COME ON 2011!!

Thank you, God, that 2010 is OVER!

I sort of hit the doldrums in mid-November and didn't do much for the business. Did get the website up and going. www.mckimhc.com Did some networking but didn't do any cold calls or go back and visit my candy stops. Jacque and I dropped off candy jars at lots of assisted living and elder care facilities. So I need to go back and refresh the candy and shoot the breeze. And you know how well I can do that! So on January 3rd, I'm getting back in the saddle and getting going on more marketing. I know my first customer is out there somewhere!

I think I hit the doldrums somewhat because Jacque got a job. It's not a great job but it has good benefits and reasonable pay. It does take some of the pressure off of me to try to pay her some kind of salary so it's all good. When business picks up she can decide whether she wants to come back or not. But without her to keep me motivated, it was easy to slack off. Now I have to make lists with DEADLINES!

I did use the time well. Spent a lot of time doing kid stuff... birthday parties and school things. Had a great Thanksgiving and Christmas with all my kids in one place, except Randi (still hanging out in Texas.) Cooked a lot of food and probably gained weight but I'll go walking as my knees allow.

Mac is doing really well in school and we read every night for about an hour. He has to read 300 minutes a month to get a prize (free pizza!) so he reminds me if we miss a night. My boy definitely works better on the reward system. He turned 7 on December 20th.

My foster care license for Nebraska has finally been approved so I hope we get another kid soon. Someone to play light sabers with Mac! We definitely had a Star Wars Birthday and Christmas!

I sold my mom's house in Brownwood. Since she passed a few years ago, I wasn't ready to sell it. I had always thought I would go there and retire someday and it was sort of a safety net. No matter what happened, I'd have a roof and a paycheck so I wouldn't be under the bridge. But renting it and and keeping up on maintenance, taxes and insurance is just horrific. Not at all worth the trouble. So finally time to sell... it didn't sell at the price I wanted so the realtor found a good candidate for owner financing with a big down. So I did it... just a 10 year note so it should all be good. Fingers crossed.

The horses are doing fine despite what has been some pretty cold weather. They're very hairy and love their paddock mates so they all huddle up and like each other.

I was GIVEN two more sugar gliders right before Christmas! I was just cruising Craigslist and this girl had 4 listed so I sent her a note and she ended up just giving them to me with a HUGE cage so my little Ruby will have some company and a bigger house. Sugar gliders do better when they have company and can actually not flourish due to loneliness. So they're living separately for now but I will put them together in a few more days.

I have to say that 2010 has been eventful. Lost my job. Didn't find a new one I wanted. Tried to sell my house. Didn't. Decided to stalk my kids. Found a business I wanted to do. Still working on that. Left Texas for Nebraska. Bought a house. Spent ALL my 401K. Some events stunk but more were wonderful, God given blessings so I'm a happy person.

I wish all of you a hugely happy and healthy 2011!!

Happy Halloween!

Another month has rolled by. Lovely fall weather... I am enjoying it so much.

Mac is excited about going trick or treating tonight with Jacque. I'm going to stay home and pass out candy. Mac is going as Woody and we have a costume for Pickles, the pitbull, too. She's going to be a bucking bull with a cowboy on her back. It's too cute. If she will just wear it!

We've done a lot of work on the business but still don't have a customer. We have found out that the hospitals and geriatric clinics have their own companies so they won't be looking at us. The senior centers won't let us solicit there. I can't get government contracts until I can put a nurse on staff. So we're punching up the advertising and networking. I attended a Veteran's in Business breakfast and met with a couple of businesses that could partner with us. So we'll just keep going and see what happens.

Jacque has found a job it looks like for a prescription call center. It will be easier on me to have her working and have benefits rather than worry about something happening. And she'll still be able to stay involved with me working on her off days when she can. When things pick up to the point she can quit, she can decide then what to do.

Jake may have found a job, too. He is in the last phases of interviewing with TSA. I just hope he keeps up his college work, too. He and Megan came over for supper last week, first time I had seen them in quite a while.

Not much else going on here. Just counting the pennies five times a day. But trying to count my blessing more than that!

It's Official!

The business is officially open. Check out the website and give me your honest feedback!
www.mckimhc.com

Fall in Nebraska

OK... I'm an idiot. I thought there was something wrong with the trees. They're changing. I definitely stayed in the tropics and sub-tropics too long!

In the meantime, we are doing GREAT! I'm still sleeping 7 or 8 hours and now that the weather is cooler, I'm really enjoying it! In fact, I sleep with the windows open and the fans on and it's REALLY cold by morning! More quilts for me and the yellow lab is happy on the bed!

The business is really launching! We did our first staff interviews and hired about six ladies. Then we starting making marketing calls to the senior centers and some independent living facilities. Holy crap! I hope I can afford some of those we saw. Movie theaters, valet parking, 1,2, or 3 bedroom apartments, wonderful food or cook for yourself! So fancy! I was afraid to ask how much it costs! Next week we start on the harder nuts, the geriatric practices and physical therapy offices... neither of us want to do it so Jacque and I go together and take turns! Oh for the days when we can hire a marketer! LOL

We're set to go... just need a few clients! Send up a prayer for us.

Mac is doing fine. He lost TV privileges due to a beginning addiction to Cartoon Network so I thought I'd just nip that in the bud and ban TV on school nights. He's going through withdrawals but he'll be ok in time!

Big fight with CPS because they wanted me to drive him back to Houston to have his fingerprints done for his INS application! Do you see what I mean when I say they have no common sense in that entire department! So I squawked and raised dust and they agreed it might be ok to fingerprint him here but I'd have to take him back for the interview. He's flipping SIX! Really?!?! So I have another battle to do for that phase.

