This is our new dog, she is a Shih Tzu. My husband Steve picked her up Thursday night while I was working. We our having a hard time coming up with a name for her.
New Puppy
Tag: Shelley Baker
A Piece of Me
Every week- Three questions about you to tell us!
What is the silliest thing you have heard people say about you? I’m sure there are lots of silly things people have said to me. A time that comes to mind was when some friends and I played a game called “Sad and Solemn Occasion” in high-school. I can’t remember how the whole game went, but, you had to be truthful to your opponent. My opponent told me, she thought, I should be a bushman with my head of hair!
Which of your personality traits have been most useful? I would say my gift of discernment. My boss and I have a decent relationship. She tries not to wear her feelings on her sleeve. I will ask her how her day is, I can tell though, if she’s lying, about feeling fine. I will ask her again, what is really going on. She sometimes gets upset because she doesn’t understand how I can tell something is bothering her.
Another time, I let my son go down the street from where we lived, to play. I told the other child’s family, I would come back in an hour to pick him up. I started doing my dishes and a picture of my boys face kept going through my mind, I called their number twice and no answer, I hung up the phone and could barely breath. I took off out the door, got in my car, and drove down their house.
Low and behold I was right on the money.
Are you an early bird or a night owl? I have worked the evening shift for years. When I come home at night, I like to watch a movie on Prime or read all your blogs, while the rest of the house is sleeping. I hit the hay around 1:30 or 2am.
Garbage Pickup
Dear writer,
We have a pile of garbage out in our front yard because the garbage company has not picked up our garbage in two weeks.
This morning , I called them to find out what the hell was going on. The woman on the phone told me my services were canceled July 1st because they did not receive a payment. I told her I would call her back after I went through my check ledger, because I remember making a payment.
I went through my ledger and found a payment I made in early September. (my garbage bill is every three months.) I also wrote down a confirmation number. I called them back and let them know I had found this information.
She asked me if I paid the payment over the phone, and I said yes, I have the confirmation number. She told me I should have asked to speak to a representative, because your services were on the breaks, and we have to make sure you had no additional charges with that status. She said she would go ahead and update my account and set me up for pickup next Monday. I said well I have two weeks of trash sitting outside the front of my house. She then told me an additional pickup would be 60 big ones, plus 10 for each additional bag!
I said I will just wait til next Monday.
I feel the story changed from the first phone call, I made. I feel like they received my payment but the ball dropped somewhere and they are covering up their mistake. I do not recall any kind of warning of cancellation. I understand mistakes are made, and that is not what upsets me. I feel like I should not have to pay for an extra pickup.
This pile of trash in my front yard is stressing me out!
Timeshare
Dear Cosmos,
This morning started out rough with Gabe because he was up at about 4:30 this morning and so was I. We were both having a hard time getting our lives together for school.
After he left
I took a deep breath in, and exhaled out, poured me a cup of coffee, and moseyed around the house opening up the curtains.
Then I gathered all our bedding, towels, and socks up by the washer and started on laundry.
I made a phone call to Branson travel group to change our reservation for a vacation. I want to move up the date one day because I can’t take off work on the date I wanted to take off.
I ended up leaving a message because their office wasn’t open yet. A few days ago I had left a message with a woman, and she told me my agent had to move some days around on the schedule and he would call me back after everything was situated, and he never did call!
I caught up with more chores around the house and after a few hours I had to call them back. She new exactly who I was without telling her my name, which raised my brow. Then she repeats back to me why I’m calling, then says hold on I will get Mason. I hold for like five minutes, he answers the phone “Shelley I have you moved up a day so you’re all ready to go!
No, I’m sorry for the wait, no I’m sorry for not getting back to you, and no confirmation number.
I’m getting leery of the situation because of the mishap I explained above. To cut straight to the point I got suckered in to a timeshare meeting, and I’m thinking about cutting my losses and backing out…
What do you think?
My Notepad
I’ve been writing in a notepad I carry in my Vera Bradley, bag. I don’t write everyday in my notepad. I don’t write every other day, either. I only write when I’m feeling the vibe.
