Less Hustle More Coffee

Good morning! The coffee is flowing! It’s blog day!

On the Work Front

And that makes me happy! It’s also a makeshift “Friday” as it’s the last day of the work week. Jeans wearing day! For me, this week has been about getting the work week done, checking off a series of important boxes that involves getting people paid and accurately, getting taxes paid, and getting people the reports and things they need. Monday was payroll prep, Tuesday was payroll day but with a short week this week I needed to have a long productive day to get out statements to all, get overnight packs in the mail with any live checks, and today is the payroll aftermath- garnishment checks, weekly tax payments – and it’s also month end but I doubt I will get that far and I have until the 15th of Dec to get the month end done.

The short week has gone well so far. I had to reset a special “check box week” for this week to focus on the main things and rearrange a few things but was able to get everything done so far. So that is good.

As for the company move. I met with an executive (everyone is) regarding the distance and the change and was asked if I’d heard feedback from others on the move. I didn’t get to see the offices and hadn’t really had time to hear any feedback. I asked about packing. And also he said the move was closer to me than our current location. This surprised me. I’ll have to look myself. What I did, was use google maps directions and do a real time drive update during rush hour and it was going to take 15 min longer. Doing it at 10 in the morning would give you varying results as to the time. The distance matters not so much as the time it takes to get there when it’s time to go and come. And we’ll just have to see how that goes. I am not expecting it to take less time but if it is under an hour I’ll deal with it. It will be. If I take interstate to work where we are now it’s 30 to 45 min depending on traffic. If I take back roads it’s 40 to 55 min on average depending on traffic. I’m expecting the new place to be an hour if by interstate and 50 at least if backroads. But we’ll see. I’m not worried about it. I’m expecting it to be doable. I’m ok with the change. I’m hoping my office won’t be 60 degrees like it is now every morning. lol.

I was sad to realize I won’t have a window but I immediately was grateful to God that he had given me a window for the last 10 years. I love weather and seeing nature and have enjoyed a window. I can deal with that because I know how to create my own windows of life. It’s ok. It’s fine. It’s not necessary. Just grateful that I’ve been able to enjoy them before. That said, I can always take a break and go look out the window, lol. And when the storms come, I’ll be in an inside room. Ha!

I need to try to grab a box today to bring some more things home from work so that in the next two weeks I won’t have so much to do at once. I am mainly worried about my little fridge and how to get it moved. You are not supposed to lay a fridge down.

Mom’s Move

Everything has calmed from the tired, frustrating, and exasperating weekend. The mattress arrived late afternoon or early evening as it was around 5:30 or 6 p.m. yesterday. Mom worked at her place all day yesterday working in closet, putting random things from kitchen counter into the china cabinet for now to get it out of the way, and a few other things. The mattress worked in perfectly. So now she can set up her bedroom. We plan to be over there some this weekend, enough to get her settled to move in at least. Then the focus is to get the house ready for Christmas, and as she moves out I can begin moving my bedroom back to where it was. Since we don’t have a dog I considered sleeping again in the bedroom with George but for now I really want my own space. I tend to toss and turn and get up some in the night and I guess it’s best for me to move back into my own bedroom space. I’m looking forward to a more comfortable set up.

George got the outside bar added to her back porch area to go down the steps.

There is still much to do at Mom’s but most everything is there now and so we can begin trying to piece things together. She has some things she needs me to order. I’ve had no time except at end of day when I sit down finally to relax for 30 minutes of peace and then remember “oh yeah, Mom’s orders”. It’s just been so busy – night and day. I guess we will have time to work on that over Thanksgiving because even tonight we are having to go shop for a new dishwasher for ourselves. Til then we have been taking turns doing the dishes. Or just eating out.

On the Home Front

As mentioned, tonight we are going to Lowe’s to buy a new dishwasher. It appears there was a power surge that destroyed several components or parts of the dishwasher, likely when it was opened by accident in the middle of it running a cycle, as it never worked properly beyond that point. It’s all ok, accidents happen. Time for a new one as it will be over $1,000 to repair it and with parts that will likely not come in for months.

Focusing on the Christmas decor, moving my stuff into Mom’s room when she moves out, and getting ready for our trip next week to East TN. I’ve been afraid to be excited, because after the last two years of trying to get even a long weekend away, something has happened to stop it, making me think God thinks we don’t deserve it. So I am afraid to hope or plan or even think about it, without worry that something will happen to spoil our plans.

Katy is off all week this week and it would have been an ideal week to be in Texas, if things weren’t in such a shake up in our own lives. Our Texas Thanksgiving was the best Thanksgiving ever and I have fond memories. Work may have to suck it up next year and let me have it off again. I’ve tried to be thinking of others or at least taking turns for that week, but I think our ticket is up! I really want another Texas Thanksgiving! We shall see. Now we are going in January and with the weather, there is risk of not being able to get back due to ice/snow and all that. But in November the weather is perfect. Ahhh wishful thinking.

Here’s the mess in the little room I’ve been sleeping. All the shoes have no place to be really and the Christmas sacks are piling up and taking over the room. Desk and bed area not too bad. But I’m ready for more room. It’s coming at a good time. I’ll use my current bed as a wrapping station I suppose.

On the Health Front

The TMJ is getting only slightly better each day – so I can’t tell much difference from day to day but if you compare a day to three days before, it’s better and noticeable. I can open my mouth all the way now, but it’s still not right – it hurts a bit to do so and a little tight in there. Laying on my back as much as I can in the beginning of the night helps, but eventually gives way to side to side sleeping. Last night I tossed and turned in a fitful sleep, having eaten spicy food way too late and then gone to bed.

In addition to TMJ, my whole body has been sore or in pain – shoulders, arm, rotator cuff areas and lower back. I’ve even had strange pains in the area of my thumb and my thumb has been twitching some. I can only guess that my body and mind are just absolutely worn out. There are so many tasks before me, with Mom, with her house, with our house, with Christmas, with work, with the work move, with the trips upcoming with company coming to town, and yes even Thanksgiving – that I can only really focus on today and what is at hand and maybe the next two days.

My boss said, when telling me I had a new state to register for – for payroll taxes – she said “wow, you took that well”. She expected me to say “oh my gosh I can’t believe it – it’s already so busy”. I was just like “ok”. I don’t know what to say. I mean when you have a barrel of sand already overflowing in your sand bucket of life, what’s another granule? lol. It means nothing really. It will just wait in line like all the other important things to be done. Still just one of me.

Thanksgiving

So Happy Thanksgiving to all of You. I am so thankful for you. You all support me and give me thumbs up, give me advice, cry with me, laugh with me and just let me know you are here and I appreciate that. I’m thankful for my life and family. Despite all that has been and all that is going on, I’m thankful for it all. Thankful to have a job, a house, a car, all my electronics, my digital space and hobbies, my YouTube channel. Nothing in my life may be a huge success and there may be a lot of failures in my past, but I’ve got God on my side, a lot of plans, a lot of things to do, a lot of places to go when I can get the time, if ever I can in this life. If not then the next one. Enjoy your time with your family. I’ll be back on Saturday most likely. Working on Thanksgiving meal tomorrow and probably spend some moments on the next video tomorrow if I can get a few spare minutes.