Year in Review...2014

Wow. We are at the end of another year and I find that while, overall, the year has been good, I have not done a lot of blogging. It's something I enjoy and hope to do more of next year. There is news though.

 Once again, I have moved. Back to Texas. For a job. I always keep an eye on job postings and when I saw this job, I knew I had to give it a go. I didn't really think I'd get it, but I did! Everything just fell in to place as if this is what I was supposed to do.  I do miss the people I worked with and, surprisingly, I miss Savannah.  Job wise, though, it's been one of the best transitions I have had in a long time. A well run organization and welcoming people. The only drawback for me is it's a large organization. Probably the largest in which I've ever worked. Also, my job is not attached to any one department, which makes it a bit weird, but not a bad weird. It does mean, though, that I've not yet found a "work buddy," which I've usually had at other jobs. I figure that will come in time.

In the meantime, in an effort to get more exercise and meet people, I joined a walking group and have met some wonderful people. It's at 7:30 Saturday mornings, which is a challenge for me, but a good challenge. Right now the weather is windy and cool, but I know if an few months that will change to unbearably hot and I'll be glad for the early morning walk time.

With this move, comes my other piece of news. I am tired of moving. This is a college town, so rentals would be expensive, not too mention no desire to repeat the pitiful renting experience that I had in Georgia.  Plus, I was just ready.  So, I took the plunge (with a little help from a small inheritance) and bought a house. It's a little bigger than I set out to get, but I knew when I walked into it that it was supposed to be mine. It's an almost brand new house in an established neighborhood, but it did need some work. Mainly on the outside - landscaping for the front and some type of porch and patio on the back. The house has a covered porch, but there were no steps down to the yard (and it was about a two foot drop) and no patio. I've done both of those and screened the back porch, something which has been on my wish list for years. The yard is huge and backs up to a wooded area. Fortunately it self maintains itself for the back part and I found a good yard service.

Between the tiny Georgia condo (though the peace and quite was wonderful) and the move and hurting my foot, my exercise routine flew out the window. And, along with it my weight maintenance. My big disappointment in all of this is the weight I gained back after keeping it off for years. I know with some structure and routine I can re-lose it, but my focus has been sporadic. That's one of my goals for the new year - get back to a routine that will allow me to lose the weight and maintain the loss.

I wish everyone nothing but the best in the coming year.

Year in Review ... 2012

Tomorrow we'll welcome 2013.  This has made me a bit reflective.  It's been quite a year for me, both good and bad.

The good -- I accepted what has turned out to be a good job opportunity.  I attended not one, but two, very good professional conferences, one in Austin, one in Anaheim (which made me a bit nostalgic for the days I lived in central CA).  I got to make one more trip make to tiny town in Illinois, and stay one last time in my father's childhood home, before we sold it.  I'm still a little sad about that and will miss my summer visit there, but it was totally the right thing to do.  Christmas in Louisiana was particularly good this year (especially the food), even if the weather was bit dreary and rainy. 

I'm cooking more, which I'm finding I enjoy.  For a variety of reasons, I've been experimenting with dairy free cooking, which has led to some vegan cooking, and vegetarian cooking and I've found I like it.  I've gotten a couple of cookbooks and found some blogs and have made some changes that have turned out very positive.  I'm trying to blog my adventures in cooking and I'm trying to ramp up my food photography as well, though not always with my anticipated results.

The bad -- well, on some levels, the job hits both lists.  Wonderful opportunity and every day I know why I took it.  However, the organization, not so good.  It could be worse and I'm super grateful I have a job, especially in today's economy, but unfortunately, it's not a job I want to keep till I retire.  And, while I'm getting used to my new town, it isn't where I want to live forever either.  Sometimes you just connect with a city and sometimes you don't.  I've been blessed.  In all of my moves, this is only the second time I haven't really connected with a city.  So, I guess that's a positive of sorts.

The other huge negative is my apartment, which is fixable.  I had only two days to find a place to live (I will never not take a house hunting trip again).  I actually like the apartment itself, however, it's the poorest built place I've ever lived and the noise from above is just something I'm not going to be able to handle long term.  I don't really blame my neighbors -- they are young and they have a puppy and well, the apartment building is not well built.  I hear every bump and thump and they make a lot of bumps and thumps; it's more than just walking - it's not uncommon for the ceiling to shake due to one of their bumps or thumps.  So, I've been looking and have just about decided on a place.  I have a couple of things to ask the property management company and am not sure it will work out.  But, I have seen a few places that would work.  The thought of moving again makes my teeth itch, but the lure of quietness is too much.  Oh, and a solid surface for working out and doing yoga.

All in all, while this has been a somewhat disconnected year for me, I can't say it's been a bad one.  Just one full of learning  about me and what makes me tick.  I'm looking forward to what will come in 2013.

Best wishes to everyone for all good things in the coming year.

I leave you with a picture of kitty enjoying the mild weather:

If it's not one thing, it's something else....

Well, about two weeks ago, on a Friday night, I got in my car to head home after an evening out, and it was a little rough on the start up. I was a little concerned, but I made it home okay. Saturday, same thing. Now, I'm thinking about what could it be. And, then it hit me. The battery. The car is almost 4 years old, which means so is the battery. Sigh. I thought I'd wait until the following weekend to get it replaced, but after crossing my fingers and hoping it would start Sunday and Monday mornings, I realized that I needed to get it taken care of. I didn't want to go out to my car somewhere and have it not start. And, it was raining that Monday, so that wouldn't have been any good either. I took a couple of hours of comp time that afternoon and headed to Sears to get a new battery. Not as nice as going to a smaller business, but they are known for their batteries. Check that off the list.

That was Monday. That Friday was the day my cubicle was going to get installed. I've been there nine months, but at least I was finally getting it (I was in an open workstation; the other professionals in my department all have cubicles). We thought it would be in the morning. They started assembling in the afternoon around 2:00. To make a long story short, we had to move power poles we weren't expecting to, had to have a power whip installed for my cubicle (the original game plan was to use power strips from the outlet, but they would have been blocked by the partition wall, which is not a good thing), and move phone and data lines from where workstations were to where they were moved. Naturally, until this was done, we weren't working. In addition, the office designers ordered the wrong color overhead bin for me and a different colored wood (lighter). We all like the wood, so I get to keep it and be different, but the overhead needs to match the trim and everyone else's. We were first told a new one would be ordered. Friday, we were told the one I have would be painted. I had them install what we have because I need the lights underneath it. I may have gained a cubicle, but I've given up natural light coming into my workspace. It wasn't all wrapped up until the last Monday and I still am not sure what will happen with the overhead bin, but, in the grand scheme of things, given what we weren't aware of that we had to do, that really isn't too bad.

Then last week, I noticed that Kitty cat had sores in her bald spot, which does appear to have more fur. I probably contributed to that by using the spray the first vet gave me, but nonetheless I needed to get her to the vet to make sure it wasn't anything horrible. I did that on Friday. Bye bye to the last of my comp time. It wasn't anything horrible.

Then to top it off, yesterday I stopped by Origins and the Clinique counter only to discover both had discontinued the products I was wanting. And, neither sales person was overly friendly either. Nope, sorry don't have it. Especially, the sales person at Clinique. So much for the new Clinique. She didn't even know what I was talking about, made me feel like I was making it up, and kind of waived her hand at what they had and said this it what we have. I was so turned off by both sales persons that I doubt I'll look for replacement products from either brand. Origins does have a product I've used in the past that would be closest, but I liked the one they discontinued the best. However, by both of them not having what I wanted, I didn't spend any money.