We're still poor. There are a lot of expenses in starting up a company. But I should be doing ok IF my unemployment is extended. If not, who knows. God will provide.

Until Halloween!

Tisa

An entire month FLEW by

We're here and doing great!!

We ended up loading 2- 28' trucks! The kids flew down to help and lots of friends stopped over to help so we got it all loaded fairly quickly. Jacque drove one truck and I drove the other. That is something I never want to do again! I think it shook my liver loose! Jake drove my SUV with the kids and dogs. Jacque and I had the cats and sugar glider.

Jake left a couple of hours ahead of us. Jacque and I had to stop to rest. But we arrived the next evening coming into town with one of the most beautiful sunsets I've ever seen. I considered it my own little personal sign that I was doing the right thing.

Everything made the trip north with very little damage but I'm only half unpacked. Well, maybe more than half but half the garage is still full of boxes! (a lot of them are my book boxes so we're putting those off until last!) I paid a couple of guys to unload the trucks and they were fast but there was no organization in the unload so we're sifting through stuff and finding things I had in my high priority boxes. But it all came out remarkably well, so far.

I ended up leasing my house to a friend of mine. It doesn't cover the entire mortgage but it certainly does help. If she can keep up the payments, I may let her buy it in a year or so. Working on selling my mom's house, too. I need to replenish my savings!

Mac has started school and likes it a lot. He has new friends and seems to be enjoying his time at school. SO much smaller. It's seven blocks from the house so it takes me 5 min to drop him and 5 min to pick him up. No complicated security system with numbers on cars and kids needed like the system in Houston.

Jacque had done so much by the time we got here. Everything was painted except one bathroom, one set of baseboards and some touch up. And I need to make the curtains but she has all the fabric. That was a ton of work since there was old wall paper on a great deal of the house. They also demo'd the tile in the kitchen but nothing is back up. But a little at a time. She comes over most days to help bring up some of the heavier boxes and then leaves me to unpack them! Make a mess and clean it up... make a mess and clean it up. I should have most everything in place in a couple more weeks.

I love the house. My only complaint is that the kitchen is teeny tiny! It's a 'one butt' kitchen so we'll have to do a remodel at some point. But that's a while off, too.

I've started working on the business stuff between unpacking but August was my 'poor month' with all the moving expenses AND I got a $1100 final bill from Reliant Energy AND I had to buy a new washer and dryer. But even working on a shoestring this month, I think we'll be ready to start interviewing staff and doing marketing this month. We need to put our plan into motion. Jacque is running out of unemployment this month so I need to pay her something. It's going to be really tight for awhile but I know the Lord sent me the message to do this so I also know it's going to work out.

And speaking of HIM! I checked out the local Methodist church. Lady pastor. Not as good a musical group in the contemporary service but I was spoiled by the one in Cypress. They were superb. Seems like a nice bunch. And the first sermon was on hospitality! I was the only visitor so it was very fortuitous! We'll find us both a Sunday School class next week.

I've started my foster care license transfer process and should have a placement in October. Again, it's a lot less complicated here. And there are a lot of kids so I'm told I'll seldom have a vacancy. That will be different than waiting months between placements in Houston.

Had to make a mad dash BACK to Oklahoma to give Savanah back to her mom so she could start school on time. We brought her with us to help Mac settle in and give her Mom a 'vacation'. She's my daughter in law's sister's girl . I've been keeping for several months now, since my layoff. Mac's best friend... So we met in Guthrie (half wayish) and swapped her. Nice little town with antique stores so we may make that the swapping place of choice.

The horses are fine. Jacque and I gave them a bath and made them pretty. They've been neglected the last few weeks. Rastafarian curls instead of manes and tails. But they're better now. I'm still being sued and I had to do a deposition the week before I left. And now they've dragged Jacque's Grandma into it. Jacque lives with her so they're going after her insurance as well. The horse really belongs to Jacque so they're going every direction they can think of to get money. Sad to think someone needs money so much that they'll target an 80 year old woman.

Overall, August rushed past me so fast I wonder what happened. But I'm happy where I've landed. Looking forward to spending some time out at the lake with the family this weekend. It's cool enough for a campfire and smores!

So.. that's us in a (not so small) nutshell!!

Downhill Slide to Papillion

It's been a quiet July but I'm starting to get excited about the move.

Mac is all set to move (administratively anyway) and today we're sorting toys and packing up his room. His INS paperwork is all done. CPS has now decided that he can go with me to Nebraska and still be adopted from Texas retaining his Texas adoption packet. That is significant for us as it gives him free tuition to college when he gets there. That's a huge financial burden that I won't have to worry about. Just have to worry about getting him accepted! He's been having some emotional meltdowns lately. He just does not like it when he gets into trouble and tends to throw hissy fits (wailing, rolling, throwing) instead of just going to his room as instructed. Throwing things does not tend to work with me so we've been having refocusing sessions. I'm sure a lot of it is nervousness about the move. I don't think he understands all of it yet. And he's going to miss his best friend, Savanah. And I'm going to miss her like crazy. She's become my faux grandchild and she's so well behaved. She's a very good example for Mac. But these hissy fits are going to cease!

No interest in the house so I have found a renter. I'm going to let them rent for two years and then I'll decide whether to let them buy it or not. They want owner financing and I don't think I want to do that. Maybe in two years, they can qualify for a loan. The rent doesn't pay everything but it takes some of the burden off. And they are people that I think I can trust to take care of the place and that means a lot.

Jacque has been working on the house in Papillion for several weeks now. New paint, curtains, I don't know what all... She won't tell me everything so I can be surprised! Jake, Megan and my ex's sister Debbie have all been over helping. I'm so proud of them and grateful. So much easier to do all this stuff when the house is empty. And I can hardly wait to see it! I know it's unusual to buy a house sight unseen but since when have I done anything in the usual way! Where's the fun in that!! I guess I'll have to throw a big barbeque and invite all the helpers.

