Today's Research

Update on Life

2008-07-01T14:17:13Z

wow, it's been a while since I've updated this...

Rebecca Ann was born on January 25th at 2:30. She was born at 1 pounds 15 ounces, and 13 and a half inches long. She is 5 months old now and growing like a weed.

After a week of breathing aid she moved into progressive.

2 weeks old. I could finally hold her.

Her first bottle... about 3 and a half weeks old

4 weeks old... finally able to wear clothing.

6 weeks old... she's home and with Lucy.

4 months old, and growing like a weed.

5 months old, and sleeping in her jonnyjumper.

we are all doing great. our house is starting to get cleaned and put together, after all the construction. thinking about adding on to the house now... sunroom, and new masterbath.

no longer a youth director. have some issues with the local church politics.

having fun being a mommy. keeping up life.

Where did all the fun go??

2007-09-04T19:31:50Z

When I was a kid I would wake up in the morning ready to play and run around. Now I'm ready to curl back up in bed and close my eyes for a few more moments of peace.

This week is week one-hundred-thousand in getting the house set up. This week's project is the kitchen. Everything has been moved away from the walls and the spackeling and sanding has started. This is going to be a long process, and I can't wait to see the walls painted and the room done. I think it's going to look really nice.

Well, I have to get back to life here in world I call my life. I'll try to update sooner then I did last time.

Day 1 of 5

2007-04-16T15:46:35Z

Yes, I only have 5 more days left in this Hellish place I call work. It makes me smile all over to think that Friday I will be driving out of the gate for the last time. And after I leave, I wont ever have to see my boss ever again. I'm going to miss some of the guys from the mill, and most of the sales girls... but for the most part I have email addresses, I'll stay in touch with the ones that I'm wanting too... and I don't ever have to talk to my boss ever again. I've been really nice, and sweet to him... never giving him a reason to think that I'm burning bridges or anything else, just moving on to bigger and better things.

Oh, moving - almost done... kinda. I've moved most of the little things and now I'm working on the big things. We are having a family moving day Saturday. This should be fun. I'm providing pizza and they are providing muscles. I'm thinking it's a good deal. And with how much I've been willing to help Lori and Brian, they were eager to volunteer to help me move.

More fun stuff... I start my new job on the 23rd. Yeah, that gives me a full weekend to relax before I really get started in something new. This is going to be an interesting transition. Not to mention the fact that I'm starting my training Wednesday night (yeah, skipping church to learn about work... not the best reason in the world, but it'll have to do).

Well, I have to get back to another day at the mill... but not too much more. I think I'm going to go hide out in the mill with my boys so I can look busy, but in reality just be hanging out and shooting the breeze. I'll post more later.

The day of “Ash-Marie”

2007-03-19T20:46:30Z

Today has been almost comical, looking back I’m sure I’m going to laugh in 10 or 20 years.

Let’s start with this past weekend. I did a lot of work on the house this weekend. And every muscle in my body is yelling at me for working so hard… This will come into play a little farther down.

Today started with my alarm clock waking me up out of the BEST DREAM of a lifetime. I would have given anything to be able to go back to sleep just to finish that moment of surreal reality. But I am smarter than that, I know that if I was to try to go back to that exact moment in my dream I would end up disappointed because there is no way to jump back into dreams. So I got out of my nice warm bed and continued through my normal morning routine to get me to work on time. So I showed up at work at 7:00 (my normal time of getting to work), that’s when I realized that Rob told me to sleep in and to relax and not be in until 9:00. Yeah, I’m retarded. So not only did I get out of my nice warm bed when I didn’t need to, but I didn’t have to leave that great dream.

But I realized that I have a lot of work today this week, so I stayed at work (with very little sleep, due to talking to a friend late last night). And here is where my day would appear comical… I get all my morning reports done, and get everything ready to hand out to the managers before they go into their meeting. So I’m walking around the mill, handing each of the managers their copy of the report, when I step in grease. And normally grease doesn’t bother me (my boots can handle it), but today, no such luck… I butt hit that NASTY, HARD floor faster than I could realize what happened. So now I’m still walking to each of the managers (now with a small limp and a dark spot on my ass, that isn’t placed in a good location). So now, it’s not just my legs, arms, and back that are bothering me… my ass hurts as well. But I finally get all of the reports to each of the managers, when my boss called with a correction to the report. Needless to say I just emailed them the correction and let them hand write it on their reports.

So, over lunch I decided to go home and put on a clean pair of pants, this would normally be an easy task… today, no such luck. I made it home, FINALLY when I realized that all my jeans are in the wash, except a pair of overalls. So I’m now heading back to work with a pair of overalls on and a sweatshirt (trying to hide the fact that I’m wearing overalls, when our customer comes to visit this afternoon).

We’ll fast forward now to about 2:00, one of our top customers comes in for a customer tour of the plant. And since my boss is out of town, I was designated to be their tour guide. (keeping in mind that I had just fallen out in the mill and was limping around like an 800 year old woman) I took the guys around both mills, answering every question they had. By the end of the Cold Mill tour, I started to realize that my legs were hurting a lot less (figuring that I was just walking out the pain). Then I realized that my legs weren’t hurting as much, because the pain in my ass was growing and so the comparison made my legs feel like nothing was wrong. After dropping our customers off at their cars, I went into my office (where a lady I work with, pointed out the fact that she thinks I’ve started my period because I have blood running down my pants). So, I run to the bathroom where I notice that I’m bleeding from where I hit the floor. I have a HUGE bruise on my ass, and several cuts that are bleeding on the second pair of pants for me to ware today. So I went home again, a put on some sweats.

