Day 31 Post 25 - Finally Friday

TGIF!!!!!!! After a week and a half off, there was so much to catch up on.  I did get as caught up as much as I could. But with both supervisors out, I was missing some vital information. Nothing was urgent so it will wait until Monday. I did wade though environmentals though. That has been a nightmare. My supervisors did good about getting follow-up swabs done.

Topping my week off, my boss was sent home because he hasn't brought in a Doctor's release.  Too funny if you ask me. He can work from home easily enough though. Me not so much. Though I kind of wish I had taken my work computer with me and logged in after classes. But I refuse to be that much of a work-a-holic. Beside I really didn't have the time.

Today, I did not have any caffeine. This is the first day in months that I have gone without caffeine. No headache, yet, but boy am I worn out. I came home from work and crashed. I really would like to get back off the caffeine. Mostly because I drink more water when I don't drink caffeine. Partly because I think it elevates my blood pressure slightly. Not that my blood pressure has been high, my BP is good. But being diabetic, it is a good idea to make sure it stays good. 

Is there something you are trying to give up?

Day 30 Post 24 - Getting It Done

 Busy day today. I had 4 meetings today and it was tricky to take my lunch in between the meetings. Fortunately there wasn't a whole lot of paperwork to go over. So I was able to knock that out fairly fast. I was able to wade through results and get them recorded and as well as releasing the product. 

The accounting manager called to let me know there was another invoice that Angela sent out yesterday and could I please get it done so Joey could approve it. I was happy to inform her that I had gotten it done yesterday and Angela had already gotten dropped into the program for Joey to approve.

The last thing I was able to accomplish was the Accrual. Basically, we account for any testing done by the outside lab and estimate the costs that will hit in the next month but that really belong to this month. It has been made harder by the fact that the lab has started billing every two weeks instead of monthly. So we have to go into our spreadsheets and figure out what has been paid and what hasn't. I've made an adjustment to the spreadsheets and we will start marking it on the spreadsheets as we do the invoices. This will also help us make sure we aren't paying twice.

All in all it was a good day. I completed what I set out to do and still attended all my meetings. And I almost left on time. I ended up talking with one of the other managers for awhile. But I was home by 6:30pm and I had done some shopping. 

Was your day a good one? Did you get done what you wanted to?

Day 29 Post 23 - Back At It

So yesterday I stopped in at the local Chamber of Commerce. I was hoping that they had a small business start up packet. They don't. They did give me the number for the UGA Small Business Development Center in Albany, GA.  I looked up the website and found that there is an online class for starting up a small business. It costs $39.00. I guess I need to look at that more closely. I'll need to figure out how to carve out some time to do it. There are other classes as well. I need to do a little more research.

Had a recruiter reach out about a Quality Manager job in Moultrie, GA. That would be about the same distance I am driving now. I will speak with him on Thursday afternoon. There is another position that I am going to look into as well. 

Not that I am looking to move on, Just want to see what is out there. Especially since this year's review will be tied to an employee survey.  We have to have a 5% increase in employee satisfaction to get a meets expectation. We should be getting those results before too long. It would be enough for me to move on if my review is dependant on employees that I have had to discipline. Plus it is not just my direct reports, my supervisor's rating is figured into mine. If their direct reports don't care for them, it affects my score regardless of how they feel about me. So I am keeping my options open.

First day back, went pretty well. Still need to figure out where everything stands. Both supervisors are now out for the rest of the week. I am finding some things that need fixed and somethings that need updated. Tomorrow, I have meetings all day. It is going to be interesting doing the supervisor's job, my job, and fixing all the mistakes and attending all the meetings. Oh well, I've done it before, I'll do it again.  It just means a little longer at work is all. Who needs sleep anyway.

How did your day go?

Day 28 Post 22 - End of Trip Summary

It was a whirlwind of a week and weekend. We finished up our class on Saturday around 3:00pm and headed down to San Antonio. We were so close, that it didn't make sense to not go to the Alamo. 

Killian drove down to San Antonio and the traffic is Austin was horrendous. It was a parking lot for about 45 minutes and then stop and go for the next 30 minutes. We finally made it down to the hotel in San Antonio and he was done driving. I don't blame him. It was nerve racking.

