Sunday, June 24, 2012

Away for a week

Since I have started working during the week, Brennen has really been helping out around the house. He has hung out, and helped move some things. But overall his days while I am at work can best be described (by him) as boring. So, since I have to work this week as well, Brennen will be spending the week in Midland with Karen, Joey, Nicholas, and Joshua. I am kinda happy that he won't be at home bored all week but am also sad that he won't be here when I do finally get home. This evening I already miss him and he has only been gone a few hours.

Our day started really early. Well, our night ended really late to start with. I sent Brenn to bed at 12:30am. He wanted to put a movie on. I let him, figuring he would fall asleep watching it. WRONG. I think he was a little excited about today because when I went to bed (at 2:00am) he was still AWAKE watching the movie. I very firmly told him to go to sleep. His reply was, "I am trying." He got a very quick and short response from me....."Turn it off and go to sleep". Within a matter of minutes he was out. But at 5:15am our day started. We left the house at 5:30am - I was very glad we packed last night and had everything sitting by the door. After dropping Amber off at work in Artesia, we headed to HOBBS. We stopped along the way, when my eyes started to droop. Brennen slept all the way to Artesia; then woke for 10 minutes and returned to sleep. Brennen continued to sleep and I took a nap. I woke after about half an hour and we continued our journey. Brennen remained asleep. Brennen slept until 9:00am when we met up with Karen.

We met up with Karen and the boys and had breakfast at Denny's. After breakfast a trip to Hasting's was in order. Everyone got a new book except for me. (The reason behind that is because I am the only one who doesn't read). Anyway, about 11:00am we parted. I guess Brennen is glad he slept our whole trip because he talked Karen's ear off all the way to Midland I think. So, I really enjoyed seeing Karen and the boys. Joshua is such a hoot and Nicholas - well, I love that guy!!!!!! Anyway, can't wait until Brennen gets back; but until then..........It is a work week for me! Hope you have a great MONDAY tomorrow.

Saturday, June 23, 2012

A Quick Update

I had a good week. I started work on Wednesday. I trained on Wednesday and Thursday. I will be off for the weekend and then back to it on Monday. I like the job so far. It was good that I already have a spot. They had hired me to be a floater only as needed. But I am very greatful that they have found a spot for me that has 40 hours a week. The shift is a Monday through Thursday split shift; meaning I will work from 6am - 9am and then go back from 3pm - 10pm. So, it has its perks and downfalls both. I am also VERY GREATFUL that it turned out to be Mon - Thurs so that I can still spend my weekends with B.

My sister has requested some updated pictures of Brennen. So here they are. Also, one of all of the kids. (They have spent the last 2 days with us).














Liah (4), Nakomus (6), Kili (5), Amber, Zeta (7), Brennen (12).

Since it is 2:07am I guess I will leave you for the night. Sweet dreams.

Monday, June 18, 2012

I start Tuesday

Well, I have good news. On Friday, very late in the afternoon a company called and wants me to start on Tuesday morning. This is not the offer I wanted but I am taking it. It is on an as needed basis, doing what I have been doing; caregiving. They said they don't have a position open but need fill ins. So, I go sign paperwork on Tuesday.

In the meantime I am waiting on several other prospects:

1.)I interviewed last Monday at a law firm to do secretarial work. The Office Manager really liked me and wants to set me up for a 2nd interview with the actual attorneys. But first she has to interview everyone for the first round. I was #8 that she had talked to out of 22. But I was told I would definitly be called back. I liked this lady a whole lot and we seem to have a lot of things work wise in common that we got to talk about. The office is very small - 2 attorneys, herself, and maybe me.

2.)I interviewed on Thursday with a "caregiver" business kinda like where I was working but they pay the families to take care of the clients instead of just random people. They also do lots more but along those lines. I interviewed for a Service Coordinator position. This would be making sure that everyone on the client's team is on the same page (including any medical stuff, case managers, therapists, guardians, family representatives, employer, etc) and that the files reflect that. I really like this company and really want this position. The interview was 50 minutes long. They seem to like me pretty well and I have a good background minus some training. But they also had several people to interview besides myself.

3.)I interviewed with a walk in medical clinic on Monday. That interview seemed to go pretty well. They really a need someone who is bi-lingual but depending on who applied we will have to see. But they told me not to expect a call till about Wed or Thurs of this week.


4.) I received a call this afternoon from another "caregiver" agency that wants to interview me on Tuesday morning. I will be calling them in the morning first thing and seeing if we can set some other time - because I will be starting with the company that actually hired me.

