The Worst and the Best of 2011

I'm going to make this an annual post. Every year I'm going to post a best and the worst list of the year. Things that have happened to me throughout the year, good or bad.

The Worst:

1. Turning a year older.
2. The horrible back spasm I experienced that put me in the E.R.
3. Strep throat.
4. Leaving my friends at college
5. Bad grade from my externship site.
6. My husband's whole job situation.
7. Being broke due to the previous.
8. Dealing with asshole utility company in our new town. 
9. Not being able to talk to one of our new friends and her kids because her husband is a flaming fucktard that is soo insecure with himself he wants to be in control of everything, and won't let her talk to us any more. That's a whole other post right there. Her husband is seriously demented.
10. Job hunting with no success. Beginning to lose confidence in myself.
11. The horrible news we got about a family member the day after Christmas.

The Best:

1. African safari - feeding zebras and giraffes out of my hand!
2. Seeing my man Phil Anselmo and Down in concert.
3. Buying our first new home.
4. Fixing up our new home like we wanted to.
5. Moving into our new home.
6. Our housewarming party last summer with great friends both new and old.
7. All of the fun things we did with our new friends.
8. Christmas
9. Graduating college.

______________________________

I'm sure I will think of others after I post this. This year has definitely been a tough one. I don't know whether to look forward to 2012 and hope that it's a better year; the same thing I do every year. Or, loathe the onslaught of 2012 and worry about the things that lie ahead of me?

After Christmas Baked

Let's get this Holiday crap over for another year! Christmas wasn't too bad. Friday we took the kids to my mom's, Saturday to his mom's, then Sunday we stayed home in our PJs all day long! Yeahhh!! Kids played with their new toys all day while we lounged around and did nothing but play Uno Attack. The day after Christmas we got some bad news about a family member. I can't really go into details though because we were swore to secrecy until this person tells the rest of the family. It would be shitty to find something like this out on a blog! Unfortunately, it kind of goes along the same lines as my Pour Your Heart Out post a week ago. If you read that then you may understand more.

The Christmas break hasn't been TOO bad, actually. I decided instead of loathing these two weeks, I would actually spend some quality time with my kids and do some things with them. Sometimes I feel like I really don't spend a lot of time with my kids because I'm always on the computer trying to earn money, or cleaning and doing things around the house. Last week, we spent the week baking cookies, making Christmas cards for family, playing games..etc.. I've also been making them go through their old toys to see what is broken or what they want to give away. I was actually surprised how much stuff they wanted to give away or throw away. It used to be like pulling teeth to get them to get rid of anything, even a stupid happy meal toy! I told them that they had a bunch of toys they don't play with any more and they needed to make room for all of the new toys from Santa. It actually worked this time!

Now I'm enjoying sleeping in and not having to worry about homework and all of that and I don't want them to go back to school!... I do miss my alone time though.

Oh yeah, so I said we baked some Christmas cookies. We always do every year. .. and that's about the only time of the year because, yeah, I really don't like to bake. It's fun at first, but it fades fast.. and there's always a mess to clean up, all over. I am definitely not one of those people that bakes 10 different cookies, cakes, and candies for the holidays. Not at all. I'd rather just eat yours.

So I posted about the job interview I had last week. I'm hoping to get it, really I am, but there's a part of me that is scared to get it. I mean, a medical assistant is kind of an important job. If you make a mistake, it's a person that you made a mistake on, not just a piece of paper. What if I read the doctor's orders wrong? or forget how to do something? or do something stupid and look like an idiot? Can I really do it? Not to mention, working one on one with so many strangers all day? I'm really shy. I'm not as bad as I used to be, but I'm still shy. I've learned how to force myself to be more outgoing though. School helped a lot with that. I also worry about being emotional. Ugh, I cry at the drop of a hat and it pisses me off!!!!! What if a patient is upset and I start bawling? or a little kid is crying and I start crying? Oh good lord! I'm gonna drive myself bananas! I know I can do this though. I know it.

