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Things haven’t slowed down much around here yet (as evidenced by the length of time between posts lately).  I feel like I am go-go-go, a frantic pace, from the moment I lift my head off the pillow in the morning, until I collapse, exhausted, every evening.

Driving home from work one particular hectic day earlier this week, I was frowning, frazzled, fed up.  Then, out of nowhere, it dawned on me that I was being a bit ridiculous.  How many people would love to have a job to complain about?  How many people are considered insignificant at work?  And how many people just tolerate an unhappy marriage, or have nothing to go home to?

Here I was, driving a car I adore (old and battered but very much my baby), heading home to a house I absolutely love and am fiercely proud of.  At this house, waiting for me, is a husband who is hard-working, funny, and loyal, and who loves me with everything he is.  Also at this house is a stepson who, despite the best efforts of hateful and manipulative trolls, is now a huge part of our lives.

Last but not least: also at this house is a fat, spoiled, demanding cat who purrs loudly in my ear and jumps onto his hind legs for me to pick him up, and a clumsy, messy, hyperactive, and oversized dog with the most impressive sad eyes and fastest-wagging tail I have ever seen.

Yeah, it’s been stressful as hell lately.  I am wiped out, worn out, and thoroughly depleted.  It gets exhausting and occasionally annoying.  But every day, after the rat race, I hit that front door, see the smile on my husband’s face, get a loud meow from my cat or a tail thump from the dog, and a witty smartass comment from my stepson, and I’m finally, happily home.

Spinning and New Business Cards

I haven’t been to a Spinning class since New Year’s Eve.  So going to another class, nine months later, seemed like a great idea when I signed up, all full of good intentions and positive vibes…but as class time approached yesterday evening, I started to have serious doubts.  All of a sudden, my good idea felt more like “What was I thinking?”

I didn’t back out, though.  I went to class, adjusted my bike, and bravely hopped on.  Forty-five minutes later, dripping with sweat, gasping for breath, I was grateful that class was over!  My legs were sore already, even after stretching, and I’m still feeling it today.  So what did I do?  Went ahead and signed up for a class next week!

When I got home, my husband was in the kitchen, washing dishes.  (Is there anything sexier than a man who cleans?)  He must not have heard me come in, because when he saw me, he got a big smile on his face and said “Hey!” like he was surprised.  It was sweet.  I love the little things.

I had a surprise for him (after I griped about my sore legs).  Quite some time ago, I got a promotion at work to a director position, but since I still had plenty of business cards with my old title, I was just using those until I emptied the box.  My co-workers must have decided that I had waited long enough: one of them came into my office and presented me with a box of brand new, shiny, fancy business cards with “Director” instead of my old title.  I immediately snagged one to take home to my husband.

It means a lot to me to finally see that title under my name.  I worked hard for it.  I also like knowing that the kids have at least one positive and strong female role model in their lives.  Their only other example is someone with the work ethic of a corpse (and the moral compass of Hitler and the personality of a cockroach, but I digress).  I want the kids to know that women can be in charge, can make important decisions, and not just wait for hand-outs like a leech.  I want all four of them, not just the girls, to know that they can be anything they want to be, not just what others box them into and try to shackle them into being, because they are better than that.

I Need a Vacation!

Vacation (1).pngI’m so glad the weekend is over!  I couldn’t wait to get back to the frenetic frenzy of work, constant interruptions, exciting deadlines, an endless to-do list…

Yeah, right.

I can’t believe how fast the weekend blazed by.  Or the past week, for that matter.  Things haven’t calmed down a whole lot yet at work.   This week I am actually training another company on how to use their database.   Not quite sure how I got swindled into that, considering how much work I have to get done this week, and I suspect it will just lead to them viewing me as their friendly neighborhood tech support for all of eternity, but I suppose it’s my good deed for the week.

I managed to lose half a pound last week, but rest assured, it was in spite of my actions and choices, not because of them.  I haven’t had time to think or breathe, let alone meal plan or work out.

I am really hoping for a slow-down this week.  I desperately need it!  We have a few activities this week, school events here, a football game there, but my goal is to fit in at least a few workouts before my next weigh-in.  Something is better than nothing.

