365, My New Camera!

I have been drooling over this camera for the last six months. I have gone to the store to hold it and make sure I was still in love with it several times during those months. Today, finally, I was able to walk out of the store with it. I was going to wait until Christmas (as some of it will be from my parents) but I'm heading out to Arizona next week and wanted to be able to have the new camera. I haven't really played with it yet, but I can tell its true love. Can't wait to spend some serious bonding time with it!

365, Serious Puddle

I had to run an errand today and when I walked outside and saw the torrential downpour, I quickly turned around and begged to borrow Carter's rain boots. Being the fabulous sister she is, she let me wear them, and its a really good thing she did! I had to go a whopping two blocks, but this puddle was the real deal. I'm so glad she listened to the weather forecast (as opposed to me) and saved me from ruining my shoes!

365, Homey Touches

Put some stuff up in my cubicle today to make it look like someone actually works there...

365, Day 331

365, My Car! Finally!

It seems like a ridiculous amount of time elapsed between Wednesday, when I signed the paperwork for the car, and this afternoon, when I finally got to pick it up. BUT, its in my possession now so I am a happy camper! It is a Corolla, which is an actual car, (not an SUV or truck like I am accustomed to driving), so it will take some getting used to. My biggest worry was not having automatic headlights (yes, even the Expedition had them) but in my 8 hours of having the car I haven't forgotten to turn them on, nor have I left them on and killed the battery. I am seriously hoping this trend continues and simultaneously awaiting the first time I kill the battery. One of the more exciting features is that the car has an auxiliary port so once I get the correct cable, I can connect my iPod directly to the speakers.

I am a rare breed for more reasons than we should list at any given time, but it is further evidenced by the fact that I am almost done reading the car manual. Yeah, that book that comes in the glovebox- I'm reading it cover to cover. I am REALLY not a car person and don't understand the finer details, so I figured reading the manual would at least give me some base knowledge and help me understand the various features, etc. And, I'm just a nerd that reads manuals. Most of it is pretty standard but its not a dull read at all, and the section on airbags is fascinating. Not even kidding- there is some seriously cool technology in the car that tells the airbags when to deploy or what type of passenger is in the front seat in a ton of different scenarios. I never thought I would be saying this, but if you are as car-illiterate as me, the manual is very useful and interesting read. And don't laugh about airbags being fascinating until you have read that section in your own manual :-)

365, The end of an era

I bought a car on Wednesday (or at least signed all the paperwork), and today we turned traded the Expedition in for my 2009 Corolla! The Expedition will be missed from the fleet as we have had it since 1997 and it was the family car, then Carter's car, then my car, and finally Alex's car, so we all have memories of driving around AVA in it. A lot of my memories are of dreading foul weather because when it rained outside the car, it also rained inside the car. On the drivers head. But hey, thats what builds character, right?!

My car is still being certified and cleaned etc, (it had literally JUST come in when we were at the dealership) so hopefully I will pick it up tomorrow morning!

Also, I was going through my November blog posts from last year and realized that the 23rd was the anniversary of having all my teeth! (11/24/10 blog post)

365, Happy Thanksgiving!

365, I Swear There is a Sidewalk Under There

365, Still Raining

365, Clean-Out-the-Fridge-Night

I went grocery shopping this week but somehow have nothing to eat. It takes talent to accomplish that and I blame it on the fact that I was trying to buy healthier foods. Ended up making some instant rice that has been in my cabinet for too long (I don't recall buying it since last winter), finished the corn from a few nights ago, and threw some popcorn chicken in the oven. The rice was too bland, even for me, so I put some cheddar cheese on top. It almost looks like a home cooked meal, but I assure you, it wasn't really.

365, The End of Outdoor

We had our last outdoor game of the season tonight and the weather was perfect. It started to rain towards the end but the air temperature was warm enough that it felt nice. Our goalie was running late so I ended up playing the first half in goal and it was actually pretty fun and my lungs appreciated the break. Amazingly only 1 goal got through, but I don't think Mia Hamm will be knocking on my door anytime soon (and I'm more than ok with that). It was a great way to end the season and indoor soccer starts next week!

365, Sleepy Head

I slept until 5 pm today. Yes, you read that correctly. I got up around 11 and had a poptart and then passed out again until 5 pm. Even I am left speechless.

A Few Pics from Disney

365, Ultrasound for the Bug

I tagged along with Carter and Liesy-Beezy to Children's today, and as always, was very interested in all the equipment. Liesl had to get an ultrasound before the next round of sclerotherapy in December, and as long as we were there we went ahead and saw her EENT. Her team of doctors is fabulous but because she did such a number a few months ago when she stopped breathing just hours after being seen by the doctors, they can never be too safe. Unfortunately this means sending a scope down her nose and making sure there is no compression on her airway. She is a total trooper, but lets face it, no one would enjoy that much less a baby that can't understand why they have to do it! The good news is that her airway looked great and was clear.

After being scoped we headed up to radiology for the ultrasound, and Liesl was VERY excited to look at all of the balloons up there. We ended up having to wait for an hour before we went back to the ultrasound room, so the balloons were a great distraction and time-killer. She is working really hard trying to say the word balloon and it is super adorable.

All in all, it was a successful visit and Liesl is still the model patient!

