New Music - Good Music

There's a couple new songs that are out now that I am loving! I think you should check them out:

Sunny Sweeney - "From a Table Away"


Tim McGraw - "Felt Good On My Lips"

The Band Perry - "If I Die Young"


Jason Aldean - "My Kinda Party"

Thompson Square - "Are You Gonna Kiss Me or Not"


Jerrod Niemann - Check out his whole album, it's really good. But my favorites are:
"They Should Have Named You Cocaine" and "What Do You Want"


Methods of Mayhem - "Time Bomb"

Christina Perri - "Jar of Hearts"


What's your favorite 'ear candy'?

Things I Like....

- waking up and being in a good mood
- feeling grateful for the way my life as been so far
- having family that I'm close to and can depend on (and they can rely on me)
- when a friend invites you to do something
- summer when it's nice and sunny but not too hot out
- having a cookout with all your friends
- getting invited to weddings
- when you get your hair done and it looks great
- the smell of your hair when you get it done (I know, chemicals and all but I love it)
- giving a good tip
- when grocery shopping is done
- a full gas tank
- starting the week with all the clothes washed
- pay day
- puppies
- all the leaves changing on the trees and the gorgeous colors
- people who work hard to make a living
- farms
- sitting at the bar with a cold beer, surrounded by friends
- putting money in the jukebox and playing all the songs you love
- laughing
- street dances
- fireman's picnics
- county fairs
- beer
- people watching
- clean houses (especially mine)
- weekend plans
- high school football games
- mittens
- traveling
- taking pictures of said travels
- anticipation (sometimes the wait is better then the actual event)
- getting a new shirt
- wearing new shirt and getting compliments
- getting compliments in general
- being told you're doing great at work
- the first snowfall of the year
- the first warm day of spring
- putting up the christmas tree
- christmas lights
- Labor day
- when all the family gets together for Thanksgiving
- when a night that you're having a blast drags itself out so it's not over too fast
- going into the bar and having the bartender know you (and your drink)
- when someone says you're pretty
- sunglasses that fit well
- coupons
- seeing other people happy
- sad country love songs
- concerts
- spending time with people you don't get to see much
- giving presents
- planting flowers and having them actually live
- shooting rifles (and hand guns)
- everyone gathering for hunting season and playing cards in the garage
- playing Skip-Bo with my Grandma
- the Saturday after Thanksgiving when we go shopping
- seeing my cousins
- being tall
- heels, sandals and clogs (I love them all)
- jeans that fit great
- going to the movies
- outlet malls
- the feel after you work out and you feel you accomplished something
- cycling classes (I miss this most)
- old barns
- going to the back 40
- cowboys (real cowboys)
- Jordy Nelson
- cooking a meal and it actually turns out great
- fireworks and the 4th of July
- a good tan
- winning at the casino
- Canada
- oversized chairs
- Michael Waddell
- piers and lighthouses
- finding a good book you can't put down
- mad-bomber fur hats
- deep fried mushrooms
- Friday night fish fry's
- finding a new song you can't get enough of
- bonfires + beer + friends
- helping someone
- kit kats
- organizing
- painting
- water (oceans, lakes, rivers, streams, creeks and brooks)
- dreaming of plans to build a house
- farmers markets
- the huge bouquets of flowers from the farmers market

Moving

Today's my first day in a new cube at work. They are doing a bunch of re-arranging and I'm one of the people that gets moved. I'm excited yet I'm a little upset. Of course when you've been in a desk for 16 months you get a little rythm down, you know where everything is, it's a flow you have going when you do your work. Today I'll have to develop a new flow. It's weird too b/c obviously a cube only has two walls, one on the left or right and one in front of you and a small on that is on the side of the cube w/ the aisle. The cube I've been in was a four person cube. So like the picture above (but without the table in the middle separating the two spaces), two people in the cube w/ their backs to one another and then the aisle and the exact same thing on the other side. So when you walk down the aisle at work it is like two cubes w/ four people that you walk past. Obviously you get to know the people in your 4 square really well. Where I'm moving to is a two person cube, so you have the two people on one side sitting back to back and then across the aisle is a one perosn cube which has a large wall facing the aisle so you can't look into their cube or really talk to them. It's going to be weird and I'm not sure I'll like it! The only good thing is that every person I sat with in my old four person cube is being moved so at least I'm not the only one! Wish me luck in my first new day in the cube!!

The Thank You Note

Is the rule of a thank you note dead?

Weddings guests can now be invited to the formal day on facebook, twitter and myspace. Heck, we don't get the call anymore that people are engaged, we get the facebook status update. The day of gifting the toaster or blender is dead - now its fresh green cash we're stuffing into cards and throwing in a slit in a box. But with all this informality, is the thank you note being lost too? Can typing thank you on a facebook page or @ someone on twitter make up for receiving that little card in the mail addressed to you and opening it to find a hand written thank you for the gift and attending the wedding? Granted, we don't usually hang on to these notes, frame them, or put them in our memory boxes, but they're still nice to receive. I have been to 4 weddings this year so far and I can count 1 thank you note that I received. Not to mention the graduation parties that I gave money for - 2 - and the thank you notes I got - 0.

