Good Night

Hey, it's been one of those days. My head is pounding and the nice cold beer isn't helping. So that means I am about to hit the couch. I paid the bills after cleaning up a bit. The beer was refreshing, but didn't relax me enough to lose the pounding. But hey, I have the day off tomorrow and all I have to do is come up with what mike and I are going to do tomorrow. I want to say watch a movie and hang and eat - we ALWAYS eat, but I feel bad - I say that every week. If it were warmer I would say find a play ground - but it isn't warm enough. Any ideas??

Christmas

My Chirstmas was a tiring one, but a fun one. I didn't get much sleep - I went to bed around 3 and was up at 4:30. Left my apt around 5:30 to go pick up Mike and Kellie to head off to Dulles airport for an 8 o'clock flight to Rochester. Now as we flew, I was expecting to see a white Christmas as we landed, for that is why I really went. (don't tell my family that!) Nope! GREEN everywhere, so that was a waste of my ticket! Willy picked my up at the airport, all showered and ready for the day, I would have to say that I was impressed! As we are heading back to Willy and Kyle's place Kyle called all excited he beat me to it saying Merry Christmas. Little did he know I was in the car with Willy about a half mile down the street from him. It was great. I got him off the phone as soon as i could, and let me say, that wasn't easy - he was wanting to chat - and me I was was wanting coffee! When I surprised Kyle he went bug eyed - it was great. It took him a bit to grasp the fact that I was standing right in front of him, then he gave me a big hug. Willy went to his room to wrap his mom's gift as i drank my coffee and chatted with Kyle. When Mom and Dad arrived, I was sitting in the living room with Willy and dad was the first to walk in - he said "What are you doing here?" then mom followed behind and say me and I said Merry Christmas and she cried in shock that i made it! I gave my hugs, told them that Willy was behind it all with me, and I would have to say they were all pretty happy! We had a nice relaxing morning then we went off to Chris's for the family gathering.

They were very surprised as well. I was talked into changing my flight to the next morning - so I did. It was a nice day.

Morning was the best, having breakfast with my family (yes willy that means you too!) and relaxing.

I hope you all had a nice Christmas as well!

Dad playing with the cat again - see he acts as if he doesn't like them, but he really does! 

The Family drinking Mamosa's and Willy wondering where his gifts are! 

This is Ryan, he is a co-worker/friend. Not any good at cards! 

This is Brien...he is Mike's manager/friend. Don't play him in cards - he will beat you! 

This is my manager Mike OR Twiggy Piggy Big Head, my friend. What ever you choose it call him is up to you! 

HI

Okay, well I thought I would show you who I hang out with when I am not at work. I know, the thought of people willing to hang out with me is difficult to grasp - but somehow they do it. They wear nose plugs from time to time, but I overlook that! I have mentioned Mike and Kellie a lot. I have lots of fun with them. There is also Brien and Ryan. Okay, at the store the front end management level (from bottom up) goes coordinator, STL, Front End Manager, Service Manager. Ryan is a coordinator, Mike is the FE Manager, and Brien is the Service Manager. So it is pretty interesting when we all hang out, each of those steps are represented! Mike and Brien grew up in Newark together and they still work together - that is pretty neat! Ryan is from Brockport - then there is me. I tried to get a picture of Kellie, but she wouldn't let me. I don't blame her. Well there ya go. I am off to watch Dodgeball, yes again, then maybe again! I have to watch all I can before I have to give it back to Mike. Although I had to promise to wear the dodgeball head band while watching it - let me just say, I look darn good in that thing! If you're lucky, you will get a picture of it!

An Early Christmas!

I had mom and dad over today for an early Christmas. It was a nice afternoon. They came over at three, and I must say, they were right on time! I had made spicey - o - nuts (spicey onion rings) and mini hots in Dinosaur BBQ sause for appetizers. For drinks I had frozen margaritas, beer, egg nog, and well that was about it. Mom and Dad gave me an ornament for a hostest gift - that was cute! I have pics to show, I am still learning how, so bare with me. We chatted a bit at 6:30 we ate dinner, Chicken Divan and rice. Mom and Dad liked, me - it was okay. For desert we had chocolate covered large marshmellows with a cherry on time, cut out cookies and hot chocolate with peppermint schnopps. Overall I would have to say - I had a nice day with the fam. Very relaxing, laid back, lots to eat! Now i just have to figure out what do get mom and dad for their anniversary - COULD YOU TWO PLEASE SPACE IT OUT NEXT TIME - geez, when it comes to gifts, dad wants it all together since right after their anniversary is his birthday. Although, I do have to say, I am done with his birthday!

Okay, I have to wake up at 2am, so I am off to lay low and watch TV.

Holiday Eating TIps

1. Avoid carrot sticks. Anyone who puts carrots on a holiday buffet table knows nothing of the Christmas spirit. In fact, if you see carrots, leave immediately. Go next door, where they're serving rum balls.

2. Drink as much eggnog as you can. And quickly. Like fine single-malt scotch, it's rare. In fact, it's even rarer than single-malt scotch. You can't find it any other time of year but now. So drink up! Who cares that it has 10,000 calories in every sip? It's not as if you're going to turn into an eggnog-aholic or something. It's a treat. Enjoy it. Have one for me. Have two. It's later than you think. It's Christmas!

3. If something comes with gravy, use it. That's the whole point of gravy. Gravy does not stand alone. Pour it on. Make a volcano out of your mashed potatoes. Fill it with gravy. Eat the volcano. Repeat.

4. As for mashed potatoes, always ask if they're made with skim milk or whole milk. If it's skim, pass. Why bother? It's like buying a sports car with an automatic transmission.

5. Do not have a snack before going to a party in an effort to control your eating. The whole point of going to a Christmas party is to eat other people's food for free. Lots of it. Hello??!?!!!

6. Under no circumstances should you exercise between now and New Year's. You can do that in January when you have nothing else to do. This is the time for long naps, which you'll need after circling the buffet table while carrying a 10-pound plate of food and that vat of eggnog.

7. If you come across something really good at a buffet table, like frosted Christmas cookies in the shape and size of Santa, position yourself near them and don't budge. Have as many as you can before becoming the center of attention. They're like a beautiful pair of shoes. If you leave them behind, you're never going to see them again.

8. Same for pies. Apple. Pumpkin. Mincemeat. Have a slice of each. Or, if you don't like mincemeat, have two apples and one pumpkin. Always have three. When else do you get to have more than one dessert? Labor Day?

9. Did someone mention fruitcake? Granted, it's loaded with the mandatory celebratory calories, but avoid it at all cost. I mean, have some standards.

10. One final tip: If you don't feel terrible when you leave the party or get up from the table, you haven't been paying attention. Reread all tips; start over, but hurry, January is just around the corner.


Thanks JB for sending this to me! And don't you worry, I will do everything this says to do. When it comes to eating, I do my best!

Christmas Spirit

I have to say, I am getting there. I am really really trying. I want my apt to be completely decorated. Today mom came over and helped me set up a fake tree. I know, it's fake - but you aren't supposed to have a real tree in an apt. They think we might catch the place on fire. HELLO, I'm a girl, not a guy. Girls wouldn't do such things! So anywho...now i am putting the lights up. Although, that is Dad or Kyle's job, but I won't say anything. Two nights ago I made cookie cut outs, and yesterday I decorated them with mom. That was fun. Mom was funny, she was like that three year old putting gobs of icing on the cookies so that it ran over the edges and got ALL OVER the counters! It was a great time.

All right, back to decorating the tree.

LATER ALIGATORS!

i wanna post a pic, it is a lovely one of my brother! Hope you all like it!

Bla

First, don't call me a baby - it really makes me mad. I was making Maria and I laugh at work last night, just becuase it was a bad night at work and it worked for Maria and I. We laughed and it was exactly what we needed. It didn't harm anyone else, no one knew, but mike. Mistake there, but you know what - Maria and I laughed and that is all that mattered. We needed a laugh, and it was at my expense, no one elses. Engough on that.

Other than that - things are pretty good. I still need to get things together for Christmas. I have my secret santa gift to get still and a couple friends. So lots to do, little time. I am just waiting to see what I work next week, so I can see what time I have to get things done.

Okay, Well I am off to drink more coffee. Enjoy your days.

Dodgeball

Last night after work I hung out with mike. We got a six pack of beer, food (although that should go with out saying) and we headed back to his and Kellie's place to watch a movie. The movie of course was Dodgeball. If you have not seen it - SHAME ON YOU! It is a Kyle, Sean, and Willy kind of movie. It is soo dumb that it is hilarious. The Fresh Prince song was in it as well, and we HAD to do that dance - twice! When we were done watching, we went back to the Fresh Price song, which is about half way through and watched it through again. It is that good. Kellie got home frome work and thought we were crazy - but that is all good! She even joined me in the "say my name" dance! Sometimes you just need to sit back, kick up your heels and have a good ol' kid time. Although, that seems to be everytime I am around those two.

So the moral of my post. Watch Dodgeball if you don't want to think, but you want to laugh!