WEEKLY DOSE

Sunday Snaps: Christmas and A Day Late

Merry F'n Christmas!

Christmas is almost here. Only a few more days to go. Part of me will be glad when it's over, but another part of me will be sad, too. I love Christmas time, even if we don't have a lot of money to buy the kids everything we would like to. I still love seeing their faces on Christmas morning when they see the presents under the tree! We can't put any gifts under the tree early because we have bastard cats that would tear them to shreds, so we hide them all until Christmas morning. I'm afraid this may be the last year my kids believe in Santa. My 8 yr old has already said that some kids in school say Santa is not real, but he says he still believes. .. for now. I know once he stops believing, the twins will follow. I'll be sad when the whole Santa thing is over. I like playing Santa, but it would also be great to get credit for the gifts WE buy them, instead of Santa!

My husband got a new job. His other job told him that they were only going to keep him until they found someone else because that fuckface supervisor told the owner that my husband didn't know how to do anything, even though he has built entire houses from the ground up. Luckily, that same day, he was offered a different job. It's less money, but a lot of over time so will actually be more money. The bad part is, it's 7 days a week and will probably be that way for a few months. He will get Christmas day off, but that's it. I can't imagine working 7 days a week, no days off, for months! But he's willing to do it to help us get back on our feet and caught up on all of our bills.

I had a job interview today! Yay! It was at a local doctor's office/clinic for a medical assistant/floater. I think I did good at the interview and am pretty confident that I gave good answers! The hardest question was, "why should I hire you?". Ugh, I hate those questions that really make you think in the moment! When I"m thinking, I tend to say, "ummm" a lot and sound like a dumbass!! Anyway, they have to have someone hired by January 9, and she is hoping to make a decision by the end of next week. Eeek! My biggest worry now is daycare for when the kids are not in school. I was planning on having a friend of ours watch them, but she just got a job, so she won't be able to, and we don't know anyone else around here. It wouldn't be too bad during the school year because the kids would only have to be there about an hour and a half until my husband got home from work, but the summer would really suck ass! We would definitely need to find a place that charges based on your income. Daycare prices are INSANE and can cost as much as a person would make working!. Ah well, I guess I only have a few more years until they are old enough to stay home by themselves. OMG that sounded scary to say! I would totally trust my 8 year old, but not the twins. They are just sneaky little brats and would wreak havoc without adult supervision!!

Grrr, I don't know if I'm gonna be doing Sunday Snaps for awhile. I take most of my photos with my phone because it has a good camera. Something is wrong with the SD card now or maybe it's the phone, I'm not even sure, but when I take a pic, it doesn't even save it. I can't even get to my gallery to see my other pics either and it's really fucking pissing me off! I've noticed with cell phones, they only last like a fuckin year. Every time we have gotten a phone, they usually start messing up around one year after we get them! Verizon changed their policy and we still have to wait until like April before we can get new phones without paying full price. Luckily, we have insurance on the phones though, so if it's the phone messing up, I can get another one. It's the Droid X by the way, in case anyone even gives a shit. Apart from that,  I have a really nice digital camera, but guess what? My memory card is missing! I swear I laid it on the coffee table after taking it out of my laptop, but it's nowhere to be found. I'm so pissed off at myself for not putting it back in the camera right away. What the Hell was I thinking?? Ugh! Sometimes I really piss myself off.

Weekly Dose

Pouring My Heart Out - Christmas Cheer

Monday morning, I logged onto Facebook to be nosey check my news feed and the first thing that popped up was a post from a friend of mine from school. Her husband had passed away. He was 45 years old and healthy. She ran to pick up some food and when she got home, he was dead. Just... dead. I can't seem to stop thinking about this friend. We were not close friends, in fact I think we only had one class together, but we took our breaks together and chatted on FB after I finished school. It just hit me how short life can be. This friend just posted last week about her and her husband spending the day Christmas shopping. They have 3 teenage children, and now he is just gone.