So, I guess I will start tomorrow and then see where these other things lead to. Please keep me in your thoughts as I hope to have some tough decisions to make pretty soon.

Sunday, June 17, 2012

Happy Father's Day

Got to spend some time with Scotty and my Mom yesterday. Actually, a lot of time. My Mom, Brenn and I played a new board game I bought for $.50. CSI. It was like clue but a lot more in depth and took the amount of time of a short Monopoly game. It was fun. I want to play one day with my Mom and Mimi. I think that would be lots of fun.

Anyway, had dinner; Mom grilled chicken. It was very good. And then of course the rest of the time was spent PLAYING MARBLES! (Minus the nap I took while my Mom and Brenn played scrabble). There are some families that don't play games together. I am very greatful that my family is not one of them. I love this QUALITY time together.
**Carla I know you want to know who won - reluctantly I have to say: Mom 4; Me 2; and Scotty 1. I know if you ask him he will probably say that he would have won the next one but I had to leave! Ha Ha!**

We all got to talk to my sister on speaker phone. That was really cool. Her and her family are doing very well. I know they were planning on taking Jax to church on this Father's Day along with thier company, Nik's parents. How very special!

I had some time to remember and reflect on a very very special Father...


Here is a picture of him right after I was born...A proud new father!



And then, this picture is right after he became a grandfather.


I hope this Father's Day is a blessed one for all of the Father's in my life. Especially thinking about how very special this day is for a new father. So, Happy Father's Day!

The End and The Beginning

Last Month (May) I was called into the office at work. I was terminated with no warning, no questions, no answers....just terminated. I was told, "you were asleep on the job so we are terminating you". I was flabbergasted. I KNOW I WAS NOT ASLEEP AT WORK!!!! So, I asked them in a very rational and calm voice, "What do you mean? What are you talking about?" All they could say was "we have word that you were asleep on the job so we are terminating you". Of course, my natural response went something like, "WHAT! WHEN?" They then proceeded to say, "umm...Monday.? Tuesday? That doesn't matter. We are terminating you. Then refused for me to ask anymore questions just saying it was done. So, I (not so calmly) left the building.

4 freakin' years!!!!!!! 4 years and 2 months I have been working there...and for what? To be demeaned and insulted and then thrown away like a piece of garbage.

Before getting on with this story - I would just like you to take a minute and reflect (ok, a couple of seconds). Reflect on me. What you know about me. The person you know me to be. I know that I have done some really stupid things before. I will even say some very stupid, self sabotaging things. But I hope you know - 1. That I am not that person any more and 2. That never have I been this irresponsible at work. I WORK. I do what I do. I take pride in my job and EVERYTHING that I put into it. I am a good worker. I am good at what I do. Honestly, and I am not just saying this to pat my own back or whatever - Honestly, I am good at my job. I give 110%. I am one of the best workers this company has or has had in the 4 years I have been there. No kidding. They even moved me up to supervisor after I had only been there 2 or 3 months. I am dedicated and hard working. I give everything to my work. I hope you know this about me.

Hold on - this still upsets me and angers me so much that as I type my eyes are filling up with tears. At first I was really embarrassed to tell anyone I knew. I was ashamed and thought that people would look at me as a failure. I have really had to work through this because I say this with all of the HONESTY IN MY HEART - I DID NOTHING WRONG. I HAVE NOTHING TO BE ASHAMED OR EMBARRASSED OF, other than the fact that I gave so much of myself to what turned out to be such an undeserving company.

So, as the story goes on, I really was terminated just like that. I received a call a few days later stating there were 2 investigations open on my for abuse/neglect on my part towards the lady I was working with. So, not only did I get terminated, they also contacted the state department and accused me of abuse/neglect. THE NERVE of some people.

So, I am now out of a job, and am being investigated by two state agencies. I also, have had a 3rd investigation begun by the Unemployment Department on my behalf. So, I will let you know how they turn out.

Thursday, June 14, 2012

Investigations

I am gonna kinda pick up where I left off (so if you are just tuning in - read the post before this one and you will be up to speed).

After a month of 3 investigations going on - here is what I know:

The Company had a picture of me that they said was taken on Monday the 14th, between 4:00pm and 9:00pm. In this picture my eyes were closed. (Maybe I blinked, maybe I was clocked out and waiting for my ride - which sometimes takes half an hour, or maybe the possibilities are numorous). But I know for a fact that is not what I was wearing on Monday. I have not worn this particular outfit since the beginning of April. The picture itself has no date or time stamp on it. Also, in my defense there were 2 other employees present at my job site during this time. One I was training. The other one I work with everyday. My shift is from 2:00pm till 6:30am. So, they were not even accusing me of falling asleep on the graveyard which I work by myself. -Now, if I were going to sleep at work don't you think it would be on the graveyard?

