Happy Anniversary!

Today is mine & Drew's 11th anniversary!

I am still madly, deeply in love with my husband. I love that man!

It's been kind of an emotional day. This morning 10 minutes before he was supposed to leave for work he got laid off! (Laid off means something different in railroad terms - it moves him from a regular working conductor, to a conductor who is "on call" 2 days out of the week. It's about a 1/4 of the pay - be we still keep insurance, etc. Anyway!) We couldn't believe it. 10 minutes before work!

So he came to the store with me. We were both feeling down but I still had work to be done & we were trying to focus on the fact we got to spend our anniversary together & we thought we weren't. After we finally got home & got Leah down for a nap, I called my bioDad and asked if he would watch Leah tonight while we went to a movie. That set of parents has never babysat her before but she actually asked for them to watch her (so cute!). Then we made plans for him to come over so I could work on his new laptop at 3.

Right after that Drew went to check the railroad boards online & and came running back in the room DANCING (actually the Dora dance "We did it. We did it." and swinging his hips around... don't tell me I told you! hehe). He was back on already!! PLUS they added two guys below him!! He was cut off for 7.5 hours!

Not only that but he was now going to have to go to work around 8 and our movie date was shot! lol

Luckily Dad came at 3 and then Leah wanted to leave with him so we went to the 4:10 movie and Leah hung out with some grandparents. Then Drew went and got me some to go Chinese & then left for work.

It just feels like I've been on an emotional rollercoaster.

30 minutes before we were making a list of house projects he could work on to keep busy! And then suddenly he's going to work again.

I need to sleep. lol

Work

Where do you work? I thought you stayed home with Leah?

I do mostly stay home with Leah. I work as a vendor/merchandiser at the grocery store. I only took the job because I can take Leah with me. I actually wasn't looking nor did I *need* a job but most of the time it's fun and since I don't have to leave her I keep doing it.

When we do another adoption & have another baby, I will quit I'm sure. Leah's at the perfect age for this to work out but it's just a temporary thing.

And really most of the time I think it's fun. It's NOT fun this week because I'm sick and it's a pain and it's a reminder that it's become a responsibility. LOL

Really, I'm just whiny still.

Hack, Hack. Sniffle. Cough, Cough.

;)

Work, work, work

I don't believe I've mentioned it on my blog but on May 28th Drew got laid off work. Now, on the railroad "laid off" is not the same thing as most jobs. They could call him back any day but we don't know when & for how long. He did get called back for 4 days a couple of weeks ago, then cut off again.

It's scary. I'm worried sick about how all of July's bills are going to get paid but at the same time feel fairly calm that it'll all work out. He's on a railroad board called "AWTS". They are gauranteed pay for one trip per week. Normally when he's working he makes 4 trips a week. So it's not enough pay for sure.

The railroad is similar to it's own government. We don't pay Social Security/Fica taxes, etc. But this also means Drew can't get unemployment. The railroad DOES have it's own unemployment board but they want you to have been working for so long that there is nearly a year lag time where you can't get unemployment from anywhere. Drew's lag time ends today (June 30). So he can start getting unemployment July 1st. But it means it gets nothing for June.

And then today he got the phone call that he will probably - starting next week - be able to work in Cheyenne for a month. 150 miles away. We need the money. He must go where they tell him but... this makes me feel sick. I can't stand the thought of being away from my husband for a month - the thought of Leah not seeing her Daddy - who she is in a phase of ADORING - for a month.

This child who has taken to this conversation:

Me: Are you my _______ (insert term of endearment)?
Leah: NO! I'm Daddy's _______!

Sheesh ;)

Mostly I think I'm handling this unemployment business really well. I'm working extra. Drew is painting my parent's house. They were going to pay someone so it might as well be him. lol Mom loves the job he's doing & says he should start a side business.

And I've been very calm. If I freak & get all depressed, Drew will feel worse. He will feel pressured & he takes that to heart. Because he's the breadwinner & he feels horrid about himself if I can't have whatever I want. So I just don't mention the random cravings I have for Pad Thai, etc. ha. ha.

**Just an FYI. My husband loves to run errands. And I mean LOVES. I don't care if it's midnight. There are times when he harasses me until I come up with an errand for him. I have to make things up for him to go buy. It's cuckoo but I'm not complaining!

Anyway - all-in-all we're still good. Happy & waiting.

Does it seem we're always waiting for something or another to happen?

Stuff

I am beginning this blog post with no idea where it's headed. Leah is asleep next to my, I have a cold AND I'm cold!.

My husband is the best nurse. He brings me stuff, makes me stuff, & basically caters to my every whim. What in the world did I do to deserve that??

Yesterday I asked for these frozen Thai eggrolls from the freezer. He made them, made me a drink, arranged them on a plate with a ramekin full of sauce & then sliced lemons, sprinkled some herbs on them and arranged those on the plate too. That's so sweet, right??

And when I came home from work yesterday morning. The bedroom was clean & he had gathered every snack in the house & put them all on my nightstand. 3 kinds of chips, pretzels, 2 dips, drinks, etc. And the bed was turned down waiting for me.

He's pretty fantastic!

Right now he's cleaning the kitchen!

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I don't believe I mentioned on my blog that Drew has not worked in a month. He's still getting some pay (like 1/4 of his normal) because the railroad is replacing track & so they laid off quite a few conductors. It's not permanent & he should go back any day but it sure stinks to be out of work for now!! He loves his job SOOO much too. It's hard for him to not get to go.

So I started doing some work for my biodad a couple hours each morning. He does merchandising at the grocery store. Nabisco, Keebler, Almos (several brands in there), Snyder (also includes several brands), several different jerky brands. Basically anything in the cookie/cracker aisle except the store brand. So I've been stocking, rotating, making orders, etc.

Woohoo.

I hate leaving Leah. She's okay though. She's with her Daddy!

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I should be doing homework. My 2nd semester of grad school has started & I haven't accomplished a single task. NOT good. I'm having a hard time getting back into. Blech.

Maybe I'll at least go check out some of the assignments. Maybe.

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Leah has become an "under the blanket" sleeper. Her head & everything. When she gets out in her sleep she will pull it off her head. But mostly she sleep completely cocooned in her blanket. It's very cute. At least I know she's warm!