WBEE Reflection

I recieved some sad news today, Bill Coffey - morning show host on WBEE - passed away this morning of a heart attack. I was in complete shock from hearing this news.

Bill was a guy that would be running around every event entertaining the crowd, making them smile and laugh. My favorite would be when he would push me and get me to chase him, then he would start yelling "HEY LOOK, THERE'S A GIRL CHASING ME!" just to get people to look and laugh. Bill was a very caring, fun loving, heart felt guy that will be very missed. He and Terrie (his co-host) brought smiles upon thousands of faces every morning during their brother and sister like banter. He was a 56 year old man that would still act like a child just to get a rise out of Terrie and make his listeners laugh. How could you not fall in love with this kind hearted guy?! I had the wonderful opportunity of working with him for two and a half years, and loving every second I spent with him and joking with him. I have moved away from the WBEE family, and have missed waking up to that brother/sister banter every morning. Although, when back on my visits I listened as much as I could to make up for it. Now his voice, his smile and his laugh will always be a warm memory in my mind. I won't have to opportunity to listen to him while I am in Rochester visiting, but he is one that will never be forgotten.

You will be missed Mr. Bill Coffey!

summer

I went shopping today, and as I did so I played summer. Oh yea baby! It was mid-50's out, so that ment the windows were down and the tunes were loud! All you cold Rochester people - yea, I feel for ya really I do.

Christmas Spirit

Well I have been starting to decorate my apartment for Christmas. This meaning I have been playing the elmo and Rosie song (Do you hear what I hear?) over and over and over again! This would drive my family bonkers, but hey, I like it! Mom came over in the freezing cold (41, she had to wear a sweatshirt to deal with that temp! hehe, i crack my self up!) to help me decorate. As I was bring my Christmas stuff out I had realized that I had left my little cute tree at my old apt by accident. So now I have the one that Mom and Dad used in the hotel last year for our little Christmas. I will probably put my ornaments on it today. Just for fun. I have everything else up though. When I decorated my room last year it seemed like I had a lot, but now that I have an apt to decorate, I feel that it isn't very Christmasy yet. I am working on it though. I still have to get some garland or something to get the pine smell in here!

A side note. I left work two days ago, in my button down shirt, and gee I was cold. It has been in the low 40's lately. This bringing us to wear sweatshirts or sweaters - no real jackets yet. So I was thinking yesterday while driving home. It is december and I am in a sweater, no jacket, no mittens, no hat - pretty neat! I am wondering if I will need a coat, a hat, a scarf, and mittens. Well that is all the thought for me now.

Off to take revenge on a kitty!

Few Things

Okay, So I was leaving work last night and I was thinging: gee is it cold. I get to my car is found it to be 39 out side. HELLO COLD. Well cold for here that is. Some of you might understand 39 being really cold. Now for Rochester, that is long sleeve shirt time, but for Virginia that calls for scarves, hats, and mittens. Oh, and by the way I LOVE MITTENS! Although my favorite mittens have been gone for two winters now. And I still am in morning over them. If you remember my cute little monkey mittens, those are the ones I am talking about. Sad, I know.

Second. Psycho Kitty. Okay, I get home from work last night and let the cat out of the big bathroom that it gets to play in while I am away and he is WIRED. I stay awake for a little over an hour hoping he would run himself tired in that period of time. Oh no, it is now 11:30 and he is just now starting to settle down. Oh yes, that ment that everytime I fell asleep he found it a good time to start biting my hands and feet. The little devil wanted to play, and I had just worked a long day and wanted sleep. Oh no, the devil won. So now it is revenge. He is starting to curl up on the couch, and little does he know, he has another thing coming to him!!! REVENGE IS SUCH SWEET SORROW! okay, now he is clawing my back, HE'S DEAD!

Third. I am really not liking getting dressed. I am having a hard time with clothes that fit. It was funny before, but now it is getting tiring.

Forth. Jessy, my cousin, was in an accident yesterday. If anyone can think of something to send instead of flowers let me know. She is getting out of the hopsital today and I would like to send her something. I would send her a CD with two songs I like, but the only person that would get that is Julie. Jessy would think I had lost my mind, Julie would laugh. So I am at a loss. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

Words of Wisdom:
If someone asks you to kitty sit devil - and you like your sleep...RUN!

Kitty Sitting

As of tonight I am kitty sitting for a week. Stoney is a really cute cat, and really sweet, but he is a bite psycho at times too. But hey, what are kitties for - entertaining right!? It will be fun to have the company for a week.

Well getting back to the real world after two days off has been pretty easy. Work hasn't been nearly as busy as it had been last week, being the week of Thanksgiving and all. So it has been pretty laid back. Although I have had my moments. Yesterday I wrote someone up for lying to me, and today I had to talk to my Service Manager about my store training. Once again it had been pushed back and no one had informed me of this, so as you can guess, I was not a happy camper. We shall see if the new deadline of Jan 1st comes through.

Other than all that fun stuff, I am thinking about Christmas. This will be my first Christmas in Virginia, and away from family. So I am trying to come up with something special. We are starting to talk at work as to what we are going to do. Nothing is actually getting done, but we are doing the whole "you going home?...no you??....no, we should all get together" kind of talk. So I am in the same boat as many people, it is now actually talking and saying, hey lets do something, I will host if you want thing. But that is about it. Right now I am thinking of getting a wreath for my apt. That way I get the pine tree smell in here, I love that. I may start decorating tomorrow. Not sure why, I know it is really really really early to decorate, but I just wanna.

Well that is all for me. I am off to be a dork and watch Boy Meets World. Yes I know dork. But hey, Sean likes Sienfeld - what more can i say!

Words of Wisdom:
Know who your friends are, and cherish them. You may be far away, but they are still close in your heart. A friend in California reminded me of that.

Stuffed

I hope everyone had a nice, filling Thanksgiving. My day was pretty relaxing. I was convinced by my family into taking a quick nap. I did enjoy that nap even though I had to share the bed with Hogan (the fat cat). The food was good and we had some good laughs. The game of the year was monopoly. Now let me just say, I am not a fan. And when mom and I would help eachother out and lend each other $5 we got our heads bitten off by the boys. They called it cheating, but we would pay eachother back as soon as possible - so I say we weren't cheating. Dad cheats if your really must ask. He was the banker, and he HAPPENED to have the most money, and didn't know how that happened. Gee, let me think - cheat maybe!

Today was a lazy morning, which we all love. Then we took Kyle to the airport and came back to the house to do projects. Mom got her upstair family room ready to paint while dad and I worked on the steps to lead down to their patio from the kitchen. After that we had dinner and played LIFE. Yes, another cheesey board game, and yes dad cheated AGAIN. You know he is doing it because all of the sudden he ends up with $3 million and wondering how. GEE, he was the banker again! Can we all say cheat much! And he also has this smirk on his face that just gives the cheating factor away. dork!

Well now I am home and heading off to bed. Good night all and hope your holidays was just as nice.

Words of Wisdom:
Never share a soda with my mom. Sharing to her means you get two small sips before she chugs the rest. Get your own, much safer!

Family

This week should be fun, Kyle flew in today, and right now I am waiting for mom and dad to bring him here so we can go eat. We are going to Sweet Water Grill, which is one of the BEST restaurants to eat at here. No, not one of the best, THE best. yea, that's better! Anywho. Tonight after dinner, Kyle gets to meet my manager/friend Mike and hopfully his fiancee Kellie.

Oh, and for a side note. Kellie and I went shopping yesterday and I got new sneakers! I like my new sneakers! They are white with some pink on them. YEA! We also got her mom a new purse for Christmas. But that was about it for our shopping experience. And yes, we did go to the Disney store!

Back to family. So then Kyle, Mom and Dad are going to go into the DC tomorrow I guess and show Kyle around. That will be fun. Personally I say they should ride the Merry-Go-Round near the capital. That is one amazing merry-go-round! (the horses go up AND down) If they go to the air and space museum I will be jealous, but I will live. Then on Thursday we are having mamosa's and spend time fighting over the stove as we all cook dinner together! For some reason we all want to make the best dish. Dad has always been a good cook, Kyle cook's for a living, then there is mom and I who want to be good and get out tips from Food Network! So yea, that will be my life for the next couple days! Well that and work!

I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving with fun people to share it with!

Bothersome

I feel that some people never grow up. Today while working, someone made a comment that bothered me a bit. Why don't people understand that boys and girls can be friends. Most of my friends are boys. (I blame my brother for this by the way) I don't see a problem with that. That is the way it has mostly been for me. When I look back at college. I didn't have any girl friends until my sophmore year, and in the end, they were still mostly guys. I hung out with three/four girls tops.

I believe that girls and boys can be friends, obviously. I have been friends with many guys, and never thought about dating them, nor have they ever tried to date me. So I think that whole theory should be thrown out the window. Personally, I tend to become friends with guys easier because they aren't so judgmental. The few girl friends that I have, they are more laid back, and they don't judge. Julie and Kari, I am sorry, but you are more guyish. You guys aren't afraid to get durty or make fools of your selves. I am not the girl that is out to get guys to like me. I am out to meet friends and have odd conversations.

