The Kat House » life

Writing the Next Chapter…

Tish — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 02:04:32 +0000

The past month has been a difficult one. First, the company I had been working for announced that its Knoxville facility would be closing over the next few months. It wouldn’t have been so upsetting if I had hated my job, but I loved it. I had spent nine years giving my all to ensure the company’s success. I always thought that I’d retire from there.

Anyone who knows me knows that I don’t leave my life to chance. So, in true Tish fashion, I made a choice to find another job right away. And find another job I did. Despite a struggling economy, I had a great offer from a rapidly growing professional employer organization within two weeks. I gave a two week notice to my old employer and did my best to finish up as much work as I could before leaving.

A week after turning in my notice, I lost my sweet Cruella. It was by far the most traumatizing event I have experienced. God had entrusted me with her care for nearly eight years, and I never took that responsibility lightly. The last three years of her life had been tough – full of surgeries, medications, and numerous hospital stays. But I did all I could to keep her healthy and happy. And she did all she could to be there for her loving mommy. She was the greatest blessing I have ever known, and I will grieve her loss always.

I just finished my first week of work at the new company. Though I’m still in the same field, my position is much different from the last. I am enjoying it very much so far, but there is still so much to learn! I do hope that I’ll be able to contribute much to the company’s future success.

Molly is doing well, and I am so thankful to have her. She and I don’t have as close a bond as Cruella and I had, but I still love her very much. She is a good girl, and she misses her sister like crazy.

I feel like my entire life has changed over the course of the last five weeks – almost like one life has ended and another has begun. A guy in church told me that I’m writing the next chapter of my life, and I like that explanation much better. May this next chapter be full of life, love, and happiness!

2009: The Year of Tish

Tish — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 01:41:18 +0000

My posting has been sporadic at best for the past few months, and for that I apologize. My life has been full, with lots to report, but I just haven’t had much time to put it into words. May this post be the first of many to come!

Having spent the past two years focusing on my career, my goal for 2009 is to focus on the personal aspects of my life – in particularly, achieving true happiness with where and what I am. I’ve made a lot of changes, and though I’ve certainly had my share of setbacks, I must say that life is good.

After a long break from church, I am attending on a regular basis again. I never lost my faith, but I guess I chose to ignore it for a while. It’s great to be back in the company of God and other Christians.

I’ve done a lot of reading lately. I recently finished The Shack by William P. Young. It’s the story of a man whose young daughter is murdered. Several years later, Mack is still living in a great state of depression, wondering how God could allow such a thing to happen. Imagine his surprise when he gets a letter from God – an invitation to spend the weekend with Him. And what a weekend it is! Mack gets to experience the true nature of God and discovers that He has always been there – even during those moments of unspeakable pain. The Shack is an incredible book that I will certainly read again one day.

I’m currently reading The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch. Next will be Amish Grace by Donald Kraybill, Steven Nolt, and David Weaver-Zercher.

I’ve been working out with a personal trainer for the past three months, and I’m seeing great results. My lean muscle mass has increased, my body fat has decreased, and my strength, balance, and flexibility have greatly improved. On top of that, I’m having a blast!

In other news, somebody decided to have a little fun by sending me to the pokey! Yes, yours truly will be going to jail to benefit the Muscular Dystrophy Association. I have until March 26th to raise my bail, which is set at $1,275. Counting both online and offline donations, I have collected $235. I still have a long way to go! If you’d like to make a donation to the MDA, you may do so by clicking here. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Lots to Say…

Tish — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 02:04:43 +0000

True to my chatty character, I do have lots to say – just very little time to say it. My SPHR certification exam is coming up on December 1st, and I’ve been spending nearly every spare moment studying for it. I’ve been anxiously awaiting this test for such a long time, but now that it’s almost here, I’m scared out of my mind. The exam covers the same material as the PHR exam that I took and passed last December. This one, however, has a much heavier focus on Strategic Management.

