Friday, June 17, 2011

TGIF

by Christie Kelley

For the ten years I was a stay at home mom, part-time Realtor and full time writer. Friday was just another day to me. As a Realtor, I spent many weekends showing houses or sitting at open houses, so waiting for the weekend didn't have much meaning to me.

Five weeks ago, I started a new full time job and got out of real estate. The job is the basic Monday-Friday, 8-5. Now the weekends have meaning again.

So...Thank God it's Friday!

Now the weekend means no work, except the laundry and house cleaning. I'm actually trying to do those things on weeknights so I don't have to think about them on the weekend. I want my weekends for catching up on writing and doing things with my kids.

This weekend I'm hoping to go kayaking with my 14 yr old and then start planning what we need to take to Disneyworld. We leave next Friday night for a week. Even though it's only been a few weeks, I need a vacation! The job is kind of crazy right now and trying to learn everything I need to know is making my brain hurt.

So TGIF everyone!


What are your plans for the week? What about summer vacation plans?

As much as I'd love to reply to you all during the day, the new job as a pretty tight firewall so I can't get to the blog. But go ahead and talk amongst yourselves.

40 comments:

Pissenlit said...

We're celebrating a friend's birthday today...which probably means sleeping in on Saturday. :)

I don't think there's going to be a big summer vacation but there's definitely to be a few weekend trips up to cottage country!

Helen said...

Well done Pissenlit I am sure he will appreciate some warmer weather have fun with him

Christie
I am glad you are enjoying your new job I work full time as well but I work Sunday to Thusday so my weekend is Friday and Saturday and I love those days I make sure I get some me time in and time with my family.
Seeing as it is really cold over here at the moment and I have been sick all week with a chest infection I have not done much but read (I do love the reading). I am starting to feel better and will be off to work on Sunday :( and we have no holiday plans at the moment.
Have a great time at Disneyworld and I do hope you get to go kayaking this weekend.
BTW Night of Scandal arrived with my book order today along with Money Shot shame I have to go back to work LOL

Have Fun
Helen

Mary Preston said...

No big plans in the offing, but I am like you in that my free time is mine, so I try to do the housework on work days.

hrdwrkdmom aka Dianna said...

My weekend is Saturday, Sunday and Monday but I work 10 hour days, that leaves out doing the housework during the week. Since my bedtime is around 9 most nights I barely get dinner fixed, cleaned up and it is time for bed.

No big plans for me either, hoping for a couple of fishing weekends but other than that, nada.

Susan Sey said...

Good morning, Christie! Hope you're surviving your Friday in the office!

I'm looking forward to going home to MI this summer to meet my third niece/nephew in fifteen months! (I have two sisters currently producing, so they're not all from one mom, but still. It's a baby boom!) It's always so much fun to see my family.

And when I get home, the other side of the family will come visit us, so we're packing it in this summer!

Got to say, though, Disney sounds wonderful! If you're not an experienced Disney goer, check with Joanie. She knows that place inside & out!

Unknown said...

Happy weekend to you too :0)
This weekend is going to loads of fun...NOT...LOL
I'm spending it getting the house ready to put up for sale...thus going around patching all the holes, taking WD-40 to the crayon to get it off the walls, and the worst..trying to get the 14 yr old to clean....YUCK...
However...I have a vacation that I couldn't refunded coming up on July 7 to visit the In-laws....Boy what happened to my nice summer I had planned???

Louisa Cornell said...

Pissenlit brings the GR home! Guess he got a little chilly Down Under!


My weekends are kind of odd as I am off Fridays, work Saturdays, and I am off on Sundays. Sort of a split weekend. Those days off are for writing and any major house repairs I have to do.

My summer vacation is coming up! Nationals in NEW YORK !!! I am counting the days! Really looking forward to seeing the Banditas and Buddies!

Donna MacMeans said...

Christie - TGIF to you! I'm in the cave, so that tells you of my weekend and week. Sometime though I'm going to have to pack for Nationals (sigh - I'm so not ready).
We usually take our BIG vacation in November around our anniversary, so NYC is pretty much it for me travel for a while.

Trish Milburn said...

Happy Friday, Christie! Oh, I can remember the joy of Fridays when I was at the day job. Now it's still a big day because hubby is happy on Friday mornings because he knows he'll have a couple of days off.

Well, I've got RWA National soon and a book research trip planned to Salem, Mass.

Anna Sugden said...

Hope you're having a great day at work, Christie!

Even though my lovely hubby is retired and I write full-time, we still seem to observe the weekends. Don't know if that's just out of habit or because everyone around us makes us do it *g*. We do try to do things like shopping and going to the theatre or cinema during the week to avoid the crowds, though.

This weekend is Father's Day, so we have both of hubby's daughters down to celebrate with Dad and Grandad.

Conferences in NY and Australia are on the cards for the summer - so it's a busy time!

jo robertson said...

Great topic, Christie!

When I was teaching, my favorite day was Thursday, not Friday! Weird, huh?

I figured by the time Friday rolled around, the weekend was beginning and therefore starting to end LOL. But I loved Thursdays. Not only was FRIENDS on Thursday nights, but I was pretty much wrapping up the teaching week, so Friday had no surprises.

Sunday, OTOH, ugh! Stress and pressure for the teaching week set in around noon! Sunday was NOT a day of rest for me.

Yay, Pissenlit! Have fun with your celebration. Are you taking the rooster with you or leaving him at home LOL?

Anna Sugden said...

Congrats, Pissenlit - keep the pesky bird occupied!