Now let’s recap. 3 pairs of pants later, bleeding has stopped, soreness has continued, laughter might start any second now. I’m thinking that if I go to the house after I get off work, nothing bad can happen… it already has… but I’m kinda not wanting to risk it.

Well, I’m going to Walgreens soon to get some Neosporin for my cuts (hopefully they’ll be gone soon).

I hope your day has been going better then mine.

You're on my list...

2007-03-15T12:51:58Z

(I got this from a friend's lj, and now I'm courious to who all will respond)

YOU'RE ON MY FRIENDS LIST, I want to know things about you. I don't care if we never talk, never liked each other, or if we already know everything about each other. You're on my list, so let me know who I am friends with.

1. Can you cook?
2. What would you do if you were stuck in an elevator?
3. What talent do you wish you had?
4. Favorite place?
5. Favorite vegetable?
6. What was the last book you read?
7. Are you Dirty or Clean?
8. Any tattoos and/or piercings?
9. Worst habit?

HERE COMES THE FUN ...

1. How did we meet?
2. What's your philosophy on life?
3. Negative or Optimistic?
4. What was your dream growing up?
5. Worst thing to ever happen to you?
6. What was your first impression of me?
7. Tell me one weird fact about you:
8. What’s your favorite memory of us?
9 is missing. Make up something if you want.
10. Have you ever kept anything from me?
11. What do you think of me as a person?
12. Do you think I'm sane or insane?
13. Would you cry for me if I died?
14. Would you be my crime partner or my conscience?
15. If you could change anything about me, would you?
16. How do you fall asleep?
17. Ever gotten angry with me?
18. Would you go on a blind date if I set you up?
19. If you had one day to live, what would you do?
20. A million bucks… what would you do with it?
21. What is your worst fear?
22. Favorite thing to do in your spare time?
23. Can you sing or dance?
24. In one word, how would you describe me? Be honest....
25. Will you repost this so I can fill it out?

Dating companies... aka... Interviewing

2007-03-13T15:51:39Z

So with the interviews that I’ve been on lately, I’ve realized that I’m dating businesses to see if there is the potential for a long term relationship. This is not just the one night stand of a date, but the walk on the beach and talking for hours type of date (Wow, the beach sure does sound great). I went in a little nervous and as we were talking my nerves calmed down and I started to relax, just like the first dates I remember going on.

Phone interviews are just the same, you are talking to someone for the first time with them trying to figure out if your ethics, education, experience, and so forth matches what they are looking for in a candidate; while at the same time you are trying to figure out if what they are offering is something that you are wanting to except in life. Seeing if your path in life is going to cross their path.
So, with how bad I was at the whole dating scene (I always just ended up friends with the guys), then no wonder the interview scene is so intimidating. But this time I have the experience, knowledge, and passion to drive a good interview.

We’ll just have to wait to see if they feel the same way. I feel like I have a note out there with “Do you like me? check yes or no” on it, and they are taking forever to respond.

“HAPPY VALENTINES DAY to all, and to all a good night”…

2007-02-14T14:36:25Z

The rest of my week:

Wednesday – HAPPY VALENTINES DAY; I’m working all day and then getting ready for my crazy weekend (well, only Thursday and Friday are going to be crazy)

Thursday – Work by 7:00; Lunch with a customer; Birmingham by 5:00; AWMI meeting 5:30 to 8:00; drive to Huntsville, spending the night with Jen

Friday – Have Jen to the airport by 6:30AM; go to parents house; sleep on their couch for a while; help my mom clean out the study (so we can turn it into an office for Bear Consulting Groups); deliver my old Prom dresses to the Fairy Godmother Foundation (Yeah, I’m going to have Prom dresses in my car from Thursday morning till about noon on Friday, they are going to be some well traveled prom dresses); HGP Party (it’s a double party, that I’m thinking I’m going to be getting a lot of orders and possibly freaking out a bit trying to keep the orders separate)(And yes, I’m going to have my kit in my car from Thursday morning until the party as well, lets all pray that nothing happens to my kit)

Saturday – Bank to deposit some checks; doubling with Mary and her boyfriend; and helping clean Marc’s house for the “Grill Out” Sunday

Sunday – Church; “Grill Out” at Marc’s house (getting the old group back together for an afternoon); Back to Decatur to relax before next week comes and kicks me in the behind again.

Ok, let me explain my title now… My boss left that on my voice mail this morning, and that’s all that he said. It cracked me up just a LOT, so I thought I would share it with everyone. But it could just be my lack of sleep that made it so funny.

Life update

2007-02-13T21:38:38Z

“Career” – ok, so not a career (but it’s what everyone calls my career), still hating every second that I’m working. It’s to the point that all my fun projects are being taken away to someone at corporate, and I’m pretty much turning into a glorified secretary for my boss. Who by the way, should never be over anyone. He has no tact, but even worse he has no realization of time and project load or size. Not to mention the fact that he doesn’t know how to talk to a woman face-to-face. But wow does he like talking to “the twins.”

Home and Garden Party – it’s slowed down a bit (thank goodness). There is no way that I could have continued with the force I was going and still be living by the end of the year. I’m working 50 to 60 hours in my “career” and then doing this on the side. I’m glad it’s going down to 2 parties a week. I don’t think I could handle more then that.

Family – Everyone is healthy. Samantha is crawling and becoming faster and harder to catch.

