It's another Friday, and I have more good things to say! I could get used to having good news... it's lots more fun than complaining!
After three months and three weeks, I finally came to an agreement with my former job about how much money they owe me. The first reply to my request (in early January) said "We do not owe you anything." Then a few weeks later they admitted that they owed me at least mileage reimbursement. Then a few weeks later they actually looked at their books and realized that they had not paid me my salary since mid-November. Then we haggled over overtime pay, none of which they felt they owed me. Out of everything I felt they owed me, I got about 3/4ths. We picked up the check last night and dropped off all of the stuff I had from them-- printer, cell phone, office supplies, etc.
And here's more information than you wanted to know: I was sick to my stomach all day. My body decided at quite inopportune times during the day that I needed to make a dash. It was puzzling, as I hadn't eaten anything even remotely upsetting the day before. Normally I wouldn't share all this, but I do have a point: during my second little episode I felt God nudge me and say, "This is you getting rid of that toxic job." Today I've never felt better. God is so funny sometimes.
In other happy news, Georgie the Bunny is doing great. We're weaning her off of her medication and she should be off it by Monday. She has taken over the guest bathroom as her home and grunts at us and lunges at our feet when we come in to visit her. We call her our little pig.
Speaking of pigs, and other barnyard animals, last night we tried bison! We went to Ted's Montana Grill which features burgers, both beef and bison. I felt adventurous just being in the presence of weird meat; Brad impressed me and actually ordered a bison burger! And it was good! It's very lean, with less than half the calories of beef and lots less fat. It's a chain, so if there is one near you, give it a try!
Else this week: our kind landlord is doing a short sale on the house we're living in, which we knew when we moved in. On Wednesday we had the first showing of the house. It went quite well, and we hope for our landlord's sake that it sells quickly. But it was also a reminder of how crazy our lives are about to become. In the next month Brad will finish his program... which means we have no ties to Florida any longer. We could move at the drop of a hat, if a job presented itself. However, he is swamped with school work so the job hunt is a bit slow. It looks like we'll be here through June, maybe. I've taken on some summer school courses at the university for extra money and those end in mid-June. I also interviewed for a summer school position somewhere on the East Coast (there are numerous sites) which would be June 20-August 8. I'm considering taking a few summer school classes in New York, which are mid July through mid August. Oh, and perhaps the house will be sold and we'll have to move out. Maybe in a short time. Or maybe not. Maybe we'll move in with Ralph and Chris for a little while. Maybe we'll move up north. Maybe we'll road trip all summer and visit all of you we haven't seen in ages.
None of these things really line up in a pretty way, so I'm just throwing my name out there and waiting to see which doors open. Many of you know how much I like to plan ahead (or control things, if we're all going to be honest about it), and I am learning to let go more and more. And thank God, I am the least stressed I've been in a long time! I feel like my faith, my trust that God will orchestrate if I'll just let go, has grown. Even in the midst of chaos, things are good.
Friday, March 27, 2009
Thursday, March 19, 2009
I'll take it as a compliment
I've recently decided to take up running. I need to exercise, but am too impatient for walking. After my SECOND RUN this week (so very proud), I jumped in the shower before Brad got home to take me out to dinner. I came upon this little peeping tom on our window:
Now that our days in Florida are numbered (we don't know the exact number yet) I'm taking more notice of things we won't see up north. Like geckos on the bathroom window.
Now that our days in Florida are numbered (we don't know the exact number yet) I'm taking more notice of things we won't see up north. Like geckos on the bathroom window.
Friday, March 13, 2009
Here she is, on the mend
Nom, nom, nom. Parsley is to rabbits what chicken soup is to humans. So soothing.
I like to hide in the corner so I can't be picked up and force-fed medicine. But I don't want cold paws from the tile. A towel, folded, please.
I like to hide in the corner so I can't be picked up and force-fed medicine. But I don't want cold paws from the tile. A towel, folded, please.
I forgot to mention three other things:
1.) My tooth issue is much, much better! I went to a new, competent dentist who told me that my jaw muscles are "whacked." He's right. I've now been consciously relaxing my jaw during the day and at night, and it has made a huge difference. I'm about 95% better and the pain is nearly gone. Hooray!
2.) My old second job has conceded that they do owe me some money. It's less than half of what I think they owe me (they're refusing to pay me overtime) but it's at least something. I'm encouraged.
3.) We got a letter in the mail from our former mortgage lender, dated 19 days post-closing. It states that the sale has not been approved and that they are going to foreclose on our house. Well, the house we NO LONGER OWN. Such a riot. Never borrow from Countrywide. They are so inefficient I swear they use carrier pigeons instead of email. No one knows what they're talking about there. We're not concerned. But it was a little funny.
