Our Busy Day!

Last night after DH got home from work... he decided to take me out to dinner. We headed north for his favorite place, Red Robin, for burgers. It was a delicious idea and afterward, we hit Wegmans to do our weekly shopping. Some parts of the store were pretty picked over but we managed to find what we needed. It was great because there weren't too many people and no screaming, crying children to be heard.

We had errands to do today... like head up to Shickshinny to my favorite little gently used gift shop, The Holey Cow. I had several things on hold that I needed to pick up... one of which was a 7 foot tall bird house! They pictures of it posted on Facebook and I told Jeff that I wanted it. There were 3 other people that saw it after me... all wanting it. One even offered to pay more for it, but Carole said nope!

After that... we headed west, had some breakfast at our favorite place and then went to price band saws. From there, we went to the Wal*marts to do some shopping for the stuff we didn't get last night. We headed towards home and DH dropped me off at the nail salon while he went up the hill to the auto parts store to get everything he needed to do an oil change for his truck. We ended up being gone for most of the day and we both wanted nothing more than to put jammies on tonight and chill out in front of the tv.

So... we are all snug and cozy on this chilly November night. Punky has has her dinner and is sleeping at the other end of the sofa from me. DH is in his chair with his lap top and we have reruns of Cosby on... while we both putter around. This is living! And we love it!

Thanks for reading... stayed blessed!
~Suzanne

Tighter Than A Banjo String

Yeppers.... That would be my back! After only working 3 days this week, my back is so tight from the stress, I can barely move. Kinda makes it hard to enjoy my day off. I have lots I want to accomplish today, but I need to pace myself. It's all mostly housework, and some of it will have to wait for DH to get home this afternoon.

My stress level for work has gone through the roof as they realize I am not going to be there to handle all the little "ins and outs" of the location I cover. Some of my co-workers have finally realized just how much I do and the numbers I can get when it all goes according to plan.It's not easy to get down to below 7% on a location that does an average billable amount of 1.4 million a month and I am responsible for collecting what rolls over. It's daunting and if I'm gone for even 1 day... it can all fall apart. I will be sad to not be working, but I will not miss the stress of it.

We did get some wonderful news on the work front for DH... his plant goes on a 4 week layoff starting on Monday. He will not be included in that layoff. Yippee!!!! We prayed hard about that and have worked hard to save as much as we could in case that would happen. He even signed up for his unemployment benefits and got his wait-week applied because of Hurricane Sandy. But it looks like we won't be needing that! (Huge sigh of relief)

Oh... we did not get any snow with the latest N'or Easter... It got cold and I did see a couple of snow flakes on one of the mountain summits I go over on my way home from work... but that was all, I am hoping that the snow waits to start flying until I am safely home and off the roads for work. I have just 9 days of work left... and I can't wait.

Time to get busy and get on with my day. I need to do some cleaning (yuck) and grocery shopping. DH has requested my California Burgers for dinner tonight. (He's only been back on day shift about 2 weeks now so I'm having to get used to planning dinners again.)

Thanks for reading... have a blessed day!
~Suzanne

The Decision has been Made...

I am going to be working part-time for the next month! Working 3 days a week. Today is my first day home. I am excited about being back home. The stress of my job is what the issue has become. I have been told by my boss that I knew it would be that way when I signed on... but it has taken a great toll on my body and my DH has worried for awhile about that.

But the HUGE news about going part-time is that I will really be quitting on November 30th! It's a little scary. I wasn't planning on quitting so soon... but there is no "part-time" work in my division. It will be a little bit tight for a few months... but with not having to spend $60 a week in gas, breakfasts and lunches at about $75 a week and paying for dress-down days and gifts, and insurance on myself... I really wasn't making all that much money. I can find something with less stress, closer to home, making less money and still come out about the same!

But, first of everything... I am doing this for my health. I have already had two weeks of down time in my new calendar year. Once with a bout of cellulosis and once with a double whammy of back spasms and then tachycardia because I stopped breathing in my sleep. It's stress... and I have a boatload of it at work. I told my boss in the beginning, that I'd stay as long as it was fun, and it hasn't been fun in months. There is too much emphasis on the numbers and production. We have new supervisors that don't have much to do other than micromanage and I hate being micromanaged. I've been with my location 2 years and my clients are now my friends as well. I have my style of working and I do a ton of email work... but I am suppose to make calls.... so there is a problem with that, even in a digital age.

So... now it begins. I am looking forward to working with a new camera, adding more content to this little old blog. I am looking forward to finishing my cookbook. I went to the art store and purchased new supplies and I am hoping to do some art projects. So... that the news here at the cottage. Pumpkin and I are hanging out and planning our day. It's sunny but very cold... time to make some spaghetti sauce since it's election day. Don't forget to get out and vote!

