I am very lucky.  I have worked 2 part time jobs for several years now.  Not because we depend on it to keep our bills paid, but mostly because of the emotional ties to each.  I work at the church in the mornings, and at my husband's office in the afternoon.  He is the office manager for a trucking company and does all the dispatching, as well as other various things.  I have helped with the paper work area. 

Finacially, he has been able to pay all the bills, like electric, gas, phone, cell phones, insurances, camper payments, etc.  I assumed the responsibility of making the payments on our Explorer -- which I paid off, and we have since then sold it.  I also assumed the responsibility of making the house payments.  We have like 8 payments left, and I'll be done with that.  So, if something were to happen to one of these jobs, we would still be OK. 

That  something has happened.  David and our boss have talked about it for quite a while now.  And David and I have talked about it extensively as well.  The bottom line is, the boss at the trucking company wanted his new wife (of a year -- 3rd wife), involved more in the trucking.  Number one, because she is his wife, and before marrying him, she had managed a McDonald's for 25 years.  So, she is very capable of doing what I do. Number two, they need to cut expenses within the trucking company.  They have to pay me.  He doesn't have to pay his wife.   Kinda a no brainer.

However, this guy is not "wired to fire".  Knowing his thoughts and feelings of what he wanted done, but had a hard time firing someone (his words) did a good job and he had never had a problem with, I let him know I was a team player, and I would bow out gracefully if that is what he needed me to do.   I make a little bit of money on the computer, so now I have to put my money where my mouth is, and make this work.   I no longer work at what was my afternoon job.  I'm not worried though.  With the health issues I have been having, its a relief not having to work full time.  I would really like to pursue the "working at home" opportunities.  I'm not sure medical assistant training school but I would be willling to take a shot at it, if I needed to.  I really don't want to venture back out into the working world to pursue employment.  The two part times I've had both have personal ties ... my church and my husband.   Going into a "real" job, that is that -- just a job -- I really don't want to do that at this time.  So, I'm going to treat my time in the afternoons like a "job", and see what I can do to make this happen -- here at home.

Things might be changing for me.  And if they do, I hope I can make it all work.  I work with my husband in the afternoons, at a trucking company that he dispatches for.  Our boss is newly married, and he would like to have his wife more involved.  So, David is between a rock and a hard place of knowing what to do.  He knows which would work better, but that doesn't give the boss what he wants.  So, we are thinking about me bowing out gracefully, and just working at the church in the mornings.  David has faith in me that I can keep the computer work I do working, and since I would have the extra time, maybe step it up a bit, and earn even more.  I've been looking at a lot of different blogs that are strictly review-type sites.  Product reviews, diet pill reviews, electric kitchen gadget reviews, baby product reviews ... just all different kinds.  Its something I am going to think about -- but not even consider doing it until I cross that bridge of not being employed in the afternoons.

I love my doctor to pieces, but I got a little annoyed with him at my last appointment.  I had strep throat.  My throat was killing me.  And he wanted to talk.  He asked me lots of questions, and some of them had to do with my weight.  He wanted to know if I had ever considered using a diet pill.  Or there are several other options that I could consider that he would be willing to talk to me about and help me with.  This was all fine and dandy and I DO want to talk to him about what we can do to turn things around for me.

 But.  I couldn't talk. My voice was in the bass range, and very gravelly.  Not to mention the pain factor.   He did give me a few things to think about, as well as an antibodic for the strep throat, and I was good as new by the end of the week...which THEN I made another appointment and then we were able to talk.  He has a couple of ideas, and he's going to get some information together for me, and we will go from there.  He says it just all depends where I want to spend my money.  Ideally, I want the most effective plan for the least amount of money.  Which, can be done.  Lifestyle change, a balanced diet of fruits and vegetables and grains and ....   and less chips and pop and all this other junk we eat.  I willing to try.  Just need some help putting some menus and such together that are truly balanced.

Ethan is gearing up to leave the land of High School and venture off into the land of either college or finding a better paying job than the one he has the grocery store now.  I would love to keep him in the area, I can't imagine life without him around.  But I also know that it can't always be that way.  If he decides to venture out, going out into the world to seek employment, I will support his decision all the way.  I know he would love to be able to go to New York and work around the Broadway area, taking in the shows, just being around the theatre.  I think he would also like check out the Outer Banks area, and what all they have to offer.  He has so many options and ways to go, that it is almost overwhelming. 

If we don't win the raffle ticket prize, it still won't stop us from loading up the rv and doing some rv camping this year.  It'll just be closer to home.  We have a really nice camping area about 3 miles from home that we enjoy going to.  Its shady, easier to get into, water, electricity.  You can park next to the river, or go further in and not be next to the water.  If you have smaller children, there is an area with a play ground, and a big circle drive type thing for them to ride their bikes or toys.  There are a couple shower houses and bathrooms for those who don't have those facilities in their campers or decide to tent it.  I know it sounds dumb, but we really like camping here because it gives us the camping experience, and yet, we are close enough to home that we can run into town for anything we have forgotten, or on to home and not have to buy the forgotten items because we are miles and miles away from home.  We can camp, and yet attend church.  Summer attendance is always down, and a lot of that is due to people on vacation or camping.  We were able to find that balance where we could do both. 

Its still a bit cold to get out there, but spring is right around the corner.  Looking forward to it.

I have spent most of my weekend in my recliner.  Ethan had it first, then David, and now me.  Scratchy throat, deep cough, fever.  You feel like you have been run over by a truck.  There's not much on TV over the weekend.  My eye caught glimpse of the stereo cabinet and I realized it had been a long time since I had listened to any CD's here at the house.  I listen to them all the time, rolling down the road -- our new-to-us vehicle has a 6 CD changer in it, so I have it loaded up with all my favorite songs.  But, I had to blow the dust off the ones I have here at the house.  Its been ages.But.  It was nice.  Ethan and David weren't home.  TV off.  Recliner all the way back.  I slept off and on most of the day, and it was just soothing to wake to music, instead of some shoot-em-up cop show that is usually on.    I wouldn't recommend getting sick to do something like this,  but it was a reminder to me that there are other sources of "noise" in the house that can be soothing and comfortting and I should enjoy them more often.

We keep having a few nice days that reminds us that Spring is just around the corner.  And Spring means its time to start replenishing the camper with fresh supplies and return everything we have "borrowed" from the camper over the winter.  David still needs to work on the 5th wheel part of his truck.  The ball lock pins are different than the way his truck hooked up to our other camper.  We got by last fall, and we only went a short distance.  But, he wants to make sure its hooked up right this year, even if it means replacing what he has in his truck bed.  He bought a cheap truck specifically to pull a 5th wheel camper, and then we went and changed campers.  Its still a 5th wheel, but with a different kind of "hooking on" mechanism.  He's good at finding "deals", so I'm sure this will be no exception either.  Its just a matter of finding it.