After checking into the hotel, we drove down to the river walk. We did the boat tour and then walked the loop before eating dinner at the Provost Haus. Which is situated in the historic Villetta. After dinner, we went back to the hotel and got in about 10:30pm. We were both worn out and ready to sleep.

Sunday morning, we got up and drove down to the Alamo. It is quite an experience and I recommend a visit to everyone who hasn't been there. A friend of my husband once stated that at the Alamo "you could feel the boys." I have to agree but it was more than the men and boys who died. I could feel the worry and concern of the women who were there waiting in fear for the battle to end.  I could feel the grief of the wives and mothers who lost sons and husbands. It can be a very spiritual experience.

After the Alamo, we got on the road heading home. As we were driving through Houston there were boards in the road. Boards with really long nails in them. I'm talking 2x4s with at least 4" of nail sticking up. I was driving. Fortunately I was able to straddle the ones in my lane. There were 5 cars and a semi on the side of the road with multiple flat tires. I am thankful that the car in front of me slowed way down and that alerted me to some thing being off. I did the same but the car behind me was too impatient and ended up with flat tires. It was a mess. We were luck enough not to have any car trouble on the trip. Of course driving the brand new car probably contributed to that.

We also stopped at a Buckees while we were still in Texas. If you haven't been to a Buckees, it is an experience. A reel i saw on facebook describes it as Walmart and Cracker Barrel had a baby. Plan on at least 30 minutes to get the full effect.  Killian and I got the XL chopped brisket sandwich, which was awesome. The soda fountain had all sorts of flavors and more than just cola in the diet flavors. The fudge bar was huge, we got an assortment box and it was all yummy. (No, I haven't eaten it all up already) I also picked up a box of Pecan Pralines, also very yummy. We even got souvenirs. Killian got a hat and I got a tee shirt. 

We filled up the car while we were there and got back on the road. We didn't leave the Alamo until 12:30pm and had a 6-7 hour drive. I drove until we got out of the heavy traffic then Killian took over. We got to our hotel in Covington, LA around 9:30pm. We were both exhausted. Between the classes, the travel, and the sight seeing, we were done in. We didn't even get dinner. We just went to bed. 

On Monday, we got up and were on the road by 8:00am. We had rain almost the whole way but it wasn't too terrible. Killian drove the rest of the way home. e got in about 4:30pm. We unloaded the car and talked with Perigrine who had dinner waiting for us. We were glad to be home.

Killian went back to work today. I go back tomorrow. I spent today doing the paperwork for some dental and vision insurance claims. I was going to try and finish the taxes but I still can't find the one 1099-inv for the stock dividends. Oh well. I will look some more tonight.

Back to the grind tomorrow. Do you ever struggle going back to work after some time off?

Day 24 Post 21 - Graduation

 We graduated from the basic course this morning. This afternoon we tore into Long Arms. Tomorrow soldering, lubricants and setting up a shop. I really can't wait to get home and start working on my machines.

Planning on looking for some used machines to fix up and re-sell. Hoping to hit thrift stores, flea markets and estate sales. We are hoping to service machines for friends and family as we build up our experience.

It's been a long day and we have lots left to do tomorrow. But we're still pretty stoked about what we've accomplished.

How did your day go?

Day 23 Post 20 - Day 3 - Sergers

 Day three of training is completed. It was all about sergers and frankly it had me very nervous. I was dreading this section. But it wasn't bad at all. I rather enjoyed it and my sew out at the end was good. 

Tomorrow is the test. Then the business modules as well as some hands on training with oiling and lubricating. We will also be looking at commercial machines and long arms. 

I am excited to go home and get to work on of my machines. Killian and I are considering looking for old sewing machines and sergers to work on. We'd fix them up and then sell them. 

One of the things we need to do when we get back is to get a business license and set up our business plan. Plus we need to figure out where we are going to work on these machines. Somewhere other than the dining room table. (my dad's favorite place to work on projects) Ideally we would set up a shop out back. But we need to to get a storage building for that and then we'd need to finish the inside of it with electrical, work benches, etc. That will definitely have to wait until bonus time. (if we even get bonuses this year)

Lots of plans to make and practice to get in. Hopefully we'll be coming back next year to do the embroidery machine class.

What plans do you have on the horizon?

Day 22 Post 19 - Is He** Freezing Over?

