Aww thats a nice gift!

I've been so lazy all day. I've enjoyed it tho. Spent a lot of time reading on my kindle app. Played on farmville. Played on here.

Nathan went shopping for me today :) wheee for gifts i don't know what they are hahahah (even tho he came home and said "I didn't get you PJ's or socks, like what was on your list, but I got almost everything else, plus some other stuff" And i'm like DUDE. It was a suggestion list in case you didn't think of or find something to get me :P Don't tell me you got exactly whats on the list LOL Oh well. I figured that would happen really tho. But he did say he got some things that were not on the list. SO there is that.

I need to clean up my bedroom. And finish cleaning the kitchen (The counters need to be washed, the dishes need to be finished cleaned too - big pots & pans type things) Maybe tomorrow :P

Edit 6pm 12-18 Ooh just saw on my phone/news that the state governor giving state employees and teachers a 1k retention bonus "by years end" Maybe that's what was on my paycheck!! Since the paycheck I just got was the last one of the year. But it was announced on the news only 5hrs ago and I got my pay before the 15th so I'm still not sure lol

Also my co tractor came today. Lots of banging and noise lol One window replaced. Side of my house torn off and prepped for new siding. He'll be back wed to do the same for the front .. and then put all the siding on at once.

Well, yay for a bonus?! Maybe it'll be an extra one too haha. And maybe it won't be through the school, but like, a government check maybe, like the covid ones? IDK.

YAY for teh contractor coming.

And sorry, I'm kind of in shock. Our friend Matt, his uncle Bob goes to our church. Well really, we go to his church. But we knew Bob before that, because we used to go with Matt to Bobs house for the fourth of July. ANYWAY. Bob and I were talking yesterday about how Matts dad (Bobs brother) probably wouldn't be around in 6 months, and then today he just called to say that John killed himself.

I'm horrified for Matt, because being an orphan sucks, even at 37. 38? IDK how old we are. And I just feel so bad for Matt, and for Bob, and all the rest of their siblings. :(

Well, if I remember right, every time the governor said he was giving teachers a bonus before now, it came in our paychecks or as an extra paycheck (like in the middle of the month instead of on payday). So that is why I am wondering if the extra on my paycheck was this bonus money instead of the Jan retention bonus I already knew about. We will find out in Jan I guess if I get more bonus money.

Oh no I am so sorry to hear about that :( It is awful to lose a parent no matter the age, I am sure. And that is a horrifying way to lose them :( ((((HUGS)))) to you and your friend Matt.

Oooh well, that's nice! And no matter what, extra bonuses are great, so... haha.

Yeah, it's just so sad. And it's bringing up a lot of feelings about my own mom, it's been almost 3 years now, and I just keep remembering how heartbreaking it was to see her wrapped presents under the tree, you know?

And like.. he chose it, this time of year. And I understand that he was in pain, and he was having a super hard time without Kathryn. And she was really, really great. And like.. I get it. I do. Couldn't stand to have another Christmas without her. But it's just so sad, and I'm just so sad for his brothers and Matt and. Ugh. :(

Also everyone at the school basically has COVID and now I'm taking a test and I am ANXIOUS :/

Oh no. I hope you are negative. Do you feel ok? Like you feel sick or do you feel fine?

I can't imagine it. I haven't lost either of my parents, only grandparents, and to be honest, the way my life was, I was never very close to any of them. I was sad they passed. I was sad my sister-in-law passed. I cried some for her. I don't know if its just me and the way I feel or what but I've never had to deal with major grief feelings. So I just cannot imagine how it is/how it feels. But my heart goes out to him and anyone else in that situation. Or anyone who's lost someone. And yea, this time of year, I dunno. I think it would make it worse? Like you said, seeing/remembering the gifts and excitement to come, but then that happened instead. :( <3

