It's About Timing

So, as I mentioned on the other site, my hubby is all ripped up and beautiful (not that he wasn't beautiful before). Now, it's so intoxicating! Everything stands out and all I want to do is touch him. It's like I'm PMSing and he's a big ole bar of chocolate! I've been extra flirty with him and sometimes he welcomes it, other times he seems annoyed.

We were in the grocery store last night and, while we were talking about a special tea I want that he's recently purchased, I was sort of messing around with his shirt. No one else was in the aisle, so it wasn't about being embarrassed. When he stopped me, I asked him what his deal was and he said, "Because If you're talking to me and doing that I can't focus." Of course, he was in jest and so was I when I said, "Well, that's your problem." We laughed about it, but when I got home, I was annoyed. How odd! Looking back now, I had no reason to be, but I was. I suppose my heart took it as rejection.

We watched an episode of Arch.er last night (have you seen this? It's crazy!) then settled in for bed. Well, I settled in and turned over to go to sleep. He was still on his laptop looking up information about living in Vancouver. After awhile, the light was distracting and I asked him when he was going to be finished. He said soon. I covered my head to keep out the light and in a couple of minutes, he shut down his computer. I began to drift off as soon as he turned off the light on his nightstand.

After a couple more minutes, he started poking me with his toe...asking if I'd asked if he would be finished, so we could spend "time" together. I told him I asked him because, if he hadn't finished up I would have changed locations so I could sleep. I could tell he didn't want to hear that.

So, in the span of about four hours, I went from wanting to jump him to wanting him to just go to sleep and forget I exist. I think his feelings were the exact reverse. And the reason for my post on such randomness? To state the obvious: Men and women are just different. Different, I tell you! This morning, I was sleepy but ready and, of course, he had to go to work. Timing is everything.

My Hubby is Home!

He got in around 9:00pm last night and seemed really happy to be home. I'd made sure to have some of his favorites available; lasagna, cheesy bread and an experimental cake I made. He said he'd wished he'd had the cake for pre-performance (the sugar helps with vascularity). He said the cheesecake he bought had nothing on my cake. I'll have to remember that.

He ate while I finished up watching True Blood (I'm re-watching the first season in anticipation of season 2 coming to DVD). After dinner, we talked about his adventures in Washington and he asked me what I did here, although not nearly as exciting, he seemed intrigued nonetheless. Of course, the ravaging began shortly after that (always good in my book).

I hadn't cooked so much in a long time. From making breakfast for the girls, to making a big dinner and a desert to go along with it. Everyone (including the girls) seemed very happy with the meal. Of course, due to my plan, I've been cooking a lot for myself but this was entirely different. I sort of missed it. Oh, and the smells! Candles and oils have got nothing on home cooking. My house still held the aromas this morning. Incredibly nice to wake up to.

Indy has her surgery this week and I received a card in the mail last week for pre-surgery classes. I called to register and in the midst of the recorded message was told that anyone under 14 couldn't attend because of H1N1 risks. Seriously? Are people still worried about it? My pre-teen is the one who needs this most and she's not going to be able to attend? I left a message, asking if she could wear a surgical mask or something. No response. I'll be stalking them again today. Somebody is going to tell me something, dammit.

My hubby has put my sister on a plan and she is struggling. I explained that most people are sugar/carb addicts and don't even realize it. There's refined sugar in practically everything these days. I'm surprised she didn't know this, but she really seemed shocked. Like any other addiction, she is going through withdrawals. I told her that she should be feeling a lot better in a few days. I hope she sticks with this.

Snowy, Snowy Friday

It started early this morning and hasn't let up much. Thankfully, it's not sticking and warmer weather is on the horizon. Hubby is safely in Washington and arrived around 6ish last night (after leaving at 5:30am yesterday morning. Yikes!). He spoke to me of the beautiful drive and the lush greenery the Oregon coast has to offer. Neither of us has ever been to Oregon. I guess he's now got one state "up" on me.

He said that they drove past a tree farm and, initially, it appeared to him as mountain terrain but as they drove closer, they discovered that it was acres and acres of trees. How I wish I could have seen it for myself. I asked if he'd taken any pictures. Well, of course not. Ugh!

I thought I wouldn't sleep well last night, missing my hubby and all. Surprisingly, I slept better than I've slept in weeks! I gathered it was because I wasn't waiting up at all hours to talk to him. Also, instead of "teddy", I threw an extra blanket on the bed to mimic his warmth and presto! Instant, fabulous sleep. I woke up happy and light, but of course, I still miss him.

