long overdue post

Wow. So life has gotten busy in the last couple of weeks! Here's a breakdown of my week -

On Sundays I work at the hospital for 4 hours.
On Mondays and Wednesdays I have Math class.
On Tuesdays and Thursdays I have Spanish.
On Wednesdays I go to the farm to get veggies. (only 4 more weeks of that I think)
Three to five days a week I go work out at the gym.
When I can, I do homework.
Monday through Friday I take Kaia to school, then pick her up in the afternoon.
Monday through Friday mornings I take Mike to work.
Tuesdays and Thursdays I pick Mike up from work after picking up Kaia from school.
Every night I cook dinner, usually from scratch.
I make bread 2-4 times a week (sometime I make the dough in the bread machine).
I try to do at least one mom's group event a week, though it usually works out to about two a month.
Add to this cleaning the house, cooking other meals, grocery shopping, and taking care of Ben every day!

We also just got our new really cool health insurance, so I am busily making and going to chiropractor, doctor, and dentist appointments for all four of us.

Now, I am by no means saying I am busier than most people. On the contrary, I know I am not. However, I am much busier than I used to be! And you know what I found out?! I like it! I am happier and far more content now than I was just a few weeks ago! I am looking forward to changes in the next year, but I am okay (for the first time in years) with exactly where I am now. This pleases me.

What plans, you ask? I'll tell you! (even if you didn't ask!)

This January our lease will be up. We are all looking forward to renting a house closer to Kaia's school and Mike's work. Here are our requirements in a house -

• 4 bedrooms, or 3 bedrooms and a close-off-able den/office
• I'd prefer only one story, but it's not necessary
• A big back yard!! Room for: a garden, a kids' play area, AND!! fully fenced, because...we are going to get a dog! We're going to search the shelters until we find the perfect one - small or medium-ish, good with kids, young enough to grow up with the kids, good with cats, and hopefully not too yappy.
  

Over the next year or so we will also be saving up for a down payment for when we are ready to buy a house, and continuing to pay off debt.

I will continue with school, and will be ready to apply for the Ultrasound Tech program starting in the fall of 2010. Mike is working with a couple different people on games. Kaia is still LOVING school, her teacher, and her friends. Ben is getting bigger and more interactive every day!

Life is good.

Big Changes

Mike has a new job! He'll be working for a huge IT company here in the NW, and making over 20 grand more a year than he does now. This means so much for us. We sat down together last night and went over everything we want to do over the next year or so. Some of our goals are:

-pay off debt! We owe to credit cards, relatives, car loan....
-401k! This company matches 50% for up to 6% of his salary...so that means that we'll be putting about $400 a month into it, and they'll put $200. Adds up fast.
-birthdays, holidays, just because days. We are going to be able to buy things for other people now!
-buy land, and build a house, or buy a house on land. We finally decided that an acre or two is the right size for us, and we want a small-ish, one story 4 bedroom house. Since most 4 bedroom houses are big, we will probably be building. I found the plans online for one that I love that is less than 2000 sq feet. After we pay off all our debt we can start seriously looking into this.
-after we buy the land and build the house, I can get a new car! I am really loving the Mazda5. We are waiting until after buying the house so that can be our financial priority.

okay, I guess those plans encompass more than a year...more like 2 or 3. Also, in January, we are going to move to a different apartment closer to Kaia's school to save on gas money. Mike's new job has its own bus system, and they will pick Mike up, and he gets a free bus pass, so we still aren't going to get a second car for awhile. If we can find an apartment close enough to her school, I can walk her to and from school every day!

Another HUGE benefit to this new job is their medical benefits. We pay NOTHING. No paycheck deduction, no co-pay, no percentage. ALL our medical comes at no cost to us!! I'm sure you know how awesome that is without me having to go into details.

Add in a year raise, yearly bonus, discounts on more things than I can imagine, and you get one happy Michael, and one happy me!

Stay Tuned....

Good news is on the way!!!

So...GUESS WHAT?!?!

Mike just received his first job offer. He's waiting to see if the other company he's interested in gets back to him, but.....

