It's WAY too quiet around here...

I've been throwing out my resume here and there and not really expecting any rapid responses, considering the state of the unemployment rate.  However, Wednesday I received a phone call and two hours after speaking with the recruiter, I was sitting in a conference room with the CEO of the company.  The company is a large-format printer manufacturing company based in Shanghai, and the CEO is a woman.  Which in and of itself is amazing, but when you consider that she is a woman in Shanghai, with a successful company that is about to go IPO in China, that's incredible, and admirable.

During the interview, we hit it off quite well.  It was a little challenging with the language (although her English is great, there's still that accent and the differentiation in inflection that can sometimes throw you off), but I think I did well.  And then it hit me.  She just offered me the job.  Right here, at the interview.  Holy crap!  I let her know I had to talk with my husband.  She asked me to call her that night.  I explained that I had a lot of upcoming commitments and she had no problem with that, or with the fact that I have two children I need to take care of.

Wednesday night we flew the kids to Arizona to drop them off with Memaw and Papaw, and turned around and flew back home in the space of about 4 hours.  We fly for free, and it was cheaper than paying the UM fee.

Yesterday morning, while sitting and drinking my coffee and doing various things around the house, it almost caught me off guard as I thought, 'Gee, my kids are sleeping in really....oh.  Whoops!'  Yep, it had momentarily slipped my mind that they are in Arizona.  We've had them home since December of 2010 and in that time, we haven't had any extended time together alone, without them, since then.  Let me rephrase - Chris and I haven't had any alone adult time outside of a dinner date or two since December of 2010, or roughly 20 months. That's not to say we are resentful, or angry about our choice.  This was our choice, and we embrace it gladly.  It's just that the reality of not having to make lunches, or fix snacks, or approve television shows, or do laundry, or clean up messes, or referee fights, or listen to tweenage drama, or talk about disgusting boy things really hit me yesterday.

My Wyatt is a talker.  He will talk from the time he wakes up until that noggin of his hits the pillow at night.  He will talk about anything.  He will give you a play-by-play of what just happened 2.7 seconds ago, even if it was YOU who was doing it.  He will be in the middle of a conversation with you and then suddenly switch lanes and be off on another tangent.  I've gotten used to it, staying home with them over the past ten months, but my poor husband has not.  And Wyatt LOVES his daddy.  So when he has daddy's undivided (or even sometimes divided) attention, he's off!!  Chris will sometimes look at me and I just laugh.  Welcome to my world, buddy!!

So to sit in an empty house, with just the sounds of the pool filter and the air conditioners running, is weird.  I'm grateful that my kids have this opportunity to spend some time with Memaw and Papaw.  I'm grateful that they are active and willing participants in my children's lives.  I'm grateful that they love them, and always have, without hesitation, since the day we learned we were bringing them home.  Adoption is not only tough on parents, who most certainly struggle with 'what if I don't love them like I would my own biological children', but it can be equally hard on grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and even existing siblings.  I have to say that our families have shown nothing but love for my kids, and for that I'm thankful.

Oh, and that job offer up there? I accepted and signed the official offer yesterday.  My carefree days as an unemployed SAHM are over.  Another thing I am grateful for is children who are old enough to come home after school and hang out for an hour and a half.  And that we live in a neighborhood full of children that my kids have already met and started playing with.  And the bus system.  That's a plus as well!

Staying home with them over the last ten months was great, but it's time for this mama to go back to work.  I'm not going to get into the debate of the SAHM vs. the WOHM, because quite honestly, it's not worth it.  Everyone does what is best for their families.  I did what was best for my family in California, and now I'm doing what is best for our family in Nevada.

Now if I could just convince my in-laws to move up here...

One Week Away

We are one week away from our committee hearing. And I can barely stand it.

I have no clue what state I will be in on Tuesday, but let's just say that one of my co-workers graciously rescheduled a meeting we had set for that day where I have to present the first draft of next year's budget, and report on this year's YTD numbers.

She gets me.

So currently at work I am frantically trying to get as much 'thinking' work done as possible so that when right about 1:00 on Monday hits, I can lose my mind.

Yep. Good times.

Horrible.

Me. Horrible. I can't even keep up the tiny bitty committment that I made to post to this thing once a week.

I have a good reason. I do. I just can't share it with the world proper for a few more weeks. No, I'm not pregnant. That chapter is closed.