Ugh. Just checked on my school. Grades aren't applied yet (the lady said today or tomorrow). As soon as they show up I'll ask for the transcript to be sent to Mercer. Also I have to go to the Dr soon (maybe I'll go later today). I evidently need to get proof of vaccinations. The way the paper is worded I should be able to do like a blood test or something to show that I've had the vaccinations and the dr can give me some sort of paper saying so. Also have to do a TB test. Seriously? Like. Ok. Whatever. I'm not even going to be living on campus. I can understand it for those living on campus, but I'm just going to online classes this semester and then less than once a week to in-person classes after that for the other semesters (supposedly)!! I prefer to go to the Dr first thing in the mornings tho (because I go to a walk-in clinic). But since my contractor is coming again tomorrow morning (and whatever other mornings til he is done)...I dunno. I might just wait til after Christmas to go do it. I have until the first day of school to turn it in after all. (Jan 8th)

oh! and I forgot, at the orientation, the lady explained to me how to get the background check. So yay! I am basically sending it to HER hahahah Whatever works. I need to do that. I don't need the background check until Fall but might as well get it done. Also need to find out how to do the GACE ethics and do that before end of summer too (have to have it done before Fall also) And apparently there is another GACE i'll have to take before the end of my last semester (if I remember what she said right) but the classes are supposed to teach us how to pass that and she said 90% pass on their first try.

El is actually having a really hard time getting their background check stuff too, I told her to go to her advisor and ask for help haha.

And yeah, this time of year especially is rough, I think!

AND I've got a stuffy/runny nose kind of, but mostly? feel fine.

Went around after work today with El to find a few things and look for Christmas Tree Cakes.. which we did NOT find, even though I went to three different stores haha.

ANNNNND. You can't look up your vaccination record online? I don't have an online account but I think most people do LOL. It seems that way, anyway!

I have no idea? I guess I could try that, if it would even be included in my "MyChart" or something - but would it be there? I rarely think about the MyChart thing because I never use it....I only signed up by accident one time when the Dr office kept sending it to me lol But it won't be hard to just pop into the walk-in clinic and be like "hey do whatever tests for this" and show them the paragraph saying what I need proof of. Especially since the TB test has to be less than a year old. So I'd have to go do that anyway. (unless the TB doesn't actually apply - as the lady only SPOKE about the MMR, but the paper says TB, but the 2nd page -which didn't print out and I only found by accident online - says "for on campus students" when it goes on to ask all the TB questions) ....

Oh the christmas cakes are yum. I love the chocolate ones but they are harder to find. And the gingerbread men. I have not seen any this year, but I really forgot to look Saturday when I went shopping. I always try to buy a few extra boxes to just have some later on lol

Whats annoying is that I tried that at the tech school - going to the advisors of the ECCE program. And they kept saying "you have to do it on your own" which never could do. I looked at the BFTS site again, and I'll give it a try later this week to see if I can get it done.

You've earned the Lumineve Regular 2023 achievement! Whoa. Already? Time is flying.

Yeah, El is sending out the stuff but the website isn't working, so it's not going through. So like.. what?! I can't help her, and she can't do it on her own, so I told her to go talk to some of the people she's saying haha.

And yeaj, it SHOULD be on MyChart! Or, as long as you have to get a tb shot anyway( maybe), they could probably just look it up, so you wouldn't need the titer.

hahah like she thinks they won't help? Or like hahaha she is never going to go talk to anyone (thats how I feel Nathan is when I tell him to go talk to someone about something, hahaha NEVER going to happen)

Hmm apparently, I deleted MyChart off my phone again and I dont' feel like downloading it and hunting up passwords just to find out, not when I can just ask in the office - thats easier for me :P I'll be up there at 8am one day later this week or over the weekend maybe (if they're open) or next week! :P after Christmas should be fine too Eh I'll get it all figured out sooner or later anyway.

contractor back now finally (he said he'd be here early this morning - like 8am, but when he finally got here, he said he was having phone issues so had gone to verizon first and couldn't let me know...can't blame him for that!) but now he's tearing off the siding in the front - and making the dogs bark of course with every other noise LOL Guess I'll have another headache at the end of the day. But again, I'll be happy about the work getting done, so that'll be fine too!

oh gosh, she's PAYING, not saying! :P

Hey, the louder he is the faster it'll be done maybe?!

Tested positive for covid this morning, I basically feel fine, boss still said to come in, which is a little crazy to me but whatever!

Oh LOL i see. Yes she needs to go talk to them. Hopefully they can help.

