Is it a full moon or something?

So, a couple of recent updates that make me wonder if it's a full moon...

1. Mom is in the hospital with appendicitis. Talked to her on the phone; she didn't sound good at all. This is on TOP of all the problems with migraines and fibromyalgia which have put her on 30-day medical leave from work. Dad trying to brave but lost it on the phone because he's (understandably) worried about her. Which made ME cry...for the second time in a 30-minute timeframe today. (See next item.)
2. I dropped Trevor off at church for an afternoon activity and managed to ram the hubcap into the curb not once...but SEVERAL times. This is the same wheel/hubcap which Mark just spent the better part of the last 3 weeks getting M*chens to repair. (don't get me started on THAT outfit) I immediately felt myself hiving out when I heard the "crunch, crunch"...thinking it was the exterior body of the van. Began praying for God to take me right then and there because I didn't know HOW I was going to come home and tell Mark I'd done damage to our 2008 PAID FOR vehicle. A nice man saw me freaking out and came over to comfort me (probably because he saw my daughter in the carseat behind me and realized her safety and arrival home depended entirely on the crazy woman without any depth perception in the driver's seat). He than hammered the nastily scratched hubcap back into place and assured me he'd seen much worse. I could have hugged him. Only I was fighing back tears. I came home and promptly sobbed all over Mark's chest. That would have been the FIRST tear-fest of the day. But it lasted approximately 20 minutes because I was so stressed out about the move, the house, and my mom.
3. I think this all began three nights ago when I decided to be supermom by going to both kids' doctor appointments followed immediately by going to F*urot Fi*ld to watch the J*HS marching band perform the Star Spangled Banner. Mind you, I was already pretty much exhausted from a crazy week. Then found myself sitting on the bleachers with my husband, N*ck, and Aislinn scampering around everywhere. Moments before Tr*vor's band was scheduled to make its appearance, the heavens let loose. To call it a rainout would have been an understatement. It was like Noah's Flood all over again. The umbrella worked for approximately the first 5 minutes. At that point, it was a lost cause. A 38-year old, 21-year old and 2 1/2-year old only fit so well under one umbrella, people. After that, it's all about wet butts and elbows. M*rk dashed to find the van under a jacket he held over his head (left us with the umbrella; chivalry is NOT dead). The vehicle was parked in the south lot. We were sitting near the north lot (because that's where they made us buy tickets. Dumb, dumb, dumb.). About one hour later, he returned with T in the van. We spent an entertaining 45 minutes huddled under the cement ceiling of the nosebleed section watching Aislinn stop through every single puddle she could find. She was having a blast. N*ck and me? Not so much. Was sooo glad to get home.
4. I spent an hour today spackling walls. We're going to need to paint and recarpet this place before anyone in their right minds would buy it. I'm trying not to freak. I put Mark in charge of all this, but I can't really stop worrying. So I just do it on the sly. And then cry like a baby when things don't go right.
5. I'm TOTALLY booking a spa date when I get back from T-Town. In.DESPERATE.NEED. I'm taking a bottle of wine with me and making it a full day affair. I don't care what it costs. I'm getting the whole works done. Manicure. Pedicure. Body wrap. Massage. Facial. Hair. Anything I can find on the menu. All mine. Maybe I'll come back a rejuvenated woman. If not rejuvenated, then at least tipsy enough from the wine to not care anymore. :-)

*Sigh.* And tomorrow is only Monday.

Whoa - been awhile...

Yeah, so lately I'm sucking at keeping up with the whole bloggage routine. Life has been a crazy train and I'm trying NOT to go off the rails. (Thank you, Ozzie.) Speaking of Ozzie, did anyone see DWTS last week when Kel made Oz and Sharon cry? So sweet. I loved when she flew across the floor to give her daddy a hug. What a moment. I have to admit; girl surprised me with her grace on the floor. Who knew Rocker Princess could become Cinderella with the right waltz music and partner? *smile*

I honestly don't know where to start. First of all, things are going well considering I'm working virtually in the new role. Headed to STL Thursday to spend the day there. Got a call from J on Friday morning; she just wanted to tell me she was really happy with something I did for her. That was awesome. Hard to know what people think of your work unless they take the time to tell you. I'm SUCH  a needy person when it comes to feedback. If I rock, I wanna hear about it. Same if I am doing awful. Rather know now than go out biting the dust until it's too late for a comeback, you know?

