Life is comming up roses

I had not written anything about my job search, because believe it or not I was depressed about being out of work. Incredible, isn't it? You would think that having the opportunity to leave a low paying job in a small private company, where the owner's wife was the V.P. of Human Resources (or inhuman as I like to say) and how no matter what I did, I was not doing anything right for her, you would think this would be a positive thing. Yes, but I am a responsible person, who will not sleep at night thinking about paying the mortgage and the cable bill. Its just the way I am.

But that has all changed!!! Yes.....I have landed me a job!!!! OMG...you don't know what this means to me! First of all, I will be working, so that means a steady paycheque and that means things like food, keeping my house, gas for the car, and taking the kids to a movie now and then and as a speciial treat, Chinese Buffet! I have warded off the Bag Lady Syndrome for a bit longer.
I am so happy, that I can now talk about how everything is going.
This new job is with a large national company, doing what I know and yet there will be a lot of new things to learn. Changing from a private company to one that is publically traded, changes the way you work in the accounting department. There are lots of new tasks to learn and to re-learn, but I am very excited....can a 50 year old say pumped??
I will be making lots more money and I will have excellent benifits that will cost practically nothing for me. They have a savings type pension and if I work my butt off, they have bonuses too! If you knew the size of my butt, you would understand that this is a double bonus!
The offices are located a bit further away from where I was before, but its a beautiful building, with very nice cubicles, (had to give up an office, but I think its so worth it). I am lucky enough that one of my best friends works there and the piece de resistence? A gym. Yep! you heard right, they have a gym on the premises for the employees. For free.....for employees! I think I have died and gone to heaven. I finally have no more excuses to excersise.

I am seriously considering sending a Thank You note to my previous employer to thank them for kicking me out and waking me up to the infinate work possibilities out there. If it wasn't for them shaking up my world, I would still be there, underpaid, over stressed, and miserable!
I also wanted to thank them for the one month paid vacation and the extra month of pay, that will now help pay off some debt. How many people are lucky enough to get a month off paid....at 50? Not many, let me tell you.

In the meantime, this past week has been very hectic. My kids left last Monday for a 5 week vacation to Greece with their Grandma (Thanks Grandma for this wonderful vacation, they really do appreciate it). I have take a moment here to mention that even though my imediate family immigrated to Canada 46 years ago, most of my extended family is still in Greece and we have gone back to visit for summer vacations many, many times.
For the trip, I was running around like a maniac getting things they needed for their trip, such as sandals and new shoes, so that they wouldn't look like hobos, making sure all their favorite T-Shirts were clean and ready to be packed, and packing the suitcases. Its was very chaotic, but I got it all done and had them ready, and at the airport on Monday. We were on time for a carefree check in, and a chance to sit together for a snack before boarding time. I really wish I was going with them. We would have had a blast, but its just not possible this year. My older son and I were there in 2004, with the Olympics, but my younger son has not visited Greece since he was 4 years old and doesn't remember anything at all from that trip. They have taken their laptops in order to upload photos, but right now they are in a location where there isn't any wireless internet, and so I have to rely on our phone calls for all the latest news.
Tomorrow, my cousin will be taking them to the archeological museum in Athens, and she has scheduled an English speaking tour guide to give them a private tour, just for them. I think they will get a kick out of that!
In a few days they will be going to the small town my mother's family is from, and as its a college town, we think they will be able to find wireless internet to hook into, or barring that, they will have access to an internet cafe. I just can't wait to see all the pictures and video they have so far.
Tomorrow is my first day of work, and I am experiencing equal amounts of joy and terror. Being the mature and strong woman that I am( Ha!), I will take it all in my stride. Please do not look at my shaky knees!
Hope you all have a great day!