"Sure, sign me up!"

I guess I haven't posted anything in quite a while, eh? I wish I could say that it's because I'm boring and have nothing to write about. On the contrary, my life has started to burst with extra-curriculars. With that realization, I also decided it was time to start saying "no" to things. Here, just so you know what I'm talking about...

• Not only do I attend my weekly TOPS meetings, I'm an Area Captain for eight chapters. That means I communicate with them regularly, prepare the occasional newsletter, and have to visit them in-person at least once each per year. That's only since starting July 1st. And I have to remember to submit my monthly report to my regional director!
• I'm on Viterra's Social Committee. We plan an event every month or so, including the annual "Holiday Party" that just took place this past Friday night. It also involves monthly meetings. Thankfully those are during work hours.
• I'm a member of the CPA's (Canadian Payroll Association's) Regina Branch and meet every month or so with the other members. I also need to attend one to two PDS (Professional Development Seminars) per year as the volunteer in addition to helping out at the annual certification luncheon and National Payroll Week breakfast.
• Also with the CPA, I'm a registered Subject Matter Expert (SME). My most common duties in include the review of payroll guidelines, certification program content, and exams. I did two reviews within a few weeks of each other in November.
• Paul and I attend a once-monthly meeting for the Son's of Scotland (SOS), a non-profit group made up of Scottish members (duh) that plan events with each other and participate in local functions. I just signed up to help plan the Christmas party, even though I just found out that we won't even be able to attend it because of another function that means more to us.
• In addition to the "Christmas Party Committee", I joined the "Burns Night Committee", also for the SOS. The grand even takes place on or around Robbie Burns' birthday each year; this time it's January 25th. Who knows what I'll need to do to help out with that one!
• Each year the city of Regina has a multicultural festival called Mosaic. I decided to sign up for a committee with the Scottish Pavilion this year, specifically the "Publicity and Sponsorship Committee". We've only had one meeting as of yet, but there's another tomorrow night and many more to come. My main job will be to obtain sponsorship monies from companies in the area so we can afford to put on the event. We'll also be publicizing our pavilion through local media prior to May when Mosaic is held.

What am I missing? Oh yeah...

• I'm on the worship team at church so volunteer my singing talents once or twice per month.
• I do the books for Paul's business, keeping track of all his income and expenses so that at tax time, the accountant doesn't have to ask me for much. That and if I didn't help Paul out, he would forget to withhold taxes each pay period, and not know how to calculate his input tax credits for his GST return each quarter.
• I'd still like to further my education and get my Certified Payroll Manager (CPM) designation. Maybe in the spring...?
• Like the good little wife that I am, I do all the shopping, cooking, cleaning, and laundry. I've tried to get help but the truth is that I do it best and I'm actually quite happy after it's done. There's just something so satisfying about having a clean house with food in the fridge... And anyway, Paul does his share with the dog so I let him off.
• Don't forget I work full time and have a high-intensity workload at the moment. Keeping up with my own work and still being able to help my co-workers with their issues is tough. I keep reminding myself that, at the end of the day, I really do love what I do.

I think that's all, but who knows. I probably forgot something because I'm so overly organized that I need an organizer for my organizer and things get a little messy sometimes.

Good thing I signed up for Wednesday noon-hour yoga class! Ohhhhhhhhmmmmmmmmm...

Obsessive Personality?

Sometimes I wonder why my brain acts like it does. Is it heredity? Am I just bonkers? Did something in my upbringing cause me to act a certain way? Who knows, but these questions will occasionally pass through my consciousness.

Specifically, I have issues with obsessing. It can be over any sort of thing; such as seeing a Dairy Queen commercial on TV and thinking about a sundae for days until I get one; or dwelling on something someone said until some new thought or situation deems it null and void; or needing my desk to be in a certain order or organizational pattern. Often I need to snap myself out of a thought pattern to realize that what's going on inside my brain is ludicrous and just plain stupid.

This trait of mine can be quite annoying. I not need the material goods or food I dream of, or have the right idea about what that person said or did. My visions are not reality. My wishes are false. I just need to keep reminding myself of that and use good judgement, self-control, and objectivity to straighten my brain out.

I'm sure this all sounds quite silly, but if you struggled with it you would really want to know why it even happens in the first place. Some so-called professional wrote a short article regarding "The Obsessive Personality". There were maybe two or three points I felt were valid; otherwise it was a bunch of hooey and absolutely did not apply to me. I do NOT think I have a serious obsessive compulsive type of disorder, but I do feel that I need to be very aware of my thoughts and feelings and be smart in my decision-making.

