Big news

Hi girls!  I am so glad to see some posts out here.  I have missed you all and I have missed posting too.  

I have been very busy the last few weeks.  As I have mentioned, my life has been ever changing over the last 15 months or so.  I have felt like someone took my 52 cards and threw them up in the air.  I have been watching and waiting as they slowly fall to the table.  And I am happy to annouce that I think they are all falling right into place.

I accepted a new job this week.  It is truly very close to being a dream job for me.  I am so incredibly excited.  I gave notice at my current job today and start my new gig on 5/11.  I had to decide if doing something that made me happy was worth taking a pretty big cut in pay and working even more hours.  Guess what?!?!?  It is.  I may have to make some drastic changes in my life (like selling my house FSBO in this awful market), but I already feel so much better!  Please let me know if you know anyone in the market for a great house, awesome neighborhood and convenient location!

The finances are working themselves out.  I still feel like I am on a really good path, but my progress will be drastically slowing here in a few weeks due to the pay cut.  But again, it is worth it!  I cannot wait to do something that has me excited to get out of bed every morning.  My current job may pay a lot more (20%), but I am not passionate about it - at all!  This new company is stable and has a product that I truly believe in. 

On the weight front I am down about 40 lbs.  I was down even more before the easter bunny paid us a visit - dang bunny!  But the good news is that I am back on track.  As for the mother's day walk....I'm not sure if I am going to make it.  My goal is to be there, but I am going to have to fly out of town for my first day of work/orientation that afternoon.  I want to make sure that I get some good time in with little Mo and my mom and grandma.  I will let you know next week.  If I do make it I will be walking, so you will not be alone Tea!

Well, I need to head for bed.  I have had a crazy week at work and I had an emergency root canal this morning.  My tooth was killing me last fall and they couldn't find anything wrong.  It got better, but for the last few weeks I have been having killer headaches and I got a big bump on my gums, but my tooth felt fine.  I wrote it off as allergies/sinus stuff after talking to my doc, but went to the dentist earlier this week just in case.  It was absessed and I couldn't get away from work until today.  Needless to say it was really bad - they had to send me to a specialist and even he thought it was pretty nasty.  I am hoping to feel better tomorrow and be able to return some calls - sorry I have been so hard to reach.

Good luck girls and keep up the good work!

Mo

I'm officially....

COMMITTED. No, not that way... but perhaps, I should be?
http://www.mothersdayrun.com/index.html

Stock Market of Life

I am market daft. I can't say financially daft, because I am savy in the simple sense. Budget, general register, simple interest and payments in the credit card worlds...I am savy; I can manoevre and manipulate. My dad has taken to sending me e-news letters from a financial advisor person. Like a dutiful daughter, I muddle thru the lingo, boredom (for me) and charts. I have to admit, this WWII veteran old geezer does make the stock market interesting as he is kind of the Andy Rooney(60 Minutes) of the stock world. What I have derived today is that our lives are like the stock market and our personalities are the types of commodities. Are you the majority - a stock with value that will drop or gain, going thru the roller coaster of life with possible splits, buyouts or dividends? Are you a more steady person -- a savings bond -- slow & steady gain and ever dependable? Are you a precious metal stock or commodity -- little known, rarely touted but of utmost importance and dependability when times are hard? Whatever personality, we're all in the roller coaster park. We'll all go up, and go down. We may be on different roller coasters, or the same one in different cars. We all got on at some point and we'll all get off someday and exit the park. Let's just hope the ride is worth it and we all want to come back.

Enough entertainment reading. Birthday was good. I'm still not quite used to the "quietness" as my party G-ma is having her own party in heaven. My KelKat treated me to some good raw fishies and some superb cold pear sake. I may never go back to the hot stuff after this! (My pocketbook may beg to differ...) My house has been given a new piercing in the form of a twist doorbell. (Thanks Dad!) Mama's got a new pin-up girl shirt and a beauteous card from the hubby.

Financial --I think we're on a little downhill slope before the big fall. I feel good. Not anywhere near paying stuff off and by what I can calculate...we still have 5 years, assuming nothing changes. Not my ideal, but not bad either. However, that can be accellerated by the hubby's job prospect(s) which at the moment, is cream worthy. Take that how you may...

I started walking last week after a long winter of stagnancy. True, I did do a jump-start of super yoga in March (which I have yet to return to because an oil change turned into a $700 brake repair. My yoga funds were re-allocated) I have to admit; I am a fair-weather walker. I really need to pump it up before this walk though or I may be dyin' in the first quarter. I'll probably have some 80 year old grandma passing me - cackling!

A -- how's the critter cookin'?

Mother's Day Run/Walk

So - your walking every day huh? Your running every other day right?

I give you credit.

I have done nothing for months.

I have pictures that were taken yesterday and I am shocked. I do not like how I look and it is adding to the frustrations/stress that are mounting.

I have so much pent up anxiety and frustration that I should be out running every day! I truly believe that this would help my outlook on life right now. I was going to try and stay off the whole blog world for a bit, however, I need this site and the support that goes along with it. Work has been very hard lately - very busy but they are now cutting back my working days. Kind of. I have the option to work Fridays if I need to...but if I do - are they going to run out of money to pay me prior to my contract end date? If I don't work - how do I pay my bills AND save money. If I do work - how do I only work for what I am getting paid for? without feeling like I need to put the overtime in that I typically have to do? How do I just relax about the whole thing and enjoy my non-working life more?

So Lido and I are going to go for a nice long walk today. I will be getting up earlier tomorrow morning and working out. I will continue to do this...I also need a big bottle of Prozac. I need to relax. I need a vacation.

I'll get the vacation soon enough - right now I'm really looking forward to seeing all of you at the walk! http://www.mothersdayrun.com/

How is everyone else doing these days...I miss you all writing on here and telling me how life is - your perspective - or just gabbing.

Love to all of you!

What's Up

So...just because I said I wouldn't be posting for a bit doesn't mean that all of you have to stay off...hopefully you are all busy with good things!

Wanted to remind everyone that there are only 4 weeks left before the Mother's Day walk/run!!! If you haven't got your butts in gear yet (me) I suggest you do so soon!

Speaking of getting butts in gear - they significantly screwed all the consultants at my job and we have to take mandatory days off during the month (2 days a month) and we don't get overtime anymore...which puts me out about 38 hours a month...we shall see how great my job is in a while...anyway...this made us rethink some of our spending habits (again) and I'm now making baby food and holding my breath that Lido eats it! And we are making food in bulk for ourselves - so frozen turkey burgers, chicken with all the fixin's frozen...I hope it will cut down. I'm going to track it this time. I think I spent almost $200 on groceries (out of some spices) and I'll see how long this lasts us...and of course fill you in.

Happy Easter!