Anyway, as the investigations progressed, the company changed thier minds and said the picture was taken on Tuesday the 15th. Again, that is not what I was wearing this day either (I remember because it was raining both of these days and overcast). Also on this day there were 2 other staff besides myself present for the shift. During this time frame I am constantly up and moving. I have to bathe, cook, feed, change, give liquids (on a set routine), assist with medications, start tube feedings, brush teeth, put to bed, do chores, etc.....this is the busiest time of both shifts. I stay BUSY.

Anyway, appearently the investigators wanted the notes from the internal investigation done by the company. Guess what. They didn't do one. They didn't find out who took the picture, when they took it, why they had thier cell phone or camera out at work, etc. They did not talk to the other employees that were there with me. They did not look at my shift documentation to see what was going on during the shift. Nothing. They just terminated me.

So, here it is a month later. The unemployment department closed thier investigation with a letter to the company stating (and I quote):
"Jessica D. Dunn was dishcarged from your employ for sleeping, no evidence submitted. Misconduct in connection with the work has not been established"...
Basically, this letter says - HA! I know that is kinda childish but it felt really good to read it.

Now, I am just waiting for the other 2 investigations to close. I talked to one of the investigators a few days ago and basically she said that she is waiting on them to produce some paperwork/information that they don't have. Why don't they have it? Because I didn't do anything wrong. But she pretty much just told me to be patient and not to worry she was not referring me to the abuse/neglect registry.

So, the good news is that I have not been found guilty of having misconduct or abuse or neglect. Bad news - I still don't have a job. Sorta good news - the company has to pay me unemployment which is only half of what I was making. It is helping until I can find something else and believe me.....I HAVE BEEN HUNTING!

So Many Things.....

There are so many things I just want to rant and rave about on this blog. Too bad these things are still of a sensitive nature. It is not the time yet to do it.....so until then UGH! Please keep us in your prayers. New and Awesome things are waiting to happen (in HIS time - which usually doesn't coincide with my RIGHT NOW time). So, I am TRYING to be patient and TRYING to keep a positive attitude and outlook. Both of these are crucial to my sanity.

But until these things happen, we are staying a bit cooler. Thanks to Javier (the maintenance man for our rental house), we have a new A/C in the bedroom and the main one is working much better. Javier came the other day to install a second A/C on top of our house. The way the house is set up, our A/C only cools one side of the house (the side that our bedrooms are not on). Our house used to be a duplex. So, it is only designed to only cool half the house. There was a spot on the other side of the house for another A/C. But as things go (only to Jess - ha ha title shot) the roofers, roofed over it when the new roof was put on. As luck would have it, a window in the bedroom was halfway boarded up (where the last tenants had a window A/C). So, Javier diligently worked on installing one in the window instead. Of course this meant I had to rearrange the bedroom (YEA!- it was time). I had that ugly boarded up window covered with the dresser. So now, the bedroom is cool and rearranged! On the main A/C he cleaned it, changed the pads, oiled it, and replaced a belt. The house is definately cooler - and for that, I am very greatful!

Today I am working on filing - a much needed "to do" task.

I look forward to spending some time with my mom this weekend. We have both been kinda "hit and miss" for the past couple of weeks with our busy schedules. So, the other day we made plans to hangout on Saturday. Sometimes, you just need some "mom time".

Brennen is coming home tomorrow and will be staying home for 2 full weeks! I look forward to this time each summer and winter. I hate hate hate it when it is the opposite and he stays that long with his father. So, I am looking to see what fun things we are going to do. Probably throw some swimming days in there. I do want to take a day or two and go fishing. Ha, Ha. This is funny to me. We want to go but don't know how. I know I have fished before (thanks to my Dad and Papaw - they would probably turn over to hear me say I don't remember how! Anyway, I am gonna figure it out and we are gonna do it!....As soon as I figure out WHERE to go.

I guess I should start on this huge pile of filing! More later.

Jaxen Houston Davis

For everyone who does not read my sister's blog page:

My Nephew was born on 6/12/2012. He is so cute. Carla, Nik, and Jax are all doing very well. I couldn't be prouder. Unless........TWINS! Carla, next time shoot for twins! Just kidding.



He is so adorable. I can't wait to meet him in person. I just want to hug my sister's neck! Anyway, they are doing really well and will be headed home later today. Just wanted to share the good news.