 Day 2 of sewing machine repair training is in the books. Both Killian and I are understanding it better. Tomorrow is going to be rough because of the multi needle machines. But I believe we will get through it.

After 2 days of driving then 2 days of sitting in a classroom, both Killian and I were needing to just move. We stopped in at Walmart and got what we needed to work out. I needed some new tennis shoes and Killian needed some shorts. We went to dinner and kept that light. Then we studied for our test on Friday. 

At about 8:30pm, we went down to the gym and got on the treadmills. I haven't done any exercise for about 10 years. I wasn't sure I could walk for 30 minutes at any speed. I started out at 0.5 mph but by 10 minutes in I was up to 1 mph.  At 20 I was at 1.5 mph. Not fast I know but more than I have done in ages. I don't need to have a heart attack or stroke here in Texas. I still have a class to finish.

I know I am out of shape and I was expecting to not make the 30 minutes. After the first 5 minutes, my hips and thighs were screaming. I thought for sure I would be stopping a 15 minutes. But around the 10 minute mark, things loosened up. We plan on doing this every night. Hopefully it will help us sleep and focus.

I think I could do this on a daily basis if we had room for a treadmill. But I am not sure the universe is ready for me working out. He** just might freeze over.

Do you exercise?

Day 21 Post 18 - First Day in the Books

 We made it through day one of the training. Poor Killian, he has never used a sewing machine, so understanding how they work is a hurdle that no one else has had to overcome. He is doing great though. 

We started on the mechanical machines today. It was interesting taking the cover off. I never took the cover off before. I have gotten into the needle area before and back in the hook area. I was ahead of the group until it came to taking off the cover.

They warned us that the next few days was going to be hard but that after the third day it would be better. Today was pretty intense so here's to fortifying our determination. There isn't anything that I can't learn to do. I will have them repeat the process until I get it.

Going to get a good night's sleep. Then tomorrow, I will remember my voice and put aside my pride and ask for help.

Hope your day went well.

Day 20 Post 17 - Finally Arrived.

We arrived in Temple, Texas today. As we were driving to the hotel we realized that our class is just down the street. So no need to leave too early to find it. Traffic was much better today. We made it in just over under 5 hours. Considering the number of bathroom breaks we needed to take today that was really good.

I guess both Killian and I were shedding water today.  But the stops were quick and we still made really good time. Other than the cookies from the double tree yesterday, we didn't snack on the trip either. Just drank, maybe a little too much, but we were thirsty. 

We had an hour to kill before check in, so we got a late lunch. The restaurant was near the hotel, so we just walked over there. Actually, we walked to one restaurant that looked promising, but it is closed on Monday and Tuesday. So we walked to the other one. The walk was a good thing as it stimulated our appetite.

Tonight, we spent a little bit of time reading from the text for the class. We figure if we read 4 chapters each night, we will be prepared for the class the next day.   It was fun watching Killian using his knowledge from other processes to understand the sewing machine processes.

Looking forward to class starting tomorrow. I love learning new things.

What are you learning these days?

Day 19 Post 16 - First Day of Trip

 We made it to Sulphur, Louisiana. We checked into the hotel and got a bite to eat and are now winding down. The drive was great except for the 4 times we were in stop and go traffic. The trip should have taken us about 8 hours and took closer to 12. We did stop for lunch and had a few potty breaks but it was the traffic that was the hold up.

We are both still very excited to for the training. So looking forward to getting there.  

How did your day go?

Day 18 Post 15 - Prepping for the Trip

 Today was spent getting things ready for our trip. I did laundry, paid bills, played with the grandkids, and went to Dorian's 3rd Birthday party.

I am trying to get things packed up tonight. It looks like I am going to need 2 bags for the trip. I am not taking my work computer. I am taking my person computer and our new business computer. But before I pack up my personal computer, I need to do my evening routine. 

I am waiting on one load of laundry to finish drying. I have packed up my EPP stuff for the trip and am thinking that I can do it when Killian is driving.  We'll be taking turns driving out there and I am sure it will go smoothly. We are taking the new car. 

Still pretty excited to be doing this. I love learning new things. I like working on things. I am pretty good with mechanical things and so is Killian. I am hoping that we can actually turn this training into a little side business that will supplement our retirement, kid's schooling, etc. If nothing else we could possibly barter for services. Having useful skills is always a good idea.

What are you looking forward to?

