Snow globe

Clearing my mind of so many things running through it, I lay on my bed and take slow and deliberate breaths in and breaths out.  Inhale, exhale...inhale, exhale...once again very sloooooooooooowwwwwwwww.  Ahhhhh.  Much better.  The day is dripping off of me like honey off a dipping stick.  I have so many things on my plate right now and most of them revolve around work these days.

To make a long story short, I'm trying to manage my office and begin my strategy for a targeted marketing report when my assistant gives her 2-week notice.  She came to me with tears in her eyes saying she couldn't juggle the job and her personal issues at home.  Sigh.  I got a little insight of some of what she was talking about from her a few weeks ago, and to be honest, I kinda thought it was going to happen, but you know how it goes...you don't think it's really going to happen.  But it did.  I found myself sitting back in my chair behind my desk just looking at her and listening to her explain why she's giving me her notice.  I felt the words forming in my mouth and I even thought I saw a speech bubble form over my head, but I remained silent with my hands folded on my lap until she finished.  What can I say to someone telling me that the job was too much pressure?  Too stressful? I had nothing to say that I could say.  I told her I was sorry she felt that way and that I hoped things would settle down in her life soon.  Again...SIGH.

After she walked out of my office.  I looked over at the candle I'd lit that morning.  I light a candle every day. Not only does it make the office smell nice, but it helps me feel at ease and makes my day seem nicer than usual.  I let myself just sink into my chair and let my mind wander.  It's the day before Thanksgiving and I'm getting ready to go away for the holiday.  What am I going to wear?  What am I packing?  Is it going to be cold over there?  Will it snow?  I'm just thinking thinking thinking about what I need to do, but then the thought of snow just overtakes my head.  A warm smile brushes over my lips and I'm in another place daydreaming of a beautiful landscape with sleeping trees, naked with only white knotty bark and tree limbs bared.  Along the side of the road is a drop off where you can see a little town in the valley down below.

Down in this valley is a quaint white church with a tall steeple and a few big barns with tall silos.  You can see the cows, which look like little black, brown, and black and white dots gathering by the side of the silo.  The hillside is just bare but the rolling hills remember the plush green grass from the previous season and it just lays in wait for the freshly falling snow.  It's just beautiful.  It's just what I need.  It's exactly what I want to see...this kind of peaceful beauty.

After about a five minute reprieve, I took myself back to the day at hand with my candle burning and my thoughts still half way on my daydream.  I plugged away at figures, made a lot of calls, got more calls than I wanted, went out on a few business meetings and came back to work after a bite for lunch.  It had been a really productive day and I'm was so excited to get home, get packed, and get ready to get on the road.

Just the week before, I spent a day with my bff at my mom's house making her Thanksgiving dinner.  She invited her bff to dinner and we all had a really nice time.  Me, my BFF, Mom, her BFF, Chloe, and her Zoe. It was a wonderful day.  Thankful for a great time, wonderful food, and quality time spent with my mom, my BFF helped me make my mom's day special...just what I had wanted.  :)

I got home, had dinner, packed my bags and went to bed.  I felt like it was the night before Christmas.  I was so excited to get away for a few days!  Morning came and I was ready to go.  Chloe's meds? Check.  A list of things she needs for the next few days?  Check.  Cell phone?  Check.  Work cell phone?  Check.  Bags packed, shoes, scarves, my most favorite pair of jeans on and I'm ready for a 5 hour trip away for lots of good home cooking, family, friends, and football!

The trip went without a glitch.  Traffic was wonderful and the time flew by.  We got there safe, sound, and hungry.  The house smelled WONDERFUL.  The turkey was getting it's oven tan while the stuffing in it was just calling my name!  OMG it was just amazing...EVERYTHING was just amazing.  The air was crisp and cold and it was everything that I thought a Thanksgiving should be in this region.  I found myself making up silly songs from nothing, laughing at silly things, and for once in a very long time, I felt completely happy.  I didn't think about anything else...nothing was outstanding, nothing was pending, I was just so content and everything I looked at and every place I went and everyone I spent time with did nothing less than put a smile on my face.

After 3 days and 2 nights, it was time to pack up and come home.  As I was dreading the trip home because it would be too quick and I would soon go back to the drama that's home, the drive and frustration was broken up by snowflakes.  There we are, driving down the highway and the snow falling down...not enough to cover the road, but enough to make it just beautiful around us.  Trees along the roadside, barns and houses, tractors and fields.  It was all so nostalgic and serene.  I looked around to the beautiful landscape that surround me and suddenly felt like I was the center of a snow globe and someone just shook it up to make the snow whirl around me.

I could go on about how the afternoon evolved back at home, but I'm still basking in the wonderful time I had and the sweet memories made...who wants to ruin it with reality?  I sure don't!

