Thursday, May 30, 2013

ahhhhh, the beach

The beach was awesome. I love the condo complex we stayed in. This is our second time there and it truly is one of the best spots in Destin. Great beach, nice place, not crowded...perfect. I had coffee every morning down by the water and spent the morning reading under an umbrella listening to the waves crash. I spent the afternoons on the balcony. It was lovely. Perfect. I'm ready to go back!!

I read two books while I was away. I had planned on reading what was on my Nook, but the oldest left the device on the floor of the guest room at my folks' house. So, it was off to Books a Million where I bought the latest and final Sookie Stackhouse book.

I liked it. I'm not sure what all the hullabaloo is about except some readers apparently feel that it is there right to tell the author how she should handle her characters. Look, when they've published as much as Harris has, and have put in the time and effort to write that many books, maybe they can complain about the ending. But, really, do they really need to get that nasty? They need to get a life. Was it my favorite book in the series? No. Was it a fun read? Yes? I was entertained. And that is what it is all about for me.

So, we say farewell to the barmaid from Bon Temps and I say "Thank You!!" to Charlaine Harris for providing me hours upon hours of entertainment.

I also read a Miss Julia novel that was left in the condo. Ann B. Ross writes this Southern cozy series featuring the ever proper Miss Julia. This time she is off to Florida to get back some jewelry that was stolen from her home and from others in her town. Hijinks. That is what Miss Julia is all about and this entry in the series didn't disappoint.

Off to work today. I'd rather be getting ready to hit the beach....but, it will be there the next time we can make the trip to Destin.

Wednesday, May 22, 2013

awards

I'm wondering what award the boy is going to be given this morning? The middle school awards ceremony used to be so neat at the old school's auditorium. Having the ceremony in the new school's gym just lacks a certain pizzazz, but that is where I'm headed today.

In other breaking news, he has decided not to play in the band and instead will take a forensics class and join the speech and debate team.

Fine. By. Me. We told him he had to 'join' something, and getting involved with the debate team might be a good thing for him.

I emailed his counselor, who just finished being Abbey's counselor and she made the change. Easy-peasy.

So, no summer band camp. That will make all our lives a bit easier.

Looks like our weather will be Brilliant while we are at the beach. Sooooo excited!!

Last day of my work week...better get to it! Happy Memorial Day! Be back a week from tomorrow!!

Tuesday, May 21, 2013

keep on keeping on

I finally hauled myself into the doctor yesterday and was diagnosed with a sinus infection. Yep, could have told you that without the 3 x-rays of my head. So, I'm on another round of antibiotics. Fourteen days this time. Let's see if that can't knock this crap out!!

Tornadoes!! Ugh!! As a child in Illinois, I remember going to our basement when the sirens would go off. I remember seeing houses under construction look like someone had taken a huge rock and smashed them to smithereens after a tornado went through.  My heart breaks for the people in Oklahoma.

I went into work a half hour early yesterday and will again today and tomorrow to bank time to take off for the boy's awards ceremony. My coworker returns from her vacation today. She spent a week at the beach with her hubby after finishing her master's degree this month. Hope she doesn't come back to too much of a mess as our boss is the one who 'worked' on the journals while she was away. Sometimes that can be a real disaster.

The executive director came over late yesterday to congratulate us on the second issue of the magazine. She especially liked the big picture of the 'hunky' keynote speaker for our national meeting. She does enjoy a nice looking man! lol

Off to read the paper....and get ready for the day. I do feel better today after just one dose of the medicine. I took my second pill just a few minutes ago. I hope by tomorrow I am well and truly on the mend. It has been a rough spring for my overall health, something I'm not really used to.

Off I go! Tuesday, here I come!

Monday, May 20, 2013

three days and out

Only three days of work this week then VACATION!! Whoop!!

So excited to head to Florida and see my folks and hit the beach. Ahhhh, that first cup of coffee surf side is one of my favorite things in life. I can't wait.

The middle kid is already on her way down there with her friend and that family. We will meet them and collect her next weekend.

Graduation weekend is all over. The actual ceremony clocked in at just over an hour. The speeches were short and to the point. The announcer read a name off every 3 seconds. They moved through those 465 kids in rapidly and got us all out of there. We had dinner at the local Italian bistro hubby and I went to for our anniversary. I had some amazing ravioli and their "gravy" was phenomenal. Good times.

This week we have the son's awards ceremony and his graduation from 8th grade. Wow. Off to high school he goes in August. He will have band camp this summer. Our days as soccer parents are truly good and over.

It was a crazy, busy, emotional weekend. We are on the roller coaster now.....well into the ride....exciting stuff!

Happy Monday.

Thursday, May 16, 2013

hey, hey, two today

Those hours spent writing scholarship essays paid off for the second daughter. She walked out with a Leadership Scholarship given in honor of our past principal and a departmental scholarship given in honor of a former U.S. History teacher!! Ironically, her sister also won this Leadership scholarship last year.

