Stuff and Things and Life

Well hello there!

I know I've been slacking a bit lately, but deal with it :)

I've had some things on my mind and when that happens, I have a hard time writing without it seeming like there is something I'm not saying. I am pretty perceptive so I generally notice that type of thing on other blogs, and it's kind of annoying, so I try to avoid doing that to my loyal readers :) 

So buckle up...this is kinda long.

Lately we have been missing Chicago a lot. We had a whole different lifestyle there that we grew to love and sometimes we really miss that big city living. Don't get me wrong, we love being back closer to our family. But we made some friends there who we were really close with who we really miss, and sometimes it just plain stinks. It was definitely a bittersweet move. Aside from the unstable-ness of his job, Husband really enjoyed working at VistTracks. And aside from the drama and ugliness that I dealt with at the vet (mostly management), I really enjoyed my job and my coworkers (for the most part.. ha!) and hanging out with the animals all day. 

We know it was for the best for our someday growing family to be back in this area, but when things don't happen on our timeline it is kind of frustrating. That we could have stayed longer. Had more time with friends, had more time to soak it up before moving back. We wanted to move back in anticipation of having a baby. So we could be closer to family. I put off getting a job here after we moved for that very same reason. But I think the more I dwell on it and worry about it and get annoyed...the less likely it is to happen. So here I am, embracing it and taking on this school job anyways. The saying "If you want to hear God laugh, tell Him your plans" keeps coming to mind, because that is so true. It is not our decision. It's all in His hands. And as frustrating as that is, I am learning to accept it. Or trying to anyways. (Sometimes it still really ticks me off though!)

It's not something I talk about much because to be honest, I'm not at that point just yet. It's hard for me to talk seriously about it. I can joke about it and act like I'm okay with how things are... but it's not true. I want a baby so bad I can taste it, I think about it several times a day. Some days that's all I can think about. And sometimes it is just too much to take when everyone else seems to be getting pregnant and having babies right now. (For that reason I've also taken a bit of a break from Facebook. I still go on there regularly, but I cut my friends list down and I blocked a few people who I was really struggling with jealousy over. Jealousy can be ugly and I don't want to be that person.) I know it will happen when it is supposed to happen. But if you've known me for a minute, you know I've never been very good with patience ;)

Someday I know I will look back and laugh about it, and probably realize that it wasn't much of a wait at all...but today is not that day. So until then I'm just working on being content with how things are, getting in shape, and gearing up for a new job. All in all, good things. Necessary things. And hopefully a good distraction!

Husbands first day at the new job was today and overall it went pretty well! He did typical boring first day stuff... lots and lots of never-ending paperwork! His training period will last into April, as he has to learn the ins and outs of every different area (today he became an expert on corrugated cardboard...) Kinda stinks since he will never use most of that information and he's being overloaded right now with so much, but that's the way it goes I suppose. He is kind of excited though because he won't start the 6am shift until his training is done, so he gets to enjoy the 8-5 a little longer and gradually start waking up earlier. (That was his goal on vacation but you can imagine how that worked out...ha!)

It will be totally different for him though because it sounds like the head IT guy he will be working with now buys the latest and greatest of everything all the time... so he will be constantly learning new things and installing the best of the best. Which is kind of unnecessary, but I think he will appreciate the challenge and the constant change. Plus he's never been somewhere where they actually put real money into all things IT, so that will be a nice change for him! Darn kid is too smart for his own good, he needs something to stump his brain for once!

Funny example: Since he started at Sassy last March he and his boss have been trying to get everyone on board with a $5,000 licensing system upgrade. They finally did it in December, after a server crashed and it was basically a necessity. At his new job, they have the $40,000 version. Just because. It's like a whole new world for him! Haha.

Last week I went on two observations with my mother in law to get a better idea of how the whole Montessori thing works. And let me tell you. I like it. I like it a lot. I feel like it is such a better idea for young kids to learn this way than traditional schooling. I think this weekend I am going with her to her classes to get even more information. She is waiting to see the full schedule to decide if this weekend would be the most beneficial to me or not. It is kind of overwhelming at times because there is so much to learn - but I'm just grateful that she already knows most of it and I don't have to know it all right away! Takes some of the pressure off.

I am feeling even more at peace with my decision to do this and not the vet job (not that it is on the table anymore, it's not, but at first I kind of doubted my decision). I know that I would have liked it, I miss the animals and that whole environment. But this is so much more of a better fit for me. And I can tell that even more after getting a little experience with it this past week. So I am really excited (and maybe a little anxious) to get it all going. At first she thought maybe not til fall, but now she thinks maybe we'll try to get things ready sooner and start as a day care/summer program to gain interest, and then officially start the school in the fall. So we'll see. But either way, in the mean time there is tons that we are working on to get ready!

Husband was off all last week and it was so nice to have him around. He was busy catching up on his many side projects a lot of the time, but we managed to fit some fun in there too. Mostly just running errands and picking out the dishwasher (I'm pretty excited about it if you couldn't tell!), and a few lunches/dinners out...but it was nice to just relax. The past month or so while he was still at Sassy was pretty stressful for him, especially the last two weeks...so some r&r was definitely needed and appreciated! 

We had thought about doing a mini-vacation somewhere, but the thought of staying home just sounded too good. So we just hung out. He had two whole days to himself while I was doing observations so I'm sure he enjoyed that ;) But we got quite a few little things done around the house (cleaned/organized the basement, hung things that have been waiting to be hung for awhile, fixed the garage side door...) so it felt good to check those things off the list, too.

Man, this year has flown by. It is so weird to think that this time last year was when all of this craziness started. Last March we had just barely gotten back from Washington for Grandpas funeral when Husband was finishing his last week at VisTracks and getting ready to move back to Michigan (without me!), and I was freaking about about the open house at work and the fact that he was leaving on the same day.

I really can't believe that it is already March again and here we are, in the middle of another job change! And in just 3 months we will have lived in our house for a year already. Like seriously - how is that even possible?! Sometimes it still feels like we just moved back. It's crazy I tell you!

Sometimes I wish I would have just quit then. The open house could have been my last hurrah and we could have moved back at the same time, because that month was basically the worst ever. Not only because we were in two different states, he had a new job, and we were trying to sell our house and find a new one here. But also because that last month at work was the absolute worst ever. But I suppose it was nice of me to be the bigger person and give them notice and time to figure out a replacement even though they were mean and ugly to me the whole time. (Yeah I'm still holding a grudge about it... whatever.) And it was nice to have some time with my coworkers/friends to say goodbye and not just up and leave one day.

But anyways. That is neither here nor there anymore. It's over and done with and life goes on!

And with that... I am off to go read for a bit and then turn in.

Happy Monday!