Noticably Absent

Johnnie is right... I totally called him out on being absent and I have been AWOL lately. Sorry about that. Things have been a little busy around here... my new job has had me stressed out for the past 2 weeks. It was a rough start and I am still lost and confused but things are getting better. I am starting to understand the concept of my job and where I fit in which is a remarkable change from the first week.

Things around the homestead are up and down and everywhere in between... do you want the good news or the bad news first? Ok, bad news it is....

Adam's beloved Grammy died this past week. Grammy was Adam's moms mom... and she died on March 6, 2007... three years to the day that Adam's brother Ryan died. Yeah, its been a rough week. Adam's mom is doing well considering although I firmly believe that losing your mother at any age is a traumatic experience. We are heading to H-town tomorrow for the funeral services and reception type event. The family is really trying to celebrate Grammy's life because she had a good long one. And this I know... she leaves behind a wealth of love and family... what I consider to be a mark of a good life.

The good news is that Adam is working FT earning a salary with a lawyer that he has been working with for the past few months! He earns a base salary with the ability of earning more depending on cases he brings in, work that he does around the office, cases that are doing well, ect... It's a GREAT opportunity for us because we finally have a sense of security and the ability to make a concrete financial plan plus Adam gets to learn from someone that he really likes and respects and in turn he is liked and respected by his boss. It's really the best of both worlds!

Actually funny story about the boss... lets call him HL. Adam did work for an attorney named CJ... when the work was done, CJ passed Adam's name and number to a friend of his named HL. Adam was telling me about this in the car one day and mentioned his first name... I thought for a moment and asked if ______ was his last name... Adam looked at me dumbfounded... it was. As it turns out I lived next door to HL for a few years as a child. I actually babysat his children a few times. Such an incredibly small world! Anyway the rest of the story goes as follows... HL and Adam spoke but nothing really came of it... HL suffered some loss in his life and was very busy with business so the timing wasn't great. Fast forward one year of Adam going place to place, working for many different lawyers. HL calls Adam out of the blue and offers him some work... of which Adam has been doing for the past several months. A few months ago they start talking about this arrangement and then on Thursday HL brings it up and Adam started Monday.

It's been a wild ride but it feels good where we are.

Oh and remember all that lame talk about me going through my moms clothes... how I want to always do it but I never do. I did it today!!! I still have 3 bins left but I have gone through 10 bins of my mothers clothing and separated them into pieces for the quilt, pieces to give away, pieces to throw away and a not sure pile. And get this... my give away pile is large... much larger than I would have expected. Apparently I was ready to do this! More to come on that because this is only the first step... next I actually have to drop off the clothes at a donation center... there may be tears involved in that step ;~) But I am this far and that makes me happy ;~)

Oh and Maverick, my dad and his girlfriend's ever loving Shiba Inu is back to stay with us for the week! It promises to be a fun time!

1st Day on the Job

So today was my first day... All in all, it was a good day. It is a lot of information all at once which was a tad overwhelming. Not to mention the idea of learning an entirely new process... equally as overwhelming. However, I am looking forward to that day a few weeks (or months) where it clicks and I start to know my job and where I fit in.

One good thing is that there are already friendly faces in the office. The day of my interview, Danielle took me to lunch with a couple of the girls that work there... Angie and Amber. Seeing them in the halls today and then Angie stopping by to chat at my cube was so nice. It REALLY helps to not feel so alone.

Oh and get this... my new boss, Q... the one I was so excited about working for because I have heard nothing but great things about him... yeah, he has a new job with the parent company so his last day is in 2 weeks. How is that for job karma! ;~)

Thanks for all the prayers and well wishes, I definitely needed it!

Last Day...

So today was my last day at Ad.com! It was interesting to walk away for the last time. I have been there for almost 4 years and this really was my first 'grown up' job. I did have good times there and they did afford me opportunity that most companies wouldn't have. Things may have deteriorated lately but in a way, I am glad they did. It made me get off my butt and see what I am actually worth and what I have the potential for ($$ wise and person wise).

