I just got back from the annual South East Regional Vineyard Worhip Leader's Conference. Wow. Just so much to process. I had a really good time of getting new ideas and refocusing and being inspired just by being around all these other artsy-fartsy creative types. I feel rejuvenated as a worship leader and as a church leader and as a Christian and as a human being in general (that's alot isn't it!).
So now I am left to the task of taking all this energy and momentum I got this weekend and putting into work in a practical and sustainable way. I am in the process of writing down all my action points. I may write a post more about this later, we'll see.
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In other news, the pet sitting mania is starting to die down. I am grateful for this and also a little apprehensive. On one hand, my life has seemed to be spiraling out of control over the last month with all the busyness. There was about a week or two there where I was house sitting for five different people all at the same time. This on top of a full-time job and church responsibilities was just insane, literally more than I could possibly do. Thankfully, Rodger and Angela have picked up the slack for me on some of the church work this month, which helped me maintain some form of sanity. So all this to say that, time wise, I am glad to be down to two pet sitting jobs for the next two weeks and after that, I am down to my one regular dog walk during my lunch breaks.
But I must say that the extra income from all this work has been good. Really good. I am thrilled that I am actually able to save money and not just scrape by! So with pet sitting going down now that the summer vacation season is coming closer to an end, I do have my concerns about what this will mean financially, but c'est la vie. I will figure it out.
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The new roommate comes in about a week and a half!
Now that I am a not soooo busy with pet sitting. I am working on all the final touches of making my apartment roommate friendly and finding the last few furnishings for her room. The main things left to do are:
1. Find a dresser for her room.
2. Assemble the etagere (sp?) for the bathroom. It is a fairly small bathroom and we girls need all the useable bathroom space we can get!
3. Figure out a good shelf arrangement for the kitchen. There sould be plenty of space in the kitchen for the two of us, I just need to rearrange all my junk to give her some space.
4. Rearrange the living room (again). I recently acquired an entertainment center (for free!), so now I just need to figure out how to make my furniture all work together.
5. Get all my junk out of the closets in the extra room and find new "homes" for it all. There should be plenty of space for everything. I just need to work it all out.
So these are my jobs for this Saturday, primarily. I may find some time to get some of these things accomplished in the evening when I get home from work, but usually I am not capable of much mental activity at the end of the work day. So trying to follow the instructions to assemble my etagere is just completely out of the question until Saturday rolls around.
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Saturday, July 12, 2008
So Glad It's the Weekend!
So glad it's the weekend and I get Monday and Tuesday off of work so that I can attend a worship leaders conference!
So glad I get to see the Sansbury's tomorrow!
So glad my finances have acutally stablized enough that I am to the point of being able to save money each month and not just have to scrape by from paycheck to paycheck!
So glad I found a boxspring for the bed in my extra room. Now if I can just find a way to transport it. . .
So glad my roommate comes in just two weeks!
So glad I got to hang out with Drew and Carolina and Paul last night, but sad that Drew might be moving to Ashville.
So glad I get to see the Sansbury's tomorrow!
So glad my finances have acutally stablized enough that I am to the point of being able to save money each month and not just have to scrape by from paycheck to paycheck!
So glad I found a boxspring for the bed in my extra room. Now if I can just find a way to transport it. . .
So glad my roommate comes in just two weeks!
So glad I got to hang out with Drew and Carolina and Paul last night, but sad that Drew might be moving to Ashville.
Sunday, July 06, 2008
The Fourth, The Rain, The Change of Plans, The Cheesecake
Independence Day came and went without any fireworks for me this year. It rained cats and dogs on the evening of the fourth here in my little corner of North Carolina. But it was a good time nonetheless. (1) Day off from the law office, (2) time to read and catch some sun by the pool, (3) no pet sitting catastrophies, (4) cook out at Brendan andVicki's, and (5) playing Rumikub.
Saturday I had afternoon plans to meet up with a friend to go with him to do some shopping he needed to do and also to go to Duke Gardens. We had lunch and hit the shopping mall. While at the mall, it started raining cats and dogs again. So we did what seemed the best, most reasonable option given the circumstances. We decided to skip on our plans for Duke Gardens and go to the Cheesecake Factory instead. Mmmmmmm, cheesecake. It was the first time I had ever been to the Cheesecake Factory. I got the Dutch Apple Cheesecake and a latte. It was delicious, but now I feel the need to go out and run, run, run. I have been too spoiled these last two weeks with all these wonderful desserts. I think it is time to cut back on the amount of dessert I'm eating and up the amount of time I spend exercising!
Saturday I had afternoon plans to meet up with a friend to go with him to do some shopping he needed to do and also to go to Duke Gardens. We had lunch and hit the shopping mall. While at the mall, it started raining cats and dogs again. So we did what seemed the best, most reasonable option given the circumstances. We decided to skip on our plans for Duke Gardens and go to the Cheesecake Factory instead. Mmmmmmm, cheesecake. It was the first time I had ever been to the Cheesecake Factory. I got the Dutch Apple Cheesecake and a latte. It was delicious, but now I feel the need to go out and run, run, run. I have been too spoiled these last two weeks with all these wonderful desserts. I think it is time to cut back on the amount of dessert I'm eating and up the amount of time I spend exercising!
