WHEW

Keeping Up With the Parrishes should be more like Catching Up With the Parrishes.

WHERE HAVE I BEEN?

Let me just take you on a little stroll of the past two weeks.

1. Tuesday (2 weeks back from tomorrow) we got a letter from the Alabama Department of Public Safety.

"We regret to inform you that the State Trooper class we were planning on having in June has been cancelled. You will maintain your position on the hiring list until further notice."

Or something like that. We threw the letter away.

2. Wednesday, my boss was let go from my company, due to a series of company wide events. My office flooded from tears.

3. Thursday, my mind was mush trying to do my job and her job.

4. Friday, I was told that we would be getting a new manager, a new assistant manager (which was my job), and I would be moving to the corporate office...in a week.

Funny how God works sometimes, huh?

5. 45 minutes after corporate folks left my office, Ben called me to say that he'd just received a call from the Birmingham City Police Department. He was to report the next Saturday in business attire and bring his driver's license.

6. We spent the weekend hanging out with my grandparents. They're too sickly to be alone and have sitters during the week. It was our turn that weekend. :) They're freakin awesome.

7. I spent Monday - Friday cramming 2 years of information into the new managers' heads. They looked at me like deer in headlights.

8. Monday night - TORNADO WARNING - me, Ben, and Charlotte in the closet. Charlotte was not a fan. She curled up on a pillow and stuck her head under the rack of clothes.

9. Tuesday night - Charlotte's first injury. She cut her paw pad on something and we spent an hour trying to hold her down to clean it and wrap it up. Comforter to dry cleaners from all the puppy blood.

10. Wednesday, I take a walk around the corporate office after the monthly managers' meeting. Do I remember anybody's names? Nope.

11. Thursday, I called the State Real Estate Board. Too much time has lapsed since my certification. Have to take the entire 60 hour pre-certification course and license exam AGAIN.

12. Friday - TORNADO WARNING - Luckily, it bypasses us, but caused major devastation everywhere else.

13. Saturday, I worked my last work event at my old office. Packed my box and headed out. Ben called after his thing with Bham PD - has to take a polygraph test on one of the days we're on our cruise - AND HE CAN'T RESCHEDULE.

14. Talk to EVERYBODY at Carnival Cruise Lines. Can't get more than 25% of my paid in full money back because we're too close to sail date. Can't reschedule. Can't transfer the cruise to anyone else who pays me for the cruise. Basically, we're screwed.

15. Ben and I decide to cut our losses and spend the money we had set aside for spending money on our cruise. We went here:

TALLADEGA SUPERSPEEDWAY!!!!

4 wide finish at a 10th of a second finish. Unbelievable race.

Ha. Rednecks.

16. Monday - Today - Started my new job as Leasing and Marketing Administrative Assistant. I get to code bills, make marketing materials, and plan events. I am really excited. It's very different than what I've been doing.

17. 2 for 1 night at Publix! Cut my grocery bill basically in half. WINNING.

18. I've finished one glass of wine and am about to pour another before I settle into a few hours of real estate studying.

You can breathe now.

RANDOM TRIVIA FACT: Kate Middleton can no longer be referred to as Kate after the wedding. She will be "Your Highness, Princess William of Wales" or "Catherine." Stuffy royals.