a girls weekend

Because Jason is a wonderful husband and father, he gave me the ok to set out for Dallas yesterday morning to visit my dear friend Amy. I've know Amy since high school at Loyola and then we went to SMU together as well. Even though we parted ways after graduation, she staying in Dallas and myself off to Atlanta, we have thankfully remained dear friends. And to further strenghthen the bond, when we Jason & I moved back to Shreveport, we bought a house only a few houses down from Amy's parents! Although she does not make it home nearly as often as she should, I know that when she is home, I can make the short 2 minute walk down the street for a quick visit. In the past three years, with the birth of three children, I have not been able to talk with her as much as I would like so even 24 hours spent with her, Joe and baby Christopher was such a blessing and a wonderful way to spend my weekend. We went to Northpark and did some window shopping as I haven't been there since graduating from SMU nearly 10 years ago. Wow, the changes were mind blowing! Sweet Christopher, 4 months old, tagged along shopping and to dinner, and with very little napping, was a perfect angel. A little retreat, some girl time, and some relaxation was just what I needed. Jason survived with the trio and the house was still in one piece! The love of friends and family is such a wonderful thing and something I will be extra thankful this Thanksgiving!

Lesson learned

I learned a little something this weekend. Giant marshmallows do not make a good snacks for small children. Haley wanted a cookie and I decided a marshmallow might be a fun new treat. I headed to the next room (never a good idea) and it didn't take long for me to wonder the reasons behind the silence. Lo and behold I see Haley in the big red chair, hands, fingers, and fingernails covered by the white gooey stuff. It only took a very short 2 minutes for it to harden making the cleaning process rather difficult. However, she had enough time to wipe those sticky, white hands all over the red chair. Just adds to the character of the chair...it has seen better days!!

CPCU

During my 6 month sabatical from work after I had Sam (i.e. I couldn't get the trio into daycare!), I was somehow encouraged by my boss to pursue the designation of Chatered Property & Casualty Underwriter. As I am a relatively easy pushover for educational opportunities, I agreed, and over a year later I am 3 tests away from becoming official! When I tell people I go home after work, feed, bathe and put to bed threee babies then study, they are usually curious as to what sort of exciting material I am reading to elicit such dedication. Why commercial insurance of course!!
More than 65,000 people have earned the CPCU professional designation. The program focuses on the legal, financial, and operational aspects of risk management and insurance, as well as on financial services. It also reflects the current business environment and provides a broad understanding of property-casualty insurance. There are 8 courses covering the topics above and I am able to test every 3 months. So, I order my materials, study, review, test and upon passing, I order the books for the next round. I have passed five and I'm scheduled to take number six on December 12th. As I jumped on the insurance train relatively late, I have had some catching up to do and these tests have afforded me the opportunity to learn the lingo, learn the coverages, and have a better understanding of what it is I do day in and day out. It has been a challenge but I have the end in sight and I know all of the studying and stressing will be worth it in the end. I must extend much thanks to my patient husband who allows me to take time each evening to read and who tolerates my tense (ok bitchy)attitude that arises about a week before each test. Of couse, I could have not reached this point without each ounce of strenghth given to me by the best teacher of all time, Jesus Christ. I have felt his supportive hands upon my shoulders throughout this entire process and I thank him for leading and directing my professional path.

the small things

It is the small things that seem to make a day brighter:
Everyone waking up happy & ready to start the day
Easy walk into daycare - no whinning, crying, fit throwing
Hot cup of coffee on a cool fall morning
Making a proposal at work and having change implemented
Easy pickup from daycare - little whinning, crying, fit throwing (a candy incentive helps!)
Three small children enjoying their dinner (despite green beans being thrown here there and everywhere by the boy)
Squeals of excitement when daddy comes home
Squeals of excitement to see Puppy
Hearing "mama" shouted with delight
Hugs & kisses
The girls walking straight to bed and laying down after brushing their teeth
A quick & yummy meal prepared by my husband
Warm covers and a warm body to snuggle with =)

Puppy

Puppy is official a keeper! I took him to get his first round of puppy shots on Monday and he charmed the vet! He thinks puppy is about 12 weeks old but really couldn't tell me what various different breeds run through him. The trio has such a good time with him and puppy is so patient with them. We picked him up yesterday on the way to my parents' house for dinner and you should have heard the squeals of glee when I put him in the car!! Even Haley, who is not a dog person, is becoming much more comfortable around him. She'll pet him but doesn't have quite as much interaction as the other two. I think this little mut, whose name is puppy, will be a great little addition to our already nutty family!

Halloween festivities and more

We had a great Halloween in the Greer family. After staying up late Thursday night baking cupcakes for school (3 kids, 3 classes, 3 sets of cupcakes!) and a cake for church's Trunk or Treat cake walk, I was way exhausted, but the show must go on!
We started out at the First Baptist parking lot for our first annual Trunk or Treat. Haley was a little frightened by the masks and scary costumes so she spend most of the time in Jason's arms. When daddy was holding Haley, Gracie wanted daddy to hold her as well, so he had his hands full while Sam and I went trunk to trunk. Actually Sam found his favorite candy at Joe the Plumber's car (aka John Henson!) so I had to drag him away from there to greet other people. We had fun playing with Zeke & Anna Grace, the puppy and the princess.
We couldn't stop there! Next was the Graf's annual Halloween shindig which just gets better and better each year! This year, Haley was actually excited to get into the bounce house. She jumped for a little while but realized it wasn't quite as fun jumping in the dark. It was nice to see friends and their children that we don't get to visit with very often. Thank goodness All Hallows Eve fell on a Friday because we were able to celebrate later since we could sleep in on Saturday.
Another bonus for Jason not working on the weekends, is that he gets to play golf. It was a great day for swinging the clubs and it is a good outlet for him, as long as he doesn't play too often!!! Late that afternoon, we had a fun gathering at the Chaney's house to celebrate Candace's dad's life upon the anniversary of his death. It was uplifting to see her mom surrounded by her & Mr. Dent's friends and hear a few stories of an obviously wonderful man. After everyone left, the trio, Zeke and AG took a Saturday night bath together and proceeded to have a naked dance party. I think the parents were laughing through tears as the five of them jumped up and down screaming, singing and acting just plain silly. Anna Grace said it was the best time she had had in her entire life and I just might have to agree!!