Mark of Excellence

Last Friday was the annual awards ceremony for the St. Louis region of my company.  I wasn’t exactly thrilled that it was scheduled for 4pm in downtown on a Friday night, but since I didn’t have the kids and there were drinks following, I wasn’t exactly mad either.  The past few months at work have been busy and a little stressful.  I had a heavy hand in several changes that were implemented in my department early on in the year.  That as well as end of year processes have kept me pretty active.

 

At the ceremony, each department head presented the 2014 awards.  When the VP of my department got a few sentences into her speech, my hands began to shake.  The stuff she was saying, it was about me.  And it was all highlighting my accomplishments and being announced to the entire region.  Within seconds, it clicked in my head.  I was being presented with the award!!!!

 

From there, it’s all a blur.  My name was announced.  I walked across a stage and shook her hand while accepting the trophy for the “Mark of Excellence”.  If I would have been able to comprehend what was actually going on, I probably would have cried.

 

I’ve never had a moment like that before.  I know I work hard and have had many accomplishments over the course of my time at my company, but I never once thought I would be recognized for it more than just a good job here or there.  So I was completely surprised to receive this honor.

 

After the ceremony and reception, I stopped by my parents’ house to show it off.  It felt so good when they proclaimed their pride in me.  It felt good to be proud myself.

I shared the news with a few select friends and received congratulations.  In response, I stated that I was both shocked and elated that I was presented with this award.  One of my dearest friends replied, “I’m not shocked at all!  You are smart and awesome.”  I’m not sure why, but that comment meant the world to me.

 

It’s been three years since I was wrought with the decision to end my marriage.  Three years ago, my life was so off course from where I knew it could be.  I was overwhelmed and emotionally exhausted from the life I was living. 

 

Look at me now! 

 

I don’t mean that to sound cocky in the slightest, as I know I would never be where I am now without a God focused life and the support and love of my family and friends.  I still have a long way to go in becoming the person I was created to be, but these small accomplishments along the way serve as a mark that I’m heading in the right direction.   A mark of excellence.  And it’s those little reminders that carry the most weight.

Disappointment to Follow

And the house hunting continues.  Wah wah wah!

I saw “the house” again yesterday with the kids and my parents.  We spent almost an hour there looking around and checking things out.  The kids were really happy with all of the space and we talked last night about how it might take a little bit of time before we can update some of the cosmetic parts.  We were all on board and ready to move forward.

Until the text from my mom this morning:

 

“Call dad before you make an offer.  He is not real comfortable with what he saw. L”

 

$%!$%$*!*%&#^!!!!!

 

NO!

 

I really, really wanted this house to be the one.  Sure, it has some cosmetic flaws, but I love all the space it has. 

 

I don’t want to get into something that is in constant need of repair, but I really, really wanted this one to work out.

 

I haven’t called my dad yet.  I won’t be making an offer yet.  I’m not ruling this house out completely, though.

 

Two steps forward.  One step back.  Just trying to keep the faith today.

 

On a positive, almost miraculous, note.  I found Eva’s glasses!  They had been missing since before Christmas break.  I really thought I’d find them over break when we cleaned out the entire house.  But I didn’t.  I’ve cleaned the car twice since break and no glasses.  Yet, today, after many, many prayers to locate the glasses, there they were; laying between the rear passenger door and seat.  Praise the Lord!  Eva can see again and I can save the $200 that I was going to have to spend on a replacement pair.

Say it Ain't So

I’m hoping this doesn’t put a jinx on it, but I’ve found a house!  It is not at all what I had pictured in my head of the perfect house, though. 

 

Last week, I saw three houses.  The first house was originally my least favorite but figured it couldn’t hurt to look at it to rule it out.  The second house was not what I want as far as curb appeal but was beautifully redone inside.  The third house was exactly what I wanted on the outside but had a very awkward floor plan.  Neither the second or third house had finished basements and there was no possible way of making a fourth bedroom in the third house.  The second one could be done, but it would be very small.  Actually, all of the bedrooms were small.

 

So, I took some time over the weekend to think about it.  I seriously could not stop thinking about the first house.  I still cannot get over just how much livable space there is.  It can easily convert to a four-bedroom and the basement is finished.  It’s not near as pretty as the other two, but with 1800sf of usable space, it is most likely my best option.  I’ve requested to see it again tomorrow.  This time I’m bringing my parents and Grace.  I’m concerned that all of the siding needs to be replaced.  We noticed quite a bit of gapping especially in the back of the house.  My agent is checking with the seller’s agent to see how responsive they are to doing repairs.

 

Fingers crossed, prayers offered and everything else has been placed in God’s hands.  We’ll see what tomorrow brings.