Friends – Still loving to hang out with my friends. Some I enjoy a lot more then others. And I’m very thankful for the time that I get with Jen, some days the day just isn’t long enough for us to get everything out that we want to talk about.

Pets – Lucy is great. She’s growing like a weed, and it’s not up. She’s growing length wise and her poor legs are staying the exact same length. And by the way, it looks like I’ll be getting an African Grey Parrot in my future. They have the biggest vocabulary and are the easiest to train. But with me getting this bird, it means I have to get a will; yes the birds live up to 70 years. Yeah, if I’m to get the bird this year I’ll be 92 by the time the life expectancy of the bird comes to pass. So if anyone wants to be in line, just let me know. (** Note for Laura, I’ll be getting the bird after I get back from Disney World, so please don’t back out on watching Lucy… I promise I would never put 2 dogs and a parrot on you with out asking you first.)

I know there is more stuff for me to update you on, but right now I’m drawing a blank. I think my “career” has stolen my brain for the rest of the day. Not to mention the fact that I've just been out of it all day, I think I might be trying to come down with a cold or something.

Thinking after reading a friends post

2007-01-22T16:01:11Z

So many times I think of my life and what all I’ve done and I get excited. But after reading a friends post I went back and did some soul searching. I’ve found 3 main things that struck me as odd:

1. I set my goals for me above others expectations of my work.

This one was hard for me to really grasp. Lately at work I’ve been working on an application for the Manufacturer of the Year, and honestly I’ve been kicked to the curb by many of our mill guys, and I didn’t know how I was going to get anything done. Well, I somehow managed to do the research and write a technical paper on a topic that I know very little about. I was not excited to turn it in to our General Manager today, but as he read it he got even more excited and told me that this was the best report on our process he had ever read. So maybe I really do set my personal standards way too high. He made one correction (I misspelled a guy’s last name), and then we sent it off to the judges.

2. Sometimes it’s good to focus on something other then the life goals you set.

Lately I’ve been focusing on work, school, and part time jobs. I’m done with that. I’ve dropped my classes and I’m taking time off from trying to better myself towards something that I don’t even know if I can do, or want to do. I studied and focused for 17 years of my life to get where I am now. That’s 17 years of a 22 year lifespan. That’s crazy. I’m going to enjoy what I’ve accomplished (no matter how much I hate it). And things are never as bad as they seam, I just have to remember to step back and look at the big picture. I guess the main thing is, I wanted this career path so bad that I started focusing on it when I was 9, and I’m not going to give up on a childhood dream just because I went into the wrong industry. I’ll just have to work on redirecting my career to fit into the dream I worked so hard at achieve.

3.All you need in life are good friends and a family that cares for you and you can overcome anything.

So let me explain myself. I hate my job. I’m starting a part time business, selling Home & Garden Party (great products, and will give me enough income to quit my job until I can find a new path in Marketing) to get me out of the dependence of my pay check here. Well, that was my theory. But now that I’ve been in the planning stage of doing this for a few weeks and seen what all there is and how much I have to market myself and the products… I love it. Not only that, it’s been a way for me to get back in touch with some friends I haven’t talked to in years, but on the other hand it’s made me talk to people that I haven’t spoken to for a reason. But I’m having to put personal feelings aside and grow as a person.

Not to mention the fact that my dad’s business is taking off and I’ve been helping him with the marketing and advertising for that, it’s been really fun. And the more I think about it, the more two part time jobs that I love is SO MUCH BETTER then one full time job that I hate. So, yesterday I spent the entire day with my dad working on his business plan and helping him with some customer sites. It was very enjoyable. I got to use my creativity (which I can’t at my full time job), and I got to spend time with my dad. Both are winners to me.

So yes, for the time being I’m working 3 jobs. 2 of which I can set my own schedule and the other one I feel chained to my desk for 10 to 12 hours a day and being paid as if I only worked 8. Not to mention the fact that knowing that corporate is trying to get rid of everyone who has only been here for a year; it sucks seeing people who you hired on with getting laid off. This is all stress that I really don’t need. So I’m taking control of my life and working towards the two part time jobs. The first one (selling Home & Garden Party) is already showing to be very profitable, but we’ll see what happens.

I just thought I would share a little of the past hour of thinking. Maybe goals are more like small compasses pointing in the general direction, and the actual destination is somewhere that we can’t even start to fathom yet.

Granny panties and long days at the office.

2007-01-19T15:33:37Z

Yes, I am officially getting old. Today I realized that I’ve spent more time on one project at work this week then I’ve spent doing ANYTHING else. I know that doesn’t sound too bad, but going to work at 6:30 in the morning and not leaving until 5:00 sucks. Not to mention the fact that tuna is great and all, but when you bring it in because you know that you wont have time to go get lunch and it’s something you can eat at your desk, then well, I’m striving to be one of THOSE workers. You know the ones that I’m talking about, the ones that never think about anything but their job. Never leaves their desk, except to go pee. Yes, I’ve become one of those corporate robots.

Now to the more funny realization of the week. I’ve noticed that with every life change, my tastes have changed with it. During my dance team phase I was focused on boys, friends, sports bras, and wearing the cutest little thongs I could find. My kick line phase; still focused on boys, friends, sports bras, and cute thongs, but now there was football added into the mix. Then came my college phase; the original focuses were still there, and I just kept adding things: like finding a job that could turn into a career. Now that I’m in my career phase all focuses and likes change. Today I noticed that I have more pairs of underwear with full butts then I do thongs. I also noticed that for once in my life I’ve started keep my apartment clean; for anyone who ever saw my dorm room or my room at my parents house, you know that this is a first for me entirely. Another change that I’ve seen other the past few months is the amount of shoes I own; I’ve always been one to have more dance shoes then shoes to wear in public, not true any more… I have 5 pairs of black dress shoes (and that’s just one type, but 5 different styles). And the strangest one of all, no longer am I more comfortable in sweats and a sweat shirt; I now love wearing nice pants and nice shirts, or even better skirts. So I’m guessing that this is a natural progression in life; from slob to neat, from sweats to suits, and from thongs to panty lines.

