Geocaching in the city...

It was a beautiful day out on Friday and I had to try to stay awake. So, what better way to do that than to go geocaching?!?! I headed out to my parents' house to get Dutch and then to the Blodgett house to pick up my lady friends, Megan and Anne.

This was a multicache located right in downtown Manchester. The task was to visit the parks downtown and to view and gather information on the statues in those parks. The final cache was down by the river. Overall it took us about 3 hours from start to finish, including a stop at Ben & Jerry's on Elm Street.

This was Anne's first time caching and I think she liked it! She wasn't really cranky and she only fell asleep for a short time. What a good cacher!

Getting ready to go!

General John Stark

Casimir Pulaski
Victory Park
Dutch and I. Same park different side of the monument.
Bronstein Park
Veterans Memorial Park
Look, flowing water!
The Mill Girl
The final cache! Yay!
And of course, what commute home would be better than Dean Camin's? 5:30pm, time to go home.

Weekend off...

My hard work is paying off! The store is looking better. I am working overnights this week and am trying to get caught up on some merchandising. Should be on track for getting apparel done this week and infant care completely reset by week's end. I will be enjoying my weekend off, then back to work at 4am on Monday morning. New boss starts on Monday too... yay!

Good news and more questions...

Well, the doc called yesterday to inform me that I had an "abnormal" PAP result so now I need to go in for a colposcopy. Not sure I am spelling that right. Basically it is a color dye test to see what is causing the abnormal result. Hopefully it is nothing, like most people have when they get one of these results of their test.

The good news is that my hormone levels are normal, meaning that I don't have PCOS. But, that still leaves the question of why is my system so off? Oh well, I will just deal with it. At least it will be not as hard to have a baby as I was freaking out about! This is great news!

Summer is here...

... finally!!! After work today I decided to mow the lawn. But, Fritz was watching me prep the yard and he made sure I was aware the he wanted to go out and play (eat lots of grass). Not only was he yelling at me, he was trying to pry the locked slider screen door open to get to his freedom. So, I caved and let the cats romp in the grass before I mowed it.

Two kitties chillin in the shade...

Zee enjoying the weather and long grass...

Fritz finally free outside with a full bell of grass...
Dutch enjoying a frozen cheeze & bacon filled bone...
Oh and look! Finally a normal sized strawberry!
And of course there is video of Fritz on the tail end of the first grasshopper hunt of the day...

Needed life changes

We all like to snack. We all enjoy our favorite foods. We all sit on our butts and watch TV. Well, that life style has finally caught up with me and now I might be paying the price.

Be warned! This post is about girly things so stop reading here if it freaks you out!

Ok, so those of you who really really know me know my periods are like clock work. It is February 1, break out the box of tampons it will be here today. Well... not any more. For the past 4 months my body has been playing tricks on me. How about we freak her out and come 2 days later this month, and then two days later than that next month... oh then 4 days later the following month. Haha, to really get her going let's come a full 7 days late this time! No, I am not freaked out about being pregnant each month for the past 4 months. That would be a blessing. I was freaking out that I had a tumor or something. Why do I always think I have a tumor?

So I finally went to the gyno after having to reschedule it a few times due to unexpected period arrivals. I had an ovarian cyst years ago when I was living in VA. I have been experiencing pain agian in that same ovary for about a year now. So, of course I go to the doc and this month there is no pain - story of my medical life. She didn't feel any cysts on this visit but wants me to call when I have pain so they can do an ultrasound to confirm cysts.

Then she tells me she wants to test some of my hormone levels and asks me if I have had any extra hair growth on my face or chest. Hmmm, is she questioning my gender cuz she just saw it... She is concerned that I may have PCOS (polycystic ovary syndrome).

PCOS apparently is a vicious cycle of hormone imbalances - a chain reaction if you can imagine. Ovary produces cysts which cause abnormal levels of one not female friendly hormone which causes something in the adrenal glands to produce another hormone which causes insulin resiliance. So, long story short my hormones are trying to make it very difficult for me to conceive a child without medical intervention. If I do get preggers I will most likely have gestational diabetes, have a 45% chance of miscarriage and a barage of other "bad things". Not to mention that having normal diabetes is pretty much on the horizon.

