Yikes!

Been a while again, huh? I apologize -- I just can't get the time to write anything, and blogging is at the bottom of my priority list. I have a lot of things going on in my life right now. I'll try and tell you about it.

For starters, work is INSANE right now because I am the only massage therapist that is working at Bowling Chiropractic. I'm okay with that because I'm staying very busy, but because I can't do any more massages each day, my schedule is filling up pretty far out in the future. I don't have ANY openings until Sept 14th! Yikes! Now, part of the reason that it's so busy is because I am taking Thursday and Friday off this week and the office will be closed on Monday for Labor Day. I feel kinda bad for taking off, but I haven't taken any days off since April when we went to see Dwain in North Carolina! That makes me feel not quite so bad about it. Geez! Everyone needs days off every once in a while, right! I know that I am REALLY looking forward to this weekend. Hopefully, our new massage therapist will pass her certification test soon and be able to come take part of the load off my shoulders. I don't mind being busy, but I hate being booked up so much because my people have a hard time getting in to see me -- And I do love my people.

Volleyball has also been going GREAT! My girls are now 7-1 and they are coming off a big win this weekend at the Vincennes Lincoln Tourney. They lost to Vincennes Lincoln, but there wound up being a three way tie for first place, so they decided the winner based on who had the least amount of points scored against them -- And that was NORTH DAVIESS! I am so very proud of my girls! They have some big games coming up this week and next -- Tonight we play Mitchell at home, Thursday is at Northeast Dubois, and next Tuesday they play Loogootee! Those are going to be some tough games. I am so happy to be involved in the game again, and I hope that I am making a difference. I know that I have really missed volleyball, that's for darn sure.

 Being "coachy"

 I LOVE this picture! That's my girls!!!

2011 Tourney Champs!

My couponing has become it's own sport! The Facebook page that Jessica and I made (Coupon Clippers of Daviess County) has really taken off. I spend a lot of time searching the Internet for great deals and coupons to share with the people who "like" our page. We also had our first get-together last Friday, and I think it went really well. We met at Eastside Park and swapped coupons and ideas. One of the people at the meeting told us that Wal-Mart accepts Competitor coupons as well as Manufacturer coupons. This is HUGE! This means that you can stack a Manufacturer coupon and another store's coupon to save even more! I used to do most of my shopping at CVS, but now I think I'll do more at Wal-Mart because I can save more. It opens up a whole new can of worms in terms of the money I can save. I am making my big trip to Wal-Mart tomorrow, so I'll let you know how it goes! I tell you what, couponing may take a lot of time to get everything clipped and organized, but it's so worth it. I am able to save my family quite a bit of money, and that is always a good thing. Honestly, I think that it's easier to save money than it is to find ways to make more.

Other than that, I have been trying to get things done around the house. I still have a lot to do, but I'm getting there. It's a slow process. I have also really been enjoying the time I get to spend with Tim. Being able to spend mornings with him is AMAZING. We are getting ready to start hunting a lot this fall, and because I am not working as much, I will be able to get out there and enjoy it. I think that I had forgotten that one of the biggest reasons that I was interested in Massage Therapy as a career was because it gave me the chance to spend more time with my family. I wanted a job where I didn't have to work 40 hours a week, but you know what I was doing? I was working about 40 hours a week -- DUH! I am so happy! I really love the way my life is going! Tim and I are closer than we have ever been. Work is going great. I am loving volleyball! I feel like a new person, instead of the continually tired person that I was a month ago. Not much to complain about there.

If only Dwain was home -- But we are almost there! He only has about 2 months left and he will be headed back to the States. Time really has gone by quickly, but I hope that this last two months goes at lightning speed. I can't wait to have Dwain home! We haven't heard from him for a couple weeks, but he was good the last time we talked to him. He told us that they wound up leveling the marketplace that they were trying to take control of because it was too risky to do it using nothing but man-power. It wasn't worth risking lives for, so they just bombed it to the ground. Sounds like a good plan to me. He shared a link with us -- Click here to read about Operation Black Sand. You can also go to www.YouTube.com and search for "Operation Black Sand" to see some videos about it. Pretty neat really -- Pretty scary for this big sister. I miss him so much, but I am also so proud of him. I listen to his voice on my voicemail almost every SINGLE day. November can't get here soon enough! I need to get about six more Care Packages sent to him, but it's hard to find the time to get them ready to go. I think I'll go into work a little early today to try to get a couple on their way to the Middle East. He says that it's like Christmas for him to get Care Packages from home!

Alright, I need to get moving and get some things accomplished this morning. I have a BUSY afternoon planned. My day is filled with massages and then I've got to hurry to the volleyball game tonight. Let's get a win against Mitchell! I hope you all have a good day and a good week. Mine is looking pretty great!   :^D
Operation Saheeb -- Four Months, Two Weeks, Five Days

Coming and Going

Well, It's been forever -- again. I'm not very good at posting regularly. I would love to write something every day, but I just don't have enough time. I have more time to work on things now that I'm not working ALL the time, but I have SO many things going on that I feel like I'm meeting myself coming and going. I'm helping to coach the North Daviess volleyball team, I take my couponing very seriously, I am trying to get things done around the house, I'm selling stuff on EBAY, and I'm doing lots of massages at the office, as usual. It's more than enough to keep me busy! But life couldn't be better!