I guess when people start to focus on the life after college they start to see things for what they really are. The value, one might say. I see no point in paying $15 for a piece of string that flosses the wrong part of my body to get flossed, now I like the $5 packs from walmart; you know the ones I’m talking about, all the bikini style ones. And no longer do I buy the sports bras that have 5 on a hanger, I now go and spend the extra money and get nice REAL bras that fit properly (no more fits A – C cups, like the sports bras fit). One could say that these are natural progressions that every woman makes, I just think I’m the only one to sit down and think this much about it.

Well, I really do have to get back to work now, so I wont be here until the sun comes up tomorrow trying to finish my project.

Plan for the weekend...

2007-01-04T13:48:38Z

Today - Work, get oil changed, clean out car, sleep
Friday - Get up early, drive to Auburn, sit through class 9am - 6pm, go out to eat with some of the girls from church, sleep
Saturday - class from 8am - 10am, drive home

It doesn't look that busy, but wow I'm stressing over it. I hate long drives when I'm the only one in the car. I get tired and after 2 hours I start to get really bad head aches. So, I'm not really looking forward to this class, one I know the guy that's teaching it and just his voice will kill your ears after about 30 mins; and two, I'll already be fighting off the two hours of stairing at the road head ache that I'm known for.

Oh, and my parents are going to be in Montgomery this weekend so while driving back home, I might stop by and see the motorcycle group and have a good meal... not to mention let my eyes take a break, and just enjoy the company of a good group of people.

Let the good times roll…

2007-01-03T16:14:22Z

At work I’ve hit my second 90 day review… this is kinda scary to me. Not because I’m made it to the 6 months with a company, but because my boss came into my office yesterday and told me to fill out this assessment on myself. And once again, I think I’m being my worst critic. Having less then a years experience in the actual business world, I have to figure out how to transition from the full time college kid with the part time job, to the full time career kid with the part time classes. Let me tell you, this isn’t an easy task. But I do have to admit, I like having to pay checks that come in once a week, and I really enjoy that the money is much better then the part time pay I was getting while working and in college.

But back to my 90 day review - I’ve been going through all of the projects that I’ve been given over the past 90 days, and evaluating how well I’ve done on them and how well I’ve allocated my time. These are all really evaluating yourself on. Especially being me, and thinking that you can always do better then you’ve done. So, with all of this in mind, I’m having to make comments to why I graded myself the way that I did, and it’s kind of making my resolutions for the next 90 days (I know it was just yesterday that I said I would not make any resolutions, but now it’s not personal, it’s my job). I guess I’ll just have to wait and see how my boss thinks I’ve done over the last 90 days, and I’m hoping it goes as well as it did on the first 90 day review. I know that I’ve been working my butt off to learn the market and try to keep up with the industry, so maybe he’ll notice and be as happy as he was during my last review. Time will only tell on this one. My review is scheduled for this Thursday… tomorrow.

Oh, another work subject. I’m having to go down to Auburn this weekend. Yeah, 3.5 hours in a car to sit and listen to some old man talk about branding the market to see your company as a leader. I’m thinking it’s going to be an interesting class. I just know that driving that long to sit in a class room is going to make me really sleepy. So if you think about it, please keep me in your prayers during my traveling.

Well, now I have to get back to work. My report is done updating.

New Years- good times and resolutions.

2007-01-02T18:16:42Z

Lets start with the good times. So my new years break (my 3 day weekend) was spent relaxing and just enjoying myself. I spent some time with friends that I don’t get to see very often. And Friday, I got to spend about 3 hours trying not to gouge my eyes out…. Yeah, one could say that the girls that I was around were the MOST ANNOYING humanoids I’ve ever met. But it being a birthday party, you can’t really tell the guys not to bring their girlfriends… but WOW. Saturday – Monday were really relaxing. Saturday was spent hanging around and getting my vacuum ghetto-rigged to work… yeah, it’s a good idea to know some engineers. Sunday I spent the day going every where and every which direction. I brought some food up to the guys at the mill (just being the “sweet little marketing chick” they all have starting referring to me as). Now of course I had to bake them a triple chocolate fudge cake (which I found out later on that night, seems even sweeter when it’s straight out of the fridge… lesson, eat when warm). But I actually fell asleep before midnight on new years… so this is yet another year that I didn’t get to see the ball drop or even see the clock change to the New Year. Yeah, so I can’t make it midnight… I guess I know never to work the night shift.

Oh, and let me add… WAR EAGLE… I didn’t actually see the game, because I was with my parents eating at the SLOWEST Cracker Barrel ever (by the way, the new Cracker Barrel on Drake Ave. is slow, we waited about 30 mins for a table, and then waited 2 hours for our food.) but I did find a few good articles about it to read… not the same, but it’s ok.

Now for the resolutions, I’m thinking this year I’m going to try something new… not making a goal that will just be broken with in the next few days and if I’m lucky a few weeks.

Boredom at work, Broke Car (Dad’s fault), Christmas Surprises, and Shopping with Jen.

