Alright, I'm back!

Wow! It really has been a disgracefully long time since my last post. I've been so insanely busy, which isn't going to change anytime soon, as I'm hoping to go full time at the studio just as soon as I'm certified. It really won't be much different from what I'm doing now, full time at Kiddie Kandids is 30 hours, unless you are the studio manager. So if I go in for 4 pm (instead of 5 or 5:30 like I do now) four days a week, and then eight hours on Saturday, I'll have my 30 hours. Anyway, I'm just hoping to get certified soon, because I'm already past my deadline. I just want to get on with it now.

Anyway, camping season started a few weeks ago, and we've really been enjoying it. G built our new deck over the course of the past two weekends, and it's all but finished. He miscounted the number of posts he would need to finish putting the rails on, so he ran out of wood before he finished doing the rails, but we're taking a long weekend up there this week (going up Thursday night), so I'm sure he'll finish it on Friday.

So...what else is new? Oh, I finally got my family into my studio for a sitting. I wanted my friend Biggie to shoot it and it was hard to work out the logistics, because we usually work together, so we had to find a night that I was off and he was working, but it was really alot of fun once we got it together to get in there. Anyway, they came out great, and I'm posting my favorites here now...










































I'm really happy with them. Big, you did a fantastic job. Now it's your turn to get your family in there for me.

Alright, I'll type more later, but I wanted to get the pictures posted. Take care....

It's Almost Time!

Well, I guess Spring is on it's way. It's absolutely beautiful outside, and my kids are out there playing. I'm getting so excited to go up to camp. I found that they made a website for our campgrounds. Up till now, they only had a page with directions and pricing and all that, all very boringly listed. Now they have a really cool site. If you want to check it out, click here.

We're all just getting so siked to go up there again. I can't tell you how much I've missed it. I know it'll be a little different this year with having to come back on Saturdays to go to work, but nothing I can't handle. I'm so happy with the way everything is working out. I feel like my whole outlook has changed around, and I can really look forward to things again.

Also, I'm really really hoping to be able to go here. I think things are looking like I might just be able to, if I have room mates, so for all my croppy friends out there (Jen, Patty, Dawn) I'm hoping we can pull this one off. It'll be so much fun.

Other than that, I'm just trying to summon the energy to start emptying out my house. We aren't moving or anything, it's just that we've officially passed our maximum capacity, and in order to be able to put anything away, and be in any way organized, we have to get rid of a bunch of stuff. I'm sure we'll be a lot more comfortable afterwards. I know I will be any way.

Oh, I do have some great news to report. R finally made it into the band at his school, and his teacher feels that if he keeps up the good work, he'll make All-City Band this year. It seems he finally crossed over the hump from where it's a pain to practice to where he enjoys it. So we're really proud of him and very excited too.

Anyway, I guess that's it for now. I have to do some laundry and some other stuff before it's time to get ready for work. More soon...

Coming Up Roses :)

I was nearly finished writing this post and all of a sudden, I got some news that changes it, so I guess it's best to just re-write the post, so here it goes.

As some of you had heard, my job at Kiddie Kandids was suddenly in a bit of danger. The studio manager, Alicia, took over the studio where I work, right before Christmas. A bunch of the staff had left when they heard she was taking over the studio. Don't take that the wrong way, she's an absolute sweetheart, but she expects things to be done to her standards (which are high) and she makes her associates work, and I guess they had heard about her reputation for doing that and they pretty much all quit. So of course, she had to staff the studio, so she hired about nine people. About two weeks later, she had a visit from the regional and district managers who informed her that they plan to switch our studio from having three camera bays to one, and that she also was waaay over staffed and they told her to fire seven people. So, needless to say, I was a basket case about it, because I really really need this job, or at least "a" job, and since I really do enjoy working there and it pays quite well, I really didn't want to lose it. She did tell me that she wasn't going to let me go, but then it seemed like the demands from the district and regional managers seemed to be getting more insistent, and after all, I'm still not finished training on camera. I thought "How can I compete for a job I'm not completely trained to do?" As far as I could tell, I couldn't, so I had a bunch of sleepless nights where I just couldn't turn my thoughts off, and I finally told myself that if this is where I'm supposed to be, I'll be staying and if not, then there's something better waiting and that one way or another, we'd be alright. So I kept going to work, doing the best job I possibly could (turns out I'm rather good at creating different things with the pictures and selling them)and I waited it all out. So anyway, last night, Alicia says to me, "So do you want to hear the bye-bye list?" I said "Am I on it?" to which she just started laughing, and then told me who is going to be leaving us soon. I said "You'll never know how scared I was that I was going to go." She said "Are you serious? Kim, I told you in the beginning, I wasn't going to let you go." So basically, all that worry was for nothing, but I guess I showed her something in the way I was doing my job, because when the district manager asked who from her staff she could see being a manager eventually, she gave my name (mine and Hazel's, who is currently the assistant manager), and now they want us to take a leadership assessment. So that's sort of exciting. I don't really think it'll happen anytime soon, but it's definitely something to be proud of. So, needless to say, I'm pleased with how that all worked out.