So now, lets try to get caught up a little bit. My last post was Thursday of last week, so there is quite a bit to cover. Friday, I got to see my Sammie at work one last time. She came in to cover the front desk for the day. Once I finished my massages and visited with Sammie for a bit, I headed for home. Tim had to work Friday night, but I had a volleyball practice to keep me occupied for a couple hours. I can't tell you how much I love being involved again with THE BEST SPORT EVER! I also had practice Saturday morning at 7:00 am, and the rest of Saturday turned out to be a great day! I spent the day in Bloomington with Sammie, Jessica, Sam's sister Lindsay, and Sam's Mom Jane. Oh my gosh, did we ever have fun -- We were celebrating Sammie's birthday! We started the afternoon at the Trojan Horse for lunch. You can imagine the jokes and laughs that we had while eating our gyros. After eating at "The Trojan," we walked around some of the shops on Kirkwood for a couple hours. I wasn't looking to spend a lot of money, but it was still fun to look around. Our next stop was Oliver Winery for a wine tasting. It was my first time and I have to admit that it was pretty fun. We tried a bunch of different wines, but the Blackberry and Moscato were my favorites. We even bought a bottle of the Blackberry to enjoy on the patio. We found a nice cozy patio table next to the coy pond (they were HUGE -- Tim would have had his bowfishing bow out and READY to GO), and had a great time with good wine, good friends, and chocolate. We were all more than a little tipsy (besides Jane; she was our driver) by the time we headed to the mall for some more shopping. I didn't spend too much, but I probably spent more than I should have. Who can pass up shirts for $4.00 though? And I got some great yoga pants to wear when I'm coaching. It was late by the time I got home, but I can't imagine a better Saturday with my girls.

 Squashed-Face Glenna

The whole gang at Oliver Winery

Sunday was also a pretty good day for me. I slept in a while, but then made my trip to Elnora for a copy of the Indy Star. I can't miss out on my coupons. I spent the rest of the morning clipping coupons and planning my shopping trips for the next week. I made a big pot of chili for supper -- I can only make a huge pot of chili, otherwise the proportions aren't right. After Tim left for work, I mowed the yard before calling it quits for the night.

This week was a fantastic week! I wound up doing 24 and a half hours of massage, which is as close to a full week (25 hours) as I can possibly get. Tim and I spent some great time together as well. We had a couple great dinners on Monday and Tuesday night, and we went squirrel hunting on Wednesday morning. We got one squirrel apiece, which made Dixie very happy because she got to retrieve them from the woods for us. We could have gotten more I think, but the wind was blowing pretty steady and we couldn't see them moving in the trees. I made lasagna for lunch once we got back to the house. After eating, Tim took a nap and I headed to work. My plans for Wednesday evening included a trip to Wal-Mart and CVS. I scored a ton of free stuff at CVS and saved about $30 on my groceries at Wal-Mart! I love couponing! I am totally hooked. It's such a great feeling to come out of a store and know that you saved a ton of money. Jessica and I made a page on Facebook called "Coupon Clippers of Daviess County" that has really taken off! We have almost 100 Likes! That's incredible. I never dreamed it would be so popular so fast. I think its a great way to share ideas and coupons with others in our area. Jess and I are having our first get together next Friday evening at Eastside Park. Hopefully lots of people will turn out and make it a success!

Thursday night, I coached at my first ever North Daviess Volleyball Game. The girls had a game Tuesday night at Shoals that they won, but I wasn't able to go. They played Bloomfield Thursday night and WON AGAIN! They had to have 4 out of 5 games to win it, because the first game was a little ugly, but I thought that they all played really well. I have really missed playing volleyball, and it's wonderful to be involved again. I love coaching almost as much as playing. Next week, I will be coaching at Washington on Tuesday night, at North Daviess on Thursday, and maybe at the Pike Central Tourney in Petersburg on Saturday. I wish I could go to the practices too, but I get off work at the same time that they get out of practice, so that doesn't work. The games start at 6:00 pm though, so that's do-able for my schedule. It should make for a really busy week!

I think I'm about done blogging for the day. I need to go run through the shower and grab something to eat (I've got the munchies). I may do a little reading, but I think that I'm going to make today a relaxing day. I would like to go fishing on the river with Tim tonight, but he stayed out until 6:00 this morning and I don't think that sounds like a good idea to me. We will just have to see what happens.

Hopefully we will hear from Dwain again tomorrow. Sundays are usually the day he calls, if he can, so we hang out by the phone on Sundays. He called us last weekend and he is doing fine. They wound up just leveling the marketplace he was at instead of risking lives to get the job done. Much easier (and safer) that way. The link to the story about Dwain's latest mission is HERE. You should all read it. We are so PROUD of him! I miss him so much. I can't wait to give him a HUGE hug! Well, I hope you all have a wonderful Saturday! I plan on it too!   :^D

Operation Saheeb -- Four Months, One Week, Two Days

It's Been a While, Huh?

