I realized the other day, that it’s officially been a year since I left my job!  I can’t believe it’s been a year already!  As I thought about it, I thought about how the past year has been – has it been better? Worse? Worth it?  Should I go back to a 9-5 now that the kids are in school?  Was it everything I thought it would be? 

Well, to be honest, the year has gone by so fast it seems that I hadn’t thought much about it until last week when it hit me that it had been a full year!  I think I’ve mostly enjoyed the additional time with the kids, but there are certainly things I miss about having a normal day job.  I miss conversations about current events and being out and about in society, but for the most part, the other things I miss are still there, just in a different way.  I’m still needed, just by a more important group of people (my family).  You know the meme that goes around from time to time about focusing on your family because your job will be posted before your obituary?  Well, that’s exactly how I feel about my old job.  I trained my replacement before I left, and while I never considered my co-workers and staff ‘best friends’, I thought we had a general friendship of sorts, shared life events, seemed to care about each other’s well being and things like that.  The reality is, since I left my job that I worked at for almost 6 years, I’ve only really stayed in touch with one person.  I’ve heard from a few via FB messenger, but mostly about random things (one did say she wanted to meet for lunch, so I’m hoping to make that happen soon).  Maybe they’re busy, maybe the care and concern only went one way, maybe it’s my fault for not reaching out to them, but basically, it solidifies the decision I made just over a year ago!  I was killing myself, missing time with my family, and, carrying all kinds of unwanted stress over a job that didn’t really care if I was there or not.  Don’t get me wrong, I wish them nothing but the best, but for me, choosing my family was by far the best decision I’ve ever made when it comes to a ‘career’.  And, yes, I know I’m lucky that I’m able to do that when some cannot, and I’m thankful for that every day! 

I also now joke with my husband that I’m going to apply for a job at Kroger because they always seem to be short staffed, under stocked and overwhelmed….but, in reality, I love being able to be the one that gets my kids up, gets them on the bus and I love that I can be waiting for them when they get home!  As far as projects go, I still have a ton of things ‘in process’, a few that are finished, but my biggest project is still working on the renovation of my parents building.  We finally have the wiring and insulation completed and the floor leveling is almost complete, so I was able to start on the shiplap wall boards Friday and hope to get that finished (or mostly finished) this week, then start on the tongue and groove ceiling. 

In the meantime, my trip to Texas a few weeks ago was productive, but short.  My brother was one of the many in Texas who had frozen and busted pipes this past winter, and has not been able to get a contractor in to finish the work.  He was able to get someone in to remove the wet drywall and flooring, but finishing the job hasn’t happened. It’s been months and he’s had several just not show up, etc., so, I went out for a few days and I was able to get measurements, see what needed to be done and in what order, see what tools and supplies we needed and create a plan to return with reinforcements (my husband) to spend nearly a week getting things done before winter comes again.  We’ll be heading back out there in a few weeks and hope to replace an outdoor 2^nd floor patio, install insulation and drywall in the garage, address a dryer venting issue and possibly some simple wiring issues he has.  While I was there last time, I was able to help him get a little over ¾ of the Living Room flooring installed and now that he has the tools and knows how to install it, he can hopefully finish that job downstairs so he has some function to his house.

Projects in my house are hit and miss….I have several sitting here ‘in progress’ staring at me, but other things come up that need attention first – like, spending time this morning getting my eldest’s new dresser (antique, but new to him) in order with liner, organized, etc.  Next on the list is my youngest new dresser (his older brother’s old one) lined out and organized.  And, since we have the new puppy that we’re trying to keep downstairs, installing a baby gate on the steps.  This sounds simple, but since we didn’t want to drill holes into the banister column, it’s been a series of 3M hanger strips, paint that has come off and now waiting for epoxy to dry to install the last catch (the clasps that catch the screen are hollow, and so it was not creating a good surface to stick to – and of course we want it to be removable and not damage the wood).  So, lots going on…just not really a ‘completed project’ to post yet.  Soon, I hope.  But, again, that’s another blessing I have now, time.  I’ve realized that it doesn’t matter how fast or slow something gets done, as long as it gets done.  And, yes, I still have no patience and want things done now, but it is what it is and I’m done stressing about stuff like that.  There’s more important things to worry about and do and I would much rather spend time with my husband and my dad at a football game on a Saturday than worry about the thing that didn’t get painted today, or the board that didn’t get cut. 

The one thing I have been really bad at is sitting down to write for this blog.  I’ve just been thinking I needed to have a ‘finished piece’ to post about, but really, I need to do better in updating the progress going on with the bigger projects, like at my parents house.  So, now that the boys are back in school, and we’re all adjusting to yet another new schedule, I’ll try to do better about posting updates!