The wonderful blessing of my family!

This weekend instead of going camping we decided to stay home and work on the construction site I call my house. Now, really that meant Phil needed to get some things done because I lost it when I realised I now not only have the room he is working on, but he put a hole in the dining room for a light and fan, a hole in the hallway for a new hard-wired smoke/CO detector, and another similar hole in Ben's room. Now, I shouldn't be complaining as one of my sisters politely reminded me because at least he does things around the house. I really just wish he'd finish it. He is definitely on the right track and is working all alone for the most part on it. Ben helps... he even has his own bucket for his tools now. But man, I really don't like all the dust. Top it off Jane is still away and she balances me and reminds me what is important. So this morning while cleaning I called lots of sisters. Unfortunately some of you weren't home. Imagine that! Here I am actually home and having time to call and they weren't there! (can you hear me laughingly saying this)

Well, those of you who were kind enough not to screen my call THANK YOU! I really needed to talk to you all. On top of that, my sister number 3 invited Ben and I over....THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU. I had such a wonderful time catching up with her while her boys wore out Ben. While he didn't sleep on the way home, he had lots to tell his Dad when he got home.

I quickly pulled together dinner for a friend who had surgery yesterday. A group of us from the most recent Cursillo Team are each taking a night. Tonight was mine. We went as a family to drop it off. Silly me, I thought we'd be able to go out to dinner as a family. So Phil dressed in his uniform because he had to work the fireworks tonight, Ben and I headed out. Well, yes Ben fell asleep. So I rushed in to drop the meal thinking that with the car stopped he'd wake up. No go. So, we did take out instead. We did at least have one hour together.

After Phil left, I took Ben outside to play in his pool. Of course he fell off the top of the swingset. Nothing broken just a few scratches and bruised ego. He was more embarrassed I think about not paying attention to what he was doing and losing his balance that he was hurt.

Well family, I am home tomorrow so those of you who missed my call just might get another one! Love you all. I feel truly blessed to have all of you! Some people don't have a list of people they can call. I have a great list.

Peace to all who read this blog today and everyday.
Joan

Mondays...

Mondays are always tough. Why is that? Is it because we cram so much into a few short days? For me it was that I had a hard time with the heat.

After the wedding Mum held a brunch for the out of town guests and some of her co-workers. It was another HOT day. The kids all played in the kiddie pool while the adults hung out inside watching the British Open (I think?) or were looking for shade. Em's house is great for a party. After a short time though I was ready to go to our camper. As soon as we got there Ben and I headed for the pool.

Ben is definitely enjoying the pool. He made great progress once again. He saw the same little girl as a couple of weeks ago and she was doing cannon balls...yes, now Ben does his own version of a cannon ball.

The constuction site is moving along slowly. With the wedding and my need to go up to the campground, not much has happened in the last week. The big closet is sheetrocked and I hope to have a ceiling in the room by the end of August. Weekends are for fun, not work.

I love catching up on my older sister and her blog. You can see it on the right of my blog. She has decided to go back to college. I have to say I keep toying with the idea and now that I am working a less stressful job (at least at the moment) I am again contemplating it. We'll have to see. As always money does come into play. Some days I wish it really did grow on trees.

My roomate from college checks this blog from time to time and so I must do a little call out to her and say HI and that I am so glad you are checking this. Now you need to create a blog so I can comment on yours...By the way, we took a picture at the wedding of everyone there that either works or went to the Elms. When it is available I'll post it for you to see.

I hope everyone at RBA is doing well.

Peace to all who read this blog today and everyday.
Joan

The Final Wedding

Wow! What a beautiful day for Sheila's wedding. It was sunny, but very hot . Here are some pictures from the day.

This is Ben with his teacher. We stopped there before heading to my mom's house. His friends were giving him the "Thumbs Up" and lots of high fives.

The wedding was very hot and I spent a lot of time making sure Ben kept his jacket on. It was all worth it...look at these shots...

The Bride with Ben and the flower girl, my niece.

Just missing the Bride.

We has so much fun!

Dancing cousins.

It was great to see everyone! Love to all.

Peace to all who read this blog today and everday.

Joan

PS updated this a little to remove pictures of his friends.

Realizations

Today was a moment where I realized I have SO much to learn.

My manager is great and is gently reminding me that it is okay to sit back and absorb what is going on around me. Not everything is my responsibility to deal with. My gut is telling me to "DIVE IN JOAN. GET IT IN GEAR. "

I have always had a job where there was the expectation that you dug in right away. I'm not saying I'm not digging in, but I am just not buried under the job before I even get started. That is a new experience for me. A welcomed change!

The change does feel right but I do miss all of my friends at RBA. I miss my lunches with TF, JT and SB. I miss talking through the cube to LR.

