Thursday, August 20, 2015

Lots to catch up on......

I seemed to have taken a long hiatus from blogging. I have been reading all the blogs I follow but hadn't really had time or desire to post for a while. I am loving my new job and it has been an adjustment working 48 hours straight and then having days off before working again. Realized I don't do well with days off not after working the last several years 6-7 days a week with 100 plus hour weeks.

I had tried to stay part time at my office job but that just wasn't panning out for me. I was still in a mood and stressed when there not to mention felt like I needed to do 40 hours worth of work and files in 8-16 hours a week. I have done this the last few weeks. All while looking for a part time job that would work around my full time job with the rotating schedule.

Last week I had an interview at a local bank in the town where I work ambulance and fire at for a part time loan processor position. I went in to the interview gave it my all and knew it wasn't a big deal if I got the job or not. Today I received a call from the bank offering me the job! I was shocked and scared and almost said no because I have never worked at a bank before. However I accepted the job knowing it was my ticket to finally get away from the toxic office job I have been at for 12 years. I will get to work with the public (last 12 years I have been down in a basement rarely seeing anyone other than the few who work there). Also realized I will have to go shopping for some dressier clothes since I will be in the publics eye.

Also last Thursday was the start of school Blake is in 5th grade and Nathan started kindergarten not sure where my little boys went!
 
Its the only year that both will be in the same school as Blake will move on to middle school next year eekkk..... Nathan is so so with school he likes it once there but some mornings we have a meltdown before getting to the car or on the bus.
 
Blake turned 10 last month and we went to a Cardinal's baseball game for his present it was a surprise and he loved it.  Also on his actual birthday we stopped by the fire station and I got to take them for a ride in the fire truck which they thought was super cool...


Its been a crazy few weeks but I am not as stressed and frazzled as I used to be which is wonderful. I love knowing I don't have to be at the office job I dreaded daily anymore. I am doing a job I love and getting more time to learn and do more with the fire department as well.

Won't lie changing jobs was scary going down some in pay freaked me out but also taught me to cut back on things we didn't really need like eating out several times a week. Going back to only once every week or so and making it more of a special thing vs every night thing.
The new part time job will be some extra money to save back for Christmas and to do fun extra things and I refuse to let myself work 80 plus hour weeks. Its not worth it to myself or my family.
 

 
 
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Thursday, July 2, 2015

Exciting Things Happening in July!!!

Wow been a long time since I posted, let the stress of work and being over extended and to busy get in the way of posting. Hope that will change in a couple weeks.
Last Sunday I worked a shift at the ambulance and the boss came in and asked me if I would like to go full time there. I had heard earlier in the week that one of the EMT's was moving and hoped I would be asked. I of course accepted the job and was in shock happy scared all in one. It will be a bit of a pay cut but I would go from working 5 days a week at the office to working 2 days a week at the ambulance. Plus it comes with benefits something my current job don't have.


So on Monday I came to the office and told my boss, she wasn't to happy but it immediately felt like a weight had been lifted and stress was gone. I will stay here for 3 weeks as I don't go full time until July 28. Which seems SOOO far away.


I do plan to find some part time work to supplement some of the pay difference but not in a real hurry as I think having some time off after pulling 60-80 hour weeks for so long is much needed. Would love to find something I could do from home or even something that was every once in awhile not a set schedule. My schedule is a rotating one where you work 2 on 4 off and you don't work the same days each week.


Hope to have more time to blog soon have so much to catch up on!
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Tuesday, April 7, 2015

Easter and Weekend Happenings

Wow its been a LONG time since I sat down and posted anything. Life has been busy but a good busy. I will try to not make this a super long post but still get things caught up and post some pictures.

Couple months ago I got a nice surprise from my fire chief at St. James Fire he sent me a pic of my name plate for the back of my bunker coat. I was shocked and surprised usually people don't get those until they have been there a long time. So I was excited and drove to St. James on my lunch break and put it on my coat then I had to take a picture. Not sure why it excited me so much but it did.


The weekend before Easter I helped with practical testing for the Fire 1 and 2 class we are doing at the station and after we had lunch it was mentioned climbing the ladder on the truck. I mentioned I had never been up that ladder and that I didn't think I wanted to. I am not a fan of heights. However they talked me in to it and I climbed most of the way up. I probably shouldn't have been climbing the ladder and kept that I did it on the down low. I wasn't technically fully healed from surgery a few days prior but still wanted to over come a fear or at least attempt to over come it.


Easter weekend this year was quite different than years past. I didn't do a big family dinner just planned to do whatever or nothing didn't want to make plans just to be disappointed when no one showed up for dinner. My grandma offered to take us and my mother in law out to lunch on Sunday. Saturday Grandma and I went to Rolla shopping it had been a while since we went shopping together and it was nice to spend time with her. We arrived home and the boys had been hauling branches from our yard with the four wheelers over to her brush pile and were burning it.




Sunday the Easter bunny was very good to the boys. They got the muck boots they had been asking for as well as some pants candy and a few little things. They had fun hunting in the house for the baskets that the Easter bunny hid. We went to lunch early with Grandma but the place was still packed. Came back home and the boys finished up their job from the day before. I think they stretched it out extra long so they could drive the four wheelers more.


