Office Wars - Food Day

So this year we had a department Holiday Party, but usually our section does its own food day. The people who usually organized that thing are not with the company, so this year it kind of feel through the cracks. Individual teams are all doing their own thing. I don't know that I have ever seen so many cookies / donuts / food here in one day.

Its interesting to see the group dynamics of the different teams. Some are very cliquish. If you are not in that group. "No soup for you!" Others, are more generous. They come and invite you to eat with them. I like the generous people. My team is smaller, so sometimes its harder to do food days, because you only end up with 3 things. :)

I try to be a sharer. My group gets first dibs, but if someone else comes by, I'll invite them to join in. I really don't want to eat all the cookies on my desk by myself.

Jericho

I really enjoy Jericho, it comes on CBS. It got canceled at the end of Season 1, but fans sent in many tons of peanuts and CBS decided to make 7 more episodes. Those episodes start February 12th. I'm so excited. They showed a preview for Season 2 during the Survivor Season finale. I think this time they have someone smart scheduling the show. It comes on right after The Unit, which I imagine would interest the same type of people. I know where I'll be spending my Tuesday Nights.

The story is about a small town in Kansas. Several major cities United States were attacked with nukes. Washington DC is gone, Chicago is gone, Denver destroyed. These people are somewhat isolated from the outside world. They send out scouts to visit other towns and learn what has happened. They lose electricity, then an EMP comes along, which means that anything with a computer chip is fried.

They have to survive without Wal-mart. They have to go hunting for meat, they have to ration their grain through out the winter to have enough to plant in the spring. They have to survive each other and other groups who may want what they have.

After I watch the show I always want to go grocery shopping and my husband wants to get more ammo. It makes you think

Restaurant Wars - Christmas Party

So last night was the yearly Christmas party for Bob Evans. This is the work Christmas party I look forward to the most. The Christmas Party at my office job consists of food (finger foods), a gift exchange (sometimes fun), games designed to make fun of senior management (nice in theory, except I don't know who any of them are), and your co-workers (I like most of mine). This party is okay. Its nice that they pay us to be there.

The Bob Evans Christmas Party is just so much better. Everyone gets to come in with their family, which I think is the best part. I like getting to see people's spouses and kids. Then I can put faces to the names I always hear. The GM always goes and gets presents for each of the children who are coming. Its a potluck, which I think is fun. Donna makes great fudge, Chrissy is well-known for her salsa.

Then we have door prizes. The managers always make sure they are good ones and that we have a lot of them. Just about everyone will walk out the door with something. This year he gave away a tv, a dvd recorder, and two people got a nights stay at a local hotel with movie tickets and restaurant gift cards. Plus, all the other gift cards and small gifts.

I like going and seeing everyone in "street clothes". Since we wear a uniform, I think its fun to see how people dress in regular life. One girl came in an halter top and a short jean skirt, with snowboots. *rolls eyes* Its 30 degrees outside! What was she thinking? I also, really like seeing everyone. We had two of our old managers stop by just to catch up with everyone. I think thats really neat. Out of the 53 employees in that restaurant all but 10 came to the party, and they didn't even have to pay us to be there.

Concert Review

The Andrew Peterson concert was so much fun. We were on the floor of the Ryman to the far left of the stage. Not the best seats in the house, but we were just happy to be there. The first half of the concert all the musicians sang a song or two of their own. It was neat. I had heard of many of the musicians, but not actually heard them play.

The second half was my favorite by far. Everything went so smoothly, each person brought something special Behold the Lamb of God songs. People would come on stage, sing or play their part then leave. It all flowed together so well.

I had hoped that I would get the opportunity to meet some of the other people from Andyland (the Andrew Peterson message board), but we didn't have a good plan for finding each other. We had arrived in downtown Nashville early and spent some time walking on the strip. I tried singing AP songs out loud while walking down the street, because I knew some of the other Andylanders would be there. I thought it would be a good way to find each other, but no one started singing along. :(

Maybe next year.

BTLOG

For the last several years I have been a big fan of Andrew Peterson I really enjoy his music. His albums are the type you can listen to 100 times and on the 101st listen you will discover something new in his lyrics.

Each year he has his big Christmas show at the Ryman Theater in Nashville. I've wanted to go for the last several years, but I always had finals when I was in college and last year I had no one to go with. This year, however, there are no excuses. I'm going with my husband!

For those of you who aren't familiar with Behold the Lamb of God, I'm putting a video up from the 2004 show. I really recommend this album. It tells the story of Jesus' coming starting with the Old Testament. Its amazing. I listen to it year round. It will be such a great experience to see it live!!

Restaurant Wars - Coffee Edition

I had the worst day at work yesterday. I got there at my usual 6:30 am start time. The weather looked bad so we didn't have many people come in early. I got my first table at 7:30 and it was a single guy. Table # 2 was at 8:15 another single guy. It was just so slow. Churches were canceled and so people slept in. I guess a comfy bed won over yummy breakfast food.

