I will start this post off by saying, I am finding it so hard to blog lately. I guess sometimes I just feel like I do not have much to say in general, so that makes it even harder to type. By all means, I am doing well and for the most part happy with how busy life is right now, but I have this strange sense that something is missing. I am not sure what is missing, but it has to be something. Maybe it is all the rain we have been having. I swear, it can be sunny all week (like it is right now as I look out my office window) and as soon as the weekend hits...BAM....thunderstorms both days.
Yes, I am thankful that with all this rain, J's new addition to his business, the lawn care, is booming, However, it is really taking a toll on my tanning activities, like pool time, boating, and talking the dog for walks/runs.
Work has been so busy with all the product shows, one after another. This week, I am just finding it hard to get motivated to work. I had so much structure the past 2 months with set times for shows that now I am having a hard time focusing. But I have been somewhat busy and my April numbers looked way better than any month in Q1.
My marriage is in a good place. J is super busy with work and that makes him a much more happy person. Things are really doing well for BlairCo. Please continue to keep my family in your prayers for strength for him to continue growing.
Summer is almost here, which means......Summers with Peyton!!!! I am looking forward to doing some fun things with him this summer when we have him every other week. I am sure my posts will pick up!
Wednesday, May 29, 2013
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
My new ride
Well, things came to a head last week. J has now opened the third and final (at least for now) branch of BlairCo Services, the lawn care side. We bought a huge mower and trailer. The problem with this is his Ford Fusion can not pull the trailer. We were switching cars so he could used my 4Runner when I did not have product shows, but of course that finally caused problems last week. He scheduled 10 lawns on wednesday and I had 2 product shows, needing my 4Runner.
Our quick solution was for me to drive my MIL's Durango. When I got done with my shows we went over to Pappa Toyota to see J's buddy Mike, who is a sales man there. I would have been perfectly happy in another 2003 4Runner. I just have loved my truck so much. J says, only his wife would pick the exact same car for her new car. I say, don't rock the boat when you love something. I was talked into a 2006 Sequoia. It is quite a bit larger than the 4Runner, but doesn't drive that way. However, I really notice the difference when it comes to parking. I have to back up and straighten myself out multiple times in each parking space. I am sure the people around me are thinking, that woman can't drive something that big. I also didn't love the color, a goldish tan...hey I am a black or white gal, but it is starting to grow on me. J tells me that in 2 years this will become a work vehicle for him too and will finally get a brand new car!
For now, just stay out of my way in parking lots.
Our quick solution was for me to drive my MIL's Durango. When I got done with my shows we went over to Pappa Toyota to see J's buddy Mike, who is a sales man there. I would have been perfectly happy in another 2003 4Runner. I just have loved my truck so much. J says, only his wife would pick the exact same car for her new car. I say, don't rock the boat when you love something. I was talked into a 2006 Sequoia. It is quite a bit larger than the 4Runner, but doesn't drive that way. However, I really notice the difference when it comes to parking. I have to back up and straighten myself out multiple times in each parking space. I am sure the people around me are thinking, that woman can't drive something that big. I also didn't love the color, a goldish tan...hey I am a black or white gal, but it is starting to grow on me. J tells me that in 2 years this will become a work vehicle for him too and will finally get a brand new car!
For now, just stay out of my way in parking lots.
Monday, May 13, 2013
Prayers needed
Like I said in my previous post, I am super proud of my husband for his 2 year sobriety. I say this again because I received a horrible call from my work BFF tonight. She found her estranged husband dead this afternoon at his office. Please pray for her and her 2 teenage children. Pray that they are comforted in this awful time.
L and I hit it off immediately when I met her in Aruba at my first Sartorius sales meeting. We bonded on the beautiful beach sipping cocktails and gossiping. The surface work friendship really went deeper than that. I found out that our home lives were very similar. Both of us have alcoholics for husbands, and both of our husbands own their own businesses. I really felt a bond with her that I can not really explain. She got me and I got her and to us things made sense. I know that I am really blessed that once J decided to quit drinking, he was done. L's husband on the other hand was not as lucky. I know he was in and our of rehab. I know L just had no idea how to even help him anymore. L decided it was in her best interest to finally end their marriage just recently. I know things were going to get rough before they got better.
However, I was not expecting the phone call I received tonight. She had not heard from him in a few days, so she decided to go by his office. She found him dead there. He was cold, so she has no idea when he died or how he did. We guess he drank himself to death. I feel helpless and I had not idea what to say to comfort her in her time of need. Please pray for her and her family. I know this is not going to be an easy road ahead for her and her children.
