Moving Update

Deidra and I are down to 3 weeks before we move and my nerves are starting to become frazzled with all that is left to do before we leave. I know we'll get it all done though, so I just need to calm down. Deidra has been very excited about going. She told her teacher that had been on vacation last week that it was a good thing she was back because she only had 3 more weeks until Texas and then she was going to be a cowgirl. It was too funny! Her friends at school are going to miss her and she is going to miss them, but I don't doubt for a second that she will make friends very quickly once she moves. She just really has that personality that I think she'll adjust just fine.

I was asked the other day if I was looking forward to my last day at Home Depot and I said yes and no. A lot of the people there have become my 2nd family and I'm going to miss them. But, there's of course some things like the politics going on in that store that I'm not going to miss. I'm looking forward to starting at the Waxahachie store in May and of course my 3-week break between stores.

Andy is looking forward to his last day of work here as well and is looking forward to bigger and better opportunities. He's been busy looking online for jobs and sending out his resume. He's found a few promising ventures and we're hoping and praying that he gets one of them very soon.

We're anxious and excited to move and get into our own place again as well. Now to just find the perfect little house to rent. :-) It's all a little nervewracking yet exciting, but we're looking forward to the move. We still need to figure out the best way to travel with all the cats too. It's definitely going to be an adventure on an 18 hour trip with them.

Abba, please help everything come together ok and help Andy to find a good job down there and help us to find a good house to rent.

Thank you for all the sweet things...

that are happening in our family. It's nice to show each other how much we love one another and it is shown better through acts of love than always just saying "I love you." I think so anyway.


1. What is the sweetest thing that your husband has done for you lately?
took D into school so I could get some time to myself before work, took my car from work to fill it up for me so that I didn't have to do it after work, and he went and picked Deidra up for me so that I could just be on my merry way home.

2. What is the sweetest thing that you have done for your husband lately?
he's getting a night out on the town tonight with the guys from work and I'm trying to plan a night of romance for tonight for when he gets home. I also have been trying to let him know how much I appreciate him lately.

3. What is the sweetest thing that you have done for yourself lately?
I have been trying to give myself at least 15 minutes of exercise time if not more a day and I joined Weight Watchers today as well. I had to tell myself that I'm worth the extra effort and I can look like I did before if I just focus on choose not to give up.

4. What is the sweetest thing that you have done for your children lately?
We've been spending time cuddling and trying to do things together. It's been rough with all the working, packing, and trying to get ready for this move stuff going on. She told me the other night that things just aren't' the same without me and she looks forward to the routines that I've set up with her. Even if it's just sitting on the couch talking, talking in the car on the way to school, singing songs together, or reading before bed...she enjoys the time that we spend together.

Happy anniversary, Gramma!

Hi Abba. I wanted to ask you for blessings for my Grandma Postema. Today marks the 4 year anniversary of her death and the date that she went to join you in Heaven. 4 years ago, I was one broken-hearted granddaughter. I couldn't imagine life without her. She always knew the right thing to say when I was feeling down, she could always make me laugh, she was always there with a warm hug and a listening ear. She was a lot of fun and I was very close to her. While I still miss her very much and wish she was still here, I feel close to her and know that she is happy with You in Heaven with her daughters and other family members that have passed on as well. I know that I will see her again one day. She's a very special person and I love her dearly. Give her a hug from me today if You can and let her know that I love her and think of her often. It's been hard without her here, but I know that she is no longer hurting or suffering and she is happy up there with You.

Please Help Andy Find a Job...

This move is only a few weeks away now. Deidra and I are almost down to the 3 week mark and Andy is almost down to 5 weeks. I'd love it if he had a job in place before we moved. I think I'd feel a little less panicky about it. I'm trying now to worry since I know that we have a good emergency fund in place and I know that my job is a sure thing down there and we'll still have his last pay check as well to count on once we're moved. I think I would just feel a little better if we knew what our finances were going to be. We don't have any doubt that he'll be able to find a better job down there easily making what we make now together by himself. I just want him to have a job soon so he has something to look forward to as well and it would help too knowing what his commute was going to be like. Please bring him a good job his way very soon. Thank You, Abba.

So tired of people who don't think before they say something...

People just don't think before words come out of their mouths. Abba, why can words hurt so much sometimes?

