So, here we are again. I got laid off from my job just before the one year mark. I love the company I worked for, loved the people there. But the oilfield market is volatile right now, and it was my turn to get the axe, so to speak. It's a struggle, and I wish the best for everyone there. But I'm ready to move on to other pastures. I've worked for the same company, with a small year-long break, for almost five years. It's time to explore other opportunities.
Today is Thanksgiving Day. There's so much that I'm thankful for. I'm thankful to have a roof over my head, a husband that supports his family (now solely). I'm thankful to have parents that have supported and guided me through so many transitions in my life. I'm thankful for extended family that took the sting out of getting laid off, spending time with them is always amazingly good for me. I'm thankful that I've got an opportunity to clear my head, decide what I really want out of life, and make a plan to get there. I'm thankful that I have friends - old friends and new friends - that are there for me as much as I've been there for them, and are willing to bounce ideas with me as I go through this yet again.
I am also thankful that I am relatively healthy, and I have skills and talents that are in demand. I will go through my tough times, but I always land on my feet at some point. So now, I have a little time to really consider what I want my next step to be. I have time, through the holidays, to spend time with my family, attend school plays and programs, and keep on keeping on.
I've always loved writing, and photography. I've been in business my entire adult life, so I will always prepare to have a job/career in the business sector. But at the same time, I have time to think about whether that's what I want to do or not. As for photography, I love landscape photography: country scenes, sunrises and sunsets, beach scenes, and more. I also love portraiture, but I've really decided that in the portraiture sector, what I enjoy is composite portraiture, with an element of magic and/or mystery.
As for writing, I've always loved any type of writing. Non-fiction of all types, fiction (nearly any genre), poetry, lists... seriously, just about anything. So I'll dig out my copy of Stephen King's "On Writing" and my various other books about writing, and maybe (just maybe) this time I'll keep writing, and see where it takes me.
We are a large blended family, and a dream of traveling in an RV, homeschooling our children and spending time with all of our family, both East Coast and Central US. This blog is intended to chronicle our steps to that dream.
Tuesday, November 29, 2016
Monday, November 28, 2016
Going home
Actually, the tune that plays in my head when I think of it is Ozzy's "Mama I'm Coming Home"...
I left the area I call home (The Woodlands/Spring/Conroe) when I was 23, in 1995. I moved to Dallas, and to the suburbs in 1995. Then Jacksonville, Florida in 1997. Back to Dallas, Allen, then Anna in 2000. We closed our business and moved to South Texas (Ganado, then Victoria) in December 2006 to live near my grandparents. One passed in 2009, the other in 2011. We've been through the ups and downs of the oilfield, and I'm tired. Tired of living in a not-quite-big-city and tired of being so far from what I consider my home. So, we're headed back to north Houston. Spring, The Woodlands, Conroe... maybe Willis, as I'm a country girl at heart. Back to the realities of traffic and a 24/7 lifestyle. And I'm anxious and impatient to get started.
With us, things can never go smoothly. We are being sued by our neighbors (about a mile away) because they are accusing our dogs of attacking theirs. One dog is 10 years old, and was a former "ward dog" at a veterinary clinic. She gets along with all kinds of animals. I just don't see it. The other dog is a German Shepherd (the dog they're accused of attacking is a German Shepherd, right about the same age), just over a year old. And he's currently curled up in an almost fetal position in front of the TV. He's one of the sweetest and most spoiled dogs I know. Not saying they couldn't have done this. My boys swear up and down there's no possible way. But I also realize that IF they were at the neighbor's house - IF it was even them (we haven't seen the footage from the cameras yet) - it's possible that what started out as playing rough turned into a fight. I've tried to explain that to my children, just like how they start out play-fighting, it can turn into a real fight when one throws a punch too hard, or something like that. What I can't get over is this entire family. The only contact we've had with them for years has been A) to get money from us for the maintenance of the road, and B) to tell them to stop harassing us (repeatedly). The stories I could tell about this family... and maybe at some point I will, but right now, it still pisses me off too much to even think about. But we'll leave it up to the courts. I feel that our justice system is entirely too flawed, so I don't have a lot of faith in it, but I'm more willing to go before a judge to try to get a fair outcome than these people... So that's where we are there.
