(warning:long winded emo drudgery)

Has anything really happened since February 11th? Valentines Day kinda came and went. I had a really nice, relaxing day with Shawn and Bailey. He got me a gorgeous flower arrangement and such a sweet card. I've never been much for the holiday. I strongly dislike--alright HATE--going out and battling with 8,700 other romantically inclined couples for concert events and fancy dinner reservations. I'd much rather stay in on Valentines Day, spend some good quality time together and do out "going out" on a different, less hectic day. That's exactly what we did! I fixed a tasty meal and we relaxed together basking in romantic happiness. It sure beats Valentines Day 2008!

Last year by now I knew that my ex-husband was "on the fence" about whether or not he was still in love with me. After begging him to give us a second chance, we then lived like strangers in the same house on pins and needles for about another month. The amount of "change" that would have needed to take place for us to have a fighting chance was absolutely not there. When one person is checked out and has emotionally and romantically moved on, that's that. It still surprises me how slowly yet quickly everything unraveled and how matter-of-factly I began picking up the pieces.

There are so many people who helped me during these hard times. My family accepted and loved me, even though divorce to them seemed at the time a harsh overzealous action. I know I was being watched out for and find it no coincidence that their visit to Texas fell the week of my ex's official "move-out". I've said goodbye to my parents countless times, but I have NEVER cried as hard as I did when I had to drop them back off at the airport. It felt like my world was crumbling and that I didn't belong to anyone. I had so many friends and family members who let me cry on their shoulders long-distance and showed patience and love while I fell apart to them. The more I talked through it, the less I felt like it was the end of my world. The advice I was given, and the loving reassurance really grounded me. Thank you, I hope you know who you all are. I'm pretty rotten at keeping up my side of friendships, but I love and appreciate you guys all so much.

Rejectamundo

*disclaimer-yes, I realize my addiction to facebook holds no bounds, and no I haven't sought professional help yet.*

Now that I've clarified that, it's on to the juicy details. I'm one of those facebookers who started out timid and grew to a new level of bravery. It used to be that I wouldn't try to "friend" someone, unless I knew that he/she/it would 100% know me, my family, and my entire life story. Based on some of the friend requests I started getting, I decided to be more liberal whilst stalking for online friends. When I get a friend request I check a few things--friends in common, and info on their profile that may give clues to how I know this person or not. If we have any common denominators, friendship is born.

The other night I was wasting away my youth browsing status' and friends of friends online when I saw a guy that I haven't talked to since High School. Let's call this guy Bernie Norm. I proceeded to go through my internal checklist. Recognizable picture? Check. Recognizable name? Check. Similar friends? Check. Common schools listed? Check. Alright--request friendship. A few hours later when I was browsing again, I noticed I had a facebook email from this dude. He said "Hi, I don't believe I know you?" Stuff like this will happen every now and then. If I'm 100% that the person and I have a legit connection, I'll write them back with details. If not, I just let it go. With this Bernie Norm guy I wrote back "yah hi, we went to such and such highschool together. you and I were in Orchestra together, you played the cello I played the violin and we used to do quartets together. You dated so and so too, who was one of my good friends. Hope you've been doing well, it's been a while huh!" Pretty informative don't you think?? He wrote back "Yah, all that is right but I don't think I remember you well enough to be your facebook friend."

Rejectamundo my friends!! He totally shouldn't have said anything. It would have been merciful to just deny my request and let the friendship request fade into oblivion. Now I'm faced with humiliation, self-esteem issues, and the realization that I'm un-memorable. Sigh....

What a week it's been!

It's taken me more than a week to post this because, well I've just not had the time nor energy to get it done.

A week ago last Friday we got a company wide email telling us that with the mergers of Compass Bank, some smaller banks, and lastly the acquisition by BBVA that there would be some "restructuring". Restructuring means layoffs. 1200 people, equating to 10% of the workforce. It makes sense that some departments needed to be restructured, but I really didn't think it would affect me.