Wasn't quite the Easter I wanted but it was still nice kids were in good moods played well together and no stress of trying to cook and worrying that no one would show up.

I bought myself some new running shoes over the weekend and can't wait to try them out my old ones were going on 3 years old this month and starting to make my feet ache if I walked or wore them to much.

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Friday, January 2, 2015

Catch up with photos

So I haven't blogged for a while. Have so many potential posts running thru my mind just never enough to make a decent post. I will do a post with some pictures catching up from October til now. 

Halloween Blake was a cardinals baseball player and Nathan wanted to be the bedo minion from dispicable me. 

Also in October I joined the St. James fire department. I did take a selfie on one of the calls we were headed to in November. 


It been a neat fun experience full of challenges. But I love it! I have ran several calls so far. 
Christmas came to quickly the boys were super excited to open gifts 
Picture of them opening the big gift they had asked for... My mom and stepdad got them an Xbox 360 they were some happy boys. 

 I'm working on a post of recap of last years goals and figuring out my goals for 2015. 

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Thursday, October 9, 2014

Reason Why I Have Been MIA

So I have been MIA from blogging for a bit now. Have lots of posts to catch up on. Nathan turning 5 his birthday party. Nathan's first field trip. Life in general has been busy. I have been working way to many hours last day off was Sept 20 next full day off is Oct 25, well Oct. 21 but that is to go sit in a waiting room for the day at a hospital while a friend has surgery.

I work again this weekend so I hope to upload blogs with photos until then here is a recap of what has been going on.

Work work work and more work while normally it don't get to me the last 6 days about did me in. Last Thursday night I went in to work at 9pm to cover for a EMT who needed to go work his other job as a deputy until midnight (knew it would be later but gave him benefit of doubt) I got to go work and do what I love he got to go do what he loves and got some criminals off the street win win however he didn't return until 2am.
Friday sucked I was tired end of story. Then I worked ambulance for football standby well good ole Missouri weather changed and it was COLD and windy at the game I froze.. Was still froze at 4am. Clue one I should have seen that I was coming down with something.
Saturday morning helped with an auction it was still COLD and windy and I couldn't get warm left auction headed to ambulance to work from 2pm on. Fell asleep on the couch. I was exhausted and never have I fell asleep like that with coworkers around because this will happen:
The caption my nice coworker put was: Shelley earning her $ today , watching a movie , and not falling asleep ... Woke up to my phone going off showing me the picture and then I realized it was on FB at least it was a good picutre ha.... 
Here are the comments that followed the pic: 


So Sunday I worked at 24 hour shift and my partner was also an EMT which usually means we run our tails off because the other crew with Medic only goes out if its paged as a call that needs him.. I felt like death body aches fever head pounding and clogged with sinus crud and elephant on my chest. We ran our butts off and in between every call I was in my room under my blanket trying to stay warm and trying to rest. Lucky for my the rest of the guys working that day all stayed in their rooms so no one noticed I felt like crap. Usually I am not one to stay in my room all day by nightfall my partner noticed I hadn't ate much and was prying as to what was up. We ended up with 6 calls in our 24 hours! 

Monday wasn't any better I went to my office job home to shower fed kids and headed back to work for a  12 hour shift luckily we only had one call around 9pm. So I got to stay in my room and rest, Tuesday well wasn't much better but several friends told me to go buy some Mucinex DM and I forced myself to the store and got some. Sure enough its slowly starting to work. 

Wednesday was a bit better not much and today well I think I may survive which is good since I work again this weekend. Now if I hadn't already worked a 100 hour week, had I gotten sleep every night last week I probably wouldn't have felt as bad. Any smart person would have went home but I am stubborn and stuck it out.  Monday morning at the ER we helped another ambulance get some patients unloaded and my best friend was working thankfully she didn't see or hear me on radio long enough to realize I was sick she would have caught on quick.

The last few shifts I have worked with another EMT Nancy we have a great time and we are both hard headed and stubborn. We always seem to get patients that are either 3 times our size or live in a house with steep steps to get them down and out. We are both about the same height (short). Our first shift together we joked we were Wonder Woman because we each had to lift about 250 pounds a piece on one call. I found this on pintrest and it will be printed in color and hung on our lockers at work. 

Ok that's enough rambling from me but thought I owed whom ever may still read my little blog a update on why I have been MIA. 
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Monday, September 8, 2014

Weekly Catch Up and Goals

Last week flew by... Not sure I got much accomplished but I didn't have a total meltdown either (just a minor one)

Goals for last week were

1-Drink more water still drinking at least 80oz but would like to up that some. Did good with that averaged at least 60 at work and usually 20-40 more at home

2-Continue to spend time with each of the kids nightly. The nights I was home  yes I spent time with them, and let them stay up late Saturday night so I could see them both. 

3- Since I have become used to tracking food time to add in workouts even if its just wall pushups and squats each trip to the restroom while at work. Yes and no when I remember I do them last week was so busy I was lucky to even use the restroom. 