2006-12-29T14:15:27Z

Today is the last working day of the year 2006. It’s kinda sad how many things I have on my plate, and how I really just want to go home and worry about it in the New Year. But being the good little Marketing Analyst that I am, I am trying my best to focus and get at least one big project off my plate. Not to mention, I really want to hear my boss tell me that I did well while he was out of town. I know it doesn’t seam like much, but he’s not one to ever give a compliment and I got one the last time he was gone for over a week. So that’s my goal. See I really don’t ask for much.

So let me go back to the past couple of days, since it’s been a while since I’ve posted. We’ll start with my dad backing up into my car. By the way, my car was PARKED… not moving, and I had just reminded him that it was back there… but did that stop him… NOPE, he got it. 10 points! Now that I’ve had time to get over the fact that my NEW car (No scratches prior to this mishap) has been dented, I actually think it is quite funny; just because he’s always the one that gets on to my sister and me for not pulling out of the driveway too fast. But oh well, he is getting it fixed. And it’s only a small dent in my back passenger side door. Nothing too bad. But everyone at work has asked me what hit my car, it is a funny sight to see their faces when I tell them it was my dad.

Now to Christmas. For all of you that don’t know, my grandmother is a little bit on the senile side. I only say that because she really showed her colors this Christmas. All of her stories were told in vivid wording, and not a good kind of vivid. She used words that I would have to be picking up my teeth if I ever used in front of my dad. And everyone just stared at her waiting for her to finish. But hearing that story once would be too bad, but we heard it at lunch, around 2:00 when we were opening presents, and at dinner. Every time she used more vivid words. And I know that when she was growing up it was common to use words to describe the color of an individual and not mean anything by it, but WOW, it’s not that way any more. I think we all realized why we don’t take her out in public anymore.

Oh, I got my Granddaddy a pair of safety glasses with LEDs on the side so he wont have to hold a flashlight. (yeah, I have a pair for work, and knew he would love them) He was so funny with them. He put them on and then turned on the LEDs and went straight out into the shop. We didn’t see him for a few hours. I’m thinking he might like them.

Now, let’s keep moving, yesterday I found that when two women are not in the mood to shop nothing gets bought. So I was looking for a new outfit to wear when I go out dancing with my sister and a bunch of the ladies that she hangs out with. But we had no luck. We went to the mall, Burlington Coat Factory, and Target. And let me tell you, we just were not in the mood to shop. Everything we saw we were just like “eh.” I’m thinking we broke some sort of woman’s code, but that’s fine I did enjoy hanging out with her anyway. It’s always fun when the two of us are near.

Ok, so I really don’t want to work today. I’m thinking that I should have extended my vacation until next Tuesday. I didn’t get anything done yesterday. I just sat at my desk and played on line. I did read about the steel industry, and catch up on what’s going on in China. But actually getting anything accomplished and crossed off my list… NOPE. Well, I guess I do have to get back to work... even though I really don't want to.

Where did all the good help go? and New Board memeber... when do I have time?

2006-12-11T21:30:19Z

“Due to cost cutting measures, we are letting go all temporary employees.” This was the subject line to the worst email of the year. So as some of you know, the Marketing Department (by the way, that’s ME) had an additional employee on their team for a few weeks. It was really neat to have a receptionist that could do all the filing and keep track of everything while I was working. To be fair, she was put in her position to get ready for the new hires that are being added to the payroll in January and February. But the two of us had bonded and we really helped each other out. But as of today at Noon she is no longer a temporary employee of ours. She has to go find another temporary position until hers is opened back up (which they are guessing that’ll be at the end of January). It’s kinda strange to sit in my office now, I can’t hear her walking around the file-room, and I keep looking at the pile of files getting taller and not having the time to go file them. Not to mention, she had really started to grow on me. She really did teach me that the first impression is not the best impression to go by; for all of you that don’t know, when she first got hired I thought that she was as DUMB AS A BOX OF ROCKS. But she’s not, she’s just not use to the way we do things here… So now that I’ve gotten her use to the file-room and use to the weird way that Marketers label things, I guess we’ll just have to get HER back in January. I don’t think anyone else would be able to handle me and the two new guys at once.

Oh, I got appointed onto the Board for AWMI (Association of Women in the Metal Industry) today. I’m now the Publicity Chair. Yeah, you guessed it… this sucks. This means that I’ll be spending even more time driving around the state of Alabama and not being at home. But this does look like it’ll be a good networking experience and maybe even lead to some good customer relationships. And if nothing else, it’ll help with my portfolio and resume. And supposedly this is a huge honor and I should be happy to be getting it with how young I am; but all I have to say is this, “of course they are giving it to younger people now, if not the board will die out and so will the club.” So yes, you guessed it again… I’m about 30 to 40 years younger then all the other women on the board, but if you look at the industry I’m younger then most the women in the industry too. I’m thinking this is going to be a fun experience, even if I have to make myself have fun and enjoy all the old lady stories. I’ll just have to think of it as adopting a grandparent, but working with them. Yeah, I could have fun with this.

Well, I have a lot of filing to do, to catch up with my afternoons work. So I think I’m going to take my final hour of work and do my filing for the day.

Jack Frost needs to die…

2006-12-07T14:38:08Z

I’ve heard of Jack Frost nipping at someone’s nose before, but this is going too far. To tell you how cold it is in Decatur right now (well, how cold my office is), I still have on my winter coat, jacket, gloves, hat, ear muffs, fuzzy socks, and I have 3 space heaters strategically places around my desk. Yeah, it was 22 degrees outside while I was heading to work, and the AIR CONDITIONING is running in the building. They say that it’s stuck in the on position and they can’t turn it off, I say "shoot it". This has to be the coldest I’ve been in a long time.

