miss me?

guess what i'm going to say. go on, guess. it's the oldest (and lamest?) excuse in the book - try and guess.

yup. you got it. "i've been busy".

geez, how overused and trite can i get?

so i've been trying to get all settled into ministry work and seem to have a million projects all brand new just begging for me to tackle them all at once, teams to build up, job descriptions to create, websites to design and populate, and maybe the hardest one of all of them: get my paperwork in order to transfer my retirement account. i swear, i've never received so many emails w/instructions or documentation to fill out or approve or signatures to get notarized in all my life!

i just finally finished the task of going through all of the many files and binders and clippings that i inherited from about 6 different people when i first started here. apparently they were all so happy to find that i would be doing what i am doing and they could finally get this stuff off of their desks.. and right onto mine. but i have gone through the last bit today and have it all filed (most of it in the round file).

one final task will be to get all of the job descriptions written so i can distribute and get covenants and agreements turned back in to me. once that is done, it is maintenance from here on out, my friend!

well, i mean, there are going to be new projects all the time, i am sure, but at least the regular part of my job will be organized and in place. when i first started here i had no one in the position before me to train me. no processes existed, no training was being held, no communications were being made. so i've had to build all of that up. now i just have to keep it that way.

outside of work, my dot and i have spent a good deal of time working on the other house trying to get it in selling shape. we're on the last stretch, i believe, with only trim/moulding, paint touch ups, a good cleaning and a little landscaping left to do. it would be so wonderful - financially and emotionally - to get that thing sold. it has been the bane of my existence for a good long while and i will celebrate it's departure.

my dot and i are constantly adding to a list of things we will do/buy when the house sells. we feel like we've put off so much of our lives to post-sale. we don't go out to eat, we don't buy clothes, we don't buy gifts, we try and wear things more than once to save on laundry-related water and electricity expenses, we make our meals and take lunches to work. i don't mind being thrifty, i think it's a great habit to be in, but i am so tired of saying no to lunch invitations and worrying about being invited to someone's house for dinner because it is only polite to ask if you can bring anything and i fear what i will be asked to bring. is it expensive? is it budgeted? ergh!!!

life after house will be much lighter.