God is Good

There's has been a lot going on this month and I feel like life has went from from pause to fast forward! Lot's of good news to share!

For starters, I got a job!! (better yet- it was direct hire- no temp to perm-for those of you who knew my dilemma with that) I just finished my 2nd week and so far I'm really enjoying it. I am now an Administrative Assistant for a pharmaceutical company. I was surprised how quickly I transitioned back into the "work world" after being a stay at home mommy for the past few years. It's like I never left! It's a nice change of pace for me and almost feels like a bit of a break being away from the girls for most of the day. I'm not saying I don't miss spending time with them, I'm just enjoying not listening to all the "noise" that I'm generally accustom to. I originally got this job so that Carey and I could move towards getting a house, but I'm thinking I might want to be there longer then we planned :)
Of course, Carey is not fond of this adjustment because he has taken on a bit more responsibility lately then he's bargained for. Taking kids to daycare/school in the morning and picking them up after work and if that's not tiring enough, he comes home and prepares dinner! Now you might understand better why I'm considering staying at this job longer.. ;)

Mia is in Daycare full time now and although I was a little worried about that, and still don't really like the fact that she's in the hands of other people all day that I barely know, she seems to really enjoy it! In fact, she even tells me "I had fun day mommy" and that is such a relief to hear! I think she enjoys all of the activity and being around other little ones her age since she hasn't had much of that before. Oh- and the next time I put Mia on the phone with one of you, she might answer "hola, como estas?" since they're also teaching her spanish!! haha.
One of my favorite features though, is that they have a program called "parent watch" where I am able to log in on my computer at work and actually see her in her classroom through the camera's they have set up in there! How cool is that!

And while Mia's learning Spanish, Alana is having fun in KINDERGARTEN! her first day was on Aug.11th and so far, it seems to be going well. It's hard to really get an assessment on how she feels about it because at the end of the day, by the time I get to ask her, she's normally "too tired" to answer! I've heard complaints about nap time and some confusion about taking the bus home (after school care), but it's still only her first week and so naturally, it's still an adjustment period. On Friday she was excited to show me her folder the teacher has them take home with all of the fun learning crafts they did during the week and their homework for the weekend! I only hope she stays this enthused about it :)

Today, Carey and I went on another house hunting adventure with our realtor. We looked at five and didn't see anything that really impressed us. I always thought that finding your first home would be exciting, but the excitement quickly faded and we're simply tired of looking for that "perfect" house. I guess we just have to learn to be more patient, and we'll make do in our apartment, which we both concluded, "really isn't all too bad".

Lot's of pictures posted below. I didn't put them in any kind of order, but some are from our trip to NJ about a month ago to see my sister along with my nephews and nieces, including sweet baby Claire who's almost 2 months old. We had a great time all together and did a lot of fun things including visiting the aquarium where we experienced petting sharks!, sting rays, starfish and even jelly fish! (never thought you could pet a jelly fish, but the top of the head doesn't sting). We also took a drive one day to the Jersey Shore and played on the beach!
Some other pics are from a couple weeks ago, when we took a drive downtown and went to the Georgia dome where the Atlanta Falcons were having a practice game. This was the dome that had to get renovated after the tornado hit it back in March. It was a fun time although our adventure in getting there was a different story!

Hope you're all doing well!
Love ya'll :)

Back to square 1..

So, things were starting to look good in my last post, but things have changed. This past weekend, I made the decision not to take the job with Choice Point afterall. The main reason being because I became aware that being employed through a temp-staffing agency will not help us qualify for a mortgage loan and I did not want to commit to 6 months being temporarily employed. Of course, it was a last minute decision and you can imagine how well that went over with the staffing agency. Understandbly, I was not only hung up on, but also terminated from the staffing agency.
This was a hard decision, I passed up good pay and a possible good opportunity, and it is not in my character to do something like that last minute. But, ultimately, it was probably the best decision. The distance was inconvenient, horrible traffic getting there and back, and with the girls in daycare across the other side of town, that's a lot of time driving around and as we know, gas is not cheap these days! Plus, it wouldn't have helped us getting a house which is the main reason I'm trying to get a job, and it's best that I didn't start the position and waste everyone's time and energy in training me before finding that out.
So, I'm back to square one. My goal is to find something close by and getting directly hired from the company would be a plus! wish me luck!

On a brighter note, I am proud to say I have a new baby girl niece, Claire Isabella, who was just born this past Saturday! Congratulations Meli! (pics are on her blog) I can't wait to meet her!

I got a JOB!

Yup, it's official..I'm going back to work!! Just when I was really feeling like giving up in my search, I gotta thank #1 God who answered my prayers and #2 "Staffing Resources" temp agency who on the same day I went in for an interview/testing with them, they had a job lined up for me, sent them my resume, I had my interview today and was hired!

I will be starting on Monday at Choice Point. It's a big company that provides buinesses,organizations, and government services such as background screenings and credentialling to help reduce fraud and risk. High tech kinda stuff. When I went in for my interview today, the first thing I had to do was sign in and get my picture taken for id. Of course in my picture, I look obviously not ready and confused. Probably because I could barely see where the camera was that was taking my picture. Quite hilarious actually. I hope they don't use that one for when I get my official id card.

Moments later, I met with the President of the company, Moses Brown. Nice guy, laid back and made me feel comfortable right away. He showed me the office I'd be working in and I was pleasantly surprised of how similar it looked to Spectra (where I used to work). It's a small office with about 5 or 6 other people, and from what Moses tells me, it's a laid back environment where everyone likes to joke and laugh. Definite plus.