L and I hit it off immediately when I met her in Aruba at my first Sartorius sales meeting. We bonded on the beautiful beach sipping cocktails and gossiping. The surface work friendship really went deeper than that. I found out that our home lives were very similar. Both of us have alcoholics for husbands, and both of our husbands own their own businesses. I really felt a bond with her that I can not really explain. She got me and I got her and to us things made sense. I know that I am really blessed that once J decided to quit drinking, he was done. L's husband on the other hand was not as lucky. I know he was in and our of rehab. I know L just had no idea how to even help him anymore. L decided it was in her best interest to finally end their marriage just recently. I know things were going to get rough before they got better.
However, I was not expecting the phone call I received tonight. She had not heard from him in a few days, so she decided to go by his office. She found him dead there. He was cold, so she has no idea when he died or how he did. We guess he drank himself to death. I feel helpless and I had not idea what to say to comfort her in her time of need. Please pray for her and her family. I know this is not going to be an easy road ahead for her and her children.
Lots to Celebrate
J celebrated another few milestones last week. Wednesday marked his 2 year sobriety anniversary and Friday was his 32 birthday. I absolutely can not believe how far he has come in just 2 years and I am super super proud of him. I am constantly amazed by his will power. He just quit drinking cold turkey...same with smoking. Hell, I just think about quitting diet coke, and I drink 2 cause they are on my mind.
BlairCo Services is doing awesome. I know that all his hard work is starting to pay off...and we would not be where we are now, had he kept drinking. I look back on a lot of my life and how things would have been completely different had he not made that choice 2 years ago. For starters, I would not be married to him and living in St. Charles. I doubt I'd have money in savings in the bank and I wouldn't know what it is like to have a part time child.
I know that is has not been easy and I am sure he still fights the urge to drink now and again, but I can honestly say that I do not worry about him going off drinking. It has made my life traveling so much easier. I don't worry that he is passed out in a ditch on the side of the road., or worse even dead. I go to bed each night knowing that he is where he says he is and that I won't come home to a broke husband hiding natty light cans from me.
J continues to inspire me. I know that if I want to achieve something, I will.
BlairCo Services is doing awesome. I know that all his hard work is starting to pay off...and we would not be where we are now, had he kept drinking. I look back on a lot of my life and how things would have been completely different had he not made that choice 2 years ago. For starters, I would not be married to him and living in St. Charles. I doubt I'd have money in savings in the bank and I wouldn't know what it is like to have a part time child.
I know that is has not been easy and I am sure he still fights the urge to drink now and again, but I can honestly say that I do not worry about him going off drinking. It has made my life traveling so much easier. I don't worry that he is passed out in a ditch on the side of the road., or worse even dead. I go to bed each night knowing that he is where he says he is and that I won't come home to a broke husband hiding natty light cans from me.
J continues to inspire me. I know that if I want to achieve something, I will.
Monday, May 6, 2013
Habitat for Humanity
Saturday was our church's Serve Day. There were various organized activities to volunteer to help serve our community that day. J and I signed up for Habitat for Humanity. I have always wanted to get involved in Habitat, and knew J would be a great asset to any group with all his experience rehabbing and building houses. The problem was time. The church group volunteers on Saturdays and that is my Ann Taylor day. But I asked off for Serve day and J and I signed up to help. I loved our youth mission trips when I was in high school so I thought I would enjoy Habitat, and I did!
However, I was not prepared for mud. It has been raining constantly here, and I just assumed that we would be inside working on the house. That was not the case. The house our group was assigned to had basically just been started and the roof literally put on the day before (in the pouring down rain). We were going to building the front porch. Not a problem for me, since it seems every mission trip before involved me building a porch! I must be an expert by now, right? We wore old clothes, and layers, just like the info packet said to. However, I did not prepare for mud. I am not just talking about a little dirty yard. I mean the entire yard was mud. The kind of mud that if you did not keep moving your feet, you'd lose your shoes from being stuck. My poor feet were wet from the start. I just hadn't planned on worrying about my knee doing habitat, but I had to worry about slipping and falling.
J was amazing. It is so nice to see him in an element he is just naturally good at. I don't think we would have gotten as far as we did with out him. Our group leader would have had to do all the measuring and cutting on everything, but trusted jay to measure and mark the support beams and go to town with out hovering around. I was good at holding and retrieving tools from the trailer. I also got to start all the nails for J to nail 2 2X4s together. J was not impressed with my hammering ability. He said he'd never seen anyone sit down to hammer. I thought I was cute..... I did much better with the joyce nails to hold in the support brackets. A kept thinking to myself...I hope Jesus was a better carpenter than I am. We had a great day together and hopefully we can volunteer again.