Now, apparently if I lose weight I will decrease my chance of diabetes and increase my chances of having a baby. So, immediately I have been eating way better. I am starving at night, but it is worth it. I am currently looking for a dedicated gym partner. Any takers?

And let's not forget the other part of this. I have always maintained my view on medical intervention for pregnancy. I do/will not take any medications to prevent pregnancy and I will not drug myself up to get pregnant. I do not belive in medical intervention to get pregnant. If I am meant to have a child it will happen. So, I must do everything I can to get healthy, not only to have a baby but to live a long and healthy life. At 29 I never thought I would hear those words come out of my doctor's mouth.

Beer Can Chicken!

Beer can chicken is my new favorite way to cook the bird. What is beer can chicken? It is basically this:

Open a can of beer (cheap beer that your former roomie left in the mini fridge).

Insert the opened can of beer into the chicken's butt. Yes, put it there and let the chicken rest on the pan like this. I normally shove a plug in the chicken's neck to keep the steaming beer inside. I used an onion here.

Let the chicken cook in the oven at the recommended temp and time for roasting.

The tricky part is getting the beer can out of the chicken butt when it is done. I find it helpful to have an extra set of hands to hold the chicken as you push the can out from the neck part down and out the butt.

This is the most moist chicken I have ever had. I have made it a few times and each time it is so juicy! You don't taste the beer at all... just pure juicy chicken bliss. I rubbed olive oil, salt, and pepper on mine before cooking it just like I would do if I was roasting a chicken without beer can on the inside! Give it a try!

4 day weekend...

My mini vacation is over. We had some great experiences this weekend and I wish I had pictures to show. James' camera broke this weekend and I didn't bring mine with me. Our weekend started out by heading up to Boothbay Harbor, Maine for a visit to James' parents' sailboat. Yes, I did stay on the sailboat. It wasn't bad at all. We were just on the mooring a very short distance from the dock so I felt very safe. We did some geocaching between rain showers, had some yummy food, and were right under the fireworks display. The fireworks were great! I would do this again next year and might actually see about venturing out on the boat with sails up!

Sunday we got up early and drove from Boothbay to my parents' lake house in New Durham, NH - about a 3 hour drive. It was a pretty ride since we took some state routes through the states instead of taking the highway the entire way. It was nice to spend some quality time with James. We don't get to spend much time together while we have to be at work because we both work retail.

Monday we stayed home and did some chores. I had homework to do, James mowed the lawn... fun stuff. I had a dentist appointment Monday evening and then I had to go to school. I got home from school and James had set up the tent in the back yard, put out the citronella candles and set up the fire bowl. We went camping in our own back yard and had a blast! Just me, James and Dutch.

Tuesday we woke up in the tent to some light sprinkles so all blankets and pillows had to be immediately taken into the house. We did more chores on Tuesday and I got my car fixed. O2 sensor paid for by my extended warranty company and while they were fixing that they noticed that my strut was leaking... so the extended warranty company paid for that too! The Blodgetts and Josh came for dinner, we had some yummy food... and KILLER BUNNIES came back out of the closet! We haven't gotten together for games in so long and it was so fun!

Now back to work for a few weeks until vacation time is here. I can't wait until August 23!

Sweet baby James...

My boyfriend is the sweetest and most thoughtful boyfriend I ever had. I got into my car after a long day at work and there were mini roses decorating the interior of my car to cheer me up! Why couldn't we have met years ago? I am glad we didn't meet back in the day though. We were both two completely different people and we both were not ready for the serious relationship we are currently in. I love him and he always keeps me on my toes!

It's been a while...

No, I haven't fallen off of the face of the earth.
No, I haven't run away to live at the lake.
No, I haven't gone insane... yet.