Time for an Upgrade

For Christmas in 2002, when I was living in my very first "real" apartment (not just a basement suite), I was blessed with a beautiful new Eureka Whirlwind vacuum. It served me well over the years, even after bringing pets into our home and getting fur clogged in it. Unfortunately, however, when I was emptying the dust cup last week, the piece that keeps the cup on the vacuum itself broke off. When I went to use it today, I found that the piece really was extremely important so I now am without a vacuum.

Ever since seeing a Dyson commercial on TV for the first time, I've dreamed of owning one. They aren't cheap. They are really good at what they do, however. Since my Eureka died, I decided it is now officially time to splurge and just go buy one. With a five year warranty and positive review upon positive review over the entire line of vacuums, I can't go wrong. The decision to buy one was made easy by my old one dying; the decision as to which one to buy proved more difficult than expected!

I've settled on the DC37. With Ball™ technology, the new DC37 Turbinehead Animal vacuum cleaner turns on the spot and follows easily, without the awkward moves. It's the only canister vacuum with an articulating central steering mechanism. The brush bar is powered by air instead of a motor, making the cleaner head light and easy to maneuver. DC37 has also been engineered for reduced noise levels.  http://www.english.dysoncanada.ca/vacuums/ball/dc37_canister_vacuum.asp 

Like I said, they don't come cheap but I am very excited to finally, once and for all, rid my home of unwanted pet hair. Honestly, I can't wait for someone to come visit so I can show it off!

Long Time No Write!

Wow, has it really been three weeks since I last posted? I guess my mind is so full of other items that I haven't been able to bother it to blog. I mean, the last three weeks have flown by so fast that I've already been home over a week since my work trip to Minneapolis. It seems like yesterday.

I'm trying to relax a little, and unfortunately was caused to by a sudden bout of exhaustion/sore throat that came over me on Sunday night/Monday morning. I'd rather not be sick, but at least it has caused me to do mostly nothing the last two days. There's still much to be done, but sometimes the body just demands I cease action. Although I keep pretty healthy, there are still times when others' sickness and overwork can get the best of me.

Other than succumbing to a short malady, things have been pretty good at Chez Nairn. Our future home building is often on the brain; when the time is right, we'll know. Before that happens, however, our current home renos need to be completed. I'm still without a second shower (I'm blaming my "lazy once he gets home from work" husband), but am willing to pay a plumber to help out. It just needs to be finished so we can get on with the other jobs. I really dislike home renovations so the sooner they're completed the better.

Paul's truck is due to be fixed starting next Tuesday. I pray it doesn't take them too long because we'll be renting a truck for him to use for the time it's in the shop. Quite an expensive accident, eh? Too bad we don't know who did it because it's 100% not Paul's fault but he's left to pay the deductible. All his hard work just to go down the drain into a stupid hit-and-run.

Once that's all done with we can start planning our trip to Scotland. It's somewhat scary to think about the things I want to do and the planning that's required (oh yeah, and the money we need to pay for it all!), but I'm going to try and enjoy it. The best part will be the trip itself and I'll forget about any stress I incurred beforehand.

Maybe I'll have more exciting things to share soon. Or not. I guess it depends on how busy I am!

Busy, Busy, Busy

Apparently I've been so busy I haven't blogged in ten days. I was going to say that "I have no life", but that would be the complete opposite. I have so much going on in my life that I haven't had time to blog about it!

Since mom and dad came for a visit (a nice one, with plenty of delicious food and fun involved), I've been extremely preoccupied with work. This time of year we're dealing with retroactive pay for pay increases that go in for last November, as well as the annual incentive (aka bonus) payments. Other than last night's two hours of overtime, I haven't had to work past 4:30 pm. I'm super happy about that, but the hours I am at work are 100% chock full of hard, brain-draining work.

Next week I fly to Minneapolis to spend time with the payroll person down there. Since I took over helping her out with exiting-coworker's workload, it's necessary that I go down there to figure things out properly and help get a good handle on their processes. Although I wish I could have Monday off like the rest of my Regina peeps, I'll just take another day off sometime later.

I really don't have much else to say. I'm just busy. Paul is also busy. We are still smiling though!

The Joys of Home Ownership

Owning a home can create mixed emotions. Sometimes it's the bee's knees, and often times it's the cat's pajamas. Then there are those other times when it's the dog's breakfast, like when you have to pay to repair something. Ah, the joys of home ownership: having to spend money unexpectedly because something's broke and it's got to be fixed!

Such is the story of our kitchen sink, currently. It was fine this morning, however upon attempting to clean a few dishes while I was cooking, I found that it was actually clogged. As Paul wasn't home yet I proceeded to use the plunger on it. I mostly got wet and dirty and angered the dog. When he arrived he tried the pipe snake on it. Even after going fifteen feet in, we still have a problem.

