An Update

I listen to a podcast by this Comedian named Bert Kriescher. I highly recommend his comedy and podcast to EVERYONE... 

Anyway, he talks all the time about "speaking your goals". He says it's something he has always believed and always done. He makes a list of goals and then he reads them out loud, speaking them into existence. He says if he does this ore than once, he usually meets those goals naturally. 

I've never been much of a "hippie-dippy" type person but, I DO believe in prayer and God and figured that it is essentially like praying ask asking for something all while working hard so that you are in a position to accept the blessing you have been looking for. 

This year, I made my list of goals and I spoke them out loud. I prayed over them as well. Within 2 weeks or so, I started seeing a few things happen. Last payday Bee and I talked about what was due. What I could pay vs. what he could pay. There was no fighting about money. We are both on the same page for this pay which, was nice. The second thing that happened was that my new boss got "sick". I can't speak to what is wrong because I am not really sure. I just know that she hasn't worked a full week since she started, the Friday before Christmas. She has had 2 family crisis'es and this last one she has been out a whole week "sick" before her husband came in to talk to the office manager. The story the office manager gave me was that she has a horrible "viral infection" and will be out for at least 3 weeks. Probably more. The husband said she really likes this job and wants to come back when she is allowed but, understands if the position can't be held that long. They are stating that she could be, and probably will be, out for close to 6 weeks. After the husband left with all of her personal belongings, my office manager and the 2nd in command (my former manager), called me into their office. They told me what happened (for the record, I don't think she is sick like, "need-an-antibiotic-sick"..but it's really none of my business and I still like her just the same as I did before). I was asked if I would step up into the position of manager, temporarily, until my manager comes back. I was informed it would be A LOT of work and they will help where they can, but this is everyone's busiest time because of annual meetings and whatnot. They stated I would get a special line on my paycheck with a dollar amount as a "fee" for stepping in. and that if and when my manager comes back, everything would return to normal. If not, we would take it from there and decide what to do.

Ya'll. 

I took this as "We want to let you have the position BUT you are "new" and you haven't even been here a whole year yet SO, we will let you audition. Do well and it's yours. If you struggle then, we know you aren't ready.". So far, I have been rocking it! If my manager comes back it's ok because I know we have some new accounts starting that currently do not have a manager assigned to them. I was led to believe that they would be ok with me "taking on more responsibilities". If my manager doesn't come back then, I think the job will be mine! In the meantime, I am taking a HUGE sigh of relief from the temporary bonus in my paycheck!

As for everything else around here, it's been pretty busy. Zach had his football banquet. Coach had a lot of nice things to say about him, which was nice. Jackson has been busy tearing up my house :D 

My dad spent a few days with us last week while he was getting new tile so Jackson LOVED that.

We had some family come in from out of town and we spent a night or two hanging with them. It's been a very busy January. Looking forward to what February brings!

 

Goals

I wanted to start this blog of mine back up because I'm back in an office job and I was looking at LOTS of time of my hands and nothing to occupy that time. So, here we go...

Then work switched shit up.

Now, I am SO BUSY I CAN'T SEE STRAIGHT.

It's awesome. Honestly, it is. However, I still want to do the blog since I did start it back up :)

So, maybe not daily updates?

Anyway, I have been composing this post in my head since New Years.

16 days later... :D

I don't really believe in "Resolutions", but I do believe in goals.

Here are my goals for 2019

1. Write my goals down. Cross them off as I achieve them. Add more to replace them. Perhaps, evaluate quarterly and see?

2. Bills. Sit down at the beginning of each pay period and DISCUSS (That's the KEY word, for me) with my husband what is due. HOW MUCH is each bill, and what he will pay vs what I will pay. In Ohio, I was making $50k+ a year. I took a check for "X" dollars a week from him for bills. I paid everything. He didn't know what bills we had or how much they were...just that we had them and I paid them and he gave me money towards them. I make a hair shy of $25,000 a year. Can't do what we did in Ohio anymore and it has been the HARDEST change for me. We never talked about money before. It's uncomfortable and we both don't like it, so we didn't...and we made enough money we really didn't have to. NOW, we do. This is my goal. I think that it will make things easier and there will be less fighting.

3. Catch up. I moved out here and didn't work for a year. Then, I worked at Target which COST me more money in the long run than helped me, financially. Then, my court fine that has been around my neck for the last year. I have gotten a decent job but forking over $200+ a month towards this court fine every month has only buried me deeper. I am FINALLY done. I just got a raise on January 1. I am looking forward to catching up all my bills. Getting them to a zero balance. Not paying ONLY the bills that I have on a payment extension so they don't get shut off. I plan on playing an extra $50 a pay on one utility each pay until I am current and show nothing owed until the monthly bill. Then, once I am there, I can pay LESS each month per bill (you know, the ACTUAL amount I owe and not the past due plus late fees etc) and then start to pay more on my car payment  and what not.

4. Travel. I want to go visit my friends back home in Ohio with Jackson. They haven't seen me or him in person since 2015. I also want to go visit my BFF in Florida. I'm hoping completing #2 and #3 will help me save do I can do this. It means the world to me.