Saturday, July 05, 2008
A Weird Pet Sitting Day
Generally speaking, I absolutely love my pet sitting job. It is decent money for a job that is pretty much enjoyable for me, is not stressful, doesn't take much thought, and does not emotionally drain me in anyway. So the only thing I may complain about from time to time is the occasional allergy flare up, due to the fact that I do have mild allergies to dogs and some cats. (It's really wierd, but I am not allergic to all cats just some of them. I can't explain it. It just is what it is.)
With that said, Thursday was the weirdest and possibly most stressful day I have had as a pet sitter, certainly as a pet sitter in Chapel Hill and maybe even in my entire pet sitting career (if you can call pet sitting a career).
1. Thursday afternoon I went to walk the dog that I walk three times/week on my lunch breaks from the law office. The walk was all fine and dandy until the dog goes number two and a stick comes out. Well, the stick didn't come all the way out, just partially and then was just sticking out of the dog's butt. It was so gross and weird and I didn't know what to do. I kept walking her for a bit, hoping that the stick would work it's way out or that she would go number two again and it would come out. No such luck, our walk was coming to an end and the stick was still there. Finally, I got another stick, lifted up her tail, and sort of scraped the stick out. Yuck. It's times like this that I don't at all feel guilty about the fact that these people pay the agency $18/walk.
2. I got an email on Thursday from a client who is out of town for a month and I am looking after her three kitties while she is gone. I go to her home everyday and give the kitties food and fresh water and scoop the litter. Everyday when I come, their food bowls are empty again and, due to the fact that the water bowl is so close to the food bowl, their water is quite dirty from the kitties getting food in their water. Apparently, the client was in town for the afternoon. She stopped by her house and found their bowls empty and their water dirty. She sent me an email basically saying that it didn't look like I had been to her house for several days (which was absolutely not the case). I responded via email and phone. I think the situation is resolved now, but it was very upsetting and stressful for me. (I can't stand it when I feel people are displeased with me).
3. Thursday evening I was to start a new job for a client who had to go out of town quite unexpectedly and in a hurry. So this client hired the agency to send someone to look after her kitty without meeting the actual pet sitter ahead of time. I did get to speak to the client over the phone, but I didn't get to go to the house or meet the kitty ahead of time. So I mapquested the address and went on my merry way. Well, mapquest pretty much botched it up. Long story short, mapquest had taken me about a 30 minute drive from where I should have been and I had to call the client to get verbal directions from her. Then, of course, I missed a street and drove about seven more miles out of my way. Finally, after an hour and a half of driving around, I found the place. I was so stinking frustrated by the end of the night.
After all that, I was very glad to have Friday off from the law office so I could have at least a little extra relax and unwind time. Last Thursday made me very grateful for all the days when things go as planned and aren't too stressful. :)
With that said, Thursday was the weirdest and possibly most stressful day I have had as a pet sitter, certainly as a pet sitter in Chapel Hill and maybe even in my entire pet sitting career (if you can call pet sitting a career).
1. Thursday afternoon I went to walk the dog that I walk three times/week on my lunch breaks from the law office. The walk was all fine and dandy until the dog goes number two and a stick comes out. Well, the stick didn't come all the way out, just partially and then was just sticking out of the dog's butt. It was so gross and weird and I didn't know what to do. I kept walking her for a bit, hoping that the stick would work it's way out or that she would go number two again and it would come out. No such luck, our walk was coming to an end and the stick was still there. Finally, I got another stick, lifted up her tail, and sort of scraped the stick out. Yuck. It's times like this that I don't at all feel guilty about the fact that these people pay the agency $18/walk.
2. I got an email on Thursday from a client who is out of town for a month and I am looking after her three kitties while she is gone. I go to her home everyday and give the kitties food and fresh water and scoop the litter. Everyday when I come, their food bowls are empty again and, due to the fact that the water bowl is so close to the food bowl, their water is quite dirty from the kitties getting food in their water. Apparently, the client was in town for the afternoon. She stopped by her house and found their bowls empty and their water dirty. She sent me an email basically saying that it didn't look like I had been to her house for several days (which was absolutely not the case). I responded via email and phone. I think the situation is resolved now, but it was very upsetting and stressful for me. (I can't stand it when I feel people are displeased with me).
3. Thursday evening I was to start a new job for a client who had to go out of town quite unexpectedly and in a hurry. So this client hired the agency to send someone to look after her kitty without meeting the actual pet sitter ahead of time. I did get to speak to the client over the phone, but I didn't get to go to the house or meet the kitty ahead of time. So I mapquested the address and went on my merry way. Well, mapquest pretty much botched it up. Long story short, mapquest had taken me about a 30 minute drive from where I should have been and I had to call the client to get verbal directions from her. Then, of course, I missed a street and drove about seven more miles out of my way. Finally, after an hour and a half of driving around, I found the place. I was so stinking frustrated by the end of the night.
