New Job

God's timing is always interesting. Two years ago I was going through the interview process with a counseling service here in town and things were looking like I had a good chance at getting the job. Right about that time the state changed their requirements for the way counseling centers can employ counselors with my level of licensure which meant more expenses for the centers. So the opportunity I had with this local group fell through because they just couldn't afford under this new system to hire someone else. It actually was ok with me because I was pregnant with W at the time and wasn't sure how much I wanted to work once he came along.
Well, less than a month ago I got a call from this same service saying they think they really are in a position to hire someone again and would like to talk more with me about the job. One thing led to another and I start in a few weeks! I was a little hesitant about adding a second day of work because with counseling it's not just two days of work. Two days of clients actually means more like three days of work. But I was too excited about the opportunity to work here in town so I decided not to pass it up.
It's a strange experience starting a new job in your current profession. Every new job I've ever had has been completely new. I've never done it before, there's training, a learning curve, etc. Of course I would be nervous about starting something completely new. But this time, I'm new to this counseling group but not new to counseling. So why do I still feel so nervous?

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Expecting

Well, baby #2 is on his/her way! We are due in January and are about 12 weeks along now. It's a relief to be through that first trimester even if it is just a number. We had been trying again for almost a year and had made the decision that we were not going to pursue fertility treatments this time around. Two months after making that decision we found out we were pregnant! I've been feeling terrible all day sickness but that's always reassuring to me that baby is developing the way he/she should be.
It's been such a strange experience this time around. In a lot of ways it feels like a first pregnancy for us. It was the first time we'd ever seen a positive pregnancy test. When we were doing treatments to get pregnant with W we couldn't do pregnancy tests because I was on so many drugs it would have shown a false positive. So it was blood tests and more blood tests and only until we saw the heartbeat did we feel like we could actually relax a little and not fear another miscarriage.
We have had a lot of fun announcing it to family and friends this week and have already begun reorganizing our house to make room for another baby. It'll be an adjustment for everyone I know but we are excited about the challenge and are eternally grateful for the opportunity to witness another miracle being born.

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Inflation

OK, so I'm a sucker for lemonade stands. I just remember sitting out there on those hot summer days hoping somebody would stop and actually buy a glass. Most of the fun of a lemonade stand was in the preparation. We'd be sitting around bored out of our minds when somebody would get the great idea to do a lemonade stand. I have to think our moms must have just dreaded those "great" ideas! We'd run around all excited gathering the card table, tablecloth, cups and lemonade pitcher. Somebody would be in charge of making signs and we'd all barter until we figured out what price to charge. Then we'd get our little chairs and sit....and wait...and sit some more. After about 15 minutes we'd get bored and decide we need more ice or cups or something, just to have something to do. And the minute we'd get our first customer, our whole day was worthwhile! 25 cents never seemed like so much money until you've earned it selling lemonade.
Well, this season I've already stopped at several stands and shelled out my quarter, smiling as I drove away knowing I don't really care so much about the lemonade as I do about making some kid's day. However, this past week I almost choked on my lemonade as I pulled up to a stand determined to do my usual good deed for the week. There was no posted price sign for the lemonade but I didn't care and as I rounded the corner of my car the kids ran to greet me with a red plastic cup smiling all the way. I nearly dropped my coin purse when I asked "How much do I owe you?" and they confidently replied, "One dollar!" "One dollar?!" I replied in shock with my jaw on the ground. I felt horrible when I saw the look of dismay on their faces and as quickly as I could said, "Wow, that's quite a bargain!" I took my cup of lemonade (only half full by the way) and fumbled around closing my coin purse and trying to open my wallet to scrounge out a dollar bill.
Now I know that gas prices have increased quite a bit over the course of the past year or so but does the same inflation rate apply to all necessary life nectars? Should I think twice before stopping at a stand from now on that doesn't have a posted price sign? Maybe business was bad that day so they thought they better up the price to make up for the lack of sales. It tasted allright but I have to admit it left a bit of a bitter taste in my mouth knowing I had just shelled out a buck for 5 oz. of lemonade. I guess I shouldn't complain too much, it was pink lemonade.

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Windows

We've been working on replacing our 70 year old windows in our house slowly. I say we when I really should say hubby and my dad have been replacing them. It's pretty pricey to have someone do it professionally and since I've been blessed with a handy hubby he decided to take on the task with some help from my experienced dad. They started with the broken window in the back and just did two more on the side this past week.
It's almost scary how excited I've been over these new windows. Our previous windows were so completely useless. Only one window in our entire house actually opened all the way and we had to stick a piece of wood in it to keep it up. I've had multiple nightmares of W pulling out the stick and getting his hand chopped off from a guillotine window.
We didn't get anything fancy for our new windows. But even just the basic window is an amazing step up from what we had. I don't have to put towels in the window anymore when it rains, I can clean both sides of the glass, they open at the bottom and the top, I don't have to worry about getting my fingers pinched in rusty, stubborn storm windows, and they even have a child safety feature that doesn't allow it to open anymore than 6 inches. And they lock! We never worried about locking our previous windows because they only opened 6 inches anyway!
Aaahhh, the simple joys of home ownership. Now if the weather would just cool down so I could actually open them...

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