Happy New Year

Almost two hours  into a new year.  Sitting at work thinking to myself where did this last year go????  What did I actually accomplish?  Did I make a difference out there in the world or in anyones life?  Do I have any regrets from the past year that I learned from that I can do different in the following year?    My answers:  Yes this year did go fast!  Super fast.  I believe what the older people tell me now.  The older you get the faster life goes.   Accomplish?  Heck my memory is so poor that I don’t really remember.   Besides putting together many memory books together for patients and patients families I don’t think I accomplished much.  If I would look at my to do lists then it would look like I accomplished alot, but none of that really matters after the year has gone by.  Think I have to work that this one.  As for making a difference in the world, I doubt it.  As for making a difference in someone’s life….I believe so.  I know being the head of the Lifetime Legacy program at work and putting together thos books for those family members and patients will help those people with their grieving.  I would hope that i make a difference in some of my patients lives helping them while they are on their journey to heaven.  If not the patient one of their loved ones.  Maybe a co-worker of someone that I come across at the grocery store or the credit union….with a smile and a positive attitude.  You never know when someone is having a bad day and just needs a friendly smile from someone that they come in contact with.  As for regrets…..I am a firm believer to live with no regrets.  I do not have any regrets from this past year.  This doesn’t mean that I haven’t made mistakes and haven’t learned from them.  I think mistakes and learning make you grow a better person.  In the new year I will continue to live with no regrets and I will work on what I learned from my mistakes this past yearand  I will work on making a difference in the world with the talents that God has graced me with.  As for a new years resolution?  well as you can see I don’t really do those only because I never get past the first week.  Okay the first day or two.  

Happy New Year!
~♥~ T 

Christmas

Merry belated Christmas to all.  This Christmas came and went all to fast like it does every year.  The season started out with me not really caring weather or not I got the tree decorated or not.  Once the urge hit up went the Christmas decorations.  I do have to admit they do look nice and it is relaxing to sit back when the house is picked up, listening to some Christmas music or even watching a Christmas movie.  Kind of puts you in one of those vegetation state of mind moments.  This year we knew we wanted to get our tree the day after Thanksgiving like every year.  The kids all made sure they had off and we would head to Waupaca this year and try out the tree farm.  Well as the time came closer something happened that didn’t make Dan and I in a good mood.  (Not sure what it was but I am sure it had to do with something with his job and/or Christmas)  So we decided that since Dan really didn’t have that much time due to having to go to work that evening that we would just check out the YMCA tree lot.  Within 20 minutes of walking out the back door, we were re entering it with a tree.  The weekend before Christmas we had our celebration at my mom’s.  It was a nice relaxing day with the family.  On Christmas eve we went to Dan’s sister’s for a few hours and then went home so the kids could exchange their gifts amongst each other.  This is a time that I enjoy.  I like sitting back and watching them all give their gifts and see what they choose for their siblings and their reaction when they open their gift.  Then Christmas morning the kids open gifts from us.  In the afternoon we celebrate the holiday with Dan’s family. I find it very hard to shop for my kids, specially the older they get.  When I asked them to put together a list of what they would like each one of them said “I don’t know what I want”.  Needless to say it took a couple weeks to get their lists.  With this I will add there wasn’t much on those lists!  Even though I don’t like shopping, I found what helped was to go shopping with the kids.  With this I found out from a co-worker that there was a bath and body outlet!  Can you believe that?!?!?!  Well we just HAD to go!  Oh my gosh I was in heaven!  What scents do you choose?  oh yes I was in heaven.  From there we went to the VF outlet.  Found some wonderful buys there also.  Thinking that we will have to venture there again in the near future.  As Christmas came to an end everyone was happy and content.  Now we just have to get through the New Year holiday and start out fresh.  Hopefully with a new job for Dan and for us to get back on track financially. 
As for an update with Dan and his current job; His last day for them will be the 4th of January.  He will work this Sunday,Monday and Tuesday night, off for a few days and then run back down on the 4th and then he is done.  Once the holidays are over Dan will be heading over to the tech to talk to the contact person about the teaching job and he also got a lead on a job out of   which is also hauling mail.  This would only be from Green Bay to Milwaukee and maybe a few other stops somewhere along there.  So say a little prayer that whatever Gods will is he will guide Dan to it. 