So yea, just because I have mostly guy friends here doesn't mean I am "after" them. It means that we are friends. And during work we tend to make each other laugh, because there are times when you just need to laugh. People need to get over that second grade thought of girls and boys can't be friends. It is foolish.

Words of Wisdom:
Things change - go with the flow!

been a while

Okay, I don't feel so bad. I haven't really checked all the blogs in like a week. I am been pretty out of it. But when I went to check, I only had to comment on my Dad's and Sean's.

Not much new here. I head off to work soon, so this won't be long. I find out today what my schedule is for the holiday week. My manager called yesterday to talk about my schedule with me, but I didn't provide much help. All I could say was that I would work when you needed me. I wasn't sure what else to say. Although mom thought I should have told him what I wanted to work. I wasn't really up for a conversation though, he had just woke me up. (poop)

Well that is about it for me. I am off to shower and head into work. You all have a good one!

Hit by a Dump Truck

So I have been a little "under the weather" or so you can say. It has been one of those weekends where it starts off as a really bad sore throat, then by the end of the day you feel as if you have been run over 50 times by a dump truck. My routine for the weekend and part of this week has been take meds, sleep, take meds, sleep, take meds, work, takes meds, work, and then start all over again.

The point of this blog is the sleeping part. You are in your nice warm bed feeling like poop and the last thing you want to do is get up. You all understand, right! So yesterday for example, I didn't have to be at work until 4, so that ment I could sleep all morning. I so I basically did. Although I did wake up and have to go to the bathroom. My body is telling me, "if you get up, I will make you hurt worse!" So I waited, thinking should I get up now, or later. I didn't want to move when I was laying there becuase my whole body hurt, but I had to pee and if I did that, my body will make me pay for getting out of bed. You know the drill.

To keep this moving, I have come to one conclusion. NEVER move out of your parents house. You they can drive you batty at times, but when you are sick, it is sooo nice when they take care of you. They bring you your juice and meds when it is time, you don't have to get out of bed to do so. They make your soup, you don't have to get out of bed to make sure you are feeding yourself. Basically, they do all your thinking and doing for you when you are sick, and that is a very very nice thing.

Well, I am off to bed. Hope all is well with everyone else. And I really hope no one is getting whatever it is that is going around here. It is NASTY! It really bites you in the butt!

Ice Cream Sundae's

I will admit it, I still act like a kid at times. Only because it is fun. Smiling from ear to ear because you get to ride the Merry-Go-Round, or getting an ice cream sundae. I even like going to the toy section at Target and hitting all the buttons that make noise! I don't know what it is, but it keeps that smile on my face. Like I said in my past post, it really is those simple things that keep me going. I just need to kind a guy that can put up will all that in me. (That is the hard part) I have friends I can act like kids with, but I haven't found that right guy yet. But that is okay, I am still having fun.

Today I was at Costco, witch is like BJ's with my friend Mike. While we were there, I saw this tray of fresh muffins and I ran over telling Mike that mom and I used to get those for my slumber parties. He proceeded to ask if I had had a slumber party lately, and of course I had to tell him YES with a big smile on my face. Then I told him that Julie spent the night and we fell asleep at some late hour of 10pm, okay - maybe not so late but only because we had been working so hard all week sitting on top of the rugs in top stock giggling and singing songs. (that is tough work right there, I'm telling ya!) So back to the slumber parties, I decided that I need to have another one! So Julie, next time we are close to eachother - it's slumber party time baby! Maybe we will make it to 10:30!!!!

Words of Wisdom:
BE A KID! hey, what more can I say!

Some things never change

We all have our little quirks that make us who we are. Those quirks we pick up along the way as we walk that path called life. And this morning I was reminded of one of my little quirks that help me get through some of the tough times. Life can be the biggest challenge at times and it is how you pull through it that counts.

All these quirks I have been picking up, I am sorry to say, but I still do. I still say "dude" and laugh about it later when I realized I said it. When I hear certain songs, I have to belt them out no matter where I am and who I am with. It just comes down to one simple point: It has been and always will be the simples things in life that makes me smile.

Names - Part II

I have spent my morning paying bills and doing laundry. I know, I have way too much fun on my mornings off of work. As you know, work has been a bit hectic for me, and well everyone else that I work with for that matter. But yesterday, I did get some good laughs in. I get to work yesterday morning at 6:15 and Mike, my manager, hands me the list of people I have to interview that day. I read the names, started laughing and told him that there was no way I could do it. Let me give you the names, and you will understand. (now don't get me wrong, I love the names, they are great!)
A. Butt
Abubakar something
T. Duong
and some others.
Now tell me it didnt' bring a smile to your face. Names vary with different origins, and that is great since they have a variety of meanings, but when that is your interview list, it is kinda funny.

Okay, besides names. I do have to say, I left work content yesterday. I wasn't smiling from ear to ear, but I didn't leave frustrated and ready to cry like I did the day before. Work has its ups and downs, but once it starts to level off, it will be a fun place to work, it is just getting to that point. (Thank you julie for making me smile!)

Oh and as soon as I figure out how to post pictures on this site I will. I have some nice ones from halloween. OH - and those of you who saw me....THANKS FOR NOTHING! If you were all true friends, you could have told me I need to tone my tummy, i looked pregnant in the pictures! THANKS. Some of the guys I work with are asking me if I have morning sickness or if I am in my second trimester. I blame you all for not telling me, letting me find out in pictures. NOT NICE.

Words of Wisdom:
Talk. It is good to talk things out when something is bothering you. It really does make you feel better to let someone know why you are frustrated. You never know, they may be feeling the same way and open up to you.

End of another week

Well this week goes along with every other work week. I hate to be the downer, but that is what I feel I am . I go to work smiling, like I try to always do, but now people are seeing right through me. They see that I am not happy and I am doing everything in my power to smile. And that is exactly true. I don't feel like smiling most days at work. Especially now that the holidays are coming up and work will get even worse. We are short on help and the help that we have, the moral is so low. Every night I am going to bed trying to figure out how to make them, everyone happy. Today I spent an hour talking to one employee who is just hating life as a whole. He hates school, work, and his car is in the shop. (for a guy, that is bad when in high school)

Last week I was in Rochester seeing with my own two eyes, a team of people that work together and care for each other. The week was very overwhelming with everything I was seeing for the first time, and everything I had/have to learn. I didn't want to come back. I liked being an an environment where it was happy, and people were happy to see you. Insead I was coming back to a place where I didn't want to let my boss down or let myself down. And now I am back and I am not happy at work. We had an all day meeting on Monday talking about team work and communication and there still is none. We can make all the communication notebooks in the world, and it still won't work. It won't work until we all get on the same freakin page and we all want it. And honestly, I don't see that happening. I may sound pessimistic, but I am sorry it is true. Too many people have given up and don't care anymore. That leaves the two or three of us to pick up their slack, and that right now is nearly impossible. I am getting frustrated with coming home every night with work to do. I am not going to do it anymore. The notebook is sitting next to me, and all I want to do is throw it across the room. I don't want to see it or think about it. Now don't get me wrong. I feel like I am doing a job that is more towards my major, and I am glad about that, but that doesn't mean I am liking it at the moment. I believe I still did the right thing by moving down (over, up, whatever) here, I am just trying to make it a happy place to work. And as much as I hate to be the one to say it, but this is one thing that does have to happen at a snap of a fingure, and I did inform upper management of that. It needs to change by yesterday. No joke.

Words of Wisdom:
Be thankful. Remember, even though we have our bad days or weeks...there are people out there that are having to deal with situations that we don't even consider.

Museums

Today I spent my day off going to DC with Mike. Kellie (his finace) had to work, so we went and played with out her. Although, when we rode the Merry-go-round, we did leave a horse for her right between us! (and yes, we really did ride the merry-go-round by the capitol) We went to both History museums. I liked them. Lots to learn. I didn't read everything today, I did a lot of looking around. Next time I will have to do more reading. I was just glad to be there and doing something in DC on my day off instead of home working on work. I do that enough. Mike is a big history buff, so he was into reading everything, and I had to make sure I saw everything. I would have to say that the Mummy's and the Merry-Go-Round rides were the best parts. Although, while we were on the Merry-Go-Round, we did notice that there was a grandpa video taping his grandkids on the ride, and now he will have us, two big dorks in his video. But hey, we sure looked cool! We didn't hold on during the whole ride! Evil Kanivals i say!

Words of Wisdom:
It is good to still be a kid at heart. Everyone needs to break down and have fun. Just make sure it is done at the right time and place!

Halloween - What NOT to do.