Expect to see more regular posts from me after the exam, and I’ll post here and there as I have the time until then. After the test, I’ll be able to focus on those areas of my life that have long been neglected – in particularly, a romantic relationship. I find it very interesting that I’ve been putting off relationships so that I can dedicate my time to studying, and with the end now in sight, romantic opportunities are really starting to unfold. Funny how that happens.

The dogs are doing well. In my continuing quest to save money on vet bills, I discovered that I can save a bundle on medications through Doctors Foster and Smith. I just ordered heartworm prevention and flea control and saved $21. I will soon be ordering Cruella’s Percorten from them as well. I can save about $60 per injection by purchasing online and giving the shots myself. Those savings really add up, and combined with the other lifestyle changes I’ve made over the last few months, I hope to progress nicely through my Total Money Makeover.

I hope that you all are doing great and that wonderful things are happening for you. I apologize that I haven’t made it around to your blogs as often as I’d like to, but I promise to get back in the swing of things next month!

Catching Up

Tish — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 04:13:51 +0000

Cruella is handling the Addison’s Disease very well. She seems to be feeling just fine, and her vet appointment on Thursday confirmed that her electrolytes are still in balance. She has another appointment to check her electrolytes this coming Thursday, followed by an appointment on Friday to recheck her thyroid function and receive her annual vaccinations. She continues to take 10 mg of prednisone daily and is due for her second DOCP injection on August 25th. So far so good. I just pray that things continue to go well.

My Total Money Makeover is progressing pretty nicely so far. I’ve become very coupon conscious, using them whenever I possibly can – but only on items I would normally buy anyway. I’m doing a great job at sticking to the budget, and I am really surprised at how much money I have managed to save on food and toiletries just by paying with cash instead of the debit card.

I canceled my pest control service. And now I’m considering eliminating my land line and keeping only the cell phone. Most everyone calls the cell phone anyway, but I’m still paying more than $40 per month for the land line. I may have to bump up my cell phone plan if I get rid of the land line, but the next plan is only $20 more per month. I would still cut $20 in phone expenses each month.

I have recently become addicted to Lifetime Movie Network. Those movies just suck me in. I have to pry myself away when one movie ends, or a whole day could easily be consumed. And considering that I have just four more months to study before taking the SPHR exam, I can’t afford to spend much time in front of the tube. Once I reach the wealth building stage of my Total Money Makeover, I may have to invest in home theater seating and a popcorn machine – paid for with cash, of course!

You know how great it feels when someone you’ve missed so very much calls and tells you he misses you too? Yeah. I love that feeling. It was the best part of my weekend.

Have a great week!

This Heat is Unbearable!

Tish — Sat, 07 Jun 2008 21:52:50 +0000

I’m not much of an outdoorsy person, especially with the kind of heat we’ve had lately in East Tennessee. It’s currently 91 degrees, and it’s only the beginning of June! It wouldn’t be so bad if there were a breeze blowing, but the air is still. I’ve been staying inside as much as possible, but the dog walks are enough to make me feel miserable. Guess it’s finally time to pull out the shorts, tank tops, and flip flops. I sure wish I could swim though. It would feel so great to dive into a pool for some relief.

Teens Have it Made!

Tish — Fri, 09 May 2008 02:09:59 +0000

With all the stresses of adulthood, it sure would be nice to be a kid again. Mom and Dad paying all the bills, cooking dinner, driving us to and fro – man, we had it made, didn’t we? Spring break, summer vacation, winter holidays. Those things seem so great now, yet most of us hated our awkward teenage years. After all, there were just so many life altering decisions to make – like whether to use the Oxy or Stridex acne treatments. Why can’t adult life be so simple?

Day From Hell

Tish — Thu, 08 May 2008 02:33:29 +0000

I think today was one of the worst days of my life. It all started when I took Cruella to the vet for the repeat of her test that got botched last week. I always have trouble getting her out of the car when we get to the vet hospital, and I can understand why. She battled both cancer and peritonitis over the past year. She beat them both, but it was a long, hard road. And now she’s dealing with Cushing’s Disease. So this morning, she just refused to budge when it was time to get out of the car. After trying for a long while, I just gave up and took her back home. I honestly have no idea what I’m going to do at this point.