We had already talked a few times about the possibility of moving. My job reduced my hours back in February. It's difficult in this economy to find full-time work with a salary that is close to what I'm used to making. That's everywhere, to some degree. But so much of this area is completely dependent upon the oilfield. My husband travels with his job typically. Over the past 5 years, he's worked in Wyoming, Louisiana, the panhandle of Texas, West Texas. His nearest jobs were in Corpus - still over an hour away. So there's really no reason for us to be in Victoria. It would actually be easier for him to fly home on his days off (if he's in another state) from wherever he may be (he's currently looking at a job in Enid, OK). So... that combined with the nightmare family down the street... we made the decision to move to be closer to my parents. We've never lived very close to them. We met in Jacksonville, FL when they were still traveling. We moved to Dallas when they were still traveling. They moved to this area to run an RV park while we lived in Dallas. They moved to Mexia. We moved down here. They moved to Conroe, and we've still been here. So I'm excited. The kids are torn. They like Victoria, and it's where they've spent the last 8 years. Since my twins are coming up on 12, this area is all they remember. This has been their home. So they're a little sad to say goodbye, but also excited about the opportunities that a newer, bigger city offers. And they're excited to be close enough for Nanna and Pops to be able to see more of their games, hoping to have sleepovers, bike rides, go fishing. :)
I left the area I call home (The Woodlands/Spring/Conroe) when I was 23, in 1995. I moved to Dallas, and to the suburbs in 1995. Then Jacksonville, Florida in 1997. Back to Dallas, Allen, then Anna in 2000. We closed our business and moved to South Texas (Ganado, then Victoria) in December 2006 to live near my grandparents. One passed in 2009, the other in 2011. We've been through the ups and downs of the oilfield, and I'm tired. Tired of living in a not-quite-big-city and tired of being so far from what I consider my home. So, we're headed back to north Houston. Spring, The Woodlands, Conroe... maybe Willis, as I'm a country girl at heart. Back to the realities of traffic and a 24/7 lifestyle. And I'm anxious and impatient to get started.
With us, things can never go smoothly. We are being sued by our neighbors (about a mile away) because they are accusing our dogs of attacking theirs. One dog is 10 years old, and was a former "ward dog" at a veterinary clinic. She gets along with all kinds of animals. I just don't see it. The other dog is a German Shepherd (the dog they're accused of attacking is a German Shepherd, right about the same age), just over a year old. And he's currently curled up in an almost fetal position in front of the TV. He's one of the sweetest and most spoiled dogs I know. Not saying they couldn't have done this. My boys swear up and down there's no possible way. But I also realize that IF they were at the neighbor's house - IF it was even them (we haven't seen the footage from the cameras yet) - it's possible that what started out as playing rough turned into a fight. I've tried to explain that to my children, just like how they start out play-fighting, it can turn into a real fight when one throws a punch too hard, or something like that. What I can't get over is this entire family. The only contact we've had with them for years has been A) to get money from us for the maintenance of the road, and B) to tell them to stop harassing us (repeatedly). The stories I could tell about this family... and maybe at some point I will, but right now, it still pisses me off too much to even think about. But we'll leave it up to the courts. I feel that our justice system is entirely too flawed, so I don't have a lot of faith in it, but I'm more willing to go before a judge to try to get a fair outcome than these people... So that's where we are there.
We had already talked a few times about the possibility of moving. My job reduced my hours back in February. It's difficult in this economy to find full-time work with a salary that is close to what I'm used to making. That's everywhere, to some degree. But so much of this area is completely dependent upon the oilfield. My husband travels with his job typically. Over the past 5 years, he's worked in Wyoming, Louisiana, the panhandle of Texas, West Texas. His nearest jobs were in Corpus - still over an hour away. So there's really no reason for us to be in Victoria. It would actually be easier for him to fly home on his days off (if he's in another state) from wherever he may be (he's currently looking at a job in Enid, OK). So... that combined with the nightmare family down the street... we made the decision to move to be closer to my parents. We've never lived very close to them. We met in Jacksonville, FL when they were still traveling. We moved to Dallas when they were still traveling. They moved to this area to run an RV park while we lived in Dallas. They moved to Mexia. We moved down here. They moved to Conroe, and we've still been here. So I'm excited. The kids are torn. They like Victoria, and it's where they've spent the last 8 years. Since my twins are coming up on 12, this area is all they remember. This has been their home. So they're a little sad to say goodbye, but also excited about the opportunities that a newer, bigger city offers. And they're excited to be close enough for Nanna and Pops to be able to see more of their games, hoping to have sleepovers, bike rides, go fishing. :)
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