Most of us really do take things for granted. We never stop to think that our loved ones could be taken from us in an instance.My husband could leave for work in the morning, get in a car accident and never return home. We could go to the store with our kids and get hit by a drunk driver. Anything could happen.

My mother is 60 years old, and we are very close. She's not in good health though, she is diabetic, has high blood pressure, and is close to having full blown glaucoma. I know she won't be here forever. She could be gone tomorrow; we just never know.

Earlier this year, a young woman that my mom works with was on her way to work and came upon an accident. She got out to help and was hit by another car and killed. This woman had just lost a bunch of weight and was learning to enjoy life again with her teenage daughter. My mom had just gotten to work and had a voicemail from this woman from the night before. She picked up the phone to call her back when the announcement came that she was gone.

Just a few months ago, the same thing happened to a 6th grade teacher in the area. She was on her way to school, came upon an accident, stopped to help, even wearing a bright vest because she was a volunteer firefighter. She was also hit by a car and killed, while her 6th graders patiently waited for her.

Life is so short. We could go to bed tonight and not wake up in the morning. We need to stop so much drama with our loved ones, stop sweating the small stuff, and enjoy the time we have with our family and friends. Don't argue about the small stuff or take each other for granted. The time will come when that person won't be there any more and you will regret all of the time you missed out on because of petty bullshit. You will cry and do anything to have that time back, to apologize, and give that person a hug.

My grandfather died when my mom was 13 years old. He had a stroke and died a couple of days after Christmas, and was buried on New Year's Eve. My mom has never been one to celebrate New Year's. When I was a kid, she would stay up and watch the ball drop with me, but that was it. She was never one to go out and party or celebrate the New Year because she always remembered her father's death. I remember my Grandmother telling me the story of how it happened. They were in the car, my grandma was driving, talking away to my grandpa, and he just stopped talking. He was unconscious in the seat next to her because he had a stroke. He was in the hospital for a few weeks before he passed, but it wasn't much of an existence.

People can be taken from us in the blink of an eye. Grab a hold of your family and friends, give them a big bear hug and tell them how much you love them, even during the bickering and fighting. If not, you may regret it one day.

Sunday Snaps: 12*18

Restless 9-1-1

I've been having problems sleeping lately. Have been for awhile actually, don't know if it's stress or what. I either can't fall asleep or I wake up in the middle of the night wide awake. I've been taking Melatonin, but had to increase the dosage from one pill to two. Last night I decided to try Motrin PM that I found in our medicine drawer. I used to take that and also Tylenol PM and either one would knock me out. I took it around 9:30, went to bed around 11, and was wide the fuck awake! I kept tossing and turning and my legs wouldn't stop moving. I was getting soo mad; I was even yelling at my legs!!! I don't think I got to sleep until probably 1:30 - 2am, and then woke up an hour later wide awake again. I posted something about it on my FB page and before I even mentioned the leg thing, a friend said something about how those PM drugs give her restless legs! That's exactly what I had! It never happened to me before but I don't think I'm ever gonna take that shit again. Fuck that. I was miserable all night! All hail Melatonin!!!

My husband's job isn't going so well. Right now, it's him, the owner's son, and a supervisor that has been there since the beginning. The supervisor is a real ass hat. Yells at my husband (and the owner's son) all day long, calling him a dumbass, telling him that he doesn't know what he's doing (even though he has been doing construction since he was a kid). My husband has been biting his tongue as much as possible but he's about to explode on this dumb little fucker. The owner's son said they have gone through like 11 different people and they all either quit or get fired because of that asshole.. and his dad believes everything the asshole says. When they hired him, it was on a 2 week probationary period. It will be two weeks next Tuesday. I guess the only thing the owner listens to is the asshole supervisor, won't even listen to his own son. Soo once again, looks like we are about to be fucked. Ugh.