I can’t believe I carry a notepad, in my bag, with a lot of my feelings openly written inside. I have actually thought about how I would feel if I misplaced or left my bag at someone’s house or my job. I worry about what people might think of me if they read what I wrote. I worry more about the notepad than my money I have in my bag. If I’m being honest it’s because I have a lot more feelings than money.
I’ve thought about leaving the notepad here at home but then I think about how much I love my notepad and how it’s there to catch me if I need to write down what I’m feeling. The fact that there are other feelings of mine written in my notepad, encourages me to keep my notepad with me and write down other feelings, if needed.
The notepad has no cover, because of taking it out and putting it back inside my bag so much. I still carry the cover that belongs to the notepad around in my bag, as well. The notepad at first was to write information down about a product I wear and share on social media. I still share the love I have for the product but not as often.
The notepad comes in handy for my feelings, and basically, I guess, that is where my heart may be.
I write in my notepad when something or someone makes me angry, and the rest of my writing is about death. I think about death a lot. I think, I think about death more than I should, and no, I don’t know WHY, either. I don’t think about death as in what will happen when I die. I think about all the people I will miss when I do die.
I know this may sound odd because when we die we obviously don’t know we’re dead, and in Heaven we don’t miss people they say. I guess you could say, I miss the thought of missing my family and friends.
Within You Are So Many Answers
I stepped down from my position as the Activity Director on Tuesday. I made this decision like a nurse pulling off a band-aid. I went back working as a Nursing Assistant in the evenings. I started last Wednesday. I have been off since Wednesday night when I clocked out. I’m glad I made the decision to take a few extra days off.
I wrote a post a few months back telling you I was not sure I could maintain the job. I was scheduling daily activities for the residents: outings, parties, competitions, entertainment, and games. I was getting the job done on one hand, but on the other hand I was having a hard time giving my residents quality time. I also had a hard time focusing on my family because I kept thinking about all the things I could be doing to be one step ahead of the game. The job was never done when you left.
Wednesday when I worked a staff member made a comment to me about being on vacation for eight months, and I could do the showers from now on. There was another comment made about the activity job being a “cake walk.” I know those comments don’t matter but they threw me for a loop, and made me second guess my decision.
I want to encourage you to read a few of blogs of mine, if time allows.. I went back and read them last night. They reminded me of the good times, I have had as a nursing assistant at the home. I want to come back to this post if need to, and give myself the whole story.
I made my decision fast. I should have kept the job in activities, held out, until I came across something new. I know I can’t should on myself, whats done is done. Yesterday I came across this quote. The quote cured the loneliness I’ve been feeling about making a mistake.
” I never make the same mistake twice. I do it three or four times just to make sure it was a mistake” Andrew’s View Of The Week
The Man In Front Of Me
I took a few of my residents to the ballet last night. I couldn’t tell you the last time I had been to a ballet. I enjoyed watching them all dance, and the Ballerinas in their purple, yellow, and pink tutu’s were stunning. I can’t tell you the plot of the show, though. I can tell you about the man in front of me.
He was alone.
He sat slouched a bit, with his legs crossed. His right elbow was placed up on his armrest with his hand up over his mouth. He was wearing a blue stocking hat, a pair of lighter colored jeans, and an oversized gray thermal shirt.
During intermission he was leaned up against the wall with glasses on reading the “Wall Street Journal.” He had a book with him and I’ll be damned if the title was covered up by the program pamphlet!
The program continued and I sat there staring at him for a smile, a tear, a sigh, but nada. He sat the same way the whole time. One thought I had, maybe this was Liam Neeson, he’s been spotted in town alone a few times, but Liam Neeson is tall this guy was average five-eight or nine, maybe.
I decided he was there reminiscing about the time he danced in the ballet, and he was critiquing all the performers dance moves. He thought the show in this one-horse town was mediocre!
Meet and Greet: 1/19/18
A Step In The Right Direction
My husband, Gabe, and I attended a seminar for families at the school tonight. They prepared dinner and a sitter for everyone who attended. The name of the seminar was Overcoming Obstacles.
They broke up everyone into groups of five. We EACH introduced ourselves by telling everyone who we were, how many children we have, and the biggest obstacle we our facing. I was the fourth one to speak. I told them my name, and that I was married, and that we have a son together and I have two Stepchildren. I told them being a parent was hard, but being a blended family was harder. In my opinion. I ended up getting tons of feedback from the girls in the group. A few girls married to husbands with Ex-wife’s and a few Ex-husband who were remarried.