Day 17 Post 14 - New Car

Well, it had to happen. The kids car bit the dust. I can't complain we only thought it would last 5 years. but 15 years and 325,000 miles later, it just gave up the ghost. 

So we bought a new car. I paid more for it than I wanted to but we need it. At least the house and the other 2 vehicles are paid off. It just means we will have to slow down paying off credit cards. But 3 reliable cars are much better than 2 reliable and one iffy one.

I have only driven my new car from the dealership to church and then home but I love it. I need to figure out all the bells and whistles. My husband even got me the red one. I like color and the red reflects my personality a lot more than white.

I decided that I am going to take the new car to Texas. It has more room than the my venue and a full size spare. So I am going to drive it even though it means putting a lot of miles on it right off.

I am going to enjoy this experience even though I wish I could have put it off a few more months. It is a treat and I should get to enjoy it.

How have you treated yourself lately

Day 16 Post 13 - Back Sliding

 As you can tell, I've fallen off my routine these past few days. I was just too tired to complete my routine. It all falls back on too many long days in a row. I've not worked less than 10 hours a day this whole week. Of the four days this week, I worked 11 hours for 3 of them. On top of that, two were early mornings. So not enough sleep. Honestly it wasn't just my evening routine that fell by the wayside. It was the morning one as well. I had to get up and out the door.

Now I am not going to say I feel guilty about slacking off. I don't. This blog is about my attempt to get Healthy in all areas and facets of my life. I refuse to guilt myself over prioritizing rest. Rest is essential to health.

However, I have kind of back slid when it comes to the work life balance. But with me taking over a week off, starting next week, and my boss being out on medical next week, well I just need to make sure things are in place. I honestly plan to not take my work laptop with me. I may have to since time goes in next Friday and I have to approve it. But I think I can do it from my phone, so I am still up in the air on taking it. I am leaning towards not taking it.

Even with the back sliding, I am still doing pretty well. My spirits are good and I am looking forward to my training next week. But I am going to get back on my routine starting now.  I just don't want to lose all the progress I've made. I am not going to give it up just because I have a little blip here and there.

Do you guilt yourself over backsliding? Does it make you want to just give upon your goal?

Day 13 Post 12 - Long Day

We got early to take my husband to the airport. Probably not the best idea on the day after the Daylight Savings Time change. But there was no choice, it had to be done. however it was like a double whammy to my system. I have felt nauseous and exhausted all day.  

The original plan was for me to get to work early then leave early. I got there early but didn't make it out early. Well, I left on time so maybe that was a little early. But now I need to go back in early again tomorrow to take care of some training. So it will be a triple whammy to my system. 

Next week they will have to make do without me. Which means this week will be heck. But I will get things done and make it work. On top of that we have a Relief Society activity on Friday night and I have the program. I need to work on that tomorrow. It's all planned I just need to pull it together.

Well, 3:30 comes early and I still have scripture study to do. 

How did your transition to Daylight Savings Time go? Or are you one of the lucky ones who doesn't have to do that nonsense?

Day 12 Post 11 - Busy Weekend

 It was a really busy weekend. I picked Kim up at the airport on Friday night. We spent the night at a hotel down in Tallahassee. The next morning we were at Stanton Optical to pick up our glasses. Then were on our way home. Once home we unloaded the car and started packing for the trip to Alabama. 

But first Kim and I went to the bank to deposit a check and then home to load goats to take to their new home. Kim insists we need to trim back the herd. I hate letting my babies go. But for the sake of genetic diversity we need to switch out the bucks. In the past year, our does gave us 3 little bucks and all by the same sire.  Plus the 4 little does. Bringing the size of the herd to 10. All of which are too closely related. Also the place is too small to that size of herd. Buying more land is really not an option right now. 

After the goat delivery there were some trees to plant and one to deliver to a friend. Then we were off to Alabama to visit my daughter and her family. The newest grand baby was about to be spoiled. 

We visited with them for a little while on Saturday and then headed to the hotel. Kim's jet lag finally hit and it hit hard. Killian and he hung out in the hotel room while Perigrine and I drove to get Chinese food and made a Walmart run.  

By the time we got back to the hotel, TK and her bunch were there. 10 people in one hotel room can be a little crowded. But we ate Chinese food and chatted. Then called it a night and went to our separate rooms.

