Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes...

Well, I don't even know where to start. Sorry in advance if this post becomes a long rambling mess of jumbled words, I have a lot on my mind. I have had a lot of things going on in the past month and because of them, I haven't had a chance to sit down and compose my thoughts on the screen. Things have finally started to look positive for the Omaha Hagans. Our entire little family has been doing great and we are truly blessed.

First off, I GOT A JOB!  I started January 17, so I have been working for almost a month now. That's probably the most excited I have ever been about actually working. Everyone works. And unless you were born into millions, everyone needs a job. Back in November I was released from my position at QLI. I wont say fired because that wasn't the case. If you need a reminder go ahead and read this. I was really upset and stressed and all the other emotions I'm sure people that get laid off go through. Its almost like you go through all the grieving processes that they say you do during death. Obviously losing a job is nothing compared to the death of someone you love, its just an example. It means it sucks. It sucks bad and there is nothing you can do about it.

I am happy, thrilled, excited, and elated to announce that I have a new job at a company I think I will love working for. I am now a Marketing Copywriter for The Knot. Its a new position and I hope that I do the company proud. My job is to write the advertisements for the Wedding Channel Deals. Its a new concept for The Knot that is similar to Groupon except all of the deals are wedding and bride based. What bride doesn't like a deal? I was just telling Jeff how I wished they had this going when I was getting married. I'm sure other brides would agree with me on this one--you get one heck of a deal at times. The best part of my job besides getting paid? Being able to look at wedding photographer websites, cake sites and all the other fun sites that go along with getting married. I'm already married but its fun to look and say " oh...I would definitely use them if I was planning again". Plus I am kinda girly and what girly-girl wouldn't like looking at this kind of stuff on a daily basis.

I am really happy to be doing something that I feel I can excel in. I'm not "wasting my time" at a job that has nothing to do with what I went to school for. I actually feel ok paying for a degree that I am using. Before I was like, "this is the most expensive piece of paper I have ever bought, and I haven't even used what I learned in college." At least now when I make my payments, I will see that it is paying off. I have an advertising degree from Northwest Missouri State University and its nice to actually feel like I am accomplishing my dreams step by step, little by little.

As for the rest of the family. Last month Jeff and I were reading in the paper and noticed that Omaha does something called Kindergarten Round-up. Yeah, NOW we know what it is. But don't knock us ok, Its not like babies come with directions and calendars that tell you when important things are going to happen. Especially things that are not growth related and given by a pediatrician. I asked our daycare about it, I asked other moms about it and I still felt clueless. All I knew was that our son had a home school and we had to go to it. Now I was under the impression that you could visit all of the schools and then pick one...WRONG. I was told you just attend your home school and then if you feel as if you will be switching then you make an appointment with the school that you would like to visit.

So fast forward to round-up day for Rilyn. (commercial: I will never understand why schools insist on having things during the day when the majority of the parents have full-time jobs. How do you get all of this time off to go to these things. Its not like its an emergency or something. Luckily our home school had theirs in the evening so both Jeff and I were able to make it.) Rilyn was super excited to see what his new big boy school would look like. We walked in got in line and realized we did not have the paperwork that we needed. (again. how do these people know these things? I need to start hanging out with people that have kids older than mine so I can be in the loop.) We asked and they said that it was fine. It actually turns out that since we had moved recently to our neighborhood, that they did not have us on file so we didn't get the paperwork that we needed. We ended up taking it home and now have to fill it out and return it. Rilyn was stoked to see a HUGE school. They took the kids to the kindergarten classrooms while the parents sat in the auditorium for a overview of the school. It was very informative and I felt myself getting a little choked up at the thought of my baby boy getting to go to a big school with big kids. Right now in preschool, he is the big kid you know...they are the seniors. Now he is going to be the little kid again and it kinda makes me sad. Sad to know that its going to be a completely different experience to him again and its going to be like switching day cares except for on a grander scale. I totally started to well up when we were able to go pick them up from the classrooms and I saw him sitting in a little desk. I never thought I would be one of THOSE moms but obviously that kid has some sort of special magic that he works on me. I cry about everything when it comes to him. Except of course for the disciplining...I'm pretty good at that because he is good at being bad.

When we were walking out of the school. We gave him a tiny tour of the stuff the staff had shown us. We asked him if he liked the school and he said "No". We showed him the lockers, which we told him to make sure no one put him in, the library, which is WAY bigger than the library at preschool, the computer lab, that has REAL computers to use and of course the playground, that was completely renovated. It made me want to go play on it and I'm 29. After his mini-tour he said that he did like it and that he thought it was cool. We told him that he would be a Beaver when he started his big boy school and he was excited. The countdown has begun. At first he didn't understand why he couldn't start the next day and now he knows that once it gets REALLY hot outside and the month of August comes, so does school. I cant wait to see how my little "smart but not smart enough, he will do awesome when he starts kindergarten" 5 year does. I'm sure I will need a box of Kleenex to get me through the morning.  Jeff and I are just excited that we have a kiddo that is excited about school and actually wants to go.

Other Randoms:
*Rilyn still loves Mizzy. He plays with her more and more and likes to play "Fatch" aka Fetch with her.
*I went to my first Mizzou game. It was a basketball game and I had a blast. I even got a photo with Truman the Tiger.
*Jeff is still addicted to the xbox. Do the other guys that play with him have wives that don't care that they play all.the.time.? I care and now Jeff is nice enough to play only when I'm sleeping or at J&J.
*We are still trying to decide on paint colors for the house. I need a good neutral to paint all the walls. One that will match most colors that you would want to paint as accents.
*I'm still at J&J. Trying to decide how much longer I want to work a second job. Its been 2 1/2 years.
*Mizzy will be turning 1 soon and she is the best addiction to our family so far besides Rilyn. She makes us all happy to come home. Except for when a 50lb dog does sprints around a 1200sqft house. Not much room for all that but she makes it happen.
*Today is Jeff and I's 10year dating anniversary. We started dating officially February 14, 2001. Crazy Huh?
* I want to get family pictures done. Its been almost 2 years since the last ones and I want to update my hair style on our walls.

Love The Hagans-