What's up with us!

I guess I have been a little busy, because I haven't posted since September. I am not sure what all to update you all on. I did get some money towards the rechargeable batteries from the insurance company.....a whole $147.00 towards $800 worth of batteries....YIKES right? At least I didn't have to battle them for it.

Jacob is still working at a local electronics store. He needs to take a certification test and then start applying again. We hope that the certification will help him with getting a job. Elijah is in 10th grade and doing well. He is having a very good year and still likes ROTC. I married my girlfriend back in June and we are doing well. We have been together for six years, but this will be our first married Christmas. I am not sure if that is a big deal or not, but I love Christmas anyway.

I decorated over Thanksgiving break. There are lots of presents under the tree, but I have been saving for a while. I had some medical issues back at the end of October and early November. I am going back in to see the gynecologist to see what can be done to help with that. It isn't anything too serious, but something that needs to be addressed.

I haven't watched the news since the election. As a parent of a special needs child, I was not a Trump supporter and I am still not a supporter of him. Enough of politics though. We are still waiting on gutters, insulation, a mailbox and for the fence to be repaired since the storm in APRIL! It has been almost 8 months! At least we have a roof and the majority of the damage is fixed.

Tiger was sick for several weeks and the vet finally figured out it was a severe allergy to fleas. He is off medication and wearing a flea collar. The other three cats are have flea collars too. We give him melatonin at night. He is finally growing back some hair and seems better. The other three cats are good too! They are a big part of our family.

Overall, Life is good. I am happy as are the boys and my wife. I love saying "my wife". I'll try to write more often, but we our lives are not that exciting!

Sxi Weeks Later

It has been six weeks since the hail storm and we are just NOW getting our roof fixed. They started two days ago on Saturday and I mean they JUST started. The removed the old shingles and planks from the back side of the house. They have replaced the planks and laid down some other roofing materials that goes under the shingles. They don't work on Sunday (don't blame them) and it rained today, so no work today. It is supposed to rain ALL week. This is ONE reason why it has taken so long for them to get to our roof. The holes in the back were the worst and at least there is new planking now.

The contractor stated that he wants to get everyone's roofs fixed and then start working on the inside. I am not sure where that leaves us as far as when they will start with the inside of our house, but I am hoping it is before the summer ends!

Jacob is busy looking for a job. He has had three interviews in three weeks and applied to a LOT of positions. One of the jobs looks promising, but he doesn't want to get his hopes up too high. Elijah and I will be finished with school next week. We are both so ready. My honey will still be working all summer and I plan on continuing to mystery shop. I will also be supervising repairs! We may have to move out for a few days while they replace the ceiling. We don't have any major plans this summer and I am glad of that!

Keep your fingers crossed we have a new roof by this weekend....it really depends on the rain! Also say some prayers for Jacob, he really wants one of the jobs he interviewed for!

It's Cold!

It sure is cold here in the Dallas area, and across most of North Texas! We are expecting freezing rain some time after midnight tonight and may be stuck at home all day tomorrow. The boys and I are out for the whole week of Thanksgiving, so we don't have to worry about playing the "is school closed" game tomorrow morning. Jacob has to go to work at 6:00 pm and I'll be watching the weather all night until he gets home! He has to work to 11:45 pm, but he said that if the weather gets bad the managers said they will send people home early.

We have heard this weather was coming for a few days, so we got groceries yesterday. We don't have too much planned for this week. I am supposed to do some mystery shops tomorrow, but will cancel or get an extension if needed. Jacob is having his Senior pictures taken on Tuesday, so we shall see how that goes, but the studio is very close. I don't see the ice sticking around too long!

We have Netflix to occupy us if we get bored and I am watching the Cowboy game now!

I hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving and y'all be safe!

Counting the Days

Well we are counting the days until Summer break! I think I am as ready as the boys. Jacob has refereed several soccer games and his savings account is growing. I also signed him up for a driver's education class this summer. He should be out of his braces soon too!!! He has his state testing this week and will be glad when it is over. Elijah is busy at school too. His behavior has been fairly good. He has about one "off" day a week which is a big improvement. He has testing this week too. He seems to be having a few more tics, but nothing too serious so far!

We are not planning much for this summer. We went to a family wedding back on the 14th of this month and drove 11 hours to Alabama. I saw just about all of my family on my mother's side and some family that I have not seen in YEARS! It was a lot of fun and the boys enjoyed it.  We got to east some Krispy Kreme donuts too! My partner enjoyed meeting my family too! I have a three day workshop in June that is only about 30 minutes from the house, so that won't be too bad. I then travel to Houston in July for a three day conference for Teachers of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing. It is a statewide conference and I will be presenting!!! I am excited, but nervous. I will be presenting at our regional service center next week.