I was sad to leave some of the people... Nancy has been my best friend there for 4 years... I started working with her and we never lost that friendship even when I moved on to the Legal department (which makes me believe we will be friends even after I leave the company ;~)... KMR made my job bearable (as much as she could) in the last year... I would have gone crazy without her! Suzy always being the ever stylish sweet considerate AM... I am going to miss her smile and Legal cheer (oh there was a cheer), Kelly... I still remember when you came for your interview and I talked to Casey about you! I am so glad he made the choice he did... he couldn't have picked a better person and I loved working with you! Beth... So sweet and always so pleasant to be around. I will miss your great attitude and fun commentary! I gotta say... John C. We only worked together for a short time but wow... you are one lovable and huggable guy. I see great things for you... I hope I get to watch them come true. There are so many more people that I will miss tremendously... I can't begin to mention them all... well I did begin to mention them... I just can't end to mention them.

But in the end... I have to leave these people that I spend everyday all day with and that's life. Overall I am happy and excited. I am really looking forward to starting something new.

The only other sadness that I have about leaving is that I had a message from my mom (yes, over 2 1/2 years old) that I never erased from my voicemail. I didn't listen to it today (or even recently for that matter) but it doesn't matter... I know what it said and sounded like. It was her calling to ask me to pick up somethying on the way home from work. She was asking and as she was asking she started crying. She was so tired and in so much pain that she just started crying and lamenting about being so sick. And I kept it all these years. It was a safety net I guess... that and obviously I hate throwing things away (13 bins of her clothing, don't forget) but it was her and her voice and I have to give that up in order to quit. That over everything affected me the most. But I can't stay at a job just because my moms voice is on a machine. I am moving on and I know she would want this for me. (No one needs to agree with me about this... I already know its true... thanks though)

I have a few days off of which I hope to accomplish something other than complete laziness but we'll see... A few of things on the agenda are: scrapbooking, spending my JoAnns (thanks Nancy, Beth and Heidi!) giftcard, spending my DSW giftcard, going through my mom's clothes (been on the list for a VERY long time), talking to a financial planner and all sorts of other stuff that is difficult to do when you are working FT. I will let everyone know how it goes! Now I am off to get a goodnight sleep so I can properly enjoy the next 5 days off ;~)

It's a dog's life!

Adam and I are babysitting my dad and Stacie's new dog, Maverick (aka Mozilla, Mo, MavvyMo, ect...) and here is how he and Riley are spending the day...





What a great life!

TidePoint Security Sucks

It's wintery weather outside... not great conditions for driving home so I got the ok to leave at 4 instead of 5.

Imagine my surprise when I walk outside and my new Jeep is not where I parked it... I will give you time... I am going to let that sink in...

Almost immediately my mind goes to it being towed... which I am thankful for because it didn't leave me much time to dwell on the possibility that my Jeep was stolen. I locate the nearest sign through my tears and call the number. Sure enough they have an 03 Jeep that was towed from TidePoint. Fantastic.

I call Adam in hysterics now. I have no idea how I am supposed to get to the impound lot from Ad.com in this snowy wonderland that is getting worse by the minute. I cry myself back to the office and find the closest facilities person.

I plead to know what happened. They don't know but in the meantime Adam calls the impound lot and finds out that the towing company was called by the crack Security squad here at TidePoint. Apparently they are now towing the cars that don't park in front of a cement block (marking the spot)... which is news to me because people have been parking in those 'spots' as long as I can remember.

Whatever... I ask to talk to aforementioned security guard and... well lets just say I don't think we will be BFF's anytime soon. I not so politely asked why wasn't I informed that they were going to tow my Jeep (a common practice at TidePoint) and why he would call it in today of all days... the roads are terrible, everyone has known this storm was coming... why would you purposefully strand someone on a day like today. No good answers came of that.

Luckily someone from our facilities department offered and insisted on giving me a ride to the impound lot (no matter how many times I write that, it still doesn't sink in) and I was able to free my Jeep.

$250 cash... parking for a day.

Big news...

Hold onto your hats everyone... I got a new job! Holy cow, can that be right? I am leaving Ad.com and actually moving on? Amazing.

I am terrified of rejection... yeah, yeah, I know no one likes rejection but I am down right petrified of it. So much so that it kept me stagnant for a very long time. It didn't matter that the bad days outweighed the good or that I spent more time in tears than not or that I spent 9 hours a day wishing that it were 5 o'clock. Calculate that... thats a lot of my life that I wished away... that's just sad.