365, Office Perks

365, Steam Fresh / Fresh Steam Corn

I've already forgotten the exact name of these microwavable veggie steamers, but I had the corn one tonight it was pretty good. Trying to get back to healthy eating, but its a slow process. Especially for me.

Job Update

It has been a while since I have written about my job situation, so I figure it's time to update the world. I had a couple of good interviews, but before getting rejected from those, I had come to the decision to freelance on my own, full time. The vast majority of my work is for a friend out in Arizona (used to work with my sister) and the majority of his work (and thus mine) is for some pretty big name companies in Abu Dhabi. And by big name, I mean even I had heard of these companies before doing work for them. Scheduling deadlines is interesting because I have my own timezone, Arizona's timezone (which doesn't observe daylight savings, btw), and Abu Dhabi's timezone. I have given up trying to keep track in my head and have 3 clocks on my phone and computer.

I have a cubicle at Carter's office so that I physically have an office to go to, because I have found without it, I ended up falling back asleep all day long and getting nothing done (interesting for someone who has sleep problems!). So far it's working out great for everyone, and I'm crossing my fingers it stays that way!

Being my own boss has been interesting and it is most certainly a work in progress. It is no secret that I do better with structure, so I'm learning to build it in on my own. Or trying to anyway- some days are more successful than others. It was great being able to take time off for Disney World, but the tradeoff is that I am often working all day long, from the time when I wake up and eat a pop tart on my bed to when I pass out at the end of the day. And on top of the time difference between here and Abu Dhabi, their work week is different than ours so I am usually working on Sundays. I really don't mind the schedule so far because minus the 6 months I was at KG, I never had a standard M-F work schedule.

In general, so far, so good. I head out to Arizona for a week in December for a company retreat which should be fun, and I've never been to AZ before. And hey, I never got to travel with that other "real" job!

365, Fall Colors

The only bad part of vacation is having to return from it. I'm still not running at full-speed, but am hopefully getting closer.

365, Rough Return to Life

I realized that I haven't actually written anything about vacation in Disney, but it was awesome. I unplugged and wasn't constantly on my phone, didn't respond to emails, and only turned my computer on to dump pictures from my camera (anyone who knows me knows how major this is!). My mom's presentation went really well and we had a lot of fun spending time together as a group of 4. We got back last night and I was way too tired to write a coherent sentence.

I had planned to wake up this morning and go to Carter's house to get a ride to the office, but I couldn't peel myself out of bed. I went from eating a poptart sitting on my bed to finding myself back under the covers and passed out without realizing it. I finally made it into the office late morning but there wasn't much going on in my world (thankfully) and I still couldn't keep my eyes open, so I went home and took a nap. Turned out to be a pretty good decision because my hockey game tonight was at 10:20, and there is no way I still would have been awake without my nap.

The hockey game was pretty rough because while in Disney, I ate tons of delicious and fattening foods and didn't work out. Yes, we walked around the parks constantly and I'm telling myself it helped my waste line, but it didn't exactly help my lungs remember how to breathe when running.

Hoping for a smoother day tomorrow!

365, 11/13/11- Downtown Disney

Sadly we were unable to do this attraction (Characters in Flight) due to the wind, but it sure leaves something to look forward to next time!

365, 11/12/11- Grand Flo

The life-size gingerbread house made out of real gingerbread!

365, 11/11/11- Hollywood Studios

365, 11/10/11- Magic Kingdom

365, 11/9/11- Epcot

365, Disney World!

My mom, brothers, and I leave for Disney in the morning and I'm pretty excited! My mom is speaking at a conference and the boys and I are tagging along. As long as the boys don't beat each other up too much, it should be a good time.

Internet while we are down there is questionable and it will mostly depend on just how exorbitantly priced it is, so the blog may take a vacation as well. If so, there will be mass posting when I return!

365, Hard Work

Liesl spent the afternoon in the office and then passed out on the way home. Its hard work being an adorable and happy baby!

365, Who Knew?

Who knew that when Casey got his first drum set he would be on tv within 10 years?! Ok, so it was only the ACPS channel, but still pretty cool!

365, Well Fed

I went to a chili cook-off this afternoon with Megan and then over to Ando and Matt's for a yummy dinner. Needless to say, I'm not hungry right now!

365, Happy Hour

When I got to happy hour tonight I was starving and needed food, stat! After skimming the menu I found this delicacy, known to most people at grilled cheese and fries, and it hit the SPOT!

The happy hour was with a handful of friends from KG, and it was really great to catch up and see everyone. I, along with the other 3 members of the comm team, used to have a group Skype chat going all day sharing the vast majority of thoughts passing through our heads, so life has been pretty quiet and far less entertaining since being laid off. Despite not seeing each other and talking far less than we once did, we picked up right where we left off, which was totally and completely awesome!

365, Day 307

365, Shoofly Pie

I highly recommend starting and ending the day with a piece of shoofly pie. Thanks Gitsy and Poppa!

365, Pizza Cutter

I tried out a freebie pizza cutter tonight and was pleasantly surprised by the results. It is still second to scissors, but it did a pretty good job with only a little effort!

And yes, you read that correctly... growing up I thought everyone cut pizza with scissors. BUT you really can't knock it until you try it yourself and experience the magic!