Where is cottage country (for us foreigners *g*)? Sounds lovely.

Anna Sugden said...

Hope you get better soon, Helen. Nothing worse than being cold and having an illness too. At least you've got some reading time in!

Look forward to hopefully catching up with you in Australia, in August.

Anna Sugden said...

Marybelle - I must admit to letting housework slide (and I don't even have the excuse of a job *g*)! I'd love to be able to afford a cleaner.

Anna Sugden said...

I'm not surprised you're early to bed with such long days, Dianna!

Do you have a favourite fishing place?

Anna Sugden said...

Always nice to welcome babies into the family, Susan. We look forward to welcoming a new baby who was born to our dear friends on my hubby's birthday, this year. Another reason to look forward to our NY trip!

You certainly sound very busy with family this summer!

Anna Sugden said...

BJ - you have my every sympathy. As one who is never, ever moving again, I feel for you!

We're only just now (after coming home 3 years ago) getting around to decorating!

Anna Sugden said...

Can't wait to see you too, Louisa!!

What an odd schedule you work - it must be disconcerting not to have two consecutive days off, or are you used to it?

Anna Sugden said...

The good thing for us about you being in the cave, Donna, is that it means we have another fabulous book to look forward to!

Packing for NY - sigh - I suppose we need to do that too!

Anna Sugden said...

Oooh your book research trip to Salem sounds fab, Trish. One of the things that's still on our list to see in the US.

Anna Sugden said...

How funny that you liked Thursdays, Jo. I wonder if it was your teaching schedule that helped?

I used to hate Sundays too - all that planning for the week to be done *uggh*. And your'e right about the stress kicking in around Sunday lunch-time - it was the same when I was in business too!

catslady said...

We have a triple celebration going on this Sunday. It's Father's Day, our 42nd anniversary is tuesday, and we are having Christmas dinner in June (I know it should be July lol). Our Uncle gave our family a gift of a nice dinner out for Christmas and because of everyone's schedules (college, vacation, work etc.) we finally are going to make it on Sunday lol.

Nancy said...

Pissenlit, congrats on the bird!

Christie, I have One Night Scandal and am eager to read it. :-)

We have no vacation plans except that we plan to take a vacation. In some nebulous, yet-to-be-defined fashion. The boy wants DisneyWorld. Having experienced the joys of Florida in July last year, and having seen the Disney hotel prices, I'm against this.

A driving vacation is probable, being cheaper than flying, with college costs on the horizon. That still leaves a lot of possibilities, and driving allows last-minute choices that the need to book flights precludes. We do have a house-sitter booked, so we're definitely going. We just don't know where.

Beth Andrews said...

No big plans for the weekend here, Christie. I'll be writing and doing some yard work. My son and husband plan to get out fishing so hopefully the weather cooperates *g*

I'm bringing my daughter with me to NY and we're both looking forward to that. Can't wait to see everyone!

Unknown said...

Thanks :0)
I so hope after this move we'll be done for a LONG LONG LONG and did I mention L-O-N-G time :0)

Christie Kelley said...

Congrats on the GR, Pissenlit. Enjoy sleeping in on Saturday. I plan to do the same thing.

Christie Kelley said...

Helen, I hope you feel better. Our summer has been kind of strange so far. We keep these really hot, hot days and then a week where it's beautiful.

Enjoy your new books!

Christie Kelley said...

Marybelle, I told myself I would do a load of laundry tonight. Then I called the salon and was able to get a pedicure after dinner. So, the laundry will have to wait until tomorrow.

Christie Kelley said...

Dianna, since I started I've been working 9-10 hour days myself. They're really hard on you. At least you get the three days off. I wouldn't mind so much if I had that.

Christie Kelley said...

Thanks, Susan. I've been to Disney enough to know how to work it ;)

We're going to try SeaWorld and Universal too, which we haven't been to before. I'm looking forward to that. Plus my sister lives in Tampa so she'll be popping over to see us.

Christie Kelley said...

BJ, good luck with getting your house ready. I used to be in real estate so I know how much goes into getting a house ready to show. Good luck with the 14 yr old. I already told my son (who's also 14) that his Saturday was going to be in his room cleaning.

Christie Kelley said...

Louisa, have a great time at Nationals. I'm going to miss it this year. I promised my kids a vacation and I couldn't do two weeks off with a new job. Have fun!

Christie Kelley said...

Donna, thanks for crawling out of the cave :)

Have fun in NY! I'll miss you guys!

Christie Kelley said...

Trish, I'd love to go to Salem. You have to post a blog about it when you get back.

Christie Kelley said...

Anna, you're going to Australia!! I'm so envious! I want to go there so badly. I guess I'll have to sell a lot more books before that's going to happen.

Work was good today. I finally got some quality time with the one woman in the department who knows everything!

Christie Kelley said...

Jo, I totally get the Sunday stress. By about 6pm it starts creeping into me.

Christie Kelley said...

Anna, thanks for all the posts!

Christie Kelley said...

Catslady, congrats on 42 years! That's amazing.

Have a great time on Sunday!

Christie Kelley said...

Nancy, did I forget to mention that we're driving to Disney? That's why were leaving on Friday after work. I'm hoping to get into NC and then spend the night there before heading out the next morning.

You can find good deals on hotels outside of Disney. I found one for $99 a night and that includes breakfast. It's near downtown Disney and they have a shuttle to the parks. It was the cost of the park tickets that blew me away.

Christie Kelley said...

Beth, I think your daughter will enjoy NY. My son went up there in May and had a blast.