Paul will be in contact with a plumber friend he has, but it's still frustrating to have these things happen. If there was a magic repair fairy, I'd definitely be wishing for him/her to come visit me right now.

A Renewed Outlook

I'm not one to write too much about things that haven't occurred yet, so all I will say is that it feels really great to finally be recognized in some fashion for the hard work I've been doing. I may not yet be getting the monetary reimbursement that I've been longing for, however I am getting other things in lieu. It's really difficult to work so hard for something and then have to wait so long to get anything positive out of it. Making up for my efforts by granting me non-monetary items has given me that visibly reminder of my value. I still have hope and faith for more great things in time, but the not-so-distant future holds some excellent opportunities for me. It's amazing how a little verbal recognition and positive feedback can give one such a renewed outlook on life.

...Patience is definitely a virtue I could write a book on though!

Happy Day

After all my stressing, I happily found out that my employer "approves me to take time off" to attend a few days away in Toronto this April for a CPA (Canadian Payroll Association) thing. It's being paid for by the CPA, so I just have to work out the time away from my normal job for a few days ahead of time. As long as everything gets done or is accounted for, everyone will be happy. They should be glad I have this opportunity: I'm going to be a very valuable asset to the team with all this knowledge and experience I'm gaining!

I also had a lovely massage today. It was a nice break from the cold, harsh day.

And then I lost 1.75 lbs when I weighed in after work. A good end to Hump Day, that's for sure.

Now only a few days to go, complete with some cleaning, grocery shopping, and puppy class to attend. Then the parental units will be here for a little visit and some fun. May the rest of the week turn out just as positively as today!

And Lately.

I guess I haven't shared what's on my mind lately. I guess that means either nothing is on my mind (not likely), or that I don't wish to share it (more likely). The same is true for when I don't post on Facebook for more than a few days. Some things are just kept private or, like mama always said, "if you don't have something nice to say, don't say it at all".

After some pondering, I do have a few things on my mind, like the earth sure is round. And my backyard sure is going to be a mess in the spring. And my dog sure is a smart cookie (and very much likes flyball class and hot dogs). And I hate excuses. And the word "sorry" should not be used to try and smooth over a situation if not entirely appropriate. And proper spelling and grammar is very important to me (just not in my blog, apparently, because if it mattered that much, I would not continuously use the word "and" at the beginning of my sentences). And I'm really happy my ex-manager in Manitoba suggested (more than once, and probably more than twice or thrice) I look into a career in payroll. And although I love a clean house and get a really great endorphin rush from performing general household cleaning duties, I really don't have any motivation to do it (don't worry, mom, I will have de-furred my furniture before you arrive).

All that said, I guess I do have a lot on my mind lately! Don't go far, more mind-altering thoughts may be headed your way soon.

Dental Distress

My husband has a mouth full of crap, or so I like to say. Obviously not literally, but his teeth are pretty bad in many ways and cause him more problems than not. He blames bad Scottish dentists. I blame his poor dental hygiene, or lack thereof.

He has a few specific things planned for his mouth, such as a bridge and some crowns, but just last week he started having a lot of pain in a new spot. Of course he did! This is why I say his mouth is full of crap. Luckily the dentist office we go to has more than one available to see, so he got in on very short notice. It ends up that he'll need a root canal. This isn't the first, as I'm sure you can imagine. The dentist drilled out the nerves and such and packed it all in until his appointment on the 24th. Unfortunately, Paul has been in a lot of pain since.

No over-the-counter pain medication seems to help and it's a wonder he's been sleeping decently. I told him to just call them back and get in to see that dentist again, if even just to get a prescription for something stronger. They were able to get him in this afternoon and even better than pain meds, they made the pain go away. The funny thing is, the only thing that would work was to NOT pack the tooth up. He now has a hole in the tooth itself. Gross. I don't want to look in there. I've never had a hole in my tooth for any reason so I'm not going to start now nor do I want to look at anyone else's. He even has this gross little metal pick to stick in the hole in case something gets lodged in it. GROSS.

I'm just happy that he isn't in pain anymore. To put it bluntly, I simply wasn't enjoying living with an asshole. He knows he was being a jerk because of the pain, and he admits to it and apologizes for it. All this because he's not good at brushing and flossing. Sheesh. Good thing I have a good benefit plan!

Mother(in law)ly Love?