Is it an old time thing to write thank you notes now? Is it something that's considered optional and you don't really have to do it? Is standing up at a wedding and saying thank you enough now? Maybe I'm old school but I refuse to believe the thank you note is dead - it still lives on with this girl.

Random Thoughts

1) Leaving on Wednesday for DENVER!!! I'm so excited to go with two of my good friends! We are there until Sunday and we plan on having a blast checking out the city!

2) I get my stitches out tomorrow - yes! Just in time for the trip.

3) Don't you hate when you find a shirt at a store and you LOVE it but they don't have your size. Then you go online to order it and they don't either! And there is no other store close you can go to check it out - bummer.

4) I CAN NOT believe it's August already?! Where did the summer go?!

5) I'm so ready to have 3 days off of work - hip hip hooray!

6) We had a work bonfire on Friday night and it just solidified my love for friends, fire, beer and good times.

7) Haven't been to a fair in yrs and I am going this year - mark my words!

8) One of my new favorite songs is Farmers Daughter by Rodney Atkins. It makes me wish my dad was a farmer....he's more like a lumberjack though.

9) Half way through my weddings for the year. One thing I think you can do w/o at weddings - the garter/bouquet toss. I refuse to go up for them anymore b/c I am seriously the only one of my friends not married.

10) I hate going on vacation b/c I never know what to pack. Do you pack warm and cold? Do you pack flip flops and shoes? Will I need a swimsuit? I wish I could just back my whole closet b/c I know when I wean something out that's going to the shirt I wish I had to wear!

11) I have a lot to do in two days...and I need to clean this apartment before I leave so I come back and it's not a mess!

12) Sundays are the worst day of the week. I don't like to go to sleep b/c I know when I wake up it's Monday - yuck.

13) My kidney stone bills are all finally paid! Again - hip, hip hooray!

14) The old Pontiac is in desperate need of an oil change but I just don't want to go there. I hate sitting in that waiting room watching CNN while they do it - BORING!

15) The search for new car is stalled. I can't make up my mind. Used vs. New. GMC vs. Ford. Car vs. SUV?

That's about all my randoms for today - have a super week!!

Training Days

Yes! Two days until the weekend!!!!

Yesterday I was a little nervous b/c I decided I needed to get more involved in work (b/c there are lots of groups you can join) so I signed up w/ my supervisor to do some training with the new hires. I had an hour and a half to talk about a day in our job. I thought, heck, that's not bad at all. Then I realized it's their 3rd day on the job. They just learned how to log into the computer system yesterday! So i started to get nervous. Just like any job, there's lots of lingo or names of systems you use to do your job that it does take some time to learn. Well our whole job is on the computer so how am I suppose to talk to these people and not use lingo. There are no "lam ens terms" for these systems! So it got a little difficult to explain but I love they did learn something!

Oh - second thing. If you don't already know, I'm 25 and single so I'm always looking for a future bf. It's like embedded into me now, I can't get rid of it. Where better then work is there to look for a future "suitor?" So when I walked in the room I saw this cutie. As a habit I always check for a wedding ring. I mean we are that age where everyone is married practically and he just so happened to have that hand where I couldn't see it. To get to know everyone we went around the room and introduced ourselves. Of course he was last!!! The anticipation!!! And guess what - married and just had his first child. crap. When is this company going to hire some single guys my age?!?!

Wondeful Weekends

Whew - I'm a slacker here....sorry.

I'm going to start with last weekend, Memorial Day weekend. It was a wonderful three day weekend and much needed. After Vegas, work was Hell! I just had no patience for anyone and especially no patience for mean people. So when Friday rolled around, I was already packed and headed north for a great weekend!

My brother lives in a duplex w/ KA (male) and SS (female) in south-eastern WI. KA and my brother went on a bike trip w/ some friends to La Crosse so SS and I were both up on Friday night w/ nothing to do. Usually we go out in a big group but since it was just the two of us, we headed out ourselves. And honestly, Friday nights I usually don't go out at all, those are my nights to "bond" w/ the rents b/c I'm usually not home the rest of the weekend. But my parents were not home - punks - so I headed out! We honestly had a great time, just the two of us! The bar we always go to had a new bartender that we loved to make fun of. She was one of those girls who looks like a bartender so she thinks she's a bar tender. She's a really pretty girl just sucks as a bartender and was pretty cocky and rude for someone we had just met. Anyways, it was a great night and two of our other friends saw my car parked there (small town right!) so they came out with us too. We eventually got sick of the bartender so we went into town to our safe bar. Everyone in here is usually about 60 yrs old so it's usually pretty laid back and...well, empty. All in all a great Friday night!