I have done all the items on my move checklist except the change of address with the post office. The kids arrive next Tuesday and we will pack the trucks on Saturday, the 7th. Hopefully, drive away Sunday morning. Hired a few people just in case my friends are smart and blow us off! It is so hot and humid here I won't blame anyone for not showing up. It will be a long drive (900 miles) but we can do it in a day. I hope the truck has satellite radio! I may have to buy one of the pod docks... something! It will be just me, the sugar glider and a cat! Jake is driving my Explorer with the kids (Savanah is going up with us for a couple of weeks before school starts) and the dogs. Jacque is driving a truck with two cats and I'm driving a truck with Ruby in a pouch, and one cat. I think Jake has selected the 'short straw'. But he's pretty patient as long as I can keep him from speeding!

I'm working for Shell tomorrow. It will be a long day with a lot of driving since I'm going to two different sites, one on the opposite side of town but I'm happy to do the work. It's a good session on Trust and usually well received. This is also a session I can do for any audience so I plan on doing it as an inroad into the medical community in Omaha. Many hospitals require their nurses to have continuing education so I can offer to do this session as a 'lunch and learn' and make some marketing connections.

My next entry will be from Papillion!! Wish me luck!

Summer Fun!

I've had a busy June! It actually went much as planned! Surprising!

I closed on the house in Nebraska scraping together every penny I had and a last minute line of credit from my Navy credit union. PHEW!!!

Jacque and I went to FL and did our course. Really had a nice trip and learned a lot. We're so anxious to get started! We even had a day of antiquing and Greek food before we left. Everything was done on a shoestring but we got it done.

Finally got a program in place for Mac so we can move in August. I have to complete his INS application and then he can go. We have his photos so we have to do a physical, TB test and have an interview. Why interview a six year old? But whatever...

So the trucks are reserved, the kid's tickets are bought and we're going to get this done. We're doing a self move with 2 20' trucks! I've asked the youth group from church to come over and help load. We'll see how that works! Otherwise, it's going to be a few very tiring days for us.

I drove to east Tx to my brother's lake house. It's a gorgeous spot and they are always so fun to hang out with. Float in the pool, feed the catfish and turtles, watch the deer, birds, etc. Left Mac there for one night and drove another 700 miles to St Louis to see the Eagles. (The reason I bought tickets in St. Louis is that was the closest place they were playing to Omaha and I was supposed to be in NE by now!) I tried to sell my tickets but didn't so Jacque drove down from Omaha and I drove up. It was a long, long drive but the concert was great. Hot and crowded on the floor of Busch Stadium but really, really great. I'll go again every chance I get! Glenn Fry told the best joke: "I'm from Detroit where "mother" is half a word!" Don Henley ate a bug accidentally and joked about the protein. Timothy Schmidt's hair is still super long; must be like Sampson's hair cause he still sings and plays great. And Joe Walsh is still a wonder on the guitar even sober. But why did he put on a jacket in the middle of the concert when it was 100 degrees??? The Eagles are the greatest band of all time...

My house is NOT selling STILL. I've lowered the price. The open house was a failure. I'm interviewing another realtor tomorrow but basically when the stimulus expired, housing sales have dropped dramatically.

Well, that's about all... I did a couple of training sessions on "The Speed of Trust" for Shell and they want me to do two more so that money will help although I'm not charging much! It'll pay for one truck! LOL

Say a prayer for me to sell this DANG HOUSE!!

PHEW!!!

Well, with the help of my friends and my Credit Union, I have enough money to pay for the house in Nebraska when it closes on the 7th of June AND go to Florida next week for training in the new business. I didn't have to borrow much. Actually, had more than I thought once I tallied everything up! Just so nerve wracking. It's funny when you have no debt and over $200K in equity in real estate and you're considered too 'risky' for the bankers for a short term loan! I still hate bankers... will avoid at all cost for the rest of my life. Because of their greediness and screw ups, we consumers now have to suffer under their new tighter restrictions that have swung way past 'common sense'!

The only thing that will have to be postponed until this house in Houston sells is my move. And that's actually ok. It gives Jacque more time to "decorate" the new house. She's excited so I hope I am when I see it!

And it gives Mac and I more time to get his situation sorted. Despite several calls and messages this week, nothing has progressed with him. CPS = molasses in winter time UPHILL!

Doing some child care juggling to make sure Mac and Savanah and all the animals are taken care of while I'm gone. Savanah is my daughter in law's sister's girl. Also six and Mac's best friend. I keep her a lot and love her like she was my own. I claim her as a faux granddaughter a lot. Her mom surprised her this week and took her to see Taylor Swift!! She was over the moon.

And lastly, I had already purchased tickets to see the Eagles in St. Louis June 24th. I thought I was going to be in Nebraska. Jacque is going with me so now we'll be rendezvousing there. The Eagles have been my all time, life long favorites and I think I've had tickets 2 or 3 times to see them and had weird things happen every time. This time, I'm going! None of us are getting any younger! So Mac and I will be driving to east Texas to my brother's house, Mac will stay with them a couple of nights and I'll go on to St. Louis. Desperado, Tequila Sunrise, Wasted Time, Heartache Tonight, Hotel California... and we have good seats! I'm stoked!! Then come back and stay a couple of days in Leesburg. They have a wonderful lake house with otters, deer, hummingbirds... just total peace. Then head home for Vacation Bible School for a week. That means free mornings for me.... whoohooo!

So June is going to be exciting and busy! Hopefully, somewhere in there my house will sell. There's an open house on the 11th and I hope that brings some interest.

