My last day on my previous contract was October 28th.  That very day I found out that a colleague of mine received her Lack of Work letter.  I was REALLY nervous.  

As background, I’m a consultant working for a large government contracting firm in the DC area.  This is a slow time of the year, the government is making cuts to its programs, and there are a lot of people on the bench at my company.  Being on the bench means you‘re between projects, are unbillable, and costing the company lots of money.

The first week that I was on the bench my manager told me that I would be getting a lack of work letter in 30 DAYS!!  I did the math and it looks like I would be laid off right around Christmas.

I was really really stressed out these last several weeks.  I was looking for work both inside and outside the company.  I went to a job fair with my friend who is getting laid off and it was just so depressing to see so many people at the job fair.  One recruiter told me that 300 people had preregistered for the fair.

Right now, I am the only breadwinner and we have 2 small kids which is why this whole situation was hitting me so hard.  I asked for prayers from EVERYONE and I do mean EVERYONE.  I asked my church, you gals, my family, and my Facebook friends.  

I thought this week I would have several interviews but I only ended up having ONE.  The others fell through for various reasons.  As it turns out, this job is pretty far away BUT it is part-time so at least I won’t have to make the commute every day.

So PRAISE GOD!!  I’ve learned this week just how powerful prayer can be firsthand.  Thanks again to all who prayed for me.  GOD DOES ANSWER PRAYERS!!

Last Sunday I went to my dear friend Erica’s baby shower.  It was given by one of her friends.  It was very intimate and low-key...just 3 of her friends and her.  I have known Erica since college so we’ve been friends 20 years.  Lisa has been her friend since high school and Nellie has been her friend for quite a while too.  She used to work with Nellie a long time ago.

I am VERY happy that Erica is pregnant.  This is her first child and it is a girl.  I wish that it had happened sooner so that our kids could be closer in age.  But Jack is 3 so that isn’t a huge difference.

Back to the shower...it was a nice affair.  Nellie made a salad with polenta and portabelllo mushrooms and some other stuff that I can’t remember but it was really really good.  She also had some wine.  I bought a lasagna, which unfortunately wasn’t homemade and a fruit salad which I did make myself.    Lisa bought some hummus and some tortilla looking thing which was actually pretty sweet, greek yogurt, and some other healthy stuff.

I will be posting some pictures of the shower soon.  I just haven’t been to a baby shower in a LONG time.  Shoot, the last one might have been mine 3 years ago.  The next time I go to a shower might be when one of my nieces gets pregnant which probably won’t be for another 10 years or so (they are teens now).

After being unemployed for almost a year, my dear hubby went back to work a week ago.  He’s working full-time as a Detailing Center Manager.  His hours are 8 a.m. - 6p.m. Monday through Friday.  I am glad he has a job now but this has resulted in some changes for all of us.

For Jack, it means he’s at the babysitter about 11 hours the days I work.  Luckily he’s adjusted pretty well and the babysitter has a son that is Jack’s same age.

For Kyle, it means that he’s taking one school bus 3 days a week and another school bus 2 days a week.  I’m usually off on Thursdays and Fridays.  The babysitter also has a son his age.

For me, it means I have to drop the kids off in the mornings at the babysitters and pick them up in the evenings.  This has added some more time to my already long commute.  I’m not getting into work until 9:30ish now and we don’t get home until about 7ish from the sitters.  I also need to start on dinner and help with Kyle’s homework.  He’s only in 3rd grade but he has a TON of homework.

Yes, my days are pretty long the days I have to work.  Luckily I only work 3 days a week.  And when my husband was home with the boys, dinner would be ready when I got home.  That was nice...I’m definitely going to miss that!  

We have been trying to move closer to our jobs but it has not been easy trying to sell our house in today’s housing market.  Houses have not been selling in our neighborhood.

It is hard to believe that 10 years has passed since that terrible tragic day.  For me, 2001 had already been a pretty rough year.  In July of that year, my dad died and then my brother Virgil was going through a divorce.

I remember driving to work that day and hearing about the first plane hitting a building and I remember thinking, how in the world could that happen?  I thought maybe the plane had clipped the building but not actually went INTO the building.  

When I got to work, everyone was standing around watching TV and watching the horrific events unfold.  Some people were crying.  Shortly after I got to work, we were all sent home.  My work location was VERY close to Dulles Airport.  It didn’t take that long to get home since I didn’t work close to the city.  I was working in Chantilly, VA at the time.

However my husband Jason was working in Washington DC at the time and he says he remembers the smoke coming from the Pentagon.  Three people from my company were at the Pentagon and died that day.  It took my husband many many hours to get home from Washington DC.  

At the time we lived near Washington National Airport and so we were used to seeing and hearing planes in the sky.  I will never forget how eeire it was when there were NO planes in the sky.

My brothers, former sister in law, and aunt all worked in DC and I tried reaching them on their cells and couldn’t get through.  It was unsettling to say the least.

How about you? Where were you when 9/11 occurred?

This past Monday I went for my annual physical.  I also had some bloodwork done.  Last year, at a Health Fair that my job sponsored, I had some comprehensive bloodwork done.  They did many tests on me and I actually received a booklet with all my results.

I was diagnosed with prediabetes.  My doctor told me that 50% of people diagnosed with prediabetes will get diabetes within 5 years.  

My mom had Multiple Sclerosis, tuberculosis, macular degeneration, and ostoperosis.  My dad had kidney disease, heart problems, a brain aneurysm, and high chloresterol.  Neither had diabetes.  However, my uncle, my dad’s brother, has diabetes.

I was a bit surprised to be diagnosed as prediabetic.  I’m not overweight.  Obesity is a major contributor to Type 2 diabetes.  However I am Hispanic.  Hispanics and Blacks have a higher risk of developing diabetes.

When the nurse called with my lab results this week, she said the results were “excellent“.  I no LONGER have prediabetes!!  I’m very relieved, but I did take some steps to reverse this.

I started exercising more and being more consistent about it.  I usually exercise 3 days a week.  This week I have exercised 4 days!  I do a variety of stuff.  I work out at the gym, take a yoga class, do some walking, and do a Pilates or balance ball workout at home.  When I walk, I also bring my boys and dog with me.  I want them to make exercise part of their routine as well.

Dietwise, I bring fruits and vegetables to snack on at work.  At home, we eat fish once a week and am looking for ways to incorporate more beans into our diet.

If you would like more information about diabetes and/or prediabetes, please visit the American Diabetes Association website.

My son’s 8th birthday party was today.  I was getting a little stressed out because I didn’t think a lot of kids were coming.  I had my Jack’s birthday party back in April and only 1 kid showed up.  But lo and behold, 4 kids came and my son Kyle had a blast.

In the past, we have had bday parties at other venues besides our house.  This was because we used to live in a very small house but now our home is bigger and it’s easier to entertain.

We had hot dogs, burgers, chips, fruit salad and of course, your standard birthday cake and ice-cream.  I got some balloons, a Star Wars tablecloth, and Star Wars plates.  We took pictures and videotaped part of the party.  The kids got goody bags when they left.

All in all, the kids had a good time and I enjoyed some conversation with the moms.  Birthday parties are fun!!