First Day - October 2012

Once again, my lazy bum only snapped iPhone photos for the first of this month.

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New Leaf

Today is my last day at my contract job.  I actually really enjoyed my time with the client and all the wonderful people I got to work with (we won't mention some of the not-so-wonderful people though).  I was with the client for almost two full years.  

I went back to work when The Youngest was just three months old.  And now I'm shaking my head saying "I can't believe she's already two!"  When I went back to work, I was lugging a pump back and forth with me each day.  Thankfully, that pump is long gone now and that little "baby" happily feeds herself everything with a "I do it".

Within a few short weeks after I went back to work, I found out some sad information and my marriage completely crumbled beyond repair.  Quite honestly, I went back to work feeling that the end was near (not knowing some of the nitty-gritty reasons) and that I would need to support myself.  Thankfully, that chapter is closed.  I can look back on it and be ever-so-thankful that my manager became a very dear friend and was so supportive and understanding through my rocky months at work.  On days that I barely had the energy to enter my login credentials, she was there with advice and a coffee.

It really is amazing how much can change in the course of two short years - good and bad.  Think back on where you were at two years ago.  You'll likely feel a lot has changed too.  The good thing about the changes, whether good or bad, is that those changes are little life lessons we all can grow from if we choose to do so.

Now, as I close another little chapter and embark on a new one (after a week break between jobs), I hope I will remember that each little challenge or change is a lesson as it is happening.  That I recognize it as it's happening and not after.  That I realize and appreciate it as a learning opportunity.  And that I do it with much less anxiety.  Because when I look back at a two year span - the good, the bad, and the ugly - none of it was so unbearable thanks to the support of family and friends.

Not quite sure where I planned to go with my random thoughts about anticipating my new position.  It's a happy/sad thing.  Sad to leave my co-workers and a very flexible position.  Happy to be starting something fresh with the opportunity to shine.

Over the Shoulder Boulder Holder

I haven't purchased a proper in bra for myself in quite some time.  I've been wearing older ones that are quite ill fitting.  After two pregnancies and two plus years of breastfeeding and some extra weight still lingering, I knew it was time to go see the professionals.  

When my oldest was about two years old, I lost a lot of weight and was back to my pre-pregnancy bra size - even if my ta-tas were not the cute little perky things of the past.

Now that my youngest is two, I'm due to loose a lot of baby weight yet again.  I'm in between bra sizes too.  Not fitting into my little bras, and not quite fitting into the bras I wore when I was done breastfeeding.

Anyway, I walked into a proper bra store this weekend.  It's a store that women who usually have to special order specific bra sizes go to (i.e. my mom and my oldest sister).  I've been there before, but decided to go back again and get properly fitted.  Haha!  When she told me what I measured, I laughed out loud.  The size is one that when you hear it, you picture some voluptuous lingerie model.  That I definitely am not!!!  

After delivering two kids and losing some modesty, it no longer bothered me that the shop owner came into the fitting room to check my fit and re-position my ta-tas in each bra I tried on.  (I did have flash backs though from when I was in the same shop when I was sixteen and the thought of some strange women touching my ta-tas had me near a nervous breakdown!)

I actually walked out with a "different" size than what I measured.  The most important thing is that it's comfortable.  And I'm not longer falling out of my bra or barely filling a cup.  And the girls are happy.  The ta-ta girls.  My offspring could care less.  

First Day - September 2012

Now I know first day is supposed to be all about pictures, but I have an excuse this time!  The first part of my day was spent at a bra shop getting fitted.  It probably wouldn't have been appropriate to post pictures of that!  And the last part of my day was spent getting sick in my friend's yard because of a killer migraine!  So the pictures for the day are limited.  The day had potential, but I failed at making it a picture success.

Collage is all Instagram pics.  Other two were from when I managed to pick up my camera for a moment between bouts of nauseousness (and color is way off, but oh well).

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Not Your Typical Hallmark

I remember first getting on the some ecards site many years ago. The cards made me giggle then, and it's sad to say that I still find the sick humor of these electronic cards rather humorous, even when I see one on practically every other post on Facebook.  One day when I'm old and gray and Facebook is a thing of the past like vinyl records, I will likely say, "Remember those eCards? Man, that was some funny sh!t!"  

Here are a few I've especially chuckled at lately :)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What are some of your favorites?

In More Randomness

• My oldest had her first week of Kindergarten last week. It started on a Wednesday and was just half days. This week is full days and uniforms. So far, she's been excited to go to school. Me? Each day I've had a nervous belly, wondering how she's doing in class. I know this feeling of mine will fade over time, but I'm still just trying to process it all. I mean, really? My baby is in kindergarten all day? I have to drag information out from her each day when I get home to see how she managed at school, and even with that I don't get many details.

• My "big" news had to wait on a few items before I could officially announce it. Sorry for the cliffhanger! I handed in my resignation last week and have accepted a direct hire position at one of the big three automakers. I'm nervous but excited about the change.