However, I was not prepared for mud. It has been raining constantly here, and I just assumed that we would be inside working on the house. That was not the case. The house our group was assigned to had basically just been started and the roof literally put on the day before (in the pouring down rain). We were going to building the front porch. Not a problem for me, since it seems every mission trip before involved me building a porch! I must be an expert by now, right? We wore old clothes, and layers, just like the info packet said to. However, I did not prepare for mud. I am not just talking about a little dirty yard. I mean the entire yard was mud. The kind of mud that if you did not keep moving your feet, you'd lose your shoes from being stuck. My poor feet were wet from the start. I just hadn't planned on worrying about my knee doing habitat, but I had to worry about slipping and falling.
J was amazing. It is so nice to see him in an element he is just naturally good at. I don't think we would have gotten as far as we did with out him. Our group leader would have had to do all the measuring and cutting on everything, but trusted jay to measure and mark the support beams and go to town with out hovering around. I was good at holding and retrieving tools from the trailer. I also got to start all the nails for J to nail 2 2X4s together. J was not impressed with my hammering ability. He said he'd never seen anyone sit down to hammer. I thought I was cute..... I did much better with the joyce nails to hold in the support brackets. A kept thinking to myself...I hope Jesus was a better carpenter than I am. We had a great day together and hopefully we can volunteer again.
Wednesday, April 17, 2013
Shows and more shows
This week marks my third week out of nine for product shows. I am exhausted already. Let me back up....I sell laboratory products and services to mainly academic, biotech, and pharma. I am what they call a manufacture's rep, meaning we make product and I can either sell it direct or through a distribution channel. Around this time of year, either my distribuition channels or the universities put on vendor product shows which basically calls for me to haul in my balances and other products, set them up and then wait for people to come by and hopefully want to learn more about my products. In previous jobs, this just involved a tablecloth and a lot of product literature. Now, I haul in mulitiple tupperware containers filled with equipment and such. I am now one of the first to arrive and the last to leave.
I have already been in Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Columbia, MO. I have shows in St Louis next week, then Kansas, then St. Louis again. I used to love doing product shows and now I am already burnt out. You do not want to miss them because you do not want your competition to get all of the leads if there are any.
This is an idea of what I am up to day after day for the next month and a half.
I have already been in Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Columbia, MO. I have shows in St Louis next week, then Kansas, then St. Louis again. I used to love doing product shows and now I am already burnt out. You do not want to miss them because you do not want your competition to get all of the leads if there are any.
This is an idea of what I am up to day after day for the next month and a half.
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
Keeping my head above water
There have been numerous times in the last month that I have opened up my blog wanting to post, and just simply find that the words escape me. At one time, I would have called this writers block, today, I just call it stressed and not very sure how to structure my thoughts. Work has my head spinning....and not in the good kind of way. I told my manager last week that I needed "Firefighter" added to my title on my business card. All I seemed to do last week was put out fire after fire, or at least try to. What should take a mere phone call turns into a 2-3 hour ordeal and I then do not have time to take care of other important stuff. My numbers were dismal for January and February and I am not sure how March is shaping up. I don't know where to start to get things on track.
More and more it seems that I sit and stare at my laptop or my huge list of things I need to do. This is so counter productive because I actually get nothing done, but a good stare into space. Maybe it is the cold weather....I do not know. I just seem very over whelmed lately. This leads to not sleeping well, neck and back pain, and my favorite...headaches. When I get stressed or over whelmed I seem to withdraw and spend more and more time in my own head...which is not always the best place to be. I guess it would be nice if I had a big "win" or sale come through....or even a good break through with some of the accounts I have been working on.
Sorry for being down in the dumps....I am super ready for warm weather.
More and more it seems that I sit and stare at my laptop or my huge list of things I need to do. This is so counter productive because I actually get nothing done, but a good stare into space. Maybe it is the cold weather....I do not know. I just seem very over whelmed lately. This leads to not sleeping well, neck and back pain, and my favorite...headaches. When I get stressed or over whelmed I seem to withdraw and spend more and more time in my own head...which is not always the best place to be. I guess it would be nice if I had a big "win" or sale come through....or even a good break through with some of the accounts I have been working on.
Sorry for being down in the dumps....I am super ready for warm weather.
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