Enjoy the snow!  Don’t have much choice do you?  🙂  Stay positive and be happy.

Til next time,                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    ~T

Job update

So far this is what Dan has been told as of this morning about his job.  Dec 12 could be his last day.  As of right now it is just a day by day thing.  The option for him going over the road for the company that he has been with for 14 1/2 years is not an option since they have no runs up in this area for him.  So it will be unemployment for him until he is able to find a new job.  Merry Christmas huh? 

It is hard to keep a positive attitude about this whole thing but I know I have to.  Not only for Dan (I am sure he feels like a failure even is this is not of his doing) and for the kids so they don’t panic about us not making ends meet kind of thing.  So I will just have to keep my strength in the Lord that he will guide us thorugh this and we will get through it.  I will have to stay positive and remember things happen for a reason.  Maybe something better for Dan will come along that he will enjoy more and be home more.  We will wait to see. 

Hugs to all 🙂  Enjoy the snow

~T

Dan and DHL

Many of you have asked about Dan’s job and what is happening with him.  As of right now we don’t know.  From what I understand from the news release on DHL’s website Dan should be okay til the end of December.  Not positive though.  Just keep him in your prayers that things work out.  We are hoping that maybe LandAir will be able to get him on a dedicated run for FedEx.  Otherwise we punt and pray hard.  Not going to stress over it right now.  Or at least try not to.  My goal right now is to catch up on my house payment and other things and deal with Christmas.  We will fill you in when we hear more.  I will also update a little more on “life” here within the next day or two.  (hopefully) 

Stay warm,

Trisha

nuttin here

Not a whole lot is new in the Rawlings’ household.  Just filling in the chilly days with trying to clean and organize.  Sometimes it seems as if I am getting no where.  With the days becoming darker and seems that the evenings are longer I feel myself getting tired and more disaplined about going to bed at a decent time at night.  The only thing wrong with that is that I find myself not needing tons of sleep and therefore I am waking up at all odd times in the morning which leads to longer evenings.  Pretty much a visious circle.  Thinking that working the night shift doesn’t help either.  Dan has this weekend off and I am hoping that we can all schedule or friday night so that we all have it open to be able to go to the haunted hayride over at the Conservation Club.  We went a few years ago and it was okay.  Logan didn’t care for it and he isn’t looking forward to it either.  If we all can’t seem to get the night free to do this maybe Dan and I will head out to a movie or if it is cold enough we will just do the movie thing at home and stay cuddled up warm in quilts.  The main thing on our agenda is to get the leaves rakes and out to the curb and to get stuff put away for the winter.  Hopefully the weather will work with us for a bit. 

Like I said not much going on in the Rawlings’ home.  Til next time,

Hugs,
~T

A wonderful sunny cozy day

What a wonderful sunny day that we are blessed with this morning.  As most of you know fall is my all time favorite season.  The crispness in the air.  People look at fall as a dreaded season because they look at it as “that means winter is just right around the corner”.  Reality is that is the way the seasons come and go, one after the other.  They are there for us to enjoy the differences that life has to offer.  There is nothing like curling up in bed or a comfy chair with a nice warm quilt or two with some warm tea or hot chocolate reading a heart warming book.  Last night I did just that.  After cleaning up after supper and getting Logan off to bed, I took a nice warm shower and retreated to my room to get cozy under the quilts and continue reading the book (Nights in Rodanthe by Nicholas Sparks) that I was hoping to finish.  My eyes won out and I ended up falling asleep before I could finish.  But for some reason unknown to me I woke up at 1:15 in the morning feeling to warm and couldn’t fall back to sleep.  So off went two quilts and with one left I figured what a better time to finish the book.  Oh my gosh it was a good book.  Makes me want to see the movie (http://www.moviefone.com/movie/nights-in-rodanthe/29027/trailer?trailerId=2133212) even worse now. 