I have been very busy with work and school. What? Yes, this crazy girl is working 11-13 hours a day and decided to take a 3 hour class twice a week. The class is only 5 weeks so it will not be that bad and this class is one that I have wanted to take for over a year. Non-profit leadership! I like the not-for-profit sector and think it is something that I will excel in.

So, I just thought I would touch base with everyone to let them know that I am still here... just crazy busy and exhausted!

Progress...

I am happy to report that things are turning around slowly but surely! We made the top 10 list for battery sales % in the nation last week! We are ranked high in the district on customer satisfaction... things are changing. I am exhausted but it is great to see the fruits of my labor paying off!

I am supposed to start class on Monday but this is a very time consuming class. I am not sure if I will be able to handle class and work this time. I have until Monday morning to decide if I am going to take it or not. I am a straight A student and don't want to spend $1500 to get a B or C.

Long road to recovery...

Just wanted you to know that it is worse than I though. This new challenge at work is not going to be easy or fun and will probably result in my hair turning mostly gray. I believe that there is huge potential in that building. They just need a lot of structure and guidance and support and with that it will be one spectacular place! It is going to take time and patience on both ends of the rope but it will be worth it in the end.

I am moving...

My DM summoned me to her office today. My hunches have been confirmed. I am going to Nashua BRU starting Monday. Yes, my last day in my beloved Manchester is TOMORROW! I am going to have a busy day making sure that everything is in order for my successor, Colin. I am having a bitter sweet reaction to this transfer. I have literally given blood, sweat and tears over the past year to ensuring that this remodel was a success. My store is my store and I have been so successful in my role in Manchester. I have loyal guests who come see me regularly and will miss everyone. The Nashua store is going to be challenging, and I am always up for a challenge. But, I will be missing my Manchester family very much.

Fishing!!!

James and I went deep sea fishing yesterday. I haven't been in a few years and James has never been. We had a wonderful time! The weather was not spectacular and it was rather icky when we first left. I was fishing in the rain for a bit. But, the day was great. I got to spend it with James, got to see some old friends, and Eric was there too!

I got the first fish on the boat! I reeled up a total of about 7 fish, 4 of which were keepers. James was able to reel up 1 keeper for the day... his only fish of the day. At least on his first trip he got something on the hook!

James giving the jig a try... seeing as the bait hadn't worked for him all day.

Reeling up a 9 pound cod that was just at 24", the keeper minimum size.

James' first cod... it was happy to see him too!

James didn't quite know how to hold up a fish for a picture. I guess this will do!

Dane Cook

I took James to see Dane Cook last Sunday for his 29th bday present. It was pretty good! Just a few pics to share...

Life is precious...

I am sure most of you in NH heard of the fatal car crash in Lee this past Saturday night. The young man that passed away in that accident is the husband of my friend's best friend. Though I have only met him a handful of times, this tragedy has affected me.

James was only 28 when he passed away. He is in the military so it is always in the back of your mind that something can happen while serving our country, but you never assume that your husband will not come home from going to pick up dinner. He leaves behind a wife and 4 beautiful children ages 11 to 2. The two year old was in the car too, and was the only survivor of the crash. She was properly secured in her car seat and was not injured. A huge blessing through all of this.

To all my friends and family, we tend to take our driving abilities for granted. Though there is not an answer to the cause of this crash, we do know that the other driver crossed the yellow line on a straight part of the road. Perhaps it was a medical condition, perhaps it was changing the radio station, perhaps reaching for a cell phone. We are all guilty of the latter two on a daily basis. Please, use your phone wisely. Use a wireless ear piece or don't use your phone at all while driving. A split second decision to make a call can cost you and a stranger your lives and can ruin the lives of those who you love. And always, wear your seat belt and don't speed.

Donations to benefit the Dixon children may be made to:

The James L. Dixon Memorial Fund, care of Citizens Bank, 875 Elm St., Manchester 03101, attention Anne Chouinard.

View James Dixon's obituary here.

This weekend's events...

