Long time, no Blog

I realized it's been quite a long while since my last posting.

I've been swamped at work. We have been dealing with some personnel issues which has been quite challenging aside from the fact that my workload is increased roughly until after Labor Day. It will be even more interesting when my supervisor working with me in my department goes on vacation in mid-August. I'll be the only one available and on-call until she gets back and we get another supervisor hired. My boss is still working with me and we're trying to make arrangements so that I can have my vacation days on August 3rd and August 6th. I will not be able to go out of town because the other supervisor needs to be out of town; I think I get the benefit of being able to stay in town to be honest.

Jon and I attended our all-day vacation Bible school event "Journey with Jesus" yesterday. It was a neat program and a lot of hard work went into making it possible and I'm grateful to all those who worked so hard. Jon seemed rather disinterested and acted out occasionally but, overall, he was not bad. He seemed to really like Father Pat's presentation on scribes. I think part of it is Father Pat is simply a captivating speaker plus there were markers and paper.

I had a depressing weigh-in on Saturday morning for the second week in a row. Of course, I look back on the past week especially and I only have myself to blame. I realize that we had a crazy week and I didn't get dinner one night until late and one night I opted to stop and get dinner for Jon and I. The problem was that I made very poor choices in what food I bought. I told myself and my husband that I needed to get back on track with Weight Watchers and make the time to log my foods and to plan my meals. I saw already that failing to plan caused me to fail. I thought the lunch at VBS would hurt me but we were given healthy sandwiches, fruits, and veggies which made it easy to stay on track. Jon has been manning the grill and has served up tasty treats the past 2 nights for dinner. My biggest success is that I helped to serve a coffee & donut social earlier today and I didn't eat a single piece of donut! I touched every piece of donut that I was served because I picked up the donuts, cut them into pieces, and placed them on serving trays. I guess after touching all of the donuts, I was tired of looking at them!

We had our family Sunday at OSU today. I rode on a recumbent stationary bike for 30 minutes while Jon used an elliptical trainer. I was reading a new book called "Parenting with Grace: Catholic Parent's Guide to Raising Almost Perfect Kids". Jon and I walked the indoor track and picked Jonnie up and headed to the pool for an hour of water play.

I'd better wrap this up so I can get to bed shortly.

Have a wonderful week!

Vacation Envy

I'm suffering from something that I call "vacation envy". This condition is caused by hearing about others vacations they've taken or their future vacation plans.

A vendor that I met with on Friday just got back from two weeks at a beach (I can't recall the name now) and also spent 4th of July on the lake and was heading out again this weekend.

My boss went to Cape Cod. Another co-worker had a week off and golfed every day although he was disappointed because health concerns kept him stateside instead of going to Canada fishing. One of my supervisors went to Boston for a few days, just got back from a long weekend in Vegas, and she'll be going to Albania next month.

I was in a meeting last week and two people talked about trips they're taking to Myrtle Beach in August. Another is currently in Illinois for a soccer camp to prep teams to go to Rio later this year. Feeling left out, I casually mentioned that I'll be vacationing in Leetonia. I was impressed that one person actually knew of the town because he grew up in the Youngstown area; everyone else gave blank stares.

To be technical, my two vacation days I took on August 3 and 6 are not actually being spent in Leetonia. On the 3rd I'll be getting everything ready to go to Leetonia but trying to relax and enjoy the day as well. I think I might try to go to Friday morning mass and then get a hair cut and do grocery shopping. On the 6th, I'll be doing laundry and de-stressing.

I know this year Jon needed his vacation days to go to a national shooting match in Pennsylvania with his buddy Mike. Part of why he did this is because we had no plans. Well, I decided that I was going to put together some plans for 2008! This is what I've come up with so far:

A possible long weekend at the Longaberger Homestead for my birthday.

Easter at home, just the 3 of us. I might even take off Good Friday so I can go to all of the services I normally miss during the day on Good Friday.

For Jonnie's 5th birthday, a party for he and his friends on a Sunday afternoon at our house with cupcakes, ice cream, and juice boxes. I had to choose Sunday because Jon will be shooting on Saturday since I want to have the party after Jonnie's birthday and not before. We have attended the most fun and simple birthday parties this summer. We just had one yesterday where the boy's Mom ordered pizza for everyone in addition to homemade cupcakes and ice cream cups. I hate to say that I doubt I'll do the homemade thing for Jonnie's party. Sam's Club offers theme cupcakes. Jonnie doesn't seem to like ice cream right now but it's not much to get ice cream cups. Jon and I have argued over this party already because my plan is to have it for Jonnie and his friends only. I said that I didn't want to waste money mailing out invites to family because I know no one will come to the party plus I don't want them to feel obligated to send a gift.