So basically, things are definitely looking up. I feel a million miles away from where I was just a few days ago, and hopefully with that, I'll be more in the mood to post. I didn't want to scare you guys away. Who wants to read a bunch of whining, after all? And right now, I just feel so good. But as to the blog itself, I'm wondering about how blogger is making people sign in to comment now, because someone commented on the previous post and said they could only sign in as "anonymous". So please, if there's something different, let me know what it is. The way I sign in now is essentially the same as is was with the old version of blogger, I simply have a different sign in name now. But I'm wondering if switching to the new blogger made it more of a pain in the butt for those who don't have blogger accounts to sign in. So if you could please let me know what's different about it. I don't want you guys to stop commentating on my blog. I have an idea for a game we can play, but I have to find out how to make it happen, and I'll keep you posted as to the details.

Oh, and the other great news... Mike S. (not my brother-in-law, the other Mike S.) is buying a house here in town, after living away for quite awhile. I can't tell you how excited I am about that. The house is right near R's school, so it's really only about a half a mile from here. Yay!!! I'm just keeping my fingers crossed that it will go through attorney review alright.

Anyway, I'm going to go because Princess K is sleeping, and it's coming up on time to pick R up from school.

More soon....

Shots from the Studio

I know it's been awhile since I've posted but I took the kids to that wonderful studio I love working at and had some shots taken of them. I'll write a real post soon and let you all know what's been going on, but I wanted to get these posted. Let me know what you think of them. I think they came out great myself, but I'd like to hear your opinion. Of course, haikus about my beautiful offspring would be a nice addition to the blog. ;) Anyway, more soon, I promise. Till then, enjoy the pictures....

My New Job!!!

So, I started training at Kiddie Kandids last night, and I have to say, I think it's the coolest studio EVER!! The training is really extensive, and they have alot of policies in place that are really designed to make them the best. When I worked at Sears, they taught me to use the camera and the computer to sell the pictures and that was it. At Kiddie Kandids, everyone has to become a Certified Photographer, and the training really is set up with that in mind. Everything really makes alot of sense, and I'm sure everything is going to go very smoothly.

I already have gotten to be friends with the studio manager and assistant manager. They are both really nice and we really seemed to click. I could really go on and on about it, because I learned so much just last night and I'm so excited to work there, but I also don't want to start sounding like a commercial either, so I figure I'll just suffice it to say I love my new job. Oh, and check this out. I am so excited about that little item, I can't even tell you. I just can't wait till I have enough points saved up to bring R and K in there and get their pictures taken. I think this is going to be the second best job I've ever had. But don't worry, Deb, I'm not leaving you. You know Gymbo has my heart forever. The cool thing is, I can do both. Besides my Gymboree paychecks now have a new and very special purpose. It's going into a savings account so G and I can keep our promise and take the kids here in 2008. The plan is to go for K's fifth birthday, and I'm really getting excited about it now, even though it's still sixteen months away. At least as I'm actively saving up to go, maybe that will help the time pass. I know I can come up with the money by then.