I'll check in when I get back from Florida.

Oh... side bar... I've become a GLEEk! I'm totally loving that show!! And I HATE show tunes so I can skip over those but the other covers and the characters are great!

Still not Grand!

Sadly, I'm still not having much success on several fronts.

No one has viewed my house and now it's been a month. I reduced the price and we've scheduled an open house. I'm now in a financial bind to pay for the house in Nebraska that I put in a cash offer on. My severance was taxed at the 30% rate, not 20% that I expected. My financial advisor told me to pay off all my credit. And my 401K lost about 8K last week in that dip so now I'm short of cash for the house... about 20K short. And that's not counting moving expenses or the fee for the course I have scheduled in Florida in two weeks to get the business started. No one wants to give me a loan... can't imagine why!! Oh yeah, no job! I make enough to pay for everything in my budget but banks don't care about that anymore. Just your debt to income ratio. I hate banks. When a bank you've banked with for over 30 years, won't give you a secured line of credit, there's a problem somewhere.

I have my 'last chance' loan application in and should hear something tomorrow. Otherwise, I will have to throw myself on the mercy of the seller and see if she will let me owe her the balance until I sell either my house or my Mom's which I decided is not worth the trouble to rent. Worse case, she could sue me, too, for breach of contract. Or she could be nice and take the balance when this one sells. Then I'll just have to stay here in Texas until this house sells. I'll have to reschedule the move and keep paying for a storage unit. I'll lose the money already spent on airfare for the course in FL and I'll have to reschedule that after this one sells as well. Which means I won't be able to start the business as planned in July and won't start making any money until who knows when... I can't do much from here. So I'm praying that my 'last chance' loan comes through.

And CPS is not cooperating on any front with Mac. First they said he could go to a kinship placement and his teacher and her family wanted to take him. Perfect answer. But no, she didn't know him before he came into foster care so they can't get qualified on the fast track. So I said I would adopt him. Now they don't want to let him leave until his citizenship is sorted out. They've had six months to do that and haven't. So I suggested just letting him go with me on a vacation status and hopefully, it would be sorted in 2-3 more months and now they don't want to let that happen either. They need to see him every month. They want to move him to a new foster home until the citizenship issue is solved and he can be put back with me in adoptive placement. What a crock! Unless I stay on their butt, it could take a year or years for them to get it all sorted. The current case worker wants to help but like all of them, she's green. So I may have to call my congressman for the first time in my life but I'm not going to let this little boy be bandied about by incompetent bureaucrats!

And lastly, the lawsuit filed against me (horse kicked someone) is progressing. My lawyer has submitted a "general denial" on the claim and I don't know what happens next. Allstate is also defending me so I hope I'm covered. Again, what a crock!

I knew all this was going to be hard, but I really thought the hard part would start when I got to Nebraska.

Happily, the horses were shipped to Nebraska a couple of weeks ago and they arrived safely and are adapting well to the new barn and stables. Jacque is enjoying the time she gets to spend with them.

My church friends are so supportive. I've been so mad lately. It's been hard to keep myself in check and not worry about all this. I have to take a deep breath every hour to just relax and let it go back to God. I'd like to go back to that peaceful sleep I was enjoying a few weeks ago. That was short lived!

I've had a few very nice lunches with the "Leavers", those of us leaving Shell. And some with other friends, too. I'm turning into a lady that lunches! It's nice to get together over a great meal and share our plans, secrets and just generally catch up. I have a few more scheduled and they are always bright spots to look for in my week.

So for anyone out there, say a prayer for Mac and I. We need all the help we can get.

Not having a good time...

NO ONE is coming to look at the house. So I met with the realtor on Monday to reword the narrative and re-do some pictures. She acknowledged that it was her fault there was no traffic so I thought that was good. It's only been two weeks and I'm antsy to sell it so I know I'm hyper sensitive. I'm glad she's a friend so she understands me! If you need a nice 6 bedroom house, go to www.har.com and search on 13307 Birdcall! Tell your friends!!

I had a lawsuit filed against me. A first for me! A lady at our barn was tending to Jasper and Butch one Sunday in January while I was at church. She helped me periodically while I was traveling and on vacation last year. She was walking him out to the paddock and stopped to talk apparently. It was nice a chilly day and he was frisky. He got tired of waiting on her and decided to leave so he stripped out of her hand, spun around and kicked out as he was leaving and hit her in the wrist and behind her ear. She was really hurt.

I feel awful about the whole thing but she knew what she was doing and she was getting paid to do it so that makes her a 'professional' in the eyes of the law. We have an Equine Liability Law here that basically says, 'there is an inherent danger to working or being around horses and you take that risk on when you do it so if you get hurt or killed, it's your own fault.' But of course, anyone can sue anyone for anything so now I have to defend myself and the worst part of it is that it's probably going to cost both of us money on top of the other suffering she's already been through. She's insured but supposedly can't work now.

And the other bad part is that people at the barn won't help each other anymore if they think they'll have to put up with this nonsense. Another neighbor who won't help a neighbor anymore because of these stupid lawsuits.

On a good note, both Jessica, my daughter in law's sister and Barbara, my friend from church, got new permanent jobs this week! I'm glad somebody is finding work... now if Jake, Megan and Jacque can find something. (Actually, I'm secretly hoping that Jacque and Megan don't so they'll work for me and help me start the business in July, but that's a long ways off if you're unemployed!)

And my Shell friends are still looking sort of... some are contracting, some are still on the Shell payroll technically and a couple of us are loose. Had a nice catch up luncheon last week and we're going to make it a regular meeting so I'm looking forward to the next lunch!

God continues to bless me. Barbara has a friend who is an Equine Lawyer so once again, she has come through for me with her networks. I guess it pays to have a native Houstonian in your circle of friends, for sure!

