The End.

I finally resigned (sounds so much better than quit, right?!) from my job. I've been wanting to, ever since Jax was born...but could never bring myself to do it...or we weren't ever in the financial situation until now. Until now! Tonight was my last night....and I'm soooo grateful for a few things....
Such as:

*No more having to look at crazy looking CT scans....tho I will miss James coming in and asking "what is that? his face?" ....No honey, that's a belly.

Really...it is...crazy, huh?

And these are examples of brain bleeds....the only critical finding I could ever find (and thaaaat's a whole 'nother story...NO! I do not know what a pulmonary embolism looks like!)

*No more having to fix vomiTTing....people! It's spelled with ONE T! And its abScess....not abcess.

*No more having to deal with rude techs. No, I didn't get your images on the first send....I know you already sent it...please send it again. WHY IS THAT SO HARD?!

*No more having to call critical findings to busy ER doctors who get on the phone and say "Why are you wasting my time??? I'm working on a guy WHO IS ABOUT TO DIE?!" Ack! I'm sorry! Tell your staff not to transfer you!

*No more using my 15 min break to do the dishes....always turning it into a 17 or 18 min break ;). Whoops.

*No more using my "brb" time to give the girls a shower....I can get them showered in T-minues 10 minutes! Sometimes 7 if I'm lucky! ha!

*No more calling a Brooklyn hospital for a doctor in charge of such-and-such patient....and having them NOT be able to find such-and-such. Seriously?! You lost them?!

*No more watching 8 hours of TV a night. I'm going to have to stop taping some stuff, won't have time to watch it now!! And I don't think I'll catch up on my 25 hours of taped Young and the Restless. (Actually, I may kind of miss this part Ü)

*No more having to fax....and fax....and fax....and call sites to see if they got reports. (Which annoys the crap out of some doctors....and others are grateful, always a toss up)

*No more hearing my kids cry and not being able to do anything about it....this has only gotten worse with Jax...hearing him fuss because Daddy is busy with the girls. I do have to say I have a super-hero husband....I'm so thankful for him for stepping up for the almost-4 years I've done this night-time gig. Not only did he have to deal with the bedtime fiasco each night....he gets up with Jaxson when he wakes up in the night, so I can keep sleeping. He's a rockstar.

Now....I get to deal with the question: NOW what are you going to do?! Don't you just hate that question....like I'm defined by my job. Except that I AM defined by my job...my full-time job...being a mom. Is it so crazy that at this point in my life, I don't really want to DO anything? I almost cringe saying that because I've had a job since I was 15! Work, work, work....I was off for 10 months when I had Bella...and then I spent myself into having to go back to work. I'm hoping for a better route this time!

I've got about 10 more minutes of my shift left {yes....I blog(ged) during work, sorry! only in the slow moments, tho!} and they gave me a scroll-y thing (on our phone system, messages can pop up)! Which was just hilarious! It said: This is Sarah K's last shift, We wish her all the best, love RDX/NRS/VRAD xoxo. I've never seen them do that for anyone! So, I'm getting a little teary in my last minutes! I'm so grateful for the opportunity it was to work with this company....thru its ups and downs, buy-outs and almost-layoffs. It's been so nice to be able to work from home and help support our family while we need it!

But...every good thing has to end, right?! On to different and ful-filling adventures....

Let's go, Rangers, let's go!

Monday night James got some last minute free tickets to the Rangers game. That's one of the lovelies about James' job...here and there we get free stuff. There's nothing better than free stuff!

The tickets were for behind home plate....we were thinking regular seats, squished in with the rest of the folks. But when we asked someone where our seats were, we were quit surprised when she said upstairs in a suite. Totally weren't expecting that! So, along with awesome seats, some a/c and our own restroom...we got free dinner, too! Sweetness.

Jaxson did pretty good...it was a bit (a lot) humid....but there was a really nice breeze. He even fell asleep....it was that good of a game ;).

Aube and Mommy with her 100 double chins. I'm pretty brave posting this picture...but it shows that Aube CAN be happy...unlike the above picture (I probably wouldn't give her gum or get her a 7th plate of chicken she wouldn't eat)...count them...1, 2, 3, 4, 5 chins! Yikes!