I know Halloween is a time for kids to go out and try to get as much candy as they possibly can so that they can go home, get a sugar high, and drive there parents completely nuts. As for last night, I was not one of those kids. However, I got the privilegde to go to my manager's (Mike's) apt along with his manager (Brien) and talk about work. Oh yes, only fun for us! We arrived around 6:30 and around 9:30 I was ready to head home and get some rest since I had just returned from Rochester earlier that day. I said my good byes and headed out to my car. As I was walking I got a bit confused, I thought I had parked next to this truck, but then there was no car there. So I decided to hit my unlock button on my key chain and look for my lights to flash. So I hit it and see no lights. I decide to try again, still no lights. Then I realize that that empty spot next to that truck WAS whereI parked.
I walked back into my manager's apt, not to thrilled, and asked mike if they towed cars at his complex. He said: "No, why?" I was like: "oh, my car isn't there." At that point Brien and Mike and their fincee's were looking at me asking if I was sure I looked in the right spot. (I saw that question coming since I seconded guessed myself as well.) So we all went out and looked for broken glass, there was none of that, thank goodness. So then we walked for a bit looking for a tow sign for a number to call. Eventually found one, and I called - yes, they towed my car on halloween night. NOT NICE. Mike gave me the money to get my car back, so now his fincee is fighting to get their money back since she was told that they didn't tow cars there. LIARS! Well that is my story and I am sticking to it!

Words of Wisdom:
get sleep - it is very important. With out sleep you will be a snappy turtle, and no one likes a snappy turtle!

Until I Retrun

By this time tomorrow, Cathy and I will be on our little road trip. Two girls chatting it up in a car for 7 hours. It will make for an interesting week.

Lafoo I'm affraid I've been thinking. A dangerous past time, I know! (Beauty and The Beast) What were you doing last year at this time? Last year at this time, things were getting pretty crazy, but something really good came out of it for me. Around this time we found out grandpa was really sick, worse than I thought and could ever imagine. Through grandpa's death I gained an amazing friend. Grandpa's last weeks are a time I will never forget. How our family came together, and a friend I could rely on. I have to admit, she shocked me with how loving and caring she was with only knowing me for a short time. She kept me smiling at work until I headed off to the hospice to meet up with what ever family was there. I never wanted to miss a minute of being there. This girl was there every step of the way - at work and through phone calls. There was even a slumber party! The Lord put her there when I really needed her and I thank Him every day for that. From that point on she has been one of my closest friends, and someone I completely admire. She is the friend that lives the farthest away, but feels the closest in my heart. Julie, thank you for always making me laugh. What ever kind of day I am having, you brighten it. I can only hope I am able to be that person for someone else.

Kyle. Happy 27th Birthday! I hope you had a good night last night, and that you have a good one tonight too! I can't wait to see you, and I hope you are feeling better. You best be rested up by the time I get there.


Something to remember:
And now Dad, you leave us with this undying legacy of our Love of God, and Our Love of Our Family. In Jesus name we pray… (from Grandpa's 5 daughters - the way he ended his prayers)

Voting

I have tried to be very good this year, and pay attention. Well now that I have done that, I have found out that I will not be voting this year. When I went to the DMV to change everything over four months ago, I checked that little box that said "check here if you want to register to vote". Four months later I come to find out that the DMV screwed up. Not only did it happen to me, it also happened to my father. I was putting forth the effort to make an educated decision and now I can't even cast my vote. Needless to say, I am a WEE BIT frustrated with the DMV and a little letter might be coming their way.

Besides that. Today was a bit of a rollercoaster. I have been all excited to go to Rochester for the week, and I get to work today to hear that there a good chance that I may not be going. The girl that I am going with was in the hospital. Well she is out now, and she is okay. I think she is very stressed out. Anywho, the doc gave her clearance to work, which means Rochester here we come! Oh and Kyle, I don't care when you work. I will see you. That is all that matters. Then a month later we get to see each other again! LUCKY YOU!

Words of Wisdom:
Tell the ones you love that you love them. Tell them every day. It brightens you day, and it is good to hear.

Two Things

FIRST, camping. Yes, it was great. I forgot how relaxing it is just to sit there by the fire with a couple friends. It was great to be around Chris again. I have known him since first grade, and to be around him is just very comforting. He is a friend that will always be there, and I think I will always have that crush on him that I have had since first grade. Don't worry Kyle, you would love him, and I don't think we would ever really date. Chris had brought along one of those questions books that have thousands of questions for kids to ask eachother...so we did that since most of us didn't know each other. My favorite was: If you could have the power to see the future or talk to animals which one would you choose? Or if you could switch shoes with someone for a week, would you? It made for a good night, well that and the hot chocolate with the peppermint shnops (sp?). For those of you who were worried, we had a girls tent and a boys tent!

SECOND, work. For those of you who were little curious georges out there (like me), I am working Monday thru Thurday this week. Now if you have your math straight, you would notice that is a four day work week. But don't you worry, I am getting paid for five. You ask how, let me inform you. On Saturday, Cathy (my coworker) and I will be venturing to Rochester to work at the Penfield store for a week. (willy - a week meaning five days, i know you get confused easily - hehe) I was hoping to be there for Kyle's birthday, but I will be two days late, please forgive me! Well I just thought I would give you a warning. I will probably want to show Cathy were my BIG brother lives.

Well that is all my news. I am off to get some stuff done once again. Gotta love those days off where you still have to work. LOVE IT!

Words of Wisdom:
IF YOU EVER CALL ME MOCKING PURDUE AGAIN, YOU MAY NOT LIVE TO SEE TOMORROW (willy)
for everyone else:
what are you most proud of (about yourself)? Use that in everyday, it will make you feel good.

Camping

Okay, so I work today until 8 to come home and pack up my car. After that I need to try and get some sleep since I have to wake up at 4:15 tomorrow to be at work by 6. I get out at 2:30 tomorrow then it is CAMPING for me!!! I am all excited. I have my sleeping bad all layed out in my living room, the tent is in the trunk and now all I need is clothes. I have decided to wear my work boots with jeans and a sweatshirt. If you can't tell - I am really really really excited. I love camping. It is the sitting around the campfire with no responsibilites except to not catch on fire. It will be a bit chilly, but don't you worry - hot chocolate and bailys. (or so I have been told) Another good thing about that - I love hot chocolate! I have this feeling I won't be getting much sleep tonight, but I tried to get up early this morning so that wouldn't be a problem.

Maybe this camping trip will help me get Willy's last posting out of my head. I don't need to hear about his bathroom habits, I did have to live with it for a year. And what joy that was! (Willy I still love you) Right now I am thanking my lucky stars that I am not Molly. And if it was me, I would have killed you! Okay, time to shower and get ready for work. Oh - happy happy joy joy!

Words of Wisdom:
Purdue plays Wisconson on Saturday at 5:30. I best see some Purdue wear - or you will have to hear it from me! And memorize Hail Purdue. There will be quizes!

Three down, Two to go!

Oh yea, you know what I am talking about - work. Tomorrow I have off, then two days to go until the start of a new week. But before the new week starts, there is camping. I am not sure where, I just know that there will be a camping trip with one person I know, and others that I don't. (yea, that means I am trying to make new friends.)

One thing I realized that I really miss having at work is that person you can get a good hug from. At CP I always had a friend that when a hug was needed, he was there. And vice versa. We were there for eachother, although we faught like no other. (and now we are friends, go figure) Today was one of those days that you just needed a hug, and everything would have been okay if you could have gotten that hug to know that everything was okay. So that hug reassurance wasn't there, but I got by anyhow - just barely.

Camping will be fun...or so I am counting on it to be fun. I need it to be fun. I need that stress releaver. We all can use that at some point. Although last night I did kick major butt in Euchre and darts. Oh yes, you heard me right! My euchre partner, Tim, and I kicked butt - I won two games in a row by going alone! Then we (Tim, Joe, Brien, and I) played darts...I won with 233 points - no joke. I cleared everything out super fast except the 16's, then just got points until I finished closing out the 16's. I can never hit the 16's so I decided to rack up my points while I tried. Lets just say, Joe is not good when it comes to losing. He gets pretty punchy. It was funny at first, but then you just wanted to tell him to lighten up - IT'S JUST A GAME. All in all, it was a good night even though the Yankee's game was on. (kidding willy!)

Words of Wisdom:
Let the guy win (if you are a girl). It makes life so much easier. If they lose, all they do is grip and say you cheated or they weren't into it. (lies of course)

NEEDED:

Looking for someone who is organized, well manered and has their own place to sleep. If you like picking up clothes after me and washing my dishes - then you will be perfect. (Julie, sorry - you can't be my stalker and my nanny.) If you want to be my nanny, great, you can start today! As for pay, don't expect it!

I am sitting her in my apt thinking, I need to wash a couple dishes, vacuum, and put my folded clothes away. Nothing big right, it is just doing it. Oh I wouldn't mind getting the bathroom cleaned as well. So that would be like 45 minutes of work right there. But like I said, it is doing it, that is the only problem. Oh, I also need to go and get more black socks for work, maybe new comfy shoes for work, and another white button down. Fun stuff right there I am telling ya. Okay, well here I go. To shower and enjoy shopping for a bit, then come home to clean.

Hopfully this will end with a fun night with Mike. He has never seen Top Gun. I think he grew up on Mars. His Finace is in Rochester with work for the night, so I get to babysit. THANKS KELLY (she does have a great name though, doesn't she!)

Words of Wisdom:
When someone calls offering to invite you a dinner that they know you love, make sure you go knowing that they will be asking you for something.

