Your Life, My Life, A Reminder

This drawing has been hanging in my cubicle since I quit my first real job almost 9 years ago. Many of you will remember that I was in the midst of a personal crisis and quitting that job, while a very uncomfortable proposition, was a necessity. As much as I wanted to stay in my comfort zone, I knew that I had to go. It was the most painful transition of my life.

But as it turned out, quitting that job turned out to be one of the best decisions I ever made. I could never have imagined at the time how well things would turn out for me in terms of my career and my personal life.

I found myself gazing at this drawing this morning and I realized that while I have been staring at it for 9 years, I have stopped seeing it. It is time to move forward, stop looking back and hanging on with desperation to something that is no longer an option. It's uncomfortable and scary, but as in the past, a necessity.

I'm not dead. Here's the short version.

We have been laying people off at work. It has been sucky.

Dave and I have been experiencing some trials and tribulations of late (see secret blog that does not exist yet). We're okay but it's been sucky too.

Saturday we are leaving for a week in Arizona. Much needed for our mental sanity, our relationship, and our pasty white skin.

On a spiritual note, not to be too cheesy but even with all of the above going on, I have felt the most at peace with my life that I have felt in years.

I want to expound on these things, but there is neither the time nor the will right now.

On a lighter note, I finally got my passport and the picture is worse then my drivers license. I look like Fred Flintstone, my head and face take up most of the picture. I'm pretty sure you cannot get a passport picture retaken just because you think you look stupid.

Hmmmm.

I have blogger block.

I have started at least 3 posts in the past week that never got posted.

Our week in a nutshell? My grandma was sick in the hospital, my parents went to Florida and we had to take them to the airport but then they weren't sure they were going because of my grandma, but then they ended up going. She's okay, thankfully.

Sam got in big trouble at school (I feel like I should not say what it was for since it is always possible he knows about my blog and secretly reads it - we do share a computer at home). Then my interfering MIL decided to stick her two cents in which is always the same two cents and basically amounts to that it is never the kid in questions fault and that if we inflict any sort of punishment on him/her we are terrible parents. Blah, blah, blah. Dave told her that it was none of her business and now she won't talk to him. I hate drama so I've just retreated.

I had to be in a class at work on Thursday and Friday and it was a physical effort to actually pay attention to what the instructor was talking about. I found my mind wandering all over the place.

So it's a new week. I am bound and determined that it will be a good week. I only have 2 meetings scheduled so far, Wednesday is April Fools Day (don't forget!) which always brings some sort of fun at work, and I rented The Neverending Story to watch with Becca tonight.

Bastian, call my name!

Smart Shopper Tip

Costco.

Mezzacorona Pinot Grigio

The BIG bottle.

$9.99

You do not need a membership to buy alcohol at Costco. I have never see these big bottles of this wine for less than $15.00 anywhere else and this is the best white wine I have ever had.

Seriously.

It was a rough afternoon at our house.

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

Pulling a "Mandy"

It's a good thing I don't take myself too seriously because yesterday I was scurrying across the office in a big fat hurry to get to a meeting and I came around the corner, caught the heel of my shoe in the cuff of my pants and fell right on my a$$. Knocked myself right out of shoes right in front of our District Manager and a couple of colleagues (all men). They just laughed at me and I laughed at myself. There's a reason my name isn't Grace. It's been a long time since I had such an embarrassing incident, but hey, it's good to be humbled once in a while, right?

Mandy(you have to call her Miranda) knows why I called this "Pulling a Mandy" But I'll leave it up to her if she wants to share that ;)

Blog Hiatus

After a month, I'm sure the four people that read this blog are wondering what the heck happened to me. I wish I could say it has been a relaxing and refreshing month, but that wouldn't be true.

In the true tradition of life, things do not seem to become simpler as time goes by and this most certainly applies to my life. Good things are happening, don't get me wrong. Dave's business is taking off. He's doing so well and I'm so proud of him. But he's been working. A lot. And I'm working. A lot. And I've been thrown into a level of parenting for which I was somewhat unprepared. With a now teenager in the house and an 8 year old who thinks she is a teenager, I've started experiencing some feelings that confused me. Let's say they center around frustration and then guilt. And I lost myself for a few days there. Shut down. Took to my room. Not sure what to do. I had to find my center again. And I did not have the energy or the wherewith all to write about it.

But I am happy to report that I found my center again. I bought a couple books on step-parenting that made me feel so much better. They helped me to realize that a lot of what I have been feeling is normal. Thank God, I'm always quick to think I'm a circus freak and not like anyone else in the world. I talked about it instead of trying to sort it all out myself in my own head. What a journey.

So, I'm back. The kids are at their mom's for the next week giving me a much needed break (it's okay to say that I need a break). I remembered that I'm not going to be perfect, as much as I want to be. I'm meeting up with Val on Friday for our annual trip to Milford Memories. Some new opportunities have revealed themselves in my career. It is beautiful outside today. And I'm back.

Did you miss me?