I've been thinking about writing for so long, but things have just been to hairy, busy, etc to even think of doing so. I don't even know where to start really.
I've been so busy with all the committees I'm on that my spare time that I have has gone into my family really. Dave's been out of town allot on business lately. He's in New Orleans next week and last month he was in Ontario and BC I think, he does it so much now I have to write it all down so I don't get trips confused.
Income tax time was very disheartening and depressing. Learning you are making much less than the year before sure puts a silence in the room. I am actually looking for work, believe it or not. Not overly, actively looking, but when the right posting comes up I have been sending on my resume. If I enter the work force again it will not be to just "get by" this is my career here! My hardest issue I can't overlook in my head is "Who wants to hire an Interior Designer whose been at home for the last six year with their kids?" I was a Senior Designer! I can't go back to an entry level position; I can't afford to put two kids in daycare and after school care for that income. For the sake of the application I even have a head hunter putting in my resume for a Branch Manager position at a retail flooring store, why not they can only say no. Hopefully my eight years of technical knowledge in the field will be my in. Doesn't look like self employment is classed as managerial. As far as I am concerned if your aren't the best manager of yourself you can be when self employed you won't be inspired even to dress in the morning, let alone be efficient at your job.
I've been trying to get a new doctor for myself since I found out mine had retired since I had last seen him. Funny to find out by his answering machine at his office. Wonder how long before I called it had happened, alas I still not received anything official. Guess as a patient since I was fifteen didn't matter to him. Anyhow, a female physician was accepting new patients in my neighbourhood and I got in for an initial consultation late March to finally return for my yearly physical today. Wow - what a way to discover your weigh scale at home is malfunctioning. Let's just say it has ruined my day! Instead of those 10 pounds I wanted to lose, lets add another ten shall we?! I hate all the people telling me how thin I am and it's still within my BMI which is great, but when your twenty pounds heavier than you usually are and are praising god for stretchy all-be-it forgiving jeans! ARGH and POO to all of you! I'm utterly depressed and can't believe it! Doesn't it sound pathetic? I was at my ideal weight mid December; so much for my efforts. Here I thought I had changed my diet and was losing weight, as I had noticed the weight gain a few months ago; wow got a lot to go still. I honestly didn't care all that much about it until today. Bloody doctors and nurses bah! Oh, and to top it off, I have lumps I need to get checked - more than likely cysts - but hey lets squish hell out of you know what at a later date, yahoo! (lets out a growl and fist to my life). They are also making an appointment to check my fibroid again; grows with weight gain if I recall, yey, to then discuss my options, go away. (sorry all negative and derogatory remarks are to said doctors). All tests that doctor sent me for in April after my March appointment came up fine ECG and all. Now I get to get a 24 hour halter monitor to make sure there won't be an occurrence. I think they need to do the longer one - I'm like a car - I never show signs of problems upon inspection of said knock, rumble, ping noise until the car has left the garage or in this case, medical clinic! LOL Just one minor gripe about today - why did I make an appointment when in between my weight/height/blood pressure thingy did I go back to the waiting room before my actual exam for twenty minutes? Just curious?
The Magic Show and Ice Cream night I planned for April went very well, and we had a great turnout. I'm so thankful to all the companies who helped us out. The parents, teachers and the advisory were all great in helping out when it was needed, and I really truly appreciated it so very much. I wish, however, I didn't tune out my name, as I didn't used to as a child. My name is almost heard on a daily basis, comparatively to the 80s when all I could say was "Katrina and The Waves" was the only other one I had ever heard of up until other more tragic unfortunate events, as well as being a popular name again in the last 10 or so years too. My name is like a bad 80's fad, making it's comeback too. LOL Sorry back to the tuning out part - I was to announce Ice Cream directions when the Magician called me before his second last act started - turns out he called me a few times before I heard him - doh - darn ADD ha ha ha, so embarrassing. All went well, had much praise from the teachers as the money from the event went to them :o) They need all they can get, especially with the newly released budget for the fiscal year. Boo, on the Federal government! Come on they deserve it; this is our child's education we're "playing" with!
