May post!

WOW! I am really behind on this thing!!! OOPS!

well let's see... Tim is at work and will be back in two weeks. It has been raining non stop since he left too, so hum-drum! A raise and promotion may be coming his way so say a little prayer for us - it would be great!

I'll be starting my new job soon! I meet with my trainer on Monday for a brunch then will start field training the following week, I'm REAL excited! Still going to be helping the elderly, working on my own hours and from home! YES!!! You can go to my personal blog for more info on what else I'm up too ;)

Strick will be two in about a month! CRAZY!  I need to work on his party invites and send out soon! Can't believe my little man is going to be TWO!

We took our spring family photos last weekend, here are a few sneak peaks! I love supporting small business owners and this photographer is a stay home mom. Think these turned out pretty cute! Can't wait to see the rest!

April 2012 - Mid Month Post

Happy Friday the 13th Everyone!  I am a little behind on posting - we have had a lot going on lately!

Well, we had my little birthday party on good Friday at Beefy's on the Green - YUMMY! Strick and the kiddos played away! I think everyone had a good time! Then, the day right after we moved all day! Tim got the U-haul at 7am and we moved a load of our big stuff first, then Tim returned the U-haul and two good friends from church, Shane & Jacob helped him with the rest from storage, SO thankful that they were able to help us out! And Lauren watched Strick for the afternoon so I could load more in my car as well. We had GREAT help from GREAT friends that day!  I ordered moving announcements (you know me - must keep everyone updated, a little part of my OCD I think ;)), anyway, I am expecting them next week, although they will probably not go out until the beginning of May.  Here is the view from the front:

we love the hill country! :)

Insurance testing is not going great as planned! I did terrible last time I tested. Tim said we just had a real busy weekend so I probably was not focused on it, which is probably true, but I also did not get through the rest of the study guide ;( Oye.  I am scheduling one last exam, either next Friday or following Monday and I will finish the study guide (and my note cards!) and take the "mock exam" about 15 times next week so I feel very prepared!

In other news... I have visited the orthodontist twice this month. First time, he removed the invisalign attachments I still had - teeth felt really smooth after! He also did x-rays and the mold (eww) and the second visit was a consultation about how my teeth would move and the extractions that have to be made. So, I have one more filling appointment with Dr Perry scheduled for second week in May, then I'll have an extraction appointment with Dr Perry... eek. I'll probably do that in two appointments...if he lets me. Going to schedule those for either early June or really late June when Tim is home, then two weeks after I'll get braces. So time frame wise we are looking at July for braces, then I'll have them for two years...CRAZY.

OK, tis all for now, gotta get up dude :)

Busy Week Ahead!

Happy Sunday evening to you!  I really wanting to take Larry's sermon to heart today and rest and chill and remember "Sabbath" but it was still a busy day. But this is one of the main things I am really looking forward to as a family real soon! With my cutting the full time job we will have LOTS of family time and I could not be more excited!!!

Friday was my last day at TSS! My team was so great! Too funny though - I had left my last box I had packed up on my desk (I didn't feel like carrying it Thursday - too heavy!) for the night and to take home Friday, well the girls unpacked it :) They decorated my desk with an arch, a little sign that said, "We'll miss you" and Christmas lights! LOL. They gave me a Chinese potluck (they know me SO well!) which was AMAZING! There was fried & Steamed rice, egg rolls, pot stickers, honey ginger beef (awesome!), fortune cookies and Asian style veggies! It was all so good! They also gave me fabulous going away / birthday presents. They knew I was getting a new dress from Tim and they bought me a cardigan and jewelry to match! And Jess gave me a cross as well. It was so sweet!! I'm really going to miss them!