Thanks for reading... be blessed!
~Suzanne

Whoa... Wait a minute...

Where did that week go that just passed???? I swear that I just wrote something for this blog, and now here we are...with another week gone past!

I don't have much to share with you, as my life has been centered on work mainly. My hard working
DH has been doing just that as well... working. He's on a 3 week stint and so far, he hasn't been scheduled for the upcoming weekend. (let's all keep our fingers crossed that he actually has some time off.) He called me a little while ago and said he's heard a rumor that he going back to first shift starting Monday! If that's true... I may be able to keep working a while longer to have some what of a normal life again. That has me thinking of having regular meals again, I miss having great food because I won't make it just for myself.

One of my dearest friends is having surgery today for a bad varicose vein and blood clot removal. She's been waiting for this surgery for over 10 weeks and it's been because of her health insurance not being willing to approve her procedure. I can say that I am blessed to never have had an issue with my insurance not approving any procedures. In fact, I just received a summary report  from my last 4 day hospital stay from June... a nice little $75,000.00 stay... and I don't think I will have to pay for any of it... and there were no qualms about any of the procedures or tests I had. I'm keeping her in my prayers and my advice to her was to listen to her doctors and to take her pain meds... no being a hero, take the pills and rest, and you'll usually feel better sooner.

Another one of my friends... that is on the west coast, announced a huge surprise to everyone yesterday. She got married outside at the courthouse yesterday. We are all so happy for her and her new husband.... and all the adventure they have coming up in the next year. How about going on a delayed honeymoon to Dubai???? That is wonderful and amazing! So happy for them and for her 4 kids.

I am very tired tonite... I've been staying up too late the last couple of nights, hoping to see DH before I go to sleep. Needless to say, he's been working over each evening to cover the line he's working... they run until they are out of product which can be anywhere between midnight and one thirty or three am. So, I haven't been going to bed on time and waking up when he gets home. If I don't, we only really see each other in the morning as I get dressed for work. That's it... that's all the time there is during the week. On the weekends, it's more like 4 1/2 hours in the beginning of the day before he heads to work. It's a tough schedule and not one that I really care for.

Oh... we had huge thunderstorms on Sunday... ugly cloud to ground lightening strikes. We had a few strikes over head that caused the house to rattle. Poor Pumpkin was so frightened... she's was in my lap and cuddled under my arms with her head against my chest to seek comfort from her fright. The power went out twice... I hate when we have storms like that.

Thanks for reading... stay blessed!
~Suzanne

Tuesday... Catch Up Time!

It's Tuesday night.... and I am exhausted. As many of you know (from Facebook) I have had more than my share of health issues in the past few years. I am quickly learning my limitations of living with aortic stenosis and an ascending aortic aneurysm along with a few other things... like the after effects of Thyroid cancer, and insulin dependent type 2 diabetes... and osteoarthritis and needing my right knee replaced - 3 years ago! (They did the left knee 3 years ago instead cuz that was the one that hurt!)

I state all of the information only to say... that I went grocery shopping on Saturday... and it kicked my butt!!! I went to the store and usually find a electric riding shopping cart. Not that day, so I ended up having to walk through my shopping trip. In my defense, I did do a few errands and get a mani/pedi before I hit the store. Anyway... I was so tired from all the walking and loading and unloading and carry up the stairs and putting away all the groceries, I didn't do much on Sunday. And I was still feeling it on Monday. More than one coworker told me that I looked pretty tired on Monday.

I managed to feel pretty good during my work day today. I worked hard and covered alot of ground for the start of my next month which accounting wise, will start on the 3rd of August. So... I went to see my hair dresser tonight after work. We always have such a great time when we get together. She does an amazing job with my hair... making sure that I get to be as blond as I want to be without having my very black hair not be brassy or become damaged. It's always so good to get my hair cut and colored... it helps to camouflage my gray hair and the amount of hair I have lost from being sick and medications.

That being said... I was hoping to share that DH and I were planning a get away. But, sadly, that won't be happening anytime soon. His work schedule has been changed to 7 days a week and included lots and lots of overtime. I feel as tho I am living with a mouse... I buy food and put it in the fridge and it disappears! I feel bad for him... and if I didn't get to call him on my lunch or him calling me on his breaktime... we would live on notes for communication. I appreciate how hard he works and it's very hard for him to always be at work.

It's bed time for me and for Punky. I don't have any idea what time DH will be home tonight.
Thanks for reading.... keep us in your prayers!

~Suzanne

What a Trip!

The drive home last night was brought to us by Dorothy and her Ruby Red Slippers and Toto in her picnic basket. Oh * My * Goodness!!!