This is a big weekend for us! Tomorrow is Mother's day and we have decided that it would be a good day for our parents to meet. So, tomorrow the parents are coming for breakfast. We are a bit nervous but overall we are excited.

This means we need to have the house clean before 10am tomorrow!

Comcastic!

We are switching to Comcast for our internet service today! I am so thrilled! We have been struggling with bandwith issues and reliability from Fairpoint and finally said enough is enough! He should be here between 1 and 3 to make our lives a little more fun. Yay!

Quarantined...

We are home! We arrived home on Friday night, as scheduled. We didn't want to leave the beautiful weather in Cancun! We had booked a trip to see some ruins and to go snorkeling on Tuesday but that was the first day that the Mexican Federal Government shut down all public gathering places... so we ended up staying on the resort the entire trip. This was an all inclusive resort complete with beach and pool drink and food delivery so we were pretty content! The weather was great, we got to relax with eachother, and I got to swim in the Caribbean!

We are staying home for a few days to make sure that the incubation period passes with out any ill effects and so that we can not infect anyone else if we do have the swine flu. As of right now we are feeling fine.

I think I have decided that I would like to go back to Cancun for 30Fest so that we can see the ruins and do some snorkeling and such. I will keep you all posted.

Here is a video I made of the pictures we took. I hope you can view it!

Off to Mexico

For all intensive purposes...

... the master bedroom is "done". We have moved back into the room and just need to do the pictures and all that jazz. Here is a sneak preview of the "finished room".


Today I will work on the guest room and getting things finished up around the house. I still need to paint the furniture but that can wait a day. Stay tuned for completed room pictures!

Painting is done!!!!

Yay! Painting is done in the master bedroom! I am so relieved that I am taking a minute to relax! We might try to move into the room tonight, but I really want to let the rug dry. Yes, I also shampooed the carpet with a rented RugDoctor. It looks great! Only about 48 hours until my "deadline" to be done everything.

Yay! The paint is done!

A closer look at the chair rail. Ya, we ended up using nails since the adhesive wasn't working to my liking. I only hit my thumb once!

I paid one of my store associates to do the yard... she and her boyfriend raked the entire yard and picked up every single piece of Dutchie poop. Thank you to that person as that saved me a ton of stress!

Here is the list of things that I need to get done in the next 48 hours:

• move furniture into bedrooms
• rewire new outlets so that they match the walls
  
• hang stuff on walls
• repaint nightstands to match newly painted bedroom
• hang closet organizers and move stuff into the closet
• wash new bedding
• assemble new patio set
• CLEAN! THIS HOUSE IS A DISASTER!
• staple down carpet on porch

For all intensive purposes, that is the list for now. I am sure I will have tons of more minor things that I will be doing.

Stay tuned for pictures of finished rooms!

Tuesday in review

So, another day off spent doing everything but relaxing! I can't wait for this repainting of the bedrooms fiasco to be done!!!

Today I did accomplish a great deal. See my previous post to see my progress. In addition to the list I also rehung the door. No more walking over gates!

I would like to say thank you to the dads (my Dad and Dave) for helping me complete this project. My dad is out of commission due to shoulder surgery so he lent me the tools and Dave came over to help me measure and cut the chair rails. There is only one coat on one piece of chair rail left and then the painting is DONE!! Well, done until we get back from Mexico and convert the small guest bedroom into the office area.

The remainder of the indoor tasks include:

• painting the last piece of chair rail
• making the level line on the wall to hang the chair rail
• hang the chair rail
• vacuum and shampoo carpet
• decide what furniture will go in what room and paint to appropriate color for said room
• hang pictures and shelves in both finished rooms
• wash new bedding
• get appropriate light bulbs for lamps I purchased at Ikea a few months back

Outdoor tasks:

• pick up the poop (huge priority)
• rake
• call for termite treatment
• fertilize
• put together new patio set that I purchased on Monday night after work (thanks Phil!)
• remove leaves from grilling area

Of course all of this will be followed by cleaning the house to a spotless level and ensuring the fridge is clean before we leave. I am sure Meghan and Bryan Mc don't want to deal with my moldy leftovers!

