Counting down!!!

Ack!!! 15 days until my last day at work. At this point, you would think they'd have someone to fill my seat, right? Right?! Riiiiggghhhht. Not so much.

I've pointed about a half-dozen potential candidates toward my boss in the hopes that I would be training the new me by now. Only one of those half-dozen has actually applied, she came in and had a wonderful interview. Now we sit and wait.

In the mean time,

1. I'm getting new assignments.
2. I need to write work instructions for these new assignments.
3. I'm getting frustrated with and for my boss.
4. She (my boss, who is really a dear person) is probably going grey by the second because she *knows* what kind of person she wants to fill my seat, and the 'boys' (*her* bosses)have given her different directions.
5. That makes more work for everyone else on the team.
6. That makes a certain team member whine at me about their increasing stress level, how sad they are that I'm leaving, that they're having trouble sleeping, that they have so much work to do and then they blame that on me. Whiner.
7. Now *I* am screening potential candidates, and my boss is flitting off to Indiana for a 5-day weekend. Now, 15 days before my last day, when we have no one to fill my seat.
8. Two qualified candidates have interviewed, and 'the boys' want more time and more people to meet.
9. A depression has fallen over the team that is--startlingly enough--not affecting me!! The closer I get to "The End" the happier and more relaxed I become.
10. My sunshiny attitude is negatively affecting the Debbie Downer of my office. (See #6 above.) Boo-hoo for her. I brought in doughnuts for everyone today, so just go bite one.

Ahhhh. I think I'll grab another cup of coffee now.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

So part of what I want to do as a SAHM is to get us the heck out of debt. We're in it, too. Lots of it. To the point that I'm not sure to whom we owe money any longer.

I have no doubt that we'll get it all taken care of. I just don't know how my family is going to like living on beans and rice once momma takes over the finances!! LOL!!! They'll live, and be healthier for it. And, I really am looking forward to living more simply, and at a slower pace. Growing my herbs instead of buying them at the store, putting in a veggie garden next year. Doing more cooking. Cloth diapering my babes, probably homeschooling. Of course, this is said with all the naiivete inherent in dreamers such as myself. Watch: in a few months I'll be back here lamenting my decision, whining about the lack of adult conversation, eewing over the cloth diapering routine. And probably, loving every second of my sticky little ickies: I'm thinking of the girl who tried to wipe her Lingonberry jelly-smeared face on me when I dropped her off at daycare, then ran off smiling while trying not to trip over the dress-up gear she had on. Stinker.

The other night my darling hubby man got a little surprise. Apparently he'd only applied for forebearance on *half* of his student loans. Well, he got a little phone call that sent him through the roof, to the tune of approximately $30,000. That's, two small like-new used cars. Or a wildly expensive (to me) new car. Or a mild gambling habit. At least, mild from what I read. That's the operating budget of a small country for a couple days at least.

Well he talked to the loan people instead of putting things off as is his habit (hence the mountain of debt we're in): he explained our situation--two kids, one on the way, moving, wife leaving employment to stay home with kids--and some blessed angel ('scuse me whilst I shout to the heavens) WIPED OUT $13,000 WORTH OF HIS SCHOOL DEBT. IT'S FORGIVEN. $13,000, just for asking. I'm blown away. And humbled.

When he came to tell me about this he was still all upset about the balance of the loan, and I'm just like, "Do you realize what you just did? You got that debt cut almost in half, sweetie!! That's AWESOME!!!!" It took him almost a full day to figure out that $13,000 is a good deal of money. It's a decent (to me) new car. It's the downpayment on a home. It's about a year and a half at the local community college, if you rode the bus and bought used books.

And still he whined.

I love my husband.

I must say, though, that sometimes he's intent on having his whine, and he did so.

I left him to it, dished up dinner, and--when rounding up the troops for chow--found my sweet hubby right where he should be--on his face, in prayer and praise to his Heavenly Father.

It turned out to be a great night after that.