To think that it’s suppose to be getting gradually colder throughout the day… I’m thinking at lunch I might go home and get some blankets, or some firewood. This is not a good temperature to be kept at when you are fighting the end of the flu. So if I end up getting sick again, I’m preemptively blaming this office and the air conditioning that will not stop running.

Long day at the office after a short night in the bed.

2006-12-04T18:07:56Z

So why is it that every time you are exhausted you walk into your office and all hell has hit the fan? Let me start by explaining my first 6 hours of work. So, my alarm clock went off about 3 hours after falling asleep; for any of you that has done that lately, I don’t recommend it. But I got my lazy butt out of bed, and I got ready for work. After arriving at work, and relaxing for a few minuets just looking at the mill; all the lights, sounds, mist, and smells escaping the mill. This really is a magical time of day. I’m sitting in my car just looking out on the mill and starting to compile my list of objectives to be completed during the next 10 hours. Figuring out that I wont get any of my list even started if I stay in my car, I decide to bear the COLD weather and head for the doors. Just like any other Monday, I turn on my computer and start to see the emails rolling in, only unlike most Mondays the emails were no where near done coming in. After about 20 minuets of waiting for all my email to stop coming in, I decided that today was not going to be the stress free day I was hoping for. I starting running my normal every Monday reports, and my computer decided to freeze up and I lost 30 minuets of work right there… not to mention the time I spent hunting down an IT guy, which is like hunting for the fountain of youth – I think they are both myths. So, I finally got my computer fixed (after planting myself and my laptop in one of the IT guys’ office and just waiting for him to return). Now I got to start on my long list of objectives… How am I doing on them? Well, it’s lunch time and I’m almost done with the first project on my list of 20. So, no leaving the mill for lunch… I get to eat stuffed peppers and continue working while I eat. I just wish I could see a light at the end of today. I’m starting to think that at 4:00 I’m going to tell my boss that I’ve put in my hours for the day and I’m going home to take a nap. That sounds like a perfect plan.

Oh, I need to tell you guys about my weekend. So Friday night was the UAH Hockey game. That was the worst ref-ing I’ve ever seen. But our guys played their hardest and I’m happy that I got to go see them. Oh, there are some cute pics on Facebook now from that game. Saturday, I spent with my parents. The GWRRA (translates into “Old Folks Motorcycle Club”) was having their Christmas party, so I got to help decorate and get everything ready for that. The party was great fun, and I started looking around and seeing more then just friends of my parents, but an extended family that we’ve formed over the past 3 years. Saturday night… well, I’m going to be perfectly honest with you… it sucked. I ate something funny at the Christmas party and spent the majority of Saturday night/Sunday morning on my knees giving my dues to the porcelain gods. So one could say that I was not a happy camper at church the next day. And because of all my coughing I lost my voice for the majority of the day. But Daddy and I did get to work on my billboard, and that was really fun getting to spend some quality time with just my dad.

Oh, Billboards – GREATNESS… I got my first billboard. It’s going up on 65 North, between the Priceville exit and the Huntsville exit. So if you see a Nucor billboard, you can think of me and smile (cause you know I’m doing the happy dance).

Well, this post is long enough, I have a lot to get done today. If you need me after 4ish call my cell phone; if I don’t answer just be glad that I got some sleep. I’m starting to realize why old people take so many naps. When you can’t sleep at night (because of conversations on the phone, funny noises coming out of your closet, or the feeling of being alone finally got to you) then you just need to curl up to a good TV show after work and take a nap. So 4 hours until my old lady ritual begins.

Article my daddy wrote and some comments by me... it's interesting.

2006-11-28T22:02:38Z

“When you call your dog and it comes to you, do you do something similar to what I do: I say something like, "you are such a sweet dog" (usually in a sort of goofy voice), all the while rubbing around her ears and the back and top of her head. And sometimes I will lie down on the floor and stroke her belly while I talk to her and tell her what a good dog she is. I have even trained her to bark a special way if I ask her, "are you a good girl?"
Now that I have thoroughly established that I severely spoil my dog. I ask, how many of us treat our pets better than the one individual that we have agreed to cherish all of the days of our lives and until death do us part? If your loving mate brings you something from the kitchen do you glance over at them and mumble, "oh, thanks", or is it even worse, do you respond with just a grunt? Imagine for a moment if you had trained your dog to fetch that item from the kitchen. What would your reaction then be?
Some of you might be saying about now, "Well if my spouse reacted the way my dog does then maybe I would treat them as well as I do the dog." Hmmm, have you ever considered that maybe the dog reacts the way it does is because you treat it as well as you do?
So next time you call your spouse from the other room, try rewarding them when they come obediently. You might be surprised what a gentle rub around the ears and on the back of the head might do. And some day you might even advance to belly rubs. ;-)”

I was on my dad’s website today, looking at the upcoming events for the motorcycle club… and I came across this little article that my dad wrote about spouses. It really made me start thinking about all the ways I spoil my dog and how my friends would look at me funny if I ever started to talk to them with the same baby talk that I talk to Lucy with. But I can’t help but wonder if my dad’s on to something… ok, forgetting the belly rubs… I think I would hurt someone if they started rubbing my belly for doing something nice for them. But anyway, back to what I was saying… Dad is talking about spouses and loved ones… but why not all your friends? Why can’t you treat them with the same respect that you would treat your pet? I know that I have friends that I like to know that they are home and safe, when they’ve been traveling. And I know that I like to eat dinners with my friends and catch up on missed conversations, just like I like to give Lucy a treat and go for long walks or play tug-a-war and just enjoy watching her get all excited about the old torn up rope. If you think about it, a dog is a girls best friend, so why should her friends be treated any differently. (Don’t worry, I’m not going to start carrying treats in my pockets leashes in my purse.) The respect you have for a dog (or any pet) shows with how well you treat them, this is just another great example of the golden rule. Only dogs have unconditional love, so loving them is kinda like your practice round.