Tuesday...

... is full of "fun". I am determined to get the red room nearly done today. Here is what is left:

• paint heater (I just put the primer coat on)
• sand window
• paint trim of window
• sand door
• paint door
• practice with chair rail in mitre box (not sure I spelled that correctly)
• measure out chair rail and cut
• paint chair rail
• hang chair rail
• vacuum carpet
• wash carpet
• wash new bedding
• decide which furniture will end up in which room and paint to match said room

This is what needs to get done outside prior to Sunday so that we can have a good day off prior to going to Mexico:

• Pick up dog doodie
• rake lawn (I know I am very late on this)
• put down organic fertilizer (or no fertilizer if I can't find some)
• get leaves out from under porch and away from the grill
• put together new patio set
• clean porch (sweep and staple down carpet)
• fluff mulch
• call for termite treatment (huge priority!)

So, needless to say I will be busy today!

Happy Easter!

I hope you all had a happy Easter! James and I enjoyed our day by working on the bedroom (what a shock), then rushing to get to my parents' as we were an hour late and then to his parents' house for the evening. It was a long day and we were in bed and sleeping before 10! So much for the restful day we had hoped for! But, it was great seeing all of our family and spending time with them. And I participated in my first egg tapping contest. I came in 3rd (I think). It is pretty fun to smack egg tips together and see who has the strongest egg!

Thanks to everyone for hosting us!

What a difference...

... two coats of Sherwin William's paint makes! We have officially finished painting the red, white, and all the trim except the window and the baseboard heater... oh and the door. Those are in progress. We took the tape down today and what a massive difference in brightness the room! All we need to do now is get the chair rail up and wash the carpet!

This is after the first piece of tape came down. The stripe in the middle is the old wall color. What a difference!

Someone likes to spoon...

... guess who? Both Dutch and Zee like to spoon with me in bed. Zee was on Dutch's bed today and Dutch must have wanted to reclaim it so he spooned her! She got up a few minutes later.

Dutch was saying "This is my bed and I am reclaiming it!"

Dutch decided to get a bit more comfy.

The red is...

... DONE! We barely squeaked by with 1 gallon of Sherwin Williams blend of red paint. There are only a few drips left so it was well worth the money to buy the good paint. Now, tomorrow will be the white on the heating baseboard and the first coat of white on the wall. Perhaps if we are lucky we can get two coats of white on the walls!

Look at this glorious red!

You get what you pay for!

Just an update on the painting. After 4 coats of Behr paint, I was not satisfied with the quality of the paint. The color was not coming through and the way it fell on the wall was lumpy. So, after going through 2 gallons James suggested that we go to Sherwin Williams. Oh my gosh. They had a better match to the color I wanted and they were willing to mix a gallon for me to see and if it didn't look like the color I wanted he wouldn't charge me. It was the perfect color and he recommended how to fix our problem.

One coat later the walls in my room are 100% better! It seems like the Behr paint is clear and the Sherwin Williams paint is thick and creamy. Way better coverage. So, we should be done the red tomorrow before bed.

This is the color of the room before painting. The primer brand is Zap. Notice the great coverage! Take note of the color of the red on the wall pre-Behr.

This is after 4 coats of the Behr red. It is very thin and you can see the lines on the wall from the roller. The edging was not drying as the same color as the wall. The red is supposed to be a bright red... this is coming out as a maroon with some red splashed over it.
OK, this is after 1 coat of the Sherwin Williams. It looks pink due to the flash, but it is a bright red. Just think candy apple. You can see the contrast to the 4 coats of Behr.

So, long story short. Spend the money on good paint at a place where the staff is trained to get you the best results.

This is a shot of the guest room after the painting is done. The final step was washing the carpet. This is our temporary room while the master bedroom is being painted.

Looks like I am not the only one who likes the king size pillow top bed!

The painting continues...

