This has been a week of ups and downs.
Well, really only one down, but that one down has brought me down over and over again.
Please allow me one more tribute before I tell you about my ups.
Looking down Church Street
At the cemetery.
Thank you.
Now on with the ups….
I have finally freed myself of the Fifty Shades series. (I wonder if that’s why the last book was named Fifty Shades Freed.) Although well written, it was definitely explicit and three books of it was quite enough. I read it for the articles, of course. Behind all the x-rated scenes, there was a pretty good story line, however, it’s nice to have finished. I’ve been anxious to get back to my regularly scheduled murder mystery and crime drama books.
Believe it or not, work has been somewhat of an up. One of my supervisors put in her two weeks notice last week. She has been with the company for about 5 years, and literally has been the right-hand-man to all the managers. Everyone is in an uproar about it, and all of a sudden I’m looking pretty good. She has agreed to come in once a week to pass all her knowledge on to me. I will be billing our major companies, checking to make sure rates are entered correctly, responding to emails, making sure rooming lists are entered correctly, etc, etc. A lot more work. No more pay. But I am making myself more valuable to them which could lead to better negotiations in the future. I’m excited to have the extra responsibility, and I’m happy they think enough of me to trust that I can replace her. I guess time will tell.
Running has been a big up as well. In November, I ran a total of 74 miles including an 8 mile, 9.5 mile, and 10 mile run. December is starting out just as strong. I’ve racked up 26.5 so far, running 10.5 miles of that today. Woohoo for a new PR! I continue to shake my head in disbelief over how well my runs have been going. I’m being smarter about it, so that may be some of it. Oh, and the shoes help too.
And I got to shop with my daughter this weekend. She’s had a few gift cards burning a hole in her pocket, and she was in need of some clothes. Mercy. The girl is 14, has size 11 feet and stands about 4 inches taller than me. We hit quite a few stores, talking and joking all the while. A lot of our conversation on the way to our closest shopping district was about Tim, and life, and how important it is to live in the moment, not sweat the small stuff, and tell your loved ones how you feel, because you just never know. Most of these were her revelations. How awesome that she’s realizing it at such a young age. Hopefully she can avoid getting so caught up in work and responsibilities when she gets older. That way she’s able to enjoy the things that truly matter. Like spending time with her daughter.
Once home, I decided to make the hot chocolate cookies I recently pinned. Quite yummy, but a little chocolate chippy for my tastes. The recipe called for 3 cups of chips – semisweet, milk and white. I think next time I’ll leave a cup out. Either way, they were a nice treat at the end of a nice day.
Hot Chocolate Cookie with Marshmallows
Finally, we added a new member to our family this week. You’d think 5 was enough, but noooo…. With our 5th family member driving now, Chip was forced to get a new vehicle. Now we have 6. Yes, your math is right. We have 5 drivers and 6 vehicles, but one of those vehicles gets awful gas mileage and has no heat. It’s good for hauling leaves and sticks to the clubhouse, and that’s about it. After striking out multiple times for various reasons, Chip was able to find the right car for him. Red. Sporty looking. Great price. Owned by a mechanic. The parking situation is a little tricky, but hubby’s plan is working out wonderfully.
The Parking Lot
When parked this way, everyone can get their vehicles out without having to move another. The stick hauler and Link’s car are sentenced to the street. Notice whose vehicle gets the prime spot and can just back straight up. I’d like to think it’s because I’m the queen of the family, but most likely it’s because I tend to run into things. (BTW, she just got back from the shop and looks brand new. No more deer dents or parking garage scars.)
So, overall a pretty good week. I have yet to get any Christmas shopping done, but heck, I have 16 more days. Why rush things.
shadowrun300 