1.) My tooth issue is much, much better! I went to a new, competent dentist who told me that my jaw muscles are "whacked." He's right. I've now been consciously relaxing my jaw during the day and at night, and it has made a huge difference. I'm about 95% better and the pain is nearly gone. Hooray!
2.) My old second job has conceded that they do owe me some money. It's less than half of what I think they owe me (they're refusing to pay me overtime) but it's at least something. I'm encouraged.
3.) We got a letter in the mail from our former mortgage lender, dated 19 days post-closing. It states that the sale has not been approved and that they are going to foreclose on our house. Well, the house we NO LONGER OWN. Such a riot. Never borrow from Countrywide. They are so inefficient I swear they use carrier pigeons instead of email. No one knows what they're talking about there. We're not concerned. But it was a little funny.
Goodness!
Goodness everywhere, I'm happy to announce!
Here's the catch-up: Mom arrived on February 28th for a visit. The first few days were chilly and not good beach days, so we did our little day trips on those days. We went antiquing in Naples, we visited Louise and Jay in St. Pete,
we went to the Lee County Fair to see the rabbits, we went to Sarasota to see an antique market, got seafood, seafood, and more seafood, and did even more I can't remember. By Wednesday things were heating up, so we got outside a bit. We had a beach day at Sanibel and then Thursday was more beach time at Barefoot Beach in Bonita and a sunset dinner at Doc's on the beach.
On Friday we visited Sandi and Allen at South Seas on Captiva and went parasailing together!
While we were up in the air we saw two groups of dolphins in the water! It was a short 15 minutes, but felt like a hour of good therapy!
It was very peaceful and relaxing. For the weekend we rested and recovered from our busyness. It was jam-packed with fun and relaxation. So good.
But on Saturday night little Georgie stopped eating and pooping. By Sunday she was cranky and grinding her teeth, indicating pain. No vets are open on Sunday except for the emergency vet, so we thought we'd just hang in there until Monday morning. By Sunday night George was miserable and I wasn't sure she'd make it through the night. At one point she flopped over and looked dead! Brad and I shrieked and she sat up, but we decided to take her into the emergency vet. Costs be damned, the poor things was suffering so. The vet felt a mass in her stomach, but due to his unfriendly and unprofessional nature, we asked just for some pain medication and decided we'd wait until the morning to get an x-ray.
She survived the night, although we didn't sleep well, worrying about her. It gave us a little taste of what parents go through when their little ones are suffering. It's so hard! And we felt so inadequate, not ever having been bunny parents before. On Monday I took her to a good vet who x-rayed her and found lots of gas (painful) and a stomach impacted with lots of food-- a blockage. He was not hopeful that she would survive, and said that it was a formidable task to help her recover. This kind of thing can kill bunnies in 12 hours, due to the pain and blockage.
He gave me a handful of medications and I spent the day caring for Georgie in the bathroom. We moved her to the bathroom for now as it's easier to catch her come medicine-time. The meds have to be force-fed by syringe which is no easy task! When Brad got home we gave her a syringe of laxative, a syringe of pain medication, three syringes of water (she's not drinking), and a few other things to help with digestion and nutrition. The poor thing fought and fought, but calmed down once we started the prescribed tummy massage. We felt things gurgling around and took hope that they might work themselves out over time.
By morning she had made a few deposits. We made over them and praised her for a few good poops. She seemed quite proud, and less umcomfortable. We had hope! By later in the day she had made many more deposits. I took her in to the vet again on Tuesday for a second dose of sub-cutaneous fluids to keep her hydrated, and he was pleased with her progress.
Throughout the week it has been up and down, with moments of hope and moments of worry. I've been working hard to give it up and trust God will have his way, but it just tears my heart to shreds when I see another creature in pain.
We knew things might be ok when we took Georgie out on the lanai the other day and she invented a game of hide-and-seek! She has three hiding places: behind the firepit, behind the plant stand, and behind the nordic-track. She runs, wagging her tail, to one spot: waits for me to find her and say "I FOUND YOU!!!", and then dashes off to spot number two. Repeat, repeat, repeat. We must have circled the lanai ten times! This is now a daily occurence, and is terribly cute. Although this bout of GI stasis has not been a party, it has bonded the three of us together and she seems to trust us more. We'll go back to the vet on Monday for another x-ray to see if things are truly ok. Who knew that bunnies could be such fragile creatures!
In other good news, Brad is applying for jobs up north and is finding many viable options. The one he applied for last night seemed to be a perfect fit for him! It's so exciting to see him walking forward in this new career path, and it energizes him, too.
In still other good news, I got a phone call yesterday from the scholarship committee at Columbia. I was awarded a massive, unexpected sum of money that we consider to be straight from heaven. We had been a little concerned at how the math was going to work out as the financial aid packages just aren't very generous and the costs are outrageous. This windfall of scholarship money will more than make up for what we needed. Remember how I said to sit and wait for the miracle? Well, you can do your rejoicing now. It's just so humbling, and exciting to know that I'm on the right path, and God is making a way. It's faith-building, that's for sure.
