Adventures in Rachel-land

  In 2021 I ….. worked (a lot) as a librarian and a manager as my workplace went through a number of transitions to move us back towards pre-covid services. For a while A LOT of people yelled at me about masks but it was OVERALL a pretty good year at work.   traveled to Chicago with my husband. got COVID when my child brought it home from school and shared it with his parents. We are all vaccinated so our cases were extremely mild and the biggest stressors were figuring testing and deciding how long to quarantine. went to Houston to celebrate Aunt Patty’s retirement.     hung out with my sister… took Ledger to a baseball game and to play racquetball and to Waco and to downtown Dallas and to school. had a girls weekend in Walnut Springs.   watched my son get Baptized and Confirmed (sobbing).  slept in my office to be on firewatch while the electricity was out at the library!   got a new dishwasher and a new hot water heater!   spent all my leisure time covered in puppies. took my kid to

If I won the Lottery: If I had 50 million in the bank and no need to work, I would read and putter and travel to all fifty states and then come home and join the parks board and the community theater.    If I was Alone:  If I had no one to depend on me but still needed to support myself, I would quit my job and go back to school to get a degree in accounting.  I would work in an office for the next 20 years, just me and some spreadsheets. If all goes as Planned:  I'll retire in 5 years when Ledger turns 18. I'll take a six month sabbatical, get him graduated, read and nap.  Then Barry and I are going to drive across the country.  Then in the fall of that year, I'll have to decide what's next.  Maybe I'll start applying for jobs in a northern state, Kansas maybe, Ohio or Iowa.  We'll sell the house and EVERYTHING IN IT and start a new chapter in a cooler climate.

 In 2021:  I would like to continue making food choices that meet my body's needs.  More vegetables and water, less carbs and candy.   About the same amount of tea. I would like to read 100 books! I would like to visit a new state. I would like to go on a real date with my husband once a month. I would like to visit 5 state parks with Ledger. I'd like to spend more time laughing with my son, less time talking AT him. I'd like to spend more time celebrating my gifts, less time worrying. I'd like to spend more time listening, less time talking. I'd like to spend more time reading, less time watching Chopped. Naps and volunteering and engaging with my community.    Hugs and snuggles and long walks with the dogs. No one gets sick, everyone stays happy and engaged at school and work, no one dies.   Let's Go.

  Time for 2020 in review! 5 Hardest/Worst Things about 2020 for me PERSONALLY:      1) Making decisions and managing my son's education in a pandemic.      2) Canceling (and losing the money for) my trip to London      3) The stress of feeling responsible/worrying about the employment status of my part-time direct                reports      4) Managing a new team while being socially distanced from them.      5) Missing church and going to the movies. It feels appropriate to say here that I understand and acknowledge the shocking luck and privilege that in a year when SO MANY lost jobs, and health, and loved ones, and even their lives, these were the hardest parts for me. One of the strangest parts of this year was the lack of a comprehensive way for our community and nation to share in what should be a kind of communal mourning for our losses. 5 Best Moments of 2020:      1) Sitting on a patio in Galveston with my children with the wind blowing in my hair from the beach.      2

I have a fantastic job. I get to do work that is meaningful. I genuinely believe that the work I do is important and positively touches people's lives.   I like the environment I work in. The job is fun and rewarding. I am well compensated. I have enough money to pay for my son's food (also his tennis lessons and inevitable braces). I have money for breakfast burritos and books and occasional fun dresses. 21% of my annual salary goes into a healthy retirement account. The people I work with treat me with respect and kindness. Most days the work is pretty low stress. Every word I just typed is true. That means that the rest of this post is clearly just the whinings of an ungrateful woman. The schedule is the WORST. I only work 40 hours a week, but those hours are used to cover a seven day a week facility. That means the schedule is always changing so it feels like I work ALL the time. I can't join a community organization because I regularly have to cover different shi

2012 Goals 1. Try not to complain about Barry’s behavior in nonproductive ways. Ask for what I need (please come watch TV with me) not complain about what he does (you never hang out with me). Make no comments that denigrate who he is. No shreeker monkey. 2. Give up sugar. I want to just not eat any candy, cookies, or SODA until I weigh less than 200 lbs. 3. Attend a professional sporting event. (also with the boys) 4. Try 24 new vegetables. 5. Read 50 NEW (not rereads) books. (at least 10 adult, at least 5 "classics", 100 total books). 6. Write a letter once a month. 7. Once a month socializing with someone not related to me. 8. Do a 5k. 9. Read a book with Ledger every single day. If he is gone at Grandma’s for over 24 hours that I fine, but if I see him I want to read to him. This is slipping in our routine because I am tired, and I don’t want it to. 10. Go somewhere overnight alone. Breathe deeply. 11. Don’t spend any money in January. Or the rest of th

My 2011 list was largely a failure. I did not do more than I did. I’m still glad I did it though. I printed the list and hung it in the bathroom, and that really contributed to me not forgetting completely about this by Feburary 1st. It was good to have goals and directions, and I’m definitely planning on making another list for 2012. One that I will hopefully accomplish more fully. 1. Weigh less than 200lbs for the majority of the year, but definitely the last quarter. Fail. I got down to 203 and then lost my fool mind. I paid attention and worked on it though and am pretty proud of how I did. 2. Give up processed sweets for three months (jan-mar) partial. I did not have processed sweet for three months, but it was every other month, not three in a row. Very, very good for me and something I’m gonna do again. 3. Eat a vegetable every day. Fail. I did well for awhile, but fell apart as the year went on. However, glad I did it, I definitely ate more vegetables this