My ride home started off with a ton of traffic... it took me 3 lights to get from the industrial park I work in to get to the freeway on ramp that is literally less than an 1/8th of mile from that intersection. As I got on to the freeway and began to merge into the right hand lane... my fuel light went off. Great! And not more than 10 seconds after that, I received an EMS text on my phone that there were tornado warnings for my home area. Really Great!

I headed south anyway, going slower than the posted speed limit to see what my gas mileage was going to be... I drove over 5 miles before it even dropped down 1 mile on the gauge. I got off the freeway at the last exit before heading up the mountain so I could get some gas. I drove back about a mile to fill up. While I was doing that, I heard on the local radio that tornadoes were spotted 6 to 8 miles northwest of where I live and headed directly towards home. I figured I would get my fuel and then find a place to sit and ride the storm out.

Well... I pulled into the Taco Hell parking lot and pulled into the drive thru lane. As I did that, I noticed that it was quickly becoming very dark and very windy. I placed my order and then noticed some of the employees were outside with their cellphones taking pictures. It got darker, and then the rains started and the winds picked up. Thunder and lightening started in.... huge lightening strikes and thunder so loud, it rocked my car.

I sat in the parking lot for awhile until the lightening was overhead and was scaring me to death. I decided to take my chances and try to get to the freeway. I was able to make my way... but it was slow going, but at least as I drove south, I seemed to be driving away from the storm. There was debris on the freeway, but I didn't encounter anything of concern on the freeways. Once I pulled off the interstate, it was quite different.

What struck me first was that there was virtually no traffic on our 2 lane highway. The farther south I went on our road... the more stuff I saw, until I had to stop for the fire trucks and rescue workers who were clearing the trees from the road in front of me. I made it through the first light... and came to the second light. That intersection had some real damage... trees down, and loose power lines dangling in the wind. There is a monastery at that corner and they suffered extensive tree damage.

I traveled farther down the road, and made it home. I wasn't certain what I would find when I got here. I had trash cans from several neighbors west of me and lots of debris in the yard. All of our patio furniture was scattered in my neighbors back yard. Not just a little ways... but like, under their deck~ and I was certain my patio umbrella was a goner!

Coming into the house, I could see the high water and debris that came up from the heavy rains along the edge of the patio. The door at the top of the stairs was open, pulled open from the negative air pressure as the windows on the porch were open. As I stepped into the kitchen, I was met by a little red dog, cautiously peering around the corner from the hall, hoping nothing was there to scare her. She was so happy and relived to see me, she instantly jumped and twirled in circles. We were both glad I was finally home. We had heavy thunder storms during the rest of the evening... big boomers that shook the entire house and made my heart skip.

I've been to Kansas... and I've been to Oklahoma, but this is the closest I've ever felt to being Dorothy!

Thanks for reading!
~Suzanne

The places you find things...

I left for work today on time.... DH was sound asleep when I left so I didn't wake him to say good bye. I did give Punky a kiss as she snuggled up to her Dad for a nap. I always feel bad when I don't get to talk to him before I leave, but I just couldn't wake him, he was sleeping so good!

My work day was busy... trying to get calls made in between working on forecasting what my numbers will look like. That's always frustrating because it's like trying to use a crystal ball to see where I am going to end for the month and if my GM will take a bad debt hit for the month. (He despises taking a hit, and the pressure to perform is always at the forefront.) It's tricky and it takes time away from my main work. It makes me nuts and I always need to leave at lunch to regroup.

I went to lunch with 2 coworkers today. Because it was the first time to have Miss Liz go with my friend Tammy and I, conversation was flowing and I didn't pick up my phone to call DH as I usually do. Later, back at my desk, I sent him a text explaining that I went with friends for lunch.

Later, he sent me a text... he had to get gas for his vehicle on his way to work and couldn't find his wallet. He had to use his change stash to buy enough to get him to work and home again tonight. He said his wallet wasn't in his work bag and nor in his car. I came home from work tonight and looked in all the places it would usually be... and found nothing.

He called me on his lunch break... and we talked about his wallet being gone. He said that the last time he can remember using his wallet was Saturday when we went out for Chinese food. His clothes that he had worn were folded up on the end of the guest room bed (his clothes are in the guest room closet because I take up our entire bedroom closet and a second one in the guest room.) I went into the guestroom and checked... and sure enough, his wallet was in his jeans pocket. That means he's been driving back and forth to work for 3 days without his wallet! Oh My Goodness!

We are both so glad to have found his wallet... the thought of having to replace everything is mind boggling and lots of people have to do that everyday. I am just so grateful that we don't have to do that... especially since DH just renewed his drivers license!

Thanks for reading about my day... be blessed!
~Suzanne