Progress Update

I have been beyond busy with work, work, and more work so I'm taking a few minutes to slab together a progress post of the current yard work I'm doing. When I bought this house, I knew I was going to need to do a lot on the outside before I could really enjoy it. 

This is exactly the way I bought it. (The unfinished INTERIOR door was fully painted when purchased)  *FIRST TIME HOMEBUYERS* Please, please, please bring one of those silly printable checklists with you. I saw many of them and thought, "Eh, I'll see anything major, no need for a list." WRONG. It's easy to fall in love and get excited by the good stuff that you can look right over some major flaws. The doors on my home were both interior and not exterior doors, so in the Fall when the temperatures cooled and it rained and eventually when it started to snow, the door swelled and I could not open my front door for months. How awesome is that? 

My boyfriend bought a tiller and tilled the entire front and back yards. It was a process that lasted more than a month. As you can imagine, the dust was beyond control. I felt like a dust bunny in a dust bowl that would never end! Oh yeah, and add two dogs to that mix. Well, as of yesterday, I had the yards hydro-seeded and I cannot wait to see the results. Don't mind the mess in the front yard. You'll notice we kind of got caught tearing out the wooden walkways and were up until 2:00 am trying to rush the night before to get it all done in time. So just picture some perfectly lush grass, fun plants and rock lining the sidewalk and me plopped in a lawn chair in the backyard with 4,000 square feet of freshly mowed grass beneath my bare feet sipping on an ice cold drink! I'm even thinking of adding a volleyball net in the back. :) If you want to see what ideas I have brewing for my yard, you can view and follow my Pinterest Yard and Garden Board here.

   

                           
               

                      

I Chose Happy

My life has been pretty crazy, busy these last few months. I posed on Facebook a while back when this all happened, but for those who only follow my blog, I will share it in more detail. I had been pretty unhappy at my job for the last six months or so I was there and I was just very unsettled with where I was at and what I was doing. I had a great co-worker who helped me get through everything and I can't thank her enough! Back in December I applied for a job with the school district. It was a shot in the dark but the timing couldn't have been more perfect! I could hardly believe that at the time that I was ready, it was very likely I was going to get an out! After days of anxiously waiting, I got a call back that they offered it to someone who had had previous experience in this field. I was crushed, but I felt like it was too good to be true so I decided to put my head down and just go to work and not take it personally. 

About two months later, another position opened up and I jumped all over it. My current boss, at the time, found out I was looking for other work and instantly reduced my pay and hours until he could find a replacement. That's the kind of environment I knew I had to get away from. That very day, I got a call from the school district saying they wanted to offer me the job for the first position I had initially applied for. I was ecstatic to say the least! The next day I showed up to work ready to quit my job and leave it all behind me and never look back. It was the BEST feeling knowing that I was getting out of that place. It was so toxic, I cannot even begin to explain.... 

On a bright, shiny, cheery note, since having taken this new job, my life has changed so much for the better. I remember crying every night because I hated my job. Now, I laugh 100 times a day, I work with an amazing staff, and I get to work with kids! I seriously thank my lucky stars and count my blessings because I am in such a better place. 

I have been very independent my entire life and always battle when life gets tough. Going from employers who would tell an absolute lie to save their own back, deal dishonestly and have no loyalty or appreciation for your hard work is not easy, but it has shown me a lot about myself. I realize that I am smart, desirable and deserving. I am strong enough to leave and do not have to stay anywhere that I'm not appreciated and where the environment isn't healthy and fulfilling. 

So, if you're in the same shoes, my advice to you is leave. I used to think about how good the money was and that that would be reason enough to stay. How wrong I was. There are still good people out there who will pay good money and will be respectful and want to have you around. This is no fairytale, of course, as everything in life has a villain, or a rain cloud that pops by every once in a while. But all the good outweighs the bad and I couldn't be more grateful for the place I am at and the people who support me through it all.