Career Lull

This career lull is actually quite nice! I'm settling in to a very relaxed routine. Sleep until 8am, never before in my life. Make Mac breakfast. Take the boy to school at 8:45. Feed the horses. Play with them for awhile. Or pick up some poop if I'm in the mood. Come home and look for a job for awhile. Play PoGo for awhile. Read email. Go to lunch with someone. Come home and do Ancestry.com for awhile (my secret addiction). Check out Facebook and see what my friends are up to... Pick up Mac from school at 4pm. Go back and feed the horses. Do shopping or errands when Mac's in school... so that goes a lot faster! Supper, homework, bath and bed for Mac. Then I can do whatever until midnight! So cool... I should be trying to write my book. Maybe I'll start that next week. Maybe not!

I never was a "stay at home Mom"... Never found a man who made enough money to be able to, I guess! I'm really envious but at the same time, I managed a career and did everything for my kids that I do for Mac. I just did it all somehow. The money allowed them to not want for much. I guess there are trade offs in either situation. This new found relaxed attitude may wear off anyway. Of course, it will have to wear off when I get to Nebraska and need to kick off the new business!

Seems Mac, my foster son, may have to stay here in Texas. I'm not done arguing with CPS yet but his teacher has stepped up and offered to foster him in a kinship placement. That just means the child is placed with someone they know. She definitely knows him and her husband and kids are supportive. That would be a good alternative for Mac since his adoption is still delayed due to his citizenship status. They are arranging to get his status changed to permanent resident alien and he can be adopted then but who knows how long it will take. He's Sudanese and Egyptian so they're not used to handling this sort of case.

The house isn't getting many viewings... only two so far. I'm still praying for a quick sale. I'm still closing on the one in Papillion on 7 June. The horses are being moved the 1st of May. I sent in the deposit for the training class in June in Florida. So Jacque and I will attend training 2-4 June. She'll go back and sign the papers for the house for me. Move is scheduled for 14-15 June. Hoping to save some money there since I've done half the work... the packing! Taking bids now.

AND THE VERY BEST NEWS EVER! I splurged and bought tickets to the EAGLES concert in Kansas City on June 24th. Jacque and I will take a break from unpacking and drive down. They've been my favorite band my entire life and I've never seen them live so I am excited beyond belief!

God is truly good and I'm so blessed. My life just keeps falling into place and it couldn't happen without HIM.

The House is Listed

OK... now time to send up prayers for a quick sale! The plan has changed a bit. I must wait until I'm 55 to draw out my 401K money or I pay another 10% penalty on top of the already outrageous 20% tax so I'm waiting. I've revised my offer on the house in Papillion to close 6-7 June. She was willing to wait until May 15 so I hope 3 more weeks isn't a big deal to her! I did offer to sweeten the deal a bit for her since she was waiting longer so she's actually getting a bit above her asking price. I hope she goes for it! I also asked for her living room furniture! It just fits with the room! I offered her additional money for it so we'll see how fond of it she is! Hey! Might as well push the envelope while you're asking!!

It's OFFICIAL!

I'm unemployed! Signed my papers yesterday and signed up for unemployment benefits this morning!

I'm so glad I've had several months to adjust to the change and I'm also thankful I worked for a good company that provides a great deal of support in the exiting process. I'm not happy to be out of a job but I am happy that the blow was softened. And as time goes by, I almost AM happy because I get to change my journey and get closer to my kids... love, love, love my kids!

We had a going away lunch on Tues so I got to see most of my colleagues and everyone wants to keep in touch! We'll see how we do. This was always the theme each of the 8 or 9 times I transferred in the Navy and I typically have 1 or 2 friends that really do stay in touch. We're all just busy people... too busy for the important things sometimes.

But now I'm not! I can do anything I want to! And after I get this house ready to show, I am going to do just that. (The contractors should be done and out TODAY!) I think I'm going to the zoo without the kids. I've never done that. And I haven't checked out the museums in a LONG time. Houston has a wonderful museum district and I think there's a Russian jewelry show going on! That will be fun!

News front: I'm sick of hearing about cheating husbands. First... Yes, men are dogs but that hasn't changed since the beginning of time. But what about these bimbo women?! Doesn't anyone have any sense of honor and pride anymore? They all knew they were cheating with a married man. They're not 'victims'! They accomplices! Go find one of your own! Leave other women's husbands alone. And secondly, we should just butt out! I'm sick of news people taking up air time talking about this crap instead of much more pertinent news. New England is about to wash away... how can we help them???

On a more positive note, I just found out about the Nissan Leaf. All electric car, 100 miles on a charge and $25,000! I'm in! ... when I get the business profitable! Maybe they can be our company car!

Have a Happy Easter and celebrate the gift our Lord has given. You are saved!!

Progress Report

Things are moving along slowly. The painters are STILL here. They told me four days but that was totally unrealistic! They are expecting to finish next week. That's cutting it close. I have an appointment with the realtor to list it on Thursday and I have massive amounts of cleaning to do before it's ready to show. They are making quite a mess as they go. They haven't started on the outside yet so I think they'll still be working past Thursday.

I still have boxes to pack and stuff to move to the garage, too. I'm up to 84 boxes. But my storage unit is full so I'm going to have to rearrange the garage to get more in there. I'm not paying for two storage units. I refuse!

It cost $660 so far to get the pool working. One of the kids left the pump running when we went away for a few days and it burned out. Some part for the heater is on order and we'll be back in business. Another $300 though!

