I'm back!

Hola people,
I have been MIA since the start of my new job and I thoroughly apologize for not keeping up with my blog. Oh boy..I have been adjusting to my new schedule and job quite well, but still haven't figured it out completely. My blog game has been slacking, gym game slacking, everything just all throw off.

My job has been going great. I love my co-workers and the job itself is great. I'm a little disappointed in myself because I wanted to get right to it and get a caseload but I had to pass the pre-service waiver first. Well people, I failed the waiver exam by TWO POINTS! Two measly points, so now I have to sit through 8 weeks of training that I already did in 2007. Don't get me wrong, the information is good and it really is helpful...it just is a personal defeat for myself. On top of that, my co-workers are struggling to keep afloat because they have a lot of families they are working with. To top it off, training doesn't even start until mid to late April. So for now, I am helping where I can and doing simple things for the cases and having them check my work. I just really wanted to get in there and help them. We are the top foster home licensing agency in the Tampa area (out of three others) and we are the smallest agency. See, other licensing agencies have 8-10 employees, all that do one piece of the puzzle. One person does the recruitment stuff (attending orientations, initially meeting the families, hosting training), another only does the initial licensing work, another only does the relicensing work, one actually monitors the family, etc. Well, with my agency, there are only 4 of us and we do alllllll the work. There is no breakdown on who does what...nope, we all have families and we all do everything. These ladies are phenomenal woman...getting the work done all while managing their relationships and lives. Don't get me wrong..there are long hours...last week I didn't get home until 9:45 PM..but it isn't always that way. Things can only go up..but I feel good about my position and the people I work with.

What I am struggling with is being away from my son. It feels as if I have been with him up until he was 11 months old, but I know it was only in December when I finished my internship. I swear, those four months of interning and being away from him seem like a blur compared to the time apart now. It is even harder because he is becoming more expressive and emotional. He definitely tells me when he misses me, is angry, upset, everything. My little man is growing up and it is really hard when I only see him for an hour in the morning and when I get home he is already asleep and put to bed ;-( . Mark has been a great help...I am so glad that he is getting the opportunity to spend quality time with our son and get to know him in a way that he hasn't been able to due to the distance between us (me in Riverview, him in St. Pete).

Things are really good for me right now. Other than the fact that I feel like a blob because I have been slipping on going to the gym, I am pretty darn happy. Mikel's first birthday is coming up and we will actually be celebrating on TNX's Founders Day (April 11th). Still don't know who is coming and I have heard that some have flaked out on the plans...but I will enjoy the day all the same whether people decide to celebrate with me or not. It is amazing how a year flies by...

one love