Retirement

Retirement

After my mom retired, she thought to herself, what in the world am I going to do with all this free time. I told her free time? Are you kidding me? I think you will find plenty of things to do with your life to keep you busy. So, let’s just see how busy you really are now mom…

Well, for starters, she decided to take on the responsibility of helping my family by doing daycare for my son, Austin, which requires a major amount of time. Mom also is involved in Austin’s Monday morning ECFE Classes with Austin, his teachers, and me. Also, Austin and my mom go to school usually on Tuesday and Thursday’s to help get Austin involved and around other children.

Mom, and her "NEW" full time Job, Austin.

She’s apart of our church choir, which meets one time a week on Wednesday nights for practice and then they participate in service at the Sunday service. Mom has been apart of this group for years, and she loves to sing, be apart of the weekly services at church, and likes the people who are in the choir.

She also is apart of an adoration service that is held at church on Tuesday evenings once a week.

With those few things in her life, she told me that she wanted to be more involved with things and the community, and be around other people. Well, wouldn’t you know, her friend Marilyn came to her and asked if she would like to participate in the City of Lakes Chorus group? They are an all women’s chorus. She said, sure, why not. They were having a trial for new members over the Christmas holiday, and those who wanted to participate in the festivities could.

City of Lakes Chours.
(mom 3rd row up, 2nd one on the left)

She attended the practices, which are held on Monday evenings, and found out that she really enjoyed it. After the holidays, she decided that she would try out to see if she could make it into the chorus. It took her 3 tries to finally make it into the group, but she kept up her practicing, and her willingness to keep fighting for something that she wanted to do so badly.

She made it into the chorus this past year, and I was so proud of her. The thing that I think made her keep pushing and making her persistence pay off was that the chorus was going to be apart of the International Competition that was going to be held in Hawaii!

With her joining the chorus, she gets the benefits of being able to participate in the International and Regional competitions. This years International competition was held in Hawaii, which the chorus took 12th place. They were just shy of making it into the top 10 to achieve their goal, and compete the next day, but they did an awesome job at the competition. They were happy with how they placed, and they should be. After all, there were several of groups competing and wanting to get that first place spot.

With her involvement in the chorus, she has been able to meet a lot of nice people, and had been able to travel to Hawaii, and they also perform around the state at different events! Now, I call that one heck of a good deal.

So, with all of these things in her life now, she’s continually busy, and keeps herself involved with many things, people, and places. Don’t you think so?? I do..

The Cube Environment

Right now, I am really disturbed. Why is it that people who work in the cube environment don’t understand the rights of Cube Edict. If you are going to have a conference call, that last more than 5 minutes, why wouldn’t you be reserving a conference room, and having their discussion in there so the whole entire world doesn’t hear what your saying.

Seriously, how difficult is it to schedule a room? It takes me all of 3 minutes to do it, and I don’t think it would take the most illiterate person more than 10 minutes to try and book a room.

While this same annoying person by the name of, let’s call them “Loudy” does this same routine over and over, she sits on the phone and has her discussion, doesn’t seem to realize that they have all the folks throughout the office hearing the whole dam conversation. Not to mention, that she is a disturbance, and hindrance to my work and to everyone else.

Instead of me listening to the whole nonsense conversation about efolio’s, I decided to crank up my tunes, put my head phones on, and enjoy the sweet sounds of music. But, unfortunately, even the music doesn’t cut out the whole ruckus of the conversation.

So in the end, the best thing that I can take away from this is that the annoying “Loudy” made it so I couldn’t work, and gave me an excuse to get out of the office and do some window shopping at Macy's!.

25 random things, facts, habits, or goals about me.

1. I am so grateful to my mom,brother, and father-in-law for providing Brent and I with "Free" daycare services for Austin.

2. I am a Proud Mommy & Wife.

3. I am addicted to watching the Biggest Looser on Tuesday Nights. I am reality junkie.

4. I am a Diet Cola addict. I can drink the stuff like it's water, but yet I have a difficult time drinking enough water throughout the day.

