Trace's Village

It just dawned on me that I haven't posted here for quite a while; between seldom being online only long enough to check emails and the other little free online time jumping on and off Facebook.....I've neglected this for too long, as it's still a great way to keep people updated!!

Ok, for those of you who didn't know, I have completed my first year of Office Administration successfully....both semesters on the Dean's List, so I'm quite impressed and pleased with myself at this point. I will be returning in the Fall for my second year, by this time next year I will have graduated and hopefully have a good job.

Speaking of jobs, I have been with Transcom in Barrie since May; it's an inbound call center and right now our client is a provider for cable/internet/home phone in Florida. I'm in the billing/cable/retention department, and I swear to God if I had a nickel for every customer who says, "why is my bill so high????" I wouldn't have to work again! Furthermore, the day will come when I will wish I could reply back, "'cause you didn't pay your f'ing bill!!"; but I will hold onto that response for a day when things are REALLY bad or for the day that I'm ready to get the hell out of there for good!

Other than that, that's what is going on...it hasn't been the most ideal summer for spending time with the kids, when I'm working they're off doing their own things. Trish just graduated from Grade 8 *sniffle* and my baby Sam is almost 11 *sniffle sniffle*. Which just keeps reminding me that I'm getting older too!...but still young at heart?! Well, at least I hope so.

Current Location: Home sweet home
Current Mood: contemplative
Current Music: None, just enjoying the quiet

Well, the first day is done and gone. Mine seemed to be a waste of time, except it was orientation day and managed to score some free goodies;) The girls, however, have been full of news about everything: teachers, new principal, new office secretary, book orders, and on and on and on:) It's going to be a bittersweet year, as now Trish is in grade 8. Sami is starting grade 5...where the hell has time gone??

Current Mood: tired

Since I have to work tomorrow night, we won't be going anywhere for the last long weekend of summer. So, I guess I get to spend it cleaning a bit so I won't have to start school and come home to a dirty apartment*g*.

Well, to be more technical, the girls are going to their dad's overnight Sunday while I'm at work, so at least someone is going somewhere.

Current Mood: mellow

Well, I got accepted for the Dr. Albert Rose Bursary Program!!:) That's the good news; the bad is that I won't actually see the funds until the second week of September or so. I start the 2nd. :( Which means I have to find some way to get my books. I wrangled up some money, but not quite enough for the entire cost. Seriously, if it were anything else at this point I would simply give up and walk away. But I worked up myself so much to get here, to get accepted and get funding so I could go to college that I feel deep down that if I don't forge ahead I may never go back.

Current Mood: contemplative

Well, I'm officially registered for college and have my timetable and booklist ready to go! *sigh* now I just have to scrounge up the funds for my textbooks....at least until the bursary comes thru, which won't be until September 4th or 5th (stinks, 'cause my course starts the 2nd!!)

Otherwise, Sami is now home from her dad's and Trish stayed there for one more night. I hope that getting them up for the school year will be easier this time around, since now once I drop them at school then *I* have to go too*g*

Current Mood: calm

I cannot remember that last time I felt this frustrated!!! (Nor the last time I actually POSTED here!!:))

The due date for my first payment for Georgian is this Friday, and I feel like I'm getting NOWHERE. I am still awaiting a response from Ontario Works in regards to assistance to put towards the payment; I am still awaiting a response from Georgian to see if they could push the payment back; and still awaiting SOMETHING or some sign of sorts to see if I got accepted for the bursary program I applied for!

I'm just trying to stay calm and tell myself that challenges come our way all the time and I've just got to overcome them...somehow.

Current Mood: frustrated

I know, it's been forever since I've been around here....given life's ups and downs as of lately, it's not overly surprising. That, and the kids are home 'cause of summer so getting NEAR the computer never mind on it long enough to do more than check emails is a mere miracle in itself.

Things are nuts as per normal, trying hard to get it back to whatever normal is. The girls have picked up a paper route since I figured it was time that they needed to learn the value of a dollar (that and Momma just doesn't have a zillion dollars every time they want something!!)

Trish celebrated her 12th bday on August 4th!!! (waaaaah!) And in turn had a pile of her friends over and this weekend we're off to Canada's Wonderland with Jeffy, Dylan, Randy's gf Lise and her son Ryan. So, as can be plainly seen, things aren't slowing down anytime soon.

Current Mood: busy

Well, after going crazy the last few weeks with the store, the kids, and Mom's house, tomorrow is finally the day we lay her ashes to rest. After a calm field trip with the girls' class we have to meet the rest of the family at 4 at the cemetary. This is the day I finally get to wind down and let it all out. All the heartache, stress and frustration I've been holding in simply because I've been WAY too busy to do anything about it sooner. And Sunday is the Celebration of Life, another day to get thru and plaster a smile on my face to show that Mom did indeed live a good life and that she wouldn't want anyone to be sad about it all. Sure.