Last weekend, had a great time with C and the fam. Bonfire, wine (too much of it, actually) and delish food cooked by her hubby. Eight kids running around (not counting mine) and we almost caught the woods on fire. But it was awesome. *grin* Last night, I had some quiet time that just really felt like what the doctor ordered. I know this is going to sound lame but...I watched a marathon of ANTM with *several* glasses of cab as I burned white sage in abalone. I'm going to cry when my sage is gone. It was so relaxing. I curled up on the couch, turned off all the lights, ate a bowl of popcorn all by myself, enjoyed my wine and my stupid girl shows. And mellowed to burning sage. I need to get some more at Christmas when we had to Michigan.

So Mark is thinking we won't move now until Thanksgiving. I'm trying NOT to stress about that. I've kind of turned over the whole relo thing to him to manage. I think we're going to go with GBO rather than list. Less hassle. I just hope they give us a good price. And I'm not sure about whether we're going to rent or buy in STL. It really is a buyer's market. Just hate to sink our equity from the last 10 years into a place we won't be living in more than 3-4 years. You know? Argh. Decisions. That's why Mark's in charge. (See, I SAY that, but then I'm so OCD and  such a control freak that I still want to be part of the decision-making process. THIS is why I have HBP!)

I packed my first box from my office on Friday. I know..dumb. Considering I won't be leaving in full for awhile yet. But it still felt good. Like progress was being made. I can't wait to just get resettled. I've said that  before. I'm being redundant. I'm sorry.

I'm really looking forward to our team meeting in T-town in a couple of weeks. Will be sooo good to catch up with everyone again. I really do love our team. I love my job. Life rocks. God is good. So much to be grateful for.

Jammed out (or tried to) with the boys tonight on GH3. I suck compared to them. I hate that. One day, I want to kick butt and take names. But I don't have the skills yet. Grr. Still had fun. I miss 80's music. Just sayin'.

Wow, is that enough randomness for one blog entry or WHAT? Loving the weekend. Wish they were longer. :-)

Things Are Happening Faaa-aast!

So, remember I said we were going to take this "transition process" to the new gig slow and easy?
WRONG. Fast and furious is more like it.
Had a rap session today with C and we decided to speed things up a little (which may or may not mean "a lot"...)

So it's 6:13 pm and I'm just now getting to leave the office. And Monday, we're meeting all day to do a brain dump. And it's going to be okay. Really and truly. I have to have my house listed for sale in 14 days, but...yeah...*gulp*...it'll all be fiiiiiiiine! *insert scrunched up, chewing-lower-lip face here*

Faith, Patience, Peace.
(also known as Prayer, Wine and Sleep)

Tomorrow is a new day. It's gonna come together, right? *nervous smile*

Cool it, SB...

So I am RIDICULOUSLY excited about my new gig. Like--INSANELY excited. I can't stop thinking about it. I told my boss today I feel like one of those race horses at the track when the jockey is on their back and the gates are closed but just about to fly open and the horses are all stamping and snorting and tossing their heads. Dude - that's me. I'm so PUMPED to get settled and starting kicking a** and taking names. But...I need to chill. Lots to learn yet. Lots of details to attend to. Like, uh, where are we going to LIVE for one thing? Hello. Small but important factor. And getting my son into a good high school. And selling our house. Yada yada yada.

But can I just squeal on for a few more seconds? Because I went to my new location yesterday to spend the day there and I went into my new office and...wow. It felt so surreal. It's just an office, right? But it felt so cool. Looking out over the glass windows and seeing the city below me. Sitting my new chair for the first time. Looking in the desk drawers and stuff. Even turning the light switch on and off. I KNOW. I sound like a TOTAL dork. But I can't help it. I kept thinking, "OMG - this is going to be MY OFFICE." Hello. So cool. So freaking cool. I have an office now in my current job. But...well...this was my NEW office.