5. I have blond hair, which started to turn to a light brown when I had my son. It seems as though he sucked the blond right out of me. I have blue eyes, wear glasses, and am about 5ft 6 inches tall.

6. I wish I would be more accountable and go to church on every Sunday. I usually am good about going to church on the most important holidays, and events, but getting to church on a weekly basis is difficult for me. Or, maybe I just don't put enough effort into it to accomplish my goal.

7. I am grateful that I have a job, and am getting a pay check with this bad economy. But, with the state at a 5.4 billion dollar deficit I am not sure how much long we all will be employed.

8. I am worried about the future of America and what will be left for my kids.

9. I want to have another child before I am 30 years old. So all of you all out there asking, when are you going to have another, suspect that it will be within the next year or so, OK??

10. I want to stick to my diet plan, and actually loose 20 more pounds.

11. I like to spend time with my hubby and son, and do family activities together. I particularly enjoy being outdoors, and going to the park, or going on long bike rides with them. In the winter, it's harder for us to do things outside, so were trying to come up with new and interesting things to do indoors. So, we watch movies, play games, go to community center playgrounds, or just hang out at home together.

12. I would love to see my Son start to talk before he turns 3. He's getting so close, but the words just aren't popping out of his tiny mouth yet.

13. I am so very blessed to have such wonder people in my life. I could not ask for a better family. Without their support I would not be where I am today in my life. I have such stupendous friends. My great co-workers I work with on a daily basis, they make going to work fun and enjoyable.

14. I wish there were more hours in a day, so I could accomplish all the things I want to do, but never seem to have time to do them all.

15. I like this whole blogging idea. I got introduced to it by my friend and co-worker Lesley. Now, I am not sure what I was doing before without it. Thanks Les!

16. I am thankful for my Mom. Without her, I would not be who I am today. She's shown me more support, love, and dedication to me in my life these last few years, I am honored to say that she's my mom. She's one of a kind, and I would not trade her for anything in the world.

17. I try to Pray each night, and pray with my son before bed time.

18. I have the title of being called the SPP (Solving Problems Princess). The whole reason behind this is that at the office, people always seem to come to me when they have a problem. Lone and behold I always seem to have an answer for their questions, and am able to help resolve their issues. Hence the name of SPP!

19. I like technology, and all the fun things that go with them. I think there is a lot of possibilities out their in life, that we haven't even begun to develop. I am looking forward to the new and interesting things this world can offer me.

20. I am excited to be involved in, and partake in 4 weddings this year. First one is in April, next one in May, then June, and then possibly July.. Talk about NUTS!!

21. I have worked at my current job for 7 years, which has been the longest ever for me. I am one person, and I currently do 3 jobs. I work for 30+ people each and every day, and at times it can be overwhelming. But, rationale is I am never not busy!! I work for MnSCU, and I am getting really tired of the whole "cube" environment. I wish that people who work in this environment, could respect and honor the cube policy.

22. I wish my Hubby, Brent, would be more willing to help around the house, and in life in general. He usually does help, but only when I ask, or have to nudge him to do something. I would love it if he would just do a task without having to be asked.. (Now that would be the life)

23. Is Looking forward to seeing what the new President of the U.S. will do for us in this world.

24. I enjoy pampering myself every so often, and enjoying a relaxing day at the spa to soak up some well deserved "me" time.

25. I wish there was Peace on this earth, and that this war would end.

Weight Watchers

Week 3 at Weight Watchers

Here we are, another Tuesday, and the forever dreadful weigh in days for me at Weight watchers. As I am sitting anxiously at work, waiting for the clock to strike 11:30 a.m so I can be on my way to head off to Weight Watchers.

As I approach the building, I can only recall what I ate this a.m. and hope it doesn’t affect the scale all that much, and I pray that when I step on the scale that it shows I shed some kind of weight loss. As I stand in line, I literally take off all articles of clothing, jewelry, shoes and anything else within reasons, to hopefully help me make a difference on that scale.

I approach that deadly and not so nice scale. Regrettably, I put one foot onto the scale, and then the other one, and I begin to feel a sudden ut-oh feeling in my stomach. But, lone and behold I actually dropped -1.8 pounds this week. SWEET! Thank God, because now I am Free, and I don’t have to pay for this week.