I don't even have a lot of detail as to what I'll actually be doing yet, I'll probably find out more on Monday, but I think it's mainly a lot of administrative/office type work (same stuff I was doing at my old job)

The one thing that's not so great about it is the traffic getting there. It's about 20miles away and took me about 45 mins to get there! not too good. But I'm hoping since my schedule is from 7:30-4, I may beat some of the rush hour traffic.

Of course since I'll be working now, that means the girls have to be in Daycare. So, that took up the second half of my day today. I did find one that I was really impressed with and I think it will work out great. It's called Kids-R-Kids and the staff was really nice, everything was very clean, tons of activities, and all the kids looked happy too. Alana is actually excited and wants to go tomorrow! It will especially be good for her because she'll get to take part in going on a field trip once a week, and have lots of fun with girls and boys her age. Mia will be in the toddler room and will get to take part activites such as playing music, singing, playing outside on the playground, crafts..PLUS they even potty train her! I think they'll do well there.

So things are starting to sail here...until we conquer the next wave....finding a house!

We're Here, We're Hot, We're Tired, We're,...Here!!

Yes, it was a long drive down, but with stops, a hotel stay overnight, a DVD player to play disney movies on, and a prayer, we made it! and with our sanity in tact! (for the most part)

Right now, we're camped out comfortably in a nice furnished apartment in Duluth, GA (located about 30mins north of Atlanta) in a place called "The Reserve at Sugarloaf". Doesn't that sound so fancy and formal like? "so, where are you staying? "uhh hmm..The Reserrrrrve at Sugarloaf." haha. I guess they had to give it a fancy name because it's a pretty fancy place, in a gated community no less. The girls are sharing a room and have their own bathroom which is great! and Carey and I share a nice master suite with a bathroom that has a double vanity! it's definetely a luxury for me to have my own sink because now I don't have to worry about cleaning up any stray shaving hairs! pet peeve. big time.

Anyway, since we got here, it's been exciting driving around and scoping out what the area has to offer. So far, we've found it's a booming place, busy, lot's of new businesses, shopping centers and new things still being built. In our search to find a place we'd like to settle in our first home, we like the town called "Suwanee" which is only a few miles north of where we're staying now. The schools we hear, are very good, and we like the fact that it's near everything (ie., carey's job, shopping, stores, school, etc.) but it also has it's quiet, more remote neighborhoods where it's not so busy. There's a nice "town square" type of place in the middle of the town where there's a big fountain water park where we've already taken the kids to a few times. It's a great place to go to cool off, even though sometimes, it can get a little overcrowded.

Since we got here, it's also been stressful. The day after we got here, we already started househunting with our realtor that Carey's job hooked us up with. (Very nice lady by the way with a deep southern accent.) I know it's supposed to be exciting, but taking the girls with us through the process and on top of the heat, does not make it a very enjoyable experience. So far, we've found a few that we like, but haven't quite found the "perfect" one for us yet. I hope we can be patient through the process and not make any impulsive decisions (trying my best to heed the advice of my Uncle Bill)

Searching for a house, also means I must search for a job. I'm a little hesitant to go back to work since it has been quite some time since I've been away from the workplace, not to mention the huge transition it's going be be being away from my girls!!(not sure at this point if that's a good or bad thing) but I'm trying to stay positive and confident since I know what I'm capable of and there are a lot of companies out here to choose from. Ahh, the extra income will definetely help, and I'm sure Alana will enjoy being in summercamp and making friends since that's all she talks about is wanting friends to play with. Mia can probably use the interaction with other toddlers her age since she hasn't had any really, just as much as I could use the interaction with other adults! At least those are the positive things I try to keep in the forefront of my mind. Plus it doesn't have to be permanent, unless I want it to be.

So..that pretty much sums up our new life in Georgia for now, but watch for more news to come! I miss all you friends and family! Meli, less then a couple more weeks to go..I can't wait to see you and my new niece!

Love "ya'll!"

Here's some pics of the time we enjoyed spending

with our families before we left for Georgia

cheeeeeeese!

Alana had fun helping poppi wash his car

we love you Noni!

Noni entertaining Mia at the restaurant

A visit with Grammy

Having fun at a park in Sodus where Carey's side threw us a nice "going away' party

Mia with cousin's Terrell and Marcus
Alana and Chantell

Carey's brother-in-law James, Aunt Lori, & Uncle Ed

We're on our way...
Our lovely master suite

living room/dining area
girls room

Carey enjoying our spacious kitchen w/walkin in pantry

living room w/walk out to deck
alana carrying a june bug out of the pool..she was determined to save them all!

"peace out.."

Our future basketball stars!

Backlogged Pics!

I finally found my camera cord and wanted to share some pics that have been on my camera since the beginning of this month starting with my latest visit in Rochester a few weeks ago.

It's always nice to visit family, but this trip was extra special because I got to see and spend time with my sister, Melissa along with my niece and nephews, all whom I don't get to see very often. If only my sister Julie could've been there, the family would've been more complete! (miss you coolie!!)
It was naturally a little hectic with all the kiddos together, on top of poor Ethan who wasn't feeling all too great the whole week :( but it was worth it!

Owen & Mia with Noni

Cousins! Leah, Alana, Mia, Owen, & Ethan

Leah and Alana having fun in the sandpit where my parent's pool used to be!

Meli & I testing out my camera after I dropped it and the lense wouldn't open all the way! (notice the black blurs in corners)

we visited my cousin Alisha and her newest little girl, Ella.

This is the position Ethan was in most of the days :( poor little guy...

Have you ever seen kids this happy for bedtime?

Mia and Owen...in a good mood

Leah and Alana with their twin webkins that Noni bought for them