U-Turn

I'm not going to mince words...November sucked. It was perhaps the worst month for us ever. Luckily, December is a lot better, & it's not even over yet.

Let me start with the biggest news - I got a promotion! Weird, huh? It wasn't a "Claire, you've done such a wonderful job for us over the last 6+ years, so now we're making you a manager" kind of promotion, but nonetheless, a promotion. You see, I was approached by a manager in my department about a job, & after talking about it & interviewing with a couple of different people, the job was mine. Yay, me! It's very scary stuff, though...I've never done what I'll be doing. In fact, I never even considered doing it, maybe because I thought it would never be an option. Hell, I can't even pronounce most of my job duties! Despite this, the stars aligned just so, & BAM! New job, with a 5.4% increase...not too shabby in this economy, & certainly not when upper management sent an email out not too long ago saying no one would get a raise this year. (I don't mean to be cryptic, but this is the internet, after all, & I'd rather not discuss specifics about my job. I know, you get it.) Just in time, too - I was feeling very trapped & beginning to wonder if my letter opener would be sufficient enough to slit my wrists. (Kidding...but I really did hate my job!) So, on December 29th, I start my new position....

....the day after we get back from Jamaica!

Go ahead, hate on me. You know you want to.... Ok, that's enough now.

This Saturday, Doug & I get on a plane & head to Couples San Souci! We haven't had a vacation since the end of April, & we're long overdue. To say that we're excited is putting it mildly. Very. We'll be gone for 9 days. Can I just tell you how much fun it is to spend Christmas on a beach? Away from the dysfunction, the craziness, the rushing around...it's bliss. Just imagine...an 80° Christmas with a swim-up bar, reggae, & a lot of rum. Dirty Bananas. Pina Coladas, Hummingbirds. Even the dreaded Bob Marley shot - hey, I'm no wimp. Shall I continue? No schedule, incredible food, & amazingly beautiful surroundings...sleeping, reading, playing, or just vegging out looking at the water. I can do that for hours. And the kicker? My husband, the scrooge, wants to bring a string or 2 of lights to hang on our balcony. If you could only know how major that is...

So yeah, December has treated us much better than its predecessor. Sure, Doug's mom & Charles (oh, how I miss that boy) are still gone & there's no bringing them back, but aside from what I was just talking about, both of our vehicles are running as they should, we ditched our colds (I can't tell you how great it was to enjoy wine!), & we've had a little bit of a break from our seemingly grueling schedule. Those are just a few things, but at the top of our list is the love & support we've felt from our friends. We've always known we have an abundance of outstanding people in our lives, & we feel very, very blessed.

Oh, & it's 18° out with snow & ice on the ground...but Doug & I just came in from our hot tub.

Yeah...we know how to roll.