• Meet Quinn. She's a two year old Weimaraner who will add more chaos to my life that doesn't quite need it! Her "parents" are going through a divorce, and long-story short, she's here on a "trial" basis. She's a sweetie, that's for sure. And a good guard dog.  Man, I'm a sucker.

Where Oh Where?

Where oh where has my little blog gone?

I have lots I want to chat about, I just never seem to find a spare minute to sit down and talk.   Just know that lots of babbling will be coming soon to a screen near you (BlogHer update, my oldest getting ready to start kindergarten, the non-existent world of dating when single with two kids, etc.)

For now, I will leave you with a little cliff hanger.  I have some great personal news to share.  I'm pretty excited for a new chapter.  And no, it's not that my therapist and I just celebrated our eighteenth month anniversary.

Till next time when I'm not exhausted and cranky.  Mwah!

First Day - August 2012

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Random Running Rambling

Sometimes when I'm out on a run, I feel like I should pull my phone out and take snapshots of the random stuff I see along my routes.  Sadly, I cannot share pictures because I did not take any pictures for a few reasons: 

1.) I'm really not coordinated enough to run and take a picture at the same time

2.) The one time I tried, I learned that launching my camera app messed with the app that records my pace and distance

3.) It would not be tasteful to capture some of the things I see in a picture

So, we will simply rely on my vivid memory to relay some of the things I've seen during the past thirteen weeks of my half marathon training.  Some things make me look the other way, some things make me chuckle, some things cause me to make up hilarious stories in my mind to pass the time.

• During one run, I followed a Hansel-and-Gretel path of Oreo cookies.  How cruel is it to find a trail of cookies as I'm huffing and puffing and trying to "think" healthy?  All I could think was that some poor school kid's backpack was open on his way to school and part of his lunch snack dropped out, one cookie at a time.
• On another run, on a different road, I saw a discarded peanut butter and jelly sandwich.  Or so it appeared to be a PBJ.  Some kid must not have gotten sick and tired of the same sandwich packed in his lunch box each day.
• On any given run, there is always a plethora of roadkill.  I always avert my look - running forward but looking sideways until I'm passed the mess on the side of the road.  While on my vacation and running, it was especially sad to see a grouping of baby turtles that did not make it very far across the street.  Same with lots and lots of little frogs.
• I always see lots of live animals too - from dogs in fenced in yards to bunnies and groundhogs and beautiful yellow finches and even cute little fawns once.
• I also see lots and lots of empty beer and pop cans, which is rather puzzling since cans are returnable and worth ten cents in my state.  Shouldn't some person on a bike with a garbage bag be on the lookout for these?
• When I was running down a long country road in the middle of no where, there was a Jay-Z CD on the shoulder of the road.  It seemed so out of place!
• One of my favorite running encounters was an empty bottle of vodka along my running path.  A few feet away from that bottle was a box of condoms.  Hehe.  It made me chuckle and wonder if they were both discarded at the same time.

So, what random things have you seen discarded on your running path lately?

First Day - July 2012

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P.S.  Yes, I post-dated this blog entry.  I was on vacation, after all. :)

Earrings

She told me several months back that she wanted her ears pierced.  I told her what to expect.  She decided to wait a little while. I know her enough to not push her to do something she is not ready to do.  And then this last Friday night, she told me she wanted her ears pierced again.  I told her to think about it overnight.  She couldn't sleep all night and kept waking up to say she wanted her ears pierced in the morning. 

When this first came up a few months ago, I had done lots of research.  I checked out all the places that I could take her to get it done.  My first choice - our pediatrician's office - didn't do it.  Regardless of where I took her, I knew I wanted both ears done at the same time.  And what do they say about the best laid plans?

So on Saturday morning she woke up and said she was ready.  She couldn't think of anything else.  And she wanted to do it before we spent the day swimming at my sister's pool.  So off to a local, highly recommended chain store to get her ears pierced. There was only one lady working, and another one didn't come in for a few hours.  My spirited girl just couldn't wait. I explained to her what this meant.  I explained that it meant she would feel one big pinch, and then another one shortly after that instead of two pinches at the same exact time.  She said it was okay and she didn't want to wait until later in the day.  And again, I know when she makes up her mind, there is no changing it.  So I held one of her hands and my sister held her other hand, and her little sister watched and kept saying "ears, ears". 

They had so many more earring choices for ear piercings than I remember. My only restriction in her choice was that she picked her starter earrings from the grouping that had 14k gold posts versus other metals. I was hoping she would go with the traditional studs with her birthstone (like I had done many years ago), but she chose some very cute pink flowers.  They were perfect for her, and she picked them on her own.

I was so proud of her!  She did awesome. As she tells it, she only had one tear fall from her eye.  I could see the pain in her face, but she remained strong.  She was so very excited, and shows everyone that she meets and says "I just go my ears pierced!"

I was seven when I first got my ears pierced.  I would have liked her to wait a little longer, but realized a few years wouldn't really make that big of a difference.  She was ready.  She's been helping with the cleaning and does the turning several times a day. She's so "grown up" and it makes me feel that happy-sad feeling that I've felt several times over the last five years.  I love being her mom, but I am reminded all too often how fast this is happening.

First Day - June 2012

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