Wedding planning is stress free; Said no Bride ever!

Evening All, 

And so after nearly a fortnight of being a lady of leisure; shopping most days, lunching some others and most of my other free and spare time dedicated to wedding stuffs, today I started my new job as Operations Coordinator in Milton Keynes at an Air Conditioning, Plumbing, and Heating company. A breezy 20-mins from home I was very glad to not have the ninety-minute commute I used to have to Hertford, plus the staying away.

With just over 9-weeks to go until our wedding things are super stressed at the moment, so much so after the fourth phone call one day I had to screen my Dad's call. I know that he goes at 100-Mph but honestly, the whole GO GO GO thing at the moment is getting a bit much! Last weekend my Dad, his wife, Mr. Warehouse, and I all went to view the village hall again where we will be having our reception after the ceremony. This wouldn't have been such a trial if it weren't for the fact that every single time we come to view it we change the damned layout and floorplan meaning there is something else to do or buy or think about. And on this occasion, there were no exceptions.

Lunch afterward was intense, as it always is as there are two very strong personalities in me and my father round the table with his wife trying to battle through and butt-in once in a while and poor old Mr. Warehouse being completely left out of any thoughts or feelings he may have. I always knew wedding planning was going to be tough and stressful, but this is on another level. 

Luckily, the last few days off has lent itself to some serious life and wedding admin which has been much needed - Confirming all the details with vendors, organizing meetings with suppliers to go through things, order of service, and other wed-min items. I have even been proactive in chasing all the RSVP's in advance of the end of August deadline date which has helped us in being able to possibly make a head start on the table plan and more. I must say it does make life easier knowing most of the guestlist is now coming and as such I know how many kiddo's I need to make PAQ's for (PAQ standing for Peace and Quiet) which will include coloring books, crayons, toys, sweeties and other fun stuff.

So along with a trip to the local pound shop for those kid-friendly bits which I picked up some of last week and will collect the remainder tomorrow, I have also completed a few other things off the list as long that last week was as long as my arm. Crafts and DIY's that need to be finalized and completed are not all fully there yet however some of the simpler tasks such as blankets to wrap and flip-flops to tie have all now been finished. However, that being said the bogroll list cant be put away just yet as I still need to find time to make signs, create table centerpieces, design a table plan and manufacture pretty, bathroom baskets not to mention having to relabel everything that has our old wedding dates on including the confetti boxes. But now I have a full-time job to occupy me and weekend time is limited. With Hen-Do's, Stag-Do's, BBQ's and Parties booked in the next few weeks I have no idea when this will get done but somehow it has to. Eeeeek!!!

'Til next time, Love A.Lou x

Remember, if you would like to purchase anything then please feel free to check out my store at: https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/Wooftys or visit our Instagram @WooftysDogTreats and use "TATOATS21" to get 10% off your first order over £15.00.

Locked in and Left Left High and Dry: Part II

Heyy, 

After a poor night's sleep for fear of being trapped and locked into my accommodation if there was a fire or emergency due to the door being locked following the handle breaking the previous evening, I awoke startled. The morning after the night before was different from what I had been expecting. I had expected my first night at the garden studio at The Mills Guesthouse, with its big glass bi-folding doors and waterfall shower to be a bit more natural and easy-going, maybe even with coffee in bed thrown in for good measure. But no, my day started as it meant to go on, intense, stressful, and unexpectedly abrupt.

I arrived to work ready to tell my tales of woe from the previous evening, all sprinkled with some light-hearted humor of course. Come 10.30am I was ready for the day's meetings to begin and by 1pm I was back at the garden studio at The Mills Guesthouse, packing up to come home.

Why you may ask? Well, I had come to the decision that this whole thing simply wasn't working out as I had hoped. Now as avid readers of my blog will understand and be familiar with, I do not normally talk about work-related matters or employment. Not that this is about to change, as I am still sticking by this stance, mainly for privacy and professionalism, however, what I shall say is that I am absolutely gutted it didn't work out in the way I had hoped.

That being said, I have a new job to venture into, one a lot closer to home and where I don't have to confirm my room number every day. I will be soon joining an Air Conditioning, Plumbing, and Heating company as an Operations Coordinator in Milton Keynes. The company is somewhere I had looked at prior to my Hertfordshire working holiday, so I was familiar with the company and the setup. I now have a few days to prep myself for my new role and a new job, a breezy 20-mins from home.

And I could certainly use all the free and spare time I have at the moment as with less than 10 weeks to go until our wedding things are super GO GO GO at the moment! With last weekend and this weekend chocked full of wedding stuff including viewing the village hall again, confirming all the details with vendors, organizing catch-ups with suppliers to go through things, order of service and other wed-min items, RSVP's, and more, honestly I am stressed and shattered. I must say it does make life a little easier knowing most of the RSVP's are back now and I know how many kiddo's I need to make PAQ's for (PAQ standing for Peace and Quiet) which will include colouring books, crayons, toys, sweeties and other fun stuffs.