Saturday we had a bridal shower for our friend JN who's getting married this summer. It was a beautiful day to have a party outside and the food was great. She got lots of cards too which was nice b/c less time for presents! Hey, don't act like you've never thought the same thing when you're at a party and the table is piled high w/ presents and you're there for like 2 hrs watching them open cooking appliances, glasses and bath towels. I even got to talk to one of my friends from high school who I haven't seen probably since we graduated high school! (She's JN's cousin) However, it made me feel old and kind of like a failure. She has two kids w/ her husband and they live in a house they bought. I live in a one bedroom apt and have no kids. Well I guess that's probably good b/c I live in a 1 bedroom apt! haha

Anyways Saturday after the party we went to the creek to cool off. We all met at my friends family camp in P-town and headed out. It was so nice to walk in the creek b/c it was so hot out! Even the cool water on your knees down was refreshing. Below is a pic of the creek we went to. Now this photographer edited this so it's looks way fancier then what it's really like. Not that it's not nice, it's just a creek.

Defintely a place you have to wear shoes in though, it's really rocky. So after that we went back to camp and started a bonfire. My brother and KA were back in P-Town w/ their friends then so SS and I went out to meet them. Needless to say our Favorite! bartender was working again, so we didn't stay long. We headed back to camp and sat around the bonfire for awhile. My friend MD was home so she called me up and we headed out on the town. We went back to our safe bar in town and well, it was safe alright. We mainly go out to catch up on each other's lives and it's so nice to see her.

Onto Sunday! First off - I had my cousins high school graduation. It makes me feel so old b/c I can remember playing barbies w/ him when he was little (and me too I guess since I played w/ barbies) and here he is graduating high school! College later this year - YIKES! It was great to see him graduate (w/ honors!) and complete this stage of his life.

Ok, back to P-Town! On Saturday we decided we were going to have a Sunday Funday! Does anywhere else have Sunday Fundays? I guess it's pretty much just a fun name of partying all day. I know in college we used to call it B&K's Day o' Fun. But it didn't always include alcohol, sometimes we'd go to the casino, sometimes to a park or something. It was fun. Anyways, this Sunday Funday included alcohol and was a blast. We played rodeo golf and bags.

Do you guys call them something different? I know there are lots of names for these games. I think where my friends live in Kentucky it's called corn hole? In Wisconsin we keep it pretty simple and just call them bags or bags boards. Ladder golf however, or rodeo golf, testicle toss, etc, etc. I feel like there are so many names for this one game! FYI neither of these pics are mine. I found them on the internet b/c I was too busy having fun to take pictures on Sunday Funday. We ended up busting out the grill and having some tenderloin steaks, potatoes, pasta salad and watermelon. It was a great, great day w/ friends and family! (Bonfire got cancelled b/c it started to rain at 12:30 am, ohh well!)

Whew - after that weekend it was back to work for a crazy week! The four days I had to work were madness! It was a full week packed into four days, that's for sure. So this past weekend I did nothing. Well I did some things like planted flowers (I'll have to post pics later) and re-arranged my living room and even started up the air conditioner. I didn't use it all last summer but for some reason it was so humid the other day I had to turn it on! I also did some apartment searching b/c I"m looking for a new one. I love where I live now, but it's just kind of expensive. I'm looking at getting a cheaper apt so I can have a little extra money to save or so i can get a new car. The less I pay for rent, the more I can pay on the car payment. We'll see. It's nerve wracking to think of moving to another place. What if it looks nice but it's really loud, or a worse area. I love the area I live in now, it's kind of the burbs. It's this apartment complex and a bunch of duplexes, homes of single families. I love it but I also get antsy and ready for a move. We'll see.

Take Care and enjoy the day!

- Stone Free -

Happy to report as I blog today I'm stone free!! I missed a couple days of work and it definitely wasn't pretty but I did get rid of those bad boys. Tuesday I was just so tired and sore that I missed work and then Wednesday I tried to catch up on sleep so I called in then too. I was back to work on Thursday and I only made it half a day. Turns out there was still one little bugger that wasn't gone yet and it hurt SO bad to sit at my desk that I could only stay half the time. Thursday night was pretty bad again. It hurt the whole night and the Vicadin didn't even help really. I was sobbing by Friday morning and I'm pretty sure that was the first time I cried in the whole thing. Mainly the crying came, I think, too was b/c I was so exhausted. I really hadn't gotten a goods night sleep in a week and it was catching up with me. Luckily right before I had to be to work, the stone passed and it was like almost instant relieve! I was a little sore over the weekend and I did miss my friends wedding but I'm really glad the stones are gone.

Now, onto bigger and better things. Work was NUTS yesterday! Everyone got slammed with work which sometimes makes it better that it's just not you that got busy. Some days do seem to be hit or miss. Some people will get swamped and you'll end up not too bad. Yesterday on the other hand showed it's wrath to everyone across the floor. Busy Mondays make for busy Fridays is my motto. I usually set myself reminders to follow up on my Monday claims on Friday so it just makes for an all around busy week. What you going to do? Job security I guess!