Even though I left "full time world" I have a busy week ahead! I have to go register Strick for his new daycare program that will be starting in September, it's Children's Morning Out, he will be there on Mondays & Wednesdays from 9-2, this is when I'll work :) We really wanted to keep Monday as family day, however this daycare kind of through us off, but there are other days during the week so we will be fine! Maybe Thursday will be family day! :) Strick will remain at Prodigy for April and then be watched by my mom and mom in law for three days a week over the summer while I get the hang of my new job. We are so blessed that they can help us out over the summer so we don't have to pay full time daycare. EEK! That's saving us over $2000 right there!

I'm scheduled to take my insurance exam on Thursday at noon! It is a THREE hour test! I'm a little nervous but I think I'll do great! Busy week studyin'! Monday, I'll drop off Strick at School, FedEx back my offer letter, register Strick for his daycare for fall and go get fingerprinted. Then I'll come to the house catch up on laundry and cleaning for a good two - three hours (maybe nap?!?) then prepare for Tour De Vault - which is Monday night.

Tuesday (is my birthday!) will be a full day of Studying while Strick is at school! I will take a break mid-afternoon for a nap or finding recipes to fill my binder! I'll probably edit some photos too!

Wednesday will be another day of studying! AHHHHHH. I will also probably edit photos and maybe pack a little bit! Probably go through clothes and see what does not fit and to see what we can donate. Tim comes home on Wednesday!!! YAY!!!!!!!

Thursday is EXAM day! I am scheduled for exam at 12:30! Opted to not do a 9am test just because I have to drive into San Antonio and I'm afraid of being late! EEK! Plus if for the off chance, Strick decides he doesn't need sleep I'll be doomed for a 9am appointment! So glad Tim will be home Wednesday! Test is three hours, so I'll be able to breathe after 3pm! I may want a nap after that ;) (Yes, totally taking advantage of nap time when I can for a bit!!!)

Friday will be a great day! Tim and I may pack a little or go through Storage to see what we can get rid of... Then we have life group at night! We are egg stuffin!!! YAY!!!

I also have photo clients to call and schedule as well as edit pics!

Busy busy busy week ahead! I'm going to go ahead and sleep now!

Tata!

Offer Letter & Other News...

My last day at The SCOOTER Store is on Friday!!! Really excited - still finding it bittersweet though! Feels like I have been there forever! Team celebration on Friday and then happy hour on 3/28!

Well... I will spill the beans now on my new job! I received my offer letter from Sterling insurance today! I will be selling Medicare Supplement plans and other products. Really excited about it! I have some insurance and a little bit of sales experience so I feel this is a great fit! The perks are amazing too! I am really thankful that Kim, a friend from church, told me about this company. She works for them too! I'm glad I sent out that prayer request that day!  I have to go get my license to sell insurance, so I'll be studying the beginning of next week and hopefully taking my test by the end of the week. I also have to get fingerprinted... :) hehehe. The plan is for me to work this more on the full time end for April so I can generate myself some business to go down to two / three days a week in May. Still not working on Mondays though ;) Tim and I have pretty much decided Mondays are going to be family days. I am SUPER pumped about getting to make my own schedule too! Fantastic!!!

My birthday is also next week - 26 on the 27th! Who-hoo! ... I guess ?!? :) I still like celebrating birthdays. Tim & I decided dinner at Beefy's with some friends in April. We will be in the process of packing and moving soon, and then I have this test to study for on top of that. So busy week next week. Tim does come home on the 28th though :) I already got my FABULOUS birthday presents in! A new pair of Roper Boots! Got a dress too :) Yay! Excited!

On a different tone... my body aches! I am so tired - geesh! I haven't gotten a full eight hours sleep for a few days. Feeling a little drained. Maybe I was just stressed out about picking which job offer to take?! But I'm definitely looking forward to being a little more lazy next week while I'm studying for my test! I can wear PJs for that!

Alright - time to hit the hay! Night all! Have a great rest of the week!!!

Out of the wood work...

It's finally Friday!!! HOORAY!!! This week was a little long and a little crazy! Where should I start...

