And the tiredness continues...

The new person I mentioned in my last post (please take note of the date of that post), has yet to be hired. Yep, still hasn't started. Yesterday I heard final word he is starting on Monday, so hopefully I will be able to have time to think soon.

Tired...

I'm sorry, I've been working like a crazy person. 2 people quit at work, 1 of which was my counterpart. I am now 8 months into this job, doing the job of a Sr. Technician. Great opportunity. Horrible hours. No fun sinking or swimming.

BUT I haven't forgotten my blog and my few followers.

Pray for me, I think I will be needing it...

Hopefully they will hire someone next week, but then I have to train them AND do the job of 2 people. Why doesn't that sound comforting?

I'm going to bed.

New Years Eve Mega-Party!

Ok, so it was only our little family and it ended when the kids went to bed at 8, but it was a great time. I made the best Nachos ever, we ate junk food, wore silly hats and the kids made a lot of noise. Miguel opted to get the kids noisemakers - on purpose. He also watched football and we all listened to some great music. It was a fantastic time.

Miguel and I made it to the New Year...barely. We were both worn out from the Mega-party...ok, we're just getting old.


Katie looks a bit possessed after I removed the red-eye, but aren't they cute? Yes, that is a temporary tatoo on Josh's arm. He is potty-trained but we're still occasionally rewarding him with stickers and tattoos...Star Wars themed, his favorite.

Here are our most recent full-family pictures!

This was the best of the photos...which I agree isn't saying much, but we're all in it! Katie was trying to escape and you can't tell that I'm pinning Josh down too. Good times. I fully respect those who've braved the professional studio; it was easier taking pictures of the 3 dogs together than those kids.

Joanne's Job Update

I found a new job!!! Ok, not really a "new" job, but a different job within the company I am currently working for. I'll be in a very different role, so I am VERY excited.

For the last 7+ years I have been a part of the Corporate Service Desk at FCG, taking phone calls and providing technical support to all of the employees of the 2500 employee company (hardware, software, network - you name it, we fixed it). Since moving to Tennessee in '05 I've been the supervisor for the group. In April '08 FCG was purchased and we became CSC, which is a 90,000 employee company and already had a Corporate Service Desk. My department was eventually eliminated, but I was asked to stay on in a similar role on the Global Outsourcing Service Desk (glorified name for an outsourced Help Desk call center). I currently supervise 20+ people and would eventually be the liason to one of the Health-system clients we support.

Recently, I've really wanted to do something different. While transitioning into the new role I realized how much I missed the technical-side of things. While management has it's perks (I have my own office, for example), I craved a bit more flexibility than a 24/7 (including holidays) call-center allows. Upon finding out my department would be eliminated, another manager sought me out and asked if I would be interested in joining her team, back in a support-type position with an easy route into a project management-type position. This role would also put me back into the realm of Monday-Friday work, with my occasional turn on call for overnights and weekends and I'd one again have my holidays back.

Fast forward to this week. I've interviewed and been offered the position. My offer letter arrived yesterday and I'm going to accept on Monday morning. The new job has me client-facing, something I've never dealt with formally (my "clients" up until recently had always been the employees of the same company I worked for - and in my current mgmt position I hadn't yet been assigned any specific accounts).

Starting October 13th, I'm going to be doing system support for the various Meditech software systems used by at least 2 of our clients. My manager would like me to eventually (like, as soon as I've mastered the systems) move into a Clinical Application Analyst role which includes Project Management and Development of customizations for the systems. All of this will be very new to me and I'm very much looking forward to the challenge of learning again! Yay!!!!

Thanks to everyone who remembered me in their prayers as I waited for this job offer. I will be working from home after my initial training is completed, so I now have close to 2 more hours to spend with my family every day which I would have spent driving! This will be a huge blessing to our family.

Hair cuts...

The snow returned last night and I went to get my hair cut again. I say again because I chopped it all off about 4 weeks ago. I liked the hair cut I got, but didn't LOVE it. I went back today to get it done again, and it's worse. sigh. I don't think it looks terrible, just not as fan-tab-ulous as I'd hoped. Today's haircut will grow into what I want pretty soon, I think, so I'm kinda excited.

Here is how it was after the first cut - not great pics, but something...

I really liked the back of it best - and it looks a lot different in the pictures than when I came home.

It looked much different today when I got home. They gave me the "messy" look and I HATED it. I brushed it out immediately upon getting home and it improved immensely. I like the length, but not really the style. It just isn't what I was looking for. A problem with never having had short hair before - or a haircut which I needed to "maintain" - is that when they ask me what I want, I don't know what to tell them and I just can't visualize it. So I tell them to do what they want. In today's case, I'm not thrilled with their choice. The best part? It's just hair and it will grow back soon enough.

Here is how it turned out - and look, there's Katie.

I am officially letting my hair grow out until I can get it into more of a bob and less of a pixie. Here is another one of Katie, just because she is so darn cute.

One thing I must say I do like about the short hair. I have to style it. Most would think this would be a down-side, rather than a perk. I find it to be wonderful. Since I'm still losing baby-weight and don't often take time to put on make-up, I love it that I can feel cute because I have to take the time to do my hair. I haven't ever "styled" my hair daily before. I was a wash and wear girl - usually with my hair still quite wet when I would leave the house. No longer an option, but I'm not sad about it.