Vacation Time Again

TGIW! Time for my second vacation. This time, I planned it around Mishawaka's annual Summerfest celebration. In the past, I always wanted to go to the entire event, but always managed to have to work one of the nights and at least one of the days. Summerfest is only 2 days long, starting on Friday and ending Saturday night. There are carnival rides and things to do for kids, crafts, food vendors, fireworks and outdoor concerts.

This year, I am on vacation, so I won't miss anything. Plus, my company (Macy's) doesn't allow us to take our vacation one or two days at a time, so I had to take today and tomorrow off as well. Since the temperature is going to be in the 90s today, my granddaughters and i plan to go to the splashpad at Merrifield park this afternoon. It's free and shady (which technically should be cooler), so it's a great place to go. They also like the playground, so should have fun.

I'm taking my camera and I hope to get a lot of pictures, too.

Here's to great family time!

My next vacation isn't until OCT. Alas--it will be cooler weatherwise, so no outdoor picnicking :( I plan to go to ND for a football game then :) The ticket is a combination birthday/anniversary gift from my husband. He doesn't like football, but knows I love ND football, so he gets me one every year.

Ta for now!

My Car

This week my car, a '96 red neon, decided to overheat and continue overheating after I replaced coolant. A trip to the garage revealed a broken radiator. After many days of stress (because of course--not a dime saved for reairs!) It is finally up an running again.

The thing is, I have spent more money keeping this ridiculous car running than it's actually worth. (Don't most of us do this?) I CAN"T afford car payments, so into the shop it usually goes.

Oh well--until next time--it's running again. I will say this though, I got GREAT service from the garage that finally did the work. The price was right and the customer service was too. Kudos to all at Elbode Tires in Mishawaka, IN. Not only did they get it fixed in a relatively short period of time, they were $120 less than the other place I took it to.


Thanks, guys!

Yuck!

Let me start by saying I am pretty sure my job is secure (for now). But I did have times when being unemployed seemed to be my way of life. I learned something from those times. The biggest thing I would say I learned is that the person I am and my life should NEVER NEVER be defined by what my work situation is. I may work as a salesperson right now, but that doesn't mean it's who I actually am. Jobs do not define who we are. They are JOBS. For the most part, they are temporary and it's not generally the end of the world if we don't have one. Believe it or not, they are replaceable. The "business" world is always changing. I always like to think of this as the "will this really matter in 20 years?" rule. Face it--no matter how much we like or dislike the work environment we are in, the situation we're in could change at any time. And, for the most part, the businesses we work in probably won't be around indefinitely.

This happened to a very close family member of mine yesterday. Without warning, she is no longer employed. I guess I'm writing this to her, and those in her shoes, to say don't sweat it. Life is your real job. The rest is just the stuff we have to put up with. The "yuck" , if you will.

The only thing I took from the jobs I've had are the friendships I gained and the lessons I learned. I learned what I am really good at. And, I learned what I'm really bad at. I also learned what I really don't want to work at again--EVER! (I could make a list, but that would be a boring read).

Chin up everyone! Remember, what doesn't kill us makes us strong.