Day 1 of our week of travels and entertainment

So today was our first day of sight seeing and activities while my g-ma and mom are here in town. Here is the rundown of what happened:

1. We went to the Bentonville Library to research some genealogy information for my mom. We spent about 2 hours there seeking out ancestry stuff for my mom's side of the family.

2. We had lunch at La Huerta and had lots of great Mexican food.

3. After lunch we made the trip over to West Siloam Springs to Cherokee Casino.

My g-ma and I had never been to a casino and never played any slots, so we wanted to try it...
While we were there my mother and I played several $.05 and $.01 machines on our first $5. That money was quickly lost by both of us. Then we found the $.25 poker slots and that lasted both of us at least 35 minutes each. My g-ma did play a $.01 slot with $1. She did well at first winning $.55 and cashing out. Then she went back and lost all of that. So, all in all we lost only $21 between all three of us and spent about an hour and a half there.

4. We had dinner at Dairy Queen. There's nothing like ice cream for dinner. None of us were hungry but wanted something sweet to eat.

Tomorrow will be a busy day too. We are leaving early in the morning to go to Eureka Springs to wander around and then on to Branson. We are going to catch a show tomorrow evening, spend the night then wander Branson on Wednesday.

I will post more about that once we return.

They have arived

Well my mom and grandma are here. They arrived this evening around 7:30pm. I am super excited to have them here. I know that we will have lots of fun. I have planned out our meals for the next 6 days and we will go to the store tomorrow to get the necessary food. We are planning a trip to Branson one day next week and probably a trip to Eureka Springs as well. I will take them and show them around this weekend. Well thats the latest.

Let the weightloss and cleaning begin

So, today I finally went back to the gym for the first time in almost a year. I went in the middle part of the day. It was a little busy, but not too bad. SO, I had planned to meet a friend of mine every day this week, but it looks like we are both pretty busy and may not be able to get together every day. While I was there today I did about 30 minutes of cardio, and then did the weight machines, did quite a bit of ab work and finished with stretching. Tomorrow I am going to go at 8am and probably do the same type of workout as today. So far, I am not really all that sore. I did notice a huge jump in my energy level after I worked out though. I am hoping to go everyday this week except Wednesday. Next week might be a little more difficult since my mom and g-ma will be here, so I don't know if I will make it to the gym at all next week. Then I am going to be working on a temporary basis through the staffing agency I am registered with after that until I find a permanent position somewhere, so I am going to really try to keep a routine of going, but it might be difficult.

On another note (as indicated in my title) I am going to be doing some major cleaning around my house this week. I decided to rent a rug doctor carpet cleaner and use it in my living room and hallways. I am also going to make sure that my extra bedroom is cleaned really well, since I have company coming and it is a good excuse to do it. I cleaned my laundry room today, and GOSH, just having that little space clean made me feel so good. After that I went to the kitchen to clean up the dishes and such, then I ended up cleaning out Josh's closet in the extra bedroom and after all that was done... I went to Walmart. I wanted to get a large tub for Josh to put all of his paint ball gear into so it was no longer laying around everywhere in the bedroom and the closet. I also purchased an under the bed storage bin and a new space saver cabinet/shelf for over the toilet in my bath. Unfortunately, after putting part of that cabinet together I realized it wasn't wide enough to fit over the toilet. So, now I will have to return it and then purchase a different one and put that one together. Needless to say I have a lot to get done this week before Friday evening, so I am going to be busy. I am ready to have a clean house though!

The beginning of my unemployed vacation

Today at noon I left my office at InvestLinc for the last time. I feel great. I am really ready to move on to the next stage of my life. I am though, ready to enjoy my next 2 weeks of NO WORK!!! Next week I plan to clean my house, catch up on laundry, take my dog to the vet and bath her, and prepare for the arrival of my mom and grandma. I am super excited about their arrival. We are planning to go to Branson at some point during their time here, but other than that I don't have any plans for them yet.

So... I ask you locals, what are some things that we can do that are cheap or free in Northwest Arkansas??? Any ideas you can give me will be greatly appreciated.

Beginning of the end

Today marks the beginning of the last week I will work at InvestLinc. This week should be quite easy, and kinda boring (all my weeks lately seem to be that way). I have a couple of things to do, but they won't take me but a couple hours to complete. On Thursday, the lady that is replacing me will begin her contract period here. I get the privilege of training her for my last 2 days. My boss just informed me today that he will be out of the office on Friday, so things should be interesting that day for sure. I have to prepare an orientation/training plan for the new lady for Thursday and Friday. I however told my boss today that it shouldn't take longer than a day to show her the in's and out's of what I do. I mean if she has any previous office experience she should be able to figure things out fairly quickly. My job, important as it may be (top execs wouldn't be nearly as successful without the people that work for them) is not exactly rocket science. I say adios to this office and most assuredly good riddance. I look forward to what ever comes next.

So, what is next...
well, the week of the 18th I am going to be at home!!! I need to get caught up on laundry, house cleaning, errands, appointments, etc. So, I will have a lot to do in a week. I am planning to begin working short term temp positions the last week of June, or maybe I'll wait until the first week of July... We'll have to see.

Also, Josh will be out of town at the annual Impact summer camp the last week of June, and while he is gone I am going to have visitors!!!:-) My mom and grandma are going to come stay with me that week. I am very excited since I haven't seen my mom since Christmas and its been a lot longer than that since I last saw my grandma. That is the reason I may not start working until the first week of July. I would like to be able to spend the whole week with them.

I would ask for prayer over the next couple of weeks, as this transition takes place. I am not sure what effect this will have on Josh and I, our finances, and where I am going to work next. I am completely faithful though that God will provide. I completely surrender to what might be next for me in this thing we call life.