Yesterday, I organized the Babe's closet. She had an onslaught of plastic baby hangers, old clothes and randomness that I just had to get rid of. I wonder how long her closet will look the way it does now, all nice, neat and organized? She was ill, yesterday, so I worked from home and tended to her needs as best I could. Two Albuterol treatments and several ibuprofen later, she was raring to go for school this morning.

I can't believe Easter is nearly here! I suppose next week will be filled with doing hair and glamorizing my children. I don't know if I'll do pictures, but I'm considering it. I always take pictures of my own at the park. Beautiful spring photos of my girls prancing around with the ducks (wearing their Easter dresses) is sort of a tradition, now. Guess I won't be able to pull that off when they're teenagers.

I don't really have plans for the weekend, aside from taking the girls to Easter program practice at church. They haven't even looked at their speeches yet. Oh, well. I guess we'll go over them a couple of times tonight. Hopefully, they're short and sweet. Indy has never spoken in front of a large group before. I'm hoping she sees her big sister as a stellar example of how to do so.

Starting to Feel a Bit Sad

It's nuts that I am. Hubby is still here, in the flesh and I'm already starting to miss him. He leaves Thursday for his trip to Vancouver. I told him last night that I was dreading it because I hate sleeping alone (after nearly 12 years, it's incredibly difficult for me). I might have to lug my big teddy bear from downstairs, just to have something to cuddle with. Isn't that ridiculous. He said that for him it's tough too because he won't be in the state and won't be able to just leave whenever he feels like it. He's driving up (fourteen hours, I think) with other people and will be at the mercy of their driving and their car. Nice.

Work is okay, but that is becoming a bit emotional too. We'll all be working away and then someone will say something like, "Yeah, we'll ask you while you're still here," or "When you go away, then what will we do?" Oh, the guilt! I know it's going to be crazy hard when I go home permanently. I like to socialize (always a social butterfly, my mother used to say) and I glean energy from people. One of the IT guys told me the same thing, yesterday. He insisted that I come back into the office at least once per quarter so that he could "suck positive energy away from me." He's a great guy and has always been so kind to me. He saved my personal computer once and did it solely out of the kindness of his heart. We've had many long chats in his office with other IT guys joining in for the laughs. Yeah, I'll miss that and them.

My boss, who has changed departments, keeps milling around our department. He's on the eighth floor now and we're on the seventh. I think there isn't much socializing up there and he misses that. Seems like he's on our floor a lot more than he really needs to be. I think he's lonely, poor guy. Wonder what he'll do when he has his own team to work with? I suppose my team will hardly ever see him.

Twenty-Ten is my year for change, I guess. So many things have happened already and it's just the third month of the year! I can only imagine what the rest of the year will bring. It's exciting, but also a bit scary. For now, I'm just along for the ride reacting and acting on things brought in front of me. The good thing is that this year is already world's better than last year. For that, I am very grateful.

And the Winner is...

My hubby! He took his weight class for the Utah NPC TopForm Classic Bodybuilding show this past weekend. I was so proud of him! Earlier in the evening, I was cheering on our eldest at her dance competition. I don't have her scores yet but, they were working it out on the dance floor. I'm sure they did well.

My sister's all psyched up by my husband's win. He proved Saturday that you can be a natural bodybuilder and compete with those who use steroids. It is totally unnecessary to supplement your workout with those products. Again, I was beaming from ear to ear (if you want to see video, shoot me an email or leave a comment and I will send you the links). Sis feels like she wants to try getting into shape again. I hope she's serious about it. The benefits for her would be astounding.

His next show is this weekend in Vancouver. He's never been and is very excited about going...or at least, I thought he was. We went for a walk in the park on Sunday and he told me the next competition would be a bitter sweet event. He knows he'll have fun but he's going to miss me being there; an adventure we can't share together, as he put it. What a sentimental, sappy guy.

The babe performs on the 30th and competes again on the 2nd. It's going to be a busy spring for both of them. I'll be lugging video equipment from place to place, capturing all the moments. That part is fun and doing her make up is a blast (she had false eyelashes this time that she absolutely loved). I just wish someone else would pay for my gas. :)

Sleepless Nights and Crazy Dreams

My TOM was late this week. It was supposed to show up Sunday but didn't show up until late last night. I knew it was going to be late, even before it was (the protocol I'm on states that this can happen). Anyway, we turned in rather late for us last night (around 11:30pm) and I was very tired.

