January Attacks!

I guess there's some explanation due here.

On second thought, see the title if you need an explanation. :)

I hate sounding like a broken record, but sheesh, LIFE IS CRAZY!

January is always a challenging month to get through. I try to view it as a time to catch my breath after the holidays, but it simply doesn't work that way. Especially at work. And this time around wasn't any different!

The struggle at work with the end of the year is that I have the month of January to close out 2008, meaning that I have to make sure the payroll book is all filled in and correct, (No, I don't have a computer program to do it for me, it's all about the graph paper and calculator!) patient files are all up to date...Essentially what I have to do at the end of each month, quarter, etc with the inclusion of end of the year taxes (as well as 4th quarter taxes) W-2's, W-3's, 1099's and all sorts of other ABC soup tax forms I'm under a great deal of pressure to complete (and complete CORRECTLY) by the end of the month.

The even more complicating factors: We had a price increase for services, and my program won't update the total on each individual patient file--I had to go through and do it MANUALLY--PLUS I was also behind to start with because I was out of work for two weeks in December from the abnormal snow. So I was behind, overwhelmed and frustrated trying to update everything before I could even get started on the legal things that were due by the end of the month. Oh, and of course the CURRENT workload that kept getting shoveled onto my desk that sat for about three weeks before I could get to it... Needless to say it looked like they were testing A-Bombs in my office, and I was under pretty exorbitant amounts of stress to catch up, get things done and take care of all the current and oncoming stuff. Not my idea of a pleasant work environment.

So I've been more than slammed (and overstressed--I'm too much of a perfectionist) at work, buried in housework at home,(I FINALLY got laundry done last weekend) husband working 14 hours a day, the house OVERLOADED with stuff that needs to go to storage (hah, big joke trying to can two boxes of apples into applesauce while this is all going on) and two young kids both demanding 26 hours of attention a day. (I'm not kidding, they're both demanding more hours than possible in a day)

However, I've had my moments. My husband bought me a copy of 'Twilight' and I spent my lunch breaks escaping to Forks (not a long trip for me, living near Seattle and all!) chasing after vampires. The following weekend, my husband was camping (yes, snow camping, absolutely nuts) so my weekend was spent staying up wayyyyy past my bedtime devouring the following three books. Needless to say, I utilized my rusty skill of reading 1400 wpm (I was clocked in high school) and by the time my husband returned from camping at the end of the weekend he not only had 'Twilight' waiting for him, but 'New Moon' and 'Eclipse' as well. I was also about 250 pages into 'Breaking Dawn'.

*imagins herself standing in front of a support group*
'Hello, my name is Becky'
'Hello Becky'
'And I'm officially a Twilighter'

Anyways, where was I? Oh yes, weekends. This upcoming weekend my husband and I are cashing in our Christmas present from my Mom in law and embarking on a weekend...*gasp*...

Without the kids!

This will be our first overnight stay without kids in...Lets see, how old is Celesta? Yup, that long. We have our favorite Bed and Breakfast booked on Whidbey island, tickets to go see 'Twilight' one more time in the theater (Husband also loved the books and wants to go see the movie again now that we've both read the books) dinner at a NICE restaurant on the water, a round of two of disc golf, sleeping in, and probably anything else we can think to do that we normally can't with two kids in tow. Yup, looking forward to it, BIG TIME.

However, the end of January doesn't bring all that much celebration. My good friend that's been up here from New Mexico since October is returning home at the end of the month. Which means no more playmate for Celesta, and no more beading and catching up with my friend. I knew this was coming, but it still stinks. I'm tempted to stash my cash intended for the Anime Convention I go to every year and invest in some plane tickets...

Which reminds me... Sakura-Con 2009 is only two months away! HOORAY!!!! *does her happy anime dance*

And another way I've kept my sanity this month: Investing in some new tunes for my Mp3 player and cranking them as loud as I can while hitting the gym. There is NOTHING like turning on my 'protective bubble of noise' (as I call it) and burning off stress the 'healthy' way (I dunno how healthy it is sacrificing my precious hearing, but oh well.)

So yeah, that's where we're at: Focusing on the light points as life grinds us through the month. I just hope February is less polarized. :)

Retail Therapy

This may seem so random, but I just have to share!

I had to go pick up the pictures taken with Santa, and I had a few minutes during lunch so I ducked into the new bead store located in the same complex as the photography place...

WOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!

I've been challenged trying to get the specialty items I've wanted because the bigger craft stores (JoAnn's, Michaels, Ben Franklin) don't have them. I've been pretty successful with Shipwreck Beads and feeling pretty good since they're in state and I'm helping the local economy, but I consolidate orders to save shipping (plus they have a $25 minimum order requirement) and I can't always make big orders. SO ANYWAYS, I was pleasantly surprised when I walked into this place to find out they have WigJigs (the brand of wire jig I use/own, all the other stores have what's called 'Thing-a-ma-jig' because it's cheaper) and accessories in stock, the Swarovski crystals I've been searching high and low for (yes, I needed them for Christmas, but I can always start for next year!) and a bunch of other GREAT STUFF that no other beading store I'd been to had! Needless to say, my Christmas bonus disappeared FAST, and I'm doing a 'Happy Beader's Dance' (Not to be mixed up with my 'Happy Anime Dance', lol)

I talked to the owner manning the store, and found out she has three other stores in Montana, and if there's anything I need and the other stores in MT have it, she can get it here in about four days (and was more than happy to do so!). Her prices were pretty darn good (which for the complex she's located in is kinda a surprise because I know it's expensive to be located there) and her selection was GREAT! Yay me! A store I can satisfy my 'Gotta have it NOW' urge I suffer from occasionally! :)

Anyways, the place is called Garden of Beadin' and it's located in the Country Village in Bothell. (Where I got married, and where I take my kids to get their Santa pics taken every year because Chapters Photography takes APPOINTMENTS!)

It's amazing what a little retail therapy can do sometimes! :)