Thankful Thursday...

Yes, I know it’s not Thursday but Thursday got away from me so here we are… celebrating Thankful Thursday on Saturday.  Soooo, on the way to work Thursday morning I was listening to 89.3 and callers were calling in to tell what they were thankful for – after all, it was Thankful Thursday.  What an awesome idea right?  The whole way in I thought about the blog and what to write in regards to Thankful Thursday, had a whole line up of things… then as soon as I got to work it all left and my brain turned to squish.

Let me start by going way back to April 30, 2012… I arrived to work and found this hottie sitting on my keyboard, just waiting to make my day special!

Seems strange I know, but it’s the little things that matter most… and my old cell mate knew just how to make me smile.  She’d come across this old poster and for some crazy reason thought of me, wrote up a little caption bubble and perched him on my keyboard for my morning pleasure.  I am soooo thankful for a great number of things but I’m starting this one off with my cell mate and dear friend Mellea… we’re like sisters that were separated at birth.  We’re both twisted, have minimal filters on our mouths and get each other’s off the wall sense of humor.   People were jealous, I know they were… and they were lurking, just waiting in the wings like vultures for when I left, hoping and praying that I’d leave the poster behind so they could have it – not a chance!!  Here he is in his new home at my new office…. And yes, I did put baby in a corner…

So, of all the things I could have mentioned being thankful for in relation to Ms. Mellea why did I mention the Bon Jovi story?  Because of this stellar young man right here….

Yup, he’s one to be thankful for too.  He’s a Foster Care Worker here in Emmet County and I know there are a lot of people thankful for him.  There must be, because he’s being recognized and honored for going above and beyond and is Foster Care Worker of the year!!! 

On a personal note I think he's jealous of my Bon Jovi poster... he's a jokester too and has made a few silly comments about him.  It's ok though, it puts a smile on my face and that's something to be thankful for!  So can you imagine the smile, not to mention flat out laughter that followed when I saw this on my cube wall just hanging there staring at me...

Here, let me zoom in so you can see that it's actually autographed...

Not only am I honored to be one of the select few to receive one, but he spelled my name right too!!  Told you it's the little things that matter most!  And in case you can't read what it says, let me help ya out... "Best Wishes and keep striving for greatness, continue Living on a Prayer" - told you he was jealous.  ;o)

Happy Today

There are many things that make me happy... the warmth from the sun, the beauty of fresh fallen snow on the trees, waking up, being able to walk, and talk, you know the little things like that.

But what makes me the happiest today??  Knowing that my baby girl loves me and isn't afraid to show that love and affection in front of a bus full of kids.  Every day she gives me a hug goodbye and says "I love you mama."  That just makes me puff all up inside and darn near make me wet my pants with joy... cause I know it won't last long. :o(

Be Aware, Very Aware

Well now apparently October is Bullying Prevention Awareness Month – and here I thought it was domestic awareness month, or was it breast cancer awareness month?  We have grown to have so many “awareness” causes that we not only have to double up and share month’s now but we’ve worked our way down to giving each day an awareness!!   Did you know Oct 27^th is Cranky Co-workers day – since that’s on a Saturday this year I think I’ll celebrate a day early!  Now don’t everyone go having a stroke about this but, Oct 29^th is World Stroke Day!  Yes, I know having a stroke isn’t funny, it’s very serious – but do we need a day for it?  November 15^th is World Philosophy Day… really?  Cause around here it’s known as Opening Day for Firearm season… To hunt or not to hunt, that is the question… I think, therefore I’m overqualified… no wait, I have more!!  Bwahahaha   Do ya see where I’m coming from here folks?  Do I need to go on?  You want to know why this week is traditionally hell week for me?  Because of all these dumb made up days… Boss’s day is Oct 16^th, Sweetest Day (BLECH) is the 20^th this year but sometimes those two are neck & neck with each other and what falls in between??  Of course you don’t know, that’s why this rant has taken this direction (it seriously has gone in a direction I didn’t intend)… because there’s always so much love being shown to boss’s and sweeties (sniffle sniffle) that I get left behind, forgotten and kicked to the side without even so much as a bottle o’ booze. 

That is all… Carry on people, carry on.

Mama it Fell Out!

For the last couple of weeks all I've heard is, "mama my tooth is really wiggly."  Well ok, that might not be ALL I've heard but I've heard it a LOT, until this morning.  I was getting breakfast ready for baby girl and next thing I know she comes running to the kitchen saying "mama mama it fell out!", I spun around and sure enough there she stood with her hand out holding a little tooth!

It was so cute & funny to hear her talk that I made her repeat herself several times just to hear her talk... luckily she was so excited that she didn't realize what I was doing.  Then I warned her about eating and drinking now because the tooth is missing and things could fall out - she looked at me like I'd gone bonkers. 

As you can see, that tiny little tooth left quite a decent size hole...

I'm not sure what the going rate for teeth is these days but I can sure bet you it won't be as much as the Tooth Fairy's new door that will magically appear tonight....

Yes, I know I'm a dork - so what!  Santa has a chimney, why can't the Tooth Fairy have a door?

Bully Time...

**NOTE... my access to a "real" internet connection is currently limited, therefore you will likely see, from time to time, a rash of posts come about that one would normally see several days or weeks apart from each other...