So along with a trip to the local pound shop for those kid-friendly bits, I have a list as long as my arm of crafts and DIY's that need to be finalized and completed. I have blankets to wrap, signs to make, table centerpieces to design, table plans to create, flip-flops to tie and make pretty, bathroom baskets to make, confetti boxes to reprint labels for and that is before I even think about all the other bits I have forgotten to include. I mean I knew weddings would be stressful but this is bordering on breakdown!

'Til next time, Love A.Lou x

Remember, if you would like to purchase anything then please feel free to check out my store at: https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/Wooftys or visit our Instagram @WooftysDogTreats and use "TATOATS21" to get 10% off your first order over £15.00.

If you want to achieve greatness then stop asking for permission

Hello all, 

I write to you today from a hotel room just outside London in Welwyn Garden City. I have just finished my first day as an Operations Manager back in the Security industry. There is certainly a lot of work, but I am ready and raring to go. Giddy with excitement I jetted off this morning just after the morning rush hour, whizzing down the M1 and banging out the tunes. Arriving at HQ, based on a sleepy industrial estate in Hertford, and walking through the office, I smiled at all the new faces and desperately tried to remember their names. Nervous, I was certainly glad I had taken the opportunity for this role and was anxious to get my teeth into the job. 

Logging into my PC after an hour or so chatting with the office manager and MD's Daughter, I felt as though I knew what this place was about and had a good idea n what they needed and were looking for from me. It helps already that I know the systems that they use from my previous roles within the security industry and almost certainly I have been used to using them to a much higher level than they currently use. I think even just from today's observations and previous discussions I will be able to teach and provide some invaluable knowledge into the system and how to use it to its full potential. 

I am calling the first five months of this year my "secondment" from the security industry and although I had left, most of what I had retained in terms of information came flooding back quickly which was also impressive not only to my peers and new colleagues but also to me. As well as becoming familiar with the office bod's, my aim was also to dig a little deeper and really root out the issues and problems so I can make a bit of an action plan going forward of how I would fix things. 

Having had no experience as a manager (only managing engineers' diaries and on the odd occasion booking the car in for an MOT, some holiday, or maybe the odd doctor's appointment) I was worried that the large price tag attached to the job would be something unmanageable and the expectations unachievable. But if today has proven anything is that people were willing to listen and almost be guided a bit by me. Most if not every other job I have had, I walked in and was told where to sit and who to report to and where the water cooler was. Now I am the one that is walking in and I think everyone is almost expecting me to say "my gosh, isn't the way you're doing things here inefficient" and start implementing changes. 

Personally speaking, I don't feel as though this is a good management tip and certainly not the way you get people onside and willing to be open to ideas and changes. I think that this week alone will be challenging, hence me staying away in a chain hotel room with limited facilities and virtually no catering so as to dedicate myself to the role, ensuring that the implementation and onboarding process is as much success as possible. I have lots of different ideas and things I would like to change or implement but I need to take it easy and learn how things are being done at the moment rather than going in all guns blazing. I don't think I need a management qualification to tell me that won't help and will only get peoples back up. 

'Til next time, Love A.Lou x

Remember, if you would like to purchase anything then please feel free to check out my store at: https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/Wooftys or visit our Instagram @WooftysDogTreats and use "TATOATS21" to get 10% off your first order over £15.00.

The future depends on what you do today: Part 2

Heyy, 

As a continuation from last week, I explained that positivity and hopefulness were continuing in way of a new job. After smashing not one but two interviews at an environmental solutions company (installing and maintaining heating, air-con, solar panels, and other eco-equipment for schools, care homes, and other public type buildings) I was offered the job. However, due to the difficulty of deciding which person was right for the job in managing a schedule for over 40 engineers, a curveball was thrown my way because I and another candidate interviewed so strongly they wanted both of us to come on board and work as a team. Giddy with excitement I accepted. 

As previously, out of courtesy I called round the interviews I had left, one of which being the security company I had on the following morning - A Saturday. Wishing me luck in my new role I thought nothing more of it and carried on with my day, however, within 5-minutes I had a call back. They had increased their salary by £9,000. NINE-GRAND! Nine-Thousand pounds. I thought about it for like a hot second and whilst I had obviously accepted an incredible offer to work for an amazing company (so it seemed at least) and doing a job I loved and knew well. I mean it wouldn't hurt to go to the interview and see what it was all about - Would it?

And so I went. I woke up at the crack of dawn, even earlier than I would on a normal weekday at work, dressed to impress, and drove the hour's drive to an industrial estate on the outskirts of Hertford. Walking into the building I was nervous, intimidated by the huge price tag this job had but intrigued to know more and what they wanted for that cashola. I met with the MD and we entered his office on the first floor to where I spent most of the morning listening to what this company director had to offer me. 

Honest and truthful, the MD admitted he had not interviewed anyone else, nor did he want to as I had come following some blinding references from my previous employer (much appreciated considering they failed to give me my bonus and took nearly three months to pay me my final allowances). But why me? Well the benefits for them were simple - I knew the systems that they used from my previous roles within the industry and probably to a much higher level than they currently use, therefore being able to in a way teach and provide some invaluable knowledge into the system and how to use it to its full potential. I had just come away from the security industry and albeit taken a "secondment" into another sector, the industry knowledge I had gained over my nearly five years was also impressive. To say I was interested was an understatement. Wanting to know more I dug a little deeper. I wanted to know what they wanted and if I could provide it. The money was a lot, the most I had ever earned in my life. It would be like doubling my and Mr. Warehouses' household income overnight. 