I was standing a couple of weeks ago up front at work with Allison. She got married a couple of years ago and has started to gain some weight. The people that have worked with her for the 5 years that she's worked there have started playfully picking on her about her gaining weight in her middle. Some have asked her if she was pregnant and if she's standing the right way she honestly looks like she could be. I'm not saying that their picking on her is right. But, she made the comment that she wants to joke back to them that her husband is infertile so she couldn't be pregnant to get them to shut up. I snapped and told her that wasn't something even to be joking about. Infertility is a very painful thing and I just didn't see it as a joking matter. Granted, she didn't know my situation or she probably wouldn't have said that. I know she's a person that doesn't hurt people intentionally, but it still kind of hurt. She apologized later and we hugged each other and I'm honestly over it. I just wish that people could understand the other side of the fence.

Then, last night, I was standing up front with Annie (who's 18 and pregnant and just got engaged). Mark, the department head of kitchen and bath, came up front to tell me that they just got picked by a birthmom to adopt her baby girl who is due to arrive in July. I was so happy for him that I had tears in my eyes. We both started this journey at the same time and have talked about it many a time together. He and is wife, Gina, are going to be awesome parents. Then, Annie says "well, at least your wife won't have to carry the baby for 9 months...you just get to be parents." I just looked at her dumbfounded and Mark and I exchanged a look. She has no idea all the pain and suffering that they endured for years and years trying to get pregnant on their own. I think his wife would have given anything to be pregnant...but to say that kind of comment to someone you could tell it stung. He went on to talk to me about how he was a little scared about being a Daddy so soon and I told him that they're so worth it and that he was going to be great. Annie spoke up again about how she understood the scary feeling...she was giving birth in just a couple more months and at least his wife didn't have to go through labor and pain. I just wanted to smack her and tell her to shut up. Why can't people seem to understand anything and the words they speak can really hurt and affect people? I kept trying to tell myself that she's only 18 and she's obviously not ready to be a parent herself, but then I started getting mad a little bit too. Abba, I just don't understand some things although I understand that everything happens for a reason. But why is it so easy for some people to get pregnant when they don't want their children or they're not ready to be parents and yet some people who want children so desperately can't have them?

Daycare Drama

Abba, please help to clear this up and get our contract back to what it was. And please don't let us have to pay any extra for the past weeks that she's only gone 3 days.

I am so frustrated with Kindercare right now. I left the center in tears yesterday. I walked in the door worried I was going to be late for work. I told Deidra that I had to drop her off in sort of a hurry as I only had 10 minutes to get up front at work. Thankfully, she's not that far from where I work. Anyway, we go in the door and Stacie (the center director) says to me "Did you guys get my note about owing the extra $38 because that is overdue now?" I told her that Andy had told me about it and we were going to pay it next week. She said that now our account is actually $76 overdue. I couldn't figure out why as we've always paid first thing Monday morning and we've never been overdue the 2 years that she's gone there. I wasn't totally focusing on what she was saying as I was worried about being late and the lightbulb still didn't go off on why we were late. She asked me if we had gotten the new contract that she put on D's cubby before President's Day. I said that we did, but that it was way after President's Day when we got it. She said that she bumped D up to the permanent 4 day rate since that is what she was doing for the prior 2 months before she wrote the contract. She did that without asking us if that was ok or even telling us about it. I told her that we've always had a 3day/4 day rolling contract in the 2 years that she's been there. Why would it change now? She told me that she'd have to call corporate to see if they could change it. I was near tears. I thought when she wrote the 4 day contract that was a simple oversight on her part and I never signed the contract because D was going to be leaving soon anyway. But, how do you hold a parent to a contract that they never signed. The last contract I signed was the rolling contract. I brought D to her class and I came out and told Staci that I didn't understand how she could do that without communicating that to us. But, it's still not dawning on me that the $76 is now overdue because of the fact that D only went 3 times a week in the past month and I only paid the 3 day rate. We thought some educational fee was due as they charge one every quarter. I left the center in tears.