My girls HATE loud noises...it's so frustrating...fireworks are SO pretty...yet we have to freak out everytime they are near! Not looking forward to the 4th this year!!

It was a nice surprise being able to go to this game together as a family....especially since I found out that afternoon that they were laying off everyone at my job. They are consolidating the different offices, and our virtual group is one that won't exist anymore. I've been on maternity leave for 2 months now...and I don't go back until July 1st. And then from there, I'm not 100% as to when my last day will be. At the meeting on Monday, they were a tad bit vague on the details!
This really isn't a sad thing...I really did want to quit, esp after being on leave and having my nights back again. I'm just scared to be on just one income again after 3 years...I know we can do it, we have no choice now, unless I want to go find a job and a daycare! Being able to work from home for so long has been SUCH a blessing...and the ladies I work with are simply amazing! Sometimes I feel like this job is one of the many reasons we moved to Texas (can it BE, I'm actually starting to LIKE it here?! Gasp!).

CRAPS!

Last night was James' work party at the Worthington Hotel in Ft Worth. XTO put on a very nice party with a Casino Night theme....complete with dinner, dancing, blackjack and CRAPS!
It was a great chance to get all decked out and have a night out! After several outfit changes (thank you Ashley!) we were very ready to go! The girls had their usual great babysitter...of course as you can see by the hand at the bottom of this picture...Aube didn't quite want us to go! We are pretty lucky with this job...we found out last night that in James' department, we are surrounded by 2 other awesome LDS couples and one very nice couple that shares our same standards! We were all quite the gambling-virgins (though I do admit to playing slots and Keno when we were in Vegas....I mean, come one! It's VEGAS) and kept ourselves thoroughly entertained playing CRAPS! One of the other couples we got to spend time with were the Pools, Kristy was my co-conspirator in winning lots of "money" on the "field" or "passline"...we really had no idea what we were doing....but we did win enough chips to keep our husbands playing blackjack after they lost all their money!!! It wasn't real money, unfortunately...but its even more fun to gamble with FAKE money....I couldn't even imagine losing hundreds of dollars (like James did.) VERY fun night...my feet are still killing me. We were too busy "gambling" to bustamove on the dance floor....though I was VERY close to going and showing my knowledge of the Electric Slide (no party is complete with out THE ELECTRIC SLIDE! Hey...I danced to it at my wedding...).
I just have to say...good job XTO!
As for tonite....after a short night at work....we are chillaxin' by the fire....THE FIRE! Can you believe it, we have been in this house for 2 years, and we have finally lit the fireplace with a great "faog" (fake log...duh).
The only thing I wish was different about our fireplace is that there is no mantel! Just these odd sticky-outtie things....It's gonna be interesting to see where I can hang our stockings for Santa....if I can get around to making them!!

Go Lakers! haha.Wait.

If I had planned better, James and I would be been rooting for the Lakers at the game last week.
But instead, last minute...James finds out we get to go to the Mavs vs Orlando game tonite. How totally crazy is that? And it's for free, in one of the boxes Deloitte uses, which just happens to be James' old company! How fantastic. This almost makes up for the fact that I'm not flying to Vegas right now to celebrate my sister Laura at her baby shower. :(
I did some fancy footwork and swapped my shift....so instead of BLOGGING I need to be NAPPING, since I won't get to sleep again till 8am! Yikes.