Hey, Hey, Two Today!

She also received other awards for her work in Art and AP Environmental Science.

It was so neat to see her efforts recognized. Now all that is left is to walk across the stage Saturday afternoon.

Up for tonight is the boy's final middle school band concert. Wow. We received his schedule confirmation for next year. Back to the beginning. We get to do the high school thing one more time.

The cold is manageable today. But, I had trouble sleeping last night with all the cold meds in my system.

Got a kudos from the Exec. Director on the PowerPoint shows I put together for her. They worked great, went well, and she was happy. Whew. I was worried about the one she took with her to New Zealand...gave me nightmares!! I dreamed the embedded videos didn't work.

The weekend is coming. Let the festivities begin!

Wednesday, May 15, 2013

up and moving

I am up and moving today, slowly, but moving. Off to work I go. I should be a quiet day. My boss kept me entertained yesterday by playing Words with Friends non stop....and complaining how quiet it was there. "How are you feeling?" was his most comment text. Guess he doesn't like being in our corner of the office all by himself!! lol

Happy Wednesday.

Tuesday, May 14, 2013

crashing halt

Burning eyes. Check.
Pounding head. Check.
Stuffy then drippy nose. Check.
Body aches. Check.
Overall feeling of misery. Check.
Scratchy, sore throat. Check.

I managed to get the mother of all head colds somewhere. This girl is not going to work today and "toughing it out." I have to get some rest, drink hot lemon tea, and kick this bug out of my system pronto so I can enjoy the rest of our very busy week.

Back to bed.

Monday, May 13, 2013

whirlwind

The weekend went by in a whirlwind. We had errands to run on Saturday, including a trip to the golf store for the hubby and a trip to the jewelry store for me. No new bling, just repairs. I also took my phone to the apple store as the camera was crashing. They 'restored' it and of course as soon as I started to take prom pics, it crashed again and again and again. I managed to get the pics I wanted, but it is on the fritz and I need to find time to get back over there and get a new phone.

While we were out the kids cleaned the house and bought me flowers for Mother's Day.

Prom was Saturday. We made two photo opp stops with the girl before delivering her to the boy's house. Everyone was meeting there to get the party bus. Helped the boy's mom get set up for the kids and the food buffet and met his grandma. Really nice and fun people. Took some great pics too!

Came home and went through pics, got them edited, and slapped an album up on Facebook. Sunday the hubby and I went to Mass, the kids slept, and we hit the grocery store after to get some food.

Made it home and called my Mom!! Yay!  Had lunch and then took both the girls to the soccer field for their game. The oldest was the super sub...who played the entire game. They were seriously short players as the majority of the seniors didn't show up.UGH! The game tied 0-0.

After the game we came home and got cleaned up for baccalaureate. That lasted 2 hours. Always interesting to hear the verses the kids select and to listen to their meditations. No representatives from our church on the planning committee this year.

Then we came home and I made dinner. We ate. We watched some TV. I went to bed.

That was all. Up this week is an assortment of activities for graduation. It is going to be a busy one!

Monday. Ready or Not, the week is beginning.




Thursday, May 9, 2013

banquet hell

Off to a banquet I go tonight. Ugh. It wouldn't be so bad if I didn't have to drive into the city to attend this function. But, I do. At least my coworker is going with me. We will be taking pictures for the office. The banquet is the closing event for an annual continuing education meeting. They have dinner, a silent auction, and some awards. We were told 90 minutes, tops. I hope that holds true.

We are already joking about banquet chicken. That dish is truly an universal food experience. Sort of like McD's.

On the plus side, I will get to finally meet my friend's dog! Looking forward to seeing Miss Stella.

I will have to recap our lunch bunch's field trip yesterday to TSC another day. Suffice it to say, it was an experience.

Happy Thursday.

Wednesday, May 8, 2013

bwahahahahaha

We laugh a lot at work. A lot. So much so that the assistant executive director once came out to 'shush' us. I don't even remember what got us started that day, but it doesn't take much.

I guess it is just a fatal combination of a crazy Brazilian, a single "Peter Pan" of a boss, and me that makes for a rather dynamic situation. When you toss in the nutty PhD from the education department, well, all bets are off.

The PhD's department never laughs. They don't joke around. It is all Serious Business over there. So, she has to come to our department to get her daily dose of fun.

Yesterday, the bosses computer was being restored by the IT department after the blue screen of death showed up  not just once, but twice. So, he camped out in my cubicle. That did not lead to a productive work environment for me. But, we did manage to get some more changes made to the June issue. He actually found more things, things I had missed, to correct. Thank Goodness for fresh eyes.

Bottom line is this. We have fun at work when and where we can. Laughter truly is the best medicine. I'm very fortunate to be working in the department I am with the people I am working with.