- Hell and Back -

There are some things I don't like - and I think you'll agree with me. I don't like pain. I don't like dull aches (like toothaches and ear-aches.) I don't really care for needles, especially those that are lodged in somewhere and not coming out. I don't care for hospitals. And last night I got to experience all three in all their glory.

The story goes like this - I was woken up about 11:15pm or so and I had these sharp pains in my side. Sometimes I get these because I eat supper so late (I work until 8:oopm) so I really didn't think anything of it. I went and took three extra strength advil and went to go lay back down. However, the pain started to radiate and I mean radiate through my entire right side. All I could think was holy crap, never eating spaghetti that late again. The pain would not subside at all. It was like a knife being put into my side and then into my back and then moving around. It was probably some of the worst pain if not THE worst pain I've ever felt in my life (right up there with severely spraining my ankle in volleyball and getting a granule in my eye.)

I gave myself a time limit - if this doesn't get better by 1:30 then I think it's time to go see the emergency room. When I started throwing up, I knew it was time to head out. Now before you yell, yes I've lived here two years now and no, I don't know where the closest emergency room is! I knew of an Aurora clinic that was close so I got in my car and drove the 15 minutes there...only to find out there is no emergency room there!!!!! I wanted to cry, throw up and just plain give up and lay on the road all at the same time. So I did what any normal person would do and drove myself home. Then threw up some more...way more. I tried every position known to man and I'm pretty sure I made up some new yoga moves trying to get comfortable. Nothing worked, not even dulled the pain. When 3:00 rolled around I knew I had to get somewhere.

I ended up at the emergency room about 20 minutes away. The sweet girl checking me in probably thought I was crazy but I could barely stand there to answer her questions. Then a sweet nurse - Dennis took me back to my room (#11) and got all my info. He pretty much new right away what was wrong. We did a urine sample (t.m.i. - i know) and he took some blood to run labs. I got an iv for fluids b/c I was dehydrated and something for the nausea and the pain. I could have kissed him when those pains started to dull. The tests came back and I was assigned a CT scan of my abdomen. All I can say is thank God those CT machines aren't those old one's like a tube that you go into. This one was wide open and really fast. I got sent back to my room then for the radiologist to read the report.

A little later my doctor came back....kidney stones. Two of them, one right by the bladder and one still up higher. Now I don't know anyone but my friends dad who's ever had kidney stones. I got some vicadin - thank God - and some pills for the nausea and told to go home, drink lots of fluid, keep moving and they hopefully will be out soon. So as I sit here, still some off and on pain that comes and goes but I really hope it's that dang second stone just working it's way out.

So if anyone ever has kidney stones - call me. I'll drive miles upon miles to be there for you b/c I have never experience pain like that before. He's hoping to fast moving rocks!!

Twista

Tornado Warning. Pretty sure there are not two other words together in a sentence that scare the crap out of me more. Tonight we had a tornado warning while I was at work. It's probably better it was when I was at work and with 30 other people then when I was alone in my apartment. They made us shut all our computers down and go into a conference room. Get this though, on the second floor! I said, If we have to be in a conference room can we at least be downstairs and not on the second floor? So they let us all go downstairs into a big conference room and we all had to sit there and wait for the warning to be over before they would let any of us leave. Let's just say that 45 minutes in an 80 degree room was 44 minutes too long! Luckily no tornado came, or at least not one that we saw. Not like the particle board door would have saved us. I just hate storms. Well I like thunderstorms but not tornado's. It's probably a good thing I live in WI b/c we don't get too many strong storms like this.

Anyways for Cinco De Mayo tomorrow I entered a salsa competition at work. So when we could finally leave work I had to run to the grocery store. Walking to my car at work I got soaked so I looked like a wet dog in the store. Good thing there weren't that many people there. I got my salsa stuff and I can say right now its completed and hoping I'll win tomorrow.

Ohh and to get from work to my apartment tonight I had to run through the sprinklers. Yeah, we got like an inch of rain in an hour and the sprinklers were on right next to the sidewalk to get to my front door! I was throughly soaked and none to happy about it!! Wish me luck in my salsa competition tomorrow! Happy Cinco De Mayo everyone!

Take Care!

Home Decor/Bedding = Broken Budget

For this time of my life, I feel like I'm not on a budget. We'll I mean I don't spend like crazy and watch what I spend but I don't really consider myself to be on a strict budget. My bills get paid and I have a place to live so when the paycheck comes, yes, I do probably spend a little more then I should. There's a couple things I think I have a weakness for: 1) bedding or bedding sets, 2) home decor, 3) fabric.



