Relief and Nerves - all in one big package

Relief that last week is over.

Man, what a week.  I have never worked so hard.  Well, truthfully, a lot of weeks are like that at work but I guess this one felt particularly hectic.  Perhaps it was that we had 22 visitors to the District this week; many of whom are supporters of other school districts.  Perhaps it was coordinating several media inquiries on the same day, all the while swerving to avoid a particularly unfortunate item.  Perhaps it was the push to get everything done before I went out of town.  Whatever it was - it was busy and I was glad for the Friday bell.  (ok, so we don't literally have bells in the office, but you get my meaning.)

Nerves for the week ahead.

I'm going to my first School PR Conference.  Brand new brochures in hand and a list of questions for other district PR Directors, I'll be in Houston until Wednesday.  I'm excited to see what other districts are doing, interested to stack our PR Plan up against bigger districts and learn new things that my "baptism by fire" at the district hasn't covered (yet).  I'm always a little nervous driving to a place I'm not familiar but I'm excited anyway so I'm really looking forward to this. 

My baby brother is graduating from police academy on Friday and it is not possible for me to be any prouder of him.  I think I'm going to take a suggestion from the Ex and get him (my brother) a gift card to Dunkin Donuts.  *tee hee*   

My mother's One Act Play kids go to competition this weekend.  I'm nervous and excited for them - I want them to do well and am proud of the work they've done. 

We're moving next weekend!  The packing is almost done.  One by one, cabinets and drawers are emptied, floors and walls are bare and boxes are stacked up in every room.  I'm excited about decorating a new place and getting settled in.  There is a little sadness at saying goodbye to this sweet little house that has been our home for three and a half years but it's only just a little.  Mom's moving back into the house so we'll be here again.  It will be neat to see how she puts her touches back into the house. 

There are, of course, the mundane chores like going to planning meetings, returning phonecalls and digging out from under four days of email when I get back that I'm not looking forward to. 

I have another surprise in the works but mums the word, for now.  I'm afraid to jinx it.  If everything works out, I'll be back to tell you all about it.  Well, maybe not ALL but certainly some.  *giggle* 

While I am nervous and excited and relieved - all at the same time - I am also incredibly grateful.  Grateful for the chance to have a job that I love.  Grateful for the chance at a sweet romance.  Grateful for a child who loves to turn my world on its end, just to keep things fun.  Grateful for the renewed health of my brother and mother.  Grateful that God is so good - even when I'm nervous.  *grin*

Has it really been a year?

I'm sitting here, watching these amateurs sing their hearts out on this show called, "Bathroom Divas."  These are amateurs who want to be opera singers.  Some have lots of training, others - NONE.  They are going through something called Opera Boot Camp; three-weeks of intensive vocal and dramatic training.  I'm enjoying it immensely and then it hits me, oh my gosh - it's been a year since I sang.  A year.  We opened "She Loves Me" a year ago this weekend.  And I've been quiet since then. 

*sigh*

And we're live in five, four, three, two....

...eh, you get the picture. 

Work is nuts.  The spring recruiting trips are already starting (I heard March!) and so we are scrambling to get everything ready.  It's like that last few days before any big production - you test, you run, you check and you try to break stuff just to make sure you've accounted for everything.  You think, "I'm never going to get it all done.."  You make lists of your lists and then lose your master list, just to make it more exciting. 

The existing recruiting packet is awful.  It's missing basic information about our district and the overall design is so bad that even a dead man would think it stinks.  Don't get me wrong, it has just enough information to tell you what you absolutely have to know (where Temple is, salary scale for teachers and a description of the benefit plan).  All of these things are important but, as often happens, HOW it is assembled and presented has been a total afterthought.  "if you describe it, they will come."  WRONG. 

So, here I come to rescue the district from a lack of style, an absence of deliberate design and all of those other lovely things I do...  

[youtube=http://youtube.com/watch?v=Fdd_X4A5TVI]

Ug. 

In other news... oh, who am I kidding?  Work is almost all I think about.  Not kidding - I dream about it.  But you don't really want to hear about that. 

I could tell you about all the laundry, sitting on my bed, that needs to be folded but I won't bore you.  Nothing else of interest is happening around here.  Work, sleep, church.  Work, sleep, church... 

*yawn*  I'm boring myself typing this...  *knock, knock*  Anybody still out there? 

*cricket*

still awake

You know those nights when your body says, "why aren't you in bed yet, moron" but your brain says, "nah, let's watch a movie."  Well, I think tonight is one of those nights.  Over the last several months, I have experienced self-induced insomnia.  It's not that I can't sleep - it's that I stubbornly insist on finding something else to do besides sleep.  Isn't that dumb?  Especially when 15% of my posts on here are tagged another post where I whine about being tired....  Sheesh. 

So we've started packing.  We being the royal we, of course.  I took two hours today and cleaned out two closets and my desk.  I threw away two 39 gallon leaf bags of junk and have a third one about 2/3 full of stuff to donate.  Two closets and a desk, y'all.  I have oh, three more closets, two bedrooms, a FULL china cabinet, a bathroom, living room and *foreboding music* the kitchen to pack - in 27 days.  Now, that sounds like a long time but somewhere in there, I have a board meeting (sure to last all night again) and I'm going for four days this month to a conference to hobnob with my fellow PR wizards. 

 

In other news, like most of Central Texas, Munchkin has a cough.  It's got to be allergies.  She's otherwise fine.  Either that or the cough I had WASN'T allergies and I gave it to her.  oops. 

I'm thinking one more cup of coffee before bed would be lovely but it's been in there a while so it probably tastes like truckstop coffee.  YUCK.  Maybe I'll make a cup of hot chocolate and have some girl scout cookies. 

I have been so good lately.  Cut the sodas and sweets back out of my diet with a vengeance.  I've lost 10 pounds.  Last night, we were walking up to Wal-Mart and there they were.  The GIRL SCOUTS.  Drat - well, at least I waited until we were on our way back out before buying three boxes of GS goodness.  I have no willpower.  I cannot resist those cookies and I look forward to them all year long.  It's just too bad they aren't available on the GS website or something.  To quote my favorite rat, Rizzo, from Muppet Christmas Carol - I guess it "creates scarcity - drives the prices up."  I paid $3.50 a box for 15 cookies but man, they are worth every stinkin' penny!  *laugh*

 

Ok, y'all - I'm finally starting to get tired.  I think I'll take myself up on the hot chocolate and cookie.  Later, gators.