For the overall weight loss program for me so far, I have lost a total of -5lbs, and I am hoping to lose 15 more by April. At this rate, I think it’s something that can possibly be done, as long as I keep putting my mind to it.

I will update you all on next week’s progress. Let’s hope for the best!

Dealing with a child that has Speech and Developemtal issues

Soon after I gave birth to my 1st child, Austin, I thought my life couldn’t be more enjoyable. When I looked at my baby, he was perfect, and who know that there was anything wrong with him, just by looking at him. I thought that he was so precious, and that God had given me the most miraculous gift of all. He was perfect in every way, shape and form and that he didn’t have any problems to worry about. I hoped and prayed that he would grow up just like everyone else, and be a happy and healthy little boy.

Just when I think I have his life figured out, God decides to throw us an obstacle that we have to overcome. Austin was having speech problems, vision problems, and possibly was developmentally delayed along with a slight case of what could possibly be Autism.

To hear those words, just put me into shock and was severely traumatic for me. I didn’t know how to handle it. It was so hard for me to cope with the thought of my son, Austin, having any health problems. I kept pondering the thought of what did I do during my pregnancy to cause him to have this? Was it something I did, was it something my husband did? There were so many thoughts and discussions going on in my mind at the time. I didn’t know where to start or what to do for him, to help him overcome these problems.

I said to myself that I needed to do something about this fast before it gets worse. After reading and hearing so many things that are out there to help my child, I thought where can I start, and how can I get it moving the fastest.

First we got him enrolled with our school district. We are able to have a speech therapist, and a teacher come to our house once a week to work one on one with Austin. We are so blessed to have this service provided to us. It’s been nothing be extremely helpful for me to learn how to handle my child with disabilities, and for him to learn things in different way, and for him to be able to communicate to use through different ways and forms besides just speaking.

Austin’s learned sign language to help him cope with his frustrations, along with slowly progressing his speech. He’s such a determined little boy, who when he puts his mind and focuses on a task, he can complete it with ease. I am so proud of my son. He’s come such a long way over the past 2 years that I thought that we would never get as far as we had from when we started in day 1.

Were also enrolled in the school districts ECFE (Early Childhood Family Education) classes. Brent and I take Austin to school once a week. Were able to interact with other parents, while the kids get to interact and play with each other for about an 1 ½ hrs a week. The programs we have attended have been great, and we love the teachers who are also in attendance at these meetings.

Finally, I am so great full for having such wonderful moral support from my Mom and my Brother. Without them in my world right now, I don’t think I would be where I am today. My Mom has been the rock that has held me through this whole process. She continues to show her support for us by attending our weekly classes, taking him to school and interacting with other kids, along with her involvement with Austin on a daily basis has been a wonderful experience for me to watch, and to see the two of them grow closer day by day, and hour by hour. So Mom and Jeff, I thank you for all you have done for us.

My advice for anyone out there who has a child with a health problem/disability/or anything else that maybe of hindrance in their life, make sure you love them to the fullest, and do everything in your power to provide them with the opportunities to grow, and have every chance to live life they way you would want them to live it.

What's that noise I hear

I had quite the experience last week at the office. There is this one coworker who’s always late coming into the office. They usually arrive around 10:00 a.m. or later. As they make their usual grand entrance, this is followed by a loud thud and lots of typing on their computer. All of a sudden, around 10:30ish I hear this strange noise on the other side of my cube. I wasn’t real sure of what the noise was at first, so I listened again closely. It then started to sound odd like someone was snoring.

Sure enough, I get up out of my chair to investigate what’s on the other side of the wall making that noise, and here it’s the late arrival sprawled out in her chair, head tilt back and SNORING!! I looked at them and though oh my Goodness, you have got to be kidding me!

Of all people, and with coming into the office late, don’t you think you could have gotten enough sleep that day to not be sleeping at your desk? Mercy me!

Where is a manager/supervisor when you need one!!!!