Do you remember???

2006-11-28T21:24:49Z

Ok, so I was asked to try to recall one event from each year of school… and one event from each group I was involved in… by the way… if you’ve never seen my resume, I was an active kid. (Remember that these are the first memories that come to mind, not the best or the only.)

Kindergarten: Seating on the floor learning the CBA’s (yes, it is the ABC’s backwards), and nap time.

1st grade: Getting kissed on the first day of class by Chris M.

2nd grade: Starting at a new school and not being able to understand my teacher (We moved to PA, and I hadn’t learned Yankee yet.)

3rd grade: Watching the chicks hatch during class and being able to keep a chick… until I got home and mom gave it to an old man who actually knew about raising chickens.

4th grade: Getting stitches on the top of my head because Lauren fell on me and her teeth went into my head.

5th grade: Getting the top locker, when I couldn’t reach the lock.

6th grade: Having Liberty get split into two schools, and not knowing which school my friends were going to be at.

7th grade: Mr. Fudge’s Science class, he always threw a marker at someone.

8th grade: Dance team nationals, Thousands of load teenage girls running around Disney World.

9th grade: Performing at Pep Rallies in skimpy little outfits, wishing I was in sweats and a sweat shirt… yeah, dance team was not the best years of my life.

10th grade: Band Camp… I don’t think I should have to say any more… and no I didn’t play the flute.

11th grade: Prom, Courtney getting locked out of her car and her and her date having to ride in a two seater with me and my date.

12th grade: Getting hit by Mr Tonn’s water gun because I would always fall asleep.

Freshman in College: The pig purse. I think that should be enough said.

Sophomore in College: My trip to Honduras. That should be enough said there… it was the most beneficial 2 weeks of my life. I would love to go back there some day.

Junior in College: Living on campus. I learned a lot that year. And who can forget my summer classes with Jen W… wow, we were the comic relief of the class… but I guess that’s what happens when you get an ADD kid and a non-diagnosed ADD kid together.

Senior in College: AMA trip to Disney World. I got pinned against my will for Jen E to put makeup on me and do my hair, for the one night that we were going dancing at Pleasure Island.

SGA: Writing my first bill to be add to the UAH SGA Constitution. It wasn’t really exciting, but it being passed was a great feeling.

AMA: Yelling at the sponsor in front of the entire class, one could say I grew a set and let her have it for every one in the class. That felt great. And oddly enough she never got mad at me, she just thanked me for telling her how everyone felt, I guess she knew that the class would have backed me up if given the opportunity. I guess that’s why Bitches shouldn’t sponsor groups of college kids trying to make a difference.

APO: honestly the first one that came to mind here was when we went down to Camp Cosby for the first time, and NO girls were there but me. By the way… guys snore, and when you get a bunch of them in the same room, it’s a race to get to sleep first… I lost.

Circle K: Getting lost in the ghetto delivering turkeys for Thanksgiving.

That’s enough for now… I just pulled out my resume to see what else I was forgetting, and wow. NEVER LET ME GET THAT BUSY AGAIN.

Well, there is my first memories that came to mind, definitely not the best memories from each… but they are the first. I hope you enjoy reading this. And do me a favor, think about every year of your schooling… there are a lot of memories there, and some haven’t been thought about in years.

Legally Blond meets Crazy in Alabama

2006-11-27T03:17:23Z

So maybe the best way to describe my weekend is Legally Blond meets Crazy in Alabama. It all started with the normal ride to Huntsville on Wednesday getting ready to move in with my parents. Of course, trying to transport two strawberry pies… this was just the beginning. Thanksgiving was as normal as any of the Griswold movies. This was the first holiday where I realized that I am a Griswold, I’ll just say that family discussions were anything but normal, and family members that are normally on their best behaviors were showing their true hair color. Friday was spent decorating the house for Christmas and getting everything ready to the holiday season. My camera stopped working on Friday, well kinda, it only turned on when it wanted to. So I made the comment to my mom that I was going to get me a camera after Christmas because mine was no longer working (This conversation will play a part in a few seconds). To add more insult to injury, my nose decided that the nose bleeds from hell would come on Friday with all the Christmas decorations and carrying boxes out of the basement, which was not fun. So Saturday was starting to look up. I got to see Katie, and Jen… two good friends and much needed girl time. Well, this is where the crazy comes in… can I just say giddy, laughter, and meeting a guy that I had heard mostly good things about (well funny things at the least). And now for today. Remember the conversation of the camera… well I found one today and told my parents about it (by the way, dad had already ordered my Christmas present on line… the present being a new digital camera). This brought up a huge fight with me and my mom, now that fight is over and I’m feeling much better. But looking back on my weekend, it’s funny how two movies describes the weekend better then anything else. This could show that I watch too many movies, or atleast have heard of them, because I have never seen Crazy in Alabama… but well, maybe this just says that my life is like the movies… Happily ever after… and all that jazz… I guess we’ll have to see.