After a very long week at work, I sit here enjoying my time on the sofa with the football teams running across the television.  Two days and one night of very important business meetings out of town and I feel overwhelmed with things that are on my to do list.  Every time I get some things crossed out, I put on 5 more things.  This is to be expected though.  It's what they call the learning curve. I'm overwhelmed, but I'm not distraught.  This is a good stress...I'm definitely on the right track.  I have said it before, I'll say it again, I'm blessed.  In so many ways, I'm blessed.

I find myself just sinking into the couch and wishing myself into the cushions.  It feels so good to relax.  So here's my week...  I'm trying to learn the ropes and at the same time, teach my newly hired assistant the ropes too.  It's been wonderful having her there, she helps me with the other things so I can get my work done.  Monday and Tuesday were spent getting prepared for the business meetings.  Wednesday morning at 4:30am, I'm up stressing over whether or not I'll be on time.  I get up, get ready, get packed, and get coffee at Starbucks...ahhhhhhhhhhh Pumpkin spice latte.  Venti, xtra hot, quad shot, no foam, xtra spice, no whip latte from heaven's barrista to my own lips.  EXACTLY what I needed that morning.  The morning was dark and chilled.  Again, it was perfect for my morning coffee.  It took 2 1/2 hours to get there in traffic.  Not too bad for a drive from my place to Gaithersburg.  Actually early by an hour, I went to Panera where I enjoyed a breakfast sandwich and, yes, another pumpkin spice latte (that was really good too).  I went back to the hotel where I tried to check in, but it was too early so I left my things in the trunk and grabbed another coffee and went into the meeting room.  Begin the note-taking process.  I really thought the meetings that day were good.  We took a break for lunch (yummy) and then back to more meetings.  That night Corporate took us to one of my favs...CHEVY'S for dinner.  It was so good!  After dinner, some of us went to another place for some fun.  We went to Dogfish Head and had a REALLY good time with my friends and their spouses and I got in before midnight.

My hotel suite was really nice.  Three large televisions, a full kitchen, 2 bedrooms and a walk-in shower.  I slept so well that when I woke, I actually forgot where I was!  I got up early, got my shower, got dressed and packed to go and then headed out for the complimentary breakfast spread they put out.  Usually, hotel breakfasts are pretty nasty, but this was really good and I really enjoyed it.  Two more cups of coffee and I went into the meetings again.  Of course, the emergency phone that has stayed SILENT decided to ring and I had to deal with a work-related emergency for almost 2 hours.  Fire extinguished and problem solved...back to the meetings and another coffee (now they brought in freshly baked cookies and brownies....ummmm, yeah I had some!  Oatmeal raisin was the best, brownie was second best.  After a round table and a small presentation, we all got to go home around 4:30pm.  It was raining cat's and dogs so I wasn't really excited about driving on the beltway, but I did.  Right about to get to the bridge, my car decided to send me a warning ding telling me that I was about to run out of gas.  So I'm driving, it's wall-to-wall brake lights, idiot drivers all around me, and no gas in my tank.  As a matter of fact, I wasn't even sure I had an exit to stop to get gas.  Luckily, "Samantha," my GPS told me where I could go.  It took me 20 minutes to get 1/2 a block with the traffic and the rain.  I HATE DRIVING IN THE RAIN OVER THE BRIDGE!!!  I got gas and I had to do another 20 minutes for the 1/2 block once again only going in the other direction.  Now gassed up, I am feeling more confidant about getting over the bridge.  Traffic everywhere and better yet, the trucks were playing bully with the cars, I was white-knuckling it all the way to my exit.  Got there and for some reason, it took so long to get off the ramp that I actually got disoriented and didn't know where I was for a short while.  Has that ever happened to you?  It's kinda strange.  For a second, I was almost scared I'd missed something and went the wrong way.  I drove to my familiar routes and found my way down the roads that pointed me to my house.  I was so excited to see my driveway!

After a very productive 2 days in business meeting, I was fresh for getting back to work and "workin" it.  There were 48 voice mails on the main phone and I had 18 on my personal line.  Sighhhhhhh.  My goal, trying to get payroll for my staff done by 2pm.  There were so many things I had to do to catch up before I got payroll done that it was almost 4pm when I got everything uploaded to my accountant.  Sighhhhhh again.  I am convinced that this Friday, it's going to be done early...maybe a day early???  A noble goal.

It was a great time to get away for a day or so.  So I drove out of town and enjoyed time with friends and family.  We had a good time cooking, playing with the new baby (she's almost a year now) and just fellowshipping with everyone.  I had a good time.  I was able to leave my home frustrations behind and forget it so to speak...that is till one of my frustrations decided to text me before 7am.  That's a story that I may never share online, but still one that burdens me nonetheless.  I guess I can say this...people are like a box of chocolates...you never know what you're gonna get AND when you get it, it may be totally different than you thought it to be despite the few bites you've experienced already.

I'm home now and the biggest decision to be had now is what's for dinner.  Chinese or Mexican???  Who knows what I'll choose...it's going to be good regardless...it's going to be better because I'm home where I'm safe and with the one(s) I love.