The assistants who work there were so sweet. I have an assistant, too, btw. A what? What do I do with one of THOSE? I'm so used to doing everything myself. I'll be like, "Hey! How are you? Have a great day doing whatever!" :-) lol. I actually share her with another person, but she was so awesome. She was all, "I'll make your office all pretty for you. Just ship anything you want to my attention." So sweet. Of course, I'd never charge the company for shipping when I'm like 2 hours away and could just drive it up myself. But still. So nice to offer, don't you think? I kinda loved her for that.

I gave so many hugs yesterday I lost count. And I found out there's a fitness facility on the fifth floor. And a masseuse that comes on Wednesdays. Hello!!!! I'm happy. Massages+Me=Happiness. Garage parking. Super fine facilities. I'm so tripping out over this whole thing. Cannot.Believe.It's.Happening.To.Me.

My management team is AMAZING. My former boss is now my peer and we work so amazingly well together. We're going to be such an awesome team. So exciting! I'm so happy!!!!!!

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!

Okay, alright. I know. You're puking. "Cool it, SB." 'Kay. Bu-bye for now.
(But I'm really EXCITED! Just sayin'!)

Maybe it's about the glass...

I'm sitting here indulging blissfully in my first glass of wine to celebrate the new weekend. Friday night. Just got home. (Hey, wait...that's an 80's song, right?) I am trying to determine if it's the color of the wine, the taste of it or the actual glass that I enjoy most. The entire ritual, combined, I should think. I love Friday nights.

What an insane week. Great. Exciting. But insane. I've had NO time to blog. I walked out tonight and heard people discussing how short weeks seem so much longer. That was true a couple of weeks ago for me. But not this week. After the job announcement went out on Tuesday, my life became a gradual whirl of e-mail congratulations, phone calls, cards and general well wishes from an astonishing number of present and former co-workers. Pretty awesome actually. It was so nice to hear from so many folks who wanted to offer their words of encouragement. You forget how many paths you cross in a single lifetime until something sort of monumental happens and people reach out from across the miles. It made me smile, cry and give thanks.

Now that the rush is over -- temporarily, until I pull out my laptop again -- it's time to reflect. I still can't believe I will be an assistant manager. I still can't believe I'm being given the opportunity to work our top leadership at such an exclusive level. I still can't believe I get to stay with THE most amazing public affairs team in the entire nation. Seriously. I don't think it could be any better.

A co-worker has a gorgeous home about 45 minutes away from my new office and he's considering allowing us to rent it. It's on 2 acres of land. Breathtaking in all respects. Just waiting to see what the monthly lease amount would be and whether or not it's in our budget. I'm trying not to get my hopes up. I keep praying to God to work out the whole housing thing. It's probably one of my top two stresses right now.

The other top stress is just sheer volume. Worrying about keeping all the balls in the air and not dropping any of them. Especially where an executive is concerned. That would be bad. Very bad. I'm very glad to learn senior leadership approved a replacement for my position. That means we can post and hire someone to take my job. I hope that goes smoothly, because it will make transitioning work soooo much easier for the whole team. We are stretched so incredibly thin right now, it's insane. How do you get blood from a turnip, exactly? ha ha!

Well, enough for now. I know I've been ridiculously lame about blogging. But I've come home tired and not in the mood to write. I can only write well when I'm relaxed and focused, not when I'm high strung and thinking about a zillion things at once. Perhaps I'll work another entry or two in before the weekend is out.

In the interim, there is one person out there who I'm not sure is even reading this. But if you do, you know who you are. I just want to say, "You're amazing." And "It's going to be okay."

Hugs to all my friends, family and secret readers. May your weekend be blissful and your heart light.

Dandelions and Batteries

So, my daughter is 2 1/2. She continues to prove a constant source of creative entertainment for me. You might call her my muse. I think, being an older parent, I appreciate observing her so much more than I remember doing with Trevor at the same age. I think it has something to do with mellowing out over time. As a new parent, I was so consumed with trying to do the job right. With #2, I'm like, "Yeah, I got this." And I just take time to enjoy.

This morning was a holiday (Labor Day). It was great to have the day to relax and be home with family (even though I'm super excited about the new job). Aside from wrestling with the irritation of another flat tire (WHAT?!) on our still very new van (WHAT?!), it's been just about a perfect day.