This morning was a little rushed. But we made it to church in plenty of time. Zach did a good job blessing little Wren and it was a good meeting. But weather was rushing in. omWe ended up not spending as much time with Tatianna, Zach and Wren as we originally planned. Storms were heading in and we wanted to get home before they got too bad.

As it was we drove through a rather heavy storm from Colquitt to Whigham. There was hale as well as rain. But we got home safe and sound. 

Now we are all trying to recoup from the weekend. My asthma is acting up due to the storm and the pollen exposure before the storm. Kim is fighting off jet lag. Killian and Perigrine are both worn out. (Mostly from helping TK and her family move into their new house Thursday and Friday)

So here it is 5:30pm on Sunday afternoon and all of us are falling asleep. I am trying to stay awake so I can go to sleep early. As I have to get up early to take Kim to the airport. But I'm not sure how long I can hold out. 

Hope your weekend was pleasant.

  

Day 10 Post 10 - Learning

 Today I got everything done that I wanted to get done. that was a good feeling even if I worked an hour later than I planned. Of course there were still unexpected hiccups and urgent issues that I had to deal with. Some of which I need to start passing onto the supervisors.

In Extreme Ownership, they talk about leading up and down the chain of command and decentralized command. I am pretty good at keeping my boss in the loop. Probably more than he wants me too. I need to make sure I am keeping the supervisors well informed too. As for decentralized command, I struggle with letting my supervisors do their job. I tend to just take of things as they come up. 

Last night after reading the chapter about leading up and down the chain, I stepped back from a situation and let my supervisor handle it. It would have been really for me to diffuse the situation and I would have know it was taken care off. Instead I spent the evening wondering if it had been taken care of. It was. It was detailed in my morning report. The waiting was a little hard to do.

I am probably going to read this book again and find more ways to improve as a leader.

What are you learning these days?

Day 9 Post 9 - Busy Day

 I got to work today with a definite plan in mind for what I was going to accomplish. What I didn't count on was my boss having a project for me. To be fair he didn't realize he was going to have a project for me either.  My plan went out the window.

Between meetings and the occasional urgent task that needed dealt with, I was busy all day.  I got most of the project done and passed off a couple of tasks to one of the supervisors.  I actually left at 5:00pm.

I had enough energy to go do the grocery shopping. I bought fresh veggies and fruit. I am looking forward to all of our trees producing. That is if the we don't get a hard freeze. We usually get a late freeze sometime before easter. If the fruit sets before the freeze we should be okay as long as it's not too too cold.

My kids are over at their sister's helping them pack and move to their new house. I am enjoying a quiet night at home. I will need to do some reading in my book for work. And of course complete I my night routine of blogging, scripture study and reading.

How was your day?

Day 8 Post 8 - Procrastinating Doing the Taxes

 Well, it's March and I have had all of the paperwork needed to do the taxes for over a month. My husband is starting his annual pestering of me to do the taxes. I hate doing the taxes. Mostly be cause we've ended up paying so often in the past. Actually, we have had to pay either Federal or State taxes for the past 9 years. I am sure that we will have to pay again this year. We have hit that point where we don't have any dependents but our wages are higher than they ever have been. Too bad I can't count all the goats, pigs and chickens as dependents.

The gathering of all the documents is another part of doing the taxes that I hate. A couple of years ago I got smart. I put a file folder in my wall file to put all the tax documents in as the year progressed. It sure makes it easier to gather them up come tax time. But I still end up looking for at least one document. This year it is a dividend statement. My husband handed it to me to put with the tax papers but I can't find it. I have a huge stack of papers that I need to file and I am reasonably sure it is in that stack.

I have a tendency to put off filing papers until the wall file is bulging. In fact this last time it broke. Hence the huge pile. I guess I am going to have to break down and file it.

I think I will take a leaf out of Scarlett O'Hara's book. Tomorrow, I will think about it Tomorrow. 

Did you get you taxes in early?

Day 7 Post 7 - Homework for Work

 Last month, my boss informed me that he was going to give us (my supervisors and me) homework. He then followed it up with all the managers were going to do it but he is getting a jump on it. I was cool with it. It is another opportunity to learn some thing. 

