Staying busy

Been a heck of a week month.  Between work and chores and family, I feel like I've been rode hard and put up wet.  My purchasing team has been pretty much decimated of late.  One of my buyers injured her eye and has been out for 3 weeks.  Another has been reassigned to the validation project for the new facility.  One was off in the Caribbean on vacation which left me with one buyer to run the show.  Of course, with that set up, Murphy likes to show up.  Not only do we encounter all sorts of crises and emergencies, but last weekend, my one remaining buyer calls me on Sunday and said her son was in the hospital with appendicitis.  So, come Monday, I was the entire purchasing department.  Was able to muddle through for a day or two until two buyers made it back to work.  Still, we are running short handed and have a lot of sticks in the fire.  I am using the weekends to decompress.  Spent last weekend at the dog park and working on the yard.  This weekend is pretty full.  I'm doing a short stent at the farmer's market with the dogs, mow the yard, attend a friend's daughter's wedding, having dinner with my parents before they head off to the wild blue yonder.  I am seriously jonesing for some good Mexican food this weekend, even if I have to drive across 2 counties to find it.     

In the interim, I thought I would dump a few more shots from the past month's activities

Flowers for our anniversary

Mother's Day with the dogs
(Collarless Grayson)

Despite all my gripes/whining about work, I like what I do and it is good to be working for a company that helps people.  It also helps that the company is doing well.  I mentioned that we've been doing well since the new CEO arrived several years ago.  They are doing all sorts of new things over the past few years.  For the 2nd year in a row, we were picked as one of the top 50 Houston companies to work for because of our benefits, growth, pride and spirit.  They are always looking for things to motivate and inspire the workers.  Did I mention the results of our Epilepsy Fundraiser?  Every year we collect money for the Epilepsy Foundation and give it during the Epilepsy walk in April at the zoo.  I did not make the walk this year since I was up at Pate.  This year we wound up handing over a check for $100k - all of that raised from donations and fundraisers.  No too shabby.    It is always interesting to see how they celebrate their success.  We wound up our fiscal year last month in a very good position.  Hit our goals, made the numbers, increased sales, stock is up, everyone is happy.  As part of the success, the company likes to pay back it's employees with some of the success.  Some of it with bonuses or awards or corporate events.  Last week, everyone got one of these notes on our cars.  

On the reverse side was a note from the CEO thanking them for the past year and telling them that they could expect a little "something" in their paychecks.  Nice/amusing way to share the success.  It is times like these that make some of those late nights and endless meetings more palatable        

And next weekend is the annual Dad's Day 5K run.  Charity run for Prostate Cancer.  I got hooked onto this one a few years back and this will be my 3rd run in the heat.  A warm, humid run on a flat course (one bridge/overpass).  With my schedule of late, I haven't been running much over the last two months so this could get ugly.  

Next week's run

Still, I am looking for the rematch with little Miss TuTu.  
     

You're going down!