And the foundling yellow lab, Buddy, has heart worms. I took him in for all his shots and his test. I had a feeling he probably would have them since he had been so neglected. And he's a big, beautiful dog. 86 lbs of love... such a shame. But I'm not doing the arsenic treatment just yet. The vet recommended starting him on heart worm preventative for a couple of months and retesting him. The preventative will kill off any new worms and the adults will die off eventually. If he doesn't have a big load, he could be cured by just staying on the preventative. Otherwise, he'll have to go through the arsenic and that is so hard on them. He has an appointment for neutering in May. Hopefully, he'll be well enough to go under anesthesia. He has been chipped as well so if he gets lost again, I hope someone brings him back. He is turning out to be an expensive free dog!

I'm a little worried with all these expenses pouring in. I don't get any money from 31 March to as long as 15 May. Both my severance package pay and my unemployment don't kick for several weeks. I've been paid every two weeks for most of my adult life. So I'm going to have to budget myself for the first time for six weeks! Yikes!

We meet Mac's new adoptive case worker next week. I hope she's open to the idea of letting Mac move with me to Nebraska. I've gotten the process started to transfer my foster care license to NE. But I haven't convinced anyone in TX or NE to move him there, YET!

His last day of school will be 2 June. Jacque and I will go to

Florida to do the training for our business from 3-5 June. Then back home to load the trucks on 6 June and start for Omaha. I'm starting to get excited about the change. I already know I'm going to miss my friends and TEXAS but I'll make new friends. I'll probably never consider myself a Nebraskan. I'll have to learn to be less of a Texan somehow. Or at least less "braggy" about Texas! Hard to do... hard to do...

My last official function for Shell will be Tuesday. I'm going to do two back to back training sessions and I'm really ready to have it over with. I love doing these things but I have so many other things going on right now, I'm ready to be loose and working 100% for me and the new business.

Spring was here for a few days but it's cold and rainy today. I'll have to blanket the horses tonight! We had a picnic in the park yesterday. Now I know how Denver feels.

The Magic of Being Six

The kids helped me feed the horses tonight.

Tisa: Savanah, put some oats in the buckets.

Savanah: What's oats?

Tisa: Those little white things right there. Your oatmeal is made out of those, too.

Savanah: EWWW, we eat horse food! ? !

Tisa: Stop running! Stop running! STOP RUNNING!!!!

Mac: We're not. We're power walking!

One of the horses was bucking and playing and you know what!

Mac: EWWW, did he eat beans!??!

Always good for a laugh... only reason we don't kill 'em I suspect!

Fresh paint

The painters arrived today, two days late but they're here. I wish I spoke more Spanish so I could call BS on whatever the excuse was... beats me what he said!

House smells. Buddy, the Labs's tail is whiter... not sure what he helped 'paint'.

Still lots of work to be done, inside and out, before I'm ready to list it. And cleaning!! But I'm anxious to get it on the market and get it sold. I hope all these people will be rushing to use their stimulus money in April!

I agreed to do a final set of lunch and learn sessions on " Trust" for Shell before I depart. Going to take some Academy Award level acting to remain professional since I have fairly strong feelings of how trustworthy many leaders were in recent years. But I'll manage and go out with good reviews.

And speaking of poor leaders, I was deeply saddened to hear that a female Navy Captain was relieved of command. Accused of assault on her crew and misuse of authority (walking her dogs!). She did all military women a disservice with her conduct if it's true. Knowing how long these things take before someone is relieved, it probably is true. I hope she is able to learn and live a better life.

What a mess...

I think in the last posting I said the house was all under control. Oh NO!! It's not!

My wonderful daughter came down from Omaha on her spring break from school and packed with me for the last ten days. We filled one 12 X 10 ft storage unit, my two car garage and hauled about six pick up loads to the charity shop. Not done yet and the painters are coming this afternoon to start painting the interior but we did get a ton of work done between her social engagements! She had a lot of friends to visit and spent some time with her Dad. All good... she won't come back here very often when I leave, I suspect. I think I'm going to have to rent another storage unit to put in a few more pieces of furniture but we'll see what the realtor thinks.

It's amazing the things you find when you clean out closets and drawers. And so many projects unfinished.... scrap books, photo albums, sewing, crafts, you name it, I've not finished it!

And little surprises the children have left. Mystery stains and spills. One billion broken crayons, leggos and toy pieces. When I think of what all that cost, I'm nauseous. I didn't find nearly enough change to cover it!

Update on my son, too. He's being medically discharged from the Navy on March 31st. That's my last day on payroll, too, so we'll be officially unemployed on the same day. (Actually, his wife hasn't found a job in Omaha yet and Jacque was let go from her job so we're just making it unanimous!) He's heading straight from Corpus to Omaha for a VA medical evaluation. He timed that just right to avoid helping with all this mess! He's smart like his father.

Off to put more stuff in boxes...

Another Miracle Needed

Things are falling into place at world record speed in getting this move to happen. Just two major projects left. Sell this house and find Mac a home. The house is under control but Mac, not so much! Mac is my 6 year old foster son. He's been with me almost a year. I love him to death and he loves me, too. He's Sudanese and lived in a refugee camp for a long time before being brought to the US by Catholic Charities. His mother's parental rights were terminated last fall. She had been through a lot and was not able to take care of Mac.

I'm too old to adopt him. It wouldn't be fair. And he needs a Dad to help guide him. He's cute as a button so I had anticipated they would find an adoptive family fairly quickly. Then we could let Mac ease into the new home with visits, then overnights and then a final move when I move. That may not be able to happen. His adoptive case worker called yesterday and said that the issue is his citizenship. He's not a US citizen and now they are wondering whether they had the legal right to terminate his mother's parental rights! Oh dear.... this sounds like a long, drawn out process.

I do have a couple of friends who were interested in him so I need to get them introduced. Then if someone is serious, they will have to become licensed to foster and adopt which will take a couple of months. OR they could be considered a kinship placement if he knows them.