My sleep was filled with dreams of animals...lots and lots of animals. It was a very surreal dream and I can't even describe that portion of it anymore (first thing this morning, I would have been able to recall). The other portion of the dream involved my best friend and a former friend of ours from college. The former friend and my bf had reconciled and for whatever reason, bf was having me take her to the lady's apartments for visits. I would be treated very poorly there, even to the point of having my purse rifled through and having my license stolen.

I decided not to go in, on the second drop-off, and turn heel right away. The former friend complained that I wasn't being protective enough of my bf to leave her there with her. If they had reconciled, why should I be worried about her safety? Weirdness, right? Well, the dream was full of drop-offs and pick-ups. I would take bf home to her apartment and her hubby, who did nothing but sleep all day. In real life, her hubby has no job, so this could be very true indeed.

I woke up around 2ish to whining and crying. My Chihuahua was very distressed about something. I went up front and let both dogs out. When they came in, the little dog drank a bit of water then went back into his crate. I guess he really had to go, but dang...2:00am is a little early for potty breaks. I slept fitfully, after that.

At around four, I woke up screaming in agony. I had caught the worse cramp in my calf that I've had in years. It was awful! I was yelling and tearing at the sheets. I 'm sure I smacked my hubby a few times through the fit. He was trying to calm me down, but I was in so much pain. Finally, it began to subside and he went to get me some apple cider vinegar (it counteracts the lactic acid that causes these suckers). He also gave me some potassium and vitamin C. On an empty stomach, however, those things did not sit well. I'm only now getting over the queasy feeling I had this morning.

So, I'm not running on a lot of rest today. I feel sort of loopy and out of it. I suppose if I'd had a fresh lager of green beer, I'd feel this way too (especially if I liked beer). Happy St. Patty's!

Time to Tell Part 2

My boss asked for a meeting the next day, when I came in. It seemed as if I put my purse on my desk and he was ready to talk. I went into his office and had the most awkward conversation I can remember ever having. He offered up options and offered up that I may seek out other positions internally. He told me how hard it was for him to wear his manager hat and his friend hat. I completely understood his position, but I was pretty firm in my feelings.

When we finished speaking, we had a brief hug (trust me, we both needed it after that talk) then I headed over to another manager's office to talk to him about my prospects. We chatted for about 10 minutes and he convinced me that I would be great in his department (did I mention, they train in office then are full-time telecommuters?) I got the ball rolling right away. I spent part of the evening and the next morning, updating my very stale looking resume. It had been five years since I touched it. I thought about what was going on five years ago. I was getting very frustrated with work and then boom! I got pregnant with Indy. It's amazing how the "signs" manifest themselves.

Resume updated, references acquired and a pretty fantabulous cover letter letter, I had submitted everything through our system. I informed the manager that it was done. At the same time, our department manager was moved to a new area...the same man who told me I had to come in. It was totally unexpected and he was told over a weekend. So, after nearly ten years of being with the company himself, he was being moved. Drama!

So, here I am waiting around to hear if I'll have a new job and here he is with a new one, without even asking for it. It's definitely a good move for him and we're all sure he'll be very happy. I had to play it cool and I noticed everyone noticing I was playing it a little too cool.

The next week, I had my interview. Fifteen minutes later, I was informed that I would have a second interview by phone involving one of the team managers. The next week, sitting in my car, we had the best time in our phone interview. I was really getting a confidence boost. Everyone seemed to think I would do a good job (I, myself wasn't too sure).

The offer was made one week later and in mid-April, I will start my new job. It's so weird but good. I'm a bit nervous, but excited. So many thoughts, feelings and emotions rolling through me right now. I guess I've moved past my crossroad.

Time to Tell

So, I've been really mysterious about the drama with my job and I haven't revealed all that has transpired here on the blog. I am ready for true confessions; however, I fear this may take a couple of posts so please, bear with me.

I've been with my company for a little over nine years. I know! It's really saying something for this day and age, where the average person changes jobs every five years. I have been, for the most part, content with my arrangements and happy with what I do. No job is perfect and I certainly have my days where I want to run through the halls screaming. Thankfully, I have yet to fulfill this fantasy. ;)

My team has been a group of four for years; the boss and the three peons, basically. We do our job, rant and rave, laugh a lot then go home. Several departments allow their employees a telecommuting option. I wrote up my proposal and successfully rallied to telecommute three days per week. It took a lot of work to get it approved, but I won out in the end.