West Side of Washington, HERE WE COME!!!!! I am so excited, and relieved, that he got the offer. It's at one of his first choices too! Now the Moving Planning can officially begin...

DA DA DUUUUUUMMMMM.

I have a list of 5 possible apartment complexes I am most interested in. I figure I'll go over at the beginning of December to look at them and see which will be available. At that time I'll also get a local phone book so I can start to research everything else...Internet, phone, electric, etc. We already have Kaia signed up for school, and I've located the local Whole Foods Market. When we get there, the first couple months will be hectic, finding a doctor, dentist, chiropractor, and getting caught up on all those things for all of us. Unpacking....ugh, I hate packing....I love unpacking though...putting everything away in it's place, pretending to myself and anyone who'll listen that THIS time things will STAY there!

The only downer, and it's a big one, is how much I will miss Andrea, John, Katia, and Liam. Living in the same area as they do has been awesome. It's not often you meet people who you know are going to be friends for life. I've already known Andrea for 21 years, and John for over 11. We will definitely be visiting as often as we can (Silverwood, guys?!) But not living close to them anymore is going to be very sad.

wow...my head is just whirling with things I need to do...most of which aren't practical to start until December at least....

Yay, Mike!! Honey, you ROCK.

I can't even think of a title. People are strange.

Me at Work: Hello, how can I help you today?
Customer: I'd like to pay my satellite bill.
Me: I'm sorry, we only sell (National Wireless Service)
Customer: You are (Our Store Name)
Me: Yes, but we only sell (National Wireless Service)
Customer: But (National TV Satellite Service) gave me your name and address
Me: I'm not sure where they got that information, and I will let them know that we can't do that.
Customer: But I need to pay my satellite bill, and this is the place they sent me.
Me: I'm sorry about that, but we aren't affiliated with (National TV Satellite Service) in any way. I can't take your payment.
Customer: Then why did (National TV Satellite Service) send me here?
Me: I don't know. I am sorry.
Customer: I asked for a local pay station and they gave me your name and address.
Me: I am sorry, and I will let them know that they have the wrong information, but I can't take your payment. I would have no way of processing it.
Customer: Well, then, you're no good to me then, are you?

................................

Customer Service Rep: How can I help you?
Me: Yes, I wanted to have our business taken off your list as a pay station for (National TV Satellite Service). We only sell (National Wireless Service)
Customer Service Rep: I'm sorry, I don't know what you mean.
Me: One of your customers came in to pay his (National TV Satellite Service) bill. We are a (National Wireless Service) store and only take payments for (National Wireless Service) but apparently we are listed in your system as a pay station for (National TV Satellite Service).
Customer Service Rep: So what do you need?
Me: I need you to remove us from your list of pay stations.
Customer Service Rep: What do you sell?
Me: (National Wireless Service)
Customer Service Rep: So why are you calling me?
Me: I need to talk to someone who can take us off the list as a pay station for (National TV Satellite Service).
Customer Service Rep: What's your phone number please?
Me: (***) ***-****
Customer Service Rep: I'll make a note of it. Thank you. Goodbye.


So...how much you want to bet that more (National TV Satellite Service) customers will be in to make payments?

Daily Glimpse #16

Ah yes, this picture says so much. John was so pleased with himself.

Had a wonderful salmon dinner, though it was a big late getting ready. And you know, I cannot WAIT until I have a nice clutter free dining room with a huge table that serves All.

Had training at work today. Now we'll at least be able to do activations, and the phones will be sent to the person the next day, as long as they activate before 4. Very nice. I actually like our rep, I was all ready to dislike her, since people I DO like have said she's horrible. But it went well, though apparently I was a bit aggressive in my expressing of my dislike of some of the policies we will have to follow. They make sense, but we've been so informal in a lot of our practices that it will take some time to get used to.

Feeling a bit better today, but NOT looking forward to doing all my dishes!

