View from the top...

Here's a picture of my hometown, lit up at night.

My last day of work is tomorrow, and see the tallest building to the far left of the picture, the dark tower in lights? That's where I work! (ed) Talk about a view from the top, huh?

Well today, I'm also experiencing a view from the top, but it has nothing to do with looking out the office window. (well, I'm also wearing 4 inch hot pink heels today, but again, not my point! lol)

No, today's view from the top derives from success. From blessings. From chapters in life ending and new pages turning. After tomorrow, I'll be forging onward in my calling, in my new career, in the two things most important to me - my family, and my writing ministry. I feel on top of the world!

Don't get me wrong. Life isn't perfect, and it never will be. For example, my MIL is still in the same condition she's been in for days now. No changes, for the good or for ihe bad, which I suppose is still a blessing in itself...but life is about perspective. About choosing our view. I could look out the top window of my office building and get dizzy and scared from the height. Or I could sit back and marvel at the beauty of the earth around me. Perspective.

What is your view today? Are you looking at your blessings and your problems from the best perspective? Or are you wallowing on the ground, afraid to look around you?

Let me just say, the view from up top here today is absolutely gorgeous! I hope yours will be too =)

Busy, busy week!

Manic Monday! I'm exhausted and its only 9:03.

I slept great from 10:00 - 3:00. Then at 3:00 it sounded like Little Miss woke up, saw her stuffed girafee Gi-Gi, squealed in delight, and proceeded to play tea party or something until 3:30. lol Not kidding. She settled down around 3:30, then at 4:17...

the phone rang.

Not what you want to happen when your MIL is in a coma in the hospital two hours away. The only words to describe that feeling is bone chilling. I answered and a professional female voice asked for my husband. Her calm tone just panicked me more. I passed the phone over and squeezed his arm until I could tell by his words the worst hadn't happened. It turns out my MIL lost her traech (didn't even know that was possible!) and had to be put back on the ventilator for the night. Not a huge deal, but we are glad they told us. I think that incident confirmed for my husband that even though he's hours away and now back at work this week, they will keep him informed, regardless of time. That's a relief.

But sleep didn't really come after that, as you can imagine!

I also left my phone at home and had to go back after getting halfway down the road and then got to my mom's to drop off Little Miss (for the third to last time because of work! yay!) and saw in the mirror that my silver dangly earring had a second orange earring dangling from it. Still not sure how I managed that one...

So that's the beginning of my Monday. And the week only gets busier! Today and two more days left at work. Ever! Yay! Then Thursday is hubby's birthday and a date night for us. Friday is my big booksigning at Barnes & Noble. And Saturday is the 4th of July and a joint birthday party for hubby and two of our good friends. Whew! Let the fun times roll...

And let the caffeine flow!

3 more days!

This is my last Friday in the workforce!

Well, I say that, as if motherhood and writing isn't two full time jobs in themselves!!! lol So basically I'm not "quitting work", I'm just going from THREE jobs to TWO. haha.

Speaking of motherhood...I must give props to my cousin for her adventure yesterday. Here's her Facebook status of the event.

"trying to find a "jumparoo" insert to replace the one my daughter DESTROYED this morning!"

So naturally I inquired as to what happened, and got this answer.

"long, gross story! my son ended up in the fetal position in the chair across the room - it was a funky morning. needless to say the rug must be burned and the jumparoo insert bit the dust too!"

After I quit laughing, I emailed her privately to ask more details. Turns out her daughter, who is only a few days older than my Little Miss, had somehow managed to dirty her diaper sideways in her jumperoo, which then leaked, well...everywhere. As my cousin put it, "when I came in the living room, she was river-dancing in it on the rug."

I have SO MUCH to look forward to after next Wednesday. =)

Unique quiz...

I found a pretty unique, fun quiz today. What Room of the House Are You?

This one caught my eye because I've been thinking about the settings in my stories lately. Not the overall setting as in a particular city, but individual scene settings. Where do my scenes take place? In my current WIP, set on a Texas ranch, I have a lot of scenes in the barn, in the guest cabins, in the paddock, on the trail, etc. But most of my older stories involve more inside time, such as churches, friend's living rooms, kitchens, banquet halls, cars, dining rooms, etc.

Well, I took the quiz, and apparently my setting has been all wrong. =)

Here's my answer! (quit laughing!!)

You Are the Bathroom

Overall, you are a healthy person. You enjoy taking care of yourself.You are also quite attractive. Looking your best makes you feel your best.You are conscientious and detailed oriented. You stay on top of things.You are very honest and open. Privacy is not something you need a lot of.

Take the quiz here!

Maybe you'll get a more acceptable answer! =P

Let the countdown begin...

Next Wednesday will be my last day as a full time employee outside the home! Then I'll start a new job - being a stay at home mommy and author.

Wow.

I'm excited and nervous! lol Any words of advice from veteran stay at home moms?

I'm not so nervous about getting my writing done, because I've already gotten lots of great tips on that from other authors, and I know my mother is still going to want to keep Little Miss often. She has already told me it'd be impossible to go from keeping her all day, 3-4 days a week (and more often lately since my MIL's accident!) to hardly at all. So there will be plenty of time to meet deadlines and have productive writing time. Praise God for loving Nana's!! =)

I guess what I'm nervous about right now is the $, of course, especially in this time of economic chaos. These things rarely work on out paper but under the nervous "oh my gosh, I won't have a paycheck anymore" feelnig is such true peace I know-know-know this is what God has for us. So He will take care of us.

It will be an adjustment but an amazing one, one I've wanted for the last 11 1/2 months. My Little Miss is growing up and I've been so fortunate to have still caught all of her "firsts" even while working full time. Now I'll be there even more AND before her first birthday. God answered my specific prayer of that timeline from months ago!

Basking in blessings today...

PS - no big news on my MIL today, other than they are getting ready to move her to a long term care facility. This isn't a bad thing, just the next step. She'll be moved when the facility has an opening.