Stessful day

Now today was a stressful day, it didn't start out that way, but it was. I got up and went to mom and dad's since it was my day off and a weekend day, so I got the chance to see both parents. We had egg mc muffins for breakfast (I had two!) then sipped coffee for a bit. Then we went to IKEA. Mom and Dad had never been there before and it is a pretty neat place to see. After that, we went back to Bethesda to eat lunch. Then we ate ice cream to wash down out lunches. (We only do what we have to do!) Then it was back to watch the Purdue/Penn State game. Purdue played horribly...we were hanging on at every second. But we won, we had to win. Purdue rocks, but we just weren't using all our strengths today. It was 20-13, to close for comfort. A game where you were sitting on the edge of your set thinking "come on Purdue, pull it together!" They didn't, but somehow they pulled it off!


Now let me tell you about last night. I went out with some people from work. We went to a club in DC called H2O (Kyle that is stands for water in chemist terms). This club was amazing. You had to be dressed to the nines to get in. No jeans - so I was shocked that I went. It was a $20 cover, but we had free VIP passes. Not sure how we got them, but we did. This club had five different rooms to dance in. They all had different music, so we bounced from room to room. I felt bad, I was kinda mean - but I had fun. I would only dance with the people I went with - NO OTHER GUYS. I was pretty stern about it too. This guy came up behind me and started dancing with me so I stopped dancing and turned around and told him no. The three guys I was with thought it was funny. I didn't get home till 3 - and yes I slept the whole way back! It was a long drive home. Out of eight people three drank and two were in the same car as me for the drive back and one was puking the whole way home. YUMMY! But don't worry, I still slept through it all!

Words of Wisdom:
Choose your friends wisely. The ones that are there at the end of the night are true.

You Best Start Praying!

Well it looks like it may happen. They may let a kid near me to mentor. They must not have been thinking! Incase you didn't pick it up, I had my interview today for Childhelp USA. I had volunteered to be a mentor for a year, and the lady seemed to like me. Although I really didn't say all that much. They still have to do a social work background check and a police background check on me. (Lets just hope they over look the time I went car bowling using people as the pins!) The place seemed pretty neat. Sounds like it will be an interesting year. If I completely pass all the testing stages, I will be asked to meet with the child once a week for a year. No taking the kid back and asking for a new one. It will either be an abused child or a pregnant teen. Or so I was told.
Besides that, I am exhausted. I have been up since three working on work. So now I am going to make some good eats and sit back for a bit.

Words of Wisdom:
If you could do anything, what would it be? Now, why aren't you out pursuing it?

My Favorite Name

Okay, so I know you all thought this move to Virginia would open my eyes. Well I thought I would tell you all that I have finally come across something very important. Now who it is important to is yet to be determined. As you can tell from the title (unless you are a moron) we are talking about my favorite name. I have had plenty for choose from, but I think I have norrowed it down. Now this was a lengthy process and very strenuous, as you can probably guess it lots of thought. But it is something that had to be done, and I took the time in my busy schedule to do so. Lets just dig right in and run down the short version of my long list...

First there is A. Buttolph - now how can you not laugh when BUTT is apart of a name. Okay, call me second grade, I don't care - it's funny! Next would have to be J. Jagoonana. For some reason when ever I say it I start laughing. Try it, I bet ya you'll laugh! Then there is Sum Sum. Not many people have the same name for their first and last name. So I thought that was pretty clever. Cookie, now that is a name I have a hard time calling a lady in her 40's, Cookie. It's her name...but it makes me want a cookie! But hands down, the winner goes to Khahn Dang. I LOVE IT! It makes you smile. I wish it were my name. It isn't funny, it's khahn dang, what else can you say about it! It Rocks! It just flat out rocks. But I can't say anything to him, I don't want to sound like a complete jerk and offend him. So we (about 5 of us) keep it to ourselves, well until I decided to share this with you all.

Words of Wisdom:
If you haven't jumped on the Purdue bandwagon yet, you best hurry or I will sit on you. (Just remember, my nickname is SWAMPY and I need to go to Fat Kids Camp!)

Work Trip?? Maybe

Lets see, my week. This week has been one of those weeks where I have been completely frustrated. Work. That is all I have to say. Now don't get me wrong, I love my job. I have fun...but this week I haven't smiled much. There is no communication at work, now that is no secret - EVERYBODY knows it. And let me just say, it gets annoying and frustrating and aggrivating. I am still new to Wegmans since CP (Chase) doesn't count. No one tells me information that would be nice to know. Last night, I am at my friend Matt's apt having a beer after work, and he decided to give a heads up that they might send me to rochester to get trained. Now don't you think they would have thought of that BEFORE I came down here. From what I hear, they want to send Cathy as well, she doesn't have a full understanding of wegmans either. Now let me tell you about Cathy. She could be my mom, yet she has more of a life than I do. She internet dates and meets all these guys out at bars. A great girl, she makes me laugh...but I am laughing becuase it is stuff I would never do. I really can't imagine my manager send the two of us to rochester for two weeks together - if this did actually play through. The two of us in a hotel room - I would be interesting!

Words of Wisdom:
If you are not yet a Purdue fan - then you are an idiot. HELLO! Notre Dame 16 - Purdue 41 What else can I say!! Become one fast - or you will lose out on tons of fun!

Work is work is work is...

work. I have spent all day on work, well except for the hour I took out to watch Gilmore Girls! I love that show by they way, and that hour went way too fast. I got up this morning and went to work, nothing big or unusual there. Then I come home to work on more work. I have spent the night working on an organizational chart and a newsletter for the front end. I am trying to help get the moral back up at the store...not by bribbing, but encouraging my team members. If I start bribbing them, then they will start to expect it, but if I encourage them, and respect them, then I believe I can teach them to be good, reliable workers.
Well I am exhausted, and not sure how much more I can do. But don't you worry, there is lots left! I still have to get my team together for a meeting, but first - I have to organize the meeting and figure out how to start keeping track of every little move they make. And how to get to know each of them, and what I want them to know about me. (Besides the fact that I need to go to fat kids camp - oh no Julie and Peter I haven't forgotten!)

Words of Wisdom:
Make yourself happy first. You can't commit to something or somebody until you, yourself are content with who you are and what you do.

Sunday Paper

There is a guy that I work with that is all about getting the Sunday paper so that he gets the coupons. When he goes shopping, he HAS to have his coupon book with him at all times. I always thought he was a little over bearing about it all.
Yesterday was Sunday, I bought the paper. So what did I do tonight, oh yea baby - I cut coupons! Now I am all excited because I have a coupon for $1.00 off cereal and other goodies I like to eat. That dollar can be used towards something else, like rent or car payments!

Oh, and on a side note, I got an interview for the Child mentoring program. I will let you all know if they are going to let a dork like me mentor a poor, helpless child. (Well he will be a poor, helpless child if I am mentoring him/her!)

Words of Wisdom:
Everyone has a purpose in life that is already planted in us. It is our job to figure out what it is. Find your purpose and life it to the fullest!

The Boy Is Mine

Oh yea Julie you heard me! Adam just so happened to call me yesterday and proclaim him love for me. I was not shocked, as you knew how much he loved me! We are perfect together, what can I say. And Adam knew it all along! I really do hate breaking this to you, but I figured since you are in Germany and I am in Virginia, there is nothing you can really do about it! And I figured if I told you in a somewhat public setting, you can't try to beat me up. I know how much we would fight over him, but now those shoulder shrugging, strong arms are ALL MINE for comforting!
But I did get to thinking. If you really want to keep it the five of us, I can talk Adam into it, after all he does love me! It would be nice to have you, Mark (plumbing), Adam, Tom (Levelor rep) and I back together again! Ahhh, the old times! We can discuss if over a beer with Tom! :oD All I have to say, is those guys are different, and why they would always talk to us, I will never know. It isn't like we were sane people together - we were just crazy!

Okay, now for those of you who think I am nuts! This made me laugh, and I hope Julie as well. It's just old humorous chit chat between two friends that make working even more fun.

Tear

I go to work yesterday, after having my two days off, and I was ready for a busy night. As guessed, it was busy. But that didn't bother me. I took dinner at 9pm and when I was walking into the office at the end of my lunch I realized something was missing, my Chase-Pitkin travel mug. This is devistating news, I know. This is the mug that I would use everyday to take my coffee/tea to work. You ask my reasons for being devistated: 1 - everyone knew it was mine since I am the only one that came from CP. 2 - It keeps a part of CP with me everyday, CP is my home store where I have family and friends (believe it or not!). 3 -I just flat out love that mug, and now it is gone. Who would take it? I even had to take time out and call my manager, Mike, at home and ask if he knew where it was, and no he didn't either. You may think that I am completely nuts, but having that mug with me at work makes me feel like I fit in. Sounds odd, but everyone has a piece of their "home" store with them, and that was mine. It broke my heart that it was gone. I knew that was my favorite mug, but until I saw that it was gone I never knew what it really ment to me.