I rose to greet my sleepy daughter. We ate strawberry cereal together. She helped me make coffee (she likes to help fill the coffee pot, put the coffee filter in the basket, and press the button on the bean grinder to grind the beans). We won't talk about how I winced when she spilled Starbucks French Roast on the counter. (It's just coffee, It's just coffee...my whispered mantra as I cleaned it up. I get very protective of my Starbucks.) She watched her morning cartoons on Noggin, and I sat next to her to read a few verses of scripture while I enjoyed my first 2 cups of coffee. As I was underlining passages, Aislinn said, "Mommy, what are you doing?"

"Reading my bible," I replied with a smile and a wink.
"I want to read my bible too!" came the immediate and very predictable response. (This is a phase...everything I do, Aislinn wants to do too...on her OWN...without any assistance, thank you very much.)

I got her Scholastic "My First Read and Learn Bible." Thankfully, this is a handy boardbook bible. Pages easily wiped off. Because as I was underlining, Aislinn said, "I want to color my bible too!" Enter Crayola crayons to the rescue. Blue, to be exact.

Then, as she was flipping the pages, she stopped at a page showing a picture of Jesus healing a blind man. She said, "Mommy, what's that?"

"That man's eyes are broken, Aislinn. Jesus is praying for him and making him all better. Jesus is nice. He loves us all."

A few moments passed as she processed that information. Then a classic Aislinn response...definitely marking her as a child of the 21st century. "Mommy, that man's eyes are broken! He needs more batteries!"

LOL. Thank goodness Jesus knows how to recharge all our dead batteries. :-)

I kind of love my daughter. I love everything about being her mom. Making her peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Brushing Barbie hair for 20 minutes straight. Watching her eat a popsicle and end up with green, blue or red face smears. Playing mermaid with her as she takes a bubble bath. Washing and brushing her hair. Helping her put on lotion. Painting her toes (which she loves to do on weekends). Reading stories, watching toddler TV for hours on the weekends, playing play-doh, cooking with her (yes, I let her help!), and tucking her into bed each night. I love how she says, "I love you too, Mommy" in a sleepy, happy voice when I give her kisses and tell her I love her each night in bed. I love how she's happy every morning when she rises. I love her hugs and the way she wraps herself all around me when I pick her up. I love how she squeals, and dances, and points, and jumps up and down and yells, "My MOMMY is here! My MOMMY is here!" when I pick her up from school. I love how she picks every single dandelion in our yard or at the park, and brings them to me a squished-up bouquet of toddler affection and asks me to put them in water. Which, of course, I do before placing them on the window sill over the kitchen sink.

Thank you, God, for little girls. For replacing our batteries. And for dandelions...lots of them.

So...what a WEEK!

Yeah, I know. I get all hepped up on this blogging deal and then I disappear for a week. Well, I have a good excuse. A lot has HAPPENED in the last week!

First of all - I GOT THE JOB I GOT THE JOB I GOT THE JOB OMG!!!

*me doing happy wiggly dances all over the place*

I cannot believe it. I'm still in shock. Crazy. I couldn't even process this week. All I could have blogged about was how absolutely nuts I was going (a) getting ready for the interview, (b) worrying about how stupid I sounded DURING the interview, (c) freaking out about what I said AFTER the interview, and (d) wondering if I was going to make it to the second round of interviews.

In a nutshell...I made it. The job is mine. I'm in H.E.A.V.E.N. There are so many awesome things about this that I can't even list them all. The main thing is that I now know I don't have to leave my amazing team. I am so overcome. My FB has been going crazy tonight with all the well wishes and virtual high-fives. It makes me cry. Seriously. I have the best life ever. I totally give God all the glory on this one. We prayed so hard this week, that everything would work out just the way it was supposed to and that God would make the way clear before us. Didn't want any doubts.

He didn't just make the way clear. He blew the doors down and shoved me through them. LOL.

I am so excited. I can't wait to start the process of transitioning, finding a place, etc. There is SO much to do, but I am so pumped and my family is on board and I just KNOW it will all come together. This is a blessing from the word "go" so it can only get better from here, right?

Yay! Yay! Yay!!!!

Lots of other stuff happened this week, but nothing that really compares. I'm on TOP OF THE WORLD.
I love P.A.!!! :-)