Just about 2 weeks ago, the new operations manager told all of the managers that he wanted us to read a book. The book is Extreme Ownership. It is about how Navy Seals lead in and work together. Written by a couple of Navy Seals who do leadership training for all sorts of organizations. This is the homework my boss is talking about. What an odious assignment, reading. I don't know if I can stand it.

The books for our department came in that same day. I have had this book for almost 2 weeks. But I wanted to finish up the book "Joyful" first. It's hard for me to read more than one book at a time. Especially if I am trying to learn from it

I finally started Extreme Ownership on Sunday. I am having trouble putting it down. It is a good read with a lot of information. It is a book that I am going to read again and I will probably reread it right away to get all of the concepts down. As it is I am about half way through it now so a reread is not going to take that much time.

I am reader. In fact, I am a bit of a compulsive reader. I am the type of reader who will finish a book I don't like just because I started to read it. (Sometimes I think it's that I am hoping it will get better.) Anyway, I have trouble putting a book down. I have to be at a logical stopping point, like the end of a chapter. If I can even stop there. I have been known to stay up all night reading a book. As it is with Kim out of town I need to set an alarm to remind me to go to sleep. When he is in town, he makes me put the book down. 

I haven't been reading all that much lately because once I start reading I get in an endless cycle where I tend to neglect everything else. But I have started reading a little every night as a part of my evening routine. However the reading I have been doing lately has been more self improvement and not so much for escape. But with my new routine and an alarm, I might just be able to work a little controlled just for fun reading in.

Do you have trouble putting a book down?

Day 6 Post 6 - Preparing for the Future

Today was a good day. I got everything done that I needed to at work. I met with my techs and came home to a new baby goat. Another boy. 

Then I sat down and started paying down/off debt. My car is paid off three years early. Two credit cards are paid off and another paid way down. So less debt. We sold off the old truck and put that money in the car down payment fund so we are getting ourselves in a really good position to purchase another car. (We really need a new one, Killian is holding the kids' car together with spit and chewing gum) Plus there is enough cash left over to do the various trips this month. 

I am really looking forward to my sewing machine repair training. Killian is as well. It's less than 2 weeks now and the excitement is building. Perigrine is even designing a logo for us. It is all getting very exciting. As I said in a previous post this is going to be a side hustle to supplement income. Who knows what the future will hold in this economy. Marketable skills will come in handy.

So much positive going on. 

How are you doing?

Day 5 Post 5 - Grandkids

 We took the grandkids to church with us today. The youngest was sick and Mom and Dad had some things to take care of before Dad headed out of town on a business trip. The kids ages are 8, 5, and not quite 3.

It has been a while since I had to deal with little ones at church. My youngest is almost 24. The kids have come to church with us before but usually their parents are with us. This time it was just Killian, Perigrine and I. Perigrine was helping Grandma and Grandpa Bouton though so really just Killian and I.

I forget how wiggly little boys get. It is near impossible for them to sit still for 10 minutes, let alone and hour. Plus they were eager to leave, because they wanted to go to my house and play with the baby goats.

All in all they weren't to bad. After church we got some fired chicken because they were hungry and after lunch we chased down the baby goats and they got to hold them. Then we took them back home to spend time with their dad before he left.

They didn't want to leave which is good for my heart but they should be with their dad before he left.  I don't get to see them as much as I would like but that is life. I see them more than any of the other grandkids so I should just be thankful. All in all it was a good day.

How was your day.

Day 4 Post 4 - Let Downs

Today was a little disappointing. It started out pretty good. We slept in, ran to the bank, got some morning beverages and headed off to Rattle Snake Round-Up. 

We have gone to Rattle Snake Round-Up in Whigham, GA every year that we lived here. Well every year they had it. Covid shut it down for a couple of years. I hate to say it but it wasn't worth the admission price. 

They use to actually have teams that went out and rounded up rattlers as a competition. They also had snake handling demos and snake milking demos. There was a booth run by the Boys Scouts that sold fried rattle snake. But the organizers have gone all PC and none of that exists anymore. They do have wildlife people there talking about invasive species and plants. There are booths where you can handle non-venomous snakes and reptiles, which is awesome. But without the competition and the little bit of sensation, the show has no real appeal. 

There used to be so many booths; food booths, cottage industry booths, home party type sellers (think avon and tupperware), crafters, and antique/junk vendors.  The prices used to range anywhere from what a great buy, to reasonable, to you are out of your mind, but there was something for everyone there. Now there are hardly any booths. What was there was mostly food booths. 