5. I want to make Manger by 2020. I will have been here 2 years. It's totally do-able. They are talking about growing and adding another manager. I WANT that position. I can DO that position. I am practically doing that position now. It should be completely do-able. It's my goal :D

6. Just be happy and content with where I am and what I have :D


That's it for now. I will check on them in April :D

SNOW

It doesn't happen very often but, sometimes it DOES get cold enough to snow in the Old Pueblo. Last week, 2 days in a row we woke up to snow. Jackson was SUPER excited. He wore his new hat, jacket, and gloves and had the BEST TIME :)

We probably won't see snow in the valley again for another several years. However, we can ALWAYS go up to Mt. Lemmon in the winter and play. Which, is really how I like it. Snow on the mountain, 70 degrees in the valley :D 

Zach's Birthday

January 2nd (seems like ages ago!) was Zach's 16th birthday. It was low-key, as birthday's tend to be in our house. He got EXACTLY what he wanted. New headphones for his x-box. We had cake and ice cream and my dad is going to take him out to dinner sometime soon. My simple boy doesn't like much more than that. I asked him if he wanted to have friends over or whatever and he said no. They all like just playing together online. Can't argue with that, I suppose.

His mom felt that because he allowed her to SEE him and get him Christmas presents that it would be OK to send him a birthday present too. The kid isn't going to turn down a $50 gift card so, there was that. I wish that woman would forget my address. honestly.

As of this moment, his sister is in Disney. She SAYS her boss at work bought her and 2 other employees the tickets. Then surprised them with the time off, rented them a car, and gave them $500 to spend between the three of them. Her boss IS generous like that but it still didn't make much sense to me. I pondered on it and I think that's because her boss DIDN'T do that. I think that was her present from her mom. I think her and her mom were in Disney this past week. I don't have proof of that...but I know my daughter. I know how she behaves when she is hiding something and she is for sure hiding something...

When I know something, I KNOW something. Have had that ability since I was a teen. Go figure...

Anyway, if she could lose my address and my kid's phone numbers, that'd be great.

Maybe she'll get hit by a bus! :D Ha!

2019

Happy New Year!

This has been sitting in my draft file for over a week! Ha! That's how busy thing have been.

I'm really excited about 2019.

I paid off my big court fine so, that is off my plate. Bee started an insurance policy for himself through his employer when they FINALLY started offering insurance. That will save me close to $300 a month so maybe I can actually save for something weather its paying off bills or planning a trip!

Things at my job have been going so good and I am SO SO busy and that is a great feeling. I come home every day tired and feeling accomplished! The better part is I am super excited to go back the next day!

We had a low key celebration. I was off Saturday - Tuesday (it was the same with Christmas but, without the hustle and bustle of Christmas, it felt like it was WEEKS). Saturday I made soup and veggie chips. Both recipes I found  online.Sunday was laundry and watching movies all day. I helped my cousin get a chair home from Good Will do, there was a smattering of shopping in there :) Jackson got another new pair or shoes and I got a new sweater!

Monday, the 31st, Bee made a big gate out of fence we had so that we could drive into the backyard and then, to celebrate our 6th Wedding Anniversary (married 6, together 10) we watched a movie and got Tacos. Zach went to a friends house and Jackson and Bee were in bed, passed out, by 9pm. I was up till 11:30 but, then I fell asleep only to be woken 20 minutes later by my neighbors yelling, screaming, celebrating, and lighting off fireworks for midnight. It was glorious.  My dog kept barking. Had he woken up Jackson, we woulda had a problem...

New years day, we laid around and did nothing. Jackson painted some and we hung up all his past paintings in his room so that he has them all in the same place! He was super excited. My cousin gave us a twin sized day bed and that will go in Jackson's room. Right now, it's just a mattress on the floor, which he LOVES but, still won't sleep in. I get it, Mom and Du's bed is better...and I'm not going to lie, While I miss being able to stretch fully out, AND being able to have some hubby time whenever the mood strikes, I really don't mind the little chicken nugget sleeping with us. It's a phase. He will grow out of it and I'll miss it. 

That was it for the weekend. Bee and I went back to work on Wednesday. It was another short week that flew by! 

Again, Thankful for the time off, but I'm excited about getting 2019 going :)

Me too, kid....

This little boy has been living his best life the last few days. Wednesday, I had to go back to work but Bee got called off due to weather (can't pour concrete when it's wet and raining). All three of my boys were home all day together. Bee and Zach played x-box all day. Jackson spent the day outside playing on his new swing set and digging. Yesterday was more of the same (but a little less outside time  because it was raining and cold most of the day). He is home from daycare all this week and next so he has been logging in quality time with his big brother.

We end most nights cuddling in mommy and Du's bed watching "Cloudy with a chance of meatballs" or, "Steve" as Jackson calls it. Last night he curled up on Bee's side of the bed and said, "mama? I sleep like Du" and 2 minutes later he was out.

I'll admit, while I miss sharing my bed with only my husband, I know this time is short and I kinda like that he sleeps with us. Just don't tell Bee :D

PS- He has his Mamma's booty! :D 

Christmas "Bestival"

The pictures are in from the Christmas "bestival" !

I am in love with them. I was hoping my whole family would come so that we could get a nice family photo. Being a photographer, I never get a chance to get a NICE photo of all of us.

But, I'll settle for nice pictures of the Beebs and I :)

He was very excited to see pictures from our date.