I have 2 more days of freedom and then my kids are off on Christmas break for two whole weeks. TWO weeks! What the crap!? I hope it goes fast. At least I'll get to sleep in a little bit. After a day or two of no school, they usually start sleeping in. That's the only thing I have to look forward to amongst the arguing and constant fighting and tattling. Where's my noose???

I'm so disappointed. I applied for a job last week to be a dispatcher/9-1-1 operator for the local sheriff's office. I emailed my cover letter and resume, then noticed that the website said you also had to print out the 4 page application and send it in, too. The application had to be notarized, so I had to go to the f'n bank and pay to have it notarized, which was annoying any way. So then I scanned everything and emailed it to the woman. Got an email back saying I needed to mail her the hard copy, which I did. I wanted the woman to know how interested I was in this job. I always thought I would love to be a 9-1-1 operator, ever since I was a kid and used to watch "Rescue 9-1-1" with William Shatner. Ha! The job posting said no experience required but they wanted someone who had some basic medical knowledge, CPR certified and First Aid knowledge. Umm, that's me!!!!! They were only taking apps until the 7th, so I made sure I got everything in. I haven't heard a word back. Nothing. I know some times places take forever to go through all of the apps they get, but come on!! The pay was really great, too. Soo yeah, I'm kinda salty that I did all of that work, even paid for a fucking notary, and not even an interview. Blah.

Weekly Dose

Sunday Snaps: December 11

(via 2006? sorry for the bad quality)

Which way is up??

Things are still so-so. After all that crap I posted about before with my husband's job, they finally tell him that they don't have work for him right now, even though a friend of his told him that they just brought a bunch of new people in the day before. He did land another job, but not one he's too thrilled about. It's construction work. He's done construction work for most of his life; since he was a kid pretty much. He decided a few years ago that he did not want to do construction work his whole life because for one, it's just too hard on his body, and two, it's so unpredictable. Weather can affect when/if he works...etc.. But he was desperate so he took it for now. It's causing him a lot of pain in his shoulder. He really probably shouldn't be doing that strenuous of work so soon, but he really doesn't have a choice. Right now, he's just gonna try to stick it out until he can find something else.

I'm still on the job hunt. That one job that I interviewed for never called me back. *sigh* doing a few odd online jobs here and there, but nothing that will pay the bills (but may cover a little bit of gas, or toilet paper, at least, lol).

My sister in law is coming up from Virginia tomorrow and is apparently staying the night here tomorrow night.  Apparently, she discussed it with our 7 yr old daughter that she would sleep with her. She swears up and down that she told my husband, but he swears she didn't and he never mentioned anything to me. Hmmm, we shall see how this goes...

Nothin else going on in my neck of the woods right now. Been having a difficult time sleeping. Been taking melatonin, which helps me to fall asleep but then I wake up a bunch of times throughout the day. I don't know if it's stress or what, but this shit needs to stop. I love sleep and I need it!

PHOTO OF THE DAY

Sunday Snaps: What's this crap?

First things first. What the crap is going on with my blogs? My photos/graphics/banners are all missing. I noticed it last night on my Work at Home Blog. I re-uploaded the banner there, but everything else is still missing. All 3 of my blogs are like this and it's only the things I have uploaded or added myself. I searched on the blogger forums and it looks like some other blogs are having the same problem, but not all. So far, no answer as to what's going on or if/when it will be fixed. It's going to be a real pain in the ass to have to go around and re-upload everything! Are u trying to kill me Blogger? As if I don't have enough shit going on right now!!! I'm gonna wait it out a few days to see if it gets fixed. Soo, I'm still here, my photos are not though. Ok, on to Sunday Snaps:

Oh and one more thing. I know I usually leave the Sunday Snaps posts wordless, but last night I was awake in the middle of the night, just thinking about random things and I had an idea for a post. It's going to be almost epic-like! It's going to be about my life from the age of 18 until meeting my husband. It wasn't a long span of time, but I did a lot of things! I'm going to talk about all of the crazy shit I did and post some OLD pics! This will be fun!!!!