Last week's breakdown and an interesting and lovely weekend...

I have been meaning to write for several days now about last week's emotional breakdown. I have to say that towards the end of the week, things got better. I still feel I have too many clients for my little brain to process and I really need to work on time management. I also would really like to see my company pause (not stop, just pause) and work on getting us all on track by better training and better communication. Maybe that's one of the reasons why I am here. I would like to work on the training manual, but there is always too many other things to do. Enough about work. I ended up having a really good day on Friday. AND it was payday.

On top of the joy of Friday and payday, Uncle Sam also gave me my tax return. However, I think God had a plan that wasn't revealed until Saturday. Friday after work, I went with Carrie, Elissa and Rocky to a bowling alley. We bowled three games. Carrie has the cold/cough bug that all of us in the office seem to have or have had, but she ended up scoring more than we ever have during the league games (not counting the handicap...) It was so much fun.

Saturday - I was resisting going to WW, and I also slept in. I got to the meeting just in time to weigh in. I lost a pound. Yippee. Now if I only had written down what I had eaten all week.... Anyhooo, I am glad I went. After that, I drove to the Ethan Allen homestead, which is not too far away from the WW meeting. Ethan Allan is a larger-than-life folk hero of the American Revolution. Though the museum and actual home were closed, I was able to walk around and just be. It was a gorgeous day out - the sun was shining, no clouds, birds were chirping. I saw some gulls, a waxwing, a heron nest, squirrels, and I think some finches. I will post a picture in a day or two (I am too busy typing, whilst sitting in the lazyboy.) After the lovely, peaceful morning, I stopped by the office to meet up with Carrie and work for a couple of hours. However, I couldn't get the key to work in the door, so I wasn't meant to work. I continued on my errands by going to Sears (payment) and then to Staples. My goal with Staples was to find a table and get paper for my printer. I found the perfect little table. It is about the size of two tv trays, smaller than a card table and PERFECT for my workspace and laptop. It is multifunctional, so I can use it as a little dining table when I entertain (whenever that happens...) I put it in my car and went over to the gas station to add a little air to my tires. I completed the pump and went to start the car. It was making a strange sound, so I thought I should turn it off. I flipped the key into the off position, but the engine didn't shut off. I restarted the car, and went to turn it off again. Same thing happened. What the hey? Thankfully I was at gas station, so I asked the mechanic on duty if he had any idea what it was. He thought it was strange, as I was holding the key in my hand while the engine was racing. He disconnected the battery. He also called a tow truck for me and I had it towed to the same place I had the starter fixed at. They were closing for the day, so I knew I was out of luck. But here's where I started thinking about the tax return. At first, I was thinking it was God's sense of humor. Afterall, whenever you get money, it is Murphy's law that something should happen so you can put all of that money into it. I was expecting to plug the whole tax return AND paycheck into the car. I just knew that was the plan. Between the walk home (about 1/4 mile) and hanging at the house, I was thinking that the thing was that God provided the money not as a "ha on Mrs. Han Solo," but more of a "you've got it covered thing." I spent the evening making phone calls and watching TV. It was good to catch up with people. I had really great talks over the weekend with VeAnn, Noemi and Lana. Saturday Night Live was okay. It was great to see Green Day. I would still like to see them one of these days.

Sunday - I slept in. I thought alot about the day and the car situation. I didn't want to waste a perfect weather day sitting inside my apartment watching TV. I set up my printer (which was so much fun) and took a walk to downtown Burlington (it's only about a 1/2 mile away.) I wandered around and window shopped. I found myself at the movies. I saw a Woody Allen movie called, Melinda and Melinda. It was pretty good. I usually like Woody Allen movies when he isn't in them. And he wasn't. It was two stories in a story - one of the inner stories was a romantic comedy of sorts, and the other inner story was a drama. After the movie, I stopped by City Market and continued on my journey home. At home, I watched some DVDs and did a little house cleaning. It was an overall, great day. The weather was once again, so sunny and clear. So lovely. I think I am liking Vermont more and more. :-)

Monday - In thinking about the car situation, I decided to walk to work. I think when the weather gets alittle warmer, I will walk to work more often. It was a good walk and took me about 40 mins. I walked at a casual pace. It was crisp and clear. Walking by Lake Champlain was really nice. Clear skies again. The lake looked so beautiful. I was resigned to pay for my car with my whole tax return. If that is how it has to be, so be it. I had a busy day at work. The pressure to get a few clients up this week is already stressing me out. I feel I didn't get to all of the ones I should have today. Hopefully, tomorrow will be better. I talked to the mechanic and you will never guess.... I can't tell you. Okay, I will. Well, let me put you in suspense a little longer. My car was ready and so I asked Elissa for a ride to the mechanic. We left just after 5:30. (Are you totally dying to know how much it cost? Are ya?) NOT A DIME. That's right!! Free of charge!!! I had the starter replaced in November (I think...) and apparently, a wire was rusted out. So they replaced it. Sweet!!! So, though I don't know what God's plan is for my tax return, I am hoping that the car lasts another 40,000 miles at least. I will buy my plane ticket this week and maybe tickets for the cats. I am so excited to have Smudge and Steve with me once again.

Life is good.