My regulars didn't come in, which was disappointing. I had baked them some Cranberry Walnut bread for Christmas the day before. I did start getting tables later in the day, but then I got a table of 8. Who sat for 2 hours during the busiest part of the breakfast rush. They left a decent tip, but since they sat so long looking at logos of deer heads and discussing fonts, I missed out on making a lot more than they left me.

The worst part of the day was Coffee Related. Bob Evans Corporate decided to redo our coffee system. They replaced our pots with insulated carafes to keep the coffee fresher longer. Thats a great idea, it keeps it hot and tasting sweet like it is supposed to when it is fresh brewed. But part of this coffee makeover included changing the brand of coffee. They went from Maxwell House Regular Blend to Wallingford. The new coffee is stronger and gross. I am so disappointed. I do not understand why they wanted to change that. They had the best coffee around. So I am encouraging you guys to go out and taste it. If you don't like it either you can visit Bob Evans' website and comment. Please, so I can continue my happy coffee drinking. The people at corporate are the ones who get to make changes or un-make them.

Spice up Your Life

Last night we were watching TV, there wasn't much on. The Unit, which is our usual Tuesday Night show was replaced by Frosty the Snowman. I guess we're done with that show until the strike is over.

We ended up watching a fashion show. Guess who were the musical guests. The Spice Girls! * They did one of their old songs -- "Stop right now, thank you very much, I need some body with a human touch, hey you always on the run, got to slow it down baby got to have some fun." No, I didn't Google that. All from memory. When I was a kid, three of my friends (I won't list names, but if they want to fess up they can.) and I would pretend to be the Spice Girls. We'd do our dances and even record them. (I hope those videos have all been destroyed). I usually got to be Posh, which means I was the pretty one, not the scary one, or gingery one, or baby one, or sporty one. Until last night I had forgotten about our crazy sleepovers. Maybe us girls should have a "spice girls wannabe reunion night".

*disclaimer, when you are a young uninfluencable teenager you cannot be held responsible for your musical tastes.

Office Wars - Printing

We got a fancy new printer. It is the BMW of office machines. It prints, it faxes, it e-mails, it copies, it slices and dices. It is also located right in front of my desk. I hate the location. Now I have to have awkward 20 second conversations while people look through the paper, searching for their documents or else I have to just pretend they aren't there and hope they don't perceive me as rude.

People try to be helpful when they leaf through the papers. If I happen to have something in the stack they hand it to me, which is nice in theory. Usually I will print several items before going to pick them up, in a certain order, so I don't have to sort when I get to my desk. People always hand me page 3 and 7 out of the 10 I printed, which just made me more work. Thanks.

I also am the tech support for the printer. Every other day someone new comes up. "I heard that this is our new fax machine, do you know how it works?" I of course do, because I'm already the unofficial IT person in my area. I wonder if I can move desks?

I'm not a fast writer

I ended the month with only 14,165 words. Its more than I ever wrote for anything. Next year I think I will do more planning. I'm still debating whether or not to finish my novel. I know a lot of you guys are writers. What do you do if your book seems boring? If you just can't come up with something that would be "really exciting" for them to do next. Do you just start on a new idea or keep pushing?

Part of me just wants to finish and get to the 50k mark just so I can prove to myself that I can. The other side would rather scrub the bathtub. I don't know which one will win.

November is Really

Not just National Novel Writing Month, but I think it should also be
• National Clean your Keyboard Month
• National Catch up with Friends Month
• National Play Lego Star Wars Month
• National Think about Finishing Thank You Notes from your Wedding Month
• National Watch TV Month
• National Play on Facebook / Myspace Month
• National make Extravagant Dinner Month (I haven't done this one, but thought about it)
• National Comment on other People's Blogs Month
• National Do Anything but Write your Novel Month

I am very behind in my words. I'm considering taking a vacation day from work and chaining myself to the computer with no internet, just so I can hit that 50,000 word mark by the 30th.

Grocery Shopping

I went to the grocery store for like the first time in 3 weeks. Is that bad? We got a Mom casserole that we ate for a while. Then I been sick with a cold so we got another Mom casserole. I've been such a slacker wife, but last night I finally made it to the grocery store.

As a teen, I always hated when my mom would make me go with her. I love shopping and I love my mom, I even love shopping with my mom. Just not for food. Now I have to go. Its either that or die of starvation. It really hasn't been too bad. I stand in front of the meat section and consider (for a good 5 minutes) if I have any idea of how to make it into something edible. If I can come up with something, into the cart it goes. If not, it remains on the shelf.