1) Bedding sets and bedding. I have always been addicted to blankets and duvet covers, throws and pillows. I like to mix up my bedroom and the bed spread is fastest way to do that. I have a couple I'm considering right now and one I just bought at Wal-Mart the other day, it is a queen size comforter for only $16, figured you can't go wrong. (For those of you who hate Wal-Mart, I respect you and your decision. But for me - it's quick, close and I can run in and run out get what I need w/o spending an arm and a leg.) My only worry I always have though is after I buy something I always sit and contimplate whether I really need it. I worry that I'll find something better the next week. Here are the one's I like:


Target - DwellStudio® for Target® Mandala Bedding Collection


I love the yellow in this. A yellow bedspread, quilt is what I've been looking for so when I came across this one I was very happy with it.


Wal-Mart - Better Home and Gardens Set

Now this one I love all the colors - not to mention it has some great throw pillows with it! I think it would look super in my bedroom! It's also more affordable then the one at Target. We'll see though, I love them both so much!

2) Home Decor - candle holders, pictures to hang, vases and jars - I love it all!!!! Lately I think I've been able to control myself more b.c I have to keep telling myself that I only have so much room. Living in a one bedroom apartment makes you realize you can't buy too much stuff - there's only so much room to store things! (in reference to #1 though, there is always room for more blankets - I just need to invest in those space saver bags that shrink things so you can store them!)

3) Fabric - When I was unemployed from my previous job I had a lot of time on my hands and had to come up with some hobbies. I started making jewelry and sewing. Jewelry making was really fun and something I've always wanted to learn. I love making earrings and finding great beads to make things with.
My mom had an old sewing machine she got when she was married and I brought it back to my apartment and got some old fabric and made some cute bags. I like to think I've gotten pretty good at sewing - nowhere near quilt making good but I would love to learn to make quilts! Also, I saw this great book with pillows in it and I would love to make some great pillows. I got some great discounted fabric at Jo-Ann's and I've been waiting to find a great pattern to make some throw pillows for my couch.

I'm sure we all have our little quirks and things that draw our attention (and our budgets.) Hopefully I'll be able to send some pics of my new bedding when I finally decide on something! If only I could paint my walls, that would be great! Oh and I need to make some new curtains. Think I'm going to go with a khaki/off white so it goes with all my bed sets. Right now I have brown and it doesn't really match everything. Maybe I'll test my sewing stills on curtains and a bed skirt. Sometimes I feel 80, haha. Saturday night sewing - here I come!

sprinkling showers on spring flowers

It rained like a banche today! (after I typed that, i had to google it b/c I use it every so often and really have no idea what it means. I can't find it anywhere. Who knows where I got it, but then again who knows where I get half the things I say.) My schedule on Friday has me working until 6:00 and I knew the rain was going to come about that time so I was dreading it. We have a big parking lot and since I start my shift later in the day compared to most, I am usually parked "in the back 40" as I like to refer to it. Today I got pretty lucky and got a closer parking spot. At about 5:20 you could hear the rain pounding on the roof. All I could think of was "I wore the wrong coat today for this!" Luckily by the time I left about 6:15 it was not raining so I was able to dart out quick to my car and didn't get wet....hip hip hooray!

After I was home about 30-45 minutes though, the rain came down! A good spring rain is really what I needed. I was able to open the door to my porch and listen to the rain....and keep my eyes on the weatherman b/c we had a tornano watch. I'm not the best with storms. Now I love me a good thunderstorm but anytime they say it's moving towards tornado weather, I'm out. Luckily it didn't do anything more then rain so I never got too nervous. When I was little I remember sitting in the basement whenever lightening started. I hated it! I would pack all the things away in the yard (my pool toys of course, who wants those sucked up by a tornado!) take my dogs, hampster and fish into the basement and sit with my flashlight. My parents never used to say anything, I wonder if they worried about me? haha

Tomorrow I head south to MKE (Milwaukee) for the MS Walk on Sunday! Turns out that the MS Society contacted our group and we're actually being "spotlighted" at the walk due to our growth and participation over the past 5 years!! It's super exciting because the team really has worked hard to grow and have more people join us. Last I heard we were the largest registered team that was walking on Sunday! That's awesome because there are lots of people that go to the Milwaukee event. One day I hope that they will find a cure for MS. THIS IS WHY WE WALK!

Take Care All ~ Enjoy The Weekend!

Current hit:
Jason Aldean - Wide Open Album
There's something about Jason Aldean that I just love. The songs are great, the lyrics mean something and he's total country. I'd take him up on the offer for a ride on his big green tractor.

R-E-S-P-E-C-T

It's one of those weeks where I'm a little off on my days. Today I thought was Wednesday for half the day and then realized that it was only Tuesday. It's not bad when it's the other way, like you think it's Wednesday but it's really Thursday....but when it's the way I'm feeling, it's a heartbreaker. Yesterday at work, somehow, which still I have no idea how I did it - I kicked the power strip under my desk to my computer and shut the whole thing down. Now my whole job is based on the computer, we have to document everything we do and every call we make. Needless to say, when you're mid-convo with someone and your computer shuts down, you're pretty much screwed. Luckily the lady I was talking to did not ask any questions I had to look up the answer to and I was able to keep talking while I crawled under my desk to flip the switch back on. That is probably one of the only times I was so glad to wear a headset!