I called Andy and he does some simple math and says "honey, there apparently was no educational fee...she's charging us for the difference of the 3 day rate vs. the 4 day rate and wants the difference of the 2 weeks that she only went the 3 days a week. Well, she never wrote the reason on her note that they needed the $38 and it was another 3 day week for D this week, so apparently when she got pissed off at us was when she realized that once again I paid the 3 day rate. Well, why should I have to pay for days when she's here with me? Now, I'm beyond livid and I told Andy to call her and talk to her. She has another 3 day week next week and I don't want to get stuck paying the extra $38 just to have her there. Nor do I think that we should have to pay the $76 for the difference the other 2 weeks.

I let Staci know that D's last day was going to be on April 14...she's got just under a month left there...we've worked with them on everything so far...why in the heckl can't they work with us???

Sorry I just needed to vent...I now leave it in Your Hands.

Thank You, Dave Ramsey!

Abba, thank you for always taking care of us. I thank you so much for bringing Dave Ramsey into our lives a few years ago. He deserves many blessings for the things he teaches all of us.

We had a hard day with cars yesterday. Andy's check engine light had come on in his car and we took it into the dealership to see what was going on with it. I turned out to be that the catalytic converter needed to be replaced as well as some pipe and some phlange. The dealership quoted us $1700 to fix it. I called Mom (parts manager at a Chevy dealership) and asked her if that sounded reasonable. She told us to take it to a muffler shop and they'd do it for a lot cheaper. So, we took it into Luntz and they did the job for $700. A lot better than $1700, although Mom still thinks we overpaid. Oh well.

Then, we took my car into the dealership as it had become really loud lately and if you turned the wheel to the right the sound went away. Turns out I needed a new wheel hub as the bearing was bad. That cost us $250 to get taken care. So, we had almost $1000 in car repairs.

Yesterday was a very stressful day wondering if we were going to get the cars back in time for us to each get to work (we work opposite schedules today and I didn't feel like having to get up at 3am to take him to work and then have to keep him and D up until after 10pm to come and get me). But everything worked out ok. But, what I am truly grateful for is that we had the money saved to pay totally in cash for the repairs. Thank you, Dave Ramsey, and thank you, Abba, for taking care of us always!

On to cycle 6 of clomid...

Hi Abba. I was a little late this month and wondering if we had finally succeeded in this pregnancy battle. Aunt Flow came to visit on Monday and I was a little bummed. My hope levels are low of this happening for us, but I'm going to give this last shot with clomid a go this month. (They don't recommend taking clomid for more than 6 months). Deidra and I sat and watched a baby store yesterday (they were adopting 2 kids from Kazahkstan) and I cried when they brought their kids home. I'm really beginning to wonder if your opening the door to us becoming parents again, but adoption is the way to the children for us. I'm going to keep praying about the timing of the adoptions and I know that You'll show us the way. In the meantime, we're going to give this last shot with clomid a chance. Thank You, Abba, and please help us to become parents again and give Deidra the siblings that she so desperately wants as well. I long to hold a baby again and I just know that Deidra is going to be an awesome big sister!

Thanks for a great review and a good raise...

Thanks so much, Abba, for taking care of me! These past few months I've been trying to remind myself that I really do my work for You and that You see what I'm doing and the things that I've been having to deal with.

I'm up for my monetary review and Corey made me do a self assessment. I'm not good at tooting my own horn or the whole compliment thing and I scored myself way low. I only gave myself a P which is Performer. Corey told me I scored myself too low when he read it. Anyway, they do round table with all the reviews at Staff on Wednesdays and Corey took mine with him. All the department heads and assistant managers and the store manager are at the Staff meetings. Anyway, I guess they all didn't realize that I never got the promotion to head cashier, all of them thought that I was already and didn't realize that I'm just technically a cashier. Corey told them that I work crappy hours, I've stepped up to the plate and proved that I could do the job with no problems, and that I was owed some money to make up for the last few months and he gave me a V =. V is an Achiever. They asked him if he felt that I could be a department head and he said yes. I guess nobody in the room had anything negative to say, they all felt that I could do a really good job as a department head. So, they bumped me up to a V+. That's one step down from an O which is Outstanding and not many people get. Corey, said that I'm going to get a really good raise. So, I'll get 9%. I'll take that. He also said that he mentioned to everyone at the end of staff that I was leaving as he didn't want that news to effect my review in any way and he said that everyone thinks very highly of me and I'm going to be dearly missed. I was near tears, I was so touched. I never expected that review score or anything.