Nope... it was more like a battered woman's mentality... I held out for the place that I once loved or just waited for the occasional good day... just praying that I would see a dog walk around the corner and greet me*. But as it has to happen, things never went back to the way they were. Gone is the company that I knew and loved and thus, just one of the reasons for my departure. Not that overall it isn't a great place... I would still recommend it to people looking for employment (maybe not my job ;~). They really do attempt to keep a fun young atmosphere and that is pretty awesome. Just too many things changed for me.
*The former owners used to bring their dogs into work almost everyday.

The turning point (although I had already been active in getting this job for a little while) was when my accomplishments were credited to someone else for an award handed out at the company meeting. Not that I wanted the award, please don't think that... I was already on my way out mentally so an award was not even on my radar. But to think that my job and my processes were being ascribed to someone else... it tore my heart out. I cried for hours after the meeting and I cried more when I came home. What more worthless of a feeling can you have to think that you haven't made a difference. It sucked. And it was enough for me. I knew I needed to leave.

So that leads me to my new job. I will be working for a contractor for the government where there is plenty of room for growth and advancement. I am really looking forward to this opportunity. I want to reinvent myself a little... meet new people... actually try and excel in the world instead of being comfortable in my own mediocrity.

It's been a long application process and I want to thank Danielle for all her urging and persistence. She is definitely my job guru. Believe me when I say, this would not have happened without you.

Ho Hummm

So life is plugging along. As always, there are bumps but I am just trying to keep them at bay.

I don't really have a lot to write about right now... just wanted to check in.

Oh and FYI... the last post is a line from The Office that I found hysterical. After I posted I had the thought that people could take it in the wrong way ;~) It's all about The Office... totally need to see Jim and Pam get together! I need to get out more.

Good Advice

Secret Secrets are no fun.
Secret Secrets hurt someone.

Wow... has it been this long?

I can't believe its been this long since I posted. Rest assured, I am still alive and kicking. Actually we are doing pretty well. There are all sorts of things bubbling under the surface as well as crazy exciting things that have happened already...

One big thing... we made the bold step and traded in the hunk of junk 98 Jeep for a.... wait for it... yep, an 03 Jeep. Sue us, we like the brand ;~) It really is the best bang for our buck and we got a great deal on a sweet one. As you all know, the 98 was basically on its way to the scrap heap anyway. I gotta tell ya, I feel a LOT more secure now ;~)



Also... Adam's business is going well. He is busier than ever and it seems like he gets more and more stuff everyday... soon sleeping will have to be an luxury for him. Seriously though... it is fun to watch someone love what they do. Even on his worst day, he is still doing the job that he set out to do. Pretty amazing... I love my husband ;~)
As for me... I am enjoying 2007... We had Jaime and Craig over for dinner recently... we played a rousing game of MadGab which if you have not played... crawl out from under the rock and get the game. Ask Danielle, she cried when Josh and Heather gave it to her for her birthday ;~)

We also had Rose and Nick over for dinner, very recently, like this past weekend. Impressive considering Rose had surgery the week prior. My fave part... meeting Nick... very cool, kick a$$ guy... I like him A LOT! Go on with your bad self Rose ;~)

I am making plans to meet up with Vicki... going to dinner at my dad's tomorrow... super bowl Sunday is approaching (I go for the friendship, not the football)... man life is busy!

More to come!

75 degrees in January

So we decided that we needed to get out and enjoy the beautiful weather so we played ultimate frisbee! Here are some pictures of that...











Ok... I swear we did play some ultimate frisbee but goofing off and taking pictures definitely became the focus!

Update on Baby G

Got a few more pictures of Baby G... she is one cute little peanut!


Love the hair! What a moptop!


Baby G with her older brother N


Baby G getting some love from Cousin Adam ~

Pictures from Christmas

Picture taken with Adam's new Canon Powershot SD 800. It has a feature that lets you choose just one color and the rest comes out black and white. Technology! What will they think of next!


I (we) got a new vacuum cleaner! I am so super stoked! Ours was seriously on its last leg!


Adam finally got his french press... this has been an on going request for at least a year if not more!

Prayers are requested...