Thanksgiving, and weekend plans…

2006-11-21T16:18:07Z

So, like every holiday, my week is packed with family fun and more family fun.

Tonight, I’m going to start the holiday week off right, going home and making my Strawberry Pie, Slow Cooked Stuffing, and Chunky Chocolate Cookies. Yeah, I should enjoy that.

Tomorrow, after work (only have to work a half day), I’m moving in with my parents (fun stuff) for the weekend. This should be a joyous occasion for me. Mom and I are starting the turkey, and getting everything ready for the next few days. So yes, I will be cleaning and making sure all the fine china is ready to be used. But this also means curling up on the couch and watching movies with my daddy.

Thursday/Thanksgiving
Normal eating until your belly is full. I’m thinking I’m going to be wearing my baggy jeans, or my stretchy pants. Any way you look at it, I’m eating turkey and watching the ball games (maybe a nap or two in there as well). Oh, and we can’t forget the watching of the Macy’s parade… that’s a tradition that can’t be lost.

Friday, I’m thinking I’ll sleep in that day and just relax… unless a better offer comes up (this is a hint to a young Jen friend of mine… I would love a lunch date, or maybe a movie watching experience… just NO shopping).

Saturday, I’m going to lunch with Katie Stallcup. This should be a lot of fun, I know that I haven’t gotten to see her in FOREVER. This growing up thing is for the birds.

Sunday, life goes back to normal with church, move back home and getting ready for the week to come.

Verbal Diarrhea, Nail Guns, and Stupid Tests… Oh My.

2006-11-20T02:52:32Z

I would say that the title should say it all. But I also know that all those that I don’t get to talk to on a regular basis don’t know what I’m talking about. So here goes explaining this long and confusing weekend.

Let me start with… WAR EAGLE. That was a great game.

Now back to the title…

The Verbal Diarrhea… Have you ever had someone in your life where you just can’t stop talking? Well, we’ll just put it this way.. I had serious verbal diarrhea earlier this weekend.

Nail Guns… nailing your jacket to the wall is never a good idea. But it is a fun experience for everyone watching.

And last but not least… Stupid Tests… Grad school is being of the Devil. That should be enough of that… I’m sure you could get that I’m not so happy about this Grad school thing.

To add one more thing to this great post... This might have been a bad weekend, but looking back I just can't help but laugh.

I think I’ll end with this… As my good friend Jen W once said… like a few seconds ago… “God punishes us with the loss of brain cells.”

Long weekend.

2006-11-13T04:16:59Z

So Friday I spent catching up on work stuff and filing everything that needed to be filed for a while. That was a well needed break from actual work, and a good time for me to review everything that I’ve learned about steel and the company. I spent about 3 hours reading a report I wrote a few weeks ago, and it was just as interesting to me, being the fact that a lot has changed since then and a lot will change from now to the new year.

Saturday was a great day. I found the best feeling ever… Freshly shaved legs, satin boxer shorts, baggy shirt, and a nice warm blanket while watching the football game. Ok, so it would have been a lot better if Auburn had actually been on the field to play. But it was great to be curled up and not having to worry about anything. After the football game was over mom and I went up stairs and did my makeup and hair for the holiday party. By the way that was great. I walked past my boss and he didn’t even recognize me. I’m thinking it made my weekend.

Today has been a relaxing day, with church, changing oil and rotating tires, and just eating. Now I’m thinking about heading to bed and relaxing again before a stressful week at work. This week is going to be an interesting one at work, but atleast I’m going to be getting off work early on Tuesday for a doctor’s apt. So I’ll be in Hunts-vagus on Tuesday. I’ll also be in town Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. Saturday I think I’m going to fall off the face of the earth for a while, if for nothing else standardized tests suck and I’ll be taking one that is suppose to take about 4 hours. I’m thinking there is a nap in my future after that one.

Well, goodnight sweet world. I’ll see you in my dreams, or after I wake up.

The never ending project strikes again.

2006-11-09T22:34:30Z

Have you ever had a day where you were working all day long, and at the end of the day you feel like nothing got accomplished? Today was one of those days for me. I’ve been sitting her pounding in numbers and figures all day, and I have nothing to prove it. All my spreadsheets still aren’t done and my project is still miles from completion. I’m starting to think that this is the never ending project, and that they gave it to me because they knew that there was no reward after it’s done, because it never ends. With each month there is more crap to be added and more figures to compile.

On a good note, tomorrow is another day, and hopefully something will get accomplished. And if not, I don’t have to work on Saturday or Sunday so I’m not going to worry about it until then. But hopeful tomorrow will be a mile stone day for me.

And hopefully tonight will be a night filled with great sleep, instead of guys walking on the roof at O-dark:30. I'm so ready for a good night sleep.

Work line up...

2006-11-09T14:21:12Z

So I’m having to leave town a bunch lately… maybe this time I’ll actually go.

So here’s the travel schedule.

Wednesday, November 15 – B-Ham, AL
Monday, November 20 – Tuesday, November 21 – Charleston, SC
Tuesday, November 28 – Wednesday, November 29 - B-ham, AL
Friday, December 15 – Saturday, December 16 – B-ham, AL
Tuesday, December 19 – Nashville, TN
Friday, January 5 – Saturday, January 6 – Auburn, AL (This is a Marketing skills class that will be repeating several time in the spring)

Ok, so I’m going to be a little traveled and a little tired of sitting my car. Any suggestions for dinner locations, that would be greatly appreciated.