I feel like I constantly waiver between nothing to talk about and so much that I forget something. First, remember a couple of posts ago when I was whining about not getting a raise? And how I love my job and I love my boss? Here's why, let me tell you a story.
We have been waiting on our tax return which has been delayed at the IRS due to circumstances beyond my control. We were hoping to have it in time to buy a van before we left for vacation to Alabama. Well, because we are the Hallock's it did not arrive. So we decided to try and get a loan to buy the van. We didn't really want to get a loan, we want to pay cash, but we also didn't want to drive 12+ hours in a Kia Spectra with 3 children. On Thursday when our tax return did not come, we decided to go to the bank. We bank at USAA and do not have a local bank so I made an appointment with the SVP that our office does business with and that I have worked with in the past. I took him everything that I thought he could possibly need, explained the situation and prayed for a miracle. That afternoon back at work Josh(my boss) calls me. He asked if I got my tax money, and I said no. Guess what happened next? HE OFFERED TO LOAN ME THE MONEY FOR THE VAN! That's right here's $5700, no hesitation in his voice at all. That's why I love my boss and my job. Not many boss's would offer to do that. It totally made me feel like a dirt bag for being so ugly to him all week b/c I was cranky about the lack of a raise. I do deserve a raise, however I have so many perks that are not measurable. Him offering that solidified to me that I am in the right place. Thankfully, I didn't have to take him up on it. The bank approved our loan and we got the van!! Now I can't wait to get my tax return so I can pay it off!!
Technology is a beautiful! Ya'll know I upgraded to the iphone, which is fantastic in itself. Now I've turned on the personal hotspot function so the kids get use it for internet while we are on the road. Which means we also have net for the ipad and laptop. So Jonathan is on his itouch watching a netflix movie and I'm on the laptop blogging while driving down the road! I LOVE IT! Poor Jason he's a little jealous, but daddy's are drivers. Hehehehe! We had planned on staying in Memphis tonight, but I was totally thrown off by the cost of Graceland! $70 to see all the sites, and $30 for the half-assed don't get to see everything ticket. Well, I had not planned on $280 to see the king, that's craziness! So, we are skipping Memphis and going straight on to Birmingham! Whoo-hoo!
Stop worrying about what might hold you down, and pay attention to why you're standing up.
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Sunday, March 13, 2011
I am SO uber cranky. Not sure why. Everything is OK. Nothing is great, but nothing is horrible. It's just blah. I hate feeling like this. I am the little ray of sunshine most of the most. I'm the one telling others that everything will be OK, pepping people up... I feel like a fraud. Why can't I believe that stuff for me right now? I'm hoping that some sun, exercise and vacation will turn me back into the Angel we all now and love!!
Wednesday, March 09, 2011
Funky
Funky, Funky, Funky. That's me. I think it's a combo of the weather and no running(b/c of the weather!) I'm over it. I NEED spring. I CRAVE the warm breeze. I'm so over the cold. It's supposed to get down to 29 degrees tonight! That's ridiculous! It's too freaking cold.
I called the IRS tonight and they are still processing our return. Buttholes. They did it in 6 weeks last year. Of course it can't be that easy this year. Less than 2 weeks until we head to Alabama! SO excited about that one. Work is still ehhhh. I've been told a raise is coming, I have yet to actually see the money though!
I called the IRS tonight and they are still processing our return. Buttholes. They did it in 6 weeks last year. Of course it can't be that easy this year. Less than 2 weeks until we head to Alabama! SO excited about that one. Work is still ehhhh. I've been told a raise is coming, I have yet to actually see the money though!
Wednesday, March 02, 2011
Goals Update
Back in January I made a goals for the year. Part of being accountable is letting people know where I am in my goals. So here it goes....
Family/Life-
1. Spend more quality time with my family. We are always "together", but not enjoying each other's company. I want us to grow closer and learn to depend on each other more. Both the big kids are getting to the point where their friends and being away from home is becoming more important to them. I want to reiterate that family is #1, that your sister, mom, dad, brother, cousin comes before your friends. No matter what, end of story. To do this we are going to have family game night once per week. Each week 1 person will get to choose dinner and the game and we'll spend 2-3 hours with NO electronics. No itouches, no ipads, no phones, no computers, no TV. Nothing. Not even background music. I want to encourage conversation and interaction.
