New Pictures

I've added a link on the right to pictures from Hayden's T-Ball pictures. I have only two words:

GO CUBS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Happy Birthday to Me...

When you're my age, you need some serious help on blowing out the candles.

In case there was any question as to whether Trevor is my offspring or not, I think this video solves the puzzle:

Vacation - YUCK! I had a great conversation with Hayden on Monday night after his first day back to school after Spring Break.

Me: How was your first day back at school?
Hayden: It was good. I told everyone about t-ball camp. Mommy, do I have to go on vacation again in the summer?
Me: Yes baby, you get to be on vacation the whole summer.
Hayden: But I don't want to be on vacation Mommy. I just want to go to school every day. Why do I have to have vacation.
Me: I think your teachers need a break. I'll be sure to remind you about this conversation when you get older.

Wow, that was exhausting...This whole quitting thing has me just worn out. I haven't even surfed the internet for a whole week. But I've been pretty busy with some photography stuff too, so maybe that has contributed as well.

Some have asked where I'm going to work and there was speculation about me pursuing photography full-time. Alas, the new job will be an improvement, but not that different from what I do today.

I'll be working for the company that I went to work for 11 years ago. The company that heartlessly spun its chemicals business off into a joint venture 7 years ago and left us all to fend for ourselves. So essentially, I'm going back home. And that is a good thing.

But the last week has been rough. I'm really going to miss some of my co-workers. There are other who I won't miss a bit. And those folks have done their best to reinforce my decision to quit.

I read this article in the paper that said if you work for a jerk, it's pretty much hopeless to try to change your work environment since you're not in a position of power organizationally. Unlike most of the other career self-help articles I've read, this one put it bluntly. Your best option is just to quit. If that isn't possible, it said that passion for your work is really overvalued and you shouldn't underestimate the value of checking out emotionally. I did try that second option for a while, but it just wasn't working out for me. But I think the quitting thing will do the trick. They just need to stop making me angry since I only have a week left and they're really tempting me to leave a pile of trouble in my wake.

Anyways, one week to go. Yay!

I QUIT...Yes indeed. I quit. Can I say it again? I quit. Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! Yipeeeeeeeeee! I quit!

Yesterday morning I handed in my letter of resignation to our human resources department. It's still surreal. I've been here eleven years but the time has come. If 99 out of 100 days you go home and your 4-year old asks "How was your day Mommy?" and you can't think of a single good thing to say other than "I had a nice lunch", then it's time to move on.

Starting a new job in about two weeks. No more 45 minute commute (probably about 20 minutes). A place where they're excited to have me and think I can make a real contribution. A new beginning. Sounds nice, doesn't it?

Back in the saddle (i.e. uncomfortable office chair)...Trevor and I made it back alive yesterday. I tried to tire him out by letter him walk up and down the moving walkway in the airport about 100 times before it was time to board our flight. But instead of sleepy tired he just got cranky tired. Which isn't good when you're cooped up on a plane with 130 other people. But he probably only cried bloody murder with big crocodile tears for about 30 minutes of the 2 hour+ trip, so all in all it wasn't bad. The woman next to me complimented me on my ability to stay calm through his fits. What were my choices? Beating him or throwing him out the emergency exit? Nope, I just kicked back and read my magazine and pretended he was someone else's kid. Which worked until he reached out his snotty hand to try to hand me the crud that he had just extracted from his nose. I mean, that's the true bond of motherhood right? The willingness to accept snot when other people are watching you? Man, it's a good thing that kid is cute.

On the road, again...I feel silly starting every post with an apology about not posting, so I'll just skip it. We flew to Chicago yesterday because my grandmother is sick (mom's mom) and we wanted to spend a little time with her and were hoping the boys could cheer her up some. She has shingles, which is painful at any age, but she's no spring chicken so she's suffering quite a bit and the pain medication can make her drowsy/loopy. But while she's awake it seems to bring her cheer to have the crazy boys wrestling and giggling all over the house.

Sean and Hayden will head back to Houston on Monday and I'll go back with Trevor on my own on Tuesday. SO PRAY FOR ME!!! I know that people do it all the time, but I am truly scared to try to lug all our junk and my 21-month old through the airport myself. Besides the fact that he won't sit still for more than half a second at a time and doesn't like to read books or watch videos so I have no idea how to keep him entertained on the plane. I'm thinking if I can get him to the airport totally deprived of sleep, I might get him to nap on the flight. Of course it could completely backfire and I could just end up with a super-cranky overtired toddler on my hands. I never understood it when we just had Hayden, who was so mellow and loved his books and flash cards. But now I know why people drug their children before boarding a plane.

Anyways, I owe y'all some pictures from the trailriders breakfast at Hayden's school but that will have to wait till I get home. So much catching up to do. And don't even bother with the Blipfoto journal right now. I'm taking a little bit of a break since I haven't been able to plug in and download pictures.