I was hoping today would be better....it was if you consider I didn't turn my computer off again but I did get cussed out today, twice. It surprises me the way people treat other people when they are upset. Most of the time I find out that they are upset too b/c they don't understand what we're telling them or have told them. Insurance is a complicated thing and I'll be the first to admit it but we are more then willing to explain the process if you just LISTEN. That seems to be the think that causes the most voicemails to be received and the most time wasted. We explain everything to you on the first call, the next moves yours. Some people just don't listen to what we're saying so they get mad and then they are calling us and cussing us out b/c they don't understand what's going on or they don't think it's going fast enough. I can't do your job and my job for you so you have to put a little effort into the process. The things that make up for the mean people are nice people who really appreciate your help. I love those people, the people who are truly grateful that you explained everything to them and they understand now. I love being able to help those people and make their process easier. I'm really there to help if you let me.

This weekend is the MS Walk in Milwaukee. We've been doing the walk for a couple years now and I look forward to it every year. The walk is on Sunday but Saturday night is when we all get together, go out to dinner and have some fun. Everyone comes for the walk and it's so nice to see everyone. One of the biggest things I miss from Milwaukee are my roomates from college. It's crazy how quickly we all bonded and became friends but they truly will be friends for life, whether they want to be or not! haha Hoping for warm weather so we don't freeze on Sunday! The walk is along the lake too so could be a little chilly.

Here's hoping that the week goes quickly for all!

Take Care

Song of the Moment - Joey and Rory "Sweet Emmylou"

(listen to the lyrics, it's a great heartbreak song. SO maybe don't listen to it if that's you.)

many months later...

Blizzards have come and passed. The snow has melted now and the grass is all brown and soft. When you walk on it your feet sink in and get all wet right through your shoes. The ugly brown snow piles are gone but I'm sure mother nature hasn't finished her wrath on us yet.

Christmas came and went faster then ever before. College spoiled me - having off weeks before the actual "big day" of fun with family and friends. The first year out of school I had to work but then last year I was unemployed so I had off for 2 months before and 4 months after Christmas. I can honestly say I'll take the shorter Christmas and be employed then anything else.

(note: this picture was not taken by me!)

BABIES!!! Babies, Babies, Babies! I feel like I'm surrounded by babies! Between family, friends, and old friends (who I don't necessarilykeep in touch with anymore), in the last 11 months there have been 14 babies brought into this world. I guess we are "that age" but it just seems crazy. Not to mention I can name 4 people right now who I know are pregnant. (For the record, the tally is: 9 boys, 5 girls)

There was a possible condo purchase that took place. This was one of the kitchens that I loved. I debated and debated but finally decided I am not ready for a condo. The responsibility, the increased electric bill, the water bill, the maintenance fee. Yes I pay too much for rent (for this area, don't pull a mom move on me and tell me how good I have it compared to that dang show she watches on HGTV where rent is like $1500/month) but I am happy w/ my apt. And yes, I am kind of outgrowing it (it's the clothes and home decor, I can't stop!) but right now, it's ok for me. I'll "work up to" the condo/home ownership plateau some day!

For the first time ever, I test drove a new vehicle. Right now I drive a 2004 Pontiac Grand Am SE, Grey (do you know why some people put gray? or am I using the wrong one?), four door. I got it new in 2004. well new to me but used. It had like 12,500 miles on it when I got it in 04. It's been a great car to me, got me through college and had some great times with my little Pontiac. However, I think it's time to get something new. I am purchasing a brand new vehicle and that is a serious matter to me. I made a list (I'm a compulsive list maker, I should invest in post-it notes) and I cut out vehicles one by one until I came down to two; the Ford Edge (above) and a GMC Terrain. The Terrain is brand new however and the first year it was ever produced. That makes me hesitant. You have to work out the bugs and I don't want to be one of those consumers who gets the bugs in my vehicle. It's way too much money to make a purchase and not be happy with it! However, just this past weekend I started looking at Jeep vehicles and the Chevy Equinox. We'll see what I end up with. I'm thinking this summer b/c they bring out the 2011 vehicles and I'm hoping they will be giving discounts on the 2010 vehicles to get them off the lot. I'll be sure to post pics when I make my decision!

SnoW DaY!!!

