Lists, lists, lists....

1. I'm writing this entry on my iPhone.
2. I miss you all somethin' terrible.
3. The new job is great.
4. The people here are happy.
5. The people here are friendly.
6. The people here chat with one another and have fun.
7. My commute is long, but it's not 'traffic-y' so I don't mind.
8. Jim is glad to have the 'old' John back.
9. I'm glad to have the 'old' John back.
10. Keep your 'old' comments to yourself.
11. Zachary is doing great since his surgery and is back to normal.
12. We are all set to have the pool re-lined as well as getting some other 'cosmetic' stuff done in the pool area.
13. Jim and Scooter can't wait to swim.
14. I split a second pair of pants at work last week.
15. My diet starts today.
16. Lists make blogging easy.
17. I'll be sure to post pictures as soon as the pool area transformation is underway.
18. xoxo

When It's Time to Change...

The day that I never thought would arrive, has arrived.  :-)

Today is my last day at my current job.  When people ask me how long I've been with the company, it's kind of difficult to give a simple answer, because it's a complicated situation.  I generally say that I've been here just about 11 years, but then I have to add the qualifier that I've only been with my 'current' company for the past 5 years, but I was with the previous company for 6 years, before they were acquired by my current company.  Make sense?  It's been just about 11 years in total, but that technically split up between two companies.

That being said, it's been a long time since I've started a BRAND new job....and that will happen on Monday.  YIKES!  As you'd expect, I'm a little bit nervous, but mostly excited.  For the first time since 1996, I won't be working for a financial company, and that alone sends me through the roof.
There will be no talk of trade processing, no buys and sells to process, no variation margins, no trade extracts, no amortization, etc.and that makes me very happy.

I'll be sure you do my best to keep you all updated as to how things are going, you can be sure of that.

In the meantime, our little boy, Zachary underwent his second (and hopefully final) surgery last Wednesday and is doing great with his recuperation. 
Here are some photos:

Jim and Zachary hanging out before he went in for the surgery (Jim went downstairs with him, which explains why he's in scrubs)

One last photo before he went down to the O.R.

He was very sleepy/cuddly after surgery, and required a constant flow of oxygen 'mist' just to be safe.

Spending some time with Scooter at home after being discharged.  The 'braces' on his arms are to keep him from putting anything in his mouth, since that's where the surgery was....they're only temporary, and he doesn't mind wearing them. 

For the most part.  :-)

As I mentioned, Z is doing well with his recovery and aside from having a little bit of a cold (of course) he's just about back to normal.

In other news, Jim and I got a bit of bad news/shock of our lives when the pool company came to open our pool yesterday afternoon. 

Long story short:  They took off the pool cover, and the pool was empty.

SHIT. 

It seems that there's a leak in the liner, and we'll need to get a new one ASAP.  Of course, we don't have an extra $4,000 lying around (which is the estimated cost) so we're going to have to do some creative financial planning in order to take care of it.  Until then, we've got an eyesore of a pool that we have to keep under lock and key, since it's a very dangerous place right now.

Here's a picture of what we saw when it was opened, and the picture doesn't nearly capture what it really looks like.  It looks AWFUL and we feel like ultra white-trash having this mess in our backyard.

I look forward to the day (hopefully SOON) when I can post some "Look at our beautiful new pool!!" pictures.  :-)

I hope you all have a great weekend, and I'll be sure to keep you posted on what's going on in my world.

Thank you again for all your kind words and support.

Also - to all my Boston readers, have a GREAT Pride weekend!!!!

xoxo

I GOT A NEW JOB!!!!!

Hey there everyone.....

As you can guess by the title of my post for today, there have been some exciting things happening with me lately.  While I don't have the time to get into all the details at the moment, the fact is, that I will be leaving my current position on June 8th and starting my new job on June 11th.
No rest for the weary, right?!?!

I have to thank each and every one of you for your encouraging words, helpful advice, and above all else, helping me to find the humor in everything, even when I thought there was little hope of my 'escape'.  You're all amazing....each and every one of you.  :-)

xoxo

The Sun is Back!

I'm happy to report that the sun is shining outside my office building as I type this.  While we were in DIRE need of rain, I'm thrilled that the sun is back, and is supposedly sticking around for a few days!

I managed to survive the rest of my day on Tuesday with my ripped slacks (awful word) and hopefully this weekend I can get out the sewing kit and make the necessary repairs.  The last thing I need is to be down a pair of pants.  I have specific outfits that I wear, and I'm in no mood to either shop for work clothes or try and come up with an appropriate alternative.  Lazy enough?  :-)

I must take a moment to wish my awesome husband a belated 40th birthday!  He 'joined the club' on May 3rd and I actually pulled off throwing him a surprise party last Saturday night!  He was indeed surprised and had a great time.  I'd be lying if I said it was easy to pull off, especially with all the stuff that's been going on for me where work is concerned, but I did it!!  Of course, I couldn't have done it without help from his family, so THANK YOU to all of them for everything they did. 
I'm very lucky to have such a great group of in-laws. 