Last Wednesday our Customer Service Manager didn't show up. Knowing that she kinda comes and goes like she wants, I didn't think anything of it until I saw big-whigs walk in. I found out she'd been let go as part of this "restructuring". A few hours later came my news. My manager fore-warned me not to be overly 'scared--it's a good thing' before she brought me in her office to conference call in with my district retail manager and the HR manager.

The long and short of it was this. My branch that used to be a 2 FSR(aka banker) branch was being made into a 1 FSR branch and they needed to find somewhere else for me. My somewhere else could be either a) Transfer to the Anderson Mill branch or b) go on my merry little non-severancy way. I opted for A.

All in all it's not a bad move for me. The branch has a different client base with more opportunity and money, which ultimately should make it easier for me to meet my sales goals. Plus it's a lot closer to work and I don't cut down on gas/toll expenses. I dislike the fact that now I look like a newbie, and reinforce the hated "turnover". I'm a new face there, and a lot of people don't listen to the fact that I've been with the company for 1 1/2 years. It'll take some time and work to get a client base up again, but I'm feeling up to the challenge.

It was my half day at work today (since I work this Saturday). I already got delayed an hour with a customer, so I was sooo ready to be home. I had MAYBE been sitting on the couch for 5 minutes before I fell asleep and napped for 2 hours, lol. Needless to say every single bit of me is exhausted after whats been going on this last week.

Meet Bailey

This is Bailey, the new dog that Shawn adopted a few weeks ago. He loves dogs so we started looking around for a cute little furry friend to bring home. We ended up finding Bailey at the Austin Humanes Society. We've gotten different stories about his breed--from being purebread Dauchshund to being part coon, etc etc but either way he's gorgeous.

For some reason he LOVES me. Like beyond anything I've ever experienced. Cat's are kind of non-commital with their emotions, and my dog growing up wasn't really bonded to anyone. But Bailey is my shadow. He will follow me around everywhere, and stare at me like I am his long lost love--which is precious, but overwhelming because he really suffers from separation anxiety. It probably stems from abandonment issues, but it's been quite a struggle. Anything Shawn and I have read online says that separation anxiety is the hardest behavioral problem to overcome, and that training begins by reducing the attention you pay to him. How hard is it to not let him come give me loves, follow me around, or sleep right on my lap!! Argh!!! Slowly but surely, we're working to help him realize that we love him and he has no reason to be concerned.

Potty-training is another issue. Since he's been passed around from puppy-mill to animal shelter most of his life, he has been stubborn. For the first little while he would ONLY take care of business a) on the carpet or b) when going for a walk. Even though Shawn has a perfectly fine backyard full of very friendly grass. Doxie's are one of the more stubborn breeds to train, but the timing and strict patterns are starting to set in.

All of this probably explains why I'm soooo tired lately! They say that couples try raising "pets" before raising children and I can see why. We try not to let all of our time together be Shawn, Amy and Bailey time but it tends to go that way a lot. Bailey's worth it, but I also can't wait until things fall into place again :o)

Ahhh sleeping

What in Heaven's Name is this a picture of?? It's a picture of me demonstrating how I take naps at work. I am a responsible employee, so of course I only nap during my lunches. I can shut my office door and blinds and revamp my energies by engaging in a rewarding nap.

I find it works quite well to recline in my chair, lean my head back, and open my business card binder to block the light out. It rests perfect on my shoulders/chest to still allow me ample breathing room. I'm one of those people can that fall asleep at the drop of a hat--mid conversation, sitting straight up, and driving. To me, a cat-nap sitting in a chair is just as rewarding as a cat-nap on my bed.

I've tried other variations--sleeping with my head on my arms on my desk, sleeping with my head on a pillow on my desk. They all result in those obnoxious red marks that give away my Siesta Secrets. Turning the light off is also a no-go, as I'm often interrupted during my lunch naps to help customers. But by using the business card binder, I can quickly sit up straight, set it to the side and prepare to help masses of waiting customers with their engaging financial needs.

If you're interested in your very OWN business card binder, you may purchase one at fine retails stores such as Office Max, Office Depot, or Best Buy. Happy Sleeping!