So many things are changing. I will no longer be the Fleet Coordinator for HOURCAR come the first. I'll be doing back-up on-call only. On the 8th, I'll be starting the phlebotomy program at St. Kate's. I'm a little scared, leaving my job... because I'm also going to be starting on an insulin pump in the next week or so (whenever I can get in with the pump educator). I don't know 100% if I'll be able to stay on my work's insurance. I HAVE to have insurance though. Its not even an option to not have it. If I have to take out a loan to pay COBRA, thats what I'll have to do.
Sophie starts 4th grade on the first, Rosa has started at a new daycare that she LOVES and that we really love as well. We were paying $125 for two half days, and now we pay $160 for full time. And its walking distance from home - no more driving through campus during rush hour. SO done with that!
Mike has an important audition tomorrow. I really hope he gets this gig. He wants it soooo badly. But I also need him to find a JOB. Ugh. One year unemployed is more than enough. I was OK with him finishing school once it became clear that finding a job would be difficult, but this is getting ridiculous. I am scared to death that things are just going to fall apart when I start school.
*sigh* Need to call and find out about financial aid...
Oy! What a whirlwind trip! We left at 8am to catch a 9am Megabus from downtown. The bus ride was decent - better than Greyhound by a million %!! We got caught in Chicago rush hour traffic at the end though, and it was agonizing!! We got in at 600 and had 730 reservations for a Haunted Chicago show at the Excalibur, which is said to be haunted. It was a fun time! We got a little drunky there and then went to find food. Ate at Harry Caray's which was decent and then went back to the Hard Rock Hotel.
The hotel was much less "Applebees" than I thought it would be. It was downright classy!! Everything was glass and mirrors with popular musicians etched into the glass. We had John Lennon and Yoko Ono in our bathroom and Lenny Kravitz above the desk. An Annie Lennox display was on our floor's lobby. We meant to check out the other floors, but never had the time.
Saturday we wandered south, went to a yarn shop I wanted to visit, then over to Field Museum to see the Pirates exhibit. We got in for free since we're MN Science Museum members. After the museum closed, we took a water taxi to Navy Pier and then wandered home. We ordered from Malnati's and got their famous pizza while hanging out at the hotel. We had booked a Ghost Tour for 10pm, so we walked over to the Rock n Roll McDonalds and did that. The tour went all over the downtown area and we got out at several places, Hull House, the site of the boat disaster on the canal, the site of the start of the Great Chicago Fire, Harpo Studios, the Oriental Theater disaster. It was really fun.
We got done with that at midnight and started walking home, found a cool bowling alley that had a martini bar and got some drinks. Mike had his first full martini. We finished it off with their warm cookies and milk (which were AWESOME!). Crashed hardcore at the hotel.
We got up early on Sunday so we could do a few more things, got Jamba juice for breakfast, wandered around Millenium Park and made our way to the Ghiradelli store for our chocolate lunch. OMG, that was awesome!! This was our reason for going to Chicago in the first place - since we missed out on going on our way back from our honeymoon. Walked back to the hotel to check out and grabbed a quick cheeseborger at the Billy Goat Tavern. Checked out of the hotel and made our way to Union Station to catch the bus home.
We had movies on the ride home, which made it go quicker, for sure. It also made it impossible to do much else, though. :( I would still take the Megabus again though - for $30 total round trip for two people, you can't beat it.
I was happy to be home with my babies on Sunday though - and I am still exhausted!! I'd love to take Sophie there, I don't know that Rosie could handle an eight hour bus ride. But it was relatively inexpensive - we didn't spend more than $40 on any meal, and the most expensive thing we did was the bus tour for $60. All in all, a great anniversary trip. :)
Mike and the girls surprised me tonight with a trip to Chicago. We leave at 8am. TOMORROW. LMAO! I knew we were going somewhere, but didn't know where. Mike did good this time. No getting me up onstage or any of that business. But I get to have my chocolate lunch at Ghiradelli now! We missed out on having one on our way home from New York where we went for our honeymoon. Should be a good time. Many snacks, books, knitting and movies are packed and ready to go! :D
Today we got up early for a $5 pancake breakfast at the NE Minneapolis Armory for the local Kiwanis Club (community service for those who don't know). A very NE Minneapolis thang to do.
Went to the grocery store for Hotdish ingredients - at the old Grain Belt bottle house there was a community Hotdish competition and feed, entry was $15/person or $5 if you had an entry. Buying the ingredients and making a dish would be less $ than just paying the $15 fee, so thats what we did. Mike made his mom's Family's Christmas Eve Hotdish. The categories were: I Made It Myself (under 16), Veggie, Spicy, Tater Tot and Darn Good. Plus, there was a Jello Spectacular. The winning jello dish was Moses parting the Red Sea, the sea being berry blue jello, the Jews being Lego Duplo people on a desert of rice krispie treats. I failed and did not bring a jello dish because we started too late and my jello hadn't set. :( Beer was a gratuity of a could of bucks and fruit, rolls and a few dishes were provided by community businesses.
