I KNOW, I KNOW. IT'S BEEN AN ETERNITY!

I wish I had good excuses for not blogging in, well, three months. Mostly, it was the holidays, then it was lack of news and lack of time.

I weighed in at 240.0 yesterday. That might not seem so great if you look at my last post, but the holidays and my birthday were huge setbacks. I joined weight watchers instead of Nutrisystem, but Ben is still doing Nutrisystem.

We're still not pregnant. And, much to Ben's frustration, we've taken some baby steps to start diagnosing why we aren't. Not that he doesn't want us to have a baby, just that now there is all this fuss about it. I guess something about me showing up on my 34th birthday to my OB helped him decide he'd start with preliminary things even though it was not quite a year since we started trying. I went off the pill 13 cycles ago, and we "pulled the goalie"/ "started trying" 11 cycles ago. Now, in calendar months, which Ben uses, that means I went off the pill in April and we started trying in June. However, as a woman who has really had too many periods for a calendar time frame of, hmm, 10 months, I am choosing to look at months as represented by a cycle. Anyway, trying a second time for a HSG next Monday (that's an xray where they stick dye in and take pictures of it flowing in -or not- your fallopian tubes). I won't be too detailed and gross, let's just say there were two separate issues that prevented it twice last cycle and we are hoping to correct those two things this time around. Also doing some blood work in a few weeks to check insulin levels, etc.

I am still on CWS, which means I still have every other Monday off. This has worked out very well with several holidays. For instance, for MLK, I got a four day weekend instead of a three day weekend. And I had last Monday off, today off for President's Day, and next Monday off due to my schedule.

Can you believe it? I am coming up on my TWO year anniversary as a CR in the Morrow Social Security office. I am still on a PIP (performance plan). My supervisors seem to think I am doing great, but won't take me off of it. My supervisor told me a few weeks ago that I could be off of it as soon as I hit my RSI timely goal. That means process 85% of my retirement and survivor claims in less than 14 days. Only catch to that is that, as an office, we haven't hit that target but one month of the last 12. Whatever. At least I don't have to take claims for people without appointments.

Usually I love my job and the people I meet, and try to maintain a positive attitude each day. I am usually but not always successful with that. I don't sweat the small stuff anymore.... guess the Lexapro was a great choice for me! I do still get frustrated with the red tape and the fact that I now have to be a SR (the people who do social security cards, address changes, overpayment questions, general questions about retirement, etc.) one day a week and a few hours each day. But, hey, if they want to pay me a CR salary for doing SR work, well, who am I to complain? I'll do whatever work they tell me to, or at least as much as is humanly possible. You can only do your best, and that's what I do.

My neighbor came over yesterday and we made cut out cookies. She's 7 and really fun to play with. (-:

Ben and I had some rough moments the last few months, but things are better than ever these days. We eventually got it all talked out. He's a sweetie and I'm so happy God blessed me with him!

Baxter and Lucy are just fabulous. They adore one another. They curl up together for their naps and play together, too. And, don't tell him I told you, Ben has turned into quite a "cat person".

We're also enjoying both of our Lifegroups. We continue to got to the Johnsons' on Mondays and we are part of the East Point Lifegroup revival. We have that on Sunday nights and alternate between our house and the Zooks' house.

Still active with the church childcare. We're hoping to finish a new classroom (renovating a room that's now a messy, yucky, storage room) in order to start an elementary class over the summer. Right now it is sort of under 3 and over 3. But our kids' numbers keep increasing, so our children's ministry is growing, too. I am also praying about ideas for our miscellaneous aged middle and high school kids. There aren't a ton of them, but it's not fair for them not to have something going on, you know? They probably need it the most. One project at a time. Or maybe there is another church with a bigger youth program nearby.....

Also planning a Girls Night out for our church ladies in a few weeks. That kinda started with just a few of us, but we didn't want to leave anyone out, so now it is sorta any Midtown Church woman who is interested. Should be awesome.

OK, bedtime. Bittersweet on my Mondays off.... I usually love bedtime as I love my comfy bed and still love to sleep.... most 34 year olds don't sleep late, but I do. Just like when I was a teenager. That's probably the only thing I will miss when we do have kids, btw. ANWAY, it's also bittersweet because that means my wonderful long weekend and day of Jen time has come to an end.

Goodnight, Weekend. Goodnight, friends. Goodnight, Moon.