Hope everyone has a safe Halloween night! My daughter and I dressed up as Maribel and Julietta from Encanto this year. We had over 150 trick-or-treaters visit and went through a big bowl and a half of candy. It's always fun to see what costumes the kids, and even the older ones, come up with. Yes, we do hand out candy to older teens that are out. These kids could be out doing worse things. Give them some candy! We might need to invest in dog treats next year though. 😂 A cute little Pitbull dressed up as a clown came to visit with his owner. First time we have seen someone dress their furbaby up and take them out trick or treating.
Thursday, October 31, 2024
Happy Halloween!
Tuesday, October 29, 2024
Monday, October 28, 2024
Get out and VOTE!!
Today the hubby and I went to cast our ballot and grab a late lunch. The lines were not horrible and we actually got in and out pretty quickly.
Saturday, October 26, 2024
I Miss You
It's crazy that it has already been 18 years since we lost you. Time has gone by so fast. There are days that I wish you were here to speak to. But I will just have to wait for Heaven. 😔
Friday, October 25, 2024
FMLA starts Monday!
This week has been a bit crazy at work. I decided to go ahead and make the routing logs through January. I have gone over everything with Sobrina relating to the On Call Schedule and entering it into IMPACT. She already knows hot to use IMPACT for routing, so I just needed to go over how the cases are logged in Excel. Hopefully everything runs smoothly while I am out. We will see! 👀
I also had a one on one with my PA. I won't go into details but I did inform her of everything that has been happening the last year up until my conference with my supervisor. Some of it she was not pleased to hear about.
Wednesday, October 23, 2024
Tuesday, October 22, 2024
Friday, October 18, 2024
Friday, October 11, 2024
Decisions, decisions
Well, I have thought about it long and hard all week. I spoke with my husband Thursday night about all that had happened in the last couple of weeks, and my decision has been made. I will be taking my supervisor up on her suggestion that I take FMLA.
My doctor has been wanting me to get labs done and since I was still getting over bronchitis when she mentioned it again, routing the following week, and this week was just busy I was not able to get them done. I had emailed my supervisor Thursday afternoon before work ended for the day to let her know that I would be a little late to the office Friday morning so I could go do labwork. She went into freak mode questioning how long it was going to take, how many hours would I be gone, etc., etc. I seriously did not know what to say. It's lab work. It's not an appointment. It's a walk in and wait. I had no idea how long it would take. I could go and get right in and out, or I could be there for a bit waiting. Needless to say, I did not go and have my lab done that day. I figured since I am taking FMLA I would just wait. Geez. Ashley would have just said, "Sure, go ahead", and that would have been the end of it.
I emailed my supervisor today to let her know she can start the process. Now I will be able to schedule any doctor appointments and any labs needed.
Wednesday, October 9, 2024
Tuesday, October 8, 2024
Saturday, October 5, 2024
Sad news in the Spiral...
Aw, I am heartbroken!!! ðŸ˜
Friday, October 4, 2024
Disappointing Day
Well, today went to hell in a hand basket. My supervisor had scheduled to have a 'conference' with me. She actually came up to the office on her remote day for this conference. Yeah, it was one of those meetings and it turned into one of those days.