Speaking of government; even though they are all for legalizing what should have been years ago, anyways; Ignatief was not the one to lead that party. Sorry, I will honestly say, I voted for Harper - yeah he spent more money on his campaign last election, so what. There are more important things going on in the world. Show me a stronger leader and I will vote Liberal. Layton's platform wasn't enough for me to switch; however, they will make a good opposition. Ignatief can go back to the States and think his bad thoughts about us "stupid" Canadians, good riddance :o( Sorry that was my political rant.
Dave's been travelling a lot, so much I'm trying to refrain from my committee duties on evenings and weekends.
I do, however, have two events at the end of this month,falling on an evening and a Saturday. Since our Community League AGM in April, I am now Programs Director heading up the meetings, and planning the programs and events with the committee I retained. I'm trying really hard to put some order into our meetings. Being on other committees for a couple years now has made me realize what works and what doesn't. Order does, chaos does not, chaos just makes things take too much time. I am trying to implement items and forms from the Community League Resource Guide as well as trying to clarify what my responsibilities are and what the League expects of me - these are seeming to be two different things as I am coming to realize. I am to organize the events and make sure that everything is planned as well as gather the volunteers to have the event - not babysit every little thing the hall does to death. That's not the point of a director. I know what a Director does, and they aren't going to get away with that kind of stuff. Dave's been elected to 1st Vice President - they did a secret vote at the AGM, as the non conformists wanted to secretly vote for Dave for President, it's so funny. Instead he had to take 1st Vice and will be Pres next AGM. He is going to help with some Playschool issues as well as some other internal issues that we are weary of and not impressed with. He has great plans for our league as do I. We have a vision...
We do try to enjoy the time we have. Now that the snow is melted and the yard is almost finished and seedlings are being planted in the house, we are starting to get more active again (we have onions already, cool). The kids have been practically living in the back yard on the nice days. I'm stuck doing some clerical something or rather in the office during the day most of the time. The work I do is like having a job - except I don't make any money at it, lol. We walked to school for the first time this spring yesterday and was looking forward to the same only to wake to cold, windy and rain. I think its supposed to be nicer tomorrow. We checked out a new park after our little ball park adventure that the kids loved - now I know where I have planned the field trip for Madison's playschool for June. Have to go there again sometime - other families had the right idea with dinner prepacked to dine at the picnic areas.
We had two chocolate almond fundraisers to do within weeks of each other in March - one for Stirling's Coach Pitch team which was kind of a shock. It was hard enough to pay for baseball let alone $90 up front for a case of almonds - that we mostly ate. So not much for cost recovery there. His first game was to be last night, but it got cancelled having half of the team down with chicken pocks - yikes. We went out to the ball diamond behind the house and we all practiced together instead. Madison is going to be a pro at it when she does it in a couple years. The other fundraiser was for Madison's playschool, as the casino we did for funds aren't going to get back to the playschool until the end of this month, we needed to make up for the loss quick. We did the Casino the end of February :o( I went out to our local Save on Foods to help sell almonds with other parents one Saturday and still brought home a case for Madison to sell; she did really well. Only needed to get half way up the block before we were sold out; hastened by Grandma, us and a parent advisory member up the street. Thanks guys!
Dave's neck has been giving him quite some trouble for a while now. He just went back to see his doctor recently to get put on an alternative pain killer as the one he has only takes the edge off the pain and makes him incredibly tired. If he takes a pill he has no energy to be with the kids or do much, and he hates that, so do we. The doctor didn't offer an alternative, but added an anti-inflammatory as well, but not to be taken with the other. His other alternative was rejected, don't expect to be approved for that in Alberta either; they are anti... In a way we see his point, at the same time moving to another province is looking better all the time. He is going to see an acupuncturist today, I am really hoping this will give him the relief he needs. Different methods work for different people - no one wants to take the "House" route and become dependant on Vicadin or some crazy drug, thanks. He still has a job that requires him to drive and travel all the time, we are running out of options.
Well my cue has come - how to get Playmobil people out of a piggy bank. Now that's a good question. That and Stirling is out in a few minutes from school. Have a great pleasantly uneventful week.