 

In other news, I made it to the gym three days last week!  As long as the wifi is working there, I can stream Netflix and watch a of couple shows while I walk on the treadmill for about an hour and a half.  I finish my workout with a few weights. I’m hopeful I can continue this routine.

 

Positive changes in the making.

New Year, New Goals

Happy New Year!

It’s now seven days into 2015 and I’m happy to report I’m on track for all of my goals for the year.  This year, I’ve decided to focus my attention on the 4 F’s:  Finances, Fitness, Faith and Family.

 

2015 will be the year I make a profit.  Even if that profit is only $10 by year end, I want to be in the black, so to speak.  The first step in achieving this goal is to eliminate all debt.  Fortunately, I’m not a big spender so my total debt is less than $2,000.  This was mainly accrued due to being $200 short each month.  Now that child support is being paid to the court and then disbursed to me, I’ve been able to better manage my monthly expenses and can stop using the credit card to make ends meet.  I also no longer have to ask for the child support to be paid every month which is an absolute blessing!  My mantra is debt free by month three.  Of course, I will be using some of my tax refund to pay off this debt.  With the debt gone though, I’m really paying myself an additional $200 a month since it will no longer be going towards a credit card bill.  Some other finance goals that I will be working towards this year are purchasing a house, saving for a Disney World vacation in the summer of 2016, increasing my 401k contribution and putting extra money aside for high school tuition. 

2015 will be the year I get fit.  In the first seven days, I’ve made some good strides.  Some immediate choices I made and have stuck with for one whole week thus far are less alcohol consumption, drink more water and eliminate cream from my coffee.  All of these have been good choices.  There is a bottle of Gin in my freezer, Bourbon in my pantry and beer and wine in my refrigerator.  However, I’ve had zero desire to drink any of it.  I’ve added some supplements to my daily routine and actually feel great!  I have much more energy and less stress.  I drink a bottle of water each morning before leaving the house.  I make my coffee with a zero calorie sweetener and refill throughout the morning with plain black coffee.  I’m surprised how much I actually like the taste of coffee and how much more energized I feel without the flavored creamers fattening it up. From lunch time on, I drink water. In the evenings, I’ll make a cup of green tea.  I take two “me” breaks a day at work when I walk down then back up 10 flights of stairs.  I also include 20 minutes of yoga most evenings.  Tonight, I’m buying my weight room pass for the community center and have my first work out scheduled for tomorrow evening.  I’ve lost 3 pounds in seven days and am really excited to see my progress by March.

 

2015 will be the year I strengthen my relationship with God.  Last week at Mass, we were given a book on being a Dynamic Catholic.  I started reading it this week and love it!  I’m a sucker for “self-help” type books, especially the ones where I find myself saying YES!  This book really aligns all of my goals for the year.  I’m working on getting out of bed a little earlier each day to pray the rosary and a daily devotion.  This way I start my day with the Lord.  Today was my first day on this plan.  It’s a work in progress but without the focus on Faith, the rest of my goals will never be realized.

2015 will be the year of freedom for my family.  It’s time that we forge our own path.  I feel confident in myself as a person, employee, friend and parent.  This year, I will use this confidence to build a strong faith filled nuclear family.  We are no longer bound to the ways, ideas and “noise” of the past.  Praise the Lord!  This year, we will move in a positive loving way towards becoming the family we were created to be.  My main focus is on myself and kids put also extends to my parents, siblings, nieces, nephews and friends.

I’m excited about the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead for me.  2015 is going to be my year!

Out in Public

Spotted in Public! One mom, four kids and a whole lot of fun!

After spending most of Christmas break with family and friends and all day Friday cleaning out, boxing up and throwing out 2 bedrooms full of excess stuff,  we ventured out in public Saturday.

We started the morning at back to back basketball games.  I love basketball season!

Then, along with the rest of the city, we spent the afternoon at the St. Louis Science Center. Despite the crowd,  we had a great time.  It had been a few years since we last visited.  Not many free exhibits had changed, but we have grown and found a new appreciation for everything there.  Grace decided to forego the science center in lieu of some shopping with a friend.

After the science center,  we headed to the mall to meet Grace. We took advantage of the free samples in the food court as our dinner and hung out at the indoor playground.

We ended the day with a movie at the dollar show. Except that it's now a three dollar show, so I spent more than originally planned.  We refilled the large popcorn and soda for free three times, though, so I guess that makes it even. Alexander and The Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day was our choice and we all loved it! I was seriously laughing from beginning to end.  It is probably the best family movie I've seen in a long time.

All around it was a great day with my family.