We're settled into our new house and I absolutely LOVE my home. Really. I think out of all of the places we've lived and owned, this one is by far my absolute favorite. It used to be my 1958 little Connecticut house. But this 1969 split level with a walk out basement is doing it for me. I've lived in a brand new home that we built from the ground up and I am convinced after this purchase that I love old homes. I have a thing for them. They have character, and they're built WELL. I can't ever see myself buying new again, unless Chris and I win the lottery and build our dream home. At which time I will make SURE that it is built well.

We went to Home Depot and bought a raised cedar planter box last week so I could plant tomatoes, sugar snap peas, red and yellow bell peppers, cilantro (I could eat that stuff STRAIGHT off the stem!) and basil. I also bought two blueberry bushes. And now I'm reading that I most likely will not have fruit for 3-4 years! Whoops!

My mom and my sister have birthdays coming up this Sunday. Yes, both of them. On one day. I think they're both going to be 21.

And I have a baby shower to attend this Saturday. It seems everyone around me is getting pregnant. Almost like I am being tested. But as much as it may 'sting' for a minute, I'm ok. I'm happy for my friends, I really am.

And that's all I have. It's Friday and I am going home at 3.

Tax Craziness and New Ventures

It's tax season. Which means that I am not only hungover from the Holiday Season and moving, and all that came with that, but now I actually have to concentrate. I feel sorry for my CPA, he asks me things and I just look at him like I've never heard of a Form 990 or Prepaid Expenses.

Awesome.

On another front, I've decided to start doing a little venturing out on my own. I've put it out there that I am taking on contract bookkeeping gigs. I know, I just said that I have no clue about prepaids and why I have to book them, and I want to take care of other people's finances. HA! I'm kidding! I totally know what I'm doing.

No, really, I do. Quit laughing.

So I've made up business cards, and a flyer, and put together my business resume.

And I've signed my first client!

Awesome!

I've really been loving our new home. Chris and I have been working really hard to make it ours. We've made great choices in furniture, window treatments, and accessories. I know, I seriously have to get some pictures up here. It's hard for me sometimes when I am at home to decide which living room I want to sit in. The upstairs is our formal living, but has my "super chair" - an oversized, overstuffed armchair, with ottoman. I love that chair. The downstairs is our family room - and boasts a large down-filled sectional that is just plush.

My bedroom has become a literal sanctuary, and sometimes I like to lay in bed and watch TV in there, or read.

And that's all I really have this week. Some seriously random thoughts, but with substance, right?

Keeping my promise - once a week!

95% Stuck on Stupid

I have literally had my ass handed to me for the last two days. Handed. To me. And it's only Tuesday. Sweet Mary.

I won't go into too much detail, but let's just say that 95% of the world is stuck on stupid these past few days.

In related news, I went rafting down the Deschutes with some friends this weekend and what a blast!! I did manage to wrench my shoulder riding the bull through a couple of the falls, and I also brought home a nice sized bruise on my calf, but overall it was a fun weekend.

I'm sitting here vegging watching the Olympics, thanks to that wonder we call TiVo! Only mine is just a DVR. Love it!

Have a great week! I know I'm trying!

Merrily We Go Round

Two days into my new job, my assistant decides to tell me she is interviewing for the state of Oregon. This makes complete sense to me, and let me tell you why. She graduated Magna Cum Laude from OSU, with a degree in Economics. And here she sits, making slave wage, being my assistant. I've got to hand it to the girl, she needs to use that head of hers. So she is.

She just walked in here, and told me she got the job. I was the first person she told, but **shhh** don't tell her husband. She wanted to call her mom after she told me, but I advised her to call her hubby first. She came back in blushing and thanked me for the good advice, because he really appreciated the first call.

I said first call. She didn't call me, she walked over and told me. So he was the first call. Stop looking at me like that.

So now I have to recruit, interview and hire another assistant. In 11 days. Oh, she's giving me until the 28th, but see, I am going to be on a little vacation from the 21st to the 28th. So with the holiday, that takes about 6 interview days out of the equation. And besides, I want to hire someone soon so she can train them. And then there's the little matter of moving some people around, because I want the new person to be at the front desk. It's beyond stressful.

I know, I know, I bought, closed, and moved into a house in 12 days when we lived in CT. A-ha you say? Yes, but that's ALL I did for those 12 days: inspections, appraisals, attorneys. It consumed my day.

So here I go - getting ready to write an ad for a new Executive Assistant. Wish me luck!

*Cough, Cough* Clearing Out the Cobwebs

OK! I know! I haven't been here in AGES. I'm pretty sure that if this blog were a bar, there would be a little guy in the corner with a beer who died three months ago. It's bad.

