Unemployed...

Yep, all good things must come to an end! I'm amongst the unemployed. It was a good run, tho! I learned a lot of things...clerical, about me, about Jim's job and just about working...again! I learned some basic Excel tidbits, how to enter new/deactivate old employees, lots about invoicing and Purchase Orders, but what I learned the most...and appreciate the most is understanding of Jim's job. I WITNESSED it...first hand! I've always known how hard he works, but it was mind boggling just how many people depend on him. They go to him for answers, they go to him for advice, they go to him to vent, they go to him for BS, they go to him just to chat, they go to him to tell him something amusing, I mean, he is THE person to go to! When he would be working in Kentucky, he was working in the office trailer I was in. There was an empty office that I could actually have moved in to, but I wanted him to be able to close the door when he needed to...and I was his bull dog! I was amazed at the gall of some people to just go into his office without knocking...well, it didn't take me long to shut people down and say..."NO"! Rude, disrespectful, RUDE RUDE RUDE!!! So, Friday, October 26 was my last day. Now, I'm not going to be able to be that bull dog! I've had other things happening in my life, too. Like, Hailey got married! I will post seperately about that, tho!

The J-O-B

I'm getting to the job part, but I have to explain how the job came to be! So, Summer, 1988 we moved from Texas City, TX to Broken Arrow, OK. Jordan started 1st grade and Hailey went to pre-school at our church. We bought a house, met friends and got involved with soccer with both kids. Life was good and full! January, 1997, Jim was told that they were going to move the office to Conroe, TX. We finished out the school year...Jordan was in 9th grade and Hailey in 6th...and moved to The Woodlands, TX. Jim was working in the office, but traveling a lot...mostly international...Taiwan, India, The Phillipines, Chile, Peru...etc. It was our "normal". When we moved to Texas, we moved back "home". The summer we moved, Jim was in The Phillipines working. I sold a house, moved us (2 kids, 2 dogs, a cat and a fish) to a rent house and continued building a house...not ME, but you know. Jim came home in October so we could close on the house and move in and back to The Phillipines he went! He was gone a lot that year. Our "normal" continued and soon enough Jordan graduated from high school and went to college. Soon after Hailey graduated and went to college, too. We had 2 kids in college at the same time for 3 semesters. May, 2007 Hailey graduated from college, Jordan was getting married in a few months and Jim was offered a job with Welded Construction. It would be a domestic job with no international travel. He accepted the job and so we were back where we started when we got married. We bought another travel trailer and hit the road. First job location was in Wisconsin for about 10 months and then to Louisiana, Missouri for a year. THAT was a great year! I met some really good friends, Jim was getting more intune with Welded and the people and the kids were adults! When the job in Missouri was over we moved to Perrysburg, Ohio so Jim could work in the main office for Welded. He was in charge of the construction business...building pipelines. After about a year, he was named the Vice President of Operations. He travelled to different job sites and I made a new home for us (still in our trailer). After living there for about a year and a half we bought a house and put the trailer in storage. 2011 was a busy year for Jim and also for me...I painted, furnished, and decorated our new (1955) house! We are almost to current time...! I went to Europe in May for 3 weeks this year with my Dad. It was a great trip! When I returned in mid June Jim was busy with a job going on in Kentucky. They got another job about 15 miles away and so Carol (lady that worked in the office with Brad) was moved over there to run the office. I knew Brad was going to need some clerical help, so I offered! First I mentioned it to Jim and he was receptive! THAT surprised me. I thought he would wrinkle his nose...meaning he didn't think it was a good idea! He mentioned it to Brad and told him that he (Jim) had nothing to do with it. So, Brad called and asked if I was serious and BAM...I had a job! I went to Kentuck on July 4 and started working on July 5. I've been working M, T, W, and TH 10 hours a day. It has felt so good to do something that earned $$!! So, here it is almost 4 weeks later and I'm still working! I'm doing clerical work and enjoying it! The running joke is that my boss reports directly to Jim so I'm "sleeping with my boss's boss!" I love saying that! Ha! I still have more Europe pictures to post and will get to them...I'm just too busy working right now!!!

J-O-B

Yep, I'm working. Believe it. Me, who hasn't had a full time job since January 1980! Jim and I got married December 8, 1979 and I was working for a title company. His job kept him traveling for extended periods at a time, so I quit work in January, 1980 to travel with him. The first couple of years he worked in south Louisiana, St. Louis, Vicksburg, MS, but mostly south Louisiana. We loved it. We were close to my family in Louisiana and close to CAJUN food! We bought a house in Texas City, TX and traveled. We stayed in hotels...really, it was Motels!, or rented apartments. Life was good. We eventually bought a travel trailer to call home while we were away on the road. We met some really great people and still have many of those friends all these years later. In June, 1981 we went to Marshall, MN for a mainline (pipeline) job. (He had been working for the directional crossing division for a good while). Mid summer I was pregnant, but had a miscarriage at 3 months. Jim was so upset about it, but I was not. Not that I hadn't wanted the baby, I just knew that God was taking care of a situation that was not meant to be. Found myself pregnant a few months later and Jordan was born in August, 1982. HE WILL BE THIRTY IN A FEW SHORT WEEKS! We continued life on the road and then back to home base in TC, TX between jobs. Jim had a job to go to in Virginia in June, 1984. I was pregnant when we left home heading to Big Stone Gap, Virginia. We lived there for a couple of months and then the job moved to another location, so we moved to Pound, Virginia. We lived in a holler! Coal trucks, hillbillies, mountains...we actually lived in the county that Coal Miner's Daughter was filmed in. It was very interesting to live amongst people that I really had never been around. I mean, it's not that often that the sheriff pulls up, opens his trunk and gives you a gallon of moonshine! True story! We headed back to Texas mid-fall. Jim went on a few short jobs and Jordan and I stayed home. Hailey was born in February, 1985. We left when she was a week old to go to Jim's job in Longview, TX. Life continued like that for several more years. When Jordan started kindergarten, we decided that I would stay home so he could go to school like normal kids. Jim's Dad was a pipeline welder (he worked on the Alaskan pipeline in the mid '70's). Jim and his brothers had gone to different schools all over the country and he did not want our kids doing that. So, he started looking for a job where we lived so that we would ALL be home. During Jordan's kindergarten year he had several interviews with some local companies, but was told he was overqualified. In the spring of 1988 the company he worked for offered him a job in their main office...in Tulsa, OK. So, we packed up and moved to Oklahoma! ...to be continued...