I have no experience as a manager, only managing engineers' diaries and on the odd occasion booking the car in for an MOT, some holiday, or maybe the odd doctor's appointment. I have never been involved with the hiring or firing of anyone. The closest I ever came was putting out a job advert and sifting through crappy CVs looking for the good ones. But how hard could it be? Take a couple of courses, add in some firm ways of doing things and add a sprinkle of empathy or compassion and surely that is good management in its bare basic of formats? 

Agreeing to meet the MD and his daughter (seemingly office manager who is trying to keep a lid on everything) a few days later on the following Tuesday to look around the Milton Keynes base they wanted me to run out from, we called it a day. I was anxious about accepting, but I wouldn't be there if I wasn't fascinated by the opportunity.

The lock-up was cold and in desperate need of some love and care, but it would do for starting up. Walking around and struggling not to shiver due to the chill from the building being empty for so long I thought to myself that I could work with this and in the past had worked with less or worse. After chatting with the MD's Daughter at length about the struggles of the system and how the lack of procedures and proccesses only add to the problems within the company I felt at ease knowing I had a huge amount to offer the company. But now I a massive deliberation on my hands. 

Did I take the safe route with a job I know (and had already accepted) or do I take a huge risk and jump headfirst into a role where I am managing not just diaries but people too, with no training and very limited experience. As Operations Manager at the security company, I would be expected to lead the Service Team and provide much-needed support in organizing new works, repair callouts, and planned maintenance, working with a team of engineers and support staff. It was a big decision and one I battled over the coming days. 

If I took on and continued with my already accepted job offer as a scheduler at the environmental solutions company then looking at my CV it would seem as though I have either been lazy or just simply passed up opportunities to grown and climb that career ladder. Equally, I worried about if the Operations Manager at the security company was just too much of a gamble as it was a lot of responsibility and right before getting married and hopefully starting a family soon was it just a case of the right thing, wrong time? Loved ones I spoke to only seemed to give opposing views and most of my ex-colleagues who were still in the industry said that I should go for it, not wavering or hesitating in the slightest my ability. But I did. For so long I have thought I wasn't capable and worried that I wasn't good enough. I mean sure the money was great, all the holidays we could have, the nice car I could upgrade to, and that four-bed detached house in the next village over was a little closer and achievable than before. But was it worth the risk? Could I do it?

Picking up the phone I dialed the number on my job offer paperwork. I was nervous. Was I making the right decision? Someone answered. I explained the situation and they accepted my apologies however I could hear the frustration and disappointment in their voices. They thanked me for letting them know and wished me luck in my endeavors. The decision was made - Say hello to the new Operations Manager in Security. 

'Til next time, Love A.Lou x

Remember, if you would like to purchase anything then please feel free to check out my store at: https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/Wooftys or visit our Instagram @WooftysDogTreats and use "TATOATS21" to get 10% off your first order over £15.00.

The future depends on what you do today: Part 1

Heyy, 

So ... Last week, I explained that the positivity and hopefulness were continuing in the life of Moi all mixed together with a little uncertainty and confusion thrown in for good measure. Intrigued? Well, I can now reveal that the very interesting decision I had to make in the days following was about a new job.

Since I first started at my "new" job in early January this year, I knew it wasn't really the job for me. The role was very quiet and slow from what I was used to at my last company with it feeling as though I had jumped from the burning firey flames of the frying pan right into the chill of a freezer. As a result of not really using my skills to my full potential and not really understanding or knowing the industry (which I have later found out is pretty much essential for the role) I was extremely on edge and anxious about everything. 

I tried to contain the feelings and gain more industry knowledge and grow as an employee but it just wasn't the job I thought it was. As I have said to a few people over the last few weeks, I very much felt I was sold Tomato Soup but when I opened the can, it was Cream of Chicken. I felt as though the rug was well and truly been ripped out from beneath my feet and I was left questioning myself; second-guessing every move I had made. Was this the right decision to move jobs? Was now a great time to start somewhere new? Can I do this? Am I able to learn a job fully remotely and continue working from home for what could potentially be the next quarter? Will I be furloughed? Will I be laid off? 

With all of that spinning round in my head and combining it with the lengthy lockdown and the constant grinding thoughts about the wedding & starting a family it was no wonder I struggled. A few weeks ago I had an honest conversation with management and made it clear how I felt about the onboarding and training processes and it was at this point I went back to the drawing board. Essentially I was now in my worst-case scenario - Moved jobs and I hate it/it's not worked out. 

After contacting multiple agencies and interviewing for several jobs over the course of the three weeks I was searching the inevitable would happen. It was an interview I had put everything into. Like I literally pulled out all the damned stops for this. I don't know why but it really appealed to me. It was working for an environmental solutions company installing and maintaining heating, air-con, solar panels, and other eco-equipment for schools, care homes, and other public type buildings. After smashing the first interview they asked me back for a second one to whittle it down. The second interview a few days later I aced it as well and amazingly was told by the guy conducting the second interview that "he regrettably had to end the interview" but that over the last however-many-odd years he had been in business my interview was one of the most fun and enjoyable he had ever had and that in over 7,000 employees he had interviewed in his time, I was his favorite. 