Things at work are (dare I say it?) OK for now.  It's calmed down a bit and I've been managing to get through every day without having a breakdown or being filled with dread.  Don't get me wrong, I still want out - but I've been able to make it through the past couple of weeks without too much stress/anxiety/etc.....
Baby steps, right??

We have nothing planned for this weekend and I'm looking forward to some family time and hopefully doing something fun!  Since I'm not playing softball this year (did I mention that before??) I may try and visit my old team and watch a game or two.  It'll be nice to see everyone and if I take Zachary with me it'll give Jim a well-deserved break. 

I hope you all have a great weekend, and things are happy and sun-shiny in your corner of the world!!!

xoxo

Here are a couple of pictures from the party:

Zachary and I waiting for Jim to walk in the room

SURPRISE!!!

'Post-Surprise' Family Portrait

(my beard needs a trim, it makes my face look chubby)

Zachary hanging out with Cheryl and my Dad

Ripped

I just thought I'd let you all know that I'm at work and I just realized that I have a HUGE hole in the crotch of my pants.

I figured that my readers would appreciate it the most.

Happy Tuesday!

Under the wire...

Hey Everyone!

First of all, thank you so much for all the kind words and supportive comments.  It's nice to know that there are people out there who have been though exactly what I'm going through and have managed to survive.  In fact, some are going through it right along with me!  Misery loves company.  :-)

Things at work have improved slightly, so I'm at least able to survive one day at a time.  Is it an ideal situation?  Not at all....but at least it's manageable, and hopefully things will stay that way or improve, until a substantial change can be made.

Other than work stuff, things with me have been great.  Zachary is making all sorts of attempts at talking these days, and while he's still not walking, he's getting there.  Believe me, I'm in NO rush for him to start.  It's difficult enough to keep up with him these days, as he's an expert crawler.  Of course, once he starts walking it'll be a while before he's moving all that fast, so maybe we'll have a little bit of a break. 
Wishful thinking.
Jim is great, and has been beyond supportive through all of this.  There's not a day goes by (tip o' the hat to Mr. Sondheim) that I don't thank the Baby Jesus that I have him in my life.  He has been amazing.
I've not only had Jim helping me, but my entire family.  They have been a HUGE help and an amazing support system while dealing with everything the past few weeks.

Well, I just wanted to stop by and thank everyone and let you know how much I truly MISS my daily blogging and blog reading.  I vow that someday things will return to normal and you'll be tired of hearing from me!!!

Have a great weekend!
xoxo
 
It's been a while, so here's a picture for your weekend enjoyment:

Scooter, fresh from the groomer. 

(In our newly painted living room)

Confession Time...

Before you get your hopes up, there's nothing juicy about to be revealed in this post.  I just figured that it's been so damn long since I came up with an entry that I'd better have a juicy title to grab your attention and keep you reading.  :-)

It's no secret that I haven't been blogging at all recently.  I haven't even been all that active on Facebook, Twitter, or any of the other things that used to keep me entertained way back when. 
I know that a lot of you have been reading me for a long time and were around in the days when I was blogging much more frequently so I'm sure you've noticed a steady decline in my social media activity.
Yes, it happens to everyone now and then, so I guess it's just my 'turn'?

Truth be told, I've been in a real yucky place lately.  It has nothing to do with Jim, Zachary, or my home life.  Everything is great as far as they're concerned, but unfortunately, they're affected by everything else that's been going on.

As many of you know (and those of you who don't, soon will) my job has been really getting me down for quite a while now.  Well, things haven't improved, and they're even getting worse.  It so difficult for me to put into words, but let it be said that I'm really not happy with my current situation, and while I continue to try to make changes and look for other options, I've been having a pretty tough time.  
I've been going through a whole lot of emotional 'stuff' as a result of my day to day work and at times I feel like I'm completely losing it.  (That's where the 'affecting the family' part comes into play.)  Poor Jim has had to deal with me being an emotional wreck so often lately that I'm beginning to feel guilty about being miserable.
Make sense??

The best way to describe it is that I feel completely trapped in my work situation.  I'm completely overwhelmed by everything I have to deal with at work, and there's no way I can get out of there until I'm able to find something that will pay the bills, provide us with benefits, etc...etc...etc...  It's extremely overwhelming at times (most of the time?) and I tend to get myself very worked up about it.  It's constantly on my mind, and I know that I'm not the same person I was before all this started really getting to me.

Don't worry...this isn't some cry for help and I'm not about to do something crazy....I'm not THAT bad off. However, it's been a really rough road the past few months (years?), and seeing the light at the end of the tunnel is sometimes really, REALLY difficult. 
I know that I have plenty of friends and family who are always there for me to lend an encouraging word, and above all else, I know I have Jim and Zachary to greet me at the door each night when I come home.  Truth be told, I've been getting a little teary (OK, a lot teary) each night when I come home because my days have been so much for me to deal with.

I'm planning to have a chat with my manager tomorrow in hopes that he can offer some advice/assistance/help so that I'm not feeling so incredibly overwhelmed and completely stressed about my job.  Hopefully that will make me feel better.

Thank you all for listening/reading....I look forward to getting back on the happy train soon and picking up where the 'old John' left off.....

xoxo