We usually go to these festivals and get Gator Kabobs, funnel cakes and maybe fluffy fries. The Gator Kabobs and fluffy fries weren't as good as they usually are. We think they needed to change their oil. We were so disappointed that we didn't even look for a funnel cake.  The citrus fruit vendor hasn't been there the past couple of years. There were hardly any crafter's booths. We did buy some girl scout cookies, and a new belt for my husband. S not a total loss.

I overheard one woman say that she used to do a booth by herself but had to have 3 friends come in with her this year because she didn't make back her booth fee the last couple of years. She is thinking that they won't make back their fee this year. A booth cost $125.00. They are going to have to lower their booth fee and possibly drop the entrance fee if they hope to save this festival.

After the disappointing festival, we came home planning to just chill. But the guy who wanted to buy our old truck came by with the cash. We got it out of the goat pen, filled out the forms and exchanged the title and cash.  That money is going towards the down payment on the next car. That was a relief.

I decided I wanted pizza and wings for dinner. The kids and I decided to order from the little pizza place in town, called Home Slice. We've had the pizza a few times and liked it. At first I was going to order from the newest pizza place, but the kids heard it wasn't that good and was just a hipster type place.  So Home Slice it was. Except it wasn't. My daughter went to pick it up and the store had moved and rebranded itself. It was the newest pizza place afterall. And it was disappointing. 

The wings were baked and had no heat at all. the devil in the blue dress was supposed to be a buffalo chicken and blue cheese pizza. The small wasn't much larger than a personal pan pizza and while it was good, it was a little salty and not at all spicy. The large All of That, was an everything pizza, that didn't have very much of everything including cheese and sauce. It was Meh food at best and priced like gourmet food. Total disappointment. Plus the service was lacking and the personnel were condescending. Won't go there again.

Tomorrow, we'll take the grandkids to church and let them hang with the baby goats for a little bit. Then I think we'll just chill.

How as your day?

Day 3 Post 3 - Drained

Well, I rose to the occasion and handled the audit by myself. It was a good audit and our team gave me the support and help I needed.  My boss reassured me a couple of times before and during the audit. The operations manager reassured me as well then told me I did good. My boss thanked me again and told me he was proud of me. 

I am Drained. I didn't realize how stressed I really was about it. I am glad it is over. I definitely need to get more familiar with where I can find documents, etc. Also I need get better at using the technology. 

Still it was a good day and I am looking forward to the down time of the weekend. Maybe going to a local festival. Then again I may just Chill at home. It has been a long and stressful week with my boss being out, I need to decompress.

I hope you all have a great weekend.

Day 2 Post 2 - Rising to the Ocassion

 This week, my boss has been out sick. I have been handling things. Nothing major. We did have to do some discipline. And I did have to hold some product.

Today in our manager's meeting, I explained why we held product and why it happened and what we did about. I also explained our corrective action. I made a point of saying we were not going to brush things under the carpet. Dave, our operations manager, commended me on my actions.

Later I had to explain it all over again to my boss' boss. But I had done everything the right way and he now understands what happened and what we are doing to correct the situation.

Tomorrow is a customer audit. From a big international company. My boss will not be back. I will be conducting the audit. I have done them before. My boss called to check on me and let me know he'll have his computer set up. That way I can reach out to him if I need help. The sales manager is going to be there as well.

I'm a little nervous because I want it to go well and I really didn't have much prep for it. But I will do my best and learn anything I need to learn. I got this.

Day 1 Post 1 - Financial Health

We are at the point in our lives that we are looking to retire. Which means we want to get rid of debt. Don't get me wrong our finances are not horrendous but we like many others have had to use credit cards now and again. The housing bubble bursting back in 2008 killed us. We lost all our equity in our previous house.

Anyway in the 34 years that we have been married, there have been times where I dreaded paying bills. I was always unsure if we were going to have enough to live off of. The worse times were when my husband was only getting paid monthly.

But nowadays, paying bills is not scary at all. We are diligently paying down debt. We have paid off our house and are down to one car payment. We will be able to pay that one off shortly and purchase another one to replace the 14 yr old car my kids are driving.

Removing the stress of finances goes along way toward wellness.

Have you done a financial checkup?