So I went to the store last night, list and coupons in hand, all ready to do a fabulous job of stocking the frige and pantry. I managed to get a decent parking spot, but as soon as I walked into the store and had to walk all the way to the back of the cart room, I knew I might be in trouble. The store was so crowded and I do not like being in crowds. It would take a me good 5 minutes to navigate through an aisle. I was good and did not run over anyone or ram into their cart. If you managed to find what you needed and there was no one standing directly in front of it, you were quite lucky. I think that everyone must have been at the store rather than watching the Thursday night must see TV.

Note to self: If the grocery store runs a "spend $50 get $10 off your purchase" deal the week before Thanksgiving. Go super early or super late or visit Mom.

The Return of Jet Black

I got my car back. I have really missed him. Wednesday of last week, he got his tires adjusted, so I can once again drive in a straight line. Then Friday we dropped him off, so he could get his heater fixed. It wasn't working last winter and I was freezing. I kept some gloves in the car, just because the steering wheel was always so cold. He was supposed to be ready for me on Saturday, but he needed an extra part. So he stayed at the mechanic shop.

I drove the red car to work on Sunday. It took a while to get things adjusted to fit me. Levi is a lot bigger and I can never reach the pedals when I first get into his car. I made it to and from work without any problems. Monday however the car decided it missed Levi and didn't want to spend any more time with me behind its wheel.

I got into the car and tried to turn the key, but it would not turn. I tried every trick I could think of. I jiggled it. I took it out and flipped it over and it still would not turn. 10 minutes later I seriously considered not going to work. The car hates me. when I was just about to give up, the key finally turned and I started the car.

I am so glad to have own car back. Jet Black always starts, he even has heat now. Plus, since he came back from the shop the radio is working again. Woot!!

Silence

I am not a music killer. I know I do not sing well, but it is really fair of my car to silence yet another radio to quiet my singing? This morning I climbed into my car and when I reached over to tune on some tunes, I saw no light on the radio. Not even the clock was shining on the screen. I called my husband. He had been the last to drive my car last night. We got the tires aligned. Now I no longer have to feel like a drunk person driving down the highway, because my car did not want to go straight. Anyways, he doesn't remember it not working. I know it worked yesterday afternoon, because I was really excited when my new favorite song came on the radio.


I really need to practice my cello, so I can play this song. So pretty.

NaNoWriMo 2007

Guess what? Is that time again, where I get to pretend like I am an author. I'm writing a book called "Playing the Game". At least, thats what it is called right now. It could change. We will see.

I'm going to post the first part, feel free to give me feedback. If you think its boring, let me know. If you have any ideas comment. I am open to suggestion. Since I am a "pantser" (No outline, no planning, writing by the seat of my pants). The characters themselves are telling me whats going to happen as I write.

Ben

As he signed his name to the paper, he had no idea how much this was going to change him. When he first ran across this website, he was a bit skeptical. But the idea intrigued him. He spent some time on the message boards, getting to know other people in the game. They told him of their adventures of how much fun it was. He was hooked.

As a little boy Ben loved adventure movies. You would always see him out in the back yard playing. After he saw his first John Wayne movie he was a cowboy. He chased Indians, he chased bank robbers and he always rescued the lady. When his class studied the civil war at school he decided he would be a soldier. He would dash through the confederate lines to capture the fort or sneak people into his house as a stop on the Underground Railroad.

Men like Indian Jones, John Wayne, and even Jason Bourne were his heroes. Ben loved adventure and he loved his adventure moves. He could quote them forward and backward. His dream job was to be an undercover agent for whatever three letter organization would hire him. Unfortunately, he felt trapped in an average life, working an average job in an average town. All his fierce fantasies of being manly and stopping the bad guys were only in his head.

This was his motivation for signing up. This Game allowed people to become something more than Joe Ordinary. They gave you a chance to be something special. Ben wanted to find the treasure and go undercover to save the princess. He wasn’t entirely sure how this game would work. Even after talking to others that participated, no one gave him an exact answer. He knew he would get assignments, with instructions on how to complete them. What these assignments were he had yet to figure out. One person compared it to geo-catching. Another said it was more like a murder mystery weekend. You never know what kind of game you will be given.

While at the main office, they took his fingerprints, mug shots, and had him answer many questions about his personal life. He had to give them his weekly schedule. They wanted to know his best friends, his favorite movies, his fears. He felt almost like a criminal. Why did they need to know whether he liked dogs or cats? When they asked if he had a girlfriend or any crushes, he almost left. He’s had feelings for Megan for years, but no way did he want to tell them. It was not any of their business, but of course he told them. They said, none of his personal information would be given out, but they needed to know him. How else could they make his game the best it could be?

He was issued an ID card and told that, he would be contacted soon with instructions. After such an intense session with the group, he expected more definite instructions. On the drive home, he started imagining what his first assignment would be. Maybe he would get to wander through the forest hunting for clues to the hideout of the criminal Robby Robber. First, he’d get some good hiking boots. Then he would read up on Indian trail secrets. Next, he would plan his attack…

Little Things

I think I need a new job or a vacation or something. Lately I feel like everything is annoying me. I am no longer a duck who lets everything slide off their back. I am like syrup, where everything sticks.

