WHOOH! HAPPY NEW YEAR, EVERYBODY!

              

Hello, everyone!  Uh....Happy New Year! (smile).  Lawd, it has been a LONG TIME since I've been up close and personal with y'all, hasn't it?  Well, I finally have some time to chat with y'all for awhile.

Thanks, everyone, for still visiting here and checking up on me.  So much is going on, and I don't know where to start!  I guess the obvious place to start is....welll...how's the job going?

The working pace is still extremely relaxed, even through the holidays.  Even when the blizzard in Denver grounded many planes and thousands of flights were delayed and/or cancelled, I think I received a minimum of 30 calls that day.  When I worked as a police operator for New Orleans, we had taken about 1500 calls a month, so this is, like, REALLY SLOWING DOWN.  The call center is really small, like 4 operators (I am one of them), 2 to four senior operators, and 2 to 3 translators.  There can me a minimum of 4 to a maximum of 12 people in the call center on any given day.  That pales in comparison to the 20 to 30 women I used to work with daily in New Orleans.  There are men who work there, too, so there is balance, if you know what I mean!  LOL  I don't take for granted how privileged I am to be working there.  I am very grateful for a job that I don't mind going to, that pays decent money, that has good benefits, and that helps care for my family in a fitting manner.  I love being able to go home to my family, in my right mind, and not be stressed out.  It is a first for me; I have worked ever since I was 14 years old, and every job that I had was hard.  If the work didn't kill me, getting there did.  This is the easiest job that I ever had.  All that they require of me is to get there on time, do my job, stay out of workplace politics, and go home on time!   No job is perfect; there are ignorant people everywhere, but the environment is almost stress-free, so natural nuisances are far from overwhelming.  I couldn't have asked for a better place to work!

My husband is working for RCM Technologies as a computer technician.  He received his A+ certification, and is working towards his N+ (Network) certification now.  I am so proud of my husband; he went from working at UPS for 8 years doing menial work to furthering his education and finding work in a field he always wanted to be in.  Who says that second chances aren't possible?

My babies didn't have a chance to go to Mississippi for the holidays, but they still had a pretty decent Christmas.  Nicolette will start sessions with a therapist this year.  He specializes in learning disabilities and hyperactivity disorders.  We are going to find out if she is in fact ADHD, or if there is something else that is keeping her from doing well in school (dyslexia and the like).  Nicolette is in danger of failing the fifth grade again.  The teacher at school tutors Nicolette six days out of the week (including Saturdays!).  Her dad and I help her with her homework, and Nikki still isn't grasping much.  I am not expecting her to be a straight-A student; if she can make straight C's, that would be great!  Anything is better than having straight F's.  The school, Matt and I are doing all that we possibly can.  Nicolette is trying her best, but she is stumbling.  I hope that these sessions, expected to last a year, will be a help to her, and to us. 

I am getting ready to do something for myself, too, that is very necessary.  I won't go into much detail now, but I will in the coming months.  Stay tuned!

I had the work done to my car, (engine replacement), and he is running fine.  However, my vehicle failed the emissions test, and I have to get that repaired before I receive a brake (?) sticker.  This sucks.  Matthew says that he is trying to get me into a better car this year.  I'll keep you posted on the progress with that.  I still want to get that emissions problem fixed, because I plan to donate Nelly to someone who needs a car.  Nelly is my first car with my name on the title.  I know what it's like not to have my own transportation, and I cannot wait to be able to pass those keys and the title to someone who really needs a car to get around!   

I am off Tuesday and Wednesday, and I have to wash and style the girls' hair, as well as wash and dye my own!  Wish me luck, folks!

Adrian