Tuesday, June 5, 2012

Pretty Busy Week

I had a pretty busy week. I got a lot of stuff done that just needed to be done. After the holiday on Monday, the roofers showed up Tuedsay morning. They began tearing off the old roof and putting on the new one. Backup for a minute. Last month about the middle of May, it rained every day for like a week. Anyway, during that blessing, our roof began to leak in like 3 different places. The landlord had the insurance people come and assess it. We are getting a new roof. YEAH! So, the roofers worked from early morning until 7:00 or 8:00 every evening. By Saturday they were done. Our roof is complete on the outside. Now, this week, other guys will be here doing the inside where the damage was. So, even though I didn't do any of the actual work I feel accomplished about this.

I also had a guy come out and spray the house for bugs both inside and outside. We are experiencing a lot of HOUSE CENTIPEDES!!!! These are very scary to come across! ESPECIALLY IN THE NIGHT TIME OR THE DARK! Everything I have read says that they bite but aren't really poisonious. But then other things say they are. I don't know for sure...and I SURELY DON'T WANT TO FIND OUT!

Got my livingroom cleaned and painted (more in another post). All of the sheets got changed. The front porch is swept off and the weeds outside have been cut. The pantry is cleaned out! It becomes such a clutter spot. There is still so much to do! With my schedule I am gone for 3 days. I slept pretty much all day for 2 days. I then only have 2 days to take care of everything else. So, needless to say, there are a lot of things that get pushed to the side. I am actively making a list of the things around here that need attention and then tending to one or two of them a day. I feel so out of control when the house is a mess (or better put - cluttered). I guess in my "adult life" I have realized that I hate to clean but I hate it even more when things aren't clean! Now, to go sort some laundry.

House Remodeling

When we first moved into this house about 2 years ago I had all of these plans for it. Shortly after moving in Dorian and the girls moved in with us. The house then became more of a community living space. When Dorian and the girls moved out last month, I again had all of these ideas about what to do with the house. One thing I wanted to do was paint. I have been wanting to paint my living room for some time now. I have been arguing with myself over paint colors for about 6 weeks. It started with my bedroom actually. I decided that I wanted something different done with my bedroom (actually it started shortly after getting the new bed - of course). Well, it didn't take long to decide that I wanted my bedroom to be done in CHOCOLATE & BRIGHT PLUM. That was the easy part. Finding linens (mores specifically a comforter/bedspread) in these colors was a completely different story. So, after much searching I have narrowed it down to a chocolate comforter with the plum pillows. Also, a bright plum headboard that I will be making myself. Once I had all of this figured out I got a kick to redecorate the entire house. Please keep in mind that this is a pretty expensive process. I can do alot of it with inexpensive bargain pieces but when you have a lot of pieces to do it totals pretty expensive. So, a little bit at a time and a lot of saving will be required of this project. But I am going to take one piece at a time as I can. I did my first step active (besides planning) step this weekend:

This brings me to the living room. Picking colors was crazy. The furniture I have picked out is chocolate colored. Right now, my furniture is a very dirty beige color. I say this with a lot of love to my furniture because it is the furniture I acquired from a friend back in the year 2001. I think he had purchased it like in 1998. It has moved with me EVERYWHERE. The poor couches are not even couches anymore. Basically they are stacks of blankes in the couch frame with cushions on top of them. Ha Ha. So, new furniture is definetly in this game plan somewhere. But for now, the only color in the livingroom is beige (even the curtains). I took into consideration both the couches I have now and also the furniture I hope to have someday. I ended up narrowing it down to like 3 colors while I stood in Wal-Mart looking at swatches for over an hour (after spending an hour the night before doing the same thing at Home Depot). I finally chose a soft green, soft grey, and a cream color. Since I want some COLOR in my life I put back the creme and found a soft pinkish shade of purple. After conversing with Amber we decided green was more a kitchen color and purple was more of an "emotional" color and better for a personal area. So, I had the store associate mix me the grey color. But...I had my finger on the one under the one I wanted. So, I ended up with "Muted Violet Cast" (color name). I only got a quart to make sure that we liked it in the living room before I went all out.

I came home on Saturday evening and spackled the wall and then painted it. Guess what color it is.....PURPLE. Ha. It is a really soft smoky purple though. It is calming and I love it! I didn't have enough to finish the wall (did all but the trim stuff). Hold on, let me go see if I can take a picture of it.......Well, nevermind. You will just have to trust me. I can't get a picture that really shows the color but I love it. I can't wait until I buy more and paint the whole living room. We have wood paneling from the floor to halfway up each wall. I will be removing all of that and painting all the walls this color I think. We will see when that time comes I guess. I love when I take the opportunity to make my house feel like MY HOME.