Girlfriends

I'm one of those girls that doesn't have an abundance of friends.  Especially close girlfriends.  I've always had just a couple of really close friends and quite a few acquaintances.  I joined the workforce right after high school instead of going to college.  I didn't have the opportunity to have a dorm roommate or join a sorority.  The girlfriends that I have now are more or less the ones that I had in high school.  That means we have been friends for twelve or thirteen years (or longer). I love those girls!  The sad part is that I've lost touch with a couple of them. It's not for a lack of trying, but more because life is too busy, and distance is too great.
I'm going on a girls weekend late this summer! It's the first time since Force and I have been together that I've done anything like this. I'm so excited that I'm already trying to plan my vacation wardrobe!  That along with trying to drop so serious poundage that I've picked up in the last few years. We will be spending the weekend in Sonoma Valley.  That's right, wine country.  One hotel room, one rental car, and five women that have known each other for longer than we would like to admit.

We are staying here:
 
Dreamy huh!?!

Fail

I failed.  Yes, it's that black and white.  I took an industry specific exam yesterday and failed.  It sucks, I cried. More than anything I am mad at myself.  Mad that I put in dozens of hours studying and preparing, spent that time away from JT and my Hubs.  Mad that I had to go to work today and answer the "did you pass" question what feels like a million times.

I think more than anything my ego is bruised.  I'd like to think that ego doesn't play a roll in this, but I'm certain it does. I am pretty stinking good at my job. I don't miss deadlines, of which there are many, I rarely make errors, and I can usually give the correct answer to any one of the multitude of questions that I'm asked in a day. I deal a lot with other peoples money and investments and I take that very serious.  This test, in addition to one more, will open a new level of work for me.  It will bring on more responsibility, more opportunities, and hopefully more money.  The thing of it is, this test in particular deals exclusively with a part of the business that I don't work in.  Really nobody in my office (or other offices I've worked in) deals much with it at all.  That just makes it all that much harder.  I don't have any real experience to draw from when I study.  I have to be able to apply the logic to an actual even in order for it to make sense.

I'll be taking this stinkin' test again in about 4 weeks.  Wish me luck!! I'll need it.