A friend from our bible studys mom, dad and brother were in a car accident on Christmas Day. Her mom and brother didn't survive and her father is on life support.

Please pray for them.

Oh and BTW

We are home safe! We got back yesterday and the trip home was uneventful... did some errands during the day and then went to an outreach program at our church! What fun that was... got to bring Christmas and the message to some awesome kids and their parents ;~)

I went into work today and there were , drum roll please... 817 unread emails... that has to be a record! Today was not a happy day before the beginning of Christmas... pushy sales and fragile Jessica do not a good combo make. I limped and struggled through the day and now... it's time to put it out of my mind. Time to enjoy life. I will worry about the 40 some odd outstanding contracts that need to be taken care on Tuesday ;~)

Hope everyone's Christmas season is going well!

Just a bit of good news

From Milwaukee

Things are going well out here... the service for Adam's grandmother was today and it was very nice. Afterwards we went to a great Italian restaurant nearby and then onto Lee's house (one of Adam's cousins).

There are so many G's out here! Never thought I would see so many but Adam's dad has 6 brothers and sisters so there is a lot of family. It was very nice and I am glad I got to meet this side of the family, maybe next time it will be under better circumstances.

A bit of good news.... KMR (my cool supervisor) called me this morning to let me know that our parent company is putting money back into Ad.com so everyone is getting a bonus! Now I am not retiring or anything but it is a good amount and it will definitely carry us into Jan easily.

It always happens that way... just as I start to think that God has all but abandoned Adam and I, he comes through with a solution... and it is always one that my little pea brain couldn't possibly think of. You would think I would learn ;~) Anyway, I am very thankful and I will make an effort to remember this next time!

Here are some pictures from Wisconsin ~


Waiting for the rent a car in the Milwaukee airport


Adam and his dad in the hotel


Adam big pimpin the Yukon that his dad rented!

Hello All

Sorry I have been absent... Adam and I are flying to Wisconsin today for his grandmothers funeral. We found out Saturday that she passed away and his dad has made all the arrangements to have us go out there for the funeral. Needless to say, this has put a damper on the holiday season... not to mention a funeral for a friends mom that we attended last week.

With all that going on Adam and I have been under some financial struggle lately and everything is really getting to us. Please keep us in your prayers as we are quickly being overwhelmed.

Thanks all.

Celebration!

We are getting a new fridge! and we aren't even paying for it! Our landlord stopped by today to take a look at the fridge that does not cool or freeze anything and he agreed... a new fridge we must have!

Let me tell you, we have hated that fridge since the day we moved in!

He is ordering it and it should arrive on Saturday* morning!

Merry Christmas to us!

*This day has actually been moved to Monday morning but I am still equally as excited!

Tonight at Bible Study

Tonight at bible study Pat challenged us to think of one way we feel led to show God's glory in everyday life. (This stems from John 17:4 ;~)

I have 2...

1. Spend at least 10 minutes a day in the Word/Prayer... I am starting off small because I need the victory (as Sarah said... I just want my words to NOT be discouraging... I will deal with them being encouraging at a later time ;~) I feel the same way... baby steps.

2. Make a phone call to a friend that I have been putting off for some time. It has been on my heart to deal with this issue and face it head on and I think through facing this, God's glory will be reflected. It's hard to explain it out here (which obviously I don't want to do) so you will have to trust me on this one ;~)

What I didn't know was that we would share what we wrote down and be held accountable... don't get me wrong... I feel very comfortable sharing pretty much anything I would have written down... it's the accountable part! I have to follow through on this now! Yikes! Now I know what Adam went through when he asked the bible study to pray with him for the ability to quit smoking (he has been smoke free for over 2 months... YAY hubby!)

So since the bible study knows and is holding me accountable... I figured why not throw it out there to the blogosphere! So there you go. Those are my goals. Here goes nothing ;~)

Latest on the street

I can't think of anything to write... so I will put up a picture or 2...

Here are the 'girls'... everyone reading this knows Danielle and I and the newest addition is Heather!














Adam and I went to get a Christmas tree...



















Ha! We didn't actually buy this tree but wow... can you imagine?



















This is our tree (and Heather... can you see her?? She blends in with the tree!)















And Christmas isn't complete without a Christmas Beagle....