Lord, help guide the people making these decisions to find a special home for this wonderful little boy.

New House!

Yesterday, just for fun, I was searching for homes in Papillion on the internet. Looked for horse property, too, but they were all too far from town. I found what I thought was a really good-sized, neat as a pin house in my price range. Contacted my ex's cousin, who's a realtor and set up a date for Jacque, my daughter, to go look at it. She did today at 1:30. She said it was as good as I thought. I put in an offer at 6:00 and the lady agreed at 8:00! Whooo hooooo.... so I'm going to be living on Shannon Street in Papillion, Nebraska. The close is set for 15 May which will be perfect since I should get my severance by then and I can cash in some of my 401K to pay the rest. That will leave me free to concentrate on starting up the business instead of worrying about where I'm putting my stuff and all my animals! That worry is gone... thank you God!

So, yes, I am buying a house sight unseen... but I don't like to do things in the usual way! And I do have the small detail of getting my current home ready to sell and sold! It will all work out! Again, thank you Lord for showing me the right house for me.

Understanding creditors

Found out there is a significant delay in getting my severance AND my unemployment so I'm going to have to tell some people I can't pay them in april possibly. Paychecks end on 31 Mar and severance may not arrive for 30-45 days! I can't believe it takes a company as big as Shell 45 days to pay severance. It's not like they don't know who they're letting go and what it's going to cost! Texas Workforce Commission, I can understand. They don't know and have to process stuff to make sure I'm eligible... and they're the government! You expect them to move slowly. Major budgeting in my future!

Endings

I held the last meeting for the employee network I've been running for Shell for a couple of years. It was a good meeting with lots of energy and contributions on 2010 plans. The only concern is that I can't find anyone to take on the Presidency. So the co-VPs, who are both lawyers or affiliated with the legal group will be taking it in the interim. Now I'm concerned about the level of complexity that may be generated! But it's not my worry so I've got to step back and let them go for it! I started the network up and we have over 600 people so I'm having some withdrawal symptoms!

Picked up Pickles from the vet. She has a totally rebuilt knee for about the same price as it would cost to do mine! And she's already got a stitch out so she'll have to go back on Monday. But she's comfortable... this is just a long healing process and we're required to keep her quiet and not running for 6 weeks!

And despite vitamins every day, washing my hands until they are chapped and living in relative seclusion, I have caught a cold. Drinking Nyquil and taking Mucinex, down a kleenex box and a half... but must rally by tonight. Mac has a birthday party for a school friend at Chucky Cheese. Can't miss that. ;-(

Rock and a hard place and getting harder...

Had a visit with my realtor today. Seems I may have to take a JOB before I move to Omaha so I can qualify for a mortgage loan. I won't qualify for much on my Navy retirement! And I can't take all the animals to a leased home generally... unless I offer to pay big bucks for a deposit, I guess. I wanted to use some of my cash to start up the business... so it seems I can have a place to live OR a business but not both. But now I really have to knuckle down and find a job in Omaha. I can't give up my friends, my home AND my animals in this move. Lord, lead me!

And on top of that, my pitbull, Pickles had to have orthopedic surgery today to fix torn cartiledge in her knee so I'm down another $1000. And the dishwasher went out... what next!

It going to come right... all in God's time.

Valentine's Day

So what if it's a made up holiday invented by candy and card companies to get us to spend our money, I like Valentine's Day. It gives us a reminder to let those we love know it. How can that be bad? And you don't HAVE to spend money. Some of my most treasured and long kept Valentines are hand made with macaroni, glitter and glue.

I don't have a romantic interest at the moment (except Mike Rowe from Dirty Jobs but sadly, he doesn't know I exist, literally). So I was surprised by a couple of gifts I received for VD. A beautiful vest from my friend that works at Coldwater Creek. She is a bargain hunter and couldn't resist telling me it was 70% off! But I know the thoughtfulness was there. And a job referral from a friend I haven't seen in years. True kindness. Both very special and both something I'll treasure a long time.

So all you cynics out there! HAPPY CHOCOLATE AND HALLMARK DAY! MAY CUPID'S BOW STRIKE YOUR COLD, CYNICAL HEART. The world is a good place.

Food

It's a widely known fact that I love food. Which is why I tuned in an Oprah show on Food. Highlighted a documentary called Food, Inc. which covered things like how our food gets to market, stockyards and chicken farms. Unfortunately, I could put those imagines out of my mind when I'm eating a steak or a chicken sandwich. But what did give me pause for thought was a statistic. The more you spend on food, the less you spend on medical. I don't remember the numbers but it was significant. So I can buy better food... I've been moving that way anyway. The other part of the piece was on good fast food. Chipotle Mexican Grill was highlighted. One of my favorite places. And now I know why a burrito is $6.75. But at least you can get two meals out it! So I'll go to Whole Foods and Chipotle. I wonder if I'll lose weight! Probably, cause i won't be able to eat as much! It's a theory!!

Food

It's a known fact I love food too much. I was watching Oprah the other day and a guy was on there that has done a documentary called 'Food, Inc.' All about eating more healthy and taking into consideration how some of that food, especially animals are treated. And how we subsidize fast food instead of good farmers. What I remember the most is that if you spend more on good fresh food, you'll spend less on medical. Sounds reasonable to me! I've been trying to buy more organic and 'in season' food. It is expensive but it does taste better. And the second part of the show was how to buy good, healthy 'fast food'. I was very pleased to learn that one of my favorite spots Chipotle Mexican Grill is one of the very best. No antibiotics in the meat and all fresh food... yeah! Now I know why a burrito is $6.75 but I can get two meals from one anyway. And the owner is a nice philanthropic guy, too. So it's more Whole Foods and Chipotle for me!

