am thankful.

* I love free lunch at work.

*I want to redesign my blog but don't know how. Anybody willing to do it for free? I will give yo kudos for life!

* I know I never posted pictures of my newly uncluttered house but that is because it got worse. Sorry, those pictures may or may not come at a later date. I'm a slacker.

* I have yet to decorate our Christmas tree but it has already been knocked over 3 times. KIDS!

This Christmas

I'm finally in the Christmas Spirit. All it takes is a little Urban Holiday Yahoo Music and I am there. I'm still trying to find my family some PJ's we can all wear them on Christmas Eve and Christmas morning. We'll see if my husband goes for it. My kids and I have made semi-homemade Christmas ornaments with materials we found at Michael's. I helped with each but mostly they crafted all by themselves...well my eight year old did. We plan to make more on tomorrow night.

Here is my oldest's ornament:



Here is the little one's:




I am so glad to have found the Christmas Spirit because the job front is so up in the air right now and I was little down. It looks like I will have a paycheck in 2010 but not sure if I will be at my current office or in a different office. I am not sure if I will take a pay cut or not. All the instability was driving me crazy......until Urban Holiday Yahoo Music found me.

I love Christmas music. I can listen to it all day everyday during this season. My favorite Christmas song is This Christmas by Donnie Hathaway. I've posted it below for you all to enjoy. Happy Holidays!



What is your favorite Christmas song?

Welcome Year 30--Bring It On!

Yesterday was my birthday. I entered the 30 thirty club. I had no revelations about life nor did fall over into a depressed state. I simply received the birthday love and appreciated being here another year.

I had spoken to my mom the night before and she asked me if I had any bad feelings about turning 30 years old. I drew a blank. But, later I did start to think about the past thirty years and what I had accomplished. Of course, like most people I had dreams that changed as my life changed but I did accomplish most of them. I haven't had many goals set since college. So here are the new goals for the next 5 years of my life:

1.) Run a marathon (I have been slacking on the running.)
2.) Finish my master's degree (This has been in progress since 2007-I'm back at it)
3.) Go to law school (This is new and strange to me--more about this later)
4.) Have another child (Does this sound crazy or what considering #2 and #3)
5.) Write a book (life long dream)
6.) Go to an Oprah Show taping (I better hurry up on this one!)

There they are, out there in the blogosphere for all to judge. Maybe, I will set new goals after another five years has passed.

I did receive lots of phone calls at work, on my cell, and facebook was off the chain. I loved it!

Want to know what my smooth husband did for me?

He bought me this!







After what happened with the last one, he told me he would not buy another one.

Awwwww.......he loves me.

Life Changes Ahead

Recently my son's daycare upruptly closed. It was hard on my husband and I, however we were already dragging our feet looking for new daycare/preschool, anyway. The series of events went like this:

*it rained on a Thursday evening,
*received a call on Friday morning about temporary shut down for a day - flood damage
*Received another call about closing for Monday and Tuesday
*Tuesday around lunch time I received the final call-We're closing indefinitely

OH, SHITTAKE!

I cannot tell you what is like to have your childcare snathced right out from under you but it leaves you with a feeling of inadequacey, urgency, and pure frenzy that makes you feel like you were the picture beside the word "chaos" in the dictionary. I took off Wednesday to search all around Central Arkansas for adequate childcare for my wild three year old, who needed some structure but a loving and caring environment that would allow his creativity to stay active.

I know I acted like I was looking for Mother Goose, herself. Let me tell you -- I didn't find her.

What I did find was a VERY structured preschool in a Christian environment with PATIETNT teachers. It is a predominently black school which was a sort of turn off for me because I am all about diversity. I wavered with that for a while, but then realized that it doesn't matter what the make up of his school is as long as it is a good one.

I was scared for him but, I am glad in my decision. I didn't have very many options but glad this option was made available to me. I was nervous for him on his first day. I was worried his potty training may lasp. I was fretful he would be scared and mad at me and his dad because we took him to a strange place and left him.

I picked him up and he was fine. He was more than fine -- he was sitting in a chair watching the Disney Channel with the other children awaiting their parents to pick them up. At the old place he would be running around and helping some other child cause havoc on the teacher.

Sometimes things happen to make us move faster. I am in love with my son's new preschool and since his two weeks there he has already participated in his first Thanksgiving program and family day.

He is the one in the middle (orange shirt) hugging himself while singing the chorus to Jesus loves me.


I am not sure if I have mentioned that my job will run its course on December 31st and therefore, I will be amongst the growing number of the unemployed. At first, I was looking forward to it but, now I am nervous, all over again. I used to want to be a stay at home mom but I have since changed my mind. I have been given a lot of great advice about how to stay "in the game" even though I am not working. I am so thankful for the advice I have been given and some of it will be used in the near future. I am thankful that my husband's business is doing well but there is no doubt about it -- my salary wil be greatly missed. I am pressing on and still have a few options but I have to be honest and say I am lost and unsure of my career's future. I don't know what is next. I love work. I want to work. I do have some ideas that I have tossed around to very few people, but nothing is etched in stone.

Then, as if I needed more life changes -- Oprah announced she was hanging up daytime talk. She doesn't know this but she helped me through those unsure months after college. I had no job, a toddler, and mounting school debt, yet, Oprah saw me through. I TiVo her everyday. She is my friend that I've never met. As I watched her announcement on Friday evening when I arrived home, I choked up with her. It felt like a break-up. You know, the whole "...it's not you, it's me..." routine. How could she do this to me?

So, in the words of an ex-girlfriend who doesn't want to let go:
PLEASE DON'T GO, OPRAH! I NEED YOU!

I'm BACK!

I have not actually been taking a break. I have really missed blogging but my laptop broke after my self pity party. I plan to buy another one in December so my post may be a bit random until then because I am blogging from work. In the mean time, I have posted some pictures of what has been going in my world.


We said good bye to this little dude and graduated to the porcelain god who we have been treating with the ut-most respect.


I went to D.C. for my job and enjoyed it, as I do everytime I go.


I ate at this restaurant while I was there. It was delicious!


They had the coolest credit card swipe machine that the waiter brought to the table. No identity theft going on there. The waiter thought I was crazy for taking this picture. I know, I don't get out much!



My kids and I hiked this mountain. My legs hurt for days! It was great time with the kids though! We are bring the hubs next time.


Here is a shot on the way down. Everyone was grouchy and hungry by this time and had bad bug bites. We'll be better prepared the next time.


Oh, the Pumpkin Patch--it was wet and muddy! But, we came prepared.


I got these cute boots for the trip. I should have taken a picture of his because they were cute, too!


It has been college football season in Arkansas and everywhere you go there is a Razorback icon. Two things we love in Arkansas: Wal-Mart and the Arkansas Razorbacks. Wooooo! Pig Sooie!


I shopped at a great consignment sale. I will never buy my kids new school uniforms again!


We started the school year off right. Took a coouple of weeks for me, the teacher and him to get on the same page but there is evidence we actually go it together. Look out Sasha Obama--I am getting him right for you. I promise I won't turn him over until he is well prepared.



Last but not least--someone had a birthday and sadly all we did was take this picture. :( I know, I should be ashamed. Next year, it will be on and popping!


In the mean time, please don't give up on me. I love blogging and I am a blogger! I will be back at your blogs as well. Let the comments begin!

Go ahead.....post your thoughts....


Right there below this post.


Yes...there.

Thank you!

BLANK

NO. MOTIVATION. TO. BLOG. WHATSOEVER.

HELP.