We did this for a few weeks, but we've gotten out of the habit. Hoping to get back on track this weekend!
2. Read 1 self-improvement book per month. I'm currently reading, The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership. So far it's great. I know I'm a good person, I want to be a GREAT person and reading books from other great people will help me to become the person I want to be.
I'm still reading the 21 laws...I have 4 laws left! So I'm behind...However I'm still reading :O)
3. I want to spend more quality time with my husband. In the day to day life of raising a family, working and school, it's easy to lose track of each other. Our relationship is the strongest it's ever been, it can always get stronger though. I want to go out at least once per month, just us. I want to do stuff that will allow us to interact with each other, not just sit in a movie theater.
This one is a work in progress. We haven't done anything outside the box. I think this weekend we are going to go to dinner with a friend from work and her husband, that'll be different b/c we don't have any couple friends!
Business/Work-
1. I will put forth more effort in my daily work. I'm lazy about entering notes into our lead management system. I will make this a habit as well as staying on top of my mailings. I will utilize the phone more than e-mail to contact our clients. This will make their experience with us more personal.
I'm doing very good at this! I'm a note entering fool now!
2. To focus on building relationships with those that drive me the most crazy in the office. To try to understand things from their point of view and to not let the little things get to me.
Stil working on this...she still drives me insane!
Spiritual-
1. To find and become involved in a Church. It's been almost 4 years since we left Meadowridge. That was our Church in Texas that we were very involved in. We have went to some here and there but nothing that stuck. Having a Church family, receiving the Word every week, and being accountable for my behavior is so important with my walk with the Lord. I will pray more, read the Word more and be more aware of my actions. Drawing closer to God will make me a better wife, mother, friend and person in general. Not to mention I miss Him. I miss being close to Him. We all know it wasn't Him that moved....
We went to Church every Sunday in January looking for a Church we liked, we didn't find one. We haven't been back anywhere. I'm going to make this a priority again.
2. To do a bible study that has me in the word daily. I'm not sure what that will be yet, I still have to find one. I want something that's going to help me grow as a child of God, and get me more involved in my Bible.
Haven't started a bible study. To honest, I haven't looked for one. I have several around the house. I think I will start there.
Health-(This is my easiest one!)
1. Run More- I have 3 very specific running goals for 2011. If you haven't already read them you can check them out here.
Doing OK here. It's hard to run when it's so cold out and with Jason's night classes it's been hit or miss. I average at least 2 days a week most weeks. That's not enough though. I need to do more.
2. I want to lose at least 29 more pounds. I will do this by running, working out and weights. I would like to work out 4-6 days per week.
I've lost a little (3 pounds!) still FAR off from that 29. I haven't been trying. I want to lose at least 6 more before alabama, hopefully 11, so I'm working hard now!
Financial-
1. To have at least $1,000 in savings by the end of 2011. It's not a lot, however with our tight budget, this will be a challenge. I'm tired of not having a savings account. We live on a wing and a prayer ALOT.
I'm over half way there right now! Whoo-hoo! However it's vacation money. So it will be deleted by this time next month!
2. Improve our credit. I'm not looking to buy anything big on credit. I just want to build credit for when we decide to. We only have $1,000 in credit card debt, it's to much for me though! I want to get that paid off and use it only for our monthly subscription to nexflix. That way we can pay it off every month.
I don't know if our credit is improved or not. I haven't checked. We have the credit cards paid down(not off) right now.
3. Buy a 2nd car. I was hoping this would be a newer mini-van. With the slap in face the VA gave us, that's not going to happen :O( However, we are still looking forward to purchasing a 2nd vehicle cash with our tax return. As long as it looks descent and runs, I'll be happy. No payments is good :O)
Still looking forward to this one! We should get our tax return in the next couple of weeks, so I'm looking forward to buying a van. I can't wait for the leg room!
So where are you goals in your goals??