Tuesday, May 7, 2013

summer work

The oldest walked in from her first full day at her first full time job and said, "I'm exhausted. I'm so tired." She stumbled to her room and collapsed on the bed.

After I stopped laughing and wiped the tears from my eyes, I asked her how her day went. She said it went great. Everyone was super nice to her. She spent the morning learning their software program and then the afternoon converting old drawings into the new system. She had lunch in the breakroom with  a bunch of the guys, who made fun of what she had brought for lunch (half a grilled chicken breast and some chips). She was told to be sure and NOT tell her Dad about whatever comments are made about The Architects! Ha Ha.

She seems to be off to a good start. The drive in wasn't too bad she said. And other than the office being cold (which I warned her about) she said things were just fine.

Good!

The other kid took her first AP test of the week. One down and three to go. This was the APES test, aka AP Environmental Science. Today is Spanish. She thought APES went well, but does not hold out high hopes for Spanish.

The youngest took his EOC, End of Course exam, in Algebra I. I believe he has two other EOCs to take, one for Physical Science and one for Spanish I. I still haven't been able to access the AP/Honors portal for him. The girls had summer work to complete prior to their freshman year at the high school. All this merger bull $h!t is messing with the system it seems. Ugh.

School is winding down. Jobs are getting started. This will be a different kind of summer with all different kinds of "summer work!"

Monday, May 6, 2013

let the internship begin

She's a bit nervous. Heck, I'm  nervous for her! The oldest begins her internship today. No rest for that girl. She was home Friday afternoon after an 8:00 a.m. final in Calculus and now she is off to work. Well, not quite yet as she will leave later this morning. She will be departing each morning before I have to leave for work and she will be home after me.

Welcome to the real world, baby girl.

Hoping and praying for safe travels and good experiences.

It was an interesting weekend. The middle daughter had her birthday gathering on Friday night. The kids ate large quantities of fried chicken from Gus's, went bowling, and then came back for cake and ice cream. It seemed they all had a good time. Saturday the hubby and I made the major Costco restock the pantry shopping trip. Sunday I took the oldest to buy a few new pairs of 'work' pants and three new tops. She has more dresses than you can shake a stick at, but not all are work appropriate, and pants are going to be more comfortable if she goes to any job sites with any of the engineers.

Next weekend is PROM and baccalaureate and Mother's Day!

It is going to be a crazy, crazy summer. And today is Monday. Let's go.

Thursday, May 2, 2013

check

Paper at the end of the driveway by 5:15. Check. Paper retrieved, cookie gobbled, kibble gobbled. Check. Morning work done, nap time. Check.

All is right in Duke's world today.

Hilarious meeting yesterday. The sort of sad funny that happens sometimes. So, revenue is down at my place of employ. Lots of contributing factors, but one major one is that 'we' have done things the same way for a very long time and the business world has changed. We need to change too.

Off the soapbox now and back to my story. Fourteen of us, from different departments, are watching a webinar on increasing ad sales and adopting a new model for marketing which involves breaking down silos. Apparently this culture is rampant in associations. One of the presenter's main points was a concept promoted by Malcolm Gladwell. Gladwell suggests that you need 'connectors' in your marketing/advert department. Folks who are curious, energetic, and eager to work the knack they have for having a wide circle of connections for your association's benefit. I look around the table and there is our advertising sales gal dead asleep. There is the IT guy dead asleep. There is my BOSS, dead asleep!! OMG.

We put the E in Energetic I guess. LOL. Granted, this webinar started at 1:00 p.m. and most folks had just returned from lunch. I wonder if the Executive Director was there if they'd nodded off?

After the 90 minutes webinar, a short discussion burst out. Of course finger pointing began in the polite Southern fashion it does in our office, and then our past retirement age marketing director states that he's been tasked by the Executive Director with coming up with a marketing plan by the end of May.

Oh, REALLY? Like maybe we should have one already in place?? LOLOLOLOL

Like I said, a fairly hilarious meeting, but in a very sad, sad, way.

Is it going to be an interesting third and fourth quarter? CHECK!

Wednesday, May 1, 2013

well, okay then

Duke, our dog, is having an anxiety attack. The paper is not at the end of the driveway yet and it is now 5:41 a.m.

He wants to get that paper, get his cookie, and go on with his day!

Talk about a creature of habit. He most definitely has a routine and right now the paper delivery guy is really messing with it. I will let him out to check again after the girl next door leaves for seminary. No need to startle her with Duke running out there like a maniac looking for the paper. She is a brand new driver and just learned to drive a stick shift, so she needs to focus!

Speaking of focus...our new Focus is growing on me although I'm still thinking that when it is time to replace the minivan that I would like a vehicle that sits up a bit higher. I guess I'm a creature of habit when it comes to that.

I better go look and see if the paper is here yet. Duke just cruised through the kitchen, gave me one of his pitiful looks, and wandered back to his post by the front door.

Wednesday!! Hump Day!!