It was amazing to feel like that and I was super excited to hear back as I thought I had a really great chance at this job where I would be managing a schedule for over 40 engineers! Forty! But life always has a curveball and soon enough the phone was ringing for another interview. Since I had no job offers on the table yet I took everything I could get my hands on, one of which was for a security company I had been head-hunted for. They wanted someone to do the managing of some engineers and possibly some back-up on the marketing front. 

The end of the week was nearing and as I pottered around in the kitchen on my lunch hour my phone rang. It was management from the environmental company. They wanted to offer me the job. But there was a catch. Because I and another candidate interviewed so strongly they simply couldn't decide between the two of us and since the work was clearly there, they wanted both of us to come on board and work as a team. Giddy with excitement I accepted and looked forward to finally being able to get my teeth stuck into something bigger and better. 

Out of courtesy I called round the interviews I had left, being the security company I had on the following morning, the Saturday. Wishing me luck in my new role I thought nothing more of it and carried on with my day, however, 5-minutes later I had another call. It was the security company again. They had increased their salary by £9,000. NINE-GRAND! I mean it wouldn't hurt to go to the interview and see what it was all about - Would it?

'Til next time, Love A.Lou x

Remember, if you would like to purchase anything then please feel free to check out my store at: https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/Wooftys or visit our Instagram @WooftysDogTreats and use "TATOATS21" to get 10% off your first order over £15.00.

Shattering the glass ceiling

Hello All, 

And so the moment has finally come. No not the lockdown ending (although I won't lie, that is certainly peaking my mood), no not the fact I am less than a day from my pork scratching advent calendar and no not the fact that I am less than a few days away from seeing my nail lady for my Christmas inspired tallons. No. Now is the moment we discuss moving on ... 

Arriving at work, it suddenly hit me that this was it. There were no second chances and that once it was done there was no turning back. Up until getting out of my car that crisp Tuesday morning last week it hadn't even really seemed real. But now it was very real. The next time I stepped into my car the dynamics would have shifted and all would have been laid bare. I was nervous. Trying to think of the perfect moment was awful. I mean I had some time to think since it had nearly been a fortnight. Nevertheless, I thought I would let management grab a coffee and settle into emails before telling them my news. 

But then started the normal morning rush and before I knew it lunchtime was upon us. After telling a few close colleagues I knew I had to seize the moment and if not now then when. And so, alone in a quiet meeting room I slid the white envelope across the desks (you know COVID-safe and all). Smiling, my manager asked what it was. I explained as best I could without taking up any more of his valuable time although I felt as though I was rambling and not really making much sense. I blathered on about this and that but when it really came down to it, what was there in his hands was quite simply the final nail in the coffin. My resignation. 

I joined the company over four years ago and in that time life had changed immeasurably. I had got Clifford, my big red car after my beloved Vivienne was written off. I have gotten engaged and planned a wedding. I got my best ever freebie, my little pup Frankenstein. I even managed to get myself on the property ladder after years of wondering and dreaming about if it will ever happen. Yes, there had been many a happy time shared amongst my office space and colleagues. However, in recent months and even going back as far as last year, I have not been happy. 

Standing there in a silent meeting room with my manager I explained that it was a decision I had made not lightly, given the situation the team would be left in and considering the pandemic. But I knew in my heart of hearts that now the wheels were in motion I couldn't turn back now. Who knew that walking through those doors all those many moons ago that I would not only acquire the skills for dealing with difficult customers and colleagues but also that I would learn things about myself, my values and my value to others. 

I never expected that I would get a taste for anything more than just a job to pass time and fill up the years before I settled down to have children. I know now that I want more than that for myself and my future. I want to have a job my children can be proud of, doing something that I am good at with people whom I enjoy being around. But there is more to life and I needed to spread my wings and fly off for a new adventure. 

So where am I going and what is next?! Well, following a successful interview I had a phone call one Friday morning before I started work. Switching on the grinding coffee machine in the office kitchen I listened to the voice at the end of the phone tell me the news I had been hoping for. I had bagged the job. But which one? I remembered interviewing for the job, but couldn't find anything on my emails as I desperately scanned through. The lady explained she would send everything over and looked forward to working with me soon. 

The following week I finally received all the finalised paperwork, information and new starter forms. Working normal office hours I will instead be heading in the opposite direction to the other half in the mornings come the new year and into the hustle and bustle of Milton Keynes. Along with the normal benefits package the offices are super easy to get to and is right by the lake, so the "healthy-me" is thinking it would be a great idea to invest in a bike or for a walk or maybe even a run (haha) around the lake maybe two or three times a week. The "fat-me" thinks about all the amazing places I can order food from in the city and how it will be delivered to me by a man on a bike or even better - A robo-delivery-box-a-mijig! 