nappity nap nap nap

I am a nap taker...I LOVE TO TAKE NAPS. I chalk it up to being up into the wee hours of the morning for work....since naptime for the girls never was naptime for me before this job (though its hard to remember time before this job)...it was chill-out-and-watch-tv-and-eat-time. But today....I decided...to heck with a nap. I'm not THAT tired, I have things to do. So, I'll be a bit groggy by the time work ends, oh well....
And you know what! I got over that 3:00pm-hump (you know where you are sooooooooo tired you think you are going to pass out where you stand) and felt FABULOUS. It never occurred to me that my over-napping has been causing me some major grief. I do tend to sleep for 1 1/2 -2 hours when I nap...I just can never do the power-napping thing...I'm just gluttonous when it comes to sleep! I want more more more!
What's funny is that I think I've heard myself say (awhile ago) that I didn't need sleep. When I was working 8p-4a....I was trying to be all tough, thinking I could survive on 5 hours and then a nap in the afternoon. Well....I'm here to say, bleh to that! I GOTTA SLEEP!
And speaking of sleep....*we finally put (we as in James) the girls back into the same room. Background: Bella has been sleeping on our floor for the last ....months! Mainly b/c the night would go something like this.....put Aube to bed in her room, put Bella to bed in our room, when Bella falls asleep put her in her room with Aube....20 minutes later Bella is screaming at the top of her lungs to be "back in Mommy's bed"....nice.
So...finally we (*see above) decided that it was time to just TOUGH. IT. OUT. James (the good daddy that he is) reads them a book in there together, we placed their bed close together for comfort...and then he turns out the lights and keeps the door open. It's been 3 days...and its gone from taking 2 1/2 hours for them to finally fall asleep (yes...that would be ELEVEN OCLOCK...no wonder they are crabcakes) to an hour! YAY. Can't ask for more that progress, now can we?

A Whirlwind....literally

So, as most of you know, I work into the wee hours of the morning for my shift at work. Last night, my awesome shiftlead let me off an hour early so I could sleep (did I say awesome already?). I happily left early, leaving her my cell number...just in case. Well...like the moron I am, I stayed awake, finishing up a scrapbook for my sister-in-law. And good thing I did!
All night we had KNOWN there was a huge weather system heading our way. I had watched earlier in the afternoon as they called for tornado warnings in cities to our west, and when I tracked this system into the night on weather.com, it was obvious where it was heading.
So....at about 3:30am, I hear the rain and hail pick-up tremendously, the lights flicker and go out, I lose my computer and TV...but no big deal cause the lights flip right back on, even though they do remain flickering here and there. Ten minutes later I get a call from my service coordinator from work....telling me that more than half the girls had to take cover and that if I could pretty please come back and work, it would be much appreciated.
This was almost immediately after my power had come back on, so I got my computer started again and rejoined my coworkers. We had 3 people answering calls, and 2 people with me behind the scenes making sure the information could get to the radiologists. Then those 2 people had to take cover and it was just me and my shaking hands trying to assure everyone that they would be ok, making sure the radiologists were taken care of and trying not to interrupt the Patient care that we are in charge of. My job is not a glamourous one, I'm not a nurse or doctor on the frontlines...but I feel in a way responsible for patients in these hospitals across the country that we read for.....my job is a stepping stone in the path that some patients have to take to find out what is causing their pain, if they need surgery, or if they are well.
The storm moved very fast, the winds blew at the windows...but no sirens were heard! I feel blessed to live in the area we chose....sometimes James and I jokingly call it a "black hole" b/c the tempests seem to rage all round us, but we never get the worst of it. I remember a line of storms last year that stretched from north of the Metroplex, down thru the south.....and it bowed and cleared as that line crossed our city.
2 hours later, at 5:30am, everyone was back to work, unharmed...going about business as usual. I was able to blow out the candle I had lit for precaution and slip soundlessly into my bed, husband and children still sleeping dreamily, unharmed in their beds.

Well deserved pampering

Yes, I KNOW...another picture of my toes...
but I seriously have to talk about how much I love
this nail place I have been to. It's the same one
as last time, Top Nails by Target off the 20.
The ladies that work there are super nice,
even if you can't understand a word they say Ü.
But the chairs have awesome massagers,
they use HOT ROCKS when they massage your feet,
and for a pedicure with a cute little flower...
it's only $25, which I think is a smashing deal.
I am quite addicted to pedicures now, not that
I wasn't before, I am just going to make it
a priority....I feel that since I work hard
I kinda deserve it....every day I work hard
around the house, ever since James made the comment
"What do you do all day?"
I do as much as I can, so's I can have a list
for him when he gets home...
See....I never just sit around on my bum
watching soaps....I save those for work!

Bella goes to work

"Mommy working, Mommy working"
Bella's famous words....
As you can see...she got all dressed up
(even if it is inside out)
and is even EATING while working,
just like her mommy!
She makes me proud :).