Wednesday, September 18, 2013

I'm Back and what a ride it has been...

So it has been almost 15 months since I last posted anything and it has been a very eventful 15 months.

Here goes (and it is very long!!):

In August 2012, I received word that the two sisters I had been keeping were no longer going to be in my care due to travel expenses for mommy and daddy. I was distraught over this, (BP had been in my care since she was 10 weeks old) but I thought all would be okay. Less than a week later, the other little girl was leaving too. Oh wow!!! What were we going to do??

So, I decided it was a sign from up above that my wonderful insane adventure of in-home daycare provider was over. So, after much prayer again on where to go from here, I started a part-time job hunt. We knew how much I HAD to make each week in order for the bills to get paid and the kids to be fed, so we figured on 3-5 nights a week should do the trick.

I put in applications all over town one Sunday afternoon in September and on Monday morning, got a call from the owner of a local restaurant. I had applied for a server position. They only needed part-time help a couple nights a week and that's what I wanted, so it was going to work well for all parties involved. We set up an interview for Thursday afternoon. (Bless the poor guy, he worked with my insane schedule demands on what time I could be there.)

Now as many of you know, on an application, they ask for a list of references...keep in mind that I had 3 VERY good references listed. I went in for the interview, all went well and as we were standing up at the end, he said, "I think I will give Big Man (my boss from my previous banking job that I did NOT have listed on the application, but whom he knew really well) a call tomorrow and see what he has to say about you."

Holy Crap Batman!!! I did not expect that and did my very best a lousy job of hiding the terror in my eyes and on my face. I had no fears that he was going to say bad things, fore I left the job on good terms and feel as though I was an asset to the bank for my 7 years with them. My fear, was that Big Man would not really know what to say, because we usually did not work directly with each other.

But alas, interview guy call Big Man and he gave me a raving review and even recommended me for something better down the line of interview man decided the business needed it.

Friday afternoon I got the call that I could start ASAP and was Saturday at 2:00 too soon? Nope! (Please keep in mind that I interviewed for 3 days a week and very quickly ended up at 5 days a week due to a sudden turn-over in staff)
I learned quickly and was turned out on the floor to fly solo very soon after starting. I immediately loved the restaurant, most of the staff and the customers. I knew several from my years at the bank and from church. Many knew me, because J knows everyone, therefore they think they know me.

Fast forward to February...I had put in an application with a bank in Tulsa sometime in January or so and they called me for an interview. So I set up the interview, informed interview guy (from here on out known as Boss Man or Uncle R) that I needed the day off. I traveled to Tulsa, did the interview and left feeling odd. I did not have a good feeling that I would get the job, but I felt more at ease with my current job and realized that I actually really liked it. I met my dad for dinner before leaving town and was back home by bedtime.

Little did I know that Boss Man and his wife (known as Boss Lady or Aunt B) were super excited that I didn't get the job; fore they had much better ideas in mind. You see, right before I started, they lost a manger and started training a new part-time manger for a couple of morning shifts a week. Well, I entered the picture and they started toying with the idea of a second part-time manger for a couple of nights a week. Guess who they chose...you got it, me.

So in late March or early April I started training to do all the managing stuff I would need to know and now I manage the restaurant two nights a week and serve three nights. All in all, I love my job and it is some form of using that Business Management degree I spent 4 1/2 years earning and am currently paying for.


B turned 5 last fall, L was 3 in the spring, I hit the last year of my 20's and J keeps losing his hair. Fairly normal for all of us. J's Grandpa had a heart attack on Easter Sunday and a stroke a month or so later. He is doing well and stays active and in fairly goof health for a 91 year old man. My grandma turned 95 this summer. She might just be the cutest grandma ever!!! Well late this summer, 31 years and 1 day after her husband passed away, she did too. She lived a very full 95 years of life and she will be remembered for a very long time. She was loved by not only her family but by many friends and an entire community.

In early summer, J and I traveled to Denver (kids free) for the wedding of close friend of his. A & M got married in a beautiful ceremony and left for a week long honeymoon to an island I will really probably only ever dream about. We had several days of just us and we had a great time. We did not get to do much, but it was nice to get away. It was the first time flying for both of us, and what an experience it was. I loved it and can't wait until next time...

B started Kindergarten last month and L had the hardest time seeing him go. B is L's best friend and playmate so L had a rough first week of school with no B to play with. After a month now, he has adjusted and we have special time for just us and library dates to keep his mind from getting too lonely.

With the back-to-school thing came the potty training thing. L is going on 3 1/2 and still didn't use the potty very well. That changed quickly. On the first day of school is when my grandma passed away, so J and I went out of state for the funeral and left the kids here. B stayed with Granny and Pa so he could get back and forth to school. L stayed with a good friend of ours. She has 3 kids of her own and was more than willing to take on a 4th for a few days. Well, while L was at her house, there was an incident. She had to scold him for the results of said incident, and he really felt bad. He came home and within a week, was using the potty with regularity. Now we still have some accidents, but we are mostly done!!!

My side of the family got a new member this summer, Little A. He is an adorable little boy and is sure to keep things interesting now with 4 grand kids running around for Grandma and Grandpa. His big sister, K, loves him to pieces and is a big help to mommy at 6 years old.

And finally, we put our house on the market right after the new year. We had had all the interior walls and ceilings painted last fall and all new light fixtures installed. So we took the next step; listing the house For Sale. We have not sold it yet, but we are praying it will happen soon. This mommy wants needs a house with two bathrooms. We show it a lot thus resulting in it staying much cleaner on a regular basis, but no luck so far...

Now back to Boss Man and Lady: they have become fast friends of mine and J is starting to warm up to them. We went to dinner (no kids) with them on the 4th of July and we had a good time. We were worried that J and Uncle R would have little to talk about, being as J loves sports and music and Uncle R likes guns and cars. Uncle R also likes music, but not even close to the same type of stuff we listen to. Aunt B and I love to go shopping and she has even watched the kids a few times for us when I need to work on a normal day off and have no other daycare options. The kids lover her and that is how they are now known as Uncle R and Aunt B. They also have 2 kids, but they are older and in college, B & L are like nephews. They also have dogs that L loves to pieces and scare the poop out of B. I don't think B is EVER going to be an animal guy.

So, in a (very large) nutshell, that is what has been going on the last 15 months. Sorry the post was so long, but I feel it was all important (to me).

Until next time...
MommyShelle C