Oh no! But yea I am not surprised. We were told as long as we didn't have major symptoms we were to come to work too. i don't remember the exact details but like, obviously the fever/throwing up type of stuff we have to stay home, but just general aches/pains, whatever nope. get your hiney to work. Essential workers bees here!!! Obviously if you're feeling horrible you CAN call in sick but they still prefer you to come if you are feeling well enough.

Hahah no I don't think thats how it works sadly! :P However he was LOUDER today than yesterday, decided to try a different way of removing the window by using some sort of electric saw. ACK my ears! But the next window is in, he's putting up the vapor barrior, then will move to the kitchen window. Looks like siding will be tomorrow.

Yeah, a fever is all that you can stay home for.

Ugh she's so gross though, the boss boss. The kitchen boss is awesome haha. I wish I could report her to someone, because she's literally disgusting.

IDK what I'm saying anymore, I'm just tired LOL.

IDK maybe it's how it works! Maybe louder means faster!

Well, if the boss boss is gross, i would think admin or HR ? (if she's over the kitchen boss, thats where I would go if its really bad)

OMG my brother just made me LOL for real. he's been randomly texting me things (this is my oldest brother, who lives in Utah & is 4yrs older than me) - anyway he sent me this random "apply for a job" notification thing (just weird stuff like that he sends me, yes indeed!) - anyway I replied and told him my opinion on that (haha never gonna happen) and then he said well if you ever relocate to California you can let me know if they give you the real pay scale... (one of the reasons i would not apply was that it didn't list pay) and so I replied that if I did ever relocate it would be to the island (where our mom lives) and he responded (which is what made me LOL) - "you wouldn't have a cemetery there, or would you take them with you?" OMG REALLY? LOL dies No. Sorry, the people in the cemetery are not related to me in any case, and I would NOT be disturbing their graves even if they were. They would stay here if I relocated :P Also they are probably just dust by now as the "newest" grave has a death date of 1920.

There is no HR, admin can't do anything because it's a different company, and she's over the kitchen boss.

Wait wait wait wait wait, there's a REAL cemetary in your yard?!

Yes. A small one. It has 4 larger gravestones, and about 2-3 smaller ones.

Sorry, either the site or my computer is being stupid. I think it might be computer because now I have a completely black screen/background which is very weird...

So I've been cooking dinner, eating, and reading. And just watched the 2 new released Percy Jackson TV show episodes :D IT was good. A bit slow (movies are much more action packed) but not bad at all, and MUCH more accurate to the books than the movies were. (so far!)

Hmm. Weird. Like I know the kitchen people at our school are a different department, and not hired by the principal for example, BUT they are still under HR for the school district as far as I know...(I could be wrong!!).

[edit] 610am Apparently its also the site? I saw a facebook post from 7 hrs ago and they were having issues. Glad its working this morning. Got my melody and bathhouse! I shut down my computer last night completely - but when I turned it on this morning, the black background screen is still there. So odd. Its normally blue and I dont remember, like maybe the microsoft/windows design or something? I never put a background on - I just use whatever comes with the computer.

[edit] 230pm Fixed my computer screen. Still not sure how it turned black, but now i have the normal background again. Did my student loan counseling and signed my master promissory note so I can get the student loans. Checked on the DECAL scholarship - no change there yet, still under review. But the student loan I accepted will cover all I need in case that does not get approved. I really hope it does tho, because then I'll owe less for student loans.

Talked to the contractor, he says he won't actually get the siding up until after Christmas. He won't be here tomorrow or over the weekend due to family coming in at the airport/Christmas etc. Oh well. I had hoped for siding up today (I was sure that's what he'd get to) .... but it's fine. He's gotten the kitchen window replaced and has been putting guide strips for the siding on the house. Has not gotten to the top of the front yet - the attic part of the house - forgot his scaffolding or something I guess :P He didn't say. He did say he was going to bring it, but since he didn't put any up or work on that part, I am assuming he forgot to bring it.

