How I got pink slipped

So my boss and I have always had a pretty good relationship. We have similar personalities so we are able to joke and cut up and we laugh a lot. But seeing as we are both smart asses, we tend to push the limits and see just how far we can go. Sometimes, he likes to ask me where I will be working next year, and I respond with, obviously not here.

So a few weeks ago, he comes to tell us it is time to go to lunch. Only, when he calls my name, I think he is a student so I respond with, "Hold on." He calls my name again, and I say, "Clearly, I am busy right now." At which point, I hear a student say, "It's the principal." He responds with, "Clearly, but it is time to go to lunch." Needless to say, I turned bright red and the minute he left, I laid on the floor and sarcastically thanked the kids for having my back. Now, I have taken my share of ribbing for this incident, one for which I probably do deserve to be fired. But for the last week, I haven't heard much about it.

This morning, at our faculty meeting, it reared its ugly head. At the end of the meeting, the bossman hands out several awards and then proceeds to tell the story of my mouthyness to the entire faculty (much to my mortification) and then he awards with me with "The pink slip award: for having the uncanny ability to be fired multiple times a week and yet continue coming to work."

And that, my friends, is how I got the pink slip this fine Friday morning.

House Hunting

Let me preface this post by stating my awareness that we are fortunate that we put our house on the market and were able to get a contract in a matter of weeks. And it is a contract where we will not be cutting a check to get out of this house. Loved this house. Hate to move, but our needs are no longer what they used to be.

Now that I got that out of the way......

........I am so sick of looking at houses. I love houses. I have always enjoyed driving around and looking to see what else is out there. I love going into other peoples houses and seeing what they've got going on. However, if I have to spend one more hour in a car, driving around and looking at houses and deciding which ones we want to go into. And then going into them and finding out that the house sucks.

I also hate that we found a fabulous house, fell in love, went to make an offer and found out it had an offer accepted earlier that day. I was sick about it.

Needless to say, we have again found the house of our dreams. Only online. And so we are going to see it tomorrow and are ready to make a bid. If I post an angry blog tomorrow, know that the house is not available.

A Moment of Silence Please...

For poor Mr. Lion.

Kate had this adorable, soft lion with the cutest little mane. And she loved him. She like to hold him, and play with him and chew on him (as all 6 month olds do with everything.) He was one of a kind. (Actually, he was mass produced by jellycat, but in our world he was a stand out.)


Yesterday, Kate and I needed to go to the grocery store. I picked up her toys and put them on the mantle and in various other places. I changed her out of her jammies and into the cutest little polo dress. I put her in the car seat, grabbed the diaper bag and off we went.

After a brief trip, couldn't have even been an hour, we returned home. I took Kate back out of the car seat, laid her on her play mat and began putting her toys around her. There was her singing dog, Mr. Bunny, a teething ring, and.....wait a minute, where is Mr. Lion?

I immediately began scanning the room. Is he on the table? No! Is he in the toy basket? No! Panic began to set in as I already knew what had happened. I rushed to the bedroom to see if, hopefully, I was wrong. It was when I reached the door that I discovered the body. Poor, defenseless Mr. Lion had been mangled. His eyes were missing and stuffing was pouring out of the sockets. It was a gruesome crime scene, to be sure.

So, I would like us all to take a moment of silence for poor Mr. Lion. I would like to remember what a good companion he has been. How loving and faithful. How soft and cuddly. RIP Mr. Lion. We will never forget you............

.......but we will replace you. In fact, Mr. Lion #2 has already been ordered off the internet and will be here in 7-10 business days. It will be like you were never even gone. Phew!

Who knew?

That selling your house is such a pain? We have already had 3 real estate agents look at the house and give us prices. One would think that the prices would be in a close range. Oh, nah. Instead, we now have a price that could fall anywhere in a $30,000 range. Doesn't that seem a little bit off? I mean, within $10,000 I could see, but seriously?
And to top it off, we are supposed to pay 6% between our agent and the buyers agent? What does our real estate agent really do? Give us an MLS # and then sit and wait for some buyers agent to sell the house. How does that earn 3%? And why do we have to be on the hook for the buyers agent? Why can't they find a house on their own? We did. And we are looking on our own again. I guess I feel like we are getting ripped off a little bit.
And then there is the risk that you could have your house almost sold, and then not meet the appraisal. So, this poses a serious issue seeing as we have been given such different list values for our house. Who wouldn't want to list for the highest quote they got? Obviously that isn't the best plan.
What it all boils down to, is I would like to put a for sale by owner sign in the front yard tomorrow. I would appreciate it if the first person to see it would call and tell me they have cash, no agent, and are interested in paying my asking price. Then I can close next week, pack the following weekend and move into a new house, in a better location, more convenient to my family and the friends we actually hang out with. Can we work that out? Thanks!

Rosy Red Cheeks

So I have noticed lately that Kate is getting some really red cheeks. Turns out that is one of the number one signs of teething. Add that to the excessive drooling, which has led to a small rash below her mouth, and I would say we are in a full on teethe.

And, now she rolls over both ways and is a little roly poly oly Why is she growing sooooo fast?!?!? I can't take it. But I just love her sooooooooooo much

Directions to Nowhere...

Would you follow these directions? Some normal pieces have been left out, but you will get the basic idea from the following direct excerpts:

Follow the highway to exit 138. Turn right.
Go .4 miles to dead end and turn left to stay on road.
Go 4.7 miles to dead end and turn left.
Go 1 mile and turn onto Hunts Chapel Road. (.5 a mile Hunts Chapel Road will have a very sharp right curve. It's almost a right hand turn.) Yes this was underlined and in red on the directions.
Go to dead end and turn right. There is no street sign.
Go to dead end and turn left.
Go to dead end and turn right.
Go to dead and and turn right.
The road is very windy and hilly. One particular downhill is very steep. Its like dropping into an abyss. You will recognize it by the Granite Rip Rap to prevent erosion on the left side of the road at the bottom of the hill.
Driveway on left. 2 small flamingos and beach garb in front of driveway. No mailbox.

I didn't think so. Me either. But these are the directions Chris has to a call he is doing for a customers lake house. He left me a copy just in case he doesn't return and needs to be found.

So, tomorrow, if I cannot be reached, just know that I am following these directions in an attempt to find Chris. Hold your breath that he finds it and returns safely. I mean, I'm just sayin'.

Losin weight in 08. Er 09. Damn. I mean 2010.

So, when I had Kate in September I decided that I had 40 pounds from the baby and 20 pounds from life that just needed to go. Until now, it has been all diet and breastfeeding. I am proud to say that as of this week, I am officially at my pre-pregnancy weight. Woohooo!!!

Only now I am actually going to have to start working out to get to where I want to be. Chris told me to go ahead and throw a gym bag in the car and the nights he doesn't have calls I can stop at the gym as I pass it on the way home. Today was one of those days, but I was without my gym bag.

When I got home, Chris asked: Why didn't you pack a bag when I told you too?

Me: I don't know. I guess I just feel bad because you have Kate all day. It is selfish of me to be gone another hour.

Chris: It's okay. I told you to go.

Me: I feel guilty being away from Kate longer after being gone all day.

Chris: Don't feel guilty. Who doesn't want a hot wife.

Me: (silent)

Chris: I mean, you're already hot.

Me: Nice save, friend.

Then we both laughed. Because I know that he did not mean that even close to how it sounded. And he realized as soon as it came out, that was not what he had intended to say.

So, needless to say, my gym bag is packed and in the car. (Not really. That requires motivation.) I did get on the treadmill though. Score one for me.

Here is to getting skinny in 2010.