Hip Hip Hooray, It's A Snow Day!! No work today and I could not be happier. Well I could be happier if the mailman came through with my Netflix movie or I had gone to the library earlier this week and got new books or if I had detergent and could do more then one wash. Guess I wasn't too prepared for Blizzard Allison! At least we will have snow for Christmas. It seems like in the past we had tons of snow for Thanksgiving and Christmas and in recent years we've gone and had Christmas's with no snow or a light dusting on the ground. I'm happy I don't have to go to work because not sure the little Pontiac could make it through if they didn't plow the roads. Where I live too the snow drifts so bad that it can be nothing on a large stretch of road and then suddenly it's a 2 foot bank in front of you. Pretty sure my next car will be a SUV or some type of higher up/all wheel drive vehicle. We're suppose to get 10-16 inches by the time this storm is over. Glad I'm watching it all unfold from the comfort of my couch! The apt is all decorated! The tree is up, lights in the window and makes the nights just lovely. Here's a little Christmas music for you!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dYFMVfAbbgU

Many things have happened since I last wrote which was what...September? I'm deep into my job now and I can truly say I like it. I learn something every day and it can be a challenge but I do enjoy talking to most people. Some tips for those of you who are calling your insurance company (I work with auto claims, so when you get into an accident and you need to report it, that's me on the other end of that line): have your policy or claim number ready when you call, have a pen and paper to write things down b/c we will give you names and phone numbers and you won't remember it all, look over all the paperwork you have before you call in (this will make your call go faster and we won't have to sit and wait while you look for info on the police report), do not put two people on the line and argue/discuss every question I asked you (if you weren't there or are unsure on any of the details, please don't call and let the other person do it), don't sit in a room with a screaming child and try to hold a conversation (neither you nor I can hear or concentrate) and finally just listen to what we're saying.

We're trying to help you get your car fixed and the process goes a lot smoother if you just do what we ask! I think the most times I get yelled at on the phone are when it's people who don't understand insurance and I'm right there with you, before this job I didn't really get it either, but please don't yell at me because I'm explaining it to you and you don't like what I'm saying. Insurance is complicated and most of the time, it's not us who make the rules but your state; we just have to enforce them! So if you want to yell, call your state government! I truly do love the claims where I can help people quickly get their car fixed and get this 'bump in the road' smoothed over for them. Those are the claims I love!

Well hope you're all safe and sound inside if you're getting the snow/wind we're getting! Take Care

Where have you been all my life?!?!

Whew, you thought I fell off the face of the earth didn't you?! I had you going for a minute too but alas, here I am. It was a great summer even though we never got the nice warm weather like normal. I bet we didn't even get close to 100 this summer and we usually get at least a couple days pretty close or at least upper 90's. However the fall is here and I love the fall. The jeans and sweatshirt weather, the crisp air, the colored leaves, everything, just love it!

Work is going well, it's been about 3.5 months since I've been there and I like it. Before I go in I still get that ugh, work feeling. You know, that feeling like I would just love to stay at home today but once I get to work I usually feel pretty good and get into the swing of things. I don't have too heavy of a work load though so it's boring some days but I like it. I learn something pretty much every day so that makes it enjoyable.

Well my current issues I'm having is with my dang cell phone. I don't have a phone line, like the 'old fashioned' home phone, I have my cell phone and that's it. So it's not like I can take it lightly when it doesn't work or is acting up. We had AT&T (I shouldn't name names, but I'm gonna!) and it was good while I was in school. And we never were in roam. But I could sit on my couch and the phone would cut in and out and I had to stand by my window if I was on an important phone call. With Verizon (who I've had for about a week now) I can sit anywhere or be anywhere and it works great, BUT when I go back home it's in 'extended network' and I'm worried I'm being charged roaming fees. I called the main customer service phone number and got a woman who couldn't even tell me if I was going to be charged roaming or not. You're told one thing when you're at the dealer and then when you get the bill it's another. I'm trying to nip the roam charges in the bud before we get the first phone bill.

Now the other thing, I'm worried that if we have to drop the contract, we are out the set up fee, about $110 for the four phones and we will be charged for every minute and text we sent on all four of those phones! That's going to over $200 dollars! How are you suppose to know if the program works or not if you don't use the phone but if you do use the phone and it doesn't work, you're charged for every single thing you did on that phone!? Does that make any sense at all b/c I don't think it does. So right now I'm worried it won't work and we'll have to be just out over $200.00 or if we do like it and stick with it then here comes the first bill and it's like $400 for all the roaming fees!

I feel like it shouldn't be a guess if I'll be charged in roam or not. Don't you think that should be something like a yes or no answer? I can see they can't tell me if I'll get reception or be able to talk when I'm in one place or another, I get that- towers are different- but you can't tell me if I'm going to be billed for something? It's just extremely frustrating b/c we need phones and it's like not one single company has worked great for us and been able either 1) allow us to keep our numbers or 2) worked in all the areas we are. My fingers are crossed that these phones will work w/ no roaming fees! We'll find out tomorrow when I call the Verizon dealer!

Whew....it's hot

Hello All! So I have started my job already and been at it for about a month so far and it's going well. It's nice to be able to help people and make a very difficult situation better with kindness and helpfulness. Of course I'd like to be way more knowledgeable then what I am, but I know that will come with time. I think back to day one and how much I knew then compared to what I know now...it's not even comparable! If I had to do this on the first day, I would have quit right on the spot!