 

Today is going to be a go with the flow day.  I have tons and tons to do but like this whole past week I don’t feel like doing any of it.  I should at least study so I can take the test that I need to get going on my studies in order to be a student again after the holidays.  The day will tell where I go with this, weather the laundry and basement win out over the studying or scrapping or doing nothing.  We will see.  All I know is that I am going to enjoy the day!  Hope you do also!

~T

I am not the one in control

 

What an amazing day!  God sure shows his presence when you least expect it.  I have been struggling with some financial stuff today.  You see I have something that is due and it must be paid within the next week. I also have a couple others that I need to take care of this week.  After realizing what I had to pay out today I caught myself from having an anxiety attack.  Took a slow breath and decided I am not big enough to handle this alone.  I need help.  So I took a time out and prayed about it and asked God to help guide me on this financial road.  When I got done I felt more at peace and even relieved.  What is, is what is.  I can only do what I can.  My day continued.  The mail man came and as I opened the mail, mostly junk, thank you, I opened an envelope from a company that I had forgotten about from awhile ago.  It was something to do with one of those class action suits that tons of people are in and when all is said and done you get a few dollars and it is all over.  So when I was opening it I was expecting a little amount, no big deal, little is better then nothing.  Well it was a little over a hundred.  All I could do was chuckle and said out loud “Lord, I guess you are trying to tell me to just believe and trust in  you and you will indeed take care of me”.  This reminded me of a quote I read on a site not to long ago, “We don’t have to be a prophet to hear the voice of God. But we do have to listen. Sometimes to listen to the tiny, whispering sound of God.”  Okay, I hear you Lord, load and clear.  Short time later in the afternoon I got ahold of a co-worker that I have been playing phone tag with for the last few days.  It was just a follow up to let me know that she had left photos at work for me of her daughter.  I am putting together scrapbooks of her children for her.  If you are into scrapping you know that it can be costly at times.  I like this gal and I feel it is important to do for her.  Her children are small enough yet ( 18 months and 2 1/2 years old) that it can be done a little here and there and continue to do them as they grow.  I did Cade’s awhile back and now it is time to do Audrey’s.  When talking to her awhile ago I did tell her to just get me the pictures and I would get the books together.  She was more concerned about the money to pay me for the supplies and for doing it.  I knew she couldn’t afford it at the time and told her that she didn’t need to worry about it, that I trusted her that when she had a little extra she could pay me here and there, no big deal.  Well she also wanted to know what I put into the books so far so that she could pay me something towards it.  It was another moment that I chuckled and was reminded that yes, God is in control, not me.    As I was talking to Ann the subject came up on their family photos and Audrey getting her 18 month one done within the next few weeks.  I asked who did them and if she had a website so I could check into her after our phone call.  Went to her site and she has some neat photos.  I just might have to check into her doing a shoot with my kids.  I did just have a gal do Brooke’s graduation photos and I thought she did an amazing job.  We will see whos I like better.  Will share with you with the end results when the time comes.   To see Brooke’s graduation proofs here is the link…… http://awphotography.zenfolio.com/p3576857 

Later in the afternoon, after letting the dogs out, I stood there in the drizzle I was thinking that it is amazing how rain can make you feel different at different times.  For me when it rains in spring all I can think of is mud.  Nothing else.  In the summer rain I think of how neat it is to sit on the porch or lay in bed and listen to it fall.  Now today with it being fall, I stand there thinking how it makes me feel homey and cozy.  I guess today was a day for me to tune into myself and listen to my inner self.  Life can get pretty hectic and you can lose touch with reality and what is really the main point of life.  Today was indeed a great day!  Hope yours was also.

~T

New season, new blog

A new season and a new blog site.  AOL is closing their blogging sites so I decided to search for a new place to blog other then myspace and facebook.  I wanted someplace that was a little more quiet and relaxed.  So here we are and this is where you can come  to find out things that might be going on in the family or that is even going on in my thoughts (if you dare). 

See you back here soon,

~T