Oh yes - as for that "bonus" - got an email from finance department stating that they are aware of the announcement from the governor, they cannot do anything until after we return from break and are awaiting info on exactly which employees it will be given to. So then, that answers was the extra in my pay that - no it was not. Was it the Jan retention bonus? I do not yet know and won't until Jan I guess. But hey! I can now hope for more bonus money from the governor sometime in Jan!! :P

I don't think there's ANY HR, but yeah.. it's an entirely different company that they contract out to.

Anyway! Speaking of school and kitchen, I'm officially free and done until January 3rd :P

Tomorrow we're going to do the pictures.. as long as nothing goes wrong!

I'm curious about your bonus haha. Did you get a Christmas bonus?! Who knows!

And booo, but also like.. it does make sense that he'd take the few days off for Christmas!

Yea :) I can't blame him for that at all. Also I talked to him before he left. He purposely left the scaffolding. After he left yesterday he decided it didn't make sense to put it up, take it down, put it up again - to remove the top siding, to put the siding on everywhere etc. So he's going to do all the bottom first, THEN put up the scaffolding and do the top all at once.

I went to the little market today. They had a $10 haul. I did 2x. Probably should not have, should have only done 1. I have NO ROOM for anything right now but I could not resist going....and I'm glad I did but.. no ROOM!! So I got 6 bunches of bananas (was supposed to get 12 I said NOT that many!). two BIG bags of carrots. 2 head of broccoli, 4 pks of blackberries, 2 box of salad mix, 2 bag of mixed veg, 2 bottles of "plant based scrambled eggs" LOL I have NEVER tried that, but hey, whatever. 4 pks of habanero peppers (no idea what we will do with that), 2 pk of mushrooms (again, no idea...) a box of flowers (so 10 bouquets), and a whole crate of corn on the cob!!! Some of that was a bit moldy, so we removed the husks from ALL of them and tossed any that had mold into the fire pit. However I stll have like, I dunno. 30 ears of corn?? Its a LOT! I'm trying to blanch and freeze it all - but again - NO ROOM! I need another freezer LOL I had just stocked up meat and frozen lunches for myself and Nathan, then Shane came home early, so he stocked up for himself...and now I have all this veg and nowhere to put it!! I still have a few potatoes left from the last time I went to them, so I'm using those and the carrots tomorrow and I'll make hamburger stew for lunch (and will have leftovers for whenever) I'll also blanch/freeze most of the carrots as coins because I really like carrots for my veg for dinner. I now have carrots and corn to last over a month I'm sure, for the two of us!!

Sounds like you need a chest freezer for all your good hauls!

D and Lily and Iz are here and getting ready for pictures, El and Akira will be here within the hour, and then Akira will do everyone's hair, most likely :P And then we can skedaddle out of here!

I said I think we'll end up getting Sams Club for dinner because that's what I'll be able to afford for them all :P

You've earned the Underground Fishing Fan achievement!

You've earned the Cheater Cheater Pumpkin Eater achievement!

DONE with the pumpkins, that's 500. 50 for the underground fishing.

Apparently. But only when I'm all stocked up with meats and frozen dinners. I think it would have been ok if I hadn't just done that and then SHANE just did that too when he came home and then they offered the haul, and it was soooo good I couldnt' NOT get it....

I seriously thought about buying a small one, but I really don't want another appliance in my kitchen and I have no where else to put it really.

And then I spent almost $300 at the doctor office today to get the stupid immunization tests done. Can you believe that? WHAT??? AAfter I got home I realized that I MAY have had the immunization records from when I graduated highschool, like I do for my two older kids, but I might not have had it either - so eh. I Just can't believe it cost taht much to do 3 tests!! (well, 4, but one was only $20)

Errr, what do you get at Sams Club for dinner?

Also. I have finished the corn, its all in the freezer, somehow. And now I'm doing the broccoli. And I'm making yeast rolls because I really want some. Then I'm going to make some banana bread (hopefully today, maybe tomorrow). AND work on the carrots.

Congrats on the achievements!!

You purchased:

Laceveil Specialty Mask

Return to Darkside!

I do believe it. Probably would have been cheaper to just do the shots over again! Especially because most you would need from after high school, I think 10 years is the longest lasting one?

IDK pizza or hot dogs or churros or a pretzel haha. But they ended up being closed when we got there, so we went to Wendys. But only had like half the kids by then so.. it was fine.