The thing I am most excited about that I've started planning for next year is a 5-day get away for Jon and I to Put-in-Bay. I found a bed and breakfast that has country-themed rooms and if I can get the Italian room, I'm going to reserve it. I had to move our trip to after our anniversary so it is between shooting matches. I already emailed my mother-in-law and she has a conference that week so we might have to adjust our dates around her conference because she seems to be open to coming to Ohio to watch Jonnie for us. She agreed that we need to get away which is why I think she is being supportive. I thought about asking my Mom & Dad if they would come down and watch Jonnie but I know they are uncomfortable out of their home and they'll each be 73 next year and although Dad's doing better, I think it would be rather rough on them to deal with Jonnie for 5 days. My hubby and MIL were both mortified that I tried searching the Internet for a place where I could board Jonnie kind of like people do with pets when they go away. I guess that shows how bad I want to take this vacation with my husband! My MIL works with 9-1-1 and she said that if I heard the calls regarding kids or the elderly that I'd never let Jonnie or my parents out of my sight. She's probably right but I was trying to find an option should she not be able to come in and watch him. I feel bad asking someone to come in from Kansas (or wherever her conference is) to watch our son but I know she is thrilled that I asked her and she'll do everything she can to help us. She learned Plain City and Dublin when we moved in 2004 so if she gets a rental car or if she uses my car while we're gone, I know they'll be able to get out and about.

I also reminded myself that I really need to stop comparing myself to others. That is a terrible habit that I have. We have a nice home, we live comfortably, we have our Faith, and we have each other. This is really what is important.

Blessings for your Sunday and a great rest of the week!

A Family Fourth of July

I hope everyone had a wonderful Fourth of July holiday yesterday. I'm excited to post that we had a very nice, family day yesterday.

I think part of what helped it be such a nice day is that I went back to a full dose of Citalopram on Tuesday night. In my blog post in response to begin tagged by Sarah I indicated that one of my goals was to be completely off anti-depressant medication in the next 4 years. After seeing my doctor on June 6th, she told me to start decreasing my dosage from 20 mg to 10 mg and wrote me a script for 10 mg. I thought this was the right thing to do and I am the one who initiated the discussion about gradually getting off the medication. Thank God for my husband Jon who stood up and told me that the medication decrease has had a negative effect. When I got home from class on Tuesday night, I took a full pill (20 mg) instead of cutting it in half. Let's just say it's amazing what a difference 10 mg seems to make. I am trying to alternate between 20 mg and 10 mg dosages by day to see what effect this has. It could be that when I have my follow-up in January that I have to admit that I am not ready to stop the medication.

A second part of what helped the day is that we were able to sleep in! I cannot remember the last time we did not have to get up without a noise box. Jonnie has been having some weird ghost dreams and has ended up in our room a lot recently. He came in around 3 AM yesterday morning and I shuttled him down to the spare room so Jon could sleep in our bed. He hasn't been feeling well so I thought he could use a good sleep. I'm not sure what it is about the spare room but I've been waking up with headaches when I sleep down there. I told Jon yesterday that it's either the pillows on the bed or his Dad's aura has penetrated that room during his visits and his aura is giving me a tension headache while I sleep!

The third thing was a blessing in disguise and completely unplanned. The three of us were going to be in the local parade. I was going to drive my car to the St. Joe's PAC where Jonnie and I would get on the float. Jon was going to be at the Der Dutchman meeting other 4th Degree Knights so they could march with the float carrying the Colors and wearing regalia. I bought a bag of candy to throw off the float so I was prepared. You know how I mentioned earlier that seem to get a headache sleeping in the spare room? I still had the headache in the afternoon and it got worse after easing up for a while. I laid down on the couch and Dr. Jonnie covered me with stuffed animals to make me feel better. Jon came down and asked if we were ready to go. You mean now, I said from underneath a pile of stuffed animals? Jonnie said he didn't like parades so I said we'd stay home. Jonnie uncovered me with animals a little while later because he wanted a refill on apple juice. I walked into the kitchen to see it had started to rain. I got Jonnie his juice and decided to go online to get an apple pie recipe. I found one for "Fireman's Apple Pie" which did not involve making a pie crust; just combine all ingredients and place in a pie dish and it makes it own crust. I started making the pie when Jon called to tell me that he went over to the PAC and got the scoop on the parade and told our friend Ed that if no other 4th degree show up to march that Jon was going to go home. Well, no one else showed up. Jon came home, changed clothes, and even went back to the Der to check to make sure no one else showed.

The rain ended up blessing us with a more relaxing afternoon that we had planned. The pie needed an hour so I went down the basement and helped Jon install another bi-fold door. We had worked on one before lunch so now both doors were installed, sliding, and closing. Woohoo! The pie (actually more like a cake but still quite tasty) came out of the oven so Jon and I took a break and had some pie & ice cream. Jon had some drywall pieces to install. Since Jonnie was engrossed in movies, I figured I'd go back downstairs and we could talk while he put in drywall. Jonnie came down for a bit and went back upstairs. I brought a magazine and brought up things for discussion. It was a good time except that either when Jon asked me a question or when I wanted to make a comment, the air compressor would kick on for a couple of minutes.

We had a late dinner of homemade pizza around 7 PM. Jonnie got a bath and we just kinda putted around the house making lunches and stuff. Since Jonnie and I were in our PJs, we planned to watch the fireworks show from the front room. Unfortunately, Jon missed most of the fireworks because he was on the phone. Jonnie was disappointed because he had to look at the fireworks through the trees and kept turning on the overhead lights which hampered my view.

