So much has changed

Ok, so I haven't been good about updating my blog, not that anyone reads it. The last time I wrote was as I was starting this job in Jersey City and now here it is November and the job is finally wrapping up. It turned out that Bill was sent to the same job so we have at least been together though work has been our life since we got here.

We had a long weekend for Labor day and little did we know how long the weekend would turn out to be. We went home Thursday night and were planning on heading back Monday night for the start of the outage on Tuesday. We were working around the house all day Sunday and got a call in the early evening from Bill's aunt saying Bill's mom had collapsed at the hospital and was in the emergency room. She said she was unresponsive but that she was breathing. See, his grandmother was in the hospital recovering from quadruple by-pass and had taken a turn for the worse. Well, Bill left right away to get to the hospital and I was asked to intercept his sister so his dad could head right over there after church. I picked Kim up and she and I took a ride to pick Lexy up from my mom's. I got a call from Bill around 10:30pm saying they were taking his mom to the cath lab for more tests but that they didn't know much yet. Lexy, Kim and I headed back to my house before taking her home and I will never forget the phone call from Bill. He called just as we were getting to our house and as I answered I said hi and he paused for a few seconds and sniffed and said she didn't make it. Now you have to remember his grandmother wasn't expected to last the night. So I said Nanny died and he said No, mom is gone. Just like that our life changed forever. We found out she had an aortic aneurysm and was gone before they even got her to the emergency room from the hospital parking where she had been making phone calls. We spent the week with my father in law getting things arranged for a funeral I never expected to plan. I went to the florist and ordered flowers for a funeral for a woman that meant the world to me. She was the kind of mother in law you want you kids to have. I was no different to her than her kids, I was always introduced as her daughter. The funeral was so hard. there were more than 250 people that came.
Life has gone on but will never be the same. There is a whole in our lives that we are still trying to live with. Once we go home for good, it will all sink in. We have been home for weekends here and there. I went home one weekend to find the Longaberger basket I had ordered for her for Christmas was delivered.

So where does that leave us? I'm not sure. This woman was the most Godly woman I knew. She was an example of what a wife, mother and grandmother should be.

Goodbye summer

Well, not exactly goodbye, but I won't be out enjoying it as much as I have been. For those that know me, I don't mind the summer. I hate cold weather which is kind of weird since I collect snowmen, I just don't want to be anywhere I can make one.

I started back to work yesterday. I only had to be at the office but it is back. Tonight I head up to Jersey City to meet up with Bill who is already there. I have to go for site orientation at 7 tomorrow morning. I will work all day and then head back home Thursday morning, take Lexy to work Thursday afternoon. On Sunday night Bill and I will "move" to Jersey City for the next 4 months. This job is supposed to run through November 19th so if all goes according to plan I may actually finish the job and be able to enjoy the holidays, with a little money of course.

I am looking forward to the adventure. I have never really lived in a city before but I figure I will get tired of it pretty quickly. I love my job though so if that is where they need me that is where I will go.

New scrapbook

I have started a new scrapbook with photos from our motorcycle trips. We took our first long trip for Bill's birthday. We went down Skyline drive and stayed the weekend at the resort in Gordonsville, VA. We visited the Natural bridge and it was great. I am looking forward to many more trips in the future.

Real world

Ok, we are back from our long weekend away. We have decided that we need more then 2 nights next time, especially when travelling on a motorcycle. Need a day to just relax.
With Bill and I both out of work (he is working a few days here and there) and my unemployment will run out in a couple weeks, I think I really need to find a job. I am trusting God to provide but it is hard to sometimes see how when things are looking bleak.

Don't understand

Ok, so I will admit it, I don't understand male thinking. We were supposed to go away to Myrtle Beach for a few days. We were going to leave early Tuesday morning and come back Thursday or Friday. We were also planning on taking one of the bikes. Monday night we were talking and planning out route. What I had thought was going to be a 10 hour drive turned out to be 14-16. My comment was it didn't sound appealing but I packed my bag and took 4 motrin to prepare for the ride only to have my other half decide the weather didn't look too good. Ok, so I say we could drive, it would cost a little more in gas but we would get there sooner. I ws told if we couldn't go by bike we weren't going. I guess cars can't drive to SC????? I still don't know why we couldn't drive. We were going away to spend time together and visit my parents on vacation down there. Is going away with me only bearable if we take a bike? I guess I will just never understand.

Our new life

Well, it was a long time coming but we are finally headed down a path that will lead us to a much better life. We are doing the Dave Ramsey Financial Peace University and we finally have a written budget, though the numbers aren't exactly nice to look at. My goal is to be debt free (other then the house) by 12-12-12. No more credit cards, car loans, Bike loans, etc..... If we don't have cash, we don't buy it. It is really freeing. In the long run, I see the numbers and I can't wait for the day when the paychecks come in and the only bills that have to get paid every month are utilities and the house for a few more years. What a relieft it will be. If work tells Bill to take a few weeks off again, oh well, we can go away because there are no bills to worry about. I can't wait!

New Year, new me????

Well, here we are in February already, time really flies. I need to get back into my exercise routine. In the last 2 years I have lost 40 pounds but I really want to lose the rest of the weight I need to lose. With my work schedule right now, I find it difficult to find the time. I need to make the time to hit the eliptical every day and find my way to the Total Gym a few times/week. I can't wait for spring so I can get back to walking in the park.

This is the month I like least in the whole year. It has 2 "holiday" and I just want the month to be over. After spending so many years trying to make all the holidays, birthdays, anniversaries, etc... special and finally realizing that they are only importan to me, I just don't care about them anymore. I had to make myself buy a Valentine Card this year. When Christmas rolled around I didn't even want to buy gifts for anyone. I don't think this is a good way to be, but I guess I just want someone else to realize that these days are important. I did get a card and flowers for Valentine's day, but in my mind it is too little too late. After no one remembered it was my 40th birthday last year, I just kind of gave up and all the special days.