monday

I'm a google celebrity… according to the fabulous Robert Drake,

And in other news, if you type 'tightening' and 'corset' in to google, your blog heads the list.

That's pretty hard core! Austin always tells people that my blog is in the top ten. Well. I mean… Stellan's blog and Bring the Rain and Living Proof Ministries and about a million other blogs are more popular. I'm just there. Maybe Austin meant "top ten embarassing things my mom does to me".

Not even one hour in this morning and I've already handled two claims. Good times.

My back is KILLING me! I did something to it Saturday… by the time I went grocery shopping Saturday afternoon I could barely walk. I think something is pinched because I'm having these crazy pains down my left leg. Getting old. I also have major sinus stuff going on so I'm less than 100% today… but I'm at work. That's my accomplishment for the day!

It's my friend A.T's birthday today! Happy Birthday T!!!

Austin and I did some major cruising through the mountains this weekend. I wanted him to see how close we are to some really amazing sites. We're about thirty minutes (give or take a bit) from the Appalachian Trail. He didn't really understand what the big deal was but then we went to the Walasiyi trail store and he could see all the paraphenalia and old retired hiking boots and different products and he started putting it together. http://www.mountaincrossings.com/ Check out the store… some beautiful views from this place. We really don't take advantage of the fact that we're minutes away from some of the most scenic places in the state of Georgia.

Austin's favorite "scenic" view, however, was Goat on the roof. Seriously. Check them out at www.goats-on-the-roof.com . It cost me a little driving time and 50 cents for him to feed the goats and he talked about it all the day. We also went to Tallulah Gorge and the small little mountain towns around and up that way. We stopped in a half dozen little antique stores and general stores. Austin loves all that stuff but we have a hard time with the "see with your eyes and not with your fingers" concept. We went in one antique store and wandered around in what seemed dim lighting. There was a lady asleep on the front porch with a book in her lap… she was in a rocking chair… we didn't bother her, it seemed appropriate for the day, to be napping in the warm spring air. As we were leaving the store the owner came in and turned on the lights and apologized profusely. His girlfriend was supposed to have opened the store - but she was asleep on the front porch. I thought it was funny… the poor guy was steamed…. We left before they got into it. She didn't cost him any sales - we weren't buying anyways.

I don't think I've blogged yet about my car drama. Oy. I went and had a nice little car picnic at Piedmont College in a remote area of the baseball field parking lot and when it was time to go back to the office my car wouldn't start. It was that "one more thing" that sent me over the edge. God bless Theresa, our new employee, I called the office and she came right away to pick me up. I was bawling… and she was so sweet… such a mother hen… "we can fix this…". I boohoo'ed for about an hour before we got ahold of Ginger's husband. He went with me to check the car out - it was the battery - and it just needed jumping off. He said I need to budget for a new one soon, the one I have is original to the car - which is five years old and has *almost* 100,000 miles on it. God has been good.

I had done so much crying about the car Friday afternoon that I was all red faced and blotchy and puffy. I looked a pitiful mess. Purple Michael always says I look pretty when I cry but I think he's just being nice. At any rate… Duane and I finally chatted about salary - had my six month review - with me looking all sad and pitiful - Friday afternoon. Duane said some nice things, which made me feel better. When he hired me I was quite a wild card, more than he knew at the time. He knew I had moved around quite a bit over the previous two years - really, between October 2006 and October 2008 I worked for 4 different agents! He knew that I had been working only part-time with Kathy and that I had a spotty attendance record. Honestly, I couldn't tell him anything more than that it was my intention to do better… be more stable… put down roots… I couldn't tell him then what I had been through and I had no idea of how well I would handle things. But now… six months in, we both know that I'm far stronger than I had thought. And he knows more about what made me sketchy back then… and why it's not a factor now. It looks like there will be an improvement in my earnings, although I don't yet know to what degree. Again, I will say that God has been good. I have seen so many "loaves and fishes" miracles lately… things that last beyond what seems possible… tires…gas… food… energy… Resources that appear from nowhere and last beyond comprehension. And a teenage son that eats like a goat - as in, will eat anything I fix without complaining. He's just as happy to have a bowl of cereal for dinner as a steak. That's a blessing in itself!

Ok.. Time to focus and sell! I miss my facebook friends! Hope you have a great week! Love and hugs!