February 26, 2011

We got an apartment!  I didn't think it was actually going to happen, but we did!  Last night was our first night in there...no furniture, so we slept on the floor with blankets and pillows.  My back and shoulder were definitely not impressed!  We will have beds by Monday or Tuesday, though.  Audrey didn't seem to mind, mostly because she likes sleeping on the floor, but she did really well.  Fell asleep around 9:30pm, and only woke one time around 2am for about 15 minutes.  Maybe it was a fluke, but she also actually slept in her room.  That's good, because I wanted to make sure that she realized where her (and Isabel's) room was, and that it was the place for sleeping.

Me and Pete on our first night in our new apartment

We have a lot of stuff to buy, but it's okay.  It's fun to be able to sit up watching a movie and not have one of us worried about what time it is, or if we're being too loud, or anything like that.  It didn't feel weird at all, which I was partly expecting.  It felt completely normal. :)

More good news:  I had an interview for the job at the Marriott Foundation on Friday.  I think it went extremely well, but probably won't hear anything until some time next week.  I really hope that I get it, though.  Even if that means we're going to have to figure out where Audrey will go after school for a week.  The money is totally worth it, and the cause they work for would make all the typing and copying and filing feel worthwhile.  I mean, most jobs you do just to get paid, but what they do there is really making a difference...and if my contribution would be making sure that bills get paid and that people have enough copies of invoices, well, that's my part.

Isabel will be back in about 2 weeks...thank, God!  I never thought I would miss her as much as I do.  That may sound terrible, but I'd never been away from her for longer than a couple days.  I knew that I would miss her, but I didn't realize it would be this aching feeling in my chest when I thought of her.  That I would start to forget how it felt to hug her...just hearing her voice makes me all teary.  She is going to love the new apartment and the playground there.  I'll have to find a daycare for her, though.  I don't like it, but she loves being around other kids, so I'm not too worried about it.  Audrey's new school is a bit of an issue.  My mom checked out the neighborhood school and is concerned that they may not be able to meet her needs...luckily, she knows that we have the right to request her transfer to a different school, so it should be okay.

Things are definitely looking up...last year at this time I never would have imagined that things would have improved the way that they have.  I have an amazing boyfriend that I love, a new apartment, a new car, and the prospect of a job that would mean something AND pay well.  Life is awesome.

February 19, 2011

So, I suppose I should change the name of this blog to "52 Saturdays."  I know, I didn't write last week.  It's not because there was nothing to write about...I seriously just forgot.  I had to work that entire weekend and was just exhausted.  But there is a LOT to write about today...

The biggest news is that Pete and I have found an apartment!  Yay!  It's technically in Dallas, though it's right outside of Garland.  That's good, though, because it's only about 10 minutes from where he works.  Audrey's going to have to switch schools, but that'll be okay.  She wouldn't have had the same teacher next year anyway.  The apartment has 2 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms and the price is reasonable. :)  I'm just excited to be getting a place with Pete and being able to spend more time with him.  I'm worried, though, about how he's going to be with not getting enough sleep...ever.  I know that he knows that I don't get much sleep because of the girls, but knowing and experiencing are two completely different things.

The next big news is that I have a potential job that totally kicks ass.  I love my job at Macy's, don't get me wrong, but working only 12-10 hours a week at $8/hr?  Not going to cut it.  Ever.  Unless I was someone who was just working to get out of the house.  But, that is not the case.  So, I've been looking for something that either will give me more hours, or will pay substantially more.  Given my less than impressive work history (staying home with kids doesn't really translate well into work experience) it's been difficult.  Add onto that the fact that I can't find after-school for Audrey...pretty impossible.  BUT  the apartments we're moving into actually offer after-school care FREE until 4:30.  The job I've applied for (and had a phone interview for) is M-F from 8 to 3.  AND pays really well.  AND gives full benefits.  It's almost too good to be true.  I spoke with them on the phone Friday and it went really well.  The woman asked me to write a cover letter/letter of interest for the position, which I spent the rest of the afternoon doing.  Now I just hope that they like what I wrote and offer me an actual interview...and job. :)

What else?  Things with my mom have improved considerably, which is awesome.  We've had some really great talks and figured out that basically she treats me like a child, but that's because when I'm around her I act like one.  So...yeah.  We're working on that. I feel really good, though...she's such a great mom.

Isabel will be back home in less than a month.  Thank god.  She is never going to be gone that long again.  It wasn't too bad at first, but after Audrey got back it was a lot harder.  Now, I have to try not to cry when I see kids her age, or things that she likes.  It doesn't help that Jon hardly calls for me to talk to her, and when I call or text, half the time he doesn't answer the phone.  Whatever.  Soon she'll be back where she belongs. And will be turning three!  Wow!  That's insane.  Preschool, too.  I wonder if she can start in March, or if she has to wait for the school year to being in August...I'll have to find out.

Okay, that's pretty much all that's going on right now.  I promise to write more next week.

February 5, 2011

Remember how I was complaining about how it had gotten cold here and I was tired of it?  I would like to go back in time and tell myself to shut up.  It has been so freaking cold here for the past week.  I'm talking freezing, icy roads, school cancelled for FOUR DAYS cold.  Even in the apartment, I'm still cold.  This sucks.  Majorly.  Hopefully it'll be gone by next week, but who knows.  In all honesty, it's not that much worse than winter in Indiana...but here's the thing:  I'm in TEXAS, not Indiana.  In Indiana, I expect shitty weather in the winter...not here!  Here it's supposed to be in the 50s and 60s by now.  So unfair.

Still haven't heard anything about a job, which is really annoying.  I wish that I could just find something.  I have to work today from 2-10, and all I can hope is that we're more busy than we were yesterday night.  I worked for four hours and didn't make a single sale.  I did sign a guy up for a credit card, but that was it.  I had never been so bored in my life.  It didn't help that it was cold where I was, either.  By the end of the night, my hands were all red.  So, fingers crossed that I have some customers today.

I've started looking at apartments again.  I can't help it.  I think that my mom would be willing to give me money to get a place at this point.  She must really want her apartment to herself!  I've got a couple of prospective places.  The most promising doesn't have an opening until April 2.  It's affordable, and still in Plano ISD.  But that means another 2 months-ish of sharing an apartment with my mom.  Though, I can't really afford to move out yet, so I guess it's okay.  Especially with the trip to Indiana to get Isabel coming up.

Pete and I have actually talked **tentatively** about getting married in a couple years.  It's so weird that I'm even considering it, but the more we talk about it, the more it doesn't scare me.  I've even gone so far as to start thinking of colors and possible bridesmaids...yeah, I know.  I'm a dork.  It's so exciting to think about, and honestly, I can't imagine not having him in my life.  I've only known him a little over 6 months, but I just know. 

True, we may get snippy with each other or not agree about something, but we  talk and figure it out.  That's one of the things I love most about him.  He is not passive aggressive (which I HATE) he will tell you if some thing's bothering him.  And he expects you to do the same.  If you don't say what's bothering you, he just assumes everything is fine.  It drives my mom nuts, but I've explained to her that is how he is.  She thinks he's just being oblivious, or something.

I am really missing Isabel.  It's been almost 2 months since she went up to Indiana.  I try not to think about it, but it's hard.  Lots of things will remind me of her...going to the grocery store and seeing things she likes, or at work when I see a little girl the same age as her.  I don't know what we're going to do, but I can't have her gone this long again.  Not while she's this young and can't talk on the phone very well.  It's just too long.  We're going to have to figure something else out.

Alright, I might write more when I get back from work, unless I go hang out with Pete...let's just pray for warmer weather by my next post!