Overall, things are going well and we have no complaints. My mystery shopping keeps me busy too! I am hoping to pay down some of my debt!!!(crossing fingers)

Last Weekend of Summer

Well, I have survived the first week back at work and here we are at our last weekend of the summer. I am hoping to take both boys swimming at my dad's house on Sunday. Jacob probably won't want to go swimming, so I may have to drag him with us! Elijah loves to swim though, especially now that he can wear his processor and hear!

I am hoping to rest up this weekend and get some chores done. I need to get some clothes washed for both boys and make sure we have everything we need from the grocery store. I need to make a run to Sprouts to get my chicken salad too!

I have a busy week with work next week. I'll be on the road quite a bit checking on kids and delivering FM systems for the next two weeks. I have my schedule to get in order too!

I think our kitties will miss us too. We have three cats as you know...Oreo(black with some white), Perky(white with some black) and Tiger(black tabby) and NOW we have a fourth cat....YES a fourth cat! She is temporary though, but will be with us until June 2011. A young lady posted that she was going to college in Colorado on scholarship and had to live in the dorms. She had no one to take care of her cat and needed a temporary home. I was reading it and then scrolled down to the picture of the cat and it was a Norwegian Forest cat...a Maine Coone cat basically that is black, grey, with some white and a little orange in there too. Ridgeway, our cat that died in Nov. 2008, was a Norwegian Forest cat and we had loved her so much. I don't see them often and so I contacted the young lady and we met up. The cat's name is Whisky and she has been with us for a week. She is hanging out in Elijah's room and is now quite freindly with us. We locked up the three other cats and have left the door open to Elijah's room but Whisky won't come out. She is definitely nervous about coming out. It will just take some time. The young lady paid me to buy some food and litter and will send me money each month to help with expenses! I am hoping we can all be one happy family! I'll get pictures soon!

Going to head to bed here in a bit and sleep in some! OH and I am getting a new queen size bed tomorrow! Can't wait!

The Rest of the Summer--let's try again

I tell you this computer reacts to things rather quickly at times. I deleted my last blog, because I never meant to publish it and didn't have time to add to it right then.

Anyway, where was I? This week is really my last FREE week of the summer where I don't have a lot of demands on me. On Wednesday, Jacob will get his top braces put on. Elijah and I will have about two hours to kill, so we may roam around the mall. I need to get them a new swim cap to use while swimming. His current one is TOO tight. I am going to meet a good friend for lunch on Thursday in Greenville and that will be fun and hope to stop by and see another good friend on the way home!

Next Saturday, the 17th, we are having Eiljah's KID birthday party. His birthday was back in April, but he wanted a swim party at Grandpa's house, so we waited for the summer to have it. Hopefully there will be no rain, and there usually isn't in July in Texas, but we have had a lot lately. Jacob also has a ROTC car wash on that day!

The next week gets a little crazy. On the 20th I am driving the boys to my mom's house in Marshall. I'll drive back the next day and then head to Forth Worth for the Statewide Conference on the Education of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing. Two other teachers are going with me. I'll be there until Saturday the 24th. Jacob's birthday is on the 23rd so we will have a family party on Sunday the 25th.

I then have meetings in Greenville on the 26th and 27th. The first week of August the boys have several doctor's visits and a dental check up. Jacob will go to soccer referee school from Aug. 6-8 in Richardson. The next week is not to crazy, but I do have the Early Hearing Detection Intervention Conference in Dallas on Aug. 13th and 14th. I then go back to work on the 16th!

We will have some days with not a lot to do, but not for a long stretch. I have enjoyed the painting and not have may obligations the last few weeks. I am looking forward to both conferences and meeting new people!

Jacob has a week of ROTC activities the week of Aug. 16th. My not so little sister, who will be 20 soon, is going to sit for Elijah that week!

Before I know it, we will all be back in school, me included! I do miss work at times, but not the craziness, and it is always crazy that first week back!

I hope everyone else enjoys the rest of their summer.

The Dirty Truth from Dirty Jobs

I watched Dirty Jobs the other night on the Discovery Channel. It was an episode where the host, Mike Rowe, reminisces about the 250 dirty jobs he has undertaken. What I write here are some things he stated in the show that really seemed profound to me about working a job.

1. Work smart AND hard. You need both of these to keep a job and/or find a job.

2. Don't follow your passion, bring it with you. Don't make happiness or passion a condition of your employment. Passion should be something you bring with you.

3. Stay in school, but not too long.

4. Make a date to imitate. Meaning you can learn a lot from watching others. He showed a lot of manual jobs where people watched others and learned from watching them.

5. Efficieny is for robots, be effective. I really like this one also.

6. Beware of experts. Just because an expert says it is the best way to do something, doesn't mean it always is.

I went to the Dirty Jobs website and found some clips from the show. I tried putting them in here, but I can never make it work as a link. You can cut and paste them if you like!

http://dsc.discovery.com/videos/dirty-jobs-the-passion-of-mike.html

http://dsc.discovery.com/tv/dirty-jobs

http://dsc.discovery.com/videos/dirty-jobs/