January 26, 2006
Before Ethan was born, I worked full time. Full time meant three 12 hour shifts a week. After the little one came along, I became what they call “part time II.” That meant a total of five 12 hour shifts in a two week period. After working a few months as a “part time II” employee, I realized something. My work literally calls me every night I am off to see if I want to work an extra shift. Every single night. I decided that I would cut back to what they call “part time I” and only have four scheduled shifts in a two week period and then I would pick up an additional shift within that two weeks. The reason this was such an awesome idea is that the extra shift pays time and a half. So, I am working the system. I work the same amount of shifts I need to work, but I make a little extra this way. Am I smart or what? The problem is, I NEVER want to work extra. I plan ahead, anticipating that I will work a certain day, but I dread answering the call and saying yes. It’s really hard for me. It’s as if knowing I am making the choice to say yes or no makes it so much harder to deal with it. (I actualIy dread going to work in general, but the extra shifts are just a little bit harder). I need to work that extra day and it is very very good money, but I sure make a production of the whole thing. I don’t know what the problem is. I like being a nurse. I think I do a pretty good job of it, but I have a hard time being there. The job is hard, but work is supposed to be hard! The hours are long, but I only have to work two or three days a week! I am doing something to help people and something that really matters. It is a good job. It is hard to be away from Ethan, but thank God we have Grandmas to watch him. I don’t know why I dread the thought of having to go.
So, I am working an extra shift tomorrow. I have to think about all the positive things I just listed about my job and focus on the good parts of it. I need to change my attitude and be thankful for what I have and what I get to do. Maybe someday I will look forward to going to work and getting to work extra. That would be cool.
January 24, 2006
On our way to having a bilingual baby:
Ethan’s new favorite toy to walk around the house with is a tiny German-English dictionary. He flips through it, he loves to hold it. He tries to eat it, we take it away. He cries.
Unfortunately, we don’t speak much German. Maybe he will teach us.
January 20, 2006
Well, it is official. We are taking a trip to Tennessee next month. The tickets have been purchased and I am fervently praying that Ethan will behave himself on the plan rides there and back. I am really looking forward to the trip. I can’t wait to see Andrew and Pamela, Tisra and Eric, and many many bearded men. But I am also a little anxious about my busy little boy. He is so busy! I have a feeling we will spend a lot of time walking in the isles of the plane. I just hope we can keep him entertained and from bothering anyone. I can only pray….
I went to Old Navy this last week to see if I could find any warm things to take on this trip (I think it is going to be in the 40s or so there…it is currently in the 70s or so here…maybe the 60s). We don’t have a lot of warmish things. Most everything was picked over, but I found a fleece pull over jacket thing for Ethan and I thought it would do, even though it was marked at $9.50. When I bought it, I found out it was $1.99. I was so pleased with Old Navy and with myself. He will be warm. And I bought myself some fleece gloves for $1.49. Yay for Old Navy performance fleece!
January 18, 2006
Last September, we began renting the most awesome show ever from Netflix. The most awesome show ever=Six Feet Under. I don’t know why we rented it. Shane put it on our queue probably after hearing about it somewhere. I wasn’t too sure about it when it first arrived, but within the first few minutes of the first episode, we were hooked. It is a little bit crass, a little bit nasty maybe, but it was oh so good. Good acting, good story lines. It was quirky, witty, so clever, and very, very good. We loved it. We rented all four seasons that were available. They didn’t come fast enough. All talk was Six Feet Under. Every evening we had a new disc, we would watch every episode and send it back the next day. Then the fourth season ended and we didn’t know how long we would have to wait for the next and final season to make it to DVD. Shane somehow found it for us to watch and then the good thing was over. It has been over a month now and I still can’t stop thinking about it. I loved that show! I am very sad it ended. Part of me wants to start watching it all over again. I wonder if the other HBO shows are as good…. If you can handle some cussing, sex, drugs, and dead bodies, you should check it out.
January 17, 2006
Shane turned 30 on Sunday. We had a little shin dig with a few of our friends Saturday afternoon/evening. There were 17 people in all, 5 of them under the age of 6. It was a great time, but a change from what used to be. Kids change things a lot and this seemed to me to be the first time I really noticed it. We couldn’t do the normal hang out things, like play a game or watch a movie (except maybe Nemo which was asked for on several occasions) or even just sit around and talk. There was playing to do. There was chasing to do. Especially because all 17 of us were in our tiny living room most of the evening. It was very cosy and fun and we did end up playing a game (one of our fave past times when we are in large groups) once the big kids left and our little one slept. I think Shane had a good time. Turning 30 freaked him out a little bit, I think. But it is over now and what can you do. I don’t know why, but 30 doesn’t freak me out. Maybe it’s because I am 11 months away from it or because I spend a lot of time with older folks and 70 sounds young to me. I don’t know. I think it just hits people in different ways.
Shane’s favorite gift: a pipe. He is just smoking air at this point in time (which is fine with me), but I know he is just warming it up. I have warned him about lip and tongue cancer and all of that, but what can I do? At least pipes smell good. Happy Birthday, Shanie!
January 5, 2006
I have never really been into making new years resolutions and I really do not plan to start making them now, but I have made a little list of things that I want to accomplish within the next year (not resolutions!) and here they are:
-read my Bible every day
-drink at least 2 liters of water a day (I used to do this but stopped after Ethan was born for some reason)
-eat healthier (not diet…that never works)
-exercise at least 3 times a week (I always get going with this one and do really well at keeping it up, but then one day, I just stop for some reason. I need to get at it again. Plus, Ethan LOVES to be outside, so it is good for the both of us)
-spend less money (I love to shop way too much. shopping brings me much joy)
-put all my photos from Europe and of Ethan into albums in a sort of scrapbooky way (there are seriously a million pictures of Ethan)
I think that is it for now. So far, so good.
We went on a date last night to dinner at Fish House Vera Cruz and to a movie. I had mahi mahi and the assortment of vegetables. I was planning on getting red snapper, but they were out. I was a little bummed, but I liked the mahi mahi. That place is so good. We used a gift certificate we have had for a year. It was a much needed date and was very nice. I like to be around Ethan a lot and it is hard for me to leave him when I am home because I feel like I leave him so much for work. So we hardly go out without him and we hardly ever go to the movies. We saw the newest Harry Potter. It wasn’t that great, but whatever. I just finished reading the Goblet of Fire again, so it was fresh on my mind. I was kind of glad they didn’t follow the book word for word like the last ones. It seemed to flow a little bit better, but it was just a little bit goofy. The books are just so much better. Whatever. It was free, thanks to Christmas movie passes. We should probably go out on dates more often. If only we had more gift certificates.
January 2, 2006
I absolutely love Christmas and the decorations and everything about it, but I am glad it is over. It was kind of a rough holiday season for us and I am ready for the new year and a chance to start with a clean slate. I have lots of hopes for this year. I hope it is a good one.