4-Eat enough calories each day and don't use empty calories just to be able to log calorie intake. Fair I think I only had one or two days that it told me I hadn't ate enough. 

 Goals for this week:
1-Continue to drink more water

 2-Log all of my food. 

 3-Providing weather stays cooler get some lunch time workouts in or maybe some walks after work with the kids. 

 4-Not let the lack of sleep make me crabby with everyone. 

Last week was crazy busy I only had 3 days of work since Monday was a holiday. I was off Friday for my cousins wedding in St. Louis. Since I was the one bringing our grandma (from my dads side). I worked the night before the St. Louis trip so I was tired to start the day. Was a good trip my grandma had fun I do believe she was pretty darn wore out. She hadn't been out from home that long in the 9 years since she had a stroke and hadn't been to the city in over 30. 

 So I worked Thursday night from 5pm til 8am. Hair appt at 8:30 drive to the city do wedding stuff and then drive home. We didn't stay for the after wedding dinner as it would be really late when I got her home and knew it would be to much for her and could possibly risk getting her sick. I will do a separate post about the trip with Grandma. 

 Got home Friday evening after dropping Grandma off didn't even get in the house when I had a chance to go to work and do a call in transfer (extra bonus $$ for those). So I changed clothes at work and we went I got some odd looks walking in to the ER with my hair all fixed fancy and makeup on.. We dropped that patient off and then got another call and offer to take another transfer which was more bonus money. So heck ya me and the girl I was with jumped on that. We ended up working from 10pm until 4:30am! Saturday had to be back at work by 9 to do the parade home for a couple hours then back from 6:30 until 11:30 for the demolition derby standby. Got home at midnight back up yesterday morning to work a 24 hour shift. Was lucky and got to take a decent nap yesterday afternoon! 

 I work again tonight then I think the rest of the week is boring and no plans... I do have appt to get my hair colored tomorrow at noon and not sure what color I will aim for. 

 Saturday night's standby was a lot of fun we had the best seats in the house down on the track, my partner brought two friends with him that had never been to such a event and they LOVED it. Was fun watching their excitement and the million questions. 
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Tuesday, September 2, 2014

Weekly Recap

Last week seemed like it flew yet time didn't move. Work was crazy busy and super stressful. I worked at ambulance Monday night and  it was one of the most fun shifts I had in a long time. We played a card game cards against humanity and I forsee it becoming a regular thing on those days where we aren't busy.

Wednesday thru Saturday was the Maries County Fair. This was the first time in several years our fire department wasn't cooking at the fair. It felt super strange knowing we could go at 7pm for the events and I could sit and watch them instead of being busy cooking. However by Saturday I was tired of just sitting there watching but the kids helped that we had to take a dozen trips to the concession stand as well as the bathroom...

Sunday was a lazy day for me and the kids. My sinuses had kicked my butt and between them and the going non stop for weeks it all caught up with me. Nathan's sinuses were also giving him issues so we did a lot of movie watching. Both kids took naps and by evening had perked up.

Yesterday Grandma wanted to take the boys out to lunch and had me go along. The kids LOVE Buffalo Wild Wings because they have tablets the kids can play games on at the tables. I like the boneless chicken wings so its a win win. Grandma had never been there so of course thats where we went. Afterwards they had talked her in to taking them shopping they decided they needed new cowboy boots (actually they both did but I was going to try and hold out for Santa). So after a long trip to Family Center both boys had new boots from Grandma  and since picture day is coming up this week I let them pick out a new cowboy shirt. Funny thing is they both picked the same shirt.

Ok on to the goals from last week and  how I did:

1- Eat healthy 85% of the time for all meals and snacks. Finding that I am craving crap less and less which is good but now need to find some variety of foods to eat so I don't burn out on the few things I like. Did really well with this one. Still haven't found any "new" foods but still not craving junk foods either.

2- Spend time with the kids find things to do with each of them every night. Pretty successful the fair was fun for the kids all 4 nights. I made sure to take each one separatly at least once to the concession stand or to walk around so we had some one on one time. Sunday Nathan fell asleep first so Blake and I had time together then Blake fell asleep when Nathan woke up so it worked out well.

3-Continue to stretch and research some new stretches and some yoga poses. Not as much as I wanted to never did get time to research but still taking time to stretch during work a few times a day. It has really helped the tightness in my shoulders and hips.

4-Track all foods and exercise in myfitness pal. 100% success with that! This may have been the longest I have tracked. However I am finding I am eating less and less calories a day and when I complete my entry for the day it tells me I am not eating enough. Even though I am not hungry or skipping to many meals.

5-Try and find ways to manage stress better and not end up broke out in hives each day at work. Not much luck in that department. A good friend told me to just let it go in on ear and out the other. Some days thats easier said than done.


Goals for this week:

1-Drink more water still drinking at least 80oz but would like to up that some.

2-Continue to spend time with each of the kids nightly.

3- Since I have become used to tracking food time to add in workouts even if its just wall pushups and squats each trip to the restroom while at work.

4-Eat enough calories each day and don't use empty calories just to be able to log calorie intake.


Have a busy week coming up which I will write about soon so 4 goals will be enough to keep me busy busy.

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