To say I am excited is putting it softly, but despite my enthusiasm, my heart still aches for my situation and the reasons which have lead me to where I am now. I hope that one day I can talk openly about them, however as most of you know who have been reading along for a while now (can you believe it has been nearly TEN YEARS!) I don't talk about work or employment and keep them and blog very distance. 

And so I suppose this is probably the most honest or open I have ever been about my work-life, but with the next few weeks until Christmas laying ahead of me, things are changing all the time and who knows what curveball or spanner will be thrown into the cogs of my life next ... 

'Til next time, Love A.Lou xx

Sleep tight in car heaven my orange amigo!

Good Evening, 

Today is a sad day. Today I have lost a good friend of mine and one that I think I will never forget. My first. My one and only. My beautiful Vivienne. 

Back in the throes of my youth in the warm weather of 2016's October, I met my Vivienne at a local reputable dealership. Taking public transport to a dealership I had my heart set on the 2011-plate little orange Ford Fiesta. A five-door hatchback with a 1.4L engine was everything I had ever hoped and dreamt for in my first car and with its high specification including a multifunctional steering wheel, automatic headlights and rain sensors she was certainly a thing of beauty. Small enough for little old me and big enough for the Doggy and other half during road-trips I was certainly excited to test drive the autumnal-coloured runabout and even more anxious to hear about what packaged I could choose from. 

I was financing the car, and whilst I did consider a brand spanking new motor at the time, the fact that it would depreciate by over a third just by driving it off the forecourt was a huge factor in why I chose second-hand over new. With one previous owner, no noticeable damage or scratches to her paintwork and a clean interior she was perfect. And so my little tangerine-coloured car was named Vivienne, after the flame-haired fashionista that is Vivienne Westwood. I think it fits and I have since found out that the Ford Fiesta orange hue does not come as standard and the previous owner must have paid a good deal of money for a paint job as good as what my Viv has. A special one of a kind you might say. Unique - Just like her owner! I was certainly eager to collect her and after a few weeks, our Vivienne was settling into her new home just right. The following few months lots of changes in my life including a brand new job and a serious amount of Adulting! 

Over the coming months that turned into years and my beloved Vivienne took many road trips; York where we drove for nearly five and a half hours because I didn't quite realise that the speed limit was 70mph and I was pootling along at 60mph. Then there was The Peak District where we struggled up hills and a crossed snowy mountains. The multiple trips to the seaside with our puppy and even facilitating us to take our poor puppy to the vets on the odd occasion. Countless shopping trips and visiting new places or seeing friends and family. It was on one of these occasions a few weeks ago where I was visiting Mrs Tweedle-Dumb at her family pad in our hometown of Houghton Regis near Dunstable. After a good few weeks of catching-up, constant laughs and seeing each other pretty much every other day it was time for her to go back to America and her husband. With her departure also came her parents move too as they too were moving out of the family home and away to the beautiful island of Anglesey in North Wales. 

Parking as I usually had, I didn't think twice about parking my car outside the family home, and I didn't think anything strange when I returned to my car much later on that evening for the drive home. It was not until the following morning when I went out to the car during my day off in order to get something when I noticed a huge grey and white stripe down the front passenger's side of the vehicle. The paint job itself was extremely noticeable, however, it was the huge dent to the door itself and the caved-in handle that gave me a shock. I was fuming. Not knowing what to do I called Mr Warehouse and hoped that he would have some advice for me that would be worthwhile. 

That evening after he arrived home from work we cleaned the car and inspected the overall damage. It was certainly not going to be a cheap job by any means as there were multiple scratches, scuffs and paintwork damage to the car and its bodywork, not to mention the fact that the window made a horrid scraping and scratching noise as it was wound down. Mr Warehouse could even that squeeze his fat sausage digits in between the window and the car door meaning that it was a security risk leaving it. As soon as I could I took her to a bodywork specialist in Bedford who explained that the work was very expensive and would far outweigh my £200 excess. Opting for going through the insurance I followed procedure and took Vivienne to another dealership which was approved. 

Checking her over, the Mechanic told of a very bleak and dark future for my little pumpkin. Explaining that the total damage to the car door and paintwork as well as some extras that needed to be done on the bumper, lights and bonnet to restore the condition of the car would reach well in excess of £3,000. I suppose unfortunately this means that poor Vivienne was on the cusp of being written off as a total loss which would mean my car would be scrapped or stripped down entirely, naked to her shell, her parts sold on. The kind car doctor informed me that the diagnosis would be more likely than not a write-off and that I should hurry home to check that I have purchased the all-important gap insurance. Gap insurance means that whatever the insurance company pays out for my poor old Vivienne, my gap insurance will cover the rest to what I have left to pay on my finance deal. This means that inadvertently I would walk away without a car and with the debt cleared meaning I can go out to find a new car or alternatively get a loan to cover the balance on a new car. 

This evening after finishing work, I noticed I had a text from the car mechanic who diagnosed Vivienne explaining that my vehicle was now a total loss and that my insurance company will be in contact with me soon. With this, I thought that it would be better if I called the insurance company this evening so I could get the ball rolling,  although after a lengthy conversation and many, many questions later the call handler finally revealed to me that my car was no longer insured under my policy and that as of the moment I get home and park her on my drive she will be classed as a category-N write-off meaning I would not be able to drive her ever again. 