I can't remember if I wrote about Omaha or not. So I'm writing again about it, and it was so much fun! My mom and I drove down on Tuesday and came back on Sunday and it wasn't that bad of a drive either. Of course the way home felt longer then the way there but that's normal I think. We saw some great sites and it was a very nice city. It was way hotter then WI, about 93 degrees the first full day we were there so I was a little dead on my feet. It definitely was a city that I could see myself living in though. It was pretty easy to navigate and with the river right there it was so nice. Here are some of my favorite pics from the trip!

I would/will defintely go back to the Omaha, Lincoln area!

Summer weather has officially arrived to the area! It was really hot this weekend and I feel like it's been the first consitent hot weather we've had. I was sitting outside on Saturday and it actually got so hot I couldn't stand it anymore! It's hard to believe that today is suppose to be the longest day of the year. Gosh that stinks because I feel like the days haven't been nice and long for that long of time! I love when it's still light out at like 9 o'clock!

Hope everyone had a great Father's Day! Take Care!

Whew...that takes a load off

Some very good news to announce, I got a job! The interview I had where my friends work, well the interview must have gone well because I got called and offered the job. I'm nervous to be starting in the workplace again and in such a big company but ready to get going again. And to top it off, it's better pay, health benefits from day one, good vacation. The only bad thing is the hours which after training will be 11:30a - 8:00p. Not horrible but it will take some getting used to. But beggers can't be choosers and jobs haven't been thrown at my left and right so I'll take it. If I don't like it I hope I can last at least two years until I'm done with school!

Speaking of school, I found out the day before I was going to take my placement tests that I didn't have to take them! All I have to do is a typing test and get 30 wpm....and you get up to 10 tries. Needless to say I think I'll be able to pass that. All I need to do now is fill out the application and send in the $30 bucks, my transcripts, and sign up for classes. As I said before, I'm nervous yet ready to get back into school. It all starts in the fall so I do get the summer off still!

Hmm, other then that not much going on. I babysat my little cousins for two weeks while their normal babysitter was on vacation. It was so fun and they are the best. The things they say and do just make me laugh all day. My cousin wanted me to start doing it full time but I just couldn't and she understood. It didn't make me feel any better though, I still felt bad when I told her I got a job.

And guess what!?! My mom and I are going on a road trip to celebrate my new job and Omaha, Nebraska is the destination! Everyone laughs when I tell them but I wanted a place where I had never been, a place we could drive to and that was the closest, biggest destination I could find that I actually wanted to go to and has things to do. I'm excited to see all the things there and there is a lot of Lewis and Clark museums/monuments which has always interested me. Not to mention Council Bluffs, Iowa is right across the river and that's a stop on the Oregon Trail. Lots of fun history there. Guess this might be why one of my favorite classes in college was History of the American West!

Hope all is well with everyone! Have a great Sunday!

Times they are a changing....

Hope all has been well with everyone!! Things are moving along here. I contacted my academic advisor at the tech school and got all the information on taking my placement tests and getting all signed up for the Health Information Technician program. Really scared yet really excited to be doing that. It's going to be beneficial, I think, to be able to get a career in the medical industry which hopefully won't be affected by this economy. But by the time I get out of the program, two years from now, I'm sure the economy will just be booming and you can probably get a job anywhere.

Speaking of economy, I hate these people who are going around saying, "What bad economy? I don't feel anything affecting me!" Well thank your lucky stars you can say those things but don't come to me and say that and act like I'm a whiny, cry baby who is over-reacting. Just because it doesn't affect you doens't mean it's not happening. People like that bug me. You're really fortunate and I wish I could be like you and be stable like that but I'm not so get out of my face!

On a high note, I did get a job interview this week. My friends hooked me up where they work with an interview and I think it went well. The ladies who interviewed me were very nice and I hope I did well. It's not the job I had in mind but I don't think I have a right to get picky when I've been not working for 5 months. And crazy thing, I was watching T.V. and they said it takes on average 4 - 5 months to get a job once you start unemployment. It's been five months here in April so that might be a good sign for me!

I went to Opening Day for the Brewers and it was spectacular just like I thought it would be. There was tons of people of course but my friends were the best! haha The only thing that could have made it better was if it wouldn't have been so windy and the temperature would have been a little higher. We all looked like wind blown floozies by the time the game started because we had hats and hoods and bobbie pins holding our hair out of our faces. I can't wait for the next game!

Hope everyone had a great Easter. Take care and enjoy this great weather!

OpeNiNG DAy!!!

Tomorrow is a national holiday in Wisconsin....it's Opening Day for the Milwaukee Brewers! This is seriously one of my absolute favorite days of the year. It's drinking starting at 9:00 (if not earlier), tons of baseball fans hopeful for a great season, and party, party, party!! I can't wait for tomorrow, let's hope for a Brewer win!