Turning a New Leaf

For some reason, I feel like today is a "New Day" of sorts for me. I'm not really sure what my deal is, but I'm jumping into a lot of new things in my life and I'm really excited about it.

As I said in my last post... I plan to be back in school by the end of October. My advisor is gathering my transcripts, I'm applying for financial aid (my favorite part of the whole college experience!), and I'm filling out my paperwork for the tuition assistance program here at work. I feel like the ball is finally rolling and I'm ready to get it done!

I also put in my application for a promotion at work. I am a Senior Dispatcher now with NetJets and I've applied to become a Lead Dispatcher. I have 6 classes to complete, I'll have 18 hours of additional shadowing to do with different departments within the company, and at the end of all that I get to take a 4 hour oral exam. It will be a good step up for me though and will open a few doors within the company. I didn't really think I was ready for it, but today I just said, "What the heck!" The worst that can happen is that I'm turned down. In that case, I'll have to work on whatever they want me to improve on and apply again in a couple of months. I'm keeping my fingers crossed though!

I also called today and talked with the volunteer coordinator at our local Ronald McDonald House and have applied to become a volunteer. I am on an Events Planning Committee at work and we've worked really hard in recent months to plan events that will raise money and donations for the House. It's a lot of work but it's very rewarding and I thought it would be fun to spend a few hours of my own time volunteering there. I took a tour of the House back in March when we started working with them and it's an absolutely AMAZING place! I was speechless when I left, and all I could do for the next few days was try to think of ways to help. It's such a happy place... even though many of the families staying there are living out their worst nightmares. I think it will be a great way for me to give a little bit back and to remind me of how lucky I am.

All in all, I think I've finally just decided to be a little more confident in myself and to stop making excuses for things. School is going to be tough, but I know I can do it! My promotion is definitely going to be a challenge, but with a little bit of work, I know I'll get there! I guess I'm just at another point in my life where I'm jumping in with both feet and hoping for the best... I know it will all work out.

WOO HOO!!!

I was due to have more bloodwork done just before I went on vacation last week to see how my prolactin level was doing since being on this new medication. I debated whether or not to go before I left town or wait until I came home... I didn't really want a call from my Dr. to ruin my time in Kansas. I did end up having it done the day before I left, and I'm glad I did. My Dr.'s nurse called to let me know that my prolactin level has dropped 12 points to 160.7... YEE HAW!! It's a small decrease and I still have a long ways to go (she wants it between 18 and 21), but it's the first time in a long time that the level has gone down instead of up, so I'm really excited! The bad news is that she has upped the dosage on my new meds... I'm not looking forward to that. It's nasty stuff and it's going to take a few weeks to get through the initial side effects from the increase. But, if it's doing the trick, I'm all for it! I'm keeping my fingers crossed!!!

Another bit of exciting news is that I've applied to go back to school! I've wanted to finish my bachelor's degree for a long time and with my work schedule changing in October, I finally have the opportunity. I'm scared out of my mind, and I have no idea how I'm going to pull it all off. But, like Steve told me last night... waiting isn't going to make it any cheaper or any less scary. My advisor is in the process of getting all my transcripts together to find out how many of my previously completed credits will transfer so that she can map everything out for me. The program I'll be working on is a Business Management program and classes meet one night a week. Hopefully in 1 1/2-2 years, I'll be done! It will be really nice to have that piece of paper under my belt. It's been a weight on my shoulders for a long time and having it done will open a lot of doors for me within my company. It's going to take a lot of work though, so wish me luck!!

Our Stay at the Farm

We just got back from 5 1/2 days on the family farm in Kansas... It was awesome! Most people wouldn't consider hanging out on a farm "vacation"... But I can't think of anywhere I'd rather spend a few days off. It was hotter than heck out there (around 100 every day but one) and we didn't see a whole lot of rain, but it's still one of my favorite places to be. Every time I go back there I feel like I learn a little bit more about where I come from.

This trip back was a little harder for me than I ever expected it to be. Even though my brother is there taking care of things, the farm seems so empty. Roland said the first couple months out there were hard for him as well, for the very same reason. It's just different without Grandma out there. For some reason I kept expecting to walk into the kitchen and see her making bread... That's one of my favorite memories of her.

We did have a lot of fun out there though. Steve, Roland, and I got to do some fishing and we even caught a few while we were out there. I am by no means an avid fisherman, but I do love spending time at the pond.

Roland has done a lot of work on the house and it looks great. I really enjoyed seeing his things on the walls in the house... It really made it feel like we were in his home. I also loved seeing his vegetable garden! I always thought my brother was the biggest city kid. He always lived in the big cities in Arizona and seemed to love it. But now that I see him out on the farm and watch him work the way he does... I truly believe that this is the place he was meant to be. It just fits him. He reminds me more and more of my Dad and my Grandpa every single day... I think it's pretty cool!

Back to my roots... Literally!!

The Monster and I had a great day yesterday. We both got new hair dos, and we had quite a relaxing afternoon. Cookie's cut is cute as can be... of course you could put a paper bag on her head and she'd still be cute. The groomer said that she is one of the best behaved Shih Tzus they've ever had in there! I started to wonder if we were talking about the same dog!! When I went to pick her up, the guy that cut her hair was sitting on his grooming table with Cookie flopped on her back in his arms like a baby... he was rubbing her tummy! I told Cookie she'e better be careful... If Steve found out she was cheating on him, his feelings might be a little bit hurt! She's such a sweet dog!


I went to a new hairdresser yesterday thinking
that I was just going to get some highlights put in. However, I sat down in her chair and completely changed my mind. I told her I was tired of all the blonde in it... Her response was, "Do you trust me?". Since I didn't get up and run, she took that as a "yes". She mentioned something about a deep, chocolate brown and at that point, I just said, "Sure... do whatever you want". (I still can't believe I was so brave!) So, I'm now back to my natural dark color. I'm not quite used to it yet... I think it's going to take a few days. I'd kindof forgotten how dark my hair used to be. But, it feels so much better and I'm really starting to like it.

Girls day in!!

This is the first weekend in a couple of months where I actually have my regular 2 days off... I'm so excited I don't even know where to begin!! I've been working a lot of extra days lately and even my 1 day weekends were becoming few and far between... Sad, I know. So, in order to celebrate, Cookie and I are getting our hair done (no, not at the same place) and then we're going to spend the day hanging out together. I'm really looking forward to it!!

Steve and I are off to Kansas on Wednesday to see Uncle Roland and Ethan, so we've got a busy couple of weeks ahead of us. Cookie doesn't get to make the trip with us this time (c'mon Skybus... work with us!!), but Ilene is going to take care of her while we're gone... and she LOVES Ilene!

We don't really have much planned for our trip to Kansas other than a T-Bones baseball game, but I'm sure we'll find more to do once we get there. If nothing else, we'll just hang out on the farm and fish... Nothing wrong with that at all!!