Holy shite...

I've been MIA. Well, not really, but blog MIA anyway! I went to Texas for 3 weeks. The night before I left, Jim and I went to see Bruce Springsteen in Detroit. Holy moly. What a freakin' awesome concert! He played non-stop for THREE HOURS!!! Definitely one of my top 2...the other is when I went to see ZZTop at the Pavilion in The Woodlands. Friends, family, rain, thunder and ZZTOP made for an unforgettable night!!! When I go to Texas there is always a list of things to do and a list of things to eat and a list of places to eat! I got my hair cut and colored, had the exterminators spray, got to babysit Bo...twice, went to the art show on the waterway in TW, went to a wedding reception, to the doctor for blood work, visited with friends, went to visit my Mom and older sister, played with the dogs and cat, took the dogs to the vet, pressure washed the driveway, and I'm sure there are other things that I cannot think of now. Ate at Corkscrew BBQ 3X...twice w/ Jordan and once with Hailey and Donnie, ate at Olive Oil with Donnie, Rico's with Hailey, Jax with Hailey and once with Jordan, Willie's with Hailey for shrimp, Goose's Acre with Hailey, Kim and Marty, cooked some vegan meals, and a few others thrown in there! I always get my "eat on" when in Texas...actually, I get my "eat on" most anyplace I go! Jim and I are still mostly eating vegan, but I splurge and have cheese and a little meat. Spring is REALLY in Ohio now! Although, I did turn the heat on one morning last week just to get the nip out of the air. Jim and I did yard work this weekend. Replaced a dogwood tree that I got for Mother's Day last year, planted a few things in the veggie garden, planted shasta daisies, mowed...need to trim a few trees still. Next week I'm going on a trip. My Dad and I fly to London on the 24th and stay 2 days. Then we go to Harwich and get on Jewel of the Seas for a 12 day Baltic cruise. This has been a tough trip to plan. I'm just not that familiar with Europe, so I've had to do some research and am still not through. We will tour St. Petersburg Russia for 2 days. I've wanted to go to Russia since studying it in 5th grade! After the cruise, we go back to London for 4 more days. My Dad has had a few health issues this year, so I'm hoping and praying for a healthy trip! I will be doing a full report after I return, but in the meantime, you can probably see updates on Facebook. I've not posted any pictures of my great-nephew, Bo, so will post a few to see how much cuteness runs in our family!

Spring is in the air...but, winter ain't through!

Trees and shrubs and flowers have bloomed in Ohio much sooner than last year...about 5 weeks early! Our red bud tree has been gorgeous for 2 weeks already! The crab apple buds are lightly closed and will be bursting open any minute! Beautiful trees!

A big thing here is the annual run of the walleye (fish) in the Maumee River. Evidently, this is a BIG deal! Like, people from all over the USA come here in March to catch them! It is the end of the run for this year. Unfortunately, I never was able to get any photos. Today, while I was out, I came back home along the river and got a few pics of them. I expect the end of this weekend will be the end of the "season". They wade to catch these or use boats.

And...my favorite flower...the dogwood! I don't see many dogwood trees up here like in East Texas, so I was delighted to find one on my journey today. I broke off 2 flowers and brought home to take a few close up pictures of them. I couldn't find the right black background without having shadows coming from the overhead light or through the window...so...the black background I used...my bra! Yep, they are inside the cup of my bra! Haha! I know Hailey is proud. And, Carolyn K, don't be too embarrassed for me!


With all of the spring-ness in the air, it will be below freezing for several nights! Two weeks ago it was 84!

What a poking I got today!

Doc asked me how my cravings were going and I told her they were better, but not as good as I'd hoped...so...much poking I got! Both sides of ankles, top of feet, inside elbow, under boobs, back, shins...that's all I can remember right now! So, I'm hoping for a better week of non-craving! Still working on getting that water consumption up. Drinking more, but not as much as she wants me to.

Some of my spring buddies.


Spring in Ohio!

In all its' Glory!

That bathroom remodel we've been working on...it's almost finished...still need a tp holder and a piece of art for the wall on the right. Here's where we started...

And, here's where we are now!

I have looking for just the "right" thing to go over the dresser. I saw this at Hobby Lobby a few weeks ago, but had something else in mind. Yesterday I was there and looked at it again and while browsing through the store, I realized it IS the perfect piece...and I'm happy about that decision! You will also see one of the towel holders I made from an old porcelain door knob.