Well , I'll start with twoish weeks ago... Tim and I had been having some conversations for a while about me finding another job that didn't involve late nights, so I started looking, not putting too much effort into it in February. I applied for a few things but didn't really pay too much attention. Then on the last day of the month I received a call from one of the positions I applied for, we set an interview for Monday, March 5th. Well then murphy happened! I got a horrible stomach virus Sunday night! I was out of work Monday and Tuesday and missed my interview. It got rescheduled though for later in the week and went REALLY well. Seems like a fabulous company to work for.  The administrator said she would let me know either way if I would get the job or not by that Friday (the 9th). Well she called my boss on Thursday and my boss let me know she gave a really good report of me :) Well, lo and behold on Friday she called and offered me the position, I accepted! I got to put in my notice on Monday!

Well... on the 12th I received another phone call from the territory manager from a photography company asking for an interview on the 13th. I was REALLY excited about this so I went. It seemed like my dream job! And keep in mind this was AFTER I accept the initial job offer and put in my notice at work!

After the interview I called Tim and told him how it went - he was real excited for me, then I called my boss, who was also really excited for me.  So then it was time to make a decision... I needed help so I sent an email out to some close friends asking for prayers as to what to do. I needed help figuring out what the "right direction" was going to be. I got really positive feedback from a lot of friends and everyone was very supportive. I got a specific email from a friend that told me what she had started doing part time work - she is a stay home parent to just about three kiddos ;)

Well that brings us to Tuesday night when Tim was leaving. After Strick was in bed we had a long conversation about what would be best for me and for our family. Lots of pros and cons for each job choice, but we think we have made the right decision and we are really excited and looking forward to it. I won't reveal what it is just yet, I want to make sure everything is in order first. 

I mainly want to let everyone know that being home more is something I've wanted for a LONG time, and this was a big family decision but I am ecstatic and Tim is happy we will have a lot more family time! We already have our first Monday as a family planned!

It will be bittersweet leaving the scooter store, having been there over three years I'm probably going to cry on my last day! I've made some great friends, dealt with the best co-workers ever and have had such a BLAST with TSS. I'm sad to leave them behind! But I'm SO EXCITED for our family!

I hope everyone has a great weekend! I'm going to catch up on some sleep! I'll update on other things later, this just needed to get put up before I forgot to post the latest family news!

Night all!

First mobile blog...

Hmm, curious to see how this shows up! I'm blogging from my cell phone at work! I have awards ceremony in less than fifteen minutes so a quick update seems in order :)

Only seven full days of TSS left! I cannot believe it still! I'm looking forward to part time adventures and spending a lot more time with my little family! Still have a few things to get in order and April may be a little crazy but I am so excited!

Ok that's all for now!

Rainy Saturday!

Here we are, the second Saturday of the month and it is pouring rain! I know we need it, but it would be good to go outside!

This may sound a little silly, but I'm happy at the fact that Strick is at the point where he will sit still and watch TV for a few minutes, it is usually a short time frame, but he is very content with certain movies! He LOVES Robots - very cute animated movie! And Shrek, probably not the most appropriate for his age, but he cannot understand it anyway, he just says "Shrek" and "Donkey" "Cat" and all the other nouns he can in the movie.  I actually put on Happy Feet and sent Tim to Wal-Mart to find some more movies that Strick would watch. I'm glad we are finally getting kiddo movies! YAY!!!

Cannot wait till we move, we are going to have our spare bedroom be his playroom, all of his toys will be there, away from the living room and his bedroom. Obvsioulsy he will have some toys in his room, but I'm going to try and keep more books in there I think, as well as the living room. We should moving moving in the next two months we hope, fingers crossed it works out!

I have another dental appointment on Tuesday afternoon - this should be my last before my orthodontic appointments start in April. I have another appointment on Tuesday prior to my dental appointment at 2pm. This is an important visit for my future so prayers on Tuesday afternoon all around are appreciated.

I am off ... movie watching has ceased... Strick is up and into everything!

That's my guy ;)