Yesterday, we had a gentleman come up from our home office to do a training session on tobacco, selling to minors, the whole thing. It just so happened that it was Jonathan, my training manager from my training class at home office and we just happened to have a chat in between...he has informed me that I have taken on WAY too much and has informed my MM of the same....perish the thought!...ME, taking on TOO much?

Current Mood: tired

I have just realized that I likely haven't posted here in about four weeks, or at least sometime after Mom passed away. So much has been going on around here and I never even seem to have the time to reflect on anything....work, kids, home. That's what my life has been. And being updated on major decisions regarding Mom's house, we're currently ripping up the kitchen floor, the carpeting and plan on primering and painting real soon. Otherwise, we're having a garage sale this Saturday morning so we'll see what we can get out of the house. It feels way too odd to be there, with everything gone (Gord, Dennis and I moved her dining hutch here last week, along with her desk, which is now my desk at the store). The bunch wanted me to go over tonight and pack up some stuff but I just don't have the energy or time lately to even really care if it pee's them off if I don't stay around long. My own place right now is a disaster, as I haven't even had the time to tidy and clean...more worried about the house and work.

Speaking of the store, it's a busy crazy place!!! The sales are at least very good and I'm hoping against hope that things keep rolling in a positive way. I am to go to Toronto this weekend to watch a show and I SO need this. I need one night to badly get away from all this insanity and breathe. I am praying that nothing stops me from getting away or I will lose my mind.

Current Mood: stressed

Wow, what a store!!!! I knew it was going to be busy busy busy, but yikes!!


Store #20 is the only 24 hour store in Penetanguishene, so naturally it's going to be busy any time of day and night. But it doesn't help that the staff before us didn't take care of the store....no cleaning, no filling up of the coolers....ack, what a mess. And it's not even close to being solved.

So, today was the actual first day of me actually running the till and counter. I wanted to see for myself how busy the store is on weekends and where I need to double up staff. But before today I've been running myself ragged trying to keep up on ordering, tidying and rearranging products in the coolers as well as shelves in the store itself.

As for Mom and the house and everything else....the house is too quiet lately; everyone has been trying to catch up on their lives too, so things have slowed down for the moment yet we plan on resuming back on Monday to finish up. In the meantime, Dennis has been trying to clean up the basement a bit. But he has been really helpful and has been keeping care of Leela while I'm at work. He's there with Brady all day so one more dog doesn't bother him. Which reminds me, I need to speak to him about vet visits...yay, it's heartworm season, grooming time and Leela needs her vaccinations...*sigh*

Current Mood: tired

Tomorrow is the big move to Penetanguishene and this is as ready as I'll get. Actually, I was more ahead today than I thought I would be; this time last week I really didn't know what end was up. But, I think my head's on pretty straight and I'm in good shape for the shape I'm in. Except I can see myself going in to the store in the morning for about 4 or 5 am...*shudder* which is really the only downside to the whole transfer...it's extra 15 minute drive every morning so now I'll have to be up earlier. Ah well, it should be worth it in the long run.

We're done the upstairs of Mom's house. Now the basement is next and that's fearful in itself. My Gram's stuff is still down there so I think that bin parked in the driveway will be filled up once again when we get it back (it's being picked up tomorrow).

Current Mood: busy

Well, the gang took care of the rest of Mom's kitchen while I was at work today, stopping only near the end 'cause they ran out of boxes. I think we've cleaned every Midland grocery store out of their boxes!!

But, after Gord went home, the rest of us decided to have a crazy hell-bent game of Uno....there was a little name calling here and there and at one point I think I really had half the deck of cards as my hand, but it felt so good to laugh instead of fighting with Randy (like we did last night) or worrying about what to keep, what to throw away and what's to come next.

Current Mood: content

The last two days have been spent at the funeral home, my Mom's house wondering where to start and trying to find her will. We found it yesterday, but it was from 1990. My uncle, who has just been diagnosed with Parkinsons Disease is the executor of her will, but since he is in really no condition to be doing it and that he feels the way we do, just trying to get thru things as quickly and painlessly as possible, will be doing all the fun legal stuff and financial stuff while we plow thru the house. And do I mean PLOW....but first, we found out also that my mother, who was the one who was always prepared for anything, was not; she didn't have prearrangements made for herself yet we swore up, down and sideways that she had done it when she arranged for Dad. She set up for a double urn, but that's all. So we had to start from scratch otherwise.

We ended up renting a garbage bin (a very large one at that) and it arrived this morning at the house; we started in the back porch, moved on to the back bedroom and then the bathroom and her room....the bin is now HALF FULL!!! And right now I'm tired, dusty and I'm losing my voice. Not sure at this moment if it's from laughing so hard at recollections with my family or from inhaling so much dust*g* Keep in mind, if you will, that I'm still trying my damndest to stay on top of my business at the store esp. with my transfer one week away from today.