Andrea and I are going to do our birthday thing this weekend--yes, very late :-) We are not completely sure what we are going to do, but food and a movie seem likely. Possibly Stranger Than Fiction for the movie. Hope it's good!

feeling a bit lost tonight. Got a B on my last essay, and completely forgot to turn in an assignment. I think I might wait to take other classes until we move. Just to much going on right now. I need to be more "at work" while at work, and more with my family at home. When we move I won't be working so will be able to direct much more of my energy to school.

Turned in my rough draft for my last essay today.

Mike and Kathy and Bree will be here in a week! I'm really excited to have them come up, even though most of their time will be spent with Kathy's grandparents. That's okay, I understand, family is very important.

The situation at work is getting worse. We are down to one phone, and it's pink. I feel so bad for John. I so hope it gets resolved soon. I did a sales count, and I've actually already sold 22 phones this month. Not bad, though that will drastically decline now that we are literally down to one phone. Telling people we are out of phones is so pathetic! Welcome! Can't sell you anything, sorry! Also, one of my customers who had major things go wrong with his account was at swimming today, and apparently even more is going wrong. sigh. I did have a very nice guy come in today who was quite content to wait until we got phones to open his account. He was very smiley and understanding. I wanted to hug him.

Kaia had a hard time in swimming today. She just wasn't listening. The pool is cold and there are four other students in class, so I think anyone would be distracted, but she needs to pay attention! I'd love to someday get her private lessons, but at this age I don't think they are really necessary.

This morning, getting on her shoes, she matter of factly says:

"Mom, all my dreams are right here." She pats her right leg up and down. "My good dreams and bad dreams and just dreams." Then she pats her left leg up and down. "And all my feelings are right here. My happy feelings and sad feelings and mad feelings!"

Wish I knew where mine were kept! They just seem to sneak up on me.....

Daily Glimpse #2

Ah Ha! You thought I forgot, didn't you?! I did not...I am slacking off and taking a break from doing my textbook lesson and giving ya'll another glimpse into my life and times. And man, is it exciting!

There are a few small details I must point out.

1. Coffee. in my new purple leak-proof travel mug! A morning Necessity.

2. Water. working on that healthy thing called...health...
3. See that small yellow innocuous looking thing by my hand? That, my friends is a phone pry tool. Evil little thing, because it makes it easy to pry (they were smart with the naming bit!) parts off of cell phones. This is often a good thing, but in my hands gets out of control quickly. Never, I repeat never, let me near your phone with one of these innocent looking items. Unless, of course, your phone is broken anyway and I'm your last, very last, chance at making it work.

4. See the computer screen? On there is a list of names. This list grows EVERY DAY. This is a good thing, because it means we are selling phones. But one of my jobs (see the phone to my ear? I am in the middle of said job) is to call these people at various times in their cell phone ownership and inquire about their happiness with our product. Overall, not a stressful job, as they aren't often rude (since I am not selling anything), but can get tedious.

5. Other Important Daily Tools-
Wireless mouse, Oh! How I love thee!! Until your batteries die...
Stapler! what an awesome invention.
Scissors...fairly self explanatory in their usefulness, I would think.
Yellow box at left edge of counter- new 8400 phone that was sold shortly after pic was taken. Out because we have no fake phone to show people, and it's a really cool phone.
Pens. Multiple. Oh, the sad fate of lost pens...where art thou?! (and bring back all those post its I know are with you.)
POST-ITS! Again...POST-ITS!! There is a God. and on the ninth day, she created post-its. and it was Good.







(post its looks very funny written out, and sounds funny after being said a few times. funny funny language we speak. lang-goo-widge.)

the promise of an update

looooong day. I was really trying to help my customers, and those people who are supposed to help me with that....weren't. in ANY WAY.

I was extremely grumpy today, and I finally realized why. I don't get PMS very much, but I get cranky when I ovulate....very strange. But I get REALLY cranky and emotional. cry a lot easier too. Customer care almost made me cry a couple of times today, when usually they just piss me off. They did that today too of course.

Had a wonderful weekend, but need to work on my textbook lesson now. tell you all about my weekend tomorrow!