Here's the thing. I cannot believe it's May. And not only May, but May 6th already!

So let's recap. I visited in February to let you all know about my fantasmic job offer. Well, let me tell you about that job. Not so much. They were leveraging their receivables to pay payables and that's never a good idea, know what I mean (and I think you do)? Besides that, they have an antiquated accounting system that still runs in a DOS-based program, and they had just gotten the General Journal program installed and were working out the bugs. As they say in my favorite country, no est a bien.

So they hired a Controller, and I took my leave. Which is fine. One door closes and all that. So I promptly started at a non-profit organization. I don't get to wear jeans every day, but the perks definitely outweigh the bad in this one. I love my job, I like the people, my boss is super laid back. He's younger, which I think is important in today's day and age as we need to keep the finger on the pulse of employee appreciation. Since I've started, we had our Administrative Professionals Appreciation Day, I scheduled a Cinco de Mayo luncheon for everyone yesterday, and I'm working on implementing a summer hours schedule.

Much to my amazement, this new brand of stress reduction has really shown through in my personal life. I'm not as edgy, my bowling scores have improved (I bowled a 600 series this season!), and I'm losing weight. And feeling great.

So with this new brand of stress reduction in my life, I am going to try really hard to blog at least once a week. Bear with me dear reader, I'm navigating yet another new course.

Besides, we're looking for a house to buy right now. That should be enough blog fodder for a while, agreed?

I Really Need to Learn to Give it to God

Really. My biggest problem is that I am a control freak. I need to feel in control of my life. And that causes more problems sometimes than it helps.

I see that my last post there - below this one - on January 25th I was feeling sorry for myself. I thought that with all of my efforts and perseverance, I would land myself a job. I left out the most important part though - I forgot to put it in God's hands. Of course, I still needed to do the work, but giving it up to Him was a missing piece.

Don't get me wrong, you can't simply sit back and say "OK Lord, do your thing", because that doesn't work either. You still have to do the leg work, but give it to Him, and the leg work won't feel that hard.

Shortly after I wrote that post - I received a phone call from an employment agency. I started a job on Tuesday the 29th. It's considerably more pay than my previous slave wages, and I get to wear jeans every day if I wish.

I was humbled, and reminded that the Lord works in mysterious ways. Yes, He does.

Making Changes

Life is all about change. We grow, we change, we move on.

I gave my notice at work on Friday. I couldn't handle the work style of my boss anymore. The last-minute, unprepared, lost paperwork boss. The stress and the uncertainty of each of my days finally got the best of me.

I would be more disappointed in myself had I not been the third admin he's gone through. Uno, dos, tres. Me. I was tres. I'm angry that I have to be the one to look for a new job, but relieved that I won't have that stress anymore.

We are headed out of town for the Christmas holiday, and that makes me happy. Then we will come back and I will hit the job hunt hard.

Making changes.

WBS

Recently I was in a discussion with a wonderful group of ladies on a private board I belong to and one of them said that she had WBS. Wanker Boss Syndrome. I adore that! Big shout-out to the Shev-meister, Breaker of Beds! *wink*

It was then that I realized, *I* have WBS. A huge, ginormous case of it. I then got to wondering - how many more of us have WBS? Is there an epidemic just running rampant in this country of WANKER BOSSES? It is very similar in symptoms to IBS, which is Irritable Bowel Syndrome - so I decided to do a side-by-side comparison. Strap in readers, this one is going to be fun!

• IBS is a common disorder of the intestines that leads to crampy pain, gassiness, bloating, and changes in bowel habits.

• WBS is a common disorder of your sanity that leads to your boss being a huge pain in your ass.

• IBS can cause constipation, diarrhea, or both. People may experience a crampy urge to move the bowels but cannot.

• WBS can cause aggravation, annoyance, or both. People may experience a crampy urge to lift their hand and slap the offending party upside the head, but cannot.

• IBS causes a great deal of discomfort and distress, but it does not cause permanent harm to the intestines.

• WBS causes a great deal of discomfort and distress to the employee, but does not cause permanent harm to the offending party.

• IBS is often a mild annoyance, but for some people it can be disabling.

• WBS is sometimes a mild annoyance, and sometimes can cause disability to control the amount of drinking you do after work every night.

• IBS can be treated with fiber supplements or laxatives. Some prescription drugs that control muscle spasms and slow movement of food through the digestive system can also be prescribed.

• WBS can be treated with a fifth of rum and a long week partying in Puerto Rico. Some prescription drugs may be able to help also.

See the similarities? I thought so.