Buddy

I recently lost my Boxer, Garth, to brain cancer and it was horrific. So God sent me a new dog a couple of weeks ago. Yellow lab and 'something big' mix that was running loose and jumped in my truck like he had called me to pick him up and I was late. I looked for his owner. I really did! With the move coming up, it's not an ideal time for a new pet. And we already have eight other pets so I needed another mouth to feed like a hole in the head. But no luck and no microchip so he's here and his name is Buddy. He's about two, very sweet, very pushy, a jumper, a humper, a thief and not entirely housetrained. So I checked with the vet to get him fixed and vaccinated and it will run about $500 so he's not entirely free either. (I think that my epitaph will say "no good deed ever went unpunished'!)

So even though he reminds me of most of my old boyfriends and why I'm not married, the most important thing is that he's a big, sweet galoot and we love him already. Including Pickles, the Pitbull. They are already wrestling buddies and fast friends. And if Pickles approves, we all approve, or else! Happy Valentine's Day!

Sarah

Last thought for today...

The more I see Sarah Palin, the more I think if the Republicans are stupid enough to run her for ANYTHING, they get what they deserve. She's just not on top of the issues. The 'folksy' stuff wears thin quickly. BUT I will say, I'm sick of the scrutiny they're putting her under that they would never dream of doing to a male. First her wardrobe and the cost of her clothes. Now, it's even rude questions like 'how much do you make for a speaking engagement and what are going to do with the money?'! They would never ask male politicians those questions and if they did, they would be told where to stick it! There must be a better qualified female candidate than Sarah. Lately, they all seem to be filandering nincompoops or just plain nincompoops. But I won't be applying for any of those jobs either!

I knew it would happen

I applied for some jobs last week and this. I was vastly overqualified for most of them but I dummied down my resume and salary requirements. One was almost exactly the same job I have been doing for five years for a lot less money and they just sent a 'thanks but no thanks' note. I wish there weren't so many labor laws cause I would really like to know why I wasn't even interesting enough for an interview! Of course, they won't or can't tell me.

I knew this whole process was going to tick me off... but realistically, I know I'm a middle aged woman who has been getting paid a lot of money by most US standards.
They can hire young, overenthusiastic neophytes for much less money and I'd probably do the same thing in their shoes. However, this doesn't make me feel any better about the 'thanks but no thanks' notes. But is has helped me figure out I don't really want another corporate job!

So I'm full bore onto figuring out what I need to do to start a service related business in Nebraska. I'm leaning towards a non medical in home care for elders. I wrote to the Chamber of Commerce to see what the competition and demographics look like there.

Next, I'll start applying for the LLC. Spend a little at a time, since I have a few months until potential launch.

This will allow me to make the dang rules and I'll be the resume reader, not the resume writer!! So far the employment manual will allow casual Monday through Friday, and bring your pets to work options!

Tough Times

Gosh... real challenges stacked on top of losing my job. After the new year, I had to put my 6 yr old boxer down. He had brain cancer. Such a big sweetie... I sure miss him. And then an untimely death in my daughter in law's family. 19 years old. So sad for everyone and so much guilt and blame. There's such anger when something like this happens. I wish I knew the right words to help them move past those feelings.

And then I keep getting rays of Sunshine... I was down at the barn in my neighborhood (we have a co-op stables) taking care of the horses last week and there was a big stray yellow lab. Buddy lives with us now, learning his manners. He's a jumper but he's getting the message. Using my "Dog Whisperer" techniques! Spend some money on neutering and shots and I've got a new Buddy... and he'll like the snow!

And I have had so many friends step up and offer help with moving and setting up the business in Omaha. And some of them are people my friends have referred me to! They don't even know me but are so kind and helpful. I feel so sure we can make this business work.

My daughter and I were talking today. If we can get this first business making money, we want to open a TexMex in Omaha. There's NO good Mexican food there! But then the Nebraskans don't seem to like much spice so there would be that risk!

Count your blessings!

Sad day

Today, my daughter in law's little sister, 20, will be taken off life support if she doesn't pass on her own. Deadly combination of alcohol and prescribed medication. She did what she had been told repeatedly not to do and she has paid a HORRENDOUS price. And her friends went along with her. And now her family will blame themselves and pay for years to come. And her "friends" are talking to homicide detectives.

I'm slowly turning into a tee-totaler in my old age. Nothing good comes of overindulgence in anything.

It's a Beginning

This is a beginning for me. I've been writing a blog at work for an employee network I was leading.

Now, due to an organizational reorg, I'm out of a job.

So this will be a blog about all the changes I'm going through, just like so many Americans right now.

I'm a typically positive person so hopefully this will be inspiring, not a downer!

So yesterday I packed my first box and started going through the kitchen. My plan is move to Omaha where both my grown children now live. I haven't found a job there but I've only been looking about 2 weeks. So I'm not upset YET. I want to find work that is more fulfilling than the work I've been doing. Although I was making a lot of money, it wasn't contributing much to my mental health. I'm happier in more service oriented roles. This one became way too much business 'bottom line' focused. I'm also looking at franchises and opening my own business independently. At his point, I'm thinking of educational services such as tutoring (KUMON, etc) or non-medical elder care in the home.

But I don't want to pay for a franchise when I can do it myself... so I'm busy researching stuff. LOTS of reading. And once you put your name out there displaying interest, you are inundated with sales pitches. I'm not talking to any of them yet.

I'm off to start my day... I still have a foster son to take care of in all this chaos and try to find him a 'forever family' before I move. I don't want him to have to move to another foster home... he needs to go straight to his new adopted family.

Pray I can get all this stuff lined up!!! LOL