After all that, I was very glad to have Friday off from the law office so I could have at least a little extra relax and unwind time. Last Thursday made me very grateful for all the days when things go as planned and aren't too stressful. :)
Tuesday, July 01, 2008
Lossing Motivation
Does anybody know a cure for loss of motivation? I feel like I am going through one of those little phases where you only have enough motivation to get the bare minimum done. I don't really like that.
Anyhow, just to let you all know, my dinner at Elaine's was very nice. The atmosphere in the restuarant was nice, not the best I have ever seen, but very nice nonetheless. The entree was really good. I got the Alaskan halibut and I can highly recommend that. My date ordered the wine, so I'm not sure what he ordered, but it I do know it was a cabernet sauvignon and it was good. Neither of us ordered a starter so I cannot comment on that. But dessert. . . now I will rave about the dessert, but I must make a comment on the prices before I go on to the dessert. The meal was good, but overpriced. I was able to thoroughly enjoy every bite, knowing that I was not paying for the meal. But when I added it all up in my head after the fact, for 2 entrees, 2 glasses of wine, 2 desserts, taxes, and tip. . . I am certain that more than $100.00 was spent on our meal. If it was me paying, I would not have felt the meal was that good, with one important exception. . . dessert. I had Elaine's warm chocolate cake. . . it was absolutely heaven on earth. It far exceeded its dollar value. In fact, after one bite of it, if you asked me what I would pay for it. . . I may have said something along the lines of my right hand, my first born child, or my very soul (just kidding, but I am making the point that it really was the best chocolate cake I have ever eaten in my life). So if and when I go back to Elaine's I may stick to a starter, a glass of water, and chocolate cake!
Also, my visit with my sister was good. Lots of girl talk and lying out by the pool. It was fabulous. We had a good time at the show we went to last Thursday night. Me Without You was headlining and they were great. Mary and I missed the first band entirely because we came late, but we caught most of the second band and I really enjoyed them as well. The second band was Maps and Atlases. I enjoyed them at the show and now a friend is letting me borrow their cd and I am enjoying them even more. In concert, they sounded to me like Dave Matthews meets Modest Mouse, but on cd it sounds to me more like Phillip Glass meets Modest Mouse. Anyhow, there is some definite Modest Mouse vibe in there. And I like it. I would not yet say that I love it, but definitely like with the potential to grow into love, given enough time :)
This week is quite busy work wise. I have regular hours Mon-Thursday at the law office (Friday off for the Fourth of July!). But in the evenings and mornings and lunch breaks I am house sitting and dog walking for four different people. And on top of that, the usual church stuff. Which brings me back to the beginning of this post. . . I need to stay motivated! How do I get my motivation back?!
Anyhow, just to let you all know, my dinner at Elaine's was very nice. The atmosphere in the restuarant was nice, not the best I have ever seen, but very nice nonetheless. The entree was really good. I got the Alaskan halibut and I can highly recommend that. My date ordered the wine, so I'm not sure what he ordered, but it I do know it was a cabernet sauvignon and it was good. Neither of us ordered a starter so I cannot comment on that. But dessert. . . now I will rave about the dessert, but I must make a comment on the prices before I go on to the dessert. The meal was good, but overpriced. I was able to thoroughly enjoy every bite, knowing that I was not paying for the meal. But when I added it all up in my head after the fact, for 2 entrees, 2 glasses of wine, 2 desserts, taxes, and tip. . . I am certain that more than $100.00 was spent on our meal. If it was me paying, I would not have felt the meal was that good, with one important exception. . . dessert. I had Elaine's warm chocolate cake. . . it was absolutely heaven on earth. It far exceeded its dollar value. In fact, after one bite of it, if you asked me what I would pay for it. . . I may have said something along the lines of my right hand, my first born child, or my very soul (just kidding, but I am making the point that it really was the best chocolate cake I have ever eaten in my life). So if and when I go back to Elaine's I may stick to a starter, a glass of water, and chocolate cake!
Also, my visit with my sister was good. Lots of girl talk and lying out by the pool. It was fabulous. We had a good time at the show we went to last Thursday night. Me Without You was headlining and they were great. Mary and I missed the first band entirely because we came late, but we caught most of the second band and I really enjoyed them as well. The second band was Maps and Atlases. I enjoyed them at the show and now a friend is letting me borrow their cd and I am enjoying them even more. In concert, they sounded to me like Dave Matthews meets Modest Mouse, but on cd it sounds to me more like Phillip Glass meets Modest Mouse. Anyhow, there is some definite Modest Mouse vibe in there. And I like it. I would not yet say that I love it, but definitely like with the potential to grow into love, given enough time :)
This week is quite busy work wise. I have regular hours Mon-Thursday at the law office (Friday off for the Fourth of July!). But in the evenings and mornings and lunch breaks I am house sitting and dog walking for four different people. And on top of that, the usual church stuff. Which brings me back to the beginning of this post. . . I need to stay motivated! How do I get my motivation back?!
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