There were so many entries in the Darn Good (general) category, they split it into two. AND MIKE WON! LMAO!! We hadn't taken the competition part seriously until he won!! It was so much fun! I'll take a pic and post his commemorative plate/trophy. Its freakin HILARIOUS! Mike is so funny, he said he wished he had shaved today.... and we didn't have time to do the planned haircuts today either, LOL!
My husband is an award winning Hot Dish cook. How very Minnesotan.
One way or another I *WILL* start school in the fall, if not sooner. This current job is killing me. The stress is just too much, and not because of my duties, not at all. But my stupid child of a boss. Ugh. Anyway, I've been trying to figure out the best way to quit in this terrible economy. I've been applying for jobs up the wazoo - and haven't gotten a single interview. I should have grabbed that application from the bagel place...
Anywho, here's version A (B is still in the works): Put in a 2 month notice. This will give them time to find someone else. Register with several temp agencies. Work temp jobs through the summer in downtown. When we get our taxes, replace the computer and the iPhone I have from work. If I can work full time, we can save whatever Mike gets from unemployment until he finds a job. Man, if he was working FT too... we'd be so much better off! Then take out a loan so I don't have to work for the semester I'll be in school.
This is so wild. I know its a fact that when toddlers learn a new skill, they can often temporarily lose other skills. I've never noticed it happening, just that both Rosa will get more clumsy when she learns something new. Sophie did the same thing. Today though, after weeks of an exploding vocabulary, Rosa proved this to be so clearly true. We go to Rosedale Mall a lot, since they have an indoor playground. Rosa has played there since she was really little and has been able to climb the vinyl structures just fine on her own for a few months now. Today, it was as if she had never known how! She simply could NOT do it. It was wild. She grabbed me and made me come help her up the hallow tree so she could slide down the other side over and over (so much for some downtime for mama!).
Just one more of those amazing things you learn being a parent. :) I bet next time she'll be able to do it again!
So, today, its raining outside and the car wash I like to use is closed. Rosa is with Mike's parents, Sophie is at school, and Mike is in class. Perfect time for me to clean the upholstery and the downstairs rug! I tell ya, I LOVE this carpet cleaner (Bissel Pro Dry - carpet will dry in 30 minutes!!). There is something so satisfying about seeing brown water being sucked up from your couch, LOL! It has cool attachments for cleaning furniture, a stairs attachment and will take this Oxy cleaning stuff in a special tool. You only have to switch between floor and tool on this dial so the suction will switch, and you can hang up the tools on the back when you don't need them.
Which is how I ended up cleaning the carpet in my undies.
Somehow I hung up the stairs tool with the trigger depressed and forgot to switch the suction. So, I'm cleaning away, with hot, HOT water in there, thinking, wow, this thing gets hot.... wonder why it doesn't look damp on the carpet. And then I feel it. Hot water SOAKING my jeans, starting to burn my thighs, and the floor behind me is soaking wet. So, I chuck the jeans and finish up in my undies. I had to add more hot water and the pet stain cleaner, and cleaned it twice. Now my rug is again green and white instead of green and gray! And my hardwood floor is clean too!
One of the times when you can say $150 well spent.. even if I did have to clean half naked. :D
Mom slipped and fell on her way to chemo and broke her ankle. Someone saw her fall, dropped his wife off and then came back to help my mom and see if she was OK. The guy gave her a ride to the ER. Surgery for her ankle was pushed back to 1pm tomorrow. :( Now I am MAKING that woman call the American Cancer Society and set up a ride for her chemo appts! She can't say no now, she can't WALK!
We come downstairs and she wants me to make her some oatmeal. She curls up on the couch to watch her show and I sit down at the computer for a minute. Well, just now she comes over with a mad look on her face. I asked if she was mad at me and wanted her oatmeal. She just points to the kitchen with a chubby hand and her face a lil scowl. So I got up and made her breakfast.
Having a crappy day, then spending some one-on-one time with my nine(!) year old, going sledding with the 4H families, having hot cocoa at the local coffee shop, coming home to a nice simple dinner and decorating our Christmas tree.
And having a clean house.
Mike is doing the dishes. I just vacuumed. Bathroom is clean, upstairs is picked up. Even the ornament boxes are back in the basement. Last thing before I am completely happy with my house is that the kitchen floor needs to be mopped. Desk - still messy.