Oh goodness! I have been away for a while. We finally got a new laptop (I scored a GREAT deal on it at Office Depot last weekend), so I now have the ability to blog again. I have really missed sharing with everyone, and I'm afraid that too much has gone on in the last couple weeks -- I might not remember everything I wanted to tell you, but I'll try my best!

The biggest thing that has changed is the hours I am working. Dr. Bowling had to make some cutbacks, so I am no longer working at the front desk -- I am only doing massages at the office. It does stink a lot to have a smaller paycheck every week, but I honestly think it has been a blessing in disguise. I now work from 1:00 to 6:00 Monday thru Thursday and from 8:00 to 1:00 on Fridays. 25 hours of massage a week. I will still make plenty of money (just maybe not as much as I'm used to), and I am LOVING my new hours. I now have more time to spend with Tim, more time to work on things at home (like mowing the yard and cleaning the house, which both need done right now), more time to sew, more time to sell stuff on Ebay, and more time for massages outside of the office. Not to mention that I feel better than I have in months and my level of sanity is closer to normal. I didn't realize that I was burning myself out so quickly. It's going to be alright! It was a little stressful at first (change is always stressful), but we have adapted. Now, instead of getting up at 6:30 almost every day, I can stay up late working on things and then sleep in a little bit. I like to think that positive thoughts create positive actions, so I am trying to be optimistic about all this. It has definitely been quite a lot to take in and process, but everything will work out for the best, I'm sure. The thing that upsets me the most is that I am no longer working with my beautiful Sammie (she got laid off in the "hours cutting" process). She made everyday at work so enjoyable! It's just not the same without her. I will miss that smile -- Not that I won't ever see her again, but it sure was awesome to see her everyday.

So, with my extra free time, I have been mainly trying to get the things that I have been putting off for months finished. It's amazing how much I can get done when I have all week to work on things instead of just the weekends. I have plans to paint our bathroom, and I really need to get the windows sealed up so that our electric bill won't be so high. I don't think it will help much in this heat, but it's worth a shot. I also have a lot of sewing projects in mind, and of course, it's almost hunting season(s), so I will be doing a lot of hunting with Tim in a couple weeks. Squirrel season starts Monday!!

I just thought of something else that has changed at the office. After next Friday, I will be the only massage therapist working at Bowling Chiropractic. Randi has decided to leave us, and the new girl won't be able to start until she gets certified/licensed, which could take several weeks. I am going to be busy, to say the least. My own regulars are enough to keep my schedule fairly full, but it's going to get a little insane when I start absorbing Randi's patients too. Oh well, it's better for the ol' paycheck!

I think that's all I'm going to write about for today. There has been so much going on lately that I would have to write for five or six hours to cover everything, and I just don't have time for that. We have talked to Dwain a couple times here and there the last couple weeks. The last time was Monday, which was Mom and Dad's 30th anniversary. He had to do a little bribing I think, but it is always good to hear from him. He is still out in the field on a mission, which is more than a little dangerous. How DARE they shoot at my brother!! He did tell us that he should be headed back to the States by the first of November, so he only has about two and a half months left. He has been gone FOUR MONTHS today! Time really has flown by! I can't wait to get that tall, goofy thing back home. I think that I might start by giving him a hug for a whole hour, then because I connect with people by touching them, I want to give him a massage -- for about three hours! I don't think he will have any objections to that. I worry about him everyday, but I know that God is looking out for him. He has always been good at keeping out of trouble, so I try not to worry too much, because I could drive myself crazy by worrying -- and that's just not healthy.

Well, I'm signing off for now. It's about time for me to get ready for work. Tim and I had "Taco Night" last night, so I will be having some leftovers for my lunch today. I have a full massage schedule waiting on me at the office. It's a good day! I hope you all have a good day as well!   :^)
Operation Saheeb -- FOUR MONTHS!

I'm ALIVE!! No Really! But Our Computer is Still "Deceased"

Just a quick update: We still haven't replaced our computer so I haven't taken the time to write anything in a while. A lot has happened in the last couple weeks though. Starting yesterday, I am only doing massages at the office -- No more office hours. It will be nice to have some more time to work on what I want to and to spend time with Tim, but I'm really going to miss that part of my paycheck. I guess I'll just have to find a way to make my free time productive. Other than that, I have just basically been working a lot. I am sunburned from mowing the yard on Sunday. Today was Jessica's girl Sofia's first birthday. I have been saving a TON of money with my coupons, which is good considering that my income has been depleted. We found a laptop that I am very interested in purchasing from Best Buy, but they are completely and totally sold out -- Like online and in every store within 200 miles! Thanks so much Back to School shoppers. Oh well, we'll figure something out. Okay, that's all I really have time to write tonight because I'm at Mom and Dad's and my bed is calling my name. I hope you all have a good Wednesday! Good night!   :^D
Operation Saheeb -- Three Months, Three Weeks, One Day