Now that the holidays are over, I'm also starting to get antsy (that's antsy, Jen, not Auntsy, lol) to get back up to my mountain and be the Campin Mom I claim to be. Especially since the weather has been so mild. Last Saturday, we hit 70 degrees!!!! My cousin, Kelly was here for the weekend and we took the kids to play in the park. That was alot of fun, but all I could think about was being up at the trailer. I know my new job will make camping sort of dicey, but maybe she can give me a middle of the day shift on Saturdays during camping season, say like Noon to 8 pm. Camp is only an hour away, and I can go up Friday night with G and the kids and come back for work and then still be done early enough to go back and have some fun by the campfire. Then Sunday, we'll just stay up there till 5 or so, instead of heading back in the middle of the day.

Anyway, I think I'm going to close this now. I'm using the computer in the basement, and honestly, it's sort of cold down here. I really hope you all start posting comments again, I really miss that. I know I had sort of a lot of lulls in the posting, but G took over the upstairs computer and I couldn't get a post in edgewise, but now I'll be able to post again more regularly. Also, I'm working on posting some pictures soon. My pictures are on the upstairs computer at this point, but since this is the one I can use, maybe I'll start uploading them onto this one too. Then I can post them from here. But now I'm really freezing, so I'll say goodnight. Goodnight!! ;)

Lots of "News"

Well, I realize it's a bit after the fact, but since it's my first post of 2007, Happy New Year! So, what's new? Well, since I took the plunge recently and converted the blog to the "New" Blogger, I guess that's part of what's new. So far I like it, although we'll see how it goes, I guess.

Hmmm, so what else is new? I suppose you could say, sort of a new attitude. I've decided that my New Year's resolution should be "All-around self improvement". This year, I want to lose weight, organize my life a bit better and just stay more on top of things. Over at Jenny's site she's been speaking of being productive (Or rather un-productive) and I guess lately that has definitely fit me, although, as I said, I'm working on changing that.

And now for the huge news? I got a new job!!! I know some of you have heard about that already, but I'm so excited. I'll be starting tomorrow night, training as a photographer here I'm really so excited. I'd wanted to avoid the mall, but that was mainly because I thought it was sort of crazy to be just starting a job at the mall at Christmastime, but now that's all over with. I really really wanted a portrait studio job, and I was so excited the Saturday before Christmas when I made a quick stop to pick up Cinnabons for Christmas breakfast and saw a help wanted sign in the window of a studio I hadn't even known was there (I don't usually park in that area, so I hadn't seen it before). Anyway, it pays way better than the one I interviewed for at KMart (overnite stock) and needless to say the hours are way better too. So I'm really excited for it. Tomorrow will be tricky because I'll have to do my Open Gym here and then pick up R and take him to get these. I'll stay there with both kids till G arrives there to meet us, then I'll drop K with my mom and dash off to my new job, while G helps him choose his new frames and then brings him home. It'll be a crazy crazy day, but what can I do, I had the appointment before I had the job.

Also, I think today, I'll be shopping for a new one of these as mine is really having issues and G thinks it's best to just replace it. Actually, I really like the one shown in the link, and since I can't afford a pair of LG twins like Jenny has, I think this will do nicely.

Alright, that's all the news, except for one other new thing... my other new year's resolution is to see all my loved ones on a more regular basis. So I need all of you to help me make that happen, okay.

That's it for now....

A Post-Christmas Hello

Just a quick post to say I hope that Santa brought all your Christmas wishes. I know he did here, although he found our town a bit dark. To hear that tale read the poem in the post below this one. I'm sure you'll find it amusing.

My cards are going out late this year (I'm mailing them tomorrow), so please don't be upset that you've not received one yet, because no one else has. This holiday was a tough one to prepare, because I was my mom's sole driver for all her shopping, plus, I had my own to get in. I'm not complaining, she needed to shop and I'm the one who is local. It just made it a tiny bit more hectic that's all. But right now my kids are with her (probably for the night) so I'm going to go make some dinner and relax for a while.

Hope your Christmas was fantastic and please accept my best wishes for a very happy, healthy, 2007.

Love to all,
Kim