The results are in and what I've assumed for the last ten years is now confirmed to be true: my mother loves my husband more than she loves me! *GASP* Well, she must, because he received a little package in the mail from her today. Inside was Turtles chocolate. Nothing for me, just a cute little package addressed to him with a little note saying she "couldn't resist sending some love". *DOUBLE GASP*

Now, I know he's extremely handy when it comes to physically demanding jobs you have for him, but I'm your daughter! I'm your flesh and blood! He's just an import and many times I tempted to send him back to where he came from (apparently the Scots come with defects but I took too long and my warranty lapsed. Who knew?).

Mom, all I can say is, it's a good thing he loves ME more than YOU and is going to share those delicious little chocolates!





Disclaimer***If you didn't laugh or even giggle at this, you took it way too seriously. It's a joke! She did send him the chocolates, with nothing to me, but I'm not angry at all. I just thought writing this blog would be fun.***

Thankful

I'm thankful that...

I was born on the prairies and have a true appreciation for a real prairie winter (and enjoy it).

God created snow because without it, where would the fun be at this time of year?

I have generous grandparents that just give away certain snow removal implements to needy grandchildren when they themselves no longer require them.

I learned to drive in the snow in the middle of winter.

there is such a thing as pizza delivery because nights like this are meant for remaining indoors.

Sorry for the poor quality and backlight, but the point is that this is our backyard currently. The snow is nearing the top of the fence and the lowest part is at Paul's knee. He's not short! We now have to blow out certain parts just so the dog can do her business. And she still has a nice "racetrack" around the whole thing. I heart winter!

Hit & Run = Worst Luck Ever

Paul's truck was hit while parked at the job site today. How unfortunate. This is me trying to be indifferent about it when I'd much rather scream at the UNKNOWN person that did the deed, "WHY WOULD YOU JUST HIT HIS TRUCK AND DRIVE AWAY?!?! WHAT KIND OF PERSON ARE YOU?!?!"

It happened some time this morning, between when he arrived at the site and parked the truck, and when he went outside to get his lunch. The houses he's working on are in a newly-built residential area with lots of traffic in and out due to continuing work being done by all sorts of companies and trades people. It could be anyone. The only saving grace in this situation is that the paint left on Paul's white truck is green. He says there are a few green trucks regularly around, but none seem to have any damage on them.

Regardless of the details -- I could go on and on -- I'm just so saddened by the whole thing. I'm angry at the person that hit and ran. I'm angry that I was stupid not to get a package policy added (I had planned to for the last four months). I'm angry that Saskatchewan has a stupid insurance company that has a ridiculous $700 deductible that WE will have to pay. I'm angry that Paul will have to miss work to have his truck appraised for the damage and for the truck to be fixed. I'm just plain angry.

We literally have had the work luck ever in Saskatchewan when it comes to our vehicles:

1. our 2003 Chevy Optra was vandalized outside our "hood house" just a few months after moving to the city. It was written off completely.
2. after only one week of owning my new 2010 Dodge Journey (the replacement for the Optra), I was rear-ended only a few blocks from prior-mentioned "hood house". The entire rear door and muffler had to be replaced and I had to use a rental for a month.
3. now this delight with Paul's four month old 2012 Dodge Ram

I can only pray that my own new car remains out of harm's way. We've had enough bad times with vehicles and I do not wish for any more to occur. I did say a prayer quite shortly after finding out when I got home today, that the person responsible would find it in their heart to come forward about what they did. If not to Paul, then to SGI.

This is, that's what!

Hello, 2013! I took a week long break from blogging to breathe and relax and now here I am, back at it. Don't expect a daily blog, however! If you're curious about the title of this blog ("What's On My Mind"), I stole it from Facebook. Yes, I'm a thief! Ha! Okay I'm not really, but when I was trying to figure out what my next blog's "angle" would be, all I could think of was posting on Facebook.

They've changed it slightly, but if you're on the site you know that they used to get you to post a status update by asking "What's on your mind?" in the update box. On Facebook I shout out what's on my mind, as well as what I'm specifically up to. I figured that writing my blog in the same fashion couldn't be a terrible idea. So, that's where I came up with the name.

What you'll read or see if you follow me: updates on my life, fun things I've done, personal thoughts and feelings, and pictures of things I like. This isn't entirely different from my last blog, it will just be less frequent, much like my posting on Facebook. When I feel the urge to write, I will; if I don't, I won't. I hope that this blog will last more than a year if it's generic enough to withstand the test of time.

Today my pastor said something I have to mention because I really stuck with me. He said that, "2013 is going to be a great year". I agree. It feels different and I'm excited to see what will come of it. It feels like this year will be a positive stepping stone to the rest of my life. It feels like my mind will grow and expand and be filled with lots of new and interesting things!

Happy New Year!