Family/Life-
1. Spend more quality time with my family. We are always "together", but not enjoying each other's company. I want us to grow closer and learn to depend on each other more. Both the big kids are getting to the point where their friends and being away from home is becoming more important to them. I want to reiterate that family is #1, that your sister, mom, dad, brother, cousin comes before your friends. No matter what, end of story. To do this we are going to have family game night once per week. Each week 1 person will get to choose dinner and the game and we'll spend 2-3 hours with NO electronics. No itouches, no ipads, no phones, no computers, no TV. Nothing. Not even background music. I want to encourage conversation and interaction.
We did this for a few weeks, but we've gotten out of the habit. Hoping to get back on track this weekend!
2. Read 1 self-improvement book per month. I'm currently reading, The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership. So far it's great. I know I'm a good person, I want to be a GREAT person and reading books from other great people will help me to become the person I want to be.
I'm still reading the 21 laws...I have 4 laws left! So I'm behind...However I'm still reading :O)
3. I want to spend more quality time with my husband. In the day to day life of raising a family, working and school, it's easy to lose track of each other. Our relationship is the strongest it's ever been, it can always get stronger though. I want to go out at least once per month, just us. I want to do stuff that will allow us to interact with each other, not just sit in a movie theater.
This one is a work in progress. We haven't done anything outside the box. I think this weekend we are going to go to dinner with a friend from work and her husband, that'll be different b/c we don't have any couple friends!
Business/Work-
1. I will put forth more effort in my daily work. I'm lazy about entering notes into our lead management system. I will make this a habit as well as staying on top of my mailings. I will utilize the phone more than e-mail to contact our clients. This will make their experience with us more personal.
I'm doing very good at this! I'm a note entering fool now!
2. To focus on building relationships with those that drive me the most crazy in the office. To try to understand things from their point of view and to not let the little things get to me.
Stil working on this...she still drives me insane!
Spiritual-
1. To find and become involved in a Church. It's been almost 4 years since we left Meadowridge. That was our Church in Texas that we were very involved in. We have went to some here and there but nothing that stuck. Having a Church family, receiving the Word every week, and being accountable for my behavior is so important with my walk with the Lord. I will pray more, read the Word more and be more aware of my actions. Drawing closer to God will make me a better wife, mother, friend and person in general. Not to mention I miss Him. I miss being close to Him. We all know it wasn't Him that moved....
We went to Church every Sunday in January looking for a Church we liked, we didn't find one. We haven't been back anywhere. I'm going to make this a priority again.
2. To do a bible study that has me in the word daily. I'm not sure what that will be yet, I still have to find one. I want something that's going to help me grow as a child of God, and get me more involved in my Bible.
Haven't started a bible study. To honest, I haven't looked for one. I have several around the house. I think I will start there.
Health-(This is my easiest one!)
1. Run More- I have 3 very specific running goals for 2011. If you haven't already read them you can check them out here.
Doing OK here. It's hard to run when it's so cold out and with Jason's night classes it's been hit or miss. I average at least 2 days a week most weeks. That's not enough though. I need to do more.
2. I want to lose at least 29 more pounds. I will do this by running, working out and weights. I would like to work out 4-6 days per week.
I've lost a little (3 pounds!) still FAR off from that 29. I haven't been trying. I want to lose at least 6 more before alabama, hopefully 11, so I'm working hard now!
Financial-
1. To have at least $1,000 in savings by the end of 2011. It's not a lot, however with our tight budget, this will be a challenge. I'm tired of not having a savings account. We live on a wing and a prayer ALOT.
I'm over half way there right now! Whoo-hoo! However it's vacation money. So it will be deleted by this time next month!
2. Improve our credit. I'm not looking to buy anything big on credit. I just want to build credit for when we decide to. We only have $1,000 in credit card debt, it's to much for me though! I want to get that paid off and use it only for our monthly subscription to nexflix. That way we can pay it off every month.
I don't know if our credit is improved or not. I haven't checked. We have the credit cards paid down(not off) right now.
3. Buy a 2nd car. I was hoping this would be a newer mini-van. With the slap in face the VA gave us, that's not going to happen :O( However, we are still looking forward to purchasing a 2nd vehicle cash with our tax return. As long as it looks descent and runs, I'll be happy. No payments is good :O)
Still looking forward to this one! We should get our tax return in the next couple of weeks, so I'm looking forward to buying a van. I can't wait for the leg room!
So where are you goals in your goals??
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