“If you want something you never had you have to do something you’ve never done”
I felt all of us stepped outside the box tonight. We walked to the school together, we had face to face human interaction, and put down our electronics. This year, if the good Lord is willing. I want to quit trying to fix problems out of my control. I’d like to see some of the unnecessary energy I use trying to fix these problems spent on the people I love!
Should I Let The Balls Fall Where They May?
I’m at a crossroads in my life. I think, I have been here for a while. I know I told all of you who follow me, I had a new job as the Activity Director. I worked years in this same facility as a Nursing Assistant. I enjoyed being there as a Nursing Assistant in the beginning and the middle of the job. The job just got repetitive, I caught myself not giving my all as a Nursing Aid and did not enjoy the feeling of being half-assed!
The Activity Director
Has a lot of responsibilities. Truthfully, I don’t know if I’m pulling my own weight…
Last Saturday, My husband and I drove two of our residents, and a bus full of other olympians who belonged to another company. We drove to P-town for State Bowling Competition. They asked if they could hitch a ride on our bus. We left around 7:00am and we should have left earlier. I had forgotten to check the gas tank the night before and we were on empty. My husband took a wrong exit to find a gas station. We ended up going around in a circle, and started back from square one. The time is now 7:25am and we are just leaving S-town, the town where we are from. We had to be on the lanes ready to go by 9:00am. We strolled in at 8:40am and the lady from the company who hitched a ride said she was going to run in and register her athletes. I gathered every one-off the bus as quick as I could. A man from the other company came and grabbed the ramps they needed for their olympians. I got both of my residents into the bowling alley and on their lanes. My husband parked the bus, and grabbed the two ramps we would need. I went to registration, registration started from 8:00am – 9:00am. The time, now is 8:55am. I barely made the deadline. I was headed back to their lanes, when a volunteer came up to me, and said: “both of my athletes need name tags.” I stuck my hand into the registration envelope pulled them out and walked as fast as my chubby self would carry me sideways through the crowd. I slapped them on my athletes. Then the lady who hitched a ride with us informs me my residents needed their ramps set up. I had yet to set up ramps at all in this job position. I asked her as opening ceremony was going on if she thought I could use the ramps of the opposing athletes? She said “Shelley, you will have to ask them, where are our other ramps?” I told her they were up front, and I don’t think I have time to set them up. She said “GO GET THEM” my husband took off running to do as she said and we ALL helped put them together, and put them on their lanes. I don’t know what time I had everything together, however I do know it was a close call. I also know these two people saved my ass.
I still have to take all these ramps back to the bowling alley. I felt I owed this woman a favor for saving my ass! I told her we had bowling on my calendar for Tuesday, Tuesday being yesterday. I called the bowling alley to find out their hours have changed. They would not be open until 4:00Pm. I get off at 4:30PM and the residents eat around 5:00. The ramps didn’t make their way to the bowling alley yesterday.
Today my son is coughing.
My husband stayed home yesterday to be with him, now its my turn. I was working yesterday, maybe I should have taken the ramps back after 4PM. I had a choir coming in to perform for my residents around 7:00pm. I’m going to go into work, tonight to take back the ramps when my husband gets home. The reason being is because tomorrow we take twelve residents to go shopping. We leave at 10am the ramps take up two seats on the bus. I’m thinking they need to be out of the bus before we go grocery shopping. My luck we won’t be able to cram everyone into the 15 seats we have on the bus. I have my assistant, and two volunteers going tomorrow.
Whomever this letter concerns,
I have a calendar full of activities this month. One being a Christmas party with residents and their families. I feel the pressure is on. They also have a New Years eve party which is in this same month. I’m not for sure I like this feeling, I don’t know though if I’m just not used to working this hard? I don’t know, if its to physical for me because I’m a chub. I do know I have seen other chubby people doing the job. I have always had trouble focussing, and this job is all focus and organization. I wonder though if I’m lacking help or perhaps the job has to many things going on for two people to handle?
This is where YOU come in. I’m asking you guys, I guess since I’m asking you can let me have it!!!
Life In My Tin Can red rug 