4 weddings in 4 Months, and trying to lose 20lbs

This year is going to be rather busy for me. We have a total of 4 weddings to attend starting in April and they occur once a month for four months, along with me trying to diet and loose 20lbs before the events happen.

The first wedding is going to be in Austin Texas in April. I am really looking forward to this wedding. The people getting married are my Husband’s cousin Tiffany & her soon to be hubby Tanner. I am so grateful to actually be a part of their wedding crew, and I am really looking forward to it, as it should be a very eventful day with nothing but sweet memories.

Next, we have my Brothers best friend Mike & his fiancé Elizabeth who are due for a wedding in May. Mike has been friends with my Brother for over 23 years and still going strong. Mike has been a part of my family, and I consider his a 2^nd brother basically. He would be over all the time at my house when I was younger, and I think those 2 guys spent more time with each other than anyone else I know of.

The 3^rd wedding is for one of our good friends Ryan & Angie who are due for a June wedding. Ryan has been a good friend of ours for years; he has 2 adorable girls from a previous marriage. He’s is now going to be marrying a great person named Angie, and I wish them nothing but love and happiness for the rest of their marriage.

Lastly, we have are final wedding in July or August, I am not sure exactly yet. This one is for my Father –in-Law’s best friend’s child. So, I am not sure on the apprised details, but will be sure to enjoy the wedding!

So, on top off all of this wedding business, I am also trying to lose 20lbs before all of this happens. I have started my diet again through Weight Watchers this month, and I am down 3.4lbs. I hope that I keep being successful with my diet program, and actually stick to my goal, and complete it before April 20, 2009! I will keep you all apprised of how my progress goes, and my success with this goal.

Solving Problems Princess

What the SPP means in my world.

The whole reason behind me putting the SPP next to my name is rather significant for me in my workplace/office environment. I was given the name of SPP by one of my co-workers. They decided that the SPP stands for “Solving Problems Princess”. It was given to me because I seemingly know how to do too much of the “technology important” things at work. If the computers aren’t working, people are having problems with an office program, the printer jams, or just a basic question; I am their “go to” gal to solve their problems.

I think that having this label can be overwhelming at times. People know you know how to do it, so they come to you and just expect that you will know the answers to their questions. That’s not really a bad thing, but I have to be careful just to make sure that people don’t take advantage of me too much. But, I know it happens more often than not, so I just have to deal with it sometimes. (OH WELL!)

All in all, I love helping people, and enjoy getting the benefits of making their lives a little easier. So, I guess having the title of SPP isn’t all that bad.

New to the Blogging world

Well, what can I say, my friend from work, who is the director of Next Generation Technology (Thanks Lesley!) You rock girlfriend!! gave me the ump that I needed to become apart of the blogging world. With being new the Blogging world, it's been interesting to see what the world of technology has available for me to use. So, for those of you reading my blog, it may take me some time to get used to this whole new world, so bare with me. I will post things as I am able to, and I hope you enjoy reading my blog..

Great Gas deal, and a Coupon Bonus as well!

Here I am, driving home from work last night, and I realized that down by my work the gas prices were down to $1.79 a gallon. With that price I thought I better stop and get gas as I was running on empty. But, of course I was like nah, I will make it home with this tank, and I didn't stop for the gas. So, as I am pulling up the ramp off the freeway by my house, I saw that the prices are $1.89. I though, ah crap, I should have gotten the gas in the cities, so I guess I will wait till tomorrow to get it.

So, today, as I was going into work I stopped at the gas station before I headed into the office. I decided that I would go to the Holiday station, since I had my coupons from cub as well. So, as I drove up and filled the pacifica with the fuel, I looked up and noticed that they were offering a free $10.00 coupon to CUB with a 12 gallon purchase. So, of course I needed at least 12 gallons to fill up the big bertha, as she's a gas guzzler. So, I said "SCORE!!"When I went into pay, I saved a total of $3.00 off my total bill, and in return I get a $10.00 coupon to cub.

So, all in all I had a great money saving experience, and I now get to go shopping at cub with a free $10.00. I love it when those days happen where you get a free deal..