Words of Wisdom:
Cherrish you friends, family and loved ones, it isn't until they are gone that you will know what you had. Sad to say, but that is just the way it is.

meanies

Okay, I am not going to say any names, but Julie and Peter are mean. They sent me an email saying how they want to send me to fat kids camp - and how perfectly I would fit in since I am still in their same maturity level! Well poop on you, yea whacha gotta say to that! (and they say I am not mature!) I wanted them to adopt me so I could live in Germany with them. FORGET THAT. If they adopt me, I will just be shipped off like they are ashamed of me, just because I eat.

LOVE YOU GUYS! Miss you tons!

Good Night

In case you were all wondering, I had a good night. I didn't go to bed until 3:30, so it had to have been a good night right! Some of you already know that I had had an interesting couple days getting to know this guy, and I wasn't enjoying myself. Last night I had someone over for dinner, and he seemed to really like my cooking! I made a simple pasta reciepe, but it was really good! We ended up listening to music and talking until 3:30 this morning. Oh, and by the way, no matter what he says, I so kicked his butt in arm wrestling. He may deny that, but it is soo true - you should see my guns! Not only once, but I kicked his butt four times. Even left handed! Well that is my story for the day, make someone a good dinner and it could lead to a good night. And no Willy, I didn't wear my skirt! And no Willy, nothing happened...but he did seem to enjoy your instant messages. I had to tell him you were drunk IMing! I think it worked!

Words of Wisdom:
It's good to have an end to your journey towards; but it is the journey that matters in the end.

Add on to Kyle's

So Kyle (http://phattyK.blogspot.com/) told you about my day with the smoker...So he told you that I mentioned that I went to Church every sunday. (In all honesty, I went every Sunday at Purdue, I went when I could in Rochester, I just haven't found one here yet) I would have to say, I thought that was pretty good as well! I also told my speech on how i just want to be treated like one of the guys. So that way he got the sign that I am not looking for anything (not with him) then i threw in the Church bit to top it off. That way he would feel the whole that he didn't want it to turn into anything! I have learned if you make the guy think it was his doing - they feel smarter. When it is really the girl's plannings the whole time.

So if you find yourself in a situation that someone likes you more then you like them...give me a call and I will give you a line to throw in converstaion that is a truth about you and a bit of a stretch that will turn the other person off but not too bad, you may want to just be friends.

Words of Wisdom:
No need to be cruel, just creative.

Food for thought

So last night I got home around 12:30 and I was a bit hungry. Yes, I know there are children starving in Ethiopia, and according to my dear friend Paul, they are waiting for me to finish eating so that they can get a bite, but when I am hungry I want food. That may sound cruel, but when Paul said it everyone seemed to laugh (except me at first). So I decided to just have something small. I made a box of mac and cheese then ate a couple pieces of cake. What happened to my making something small? I am starting to understand why I get made fun of so much for how much I eat. I can never keep food in my refrigerator. (If you want to make a donation, they are welcome...let me know and I will send you my address.)

Oh, and I don't know about anyone else, but when my brother made sweedish meatballs, I was never invited. I thought that was a bit rude. I call him to say hello, I travel 7 hours to see him for one day (okay, so I made the tripfor a house warming/engagement party for my cousin but Kyle was there) and do I get a stinking invite to dinner - NO! See if I visit you again! Oh wait, you might like that. Next time I will just show up unannouced and demand a good dinner!

Words of Wisdom:
Don't be afraid to take on a challenge. Big or small. It can only make you strongerin the end.

Women

First of all, let me just start off with saying all girls are wierd. Now don't get me wrong, guys aren't that great either - so don't think that you guys are the bomb just because I stated that girls are wierd. But I am sorry, they are. We try to act all pulled together and normal (YES WE ARE ALL NORMAL!), but sometimes we are just plain wierd. When something happens we find the need to tell someone, we can't keep anything to ourselves. Take for instance, a guy I know is coming for dinner on in a couple nights, and that was decided around 1 o'clock today. From that point on I was dying because I couldn't tell anyone. The people I would tell are a phone call away, but you can't stop what you are doing and start dialing. I had to wait until I got off work at 4:30 to call mom and ask her what was needed for meatballs since my reciepe was at home - and I happened to mention the fact that someone was coming for dinner and that was what he requested. Of course mom starts asking questions, you always want the scoop when you start to hear new information. Who doesn't! But girls - it is like we live for it, anything new we find excitement in, now good or bad excitement - it all depends on what the news is. The funny thing is, I am finding that guys do the EXACT same thing. Now don't even try to deny it - you know I am right. I get more gossip from the guys at work than the girls. Kinda makes ya wonder doesn't it!
The only thing I miss right now is being able to ask Willy (my old roomie) what to wear. He was always good at picking my outfits when I went out. So willy - if you read this (which you better) what should I wear? I am thinking my new pair of jeans - since they fit! (the others I had a difficult time buttoning!)

Words of Wisdom:
No one is normal, so aim to be different. No one wants to become friends with someone that is exactly like them, what is the fun in that. Be your own person, and love who you are!

Friendship

Days go in and out, but it is at the end of each day you look back and reflect. Was it a good one or a bad one and why? What could you have done to make it better, or was it one of those days that couldn't be any better? When I look back and reflect on how my day was, it is always the small things that made it great. It may be my coffee talk with mom on my way to work. An event that I count on everyday. Or chatting with Julie on instant messenger before I head off to work, just having her jubilant self in my mind as we talk. It is your friends that make your day complete. It is knowing that when you have a rough day, they may not be right by your side, they may be in Germany, Maryland, or even Seattle - they are just a phone call away. They are what make you smile when haven't cracked one all day, they make you laugh when you need to whipe that tear away. And best of all, you know they are proud of you with out having to say a word. It's knowing that they would be there to give a hug or a helping hand if it were possible. With out people like that, where would this world be? It's something you cherrish!

Words of Wisdom:
Believe in something - every one needs something to believe in. Then pray. Be thankful. Be forgiving. Be loved.

I Said a Prayer For You Today

I said a prayer for you today
And know God must have heard -
I felt the answer in my heart
Although he spoke no word!
I didn't ask for wealth or fame
(I knew you wouldn't mind) -
I asked Him to send treasures
Of far more lasting kind!
I asked that He'd be near you
At the start of each new day
To grant you health and blessings
And friends to share your way!
I asked for happiness for you
In all things great and small -
But it was for His loving care
I prayed the most of all!

Something new every day

As far as I know, I could never say I didn't like Tornado's since I have never experienced one. Well, now I can say it! I don't like Tornado's. I am not trying to be mean, or sound like a pessimist - but I don't like them. I was working in the office yesterday afternoon, and the phone rings informing me to prepare the front end for the power to go out for a couple minutes since there was a major thunder storm. I was okay with that, I never actually thought a tornado would hit down. It hit the AOL building across the street from us and the power lines. So as you can probably guess, we lost power. From what I hear it was a pretty neat sight, the tornado hit some fuse boxes and it shot off some huge sparks. The power went off around 6 pm and we asked customers to wait 45 minutes before leaving the store and driving home, for their own safety. It was raining and thundering like crazy, and I am out there pushing carts so that they won't hit the customer’s cars. Helping Hands was no where to be found - they didn't want to be out in that, they aren’t dumb! And by the way, the sky was amazing. It was neat to see the sky look so pretty when suck a bad storm is going on. By 8:30 I was drown rat with a long wet night ahead of me. The store closed at 8:30 but we had to get as much food in the coolers as possible, and just about all the employees were able to go home by 10. I wasn't able to go since there was a gernerator keeping the computers up and running and there were closing procedures that needed to be done. I got home around 1 am and was back at work at 5 am to help prep the store to open. When I arrived we still didn't have power, a generator came from Pennsilvania and was hooked up by 5:30 and we were able to get the store up and running around 9. All I can say is that it was a long couple days!

Words of Wisdom:
Before you judge it try it. You never know what the outcome might be!

Nicknames

I used to think that having a nickname would be fun. I am starting to think that they are there to make you look like a fool. I have had many nicknames, such as tubbs, tons of fun, oinker (I tend to eat all the time)...but now they are getting cruel! Lately, there have been names such and chunkie pumpkin head and swampy. Oh yes, I said swampy. Now doesn't that just sound sweet, and thoughtful. Swampy can mean a lot of things, swamp creature, swamp lake..and so on. But not me...for those who want to know, here is my story.

I was asked nicely to go out and help out with helping hands and push some carts. Now it was a hot day, and I am in black pants and white button down - it was hot. So a half out later, I was a bit sweaty, and my face was red. (I was working hard - and once again, it was hot out!) I am back in the office now, working on the schedule and Lauren (another STL) is sitting there with me and I just apoligized if I stunk since I was all sweaty. She said I didn't, so that was good. Then Mike walks in and said I stunk. I again apoligized since I was all sweaty, but it's hot out. Then he mentioned that I smell like swamp ass, I just started laughing - it was too funny, and he proceeded to call me swampy for the rest of the day. This was all great fun until Lauren decided to share this last night at dinner with about seven other work friends. So now, I have my friends calling me swampy. Plus, the guy I am hanging out with next week was there, and now calls me swampy. Why do I not see this as a good thing?

Words of Wisdom:
Don't be afraid to laugh at yourself. Otherwise you will let too much get to you.

