Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes July 20, 2009

Or maybe it’s just more of the same.

My kids go back to school next week.  This isn’t so much of a change as it is a question “Where the heck did summer go?”  Yes my kids are on year-round (no, I don’t hate it.  I don’t love it but I don’t hate it.) but a three week summer break is patently ridiculous.    I don’t need three months like I got way back when I was a kid but three weeks?  Come on!

So the elder of the Wonderkids go back to school the end of July and then the middle of August my job’s changing.  The official word was a long time coming, more than a month, and for a while there I had given up, thinking that the job I wanted had been given to someone else but I found out the middle of last week that I got the job I had applied for.   (A job that my boss apparently wanted me to have badly enough that he wrote a proposal for corporate to change the position so that I could work it.)  So beginning the middle of August I get to drop one of my night shifts and my day shift (and pick up three more call shifts) which frees up my time such that I can go back to school too!

At the moment I’m registered for two classes but I may be adding a third after I have a little sit down with my academic adviser about which classes I actually have to take and if that goes well then there’s a very outside chance that I’d start the actual nursing program in May.  I’m not planning on that but I am at least headed somewhere rather than just waiting.  I hate waiting.

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It happened.  I’ve resisted for so long but I finally broke down and started tweeting.   (So I guess you can follow me here.)  I should have known that the tour would be my downfall.

Which brings me to:  bonne chance Alberto!!

Making God Laugh June 25, 2009

There I go again.

In the last six months or so I’ve made a lot of plans.  I decided to go back to school, I decided to sell my house,  I decided not to go back to school (yet) and now I think I’ve decided not to sell my house.  BUT I may have decided to go back to school after all.

For those interested here’s the progression.  I have all these little boys whom I ‘m going to have to feed as teenagers so I decided to go back to school so I could afford to do that but when I actually looked at the scheduling it became clear that there was no time that I could actually attend class (something that’s encouraged in those going to school) until the irish twins were both in preschool at least. Then we had an incident with some of the neighbor kids so we thought that we should try to get out of the hood, maybe stop exposing our kids to some of the influences that are part and parcel of where we live (it occurs to me now that I promised you more “the things that happen in my neighborhood” stories, maybe later).  So this week I’ve been talking to a Realtor and it turns out that the chances of selling our house without taking a loss are bad, really bad, and, honestly, I’ve just gotten our finances to a place that doesn’t give me ulcers. We can’t afford to take a loss.  So moving’s out.  The new plan there is to continue with the FHE and the scriptures and prayers (something that we’re actually really  really good about solely because it’s the only real protection from the neighborhood and the world that I can give them) and maybe step it up a little.  I’d also like to get them interested in something.  Some kind of sport, dance, gymnastics, horseback riding, something.  Something that will give them something to do aside from hanging out with the neighbor kids.

Also, lately I’ve applied for a different job.  Actually, it’s kind of the same job but the hours would be really different, freeing up most of my days, so maybe the school thing could work out after all.  I don’t know about the job, my boss was maybe going to decide today so I may know soon.  (Not that not knowing is going to stop my making plans, I’m still me.)

Overall, I’m actually pretty happy with the way things have worked out so far, I don’t love my neighborhood but I do love my house.  I love my new kitchen, and I think the rest of the house has so dang much potential that I was really sad at the thought of leaving and now I don’t have to think about it.  I would love some ideas from you all about how to make our living here a positive thing for my kids, seriously, how do I keep them away from the things that they will inevitably be introduced to living here (yes, I know that kids can find that stuff anywhere, but we’ve already had to put certain houses in the neighborhood off limits because the “adults” in the house were smoking pot in the house with their kids, and my kids there).  Maybe this is my chance to be a good influence to the neighborhood.  But how?

As to the going back to school, Im not going to put my eggs in that basket until I hear about the job and then we’ll see from there, if I don’t do school maybe I’ll start writing again.  Who knows, anything could happen, and no doubt, lots of things will.  And lots of plans will be made, and most, if not all, will be discarded.  But what the heck, if I can’t be good at least I can be entertaining!

In Which Alison Chooses an Alternative Lifestyle March 18, 2009

That’s right.  You saw it here first.

For those of you who know Sean and me you’ve probably figured out that he’s we’re not the most … conventional couple to ever call themselves Mormon.

We do have four kids but I work full time.  And I love it.  And while Sean does work full time, he’s not the primary wage earner (I make more than he does) and he’s not a typical guy.  He’s not ambitious, he doesn’t define himself by what he does.

Over the last several years Sean’s been going to school and I’ve gone to school and we’ve had many many different plans for our life.  But the plans have always culminated with us being more conventional.

Who were we trying to kid?  We’re just not that couple.

So we’re embracing the alternative.

I’m currently a surgical tech, (and as I mentioned before, I love it) it’s the classic, surgeon asks for a scalpel and I’m the one who hands him the scalpel (as a point of interest I’ll tell you that they almost never actually ask for a scalpel, although I do have one who asks for a slashing instrument) and depending on the case and on whether there are residents around I often get to assist in surgery.  It’s so cool!

Unfortunately, it doesn’t pay all that well.  And I’ve reached the top of my ladder, so aside from so called “cost of living” increases, I’m never going to make any more than I do now.

Did I mention that I have three sons.  In a row.  And they’re little now but they’re going to grow and they’re going to be teenagers.  All at the same time!

So, I’m going back to school.

It’s going to take a while (three years would be the absolute best case scenario but that’s going to school full time and that ain’t gonna happen anytime soon) but the plan is that when I grow up I’m going to be a nurse.  When I’m done Sean will still work full time and so will I, forever.

My mother was a stay at homer and that’s what I always thought I’d be.  It’s taken me a long time to come around to being Ok, even happy with the idea that I won’t.  (There’s a monumental paradigm shift that most Mormon girls need to go through to get there.)  But I am (happy that is).  In fact I’m starting to even get a little excited about it.

Probably, at least to begin with I’ll work in the OR (hospitals love new nurses who are already OR trained) but after that who knows!  I could do anything!  The world would be my oyster!

‘Cause ya know, things always go just the way they’re planned.   Or er, something.