4 Day Weekend into 3 Day Work Week!

I love 3 day weekends and this one was no exception...

• Friday: After work, we decided to take care of getting tires for the SUV. Originally, this was going to be a tax refund project, but since D is driving to Arizona in it this week, it moved up the priority list. We went to Mission Valley Costco with the idea of killing time at Ikea during installation. WRONG! Poway (and Albuquerque) had our tires, so we headed north to Poway. The good thing about this Costco is that it is not usually busy. We placed our tire order and were told it would be ready around closing time (8:30) which meant almost 2 hours of time to kill. My Friday sleepy (and hungry) mindset was not digging this idea, but after some samples, time flew. We only bought one thing after wandering down every (and I mean every) aisle...D bought me a taste of Spain cookbook. We got lucky and our installation was done at 8:00. Then, D took me to Seau's for dinner...he called it our pre Valentine's dinner.
• Saturday: Because we had bought tires for 2 (yes 2) cars in one week, we also had the expense of getting them aligned. So, off we went to the alignment center. After dropping both cars off, we walked to IHOP for breakfast. Apparently, everyone decided to do a Vday breakfast at IHOP...I have never seen it so crowded. After a nice breakfast together, we picked up the cars and went off on our errands for the day (haircut for D, last stop for D's supplies for Arizona, and Iowa Meat Farms). At Iowa Meats, we picked up our Vday dinner...marinated tri-tip. The rest of the evening was dinner (tri-tip, Caesar salad and garlic mashed potatoes)...we even broke out the big Mikasa balloon glasses...and spent some quality time together.
• Sunday: We got up with all intentions of going for a walk, but after breakfast at Tip Top Meats in Carlsbad, it didn't happen. Instead, we drove out to 4S Ranch and shopped at World Market (so much I want there) and their amazing Ralphs for some groceries. After trekking through the county, we made it home for some more relaxation. Dinner was more from Iowa Meats (Italian herb marinated kabobs) and pasta with homemade pesto.
• Monday: D had to run and meet someone to exchange stuff and I decided to stay in. I looked outside and saw the pouring rain and wanted no part in it. While he was out, I was quite the homemaker. I marinated chicken for dinner, baked some monster chocolate chip pecan cookies and made lasagna rolls for another night's dinner. It made it nice and cozy. I even got to talk to Cousin Cleveland and catch up with him. It was nice to catch up with him since I haven't talked to him for a while.

This week is kind of a mellow week at work...it's Ski Week or February recess for the schools. District office staff has Monday and Friday holidays this week...two 3-day weekends in a row for me...Sweet! Plus, since we're basically closed, it's comfy clothes (jeans) everyday. Today, new boss is here...she took us to lunch as a start to our time together. Speaking of new boss, she mentioned that she saw that I have a FB account because of the District network...this was weird for me. I guess it doesn't bother me as much since my profile is private and I don't post inappropriately. Anyways, D leaves after work for his boys Spring Training weekend in Arizona. Except for some things scheduled, I'm looking forward to some me time and maybe some house cleaning (yuck!) that really needs to be done. Have a great day!

Happy Early V Day!

Because I'm not sure what the rest of today and tomorrow holds as far as time, I decided to blog a little about V Day! I was (and still am) a believer that Valentines Day is just an overrated Hallmark holiday. I've always thought that if the person I was with couldn't tell me how much they love me on the other 364 days of the year, then he shouldn't waste money on overpriced flowers and other things. I've also had some pretty bad Valentines Days...most notable, in college when I hosted a single girl Vday party. A girl I knew casually came and we all lamented about our boy issues. I talked at length about a boy that I liked and we were trying to figure out where we stood. I found out a few days later that this girl and the boy I liked had started dating (she had a 1st date with him on the 15th). I was crushed! Then, most recently, on our 1st Vday together, we had a terrible night and then fight that caused us to take a "break" for 2 weeks. It was awful!

Since then, I fell in love with an amazing man in spite of our early Vday trauma. We now make it a point to stay home, make dinner and just make it our special place for the evening. I realize that the commercialism of Vday is what you make of it. Instead, for me, it's a reminder of how lucky I am to be in love and have someone who loves me. So, to my friends, happy Valentine's Day! May every day be filled with love! And to D, the love of my life, happy Valentine's Day! I love you lots and lots!

Back to Blogging!

Long time, no blogging. I've had so much happening in the last few weeks with lots of jumbled thoughts that I haven't had the drive to put it into writing. I also feel, sometimes, that my blog is about a whole lot of nothing...basically, things that no one wants to read except me. But, in keeping with the 2009 list, I'm back to blog.

• I didn't get the jay oh bee and am okay with it. Except for the look of disdain from the Nastys when I was commended for my drive and knowledge, I've gotten nothing, but positive encouraging responses from everyone around me. I am a firm believer in "right place right time" philosophy and am pretty sure there is a reason that this didn't work out.
• I reconnected with some friends from high school last week. We found each other on Facebook as we prepare for our 20 (yikes!) year reunion. We had so much fun catching up and even closed the restaurant. Some of us have changed and some of us are the same. It was fun to hear about our lives up to this point.
• I spent last weekend at home and did a whole bunch of nothing! D and I did some errands on Friday after work, but once I got home, I never left until Monday morning for work. I didn't even get mail or take trash out. I spent a lot of time with the couch and relaxing. I think after the week I'd had, I needed the serious veg time.
• I've been trying to focus on all the positives in my life, but still get sucked into the "what I don't have" complex. I understand the path idea, but sometimes it's hard for me to not be overwhelmed and depressed by things.
• I had a talk with the new boss D2. I saw her at a staff development day conference last week. She asked me how things were going and I laid it out to her. I hadn't intended doing it until she got here, but she asked and I couldn't waste the chance. She was in shock at some of the things I said...she said that things would be different from her last time at the District...she was coming back in a totally different capacity. She also told me that we were going to be working very close together and I would be her right hand. While talking to her, I really tried to assess if she was just telling me what I wanted to her or was honest. I really felt like she listened to me and it made her accountable coming into this situation. At the end of the conversation, I felt such a relief that I wanted to cry. Someone actually listened to me and is going to do something. Since then, I've talked to her each workday and she is in the office today...her official start date isn't until March 2.
• After the talk with D2, I am a little conflicted. I am still going to apply for her position (good starting place for me). I also feel (as of today) that staying in my current job will allow me to gain some additional knowledge and really do my job.
• I talked to soon to be retired boss last week...kind of our last debrief. He apologized ("My bad") for not getting me involved in certain things. I think that a lot of our office issues are his responsibility and his lack of action created this monster.
• I've been dragging myself to the gym even when I've been dog tired. It helps and makes me feel like all the excuses I make are lame. Last night, I wanted to switch it up and took a turbo kick boxing class. I felt totally uncoordinated for most of the class, but kicked butt in the workout. I've noticed my clothes being looser and my face not being as full.

I think this year has become the year of finding my inner voice and realizing that I am a pretty phenomenal person. It's also become a confidence boosting time for me...I really feel like I'm pulling myself through the negativity I've harbored for myself and making some real positive changes. Here to a continued path in 2009!