I can’t stop yawning, because I stayed up way too late with my husband.  Our quiet time in the evening is sometimes the only time we get together lately, and we were snuggled up on the couch, just enjoying being with each other, not wanting to call it a day and head to bed.  I am paying for it today and can’t stop yawning, but it won’t make a difference…we will go to bed much too late tonight too!

cd13423-two-cats-snuggling-cute-anniversary-card
Snuggling sounds pretty good right now!  And so do cute, snuggly cats.  

What the…?

Hello?  Who’s there?  What time is it?  What year is it?  What’s my name?  What planet am I on?

Maybe I am exaggerating how disoriented I feel after last week, but only a smidgen.  I am not sure I can really put into words how hectic, crazy, exhausting, and completely draining last week was.

Now, it wasn’t a bad week.  Nothing horrible happened.  It was just like a million things needed to be done at work, and they all needed to be done at the same time, on a tight timeline.  Preferably yesterday, for most things.  Being on full-speed-ahead all day long, five days straight, burned me out fast.  By the time I got home each evening, I didn’t want to think, move, or exert any energy whatsoever if it wasn’t crucial to survival.

Needless to say, my workouts last week were non-existent, at least, if you don’t count sprinting hysterically around the office like a chicken on crack with its head cut off.  Meal planning, packing my lunch, or anything else that required activity on the part of my frazzled brain were just impossible.

I left work early Friday afternoon for my younger stepson’s football game, and I counted down the minutes all day until that precious time to race out of work and head home for a weekend with my family.  There’s not much better therapy than yelling and cheering at a football game.

The kids were home for the weekend, and it felt like a million years since we had seen them.  We didn’t have any stellar plans, nothing wild and crazy going on, and I like it that way.  I like just staying home, enjoying the weekend with them, listening to my husband transform into a big kid himself as he wrestles with, plays with, teases, torments, and laughs with the kids.

Almost forgot!  Last week was crazy, but in the middle of it all, I got the written report of my annual evaluation.  I always read it for the first time with a bit of hesitancy, waiting for a piece of criticism, but this one was so positive I nearly blushed.  My supervisor said everyone just had good things to say, and she called me a leader at the company.  Someone from another organization we work a lot with even added the comment that they hope I don’t go anywhere else, which was nice to hear.

Now, I am hoping for a calmer week this week, with maybe some time to breathe and sleep and fit in some workouts!  Time to get back to some semblance of a routine.

Excited and Happy

I don’t usually write on weekends, but I am too excited to wait until Monday.  Yesterday at work, I had a very good meeting.  We have a lot of changes happening here, and since we are a small office, I have had to take on extra work and responsibility over the past year or so.  To show their appreciation for me pitching in without complaining (at least out loud), and for doing so well,  I was awarded quite  a nice raise.

I would like to treat myself to a little something, but I’m not sure what.  New shoes?  New purse?  Something I would usually tell myself, “Oh, I don’t really need that.”  Something that my practical side normally would say “no” about.  Perfume?  I need to think about it.  Any suggestions?

I also went running the other night, or more like it, shuffling very slowly and painfully on the treadmill, while I huff and puff and turn various shades of red.  But each step is one tiny nudge closer to getting back into shape, and it would be much easier to not do it at all, so I am proud of myself for pushing myself.

We have a busy day planned today, but the most important thing was first: watching my younger stepson’s football practice!  I love football and can’t wait for the season to kick off.  In fact, just the phrase “kick off” gets me all excited and ready to start cheering and yelling.  I am happy my husband and I got to hang out at the game, see the kids, and got the day off to a nice start before setting off for a hectic day.

We have a date night tonight, and I am looking forward to that.  We are celebrating my work accomplishments and just spending some time together.

And, last but certainly not least, I weighed in this morning to another loss!  I know no one can tell yet that I am losing weight again, but it makes me happy to have these little successes.

All in all, I am just in a really good mood today, and excited about the changes taking place all around me.  School starts next week, which still makes me nervous and excited. I hope the kids have a good year.

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