I'm glad you made it back home safe and sound. Spring has finally arrived for you if the ice is moving out. It will soon be time for your renters to move into the cabins and life begins again w/renters experiencing life on the lake.
I'm sorry around the reno challenges. It sounds like the builder was taking you for a lot of money. Obviously he didn't realize that you aren't a dumb woman and now has lost out on some of the work. Shame on him for trying to take advantage of your situation and good nature. I'm glad Ashley's boyfriend has been doing some of the work and I'm sure it looks great.
Congratulations to Ashley! You can't beat a job close to home and the rotations to other banks is a great way to meet new people and network. She'll do well in the banking industry.
Barb, you've got a busy spring ahead of you...just be sure you take some time out for yourself while tackling all of the activities you have planned. It won't hurt to take a day here or there to just relax by the lake.
Sit quietly, the answers will reveal themselves when you least expect them to. The past is gone, the present is a gift and you need to focus on today, allow the future to reveal itself when it is ready.
Right now I'd love a nice relaxing day. But it is "Tackle the To Do List" again today. I have 2 conventions I'm attending in the next week. The first - our local Lions Club is hosting & im on the committee. The second - I have to fly to - in Madison, Wisconsin. I am also missing a 3rd which I was also on the committee for but I can't be in 2 places at the same time. Strange how they all happen at once.
Finishing up the books on the new business. Canadian tax deadline is next week. Just learned that there is an extension if you are self employed so I might just take it and cut myself a bit of slack.
Ashley is excited about the new job & we like her new boyfriend. For nice she chose someone 2 years older & thankfully - more mature. He is calm, quiet & helpful. Just what she needs.
Rainy & cool today. I will gitter dun so I can enjoy those warm days ahead.
Good to hear your update, especially on Ashley. It sounds as though her life is getting settled and she's doing a great job. That's a testimony to your support. We all grow up... some day. It just takes some of us longer than we'd like.
And how awesome is it that her BF can finish the grunt work capably? I wish I had those skills.
Enjoy your time in Philly. And good luck with getting your taxes done. It's a pain, for sure - especially when you're self employed.
Good luck with the reno stuff!
Betsey
"There are only 2 ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle."
Thanks Bets! Today I feel I'm making progress. Even though I had to run into town. The contractor found a better price in a better door than he was trying to sell me on. I have finished most of my Pre Convention prep & can concentrate on what to wear, what to pack. Ashley just texted me that her new boss is being inducted into my Lions Club tonight. Sure drives home for her the importance of getting involved. The girl who told her about the job at the bank is also joining our club this week. Ashley saw the Lions newsletter showing the International convention coming up in Honolulu. She announced then that Hawaii was motivation for her to join. We shall see if she is serious.
I don't hang around the Big D pool much...shame on me!
I've read about your anniversary with Josh and all of your reno projects. Your family seems to be doing really well these days. You have a lot to be thankful for...despite some bumps with your contractors.
HA! Hawaii can be a great motivator for the young folks... Maybe dangle a packed Dan-O as an extra motivating tool.
Hopefully we can survive the Reno & it doesn't spoil the summer.
Met Ashley's boss & he told me she is doing great! Said he was very impressed with her customer service skills. Said she is a natural and seems like she's been there for months - not just a couple of days. How nice to get that positive feedback!
And she would love to go back to Hawaii but not on my dime this time.
Update: ashley finished her 2 week training & was to go on the "on Call" list - available to work at any of 6 branches to cover vacations or illness. She was told she would work 3 days this week. Then, just before closing on Friday they told her they changed their minds & she was to start Monday full time Mon to Fri until at least the end of the summer. She is over the moon!
Looking into some funding for part of Ryan's ramp & sidewalk. Every hit helps at this point. Slowly moving fwd.
Warm weather has arrived. Hope to get the boat ready soon.
Yeah for Ashley - that is great news!!! I'm sure it takes stress off knowing she has solid and steady full time employment for the entire summer!
Hope the funding comes through for Ryan's ramp and sidewalk.
We have gone from unseasonably cool here, to full on summer weather with little or no transition. However, I am loving the heat - after all I was born a Florida boy! :-)
Hey Florida boy - isn't it lovely! The ice moved out of the lake 2 weeks ago & now it's 80! Our daffodils just started blooming. No spring anymore I guess.
Off to open my cottages. Spent some time there yesterday, making plans. Tommorrow we add TV service, electrical work, yard cleanup & hopefully get the water turned on. I bought new dishes that need to be washed.
Last night I found a box of family photos - mostly from the mid to late 90s. Lots of great photos of the kids - several with ex in them - right up to Ashley's grade 8 grad - about 9 months after we split. I actually look fabulous in that pic of all of us - had lost 40 lbs like most of us in the Heartbreak diet. But I notice a common theme throughout. He looks miserable. In nearly every pic. Christmas - he sits gripping in the chair after I had done 99% of the work to make the holiday wonderful. At charity events - he is dressed up but looks like he would rather be somewhere else while I am half running the event, giving speeches etc.
So - here's the difference between then & now. Even if Josh is not involved in my event - like the recent Lions Convention we attended together. He is a great sport about it. He never grumps. He totally helps. He is always in a good mood. (Well 99% of the time).
I can't help wondering how I stayed with that man for 30 years. He was a total Debbie Downer!
Maybe dangle a packed Dan-O as an extra motivating tool.