November Update

First, some photos:








Toad decided to be Anakin Skywalker instead of Darth Vader this year, so we've set the Darth Vader costume aside for next year. Birdy was a very cute Yoda. She made it to several houses before they dropped her off at home and then Toad and Hammer Guy walked the loop around the neighborhood. Birdy loves candy and has very much enjoyed eating treats out of her pumpkin.

Toad's Thanksgiving program was last Thursday. The picture is a little blurry but you can see him front and center in the Mayflower. We had a potluck Thanksgiving feast afterward. It was very fun and Ms. K has a wonderful group of families.

Our last big purchase for the year arrived. It's called the Learning Tower. Both kids love to help in the kitchen, but because Birdy is still pretty young, I worried about her falling off the chair and landing on her head. After I'd placed the order for the Tower, she did just that! So I'm thrilled with this enormous addition to our kitchen. Toad also likes to play hide-n-seek with it and cover it with a large blanket and read in his "fort." It can also be used as a desk. Love it love it love it.

The big news of November is that I am leaving the retail world. My last day of dealing with the increasingly crabby general public is Saturday. I've taken a position in Human Resources with a small company that places in-home childcare. I start there on Monday. I am looking forward to many, many things:

**No more crabby customers (did I mention that already?)
**Weekends off
**Helping put the kids to bed every night
**Weekends off
**More time to write and submit my work
**Weekends off
**Not having to wear a uniform (it's been twelve years!)
**Weekends off
**A clean house
**Weekends off

Well, you get the picture. And I don't have to work on Black Friday! Hurray!

November -- it's a sad month for our family. Toad and I spent some time this weekend talking about Grandpa B. It's been two years since he left us and it's still so hard. I wish that Birdy had gotten to meet him, but at least he knew she was on her way. My dad supported me in everything I wanted to do, especially my writing, and I feel like I've let him down by not continuing with it. I'm going to be a writer, I swear I am. My whole life, it's what I've wanted. It's time to make it happen.

I'm inspired and motivated by the tagline for Jake's Life is Good brand: "Do what you like. Like what you do." There were many things that I liked about my job in retail management, but there were so, so many things that I did not. I'm hopeful that I will love my new job, that it won't be as stressful, that I will find balance, that I will have more time for my family and be a better mom and a better wife. And maybe when I find that balance, the doors to my writing career will open wide again as well.