Rolling her gently onto my driveway, solely dedicated to her and only her, I bid my 2011-plate little orange Ford Fiesta goodbye as I emptied her insides. Vivienne will be collected in the next few days and after that I should expect to hear what she is worth. To me, however, my first ever car is and always will be priceless. We have cried together, sang together, stressed together and even screamed and shouted together at times. All the selfies. All the memories. I literally thought I would bring my future babies home from the hospital in my Vivienne, car seats and all. Alas, you were beaten up by an unscrupulous driver and thus our adventures will continue no more! You have served me well dear Viv. Miss you already ... 

'Til next time, Love A.Lou xx 

Greener Grass and Flecks of Gold

Evening All, 

Only a week after payday I really wondered how I was so poor. I did not have to look far though as my bank balance for our new house fund was slowly growing. Soon I hoped that I would see that little comma appear proving that I was doing the right thing by saving all my pennies but I never knew how stressful and broke it would make me feel knowing I have money but it is tied up and away. Now don't get me wrong I knew that this would not be an easy journey, saving every scrap of money that both me and Mr Warehouse have between us was certainly going to be a struggle especially when I am giving up on my summer holiday this year with Mr. Warehouse, something that makes me deeply sad and frustrated for this was going to be the year that we were going to have a blowout holiday were by the head off somewhere hot by the beach relaxing for a week or two. 

Anyway enough with the same old same old, and back to the good old good old. That's right, after far far too long apart, me, Miss Hackney and Miss Sugarcoat along with her latest Beau met in a local eatery for some Mexican food and what I hoped would be a change to the normal schedule of shots, shots, shots, shots, shots, shots! It had been a long time since I saw them and it felt like I was going back to something familiar. I enjoy their company separately with Miss Hackney's laughter and down to earth approach mixed in with some gritty tales of the dating game (some more horrific and hilarious than mine I might add) and Miss Sugarcoat's intellectual conversation and ideas on life along with the added spice of strong controversial opinions (some of which I back entirely and some I try to hide from and pretend she is not with me), yet together we seem to create so much noise that it is sometimes hard to hear myself think. 

Harping back to the good old times in which we used to fart around in the office not doing much work or course, we reminisced well into the evening and chatted about life as we know it now with our new relationships, friendships and jobs. I had so much to tell them as they had for me although I felt that we were all talking over each other and that the noisy restaurant did not help. Both Miss Hackney and Miss Sugarcoat seemed to have developed and carved out good careers for themselves, expanding on their talents and skills in order to obtain well paying jobs. This left me slightly questioning if I ever made the right decision moving, even though I knew in my heart that's a good decision was made. OK so I am not earning £35,000 working for a plumbing and heating company and I am also not spending my evenings and weekends attending events that I am hosting in aid of cosmetic beauty. Am I happy I jumped ship? Yes certainly and with everything that has happened in the last year and a half I think I have a fairly good deal where I am at the moment especially given the pay, ever-growing relationships both in and outside of the office as well as the fact that I now have a similar relationship with my engineers as I had before with my old ones. 

As the shots kept coming I knew that my hopes of a quiet and sophisticated chat over dinner would not be the case this evening. Maybe another night I thought. Maybe a quiet evening in with a bottle or two and a comfy sofa to put the world to rights would be just what we all needed to calm down a bit for the atmosphere of a busy restaurant on a Friday night and then a loud pub with DJ were probably not the ideal places to share stories from the last eighteen months or so since I left. This was not to say that I was not enjoying myself knocking back shots of tequila whilst sipping on Prosecco, trying to keep an ounce of classy about the evening of course. As we rambled through the evening, drinking more and chatting less I was enjoying myself but in a different kind of way that I was used to and an alternative way I would if I was with my current work colleagues. 

I suppose in the grand old scheme of things that this is the big difference between my old workplace and where I work now. The majority of the time that I spent with my old work colleagues was getting drunk and talking about shite. That is not to say that given a problem or issue I was experiencing I could not talk to my old work colleagues and looking back on my time there I got some brilliant advice from some amazing people who I would like to consider even now as friends despite not talking in quite some time. A night out on the tiles now consists of going round to someone else to pre-drinking in a sophisticated fashion all whilst helping each other to get dressed and gossipping as women do, then heading into town for a nice meal and some cocktails afterwards. And whilst I don't feel like I have achieved that level of conversation with anyone of my current work colleagues at this moment in time, that is not to say that if something was bugging me or I needed to talk to someone that I would have no one to talk openly to as I am sure that there would be plenty of people to offer a sympathetic ear - I hope at least. 

Nevertheless my Friday evening spent with my old work colleagues or certainly a laugh and certainly something that we will make sure not to leave so long again. Isn't it funny I thought to myself and as I later tried to explain to Man-Brain Mr. Warehouse - You spend a good majority of your life working and those people you work with, if you are close, know everything about you and your life as you do about them and theirs. From Monday to Friday, Nine 'til Five you spill your guts about how your feeling and what happened at home or over the weekend. The kids, the other-half, the house, the in-laws and everything and everyone in between. You get to know their social networks and circles without ever actually meeting them and are able to provide comfort and warmth in a time of need. They know your relationships better than maybe you do yourself and can even offer advise that could change everything. With the staples and cellotape and paperclips galore they help you as much as you help them in times of joy, sorrow, support and laughter, colleagues like mine at my old job were like literal tiny flecks of gold dust, blowing into your life five-days-a-week. 

'Til next time, Love A.Lou xx

Still Got It!

Evening, 

So following last week's incident with the house fire I was adamant to get back to some sort of normality before the final  few days before the Christmas rush hit. By this time of the year I wanted to be settled with everything bought and ideally wrapped, sacks and bags ready to go with a plan for the big day on where we were spending it and who with, not to mention to be spending our first morning waking up in our new home for the festive period and maybe even hosting some people over the holidays. But alas, here I was trying to juggle visits from the Landlord in between going to work, calling insurance companies and that's without even making a start on the wrapping or the ninety-odd Christmas Card I have to write this year. But with it all nearly over and done with, insurance settled and the necessities done away with I can finally start to enjoy what I can of this time of year. 

This week was the Christmas party at work and whilst I don't normally talk much about my colleagues and what my day-to-day life is at work or what we do socially I suppose I best touch on my time during what is supposed to be the one night of the year you can really let your hair down. Some people get amorous, Some people get mildly flirty. Some people cop-off with one another. Some have a bust up. The Christmas Party at work has always evoked many a good tale on the Monday morning and alas there was none to tell, and even if there was I wouldn't spill. Saturday morning I woke however with a pounding headache and a serious need to re-hydrate. On asking what time I came home I replied to Mr. Warehouse that I thought it must have been maybe two or half-two in the morning only for him to explain it can't have been since he was up until quarter-to-three in the early hours of Saturday and I was still not back, meaning I must have been out to the lights came.on. Proud to say I still got it. 

Now I have been to many a Christmas Party and works night out, maybe too many to count and certainly too many to remember. There were some of my first encounters of a night on the tiles with work colleagues was probably back in College when it would start on a Thursday lunch time with a hour-long liquid lunch down the pub and then on through Thursday Night, Friday Night, Saturday Night and Sunday night, only to roll up to college on a Monday still drunk or at the very least hangin' out our tree. 

Work life soon progressed after College where I went into my first proper full time job working for a IT and technology company in Northampton. Nights out were sophisticated and started with maybe a brief glass of Rose at lunch down the local Harvester and then home for a quick change before picking everyone up en route to town. Setting our roots down in a cocktail bar one of my colleagues husband's owned (I know, friends in all the right places) we would sip away until the club's beckoned. The night would usually end with Mr. Workaholic coming to collect me or sharing a cab home. Nights out rarely involved Mr. Warehouse in Northampton, we would normally head out of a weekend with his Sister who seemed to know every bouncer in Dunstable and as a result would queue jump and get the best protection, but this was hardly work.  

After moving back home to the 'Shire, and it was then that the work's night out on the razz dried up. Mainly I put this down to just not being able to find a job or company I wanted to work for. There was always a reasoning for the role not working out. Roles were boring. Roles were too stressful. The commute was too far. The public transport was a pain in the arse every day to and from the office. Life was just very unstable, as it had been for the last few years really. That was until I walked through the doors of my last company I worked for. 

Being introduced to more or less everyone that worked there, less than eight-weeks later there I was on a night out. And getting pissed every four-weeks on pay day seemed like a tradition of sorts. It was on this night out, all those many moons ago that Mr. Warehouse and I met. Crushing on me since I joined I had recently split from Mr. Cheese and I think as a ploy to get me to come out some of the guys in the office arranged a night out, to take my mind off it. Betting with the store-man that I would / wouldn't be late I arrived at the designated time, only to be met by a red-haired Mr. CWG and a smartly dressed gentleman in a lilac pinstriped shirt. "Oooh a sales rep" I thought to myself, assuming he would be at least in some money and therefore a good catch in terms of conversation, ethics and morals - Not just a fuck-boy like the rest on Tinder! As more and more faces turned up we headed to a club to dance the night away, but not before some of the girls from the office collared me to ask if I was interested in Mr. CWG or Mr. Warehouse. I played it coy but had no idea that both of them were vying for my attention like some sort of horny peacocks. 

After that night out a girl from the office messaged me and asked if she could pass my number onto Mr. Warehouse and I suppose the rest is history they say. Although when Mr. Warehouse explained that he was not a sales rep and indeed did work in the Warehouse I refused to believe him, until Monday morning came and I met a rather awkward and shy man in the Canteen. From then onwards there was a night at the dogs, quickly followed by someones birthday party, followed by another works night out for one reason or another and then there was the Annual Christmas Party, only to be followed a few months later with an all expenses paid awards ceremony, again drinks included. It was amazing. Like living my college years all over again. Friends soon turned to what I would class as a close knit family and will be forever looked upon as one of the most enjoyable periods of my life. But then things began to change and our little family went out less and less. I was starting to dislike my desk and whilst the people really did keep me from walking on many an occasion I knew it would not be long until the end. 

This time round with my not-so-new-anymore job I feel it is more of a sophisticated affair. Everyone is over the age of twenty-five so have done the whole falling off the curb and bundling into a kebab shop at 2am. Work life nights out now include going on dinner dates, pre-drinks putting the world to rights and talking shite, heading to cocktail bars and paying over the odds for a glass of wine when you could have bought the whole bottle at the shop round the corner. Life is much more mature, but don't get me wrong oh how I do wish I could have a messy night out again with my old colleagues, or maybe with my new ones. A good old sticky night club floor, someone to bum menthol's off in the beer garden and a mediocre argument about how I can walk home as I live so close to town and not needing a cab. Maybe this is something I should initiate. A proper dirty night out! 

'Til next time, Love A.Lou xx

Being a Baby About It

Hello!

So after what it would seem as weeks worth of Halloween or fancy dress parties, this weekend saw Mr Warehouse and myself meeting up with some familiar faces from our old workplace to celebrate in true 90's style with an old work colleagues 40th birthday party. You would have thought that I had ran out of ideas to dress up as and I will be honest with you that by Saturday afternoon I still did not have a clue what I or Mr. Warehouse were going as. 

For months I had been planning some ideas in my head something simple that would be easy to pull off. Maybe  a Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake double denim combo? Or perhaps a Posh and Becks PVC leather catsuit look? Obviously Mr Warehouse and I had to be "Twinning" with whatever we wore. But what could be more 90's than pops power couples? Well it got me thinking. TV and film are always great starting points when looking for fancy dress ideas. So hitting up Google I decided to look into some of my favourite TV shows growing up. 

One of the classics that I looked into was The Rugrats! With Angelica speaking to me in a way that no other cartoon character had before with her bossy attitude and need for constant attention I thought that she would be perfect! But that would certainly take a lot of effort and not being blonde at the present moment would mean I would have to buy another word for probably the fourth week in a row. Maybe some of the other characters would be a better choice?! Then like out of nowhere it struck me! Why not go as Phil and Lil from The Rugrats. It was so simple! And that was it! With the idea firmly planted inside my head I headed to town in Vivienne to purchase the necessary costume components. Hitting up Primark first I found all the pieces I needed in the men's section with extra large pink t-shirts and even larger green vests. Hopping from the town centre over to another retail park where I visited Hobbycraft in order to pick up some yellow, pink and white felt. 

At home I made headway with only a short time before we had to leave the house again for some fireworks with Mr warehouses brother and his family. Grabbing my hot glue gun I got to work sticking down the yellow duck and tissues in the pockets of the outfits, adding in some pink bows for details on my outfit. Completing the look by fitting into some skin coloured leggings and curly hair I thought that we certainly looked the part even if Mr Warehouse had never seen a single episode of the nearly two-hundred that were made of The Rugrats that's found more than a decade. 

After an eventful evening out watching some local fireworks with Mr Warehouses family we headed over to the party venue. I was excited to see some of my old work colleagues and was even more excited about the potential of having a couple of drinks whilst having a boogie on the dance floor. Unfortunately though it would appear that after arriving Mr Warehouse became very tired and weary. I could empathize as to why as Mr Warehouse had been working most of the day. I was almost certain looking at him there in the light of the disco set that there were many other places he would have preferred to being rather than at a party dressed as a toddler and with dance music banging through his ears. I on the other hand was well up for a party and was thoroughly looking forward to a good drink. But looking around I noticed only one or two of my old work colleagues had made it. I missed them all terribly. 

As I got talking to my old supervisor I soon realized that my career move had been for the better. As much as I loved looking back on my time with my old company through Rose tinted glasses, it was certainly not all lightness and sweet. Whilst I had grown to adore my job as well as the people surrounding me in it, the sales peoples and engineers especially, as well as other office members, I think I knew deep down that it was not going to last much longer. In the months leading up to me leaving I had it been becoming increasingly dissatisfied with my working career and the fact that I felt like I was still being treated as the twenty-two-year-old girl that walked through the doors several years earlier was patronizing to say the least. The constant belittling and making me out to look as though I didn't know what I was doing, when in actual fact I knew exactly how to run the ship tighter and fairer than anyone was taking its toll. Enough was enough. 

I hated the fact that I left, but I have to remember that this was a decision on took not only for me but also for my future self and family. Sounds ridiculous I know but I took the decision to move jobs because of the luxuries we would have as a little family with just me, the Dog and the Bae. Since my decision last year almost to the day, Mr Warehouse and I have indulged in a holiday (or a few) both with and without the dog and have many more fun things planned for the future. I don't think that I would have ever been able to afford to have Vivienne on the wages I was getting back there. But money isn't everything and whilst I have the progression and option to go further with the company I work for now, something I would have never got if I stayed where I was, I have lost contact I feel with some amazing people. 

I wish that my old work life could have continued in the way that it had started with partying into the early hours most weekends, dating random fuck-boys and living life to the fullest, it was time to grow up. Whilst they were some of the most memorable and happiest moments of my life, every chapter must come to an end for a new one to begin. 

 'Til next time, Love A.Lou xx