My camera is temporarily missing in action as my house it turned up side down due to the painting. When I find my camera I will post pictures! But for now, here is the update. Red is not an easy color to paint. My master bedroom was already a deep red, almost maroon and it is being covered in "California Poppy" which is a bright and vibrant red on the top part of the room and "Billowy Clouds" on the bottom. There will be a chair rail separating the two colors.

Here is how the battle has gone so far. While painting the guest room (the former green room that is now "Slender Reed") we used Killz primer. It took 3 or 4 coats to cover the green. Our friend Jason swore by Zap brand primer. I couldn't find it at HD and then I was just poking around Lowe's the other day and there it was. I got a gallon to try on the bottom half of the red room. Oh my word, Zap is the best primer on the market. I did two coats of this primer and the red is completely covered and the walls are bright white! Zap is the way to go if you are priming anything. Trust me!

So today red coats number 3 and 4 are going up and hopefully that will be enough. I had to purchase gallon number 2 of the red last night on my way home from work and hopefully that is enough!

New Favorite Snack!

Dutch has a new favorite snack! He needs to eat healthy so he is pretty limited to apples, broccoli, bananas, and other fruits and veggies. He gets a bone from time to time or an organic dog biscuit but nothing tops his new favorite combo. I came up with this the other night and he seems to really enjoy it and has now learned where the apple sauce and peanut butter are kept and stares at the fridge.

Bananas with organic apple sauce and organic peanut butter - all mixed up!

Dutch normally inhales his food but he seems to savor this snack... long slow licks! He has been a bit depressed these past few days so I am happy to indulge him in a healthy treat once in a while.

Need motivation...

I can't get in the mood to paint! James has done so much work on the rooms and I have only done one coat of primer. I want to be done painting this spare bedroom by this Sunday night. My plan is to be 100% done with the guest room by next week... this means painting, washing the carpet, moving furniture and getting the pictures hung up. I think this will be done by Wednesday at the latest but that is if I get motivated! We need to be done both this room and our bedroom before we go to Mexico in 5 weeks! Then when we get back the third bedroom will be made into an office/study room.

Finally done!

Today is the last day of the last class that I need for my Master's Certificate in HR Management!!!! I just need to deliver my presentation, which is fun filled, and that is it! Of course I finished my paper and presentation yesterday morning so I have all day to do stuff around the house! And, I can enjoy my days off for the next few months.

I now have 7 classes to go to complete my Master's in Organizational Leadership. I will be taking a class on non-profit management this summer and I am honestly psyched to take this class. It is with my favorite prof and it is a subject that I am very interested in. Woo Hoo!

Is spring here?

I was so excited to hear that the weather is going to be great over the next few days! Then I became depressed because I have too much to do inside to enjoy a hike on my day off tomorrow. But, that doesn't mean that Dutch can't enjoy some fresh air! After his morning nap he looked out the back door and decided he wanted to go out... to sun himself. So, I got him his "messy bed" and out he went!

Ahhh, this is the life!

Yes, Dutch has his own body pillow. He needs his comfort.

My old man...

Dutch is 7, which we all know. He enjoyed his birthday party in January and enjoyed his annual vet appointment last week. He received his next 3 year rabies shot, kennel cough booster, and gave blood for the now "annual blood screening". Turns out Dutch is on the road to hypothyroidism. So, we watch for lethargy, lack of appetite, and major hair loss. Until then we will live our life as normal.

5% cashback!!

For those of you with a Discover card, say thank you now! I was checking my online statement and noticed the "informational advertisement" on the right side of the web page stating that you can get 5% cash back on travel, fashion, and warehouse club purchases. I clicked on it and sure enough all you have to do is click a button to notify Discover that you want to save 5% during the specified period instead of 1%! Everyone shops at these stores so why not use your Discover card and get extra cash back? Jan - March has 5% back on airlines, hotels, car rentals, and cruises. Perhaps I should book my cruise by March 31 and get 5% back on a maximum purchase of $800. That is an extra $40 in my pocket.

• March is 5% back on warehouse clubs.

• April - June is 5% back on home and fashion purchases.

• July - September is 5% back on gas, theme parks, and hotels.

If you have a Discover card and plan on making purchases that involve any of the above items, go to your account page and sign up to get this extra bonus!! It is free so take advantage!

It's a girl!

I think this is the second "It's a girl!" post in 6 weeks, right? James is the proud new uncle to Nella Mitchell, born at 3:23 am! She is a peanut at just under 6 pounds and a 1/4 inch shy of 19" in length. Mommy and Daddy didn't know what they were having - she was nice to give them a double surprise by showing up a few weeks early! I know that Nella will be loved by all and that there will be plenty of good times ahead. Congrats to the proud new family!

Change is coming!

Time to make things my own! I have not done a thing to my house since I moved in besides putting on a new roof and putting sheet rock in the laundry room. So, I decided that I wanted to redo the bedrooms - all 3 of them! We are starting with the new guest bedroom. This is the former room of Mike, my old roomie. I love this green that a former roomie put in here. I hate to get rid of it, but it needs another coat and the nautical decor that I already have won't go well with green. So, the color will now be "slender reed" when we are done - a beachy tan. James is shown here getting ready to paint the ceiling. That is now done and I put up one of a few coats of primer so that the green won't show through. Meghan will hopefully like this new room when she moves in later in April!

Town Fair Tire dinner

I had to dress up this weekend. I really don't enjoy dressing up - that is no secret. But, I clean up well and I found out that James cleans up well too! We looked really great for one reason, the Town Fair Tire year end dinner.

Look, we are not in jeans!

The shrimp were bigger than James' thumb!

James received an award for his store reaching $2M. It was his first year being open so this number should be bigger next year!

Polishing his award in the hotel room.
Look how proud he is. I am proud of him too!

The evening was great. I had a lot of fun and it really was fun getting all dressed up with James. I am looking forward to next year's dinner!!

Time to catch up

Ok, it has been a week or two since my last blog and quite a few things have happened. The biggest thing that has happened, and most recent, is that we found out we are not getting raises this year. Don't get me wrong - I am glad to have a job that I normally enjoy, but it is just upsetting because we all busted our tails off this year with the remodel and all that goes along with it. What is more upsetting is the way they told us. We have something called impact planner. It is basically a program that has a list of stuff we need to do and important communications. We need to sign off the items as they are completed. They actually put that we were not getting raises in this impact planner. Talk about trying to avoid conflict! Not only did they do a poor job at delivering that message, but the reasons they gave seems kind of fake. And, since it costs just about nothing to give us all another week of vacation, why not offer a week of vacation instead? Like I said - at least I have a job that I like. Just wish that those delivering the message would have done it in a more appropriate manner and would consider some alternatives instead of just saying something along the lines of "sorry, but everyone else is doing it due to the economy."

I am just about done my last class to get my Master's certificate in HR management. I am dreading the final paper because it will make me look at myself and I will have to write about my personal leadership style and what kind of leader I want to be and how I will get there. There is basically no heavy research involved, just a lot of personal reflection and such. I think this will be the hardest paper I will ever have to write!

Now that my parents know about this I can put it in my blog. James is going to move into the house in April, probably along with my sister. His lease is up at the end of March, I need a roomie, we spend almost all of our time together as it is... so why not? We are redoing the bedrooms, which is something I wanted to do already. I haven't done anything in my house to make it my own since I moved in so I am very anxious about getting some rooms painted and such. Yay!

James and I are going to Mexico in 11 weeks! I am very excited to be going out of the country for the very first time - and even better yet it is free!!! I am just waiting for Mrs. Natalie Brankin to give me some advise about what to do while there since she went to the same resort while she was on her honeymoon. I really want to go fishing and see some ruins... and go to the swim up bar at the pool. Yes, I said swim up bar... and that is included in the "all inclusive" part of the resort!

I think that is all that is going on here in my world. I am sure I will update the blog more frequently once school is over.

It's been a while since...

OK people. I know I have been delayed on the blogging, but I have been super busy! We had inventory at work, my new class started, and I have been spending a lot of time doing things around the house and with James. So with out any more delay here is a new posting.

Inventory went really well. I am glad that it is done and that we are starting the new fiscal year with an "accurate" inventory. I found a few errors so far but they will be easily corrected. Work is going well so far. Fiscal year 2009 started yesterday so we start from square 1. Goals are reset to reflect our new configuration (TRU/BRU) so we will be challenged to meet our numbers from July to January this year. And, our company has combined into one operating unit. Yes, you are correct, it has always been one company with two divisions. Now we are one division. My district manager now has TRU and BRU stores and we are all one happy family. I hope that this allows for a better flow of communication between the TRU and BRU stores and upper management and that the transition will be smooth.

Ok, onto the relationship front. I know this is the most exciting part for all of you to read. The update is that we are still together. There really isn't anything different. We are going to Mexico in April courtesy of James' employer. Stay tuned for updates. There might be some exciting news in April. We decided to have lobster at home insted of going out and spending money for dinner.

Lobster!

What are these???

Fritz likes the white stuff left in the shell.

My friends Megan and Jason had their baby! It's a girl!! Anne Katherine was born on January 16th, 3 weeks early! She is so cute and precious and she is really good at keeping mommy and daddy up at night. I will put up a picture once the proud parents give me the ok for blog posting. Their baby shower was a mere 4 days before Anne made an effort to arrive! Just in time! It was a shower for all.

Nick and Jason at the shower.

And, Dutch celebrated his 7th birthday last week. My little boy is officially an old man now. He is a senior dog. Gray muzzle and he has old man belly (it's saggy). I remember when Dutch came home with me and he could fit on my lap in my little S-10 pickup. I could hold him in my arms like a 10 pound baby that he was. I remember the first time we went to the beach, the first time we had a vet emergency - Auntie Meghan hit him in the eye with a toy and his pupil wouldn't diolate, and how proud grandpa was when he lifted his leg for the first time (he was 2 and a half - an underachiever). Grandpa used to make fun of Dutch for peeing like a girl! I remember the first time Dutch's protection instinct kicked in - he was 6 months old. I remember the first time he met his Grandma - love at first site - same trip that Meghan hit his eye. The time when Irina went to check the mail and Dutch got out and half way around the neighborhood.... and pregnant Irina chasing him and finally getting him to run back down the street by yelling "Do you want a treat?" He came barreling back down the street and right into the house for his treat. And of course the latest incident - the rotisserie chicken. It has been a fun 7 years and I hope we have a fun 7 more.

Happy birthday baby boy!

I will be painting a few rooms in my house in February. Once I am done I will post pictures. Huge changes are on the way and I am so excited!

New Year, New Life

I think 2009 is my year. My final pre 30 year. I feel as though I have this new reason to live, new desire to do well in everything, and a new inspiration to do what is right for those around me.

My classes for my Master's certificate in HR end in March. Yes, my hard work has paid off and I have a near perfect GPA. My last class on the list is the basic "organizational leadership" class - what leaders really do and all sorts of cool stuff like how to deal with change. I like this kind of class because I have seen myself grow in this area over the years and I enjoy seeing how much I have matured in the workplace. The only down side to being done this certificate is that the economy is not too hot right now and my plans for looking for new full time employment and working part time at BRU have been put on hold.

On a similar note, my store is doing well. I have a great staff who want to do well so that the expectant parents get what is best for their situation and their growing families. I am well respected by all of my peers and other store managers. Now, if I could just get that raise I want...

And of course there is James. Yes, we have only been together a short period of time. But, I can tell good things are going to come of this. He actually likes me for who I am and what I stand for. He even thinks I am cute in my warm ups and sweatshirt. He gets along beautifully with my closest friends, and I have a fear that I will lose James to Jason because they get along so well. I have waited a long time for someone like James to come into my life and my patience has finally paid off.