What day is it again?

Hi! Remember me? Your friendly neighborhood absentee often lurker/sometime blogger? Yeah, that's me! So, this is my chance to toss something meaningful, deep, spiritual, funny, moving, encouraging, fill-in-the-blank for general web/internet perusal. No pressure. *eep*

So let's get this party started...

Job-type thingy:
Going pretty well, thank you! I like what I'm doing, I'm getting along with MOST people around here (although there are a few people that I just can't seem to get through to with my winning smile and charm - and wouldn't you know it - ALL of them were my first mail deliveries Monday morning - great!) Most people are smiling and greeting me now - some even initiate - whoa! I've found some folks around here that are really kinda cool - like the older gentleman who shares my affinity for Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (no, not the movie - which was AWFUL!) It's such a riot to get an email from him with a quote from Zaphod Beeblebrox as his signature. He's also our resident baker - and Wednesday is cake day! How cool is that!

Allen and I were talking this week about how this work environment is completely different than any other place at which I've worked. There are so MANY people - different cultures, races, and lifestyles - it's AMAZING to me!

Got a call from friend-boss a few days ago and she told me it's the beginning of the end for her at my old company. Yay her! She's had it with mean boss, and isn't all that crazy about new guy, and feels like she doesn't have anyone to turn to since I've left. While I'm sorry about her situation, her comments made me feel kinda good.

Home/Family Stuff:
So far, so good. (I hope I didn't just jinx us...) The kids are behaving (or "being haved" as they used to say) The dogs being pretty good when he can. Allen and I are adjusting fairly well to the new schedule, although we really miss each other on those mornings when he gets home from work. We used to try to take a few minutes and chat, but that doesn't happen anymore.

We're going to see my grandmother this weekend (yay!) and she's insisting on buying school supplies for the boys again this year (double yay!) Can you believe school starts in just a few weeks?! Woot! It's going to be interesting to see how Tyler handles things this year.

So, I got one of those certified letter notifications in the mail the other day. Yikes - what is THAT about?! And then I notice the sender's name - it's my MOTHER! Uh...is she going to sue me for something?! So I call my grandmother who tells me what's in the letter (just papers I should have had a long time ago) I start wondering whether she has included some sort of note. Is she going to tell me about the move, the new house, the new town? I picked up the letter and inside was a smaller envelope containing the documents. And that's it. No letter, not even a stick note explaining her reasoning behind the stuff she's sending me. Sheesh! Her birthday was this week, and yes, I sent a card. Someone asked me if I sent if certified - RIOT! Wish I had - LOL!

Stitching:
Still working on those durned angels. Finished one in pretty quick order last week. (Confidentially, I did a whole lot of stitching while I was at work - shhhh!) I finished it while we were at the "Nothin' But The Blues" Festival this past weekend. I was racing the sunset, trying to get those last few stitches in. Now, on to the next one...I can't wait to finish them so that I can finish up some other WIPs and start on some of the pretties that I've got lying around.

God Stuff:
Isn't God awesome!?!? I've been doing a Bible survey - which, by the way, I've almost finished. Next, I'm looking at doing a chronological study. I've been kind of working on next year's women's retreat - just 'cuz I didn't know what else to do, really. But I've taken a couple of steps back from that, due to some verses I read during my study. Just letting things simmer for awhile, waiting to see if this is what He wants...

...so in a nutshell (watch it!) that's me recently. Hopefully that will hold everyone (all two of my loyal (or really bored) readers) until my next post...

As one of our happy, peppy coworkers signs his emails - "Have an extraordinary day!" Of course, the flaky font he uses makes it look like "Have an extra ordinary day!" LOL...

Tuesday

Well, nothing's going on. At all. Allen has a REALLY bad back this evening, so I'm in the process of calling him in sick for tomorrow. Okay, that's done. So. Yeah. Um...



...oh! I know! I've been really stewing over the situation with the neighbors behind us, and their attitude towards us. I was pondering tonight, wondering what, if anything I could do to improve their opinion of us'ns. But I wanted it to be subtle, so I was thinking baking some cookies and leaving them on the doorstep, or "tagging" them with a RAK, but nothing really jumped out at me. And I am ashamed to confess that it took me an unreasonably long time to think of praying for them.

That's how I guess I operate most of the time: what can I do? instead of God, show me what You want to do.

I'm doing a Bible survey, as I've mentioned previously, and I'm doing it out of The Message. I found a statement of Jesus' that I actually printed out and put up in my cubicle: You can't make your words true by embellishing them with religious lace. Makes me watch how I say things a lot more closely...

Looks like we made it...

Wow - we seem to have survived! Ryan's birthday sleepover, that is...he just kept inviting people, bless his heart. At final tally, we were supposed to have 9 boys in our home last night. However, two were unable to be here, so we ended up with 7 sweaty, smelly, preteen boys funkin' up the living room last night. They didn't stay up too terribly late, but I was not pleased when they were up and laughing before 7am - grrrr...

My co-worker/trainer type person is back. She took some time off when her father died, and then a few weeks later, went on a planned vacation. She was back for a day, and then had finger surgery and was out over the holiday weekend. I've kinda gotten used to doing things my way by now. Not sure how that's going to go over. I feel like I'm taking over her job - which is not good - but it's never been clear to me which duties are hers and which are mine.

Speaking of the ol' jobaroonie - I got audited while she was on vacation. Great. One of the two people that for some reason intimidate me showed up one afternoon and announced rather imperiously that she was here for the bimonthly audit of the floor. *gulp* Um, okay, what do I need to do? And she proceeded to do her thang, as it were. Fortunately, I passed! Woohoo! I mentioned it to my co-worker when she returned, and she was "sorry" she missed it - why do I doubt that?

Off to work on those blasted angels...

Remember me?

Howdy, Blogville! Been awhile, I know. Man, I wish I could blog at work...grrr!
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Anyway...on to bigger and better things! Namely, today my baby hit double digits. That's right. My "Rybie" turns ten today. He has been a sweetheart from day one. Always pretty patient, definitely sensitive and loving, an all-around good kid. He's smart, funny, goofy, handsome (gets that from his father, by the way), and a real giver. God is so good! Sometimes (okay, a lot of times) I am in awe that He trusted us with these two wonderful kids!

Happy Birthday Sweetie!

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Now, back to our regularly scheduled (more or less) newsy bits...

So, my worst nightmare at work happened a few days ago. We have these revolving doors which are activiated by our name badges. You swipe your badge, the door turns like twice and FREEDOM! Well, I swiped my card, stepped into the door thingy, and the door started to turn. And then the door stopped. With me trapped inside, like a hamster without a wheel. You have to understand that I'm pretty claustrophobic, so this was not a great place for me to be. I started motioning frantically to some passersby to swipe their badges. Unfortunately, their grasp of English wasn't great, and I got some uncomfortable smiles and head-shakes. Panic is starting to set in - air running out - daylight fading...*cough* Go on - save yourselves! Actually, the door realized that it needed to spit the crazy woman out of its gullet and spun backwards to let me out. I wouldn't say that our relationship is necessarily adversarial at this point, but we do give one another a pretty wide berth...

I think that's enough for one day...and besides, I have a birthday cake to frost...