The conference started out asking me how I was doing and if I was feeling better. How routing was going, etc. Then she says, "It was brought to my attention that there was an incident that occurred yesterday and then explained about what she was told. My new worker had gone to my supervisor after she had given me her LE letters to mail. They had actually had a meeting and were in the conference room. She told her that I was unprofessional and that I had lost my cool with her. 😵 Excuse me? How in the world is asking what all the extra paperwork is unprofessional? How is saying I wish people would tell me when things change unprofessional? This is my job!!! If changes are made, I need to be aware of them so I am not doing my job incorrect!! WTH! I asked my supervisor if this was coming from my PA, and she said no, that it was coming from her. So, I sat there and explained how that 'incident' went, and mind you, my other supervisor was right there speaking to both of us when this took place. So, during this so called conference, I was enlightened on how we all need to work as a team and help each other, etc., etc. I was enlightened on my conduct. I was enlightened on how being stressed can cause irritability and mood changes. After my supervisor had her say, I told her that I have been stressed out lately, which is probably why I can't get well as fast. So, I laid it all out. I was so angry on the inside. I told her about my daughter and what has been going on for months. I told her about my husband. Yes, things have been hard at home. Yes, things are tight. And yes, it has been hard juggling what is happening in my personal life and at work. But I do it. I still work, even when I am not feeling well. I have never been unprofessional at work. I have always worked as a team player. The problem with team playing is that everyone needs to be on the same page. It's called Teamwork for a reason and the only way it runs smoothly is when we all know what is going on. If changes have been made then we ALL need to be made aware and trained the same way. But I am always trying to help out when needed, probably more so than any of the other admins. And yes, I do perform tasks that they do not. I am the one that makes the routing logs every month. I am the one in charge of the On-Call schedule that has to be kept updated, not only the paper copy, but in IMPACT as well. It is time consuming and when other admins decide they want to take off during crucial days like their routing week, it causes the back up router to have to stop what they are doing, stepping in to fill that role since they are out. When you have two admins take leave, that makes it even more difficult, as their duties have to be covered, too. At one point during the week, I was the only Tarrant county admin working, and that is just not fair. Honestly, things have not run smoothly for over a year, when the other two admins left. My team knew everything and we worked so well together. I miss them.
I was told that she understands that I have not been feeling well and I appeared to be stressed. She then brought up FMLA. She asked me if I had thought about taking leave. I have the hours. She had to at one time herself take leave. She also gave me a brochure for our EAP program. Geez. By the end of this 'conference' I was definitely not feeling it. Especially when I was presented with a paper that I had to sign stating that we had this meeting and what was talked about. Oh, I signed it. Against my better judgment, I probably shouldn't have. I feel now like by signing it, I was agreeing that I was in the wrong and I was not. I don't feel like this should have even taken place. I have had nothing but praise since I started this job. I have gotten two merit bonuses in the time that I have been working here. Call it what you will, but I just got written up for the first time in my adult life for something that I feel just didn't happen. 😟
Thursday, October 3, 2024
On the mend and back to work
To say that I haven't been stressing here lately would be an understatement. This new variant of Covid kicked me down and I have been on another regimen of antibiotics fighting bacterial bronchitis. Trying to work, get well, and worrying constantly about what is going on at the house does not mix. I always said when my kids were older, that I would return working outside of the home. I just didn't expect to carry worry like my mother. I worry the most about my husband when he is out and about because while he is able to do most things still, his memory has been scaring me a little bit lately. I will tell him something and then a few days later, he will come back and say, "Oh, I heard this the other day," not remembering that I actually told him that. 😕
I really enjoy my job but today was just meh. I have been trying to get caught up on things when I had to take off. I was already behind on my PCS Reports but I did get caught up but I still have September to do. I had to route today for another admin, because her backup took off again. This is the second week in a row that this admin has taken off. Last week, she took off three days - and actually labeled them personal days - during her routing week. I have never taken off on my routing week. That is why we have a schedule, so you can schedule days around it. I was made to take off the last two days during my routing week by my PA. I could have easily worked from home, but they refused that request. We already lost one of our remote days, and I think it is just a matter of time before we lose the other. So this afternoon, between routing cases as I was discussing some things with the supervisor of my other unit, one of my new workers came around to my cubicle. She had a law enforcement letter that needed to be mailed and a lot of paperwork with it. I asked her about the extra paperwork (including a cover letter that I had emailed my supervisor the day before about, which she hadn't see before either) and was given this look which I took as meaning 'why am I asking her this because I should know' and told me that I just needed to mail it out for her. She wasn't rude but her tone made me feel like she was asserting herself over me. Sure I can mail this letter. I mail them all the time. I have mailed them since I began this job almost three years ago. It doesn't change the fact that now we are mailing out externals with these letters and no one was nice enough to inform the admin. In fact in the letter, it states documents can be mailed if requested. So, I said "Okay, not a problem, I just wish they would tell us, and this is not at you, but they need to tell us when something changes so we know. I have never mailed out externals with any of these letters before." She actually had two letters and different documents for each, which confused me, but I got it and they both got mailed out. The communication between people, and I am including upper management too, at my job is horrible these days. It makes things more difficult when we are not on the same page. 😶
Tuesday, October 1, 2024
Happy October
“I’m so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers.” – L. M. Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables