And that's that.

Welp, it's been nice, but I gotta go.  Go back to work, that is.

We've been living in Missouri for a quarter of a year now, and things don't seem quite as foreign as they did last Labor Day weekend.  I can drive to most places without the aid of a GPS now and even when I get turned around, I end up discovering new and exciting things.  I tried to find the veterinarian's office last week and discovered a new shopping center - with a Von Maur, Old Navy Bed Bath and Beyond, and a Victoria's Secret.  Score one for me! 

We've had lots of company stay with us and we're slowly making new friends.  John knows a guy who has been in the tire business as long as he has, that lives 20 minutes from us.  He sells pinball machines on the side, and had an open house last night.  We had our pick of over 50 machines that were all rigged to play for free.  He even had 3 vintage bowling alleys.  How fun is that?!?  (I rocked the Dr. Who machine.  That's me in the middle, in one little corner of his basement.)

So tomorrow I will travel back to Bloomington, to be retrained for my old job.  (A lot has changed in 4 months.)  I will be working remotely, part-time (9:00-2:00) from home.  I have mixed feelings about this.  

The Good:  I will have a 10 second commute to the back bedroom office.  No wear and tear on the car, no gas expense.  I will be working with the pugs sleeping on my feet.  Part time will allow me to do a lot of stuff around the house (lots and lots of rooms to paint) and I can get seriously crafty (I almost have my beading/craft station ready to go.)  I could never get a part time job that would pay like this (I still have nightmares about the olive oil and vinegar store).  I will get to reconnect with old customers that I genuinely miss.  I will be working with my original group of brokers and broker assistants - good people.  

The Bad:  I will never meet anyone here.  I miss an office environment (OK, I miss parts of it).  I will also be working for one other broker, who trades commodities that are unfamiliar to me.  I'm nervous about that.  

The Ugly:  Skyping, after I get off the treadmill in the morning and don't have time to put myself together before the 10 second commute to work.  

Looking at it now, I guess the good really does outweigh the bad.  And even if I do manage my time and get cleaned up before 9:00 am, no one has has to see the sweat pants I'll be wearing every day.  Score another one for me.