Kelly Land

I had a couple inquiries about Kelly Land, so I thought I would tell you a little bit about it. Matt (aka Goose) believes it to have white puffie clouds and pink bunnies. Others may think there are rollercoasters or the game where you squirt water into the clowns mouth...these are all very good assumptions but not quite it exactly. Kelly Land is a place where I go where everything is happy. Sounds cheesey now that I am writing it down, but it is true. Kelly Land is the cosmo party at my parents house; it is sitting on top of the rafters at Chase-Pitkin saying "Pizza dude's got 30 seconds" when my manager is on a different rafter throwing things at me; it is coming home from Purdue after my first semester and on Chirstmas eve on a walk dad telling me he was proud of me after checking my grades online. It is working at Entercom with Coyote talking about how we are going to be astronauts together; it is the shaving cream war at a youth group retreat; it is my great aunt Mildred informing Kari and I how to pick up guys on the William and Mary Campus; it is riding my first loop de loop roller coaster with dad at Bush Gardens in Florida. There are soo many things that go into the making of Kelly Land, only because I have been soo lucky to have a wonderful family and wonderful friends to help make all these memories. I can only hope that everyone has their own land that they escape to. It isn't a land that you come out of all depressed and miss things, it brings you out of your slump, puts a smile back on your face.

Words of Wisdom:
Every day you make a memory, so go out there and make it a good one!

Day Dreaming

Okay, So I took mom's advice and went out rollerblading today. I thought it would be a good way to clear my head after an eventful night at work last night. I drove to a street near Washington bike path (it goes from DC to Leesburg Va near where I work) and took off on blades from there. I was thinking about trying to go 5 or 6 miles since I haven't bladed that much lately. Well, my brain drifted off in to Kelly Land and I forget to pay attention to the mile markers. I started at mile marker 9...and all of the sudden I looked at the next mile marker and it was 14.5. Yea, that ment I had to turn around and go another 5 1/2 miles. It was a good work out, but 11 miles was a bit more than I was planning on, and my body was tired. So I came home, showered and ate enough food for the Russian Army - but don't worry I will still have dinner!

Words of Wisdom:
When you don't have expectations, life is full of pleasant surprises.

Downfall

Today was a tiring day at work. I wouldn't say it was the best day I have ever had since I have been here, and I wouldn't say it a good day either. Today I would have to say was a not so good day. I have had my bad days at work, we all have those...but today I got in trouble. If you know me well enough, you know that I am not one that really likes to find that I messed something up. I am more hard on myself than anyone else. My manager, Mike, came up to me and asked me to go for a walk with him. I should have seen it coming, but usually when I walk with him it is to go get something done, not to actually nicely get mad at me. I do have to give him credit though, he did do it in a nice way. I think he is afraid he is going to make me cry. I messed up the schedule, I would have to say pretty good. It was probably 60% my doing and 40% anothers doing...but I took full blame and spent my night trying to dig myself out of that whole - in the mean time I got myself talked to again. We were out of shopping carts, so I thought I was doing good by going outside to start hustling the Helping Hands crew and push carts with them for a bit. Well I forgot to take a walkie talkie with me so the people inside could contact me if they needed me. I was already on the hot seat once that day, so that pushed it a bit too far. This all sounds like simple mistakes, but on a busy weekend, it isn't all that simple. If it wasn't for Lauren and Julie - I wouldn't have been smiling much today. I just can't believe I messed up the way I did on the schedule, I don't know how I didn't catch myself. It was a mistake that shouldn't have happened. I am just really ready to know Wegmans as well as I knew/know Chase-Pitkin.

Words of Wisdom:
Patience - one of the keys in life. It will come in a matter of time (love, friendships, work, understanding - the whole nine yards).

Stop and Smell the Roses!

First of all, showers are over-rated. I haven't even showered yet today, and let me just say - I look fabulous! I may smell a bit (of rose petals of course), but man do I look good! I don't even need to re-do my hair or make-up before I go to work. It even saves water. You can call me an environmentalist now!

Well I have spent my morning doing garden research. Now many of you know that I don't have a green thumb. I kill every plant that comes near me. My last and only roommate would blame for his plants dying, just because I looked at them. I thought that was a little harsh - when looking back, they did all die and they were in my presence. Huh, food for thought. Anywho, back to the research. I am learning how to design a good garden starting with the basics. I am reading this info and I realized you need to know what annuals and perennials are. Oh and what in the world are USDA zones. They give you a stinking number, for example: this plant is good for USDA zones 5 to 8, WHAT IS THAT? HELLO I WAS IN THE BEGINNER SECTION! Okay, so you are wondering why I am doing this, right! No, not so I can pull all my hair out to see if i look good bald...I am doing this to be of help to my lovely parents. I thought I would help come up with a plan for their yard. We'll see how this goes. So far...yea, I still have words to look up! If you want to lend a hand, I would be glad to have it! As for annuals and perennials - hey plant is a plant, what else do you need to know, right?! I am planning on having the best landscape design for their house - so don't even try to beat me!
Well I am off to dig in my refrigerator to see what kind of good eats I have in there! Don't worry, not that much - I am lucky to have chicken swiss - thanks mom! (If it wasn't for that, I would have milk.)

GO PURDUE! Purdue 59, Ball State 7

Words of wisom: (let me know if i should drop this...I don't want to bore anyone)
Smile. It goes a long ways. People may ask why you are so happy - but do you need a reason to smile?! One smile can turn another's frown up side down!

Old Times

This afternoon I was at Mom and Dad's house going through a box with my College books in it. It was fun to go back and read all the notes and see all the papers I wrote. It brought a smile to my face...all the things that made me smile still made me smile. Take for instance, in my calender I wrote a note to myself to go to the doctor in a month and get tested for mono. HELLO DORK - who waits a month? Okay, well I apparently did. Then there was my journal for some English class when I was dating Chris - I wrote about how he would fall asleep while we would watch movies and he would snore so I couldn't hear it. My favorite was a list I found in one of my notebooks that my friend Megan and I made. There was a guy named Mike Bond in our Women's Studies class, and we ALWAYS had to sit next to him. So megan and I each made a list on why Bond like the other person. That poor guy must have thought we were both nuts - every class we had to be sitting right next to him, he had one of us on each side of him. But the way I see it, it's his own fault for being one of two guys in a Women's Studies class - it is like a girl taking an engineering class at Purdue. Yea it was fun to see all the scholastic stuff, but it was all the small things that made it so you pulled through all the tough days that just make you smile.
Oh and in case you were wondering - Mike Bond did call me, and yes I did call megan the second I hung up with him to tell her every single thing we talked about in that two minute conversation. (It was all about school, he didn't ask me out or anything - I wasn't that lucky)

Okay, so maybe I was just a dork back then! And I still am one!

Works of Wisdom:
"Don't worry about the world coming to an end today. It's already tomorrow in Australia." -Charles Schultz

Office Talk

I am driving home from work today, reflecting on the conversations I over heard or participated in and I just had to start laughing. It is funny, you hear about how professional people are at work...and for the most part this holds true...but when you are behind closed doors a whole other light shines through.
When you think about it, everyone needs a place to go where they can just let go. Our Front End's office is our own little soap opera. One may tend to think that is where all the important stink happens. Well if you think shopping for new rims for your car on Ebay, or looking up ice cream cakes (Carvel's cakes are the best!) is important - then you are in luck. This is the office where I have had to print off an email on "How to poop at work" and highlight a section call crop dusting and place it in anothers mailbox hoping they would get the hint. If you haven't seen this email, crop dusting is defined as: when farting, you walk really fast around your place of work so the smell is not in your area and everyone else gets a whiff but doesn't know where it came from. Now this is important. There is a guy that I work with that doesn't use this method, and our office is pretty small and the smell tends to stick around. Not a good thing. Then there is one of my managers...I was in the office working on the schedule and he decides to eat his lunch there to keep me company. I thought that was awfully nice until he decided to inform me that he felt gassy. I stopped what I was doing and turned to him, and then he said to me that he felt comfortable enough with me that it was okay to share this. Personally, too much information. From that point on, I kept my distance!
Walking into that soap opera of an office you never know what to expect - but you do tend to walk out with a smile on your face.

Words of Wisdom:
If you can't see the bright side of life, polish the dull one!

Just Another Day....

in paradise! (Hey what can I say, it's a good song!) Okay, so today may not have been exactly paradise - but it was pretty darn close! Last night was one of those nights you were completely exhuasted after your day at work, and yet you are staring at your clock watching the time go by...first it was 12, then 12:30....1...until 5:45 when the alarm goes off. (you know the drill) As I drive to work, I knew it was that time of the week to write the schedule, and the person that has been training me is...well lets just say a thorn in my side. But today, not so much! I was in the office ALONE today writing the schedule. I knew at that point that my managers were a little too happy today to make that happen. Trusting me to write a schedule for 170 cashiers ALL BY MYSELF. Scariness! I had the country music going, and I was having a grand ol' time. There was even a point where I was kicked out of the office so there could be a little confrontaional meeting between two people, and my new manager (Mike) and I went outside to push carts! Now if you haven't tried that - let me tell you - I love it! I don't know why, but I love going outside to push carts. It may be the company I had, just because Mike and I pick on eachother like no other, but it is just good, plain fun. Before I knew it, it was time for me to go home! Now how can you leave with out a smile on your face after a day like that!

