Falon’s World

So, throughout the summer I am full-time between the Butterworth and Blodgett campuses. In approximately 5 weeks, that will drop back down to 0.5 FTE (aka 5 days per pay period). I am elated and anxious at the same time. The paychecks have been super nice that is for sure but I haven’t really gotten to all of the things I promised myself I would “when I graduated”.

Spectrum offers the opportunity to ask for more or less hours several times per year and that time is going to be coming up soon. A fellow co-worker is wanting to drop some of her hours and I have to decide if I want to ask for more. On one hand, it’s great to only fill in when I want and otherwise have a lot of time to myself, something I greatly missed during the hellacious last semester of school. On the other hand, the hours available for pick-up are not going to be as frequent so if for some reason I “need” to get extra hours (aka bigger pay check) I may not be able to. Thus is the dilemma…

I feel like a terrible slacker for not picking up everything I possibly can but I really would like to start volunteering my time elsewhere and to really get back into a working schedule with the boys. Especially once the new little guy comes in approximately one week. I just don’t know what to do. A big part of me thinks I’ll have the rest of my life to work, to enjoy what I can, when I can, while we can do it. The other part is guilty and says to work until I can’t and then have more time…

Advice/thoughts from those in the working world for longer than I have been? Or just in general?

The last week, without fail, I called Eric every morning, in the middle of our morning rush of specimens, to make sure he was awake and getting ready to come and pick me up before he went into work. Every morning, I had to call numerous times before getting any response. It was taking longer and longer to get through until one morning, I didn’t. This morning, I called Eric for an hour. Granted, it is a weekend morning, but that made me not want to stay indefinitely at work even more. After realizing he was not going to be on his way any time soon, I ended up calling Rebecca, and waking her up, and sleeping at her house until 4 hours later when Eric finally woke up, realized he had neglected to get me and called…

Upon starting working on third shift, I had to choose if I wanted to sleep right when I got home from work, later, before I went in (like I would do if I worked 1st shift) or some split sleep schedule. I decided to sleep right when I got home, which I’ve found is fairly normal for third shifters. BUT, as I talked to people I found that there were two main types of third shift sleepers – those that missed sleeping with their Significant Others and those that didn’t, and had adapted to the point of preferring to sleep alone even if the option to be with their SO was there. I thought that was interesting. What is your choice?

Well last night was my first night on third shift. I absoulely loved it. My sleep schedule is not on track by any means but I’m hoping that will happen soon. Also, my eating schedule is kind of skewed now too. Headed to bed now .

Today was my Spectrum Health Health Assessment for my new job (woo-hoo!) and it was quite the ordeal. I had to fill out countless paperwork, answer loads of questions and sign my name many times. But, the oddest was the incredible process that is involved for them to collect my urine and run the drug tests on it. I apparently came out all clear because I start on May 26th!!!!

Yup, that’s right. I’ve been here for two years. I changed and chose my final major while at this job. I met my boyfriend and moved in with him because of this job. I got my brother my job . Two years is a long time. I think the longest time I’ve stayed at any place consecutively. I leave in exactly 20 minutes and the next time that I work, it will be in my chosen field – that is crazy…and scary…and exciting. I’ve been out to lunch twice – once with a manager who took me to Charley’s Crab, the most amazing seafood place ever!! Then again yesterday with a couple of the other ladies in the office, including the VP, where I scarfed down some delicious (and incredibly bad for me) bar food. Today everyone is gone to the Allendale campus for Convocation and it’s kind of anti-climatic that I’m leaving and there will be very few that see me go.

Here’s to the future…

I took this:

And turned it into this:

Enough said.

I was really looking forward to today all last week. Now it’s here and it sucks. The original plans for today were:

-sleep in

-garden/spread wood chips

-lunch

-shower

-Search and Rescue meeting

-home

-meet Eric

-dinner

-Holland

-Pet Supplies Plus/Chow Hound

-park

-Jason and Jennifer’s

-home

Unfortunately this is actually how the day is going:

-Wake up early – nightmare about being abducted and abused

-dink around on the Internet because it’s raining outside = no yard work

-phone call from work to come in this afternoon

-lunch

-clean up mass amounts of pee

-shower

-go to work

-meet Eric

-home

-dinner

-Holland

-PSP/Chow Hound

-Dick’s Sporting Goods

-J and J’s

-home

What happened?

Well first, one of the girls’ grandma died so that’s why I was going to work. Sadly our Search and Rescue meeting was cancelled this morning as well because of some emergency on that end. I’m bummed. Then while walking to the door to let Mason out, he starts running…and peeing. Yup, while running, as in at the same time. Crazy, swerving stream of urine all the way to the steps, down them, in front of the door and then on the outside rug…gggrreeaatt. Clean it up, let him in and jump in the shower. Get out, start getting ready and head to the bedroom to get dressed…Mason walks to the front door and pees on my sandals. Again. UGH – IT’S ONLY BEEN 15 MINUTES!! Toss him back out (he pees on rug again) and clean up…again. Now I’m almost late for the bus. Toss the boys in their kennels with their kongs (first time they’ve had filled kongs, I’m excited to see what they think. Mason dug right in, Midas looked at me like I was insane), jump in the truck and get to the bus stop on time…woohoo. And the reason that Dick’s was added to the list today is because we couldn’t find the Crocs I wanted yesterday at the one in Grandville. Instead we bought an off-brand EZ-up. Which we’ve both been wanting and we’ll both use so I guess that’s alright…kind of. Here’s hoping the day gets better.

Today at work sucked. I felt like quitting. Yelling, screaming and then walking out. I’m going to leave it at that.

Here’s some cute photos to uplift all moods , including mine:

Mason looking really chocolate-y.

Mason and his super long legs – he’s growing so dang fast!

Just being cute.

Midas smiling.

Midas’s photo in the yellow flowers.

It feels really weird to be in such a big house by myself with just the boys there. I never realized how LOUD Eric is until the house is deathly silent around me. Last night I could not stay awake any more and crashed at about 11 pm. That means that Mason went to bed far earlier than usual (as Eric is the one that stays up and lets him out the last time). At 3 am I wake up to go to the bathroom and decide that letting Mason out now and then sleeping until 6:30 is far more attractive than waking up at 6 am and cleaning the pee out of the kennel. He did not want to go back in. The alarm wakes me up (instead of Eric) and I actually have to get up and let the dogs out, feed them, make my own breakfast and then shower (I am EXTREMELY spoiled I just realized again). Eric has left little notes throughout the house for me to find: under my pillow, in my towel, under my brush . I rush around like a crazy girl this morning trying to get everything done, leave and realize that I’m 15 minutes early for the bus. That never happens….what to do? Stop at Speedway and get some coffee and then rearrange the contents of my backpack. By the time the bus comes it is raining . Now I’m at work – which doesn’t feel a lot different from when Eric is here. I have to take an hour lunch today, which is different, so that I can rush home and let Mason out. Tonight’s activities are very dependent on the weather. If it rains we will stay in and do nothing all evening. If it doesn’t then we will play out in the backyard (practice for the event next Wednesday) and then perhaps take a trip to the river. Maybe we’ll do that even if it’s raining. Eric said the water level has really dropped and the dock won’t be usable for the boys I am VERY sad about that. That’s all for now.