It snowballed from there. Practically everything that could go wrong did go wrong. And now all I can think about is taking a vacation to some distant land – maybe San Diego. If I stumble across some great airfare and hotel deals, I just may do it.

Yes, I Can Install RAM!

Tish — Sat, 03 May 2008 23:57:51 +0000

You know what just chaps my behind? Men who think women are incapable of doing anything that requires a little technical know-how. I’ll admit that I can’t hook up a DVD player to save my own life, but when it comes to computers, I’m just as able as most guys – and more than some.

A couple of years ago, I decided to upgrade my computer memory. I went to Best Buy and asked an associate for assistance in finding what I needed. He gave me the RAM, I thanked him, and then I headed toward the checkout line. He called out after me, “Do you need help installing it?” Did I ask him for help installing it? No. Yet he felt the need to ask me anyway. I just told him that I was fully capable of handling it myself.

Keep in mind that I had never installed RAM before; but I took lots of computer classes in college and had a pretty good understanding of how they worked. That night at about 11:00, I decided to tackle the job. The computer I had at the time was a nightmare to work with, because it was very difficult to reach the motherboard. I practically had to take the entire thing apart just to install the memory. I finally did it, though, and proceeded to put the computer back together. Fired it up, and it worked! The new memory was recognized, and I was moving along at lightning speed.

I was quite proud of myself – so much so that I wanted to call everyone I knew and tell them about my accomplishment. Unfortunately, it was the middle of the night and I knew that no one else would share my enthusiasm. So what did I do? I just signed online and told everyone I could find!

“Freckle Face”

Tish — Fri, 02 May 2008 22:55:01 +0000

You may not be able to tell from most of my photos, but I have lots of freckles on my face. I’ve come to accept them, and even really like them at times, but it was a much different story when I was younger. The kids at school called me “freckle face”. I hated it. I remember complaining to my grandmother at one point. She just kept telling me how cute the freckles were, and that they made me unique, and that I had better not even think of using any skin whitening products to get rid of them. I took her advice, and I’m glad I did. When I started dating, the boys loved my freckles! In fact, I still get a lot of compliments on them. But of course, there are still those who love to make fun of me – like Kevin. He insists that my freckles become much more noticeable when my face is red from embarrassment. And I guess he should know since he’s the one so hell bent on embarrassing me! Someday I’ll get him to tell you about the car windows getting smashed at a baseball game we attended! Heck, Kevin, go ahead and share the story in the comments!

Overlooking the Past

Tish — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 02:10:01 +0000

I have always believed in choosing my friends based on the people they are today – not what they were like in the past. After all, none of us are perfect, and we all have the ability to change. A few years ago, I would have told you that I have always selected my friends in such a manner, but experience has since shown me that you should never totally disregard the past.

A few years ago, I met a guy on an online dating site. He seemed perfect. A very nice, charming, ambitious guy. He was a journalist for a local newspaper, and we really hit it off. A short while after we started dating, he told me of his troubled past with substance abuse. He had gone through drug and alcohol rehab, and still belonged to a couple of related support groups. I didn’t consider it a problem. After all, he had turned over a new leaf, right? Wrong. He struggled so much on a daily basis that even my constant encouragement wasn’t enough. I felt like he despised me because I hadn’t experienced the same thing myself. Our relationship came to a screeching halt. Did I learn a lesson? Unfortunately not.

I did the very same thing two years later. Met another “great” guy who had struggled with alcohol in the past. At least he said it was in the past. Turned out that it was also in the present, and despite my efforts to be the best, most supportive girlfriend I could be, he walked all over me and crushed my heart in the process. Once again, I felt like I was despised because I hadn’t experienced the same thing myself and therefore wasn’t able to personally relate to his pain.

Those experiences really opened my eyes. I still pride myself on being able to overlook a person’s past in most cases, but I make an exception when it comes to romantic relationships. I will never again get involved with someone with a history of substance abuse. The guy who crushed my heart used to tell me over and over again, “Tish, you can’t save me.” And he was right. I tried – and failed. And that feeling of failure, both as a girlfriend and a friend, is something I hope I never experience again.