So things are going well! It's a new thing for us, this onslaught of goodness, and we're thrilled for a new season of life. These past four years have been trying, as you've read, and we are so thankful to see more goodness these days.
Here's the catch-up: Mom arrived on February 28th for a visit. The first few days were chilly and not good beach days, so we did our little day trips on those days. We went antiquing in Naples, we visited Louise and Jay in St. Pete,
we went to the Lee County Fair to see the rabbits, we went to Sarasota to see an antique market, got seafood, seafood, and more seafood, and did even more I can't remember. By Wednesday things were heating up, so we got outside a bit. We had a beach day at Sanibel and then Thursday was more beach time at Barefoot Beach in Bonita and a sunset dinner at Doc's on the beach.
On Friday we visited Sandi and Allen at South Seas on Captiva and went parasailing together!
While we were up in the air we saw two groups of dolphins in the water! It was a short 15 minutes, but felt like a hour of good therapy!
It was very peaceful and relaxing. For the weekend we rested and recovered from our busyness. It was jam-packed with fun and relaxation. So good.
But on Saturday night little Georgie stopped eating and pooping. By Sunday she was cranky and grinding her teeth, indicating pain. No vets are open on Sunday except for the emergency vet, so we thought we'd just hang in there until Monday morning. By Sunday night George was miserable and I wasn't sure she'd make it through the night. At one point she flopped over and looked dead! Brad and I shrieked and she sat up, but we decided to take her into the emergency vet. Costs be damned, the poor things was suffering so. The vet felt a mass in her stomach, but due to his unfriendly and unprofessional nature, we asked just for some pain medication and decided we'd wait until the morning to get an x-ray.
She survived the night, although we didn't sleep well, worrying about her. It gave us a little taste of what parents go through when their little ones are suffering. It's so hard! And we felt so inadequate, not ever having been bunny parents before. On Monday I took her to a good vet who x-rayed her and found lots of gas (painful) and a stomach impacted with lots of food-- a blockage. He was not hopeful that she would survive, and said that it was a formidable task to help her recover. This kind of thing can kill bunnies in 12 hours, due to the pain and blockage.
He gave me a handful of medications and I spent the day caring for Georgie in the bathroom. We moved her to the bathroom for now as it's easier to catch her come medicine-time. The meds have to be force-fed by syringe which is no easy task! When Brad got home we gave her a syringe of laxative, a syringe of pain medication, three syringes of water (she's not drinking), and a few other things to help with digestion and nutrition. The poor thing fought and fought, but calmed down once we started the prescribed tummy massage. We felt things gurgling around and took hope that they might work themselves out over time.
By morning she had made a few deposits. We made over them and praised her for a few good poops. She seemed quite proud, and less umcomfortable. We had hope! By later in the day she had made many more deposits. I took her in to the vet again on Tuesday for a second dose of sub-cutaneous fluids to keep her hydrated, and he was pleased with her progress.
Throughout the week it has been up and down, with moments of hope and moments of worry. I've been working hard to give it up and trust God will have his way, but it just tears my heart to shreds when I see another creature in pain.
We knew things might be ok when we took Georgie out on the lanai the other day and she invented a game of hide-and-seek! She has three hiding places: behind the firepit, behind the plant stand, and behind the nordic-track. She runs, wagging her tail, to one spot: waits for me to find her and say "I FOUND YOU!!!", and then dashes off to spot number two. Repeat, repeat, repeat. We must have circled the lanai ten times! This is now a daily occurence, and is terribly cute. Although this bout of GI stasis has not been a party, it has bonded the three of us together and she seems to trust us more. We'll go back to the vet on Monday for another x-ray to see if things are truly ok. Who knew that bunnies could be such fragile creatures!
In other good news, Brad is applying for jobs up north and is finding many viable options. The one he applied for last night seemed to be a perfect fit for him! It's so exciting to see him walking forward in this new career path, and it energizes him, too.
In still other good news, I got a phone call yesterday from the scholarship committee at Columbia. I was awarded a massive, unexpected sum of money that we consider to be straight from heaven. We had been a little concerned at how the math was going to work out as the financial aid packages just aren't very generous and the costs are outrageous. This windfall of scholarship money will more than make up for what we needed. Remember how I said to sit and wait for the miracle? Well, you can do your rejoicing now. It's just so humbling, and exciting to know that I'm on the right path, and God is making a way. It's faith-building, that's for sure.
So things are going well! It's a new thing for us, this onslaught of goodness, and we're thrilled for a new season of life. These past four years have been trying, as you've read, and we are so thankful to see more goodness these days.
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