Hey my payroll friends, I met my new payroll friends...I'm sure I'll like them as much as I like you guys. Oh, guess what...I heard, but haven't found yet... there is a lending library here too. We can expand your options too. I'll let you know what I find.

No real Ben stories today other than he is learning to swim. He is now putting his face in the water. Tramatic day with a sliver today. I swear you would have thought I was amputating his foot with all the crying and carrying on he did. I wanted to tell him that he didn't cry that much when he broke his leg!

This weekend is family picnic at my Aunt in Granby. It'll be great to see everyone. I hope everyone is having a great week.

Peace to all who read this post today and everyday.
Joan

Sometimes you never know...

It all started with trips to the firestation with JM back when he was little. You would think that Ben's obsession with the fire department would begin to wear off over time, but here I was last night walking the neighborhood with Ben putting out "fires". Odd since there was no sign that there were fires in the area, but Ben put on his fire coat and hat, carried his plastic ax, wore his fire boots (really last years snow shoes), and carried his "medical kit". Being only 4 he's not allowed to wander alone so the "fire chief " had to go also. So, yes, doning my white fire chief's helment and carring my own medical kit, we wandered our neighborhood putting out fires and helping "heart attack" victims. Did you know that last night it was really hot out...Did you also know that Ben's gear is all black. After a while I was able to talk him back into the airconditioned house with the promise of an ice cream sundae.

I also started my new job yesterday. I finished Day Two and am beginning to feel a part of things. It is not easy joining a team that has been working together for so long that some are retiring together. The great news is they are amazing, dedicated professionals so I am in good hands. Dress code is very different than Brooks Brothers. It is nice to have the choice! I'm learning the recruiting side of HR which is very different.

I came in on my first day to fresh flowers from my boss's garden and a gift bag with a self development book - How full is your bucket along with a new tea mug and teas. Yeah! I felt very welcomed eventhough she had meetings most of the day. Luckily I am pretty self-reliant and she had left me a small stack of information to read.

Today I felt like I was part of the group and that I'll be able to contribute to the success of the Team. It is a great feeling. I'm researching technology and offering suggestions. I'm also trying to learn everything I can about how schools work. Not an easy thing, but really, its only day two! Sometimes I do notice that I expect much more of myself than is realistic too.

It is now pretty late and I need some sleep so I am refreshed and ready to go tomorrow.

Peace to all who read this blog today and everyday.
Joan

Til we meet again!

To all my friends at RBA/Brooks Brothers...

Words can not fully express my gratitude for all you have given me.

To the Payroll group - You do amazing work that is often unseen. Who else can get 4500 checks done during a holiday week in just one day! You guys ROCK! I will be in touch though so I can still utilize the lending library.

To my Finance Ladies - you know who you are... Your welcoming smile in the morning has helped me through many difficult days. I will never forget that. Keep smiling and checking here for the Ben stories.

Jon - Thanks for making me laugh! I won't say goodbye to you, but I'll see you soon.

Sue - What a friend you are! See you at our next playdate. You can make sure I didn't kill the plants you gave me! I would not have learned half as much if it weren't for you.

Laura - I know you'll continue to hear stories about me through Brian. Thanks for all you taught me!

Brian L - My IT "go-to" guy...Thanks for the advice and training and for just being a great friend.

To the rest of the RBA family - There are too many to name individually so I'm sorry... thank you for your encouragement and support in the change I am making. I know the door is always open and that is an honor to know that I am respected and trusted to that level.

Keep checking this post for Ben updates and life at the Nadeau Construction Site.

Peace to all who read this post today and every day.
Joan

A New Beginning Soon!

Well, it is really happening! I am leaving RBA/Brooks Brothers this week. As with all endings it is bittersweet. I will miss all the wonderful people I have worked with over the last 8 years. I have learned so much from them. I must admit though that there are always reasons for leaving and it is my time to do that.

The really downside to this is the cleaning of my "condo" cube. I have inherited over the years many different filing cabinets, reports, and junk. I have been purging. I couldn't believe some of the stuff I have found. Like the floppy disks for a presentation...Who even uses floppies anymore? I handed them over to someone else to dispose of. Today I met with a small team from here to go over various responsibilities...I felt like I was at confession and now I feel all squeaky clean. What a feeling.

The future is exciting and I am looking forward to my first day with the Westfield School Dept. It will be challenging and new and I smile every time I think about it.

On the family group page we have been discussing cost saving measures. I'm hoping that I can implement at least the not using the dryer option. I already tend to buy on sale only. Now we need to teach Ben about the economy. He is way too spoiled. My neighbor suggested I start posting things on craigslist. Need to look into that, but I am just not ready to go through the attic. I'll do that futuristically.

Well, Peace to all who read this email today...Happy saving!
Joan