All in and all, we had a great day yesterday. It was back to work and school today. Speaking of work, I'd better get back to it because I have a meeting with my boss in a few minutes.

Blessings for a wonderful rest of the week and weekend!

Perspective from the City

My friend Sarah posted a jovial post on her blog warning City folk like myself about life in the country. I thoroughly reading about country-life having been a city folk all my life with Plain City being the closest I'll probably ever get to "country living". Her post got the wheels turning in my mind so I thought I'd share my "Perspective from the City".

The Aroma of Manure - The closest thing we have to manure where I live is the pile of BS stirred up by my in-laws. Having smelled manure a few times in my life, I'd rather smell it than deal with the in-law BS.

Closed Door Policy - If we leave our doors open, Brinks will know and call to find out what on earth we're thinking!

Fake Air in the Summer Time - When the thermostat inside says 83-85, we close the windows and turn on the AC and bask in the cool fake air until the $150+ electric bill arrives. For us, open windows and fresh breezes are a luxury.

Laundry Outside - I can't site what article and section but our deed restrictions strictly forbid outdoor clotheslines. The most I've ever dried outside are our towels after a dip in the pool.

Clean -Up Prior to Guests - If we have advance notice, we make every effort to have the place clean. My father-in-law is very critical of me so I kill myself trying to clean the place before he comes. My husband will short of scrub with a toothbrush if his mother is coming or if co-workers are coming. When my Mom & Dad used to come visit, I'd give the house what my Mom calls a "lick and a promise" knowing that my Mom would scrub the crusties off my counters and stove to keep from going outside to smoke. Our apologies go out to Mark, our insurance & financial advisor who met with us last week at the dining room table with the cat hair on the tablecloth. The table is a cat lounge when we are at work.

Toys - Honestly, they were picked up at one time until about an hour before you arrived when Jonnie decided that he needed to find the train buried somewhere in all of those bins. We know they hurt under foot so watch your step and feel free to keep your shoes on if they aren't muddy or slushy.

Cats - We have two of them. Tiger will generally run and hide until you've been at the house for a little while. Before you leave, he'll probably feel comfortable enough around you that he'll have rubbed you until you want to throw him out the door or he'll have decided to plop down at your feet, throw his leg in the air, and bathe. Midnight, he's the oldest cat who will saunter through occasionally giving a grunt or a holler waiting for you to get out of HIS house.

A TV in almost every Room - Forget a chicken in every pot (we did that last week and I'm so sick of chicken) but how about a TV in almost every room? I remember when I was Jonnie's age only having a 20-inch TV in our living room that was controlled by a dial. When Jon finishes the "lounge" in the basement, we'll have our third big screen via a projection onto a wall.

Depression & Bitterness - I think all of us "city folk" could benefit from an exchange program where we would go and spend life out on the farm in the country. Instead of feeling angry when a tractor putts down the road with a load of corn or wheat making us later for an appointment we're speeding to, maybe we'd appreciate the farmer. Instead of having to pop pills to regulate our chemistry and keep our neurons firing on all cylinders, we could unwind spending time with the sheep, cows, and chickens in the barn. My friend Sarah and her family are such kind and joyful people and I think their way of life (the farm, spiritual, loving & supportive family) help make them the way they are. My Uncle Greg & Aunt Maxine have a farm where they have sheep and cows. I haven't seen them in 3 years but I enjoy every moment I do get to see them. I remember getting to spend some time on their farm when I was a little girl. There are certain times of the year where baby lambs are in the house to stay warm and for feeding. Jonnie already asked for a sheep and although I can't site the article or section, our deed restrictions strictly prohibit livestock in the housing development.

I cannot explain it but I think country-folk just have a better outlook on life. Reading Sarah's posting about farm life shows how her family lives simply but so richly. In the City, we complicate our lives so much trying to live richly by possession of material goods that we overlook the simple things.

I need to wrap this up and get ready for bed. Based on the weather forecast, this will probably be the last night this week that I get to sleep with the windows open and crisp, gentle breezes blowing the curtains and causing me to reach for the comforter!

Change Management

Where I work, before anyone can make a change to the network, the engineer must fill out a form detailing the scope of their work and the impact and it has to be approved before the work can be scheduled. We are working out the details of change management processes with another state entity with whom we're collaborating on a network project.

I read a couple of articles in Marriage magazine last night trying to get some insight on improving my relationship with my husband Jon. The two articles that I read echoed 2 big things and that was that each person needs to change and that we must have time together as a couple.

After reading those articles, I jealously laughed and tossed the magazine aside to work on laundry chores. Jon and I are both pretty stubborn so neither one of us will change easily. We cannot even have the conversations on how we should change because we have no time together as a couple. The time we spend next on fitness equipment in the cardio canyon at the RPAC does not count as quality time since there are TVs all across the front of the area and we're both focused on the one with NASCAR. Jon goes a step further to wear a portable radio so he can listen to the race and not get chastized when his Dad calls to make sure he watched the race later that night.

I got to thinking this morning, the idea of change management in relationships would be an awesome concept. Unfortunately, it's easier to plan network changes than human changes!