Tomorrow we continue to plug away and I hope to at least help the gang get thru alot because I have to be back at work Thursday and Friday morning.

Current Mood: anxious

If I had only known that dinner out with Mom on Friday night would be her last....

Friday night Mom had been complaining about pains in her lower back; by the time we left to go out to eat, she said the pains had moved to her stomach...she only ate a bit of her dinner and we went back to the house. My brother found her later when he came home, she was laying down on her bed, on her stomach. By 12:55 am Saturday, she asked Dennis to call the ambulance. My brother Gord called me at 6:00 to tell me that Mom had a bleeding aneurysm in her stomach and had to be air-lifted to St. Michael's in Toronto for emergency surgery. She was being wheeled out of surgery by the time we all got there, between 9:30 and 10, and was put in ICU. We took turns seeing her, but the outcome at that point wasn't good (she was on life support, was in a coma and couldn't breathe on her own). We left after awhile to eat and book rooms at a hotel around the corner....but she was gone by the time we got back. She passed away at 2:15 yesterday afternoon. The rest of the time there was spent saying our goodbyes (by the way, thank you Jeffy!! Again and again and again).

I still can't believe she's gone. And so quickly. And tomorrow would have been her 70th birthday.

Current Mood: crushed

I'm at less than two weeks til the big move and I haven't a clue where to start in my office/backroom. I've been steadily transferring inventory out to other stores as needed, thus resolving two issues: less inventory for me to count and less that other stores have to order thru our distributer. But in the meantime, I have boxes of paperwork to remove (I have to take them home and store them for 7 YEARS!! btw, for those who don't remember, I live in an apartment!!) and my odds and ends to pack up, all the while still leaving out enough needed items to get me thru the next week and a half.

In other news....and this is where even I get puzzled tho a bit giddy....I think I've met someone new, really nice guy. We get along really good, we have chatted online and on the phone and he has a nice laugh and he's amazing to talk to...but we barely know each other at this point but I really like him...or least what I know about him. We're supposed to get together next weekend and meet face to face for the first time. I really hope I'm not putting too much into this, I really do.

Current Location: Home, amongst the mess of my hell*g*
Current Music: watching 'Sleepy Hallow'

Ok, it's officially official, tho technically it's been official for about three weeks. And now that the cat is out of the bag around the area, I'll be transferring from my beloved #382 to store #20 in Penetanguishene.

What does this mean, you may ask? More money (store makes more sales there), ten minutes more of travel time there every morning and ten minutes more to come home every afternoon; and also, the search for two more staff, since two of my current staff wish not to make the move as well, travelling expenses being the big problem. But completely understood...in the meantime, I have so much to do in less than two weeks!! Train new staff, get organized by packing up what I have in the office (which includes about 20 small boxes of sales period paperwork which I have to keep for the next seven years!!) and in general be ready to roll by 7 am on May 1st, the day of my exit inventory.

In other news, I *think* I've met someone new....I say 'think' only 'cause it's been real hard to hook up; he owns his own business too and has been busy putting a 2000 sq. ft. addition to his own house so he's been quite hard to pin down for more than five minutes. But when we both have the time, we spend time chatting up on the phone. So far, we have plans to hook up next weekend but have no idea at this point where, when and what*g* Oh well, it's nice to have something else to look forward to besides my transfer:)

Current Mood: chipper

Phew!! For once, inventory went smooth smooth smooth!! Doesn't happen often but I like it when it does.

In other news: the hamster has been found*g*...from what the girls and I have gathered, he's been hiding up the shelf on which his cage sits and coming out when we're gone or sleeping to snack away on the little piles of food the girls left him so they could lure him out*g*. But there was just enough space under the shelf in the back so he could come and go as he pleased. I'm just thankful he's alive 'cause the alternative wasn't too appealing to me.

Current Mood: accomplished

*sigh* Easter morning greeted me and the girls with NO hamster in the cage; he somehow got out and hasn't been seen since. I've been checking the rads in the apartment, God help me 'cause despite the fact that that is NOT where I want to find him, but would feel lots better if he was just found!! Nothing quite like the feeling to be afraid of putting your feet on the floor in case you step on a rodent:P

Well, the friend I mentioned in my previous post is no longer on my crap list. We met up today, me with the full intention of fixing it. I usually cannot stay mad at this person and I really have no energy left within me to stay mad and I really wanted to fix things somehow. And I always have thought that any friendship that was strong enough could make it thru anything. At this point, I can say that we're on the road to recovery, only because we have both stated that we want to stay friends. But it takes time for me to get over things and well, once I'm healed I'm sure I'll will be able to roll on and be friends with this person. It will just take time I guess.

Current Mood: drained