The idea was to test it out and then make decisions on going full-time out of the office. This never happened because we changed "big" bosses and his ideas were very different from the previous boss. So, I was content to have my three days and I adjusted my family life to the new schedule. I was proud because I no longer had to live paycheck to paycheck and we could sock the former daycare money into savings. Indy still goes two days a week, but what a difference that makes!

In early February, I finished my day at work (I think it was a Monday) and then received a call from my boss. He was calling to tell me that, by March 1st, I would need to come back into the office full-time. I was devastated. I fell apart just as soon as the call ended and called my hubby. I was adamant that I would not have the distance between my work and my girls ever again. An asthmatic child can't wait for her mother to drive thirty minutes to get to her. No way!

I began to fret about what I would do. Who would watch Indy on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays? How would I get the Babe to and from school? How would I pay for the monumental gas I would be faced with? What would I do if faced with a medical situation for my kids? A small still voice let me know what to do. Trust God. So, I did.

To be continued...

Oscar Fun and Other Miscellany

The funniest skit between Alec Bal.dwin and Ste.ve Martin? The paranormal activity head slap. I was cracking up! I wish I could have done that to the real characters of the real movie. Alec and Steve did me proud.

I'm glad the academy is recognizing original work. With all the recycled, rehashed scripts I was beginning to wonder if they had anything original to pull from at all. The dresses are still amazing and mind-boggling. Do you really only wear your gown once? Is it donated after wards? Do you keep it in storage like a wedding dress?

I really dislike driving in everyday, but I'm listening to lots of old discs to past the time. I need to get out my Pimsleur Spanish discs and learn how to speak the language, properly. Since we're destined to be a two-language country sooner rather than later, I'd like to be able to understand it (if not speak it fluently).

I made some amazing steak the other day. Truly! It was beef stew steak I picked up from Target. Then, I added some "Jamaican Me Crazy" seasoning to it and browned it in my non-stick skillet. Oh my gosh! It was to die for! I'll be trying to rack up on the stuff, when I can find it. Hubby picked it up from some obscure store. Haven't checked yet to see if it's at the local spots.

I took my hair down over the weekend. In fact, my world was full of hair. I took down and redid the Babe's hair. Then, I put braids into Indy's hair (she's been au natural for about two weeks, now). I straightened mine and was blown away by the length. It's so soft, too. I don't remember it being this soft when it was chemically treated. Another bonus! I'm wearing one of my reliable ponies today to hide my two-tone color. I'm not quite ready to go blond, yet. Huh, but you know I will eventually. :)

Heavy , Wet Snow

Most of the time, the snow around here is like sand. You could pretty much blow it off your driveway with your own breath. This morning? Oh, no. We got the "lake effect" stuff and it was heavy as hell! My body was aching after I shoveled our driveway and sidewalk. If felt like I was lifting sand bags.

The drive wasn't too terrible, but I kept thinking about that lovely weather we just experienced. I suppose everyone will get sick, now. Ugh! Spring, I'm ready now please.; placing my order for lovely flowers, beautiful blue skies and full on sun. Hubby and I are considering moving again...much more seriously. We're both done with winters and snow and shoveling. For some reason, I can't seem to have snow on Christmas eve and Christmas day only. Yeesh! Is that so much to ask for?

This would be our home through retirement (the one hubby is constantly looking for). It's certainly becoming more and more appealing. How old am I again? Well, it never hurts to plan ahead. ;)

Oh, Hints of Spring

I see you sneaking up on us. Fifty-seven degree weather on the way home, yesterday. It gave me so much hope. I'll be so grateful when the frigid temps and crazy snow have left this continent for a while (I see you East coast!). There are tulips and irises trying to peak through my yard. The other indication would have been the buds on my aspens, but hubby had those taken out last year. Ah, well. I still have this lovely, mild weather to enjoy.

I set up Indy's appointment for the specialist. The clinic is located at the local, University hospital. It just so happens that my mother works at the local University, so she has offered to come with us. Hubby is also off that day. Little Indy will have tons of support (and a pretty assertive grammy on her side). This will be towards the middle of the month (March 19th).

This whole thyroid thing has me wondering if her all-of-a-sudden flaky scalp is a side effect. I normally don't weigh my girls hair down in greases and oils but, lately I've had to with Indy. It's incredibly flaky and dry. We've shampooed with sulfur, which also helps, but I can't help wondering if her gland is really off. If so, perhaps whatever the doctor recommends will take care of that situation as well.