Take yesterday for example. Tuesday night at 4:54 someone sent an e-mail request to me. (I usually leave around 4:30ish) Wednesday Morning at 8:39 someone wanted to know when it would be completed. Come on. It was not an urgent matter. I wrote a mean e-mail back, but I was good and did not send it.

I disagreed with someone over whether you use this id number or that id number. I got annoyed at someone for picking my stuff off the printer for me, but stopping to talk along the way. When I went to get my stuff, it wasn't there. I reprinted, then she brings it to me. I know it wasn't intentional. I don't know why this stuff is bothering me so much. I know it shouldn't.

I think it is related to the fact that we have a new person. In trying to teach her things, I say to do it one way, when another person tells her different. Neither is really wrong, but sometimes our methods conflict. Things that we didn't notice before are now becoming mini-issues. Its strange. We like our new team member. She is nice and socially she fits, but I just don't like this tension.

Chicago

Our trip was so much fun. We got up early and I ended up driving the whole way there. We hit Portillos for lunch where Levi got to have is first Italian Combo Sandwich. He liked it. I think he's hooked.

Then we headed downtown to the Museum of Science and Industry. It was pretty interesting. I liked it. Levi really liked the U-505. I think he could have spent a couple more hours there. I thought that was pretty cool, too. They built the whole room, just for the submarine.

We grabbed some dinner then went to my Aunts house. She has a fish tank full of Nemo fish. I saw a Dory and a Marlin and a Flo and a Its been a while since I last saw the movie.

Sunday we experienced the River walk. It's a really nice park. No wonder the town is rated the best place to live in the US. We went to a Pirate-themed Birthday Party for my baby cousin. He was so cute! He happily wore his pirate hat the whole time. On our way home I felt like making all the rude drivers walk the plank.

Chicago is nice, but I realized on this trip its no longer home. I don't think I would ever move back. I like it better here, we have a free zoo, free museums, free parking many places downtown. $12 to park your car for 4 hours? No thanks. You don't have to pay beyond what is collected in taxes to drive on a road. You can get through the city in a reasonable amount of time. Its just a little less crowded here.

Turn up Your Stereo-o

"Can you feel it? It makes you feel so good."
--Apples In Stereo

So in preparation for out long voyage of many hours to the Windy City. We decided it was time to get a new music player for Jet Black ~the mystery car~. This decision was made after dinner at about 7:30 on Friday night. We got out the tools and started taking things apart.

We finally got the old one out, went to the store and bought a new cd player. This one is even better than my old one was, because it has a jack for my mp3 player. Woot! Fortunately it wasn't to hard to do the installation. When I bought the car, I had my cd player put in, so all the pieces were already there, it was just a matter of switching the old and new.

I have radio! I can play cds! I can play MP3s! Now I can sing, in my car, at the top of my lungs, and no one can hear! :D

Going to the Windy City

Tomorrow we are traveling to the city of my birth. The place where you can find neighborhoods where you don't have to speak English. The place where you can say "you guys" to a group of girls and no one gets offended. The place where you can find Italian Beefs. Its also where hotdogs dressed as a cave man and a women are completely normal.

I'm looking forward to it. I lived there when I was young, so of course every school field trip was downtown. Shedd's Aquarium, the Planetarium, the Field Museum, Sears Tower, Art Museum. When I was little my mom would even take me to these places for fun. She's a good Mom like that.

Now that we have moved away, we only go back every so often to visit family. We never hit the touristy spots anymore. So this weekend, that is what we are going to do. We're going to the museum and whatever else happens to strike our fancy. Plus, we get to go see family. Hurray for 1st Birthday Parties.

If you know of any must hit spots, comment please. Later guys.

Autumn Times

The season of pretty leave colors is going to be a bust this year. Instead of 20 shades of rust, brown, auburn, and sage, the trees outside my window are turning old brown. Icky brown. I'm so disappointed. I like the leaves.
At my parents house I used to like raking the yard, I'd make a huge pile. It was perfect for throwing my sisters into or even jumping myself. Good times. Well mostly. There was the time my little sister decided to take my car keys with her into the leaf pile. That wasn't so fun.

Once when I was a kid, we were in the Smokey Mountains during autumn on a family vacation. I made a friendship bracelet with all the colors on the mountains. It was more than just icky brown. I think I used 20 different colors. Maybe I should wear it to show the trees what they are supposed to be doing.

I saw a picture of one of my childhood friends who lives in Utah. She took her kids to a pumpkin patch, where they had something that looked like a corn maze. It wasn't corn though, it was a sunflower field, post sