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.

Meeting the parents...

Sunday was the first time James and I could spend an entire day together! He only gets one full day off a week, Sunday, and my 6 day work week is over! I was invited to family Christmas as his parents' house and I invited him to my parents' for dinner.

Breakfast and presents were fun at the Mackey household. I got to meet both parents, one of his sisters, her hubby, their unborn baby and their adorable dog. We had "special breakfast" which is really a breakfast sufle. Everyone got lots of great gifts and I felt pretty relaxed as the visit progressed.

We then went to the Planetarium for a 2pm show. I must say that I was disappointed. I have been there a few times, and this was by far the most disappointing show yet. I have been spoiled by Ed's great show delivery so this may have tainted my opinion. I will still go again, but will make sure that Ed is working!

Off to my parents' for dinner with them and Meghan. Dinner was great and everyone seemed to get along well. Meghan was telling us about the McMonagle's cat, Cookie, and I ended up spitting out my coffee all over the place because I was laughing so hard. Shockingly, James thought it was hilarious and not gross.

And, we had Tess, James' roommate, take a picture of us! We finally have a picture! We will be taking more pictures I am sure, but this is our first.

Update on The Manfront

I have been single for over a year. I know that I have said that I really could care less about my status and I meant it. I was happy just being me, learning about who I am now - not trying to fit into my previous mold. I wasn't exactly looking to meet a spectacular guy... but I did. Here is the story.

OK, so I am a super dork and get emails from Match.com. Stop the laughing. I was looking at the emails one day and I ended up going on the site. I stumbled across this guy who looked so familiar. His profile said he lives in Hooksett... maybe I knew him from elementary school? Sports? Just bumming around town? I was so convinced that I knew him that I sent him an email asking him if we knew each other. I had no intention of hanging out with him at all. I just wanted to catch up with someone from the good old days of Hooksett. After a few emails back and forth trying to figure out where I may have recognized him from, we determined that in fact I was nuts and had no clue who he was.

So, at this point this guys seems pretty cool and like someone that I would hang out with on a friend level for a bit. We started talking online and that leads to a few text messages... and then one very slow Saturday night at work this guy asks me if I know him. I replied, "no?". "Are you sure?" I repeated, "Ummmm, no." He then introduced himself as James. Ahhhh, the guy who I swore I knew from a pic was standing right in front of me and I didn't recognize him! I felt like a tool! It also took me a few days to get the whole "Do I know you?" comment... seeing as I thought I knew him and all... I am slow sometimes.

Anyway, we have been hanging out ever since! Megan and Jason had breakfast with us once and like him. We even went down to Boston to meet the siblings and their significant others for my birthday on Saturday. From what I can tell, we all get along great and everyone seems to like him (no shock there).

Here is the picture that made me wonder if I knew him.
He even has mad drizzle skills!

I am sure there will be many an update on Mr. James and out adventures. His family has a sail boat. Wouldn't it be a riot if he actually got me to set foot on it? Talk about breaking my mold!! Stay tuned!

Toys for Tots stuff a POD

Toys for Tots Stuff a SAM Weekend! This is me with "OJ" and Adam from WGIR.

This past weekend we had our annual stuff a something for Toys for Tots. This year we stuffed a SAM (aka another company of POD). Basically it is a mini storage trailer. This event was kind of thrown together last minute even though we started planning it in the fall. Next year I think I will do more of the organizing partnered with the Marines and keep the third party involvement to a minimum. That being said, we got lots of toys!
I got the call from Dave, my boss, at 9:10 am Saturday morning because there were people (a certain Marine) freaking out because Rock 101 was a bit late... I wasn't supposed to be in until 2pm. Of course I was already at DD's getting coffee and hot chocolate to bring down to the volunteers as it was about 20 degrees outside!

Even Max came down for the day!

Sure enough Rock 101 shows up and things get rolling. There were Marines everywhere, perhaps too many, but it was great to see the turn out and to see some of the guys that I haven't seen in a few weeks.

Some of the boys.

I was getting settled in at 12 when I was summoned for a T4T "emergency". Yes, I know I said I was in at 2, but this was my event and I just couldn't stay away. The emergency was a great one! A president of a company came in to spend $5k on Toys for Tots. He had heard it on the radio all week and wanted to help. So, I sent the Marines and some associates out with shopping carts to get what they need (older kids toys) and with in about 10 minutes we were finishing up the $5k. We were so quick that the gentleman said "double it". So I was like... ok! He ended up spending just over $12,500. I was in tears!

A Christmas Miracle! $13k in toys!

The Marines gave us an award/certificate of appreciation for all of our efforts this year on the air. They thanked me personally, on air, for all of my efforts and of course made me cry on air. Punks.

All in all the event went very well, considering no one had power and are facing their own economic hardships. I think we raised about 3000 toys and lots of cash. The state of NH has 65,000+ kids to help this year and this will go a long way. If you are responsible for helping with this in any way, shape or form... Thank you! If you feel you wish you had helped they still need stuff and they still need volunteers to help sort! Some of us from work are going on Wednesday evening if you want to go!

Fritz's Mittens

It is a running joke - Fritz's mittens. My little boy kitty is a product of inbreeding (just another reason to get your pets fixed!). You didn't know that double paws are a sure sign of inbreeding? It is very common in the New England part of the country. I digress... Fritz has double front paws and he is very good at using them. In the past Fritz used his super mitten powers to push screens out of windows to escape from jail (the house), to play with his favorite toys, catch a few mice that were not paying rent, and most recently he has discovered that he can open cabinets with his God given malformation.

A few weeks ago he discovered that if he wanted treats and I refused to get him some, he would just go open the cabinet himself... therefore I would have to get up to close it and in the words of my sister "mom, we haven't had treats in a loooonnnng time." My sister used that phrase to convince my parents to pull over for ice cream when she was like 8. Fritz must be learning from her. He keeps getting better at cabinet opening and the other day I heard him getting into the dry bar cabinet. Now, I know he was not looking for tequila, but I bet he wanted a fancy glass to drink his water out of (he is beyond obsessed with water). At first I thought my ears were fooling me, but sure enough there he was last night - red handed (red pawed)! I don't know what I am going to do with this boy!

If I am not careful this spring and summer he is going to learn how to open the back slider even when it is locked!

Fritz has big mittens!

Fritz using his mittens to catch a bug this summer.

Military Appreciation Night

What a successful event! If you are unaware that I have been busy planning a military appreciation night at my store for the past few months, you really don't know me very well. This has been one of the primary time consuming parts of my life. I spent so much of my personal time into this event because I felt that this should be something that needed to be done to show our military members how much we appreciate them. I had about $2000 in prizes, quite a few sponsors for food and drinks, and Rock 101 provided a DJ and the Manchester Monarchs had Max come down for an hour and they brought tons of tickets with them! My staff was spectacular and all of the military members that I spoke with felt very appreciated. Doug, the commanding officer, gave me a hug and personally thanked me for this night and one lady was so impressed that she was crying. I am so glad that I pulled this off with the help of some very special people!

Adam Furious from Rock 101, Geoffrey, me, Max, Mary Ellen, and SSgt. Johnston.Toys for Tots was also well represented by Marines in dress blues! Who doesn't like a cute guy in uniform? Seriously though, Toys for Tots is in dire need of cash and toys for ages 13 to 18. If you can help out in any way please let me know because I am one of their point people for my company. Check out their website for local drop off locations and to make a donation. If you need help picking a toy let me know as I am a toy expert!

Marines in dress blues for Toys for Tots! Sgt. Boice is on the right.

Feel like talking?

I find myself talking to... well... myself quite a bit these days. Ever since I got back from St. Louis. I am not sure if I am just still super tired and not recovered from my trip or if it is just the way my brain is dealing with a full plate of "to do's". I find myself talking and thinking about the oddest things. Recently the topic of discussion is either "How am I going to afford my house?" and "Reasons why I like being single."

How am I going to afford my house? Well, if you haven't heard yet, one of my room mates is moving out in about 2 weeks. This is going to really hurt my wallet! So, I am looking for a new room mate, but these things take time. I don't want someone who won't let the dog out, nor empty the dishwasher, etc. Even with a full house I still need more money because I have so much that I need and want to do in the house. I need a new water heating system... tankless... cha ching! I need new gutters. I want a new deck as the other one will not be ok in a year or two. I want to paint my living room and two of the bedrooms... It looks like a second job is in order.

As far as being single... its not that bad. In fact I kind of enjoy it. Maybe it is because I am so busy with work and school that I don't notice the fact that I am super single. Every day that passes I feel more comfortable with the fact that I won't have kids. I always told myself that I would probably adopt. The way my life is going the more of a reality that becomes. I actually voiced my opinion of single dads to someone at work tonight. I never wanted to date someone with a kid, but... right now I think it would be ok to do that because I might be missing out... ya know?

That is all I am going to say for now. It is almost 2am and I am wiped out!

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween! Trick or treat up here in Manchester was Sunday and I, along with Dutch and Zee, joined Megan and her family for some trick or treating. Dutch was a big hit. He was a redneck and what a good redneck he played! Notice his mullet, bling, and white tank. Classic.

Fritz refused to get into the carrier to go to the Blodgett house. He got dressed up for a bit and then we had to take it off so we could leave. He was a white horse with a knight riding his back. How adorable!

Zee was such a sport. She kept this costume on for about 2 hours and went trick or treating with us via kitty stroller for 3 hours! She was an appropriate costume accessory for Megan's mom as she went as a pregnant lady.

I didn't dress up. I did wear Megan's cat ears though.

My first time...

... attending a BRU national store manager meeting! This year it was in St. Louis, MO. I have never been to Missouri or any other states in the Mississippi River area. Overall St. Louis was clean and appeared safe, though some locals did warn us to make sure to keep our eyes peeled. The days were long - 7am to whenever we went to bed. I learned a lot and thought the vendor trade show was great! If you are having a baby in the next year there are tons of cool new things coming out for your enjoyment!

This was the view from my hotel room. I was supposed to be rooming with the new SBS manager from Hyannis, but she is no longer with the company so I got my own room!

Our first post meeting activity on Monday night was dinner at the City Museum. This place was completely amazing. Everything in the museum has had a past life - for example a wall made of the bins that sit in the school lunch room counter - you know... the kind that sits in the steam bath to keep the food warm. I didn't want to put up all the pictures, but these are some of my favorites. I would go to this place any day. They even had an adult size ball pit and a 7 story slide! This picture is of some of the beautiful glass doorknobs used back in the day. Look how pretty they are! There was a room full of doorknobs and hinges!

This was a giant fish with stairs in it.
The first Otis Elevator cage. Old!!
Tuesday night was our only free time. My DMM and I decided to head out to see the arch and hit the dueling piano bar. What fun!
The arch is huge. When you stand by it you just get dizzy looking up at it. It is also very beautiful, especially at night. I didn't get to go up in the arch as it is closed at night.
Look, I am touching it!
Taken from across the street at the capital building.
This is the capital building.
Have you ever heard of the motivational speaker/magician Gioviani? Neither had I until this meeting. We had to dress up for an awards banquet and he was our speaker/entertainment. It was really fun! We asked to get a picture with him after the show and we actually ended up having our picture up on the big screen at the end of the meeting.
And of course the trip wouldn't be complete with out a geocache! My DMM and I are already cachers, along with the RVP who couldn't get away for a few minutes to get this. My DMM and I took a newbie with us as she wanted to know what it is all about. This was her first find. The cache was only a block away from the hotel!
The Cleveland airport had these cool "paper airplanes" in the hall to the baggage claim. Pretty neat huh?