Now all I have to do is find someone to sucker into making me a nice dinner! Anyone available?? I have ice cream for dessert!!! (It was neopalitan - but now it is just vanilla! I sort of ate all the chocoalate and strawberry!) Well give a call! I am around - ALL evening.

Words of wisdom: (hey my as well give it a shot - someone might listen)
No regrets!
Everything in life is a learning experience - just take every ounce you can. Who wants to live their life to look back at what they regret doing or not doing? Not me!

I wise man once told me: Never look back saying "I wish I would have, I wish I would have, I wish I would have..."
Thanks Coyote!

Friendly Neighbor

I decided to be a friendly neighbor yesterday, this may sound shocking to many of you, but yes decided it was about time I was nice to some new people in the area. I was baking a cake at 7 in the morning to surprise them by 8:30 and offer a hand in their daily chores. At 8:30 I arrived at 5010 Rubgy Ave. Oh yes, the parents house. They liked the fact that along with my visit I brought a goodie. We had the morning cup of coffee and three stacks of pancakes and bacon. What a way to start off a perfectly good Sunday. I turn to dad to ask what was in store for us that day, he mention something about the basement and taking the ivy off the front of the house. Now I couldn't tell you how happy I was to hear that. Let me just say that before this project was started - I am not a fan of ivy. So dad and I proceeded to put on our work gloves and he was to get the prunners as I went to start pulling the ivy off the house. Pulling the ivy was the easy part, it was getting the ivy buggers off the house that was the challenging part. If ANY of you are thinking about putting ivy on your house PLEASE call me so I can talk you out of it. I DON'T LIKE IVY. We tried using the power washer to get the buggers off, didn't touch it. Next was a wire brush, not a chance with those buggers. That left Dad, Mom, and I out there with scotch brite pads srrubbing and picking off all those little buggers. I was just glad it was only a small part of the house that ivy was on. It was all about the elbow greese. Once that was off, we had a snack and hit the basement. All the dumb and dummer boxes have now been emptied. Let me just give you a thought as to how much paper those bozos used - after two small boxes I was knee deep in paper that was neatly spread out and stacked. There were about five small items per box. After that - shocking enought we all decided we just might need showers. It was a very eventful day that ended in a great steak dinner and mom and I watching piggie of a Dad eat 6, yes I said 6 ears of corn. Can was all say PIG together!
Thanks for a fun day!
Oh! One more thing - can we say GO PURDUE! 51-0 Nice shutout on Syracuse!

Daily workout

Yesterday was a productive one! I was up bright and early to shower (yes I do take showers every other month even if I don't need it - personal hygiene is important) and head off to Mom's to help in any way I can. I was there by 9, just in time for coffee talk. I figured coffee talk would be our "warm up" before the big work out for the day. (Hey lifting the cup of coffee to your mouth can break a sweat!) After that it was Target here we come!! We figured it would be a great leg exercise - boy was I right! You could feel the burn! Mom had her list of what was needed - we left with getting 0 for 0 on the list. Not good. But hey, I did get new deodorant! Can't beat that!! After that it was back to Mom's for lunch then load my car and daddy's jeep with the bed and table. Once the cars were loaded - it was time to really break a sweat and drive to my apt to assemble the bed. Needless to say, beer time did come first. That drive was very strenuous - it was a whole 20 minute drive! Now imagine two blondes putting a bed together that involved using tools - that was basically how it went. I hit Mom in the head with one of the legs to the bed. She also stubbed her toes numerous times. There were many tears of laughter. But hey, we did it! It still hasn't fallen apart yet - shocking! After that, our daily workout was done. I would have to say, I was sweating more than mom - that must mean I was working too hard!

As for today, I have been doing the homely thing. Cleaning and ironing. Oh yes - all the fun things! Although I did make myself a good breakfast, French toast! (two helpings!) I am starting to think that I eat a lot. I always seem to be running out of food. I buy it, but then I eat it too fast. All well. So my clothes are getting a bit tight. You know how things might be a bit tight once you wash them, but then the supposedly stretch after you wear them once; yea my cloths are still too tight. I think they forgot they are supposed to stretch a bit! So the next time you see me and my cloths look a bit tight or too small - it is the cloths fault for not doing what they are supposed to do!

Time to Party!

My week...lets see, to say the least it was a tiring one. My friend Barb and her boyfriend arrived Saturday to stay the week with me. That ment Saturday night was the night to kick back and have a fun start to their week of vacation and my week of work! My manager, Joe, ended up joining us that night. I made meatball sandwiches for dinner, and Joe was in charge of making the drinks. If you want to know how the bottle of wine was, ask joe - he is the only one that would know! I would have to say he liked it - to say the least! It was a great night of signing and dancing. Yes, four idiots were dancing fools in my small little apt!! We should go on tour! After that night, the week was another week of work for me. I spent monday at mom and dad's new house listening to Dummer (one of the moving idiots) inform everyone that he was working with that their world wouldn't survive with out him in it. Lets just say by the end of the day he didn't really care for me. It's safe to say that Dummer and I just didn't get along. I am just hoping I wasn't a pain in the butt to mom and dady - I hope I was somewhat of a help.

All the exciting events happened in the beginning of the week - the rest was pretty uneventful. I spent Thursday, my other day off, with Barb and her boyfriend - Tom. We went to the air and space museum in Dulles. Grandpa would have loved to see all those planes - it was pretty neat. This morning company left, so now my apt seems pretty empty. Well I best get back to the world of cleaning before I head off to work. As for tomorrow - off to mom and dad's to help unpack. (I am really hoping for a pancake breakfast though - but don't tell!) And just so you know, Dummer loved to see how much paper he could put in each box. It is unbelieveable the amount of paper he used. But hey - life as we know it couldn't exist with out him!

Quick Trip to Rochester

I had an interesting weekend to say the least. Thursday night I found out that it was possible to travel back to Rochester for one day. Yes, I said one day. Some may think that I fell of my rocker on that decision - but no, I had it well thought out. There was a gathering at my cousin Chris's new house to celebrate his new house and his girlfriend Terrie’s 30th birthday. That was a gathering I really didn't want to miss. Friday morning the alarm goes off at 4 so I can get ready for work and make sure I have all my stuff together for my quick trip to NY. I worked that morning from 6 to 2:30 and then I hit the road. I ended up getting to Rochester at 10 that night. Needless to say, I was a bit tired. That next morning, mom and I were up around 7 for coffee talk with my aunt and uncle. Then it was off to get ready for a busy day. I stopped into both Chase-Pitkin’s (Pittsford and Henrietta) then I went to Grandma's to meet up with her and my mom. By that time it was party time! Maybe five minutes into arriving at Chris's new house I hear my mom screaming my name from the basement. I go running down to see her with tears in her eyes and Terrie standing next to her. Mom motioned for me to look at her hand, and so I did. Then I became the jumping idiot when I saw a ring on her finger. Terrie is now and will permanently be part of this family. Well we always considered her family - but now it will be official! I couldn't have come back to better news!! I just wish them the best of luck with all life’s adventures. They sure make a great team! Congratulations guys! The next morning, it was up at 6:30 to hit the road to I could work until 12:30 that night. One last long day to end a perfect weekend!

Week coming to an end

The week was an interesting one, and it is coming to an end. I had some visitors at the beginning of the week - it was nice to see my CP (Chase-Pitkin) friends but there is always one guy that is brought that can take a hike! Besides that, the rest of my week was work. I feel as if I am starting to fill my roll as a Team Lead. Cashiers are coming to me when they need to vent. I won't let them call it complaining - I tell them if they don't say something, how are to know what needs to be fixed. I have spent most of my week taking notes on ways to improve the department. On the flip side of work - I have been given the opportunity to make a bulletin board informing people (mainly co-workers) who the Service Team Leaders are and what our purpose is. I have spent the past couple nights working on that, since I myself am still learning what my job fully entails. So far, it has been a good project - but I am still doing the homework behind it all...it can only get better!

My new Family!

At work - the whole theme is WHO WE ARE. Who We Are gives us five key words to live off of, and we have to try to live them every day. I have been at Wegmans in Virginia for two months now, and I am finding that living those five words makes your relationship with your co-workers and your customers all the better. I have tried to be there for each person I work with, even if it is just saying hello to them at the start of each day, smiling, and saying goodbye before they/I leave. I am mentioning this because I went on vacation and when I came back - a bunch of cashiers greeted me ever so nicely. They thought that I had left for good, and was glad to see I was back. Now I get hugs when I get to work and hugs when I leave. When I need a favor, I have people that are willing to give the extra hand because they know I care. I will have to admit - I was unsure of working and team leading 15 and 17 year olds - but now they make me smile just as much as I make them smile. Having that at work makes it a 10. I have a family there - and to know that you are home when you step into work speaks thousands for me!

Welcome to Virginia

The start of a new chapter! It's amazing what life throw's your way.