'Tis the Season

for babies! Seriously, I think everyone I know right now is pregnant or has a baby. (Yours truly NOT included!) I don't know what happened in the past year or so, but geez! I helped give a shower last night for a girl in my Sunday School class. We had a pretty good turnout for a weeknight in the summer.

Baby showers are still completely foreign to me. You know, at wedding showers, I can ooh and aah over pretty towels and nice kitchen things with the best of them. I get that! But baby showers....are different. Mounds of diapers and wipes (gross), everything is brightly colored and plays music or makes other noises... ::shivers:: The baby industry is worse than the wedding industry. You don't need that much crap for a baby! All the ridiculous battery operated toys will break, you're just going to throw away all those diapers and wipes, your kid is only going to wear that outfit a handful of times before she outgrows it... Seems like such a waste.

I'm not advocating that you neglect your kid or let him sleep in a dresser drawer. But save your money for when he will be able to appreciate it! Shop at consignment stores! Use cloth diapers and wipes! Accept hand-me-downs! Breastfeed! I realize that I'm probably starting to sound like a preachy crazy hippie, but really, do the research. It's better for the baby, it saves you a heap of cash, and it doesn't clutter up your house. Yes, it's more work. You have a kid now, grow up.

whew! ::steps off of soap box::

Yeah yeah yeah...

So I'm a bad blogger. Sue me. Things got a little nuts since my last post.

We decided to move back near to where we grew up. Since C works from home now, we had no ties keeping us in Texas, and my company had an opening back home, so I could make a lateral transfer and not lose any benefits or vacation time or anything. It was great!

We very providentially found an awesome place to live. It's a duplex, which I realize does not immediately say "glamour" in anyone's mind (mine included--I was hesitant to go look at it!). But it's bigger than our apartment was, has a two car garage, attic space, and a tiny little fenced yard that the dog can play in--for only a smidge more than what we were paying. Score! And it's a lovely place too. Here are a few photos:




So we finally got settled in to the dupe, and my job kept getting crazier and crazier. I was supposed to be full-time in one location. Then they told me that clinic couldn't support another full time therapist. So I was split between two clinics. But business was still bad, so then I was a floater and I worked all over the city, sometimes even splitting morning and afternoon at different clinics. They were doing everything they could to keep me in a job, and I appreciate that. Until this past Tuesday, when I got laid off.

Awesome, right? Well, maybe more awesome than you think. I wasn't loving my job, even though I knew it was the best they could do for me, I was still unhappy with it. Grateful for employment, yes, super excited about that employment, no. So I left work on Tuesday and went home, I did nothing that afternoon. Facebooked a lot. Was a giant bum a lot. Kinda felt sorry for myself. You know. Wednesday I went back to the office to finish a report that I had left hanging, that way no one got stuck with it. Then I went to a different clinic where I had some things to clean out my desk there. On my way home, I decided to stop in a clinic where I had done an internship as a student. I liked the guys there, and decided why not? They remembered me and were glad to see me again. They didn't need help, but when I mentioned something about a particular skill I had, they both lit up. Another of their clinics was looking for someone who did that! The manager made a phone call, wrote down an address, and send me across town to that clinic.

I met with the manager there for an impromptu interview, and I really liked him. I felt good about the job and the place, it's way closer to home, and the hours are steady and stable. Perfect. He called me this afternoon to tell me that it was between me and one other person he had yet to interview, and would be passing his decision to HR tonight! I should know something in the next day or two! Nothing like a 48 hour turn-around for unemployment--praise Jesus!!

In the meantime, I've enjoyed an unscheduled day off, and tomorrow I'm going to do some canning with my grandma. So excited!!