Trying to be an adult can be hard...

I recently got a new puppy.  Her name is Riley, and she is a 10 week old Chocolate Lab.  She is absolutely adorable, but she's a puppy!  Meaning she plays a lot, which is usually great - I already have her playing fetch, tug-a-war, and she's learning tricks!  But this "kid" has so much energy and she wakes me up way too early to go outside!  Also, she completely breaks my heart every time I leave the house and hear her crying in her cage.  I can't imagine what it would be like with real children.  She definitely proves that in the growing up thing, I am not grown up enough for real kids.

I may be one step closer to having a full-time job, though!  I have been working at Chestnut since February.  I started part-time working Sat and Sun, but with IL state budget cuts, I was switched to Fri and Sat midnights, and it SUCKS.  Still, I cover at least one other shift a week, so I still get to see the boys going through treatment, and I love those days.  Well, there are some full-time staff leaving, so I applied and interviewed for a full-time position last Friday.  I should hear something this week.  Please keep your fingers crossed!  I am ready to get off midnights and have 3 days off a week!  (Since the shifts are 10 hrs, I would only work 4 days a week.  Sweet, I know!)

All of this is keeping me busy and my mind off the fact that my baby brother is in TX for the next 7 weeks at basic training.  He's been gone a week, and I have already written him twice.  I can't wait to go see him graduate because after basic, he goes straight to tech school in FL until Dec 31st.  Meaning he'll miss Thanksgiving, his birthday (with his family...obviously he won't miss it), and Christmas.  I am already dreading it all, but I am so proud of him.  There are facebook pages for families that have people at Air Force trainings, and they have been so helpful.  I get teary-eyed looking at them.  It's hard to believe that my baby brother is one this growing up journey, too.  He is such a great "kid."