Soooo... three days into riding the bus, the bus she so excitedly loves to ride to and fro, she encountered a bully.  Some students get on the bus at the end of the day and then get off at another location to catch their "real" bus home - they are called transfer students in the eyes of the busing system.  One particular little girl, also a first grader, decided it would be fun to hit baby girl on the head while she was departing for her bus.  Baby girl asked her to stop multiple times but the bully continued and even dared grab at her face resulting in this...

Of course I made the calls necessary to make sure this doesn't happen again and I was assured that reports were made, parents talked to and an investigation was under way.  I also found out that the bus has a camera on it but, of course, the girls were close to the front of the bus in the "blind spot" of the camera.  The Bus Garage Supervisor said you can tell something's happening based on the other kids movements but you can't actually see what's going on... then he went on to tell me of all the new safety improvements being made to buses... he was rather chatty & offered no real solution other than to keep an eye on them and hope that it doesn't happen again.  The scratch is healing well and it's a little early to tell how it will eventually look but right now it's looking like a scar on her nose...

You would think an apology would come from the parent and child... nearly 2 weeks later and not one word from either... Hmmm...

Firsts...

My baby girl started first grade last week... sigh.  It was a day of many firsts for us... last year she attended a school that I absolutely loved and could have and would have been the only thing that kept me from moving.  It's a charter school and while still considered a public school, the kids all wore uniforms, there was no busing system or in house lunches & breakfast options.

I had hoped to be settled closer t work before school started but it was crazy to think that would happen so quickly... I barely had time to prepare for the initial move north, let alone find a place too!  So for the moment we are with family and making it work... bouncing her from school to school isn't what I wanted to do but she won't be the first to do it, right?  Other kids have survived starting at multiple new schools during their child hood, right?  She'll be ok... right?

So the day quickly came upon us and it was time... the FIRST day of the FIRST grade and her FIRST experience in riding a bus to and from school, and don't forget her FIRST time with the option to either take her luch to school or to buy it there.  I think I was more scared than her... having been a shy child I know it can be scarey doing something new for the FIRST time.  The bus came, she timidly got on and away she went... my baby girl, growing up and learning indpendence.  As the tears filled my eyes I prayed I'd taught her enough and covered all the scenarios of what to do in a "what if" situation... and with that, I was in my car headed for the school to make sure she made it safely.

I'm sure I looked like some kind of child creeper... I sat in my car, waiting and watching, waiting and watching... wondering what was taking so long... and then the buses all started pulling in.  Her bus pulled in and of course I couldn't see it so I scurrying out of the car and "snuck" up into the school yard and hid behind a tree, watching and waiting once again for her to appear from the big yellow bus... being careful that she didn't see me.  Off she came, just a trucking along and keeping up with the other kids and heading into school - my very own, Ms. Independent.

The traditional first day, in front of the door picture... 

Hey There, Hi There, uhhh Hello!

I know it's been a while since you've all heard from me and there's a good reason for it... been lots happening in a super fast way!  Trust me, it's not that I haven't had anything to say... far from it.  So let me kinda bring you up to speed and then I'll try to get back on track with my regularly scheduled posts from here...

The basic low down... I moved, or rather am in the process of moving.  I'm lucky enough to have one of those jobs that allows you to transfer to other area's of the state when an opening arises.  Well I've been away from my family for nearly 13 years, mom's health has been up and down over the last couple years so I decided it was time to get back "home."  I figured it would take a while for any sort of transfer to come available, thinking there wasn't much turn over in Northern Michigan... boy was I wrong!  I submitted my transfer request mid June and within 2 weeks had received my first call for a contract position in Antrim County.  While I wasn't thrilled about that type of position, I do love that area.  The position had just opened up and there were only 2 people on the transfer list willing to go there so they weren't sure how it was going to work and if they had to post the position for outside apps to or not but she would get back with me. 

In the meantime I received a call from the Alpena County office wanting to schedule an interview.  Woot! Woot!  Of course it still wasn't my first choice but it at least was getting me closer to home... so to the interview I went, that was on July 12th.  I felt it went ok, probably could have done better but I did what I could... and when I got back to work on the 13th there was a message from Emmet County also wanting to schedule an interview - holy cow guys!  So back North I went for that interview on the 17th and before I had even gotten back south that day they had called my boss for a reference because they had chosen ME as the worker they wanted to fill their open spot.  I know my boss wasn't happy about it but I was ecstatic!  The official offer came that very next day and they wanted me to start the next pay cycle - ONLY TWO WEEKS LATER!!!  Holy speed demons Batman!  When they want to move fast with something they sure don't waste any time!!  That's when things went lickety split and it was the quickest two weeks EVER!

Thankfully I was moving back closer to family and am able to stay with them until I can tie up loose ends, get out of my lease and get ALL my stuff moved north.  The new office is great, my new co-workers have been VERY friendly and welcoming, making me feel right at home and as if I'd been here for years.  It is of course an adjustment in many ways but we're managing, the kids are loving the country atmosphere... baby girl loves spending her days with grandma, helping with errands, visiting family and learning new things.  And the boy has adjusted just well to his new preschool/daycare, of course I knew he would cause he's my social butterfly.  I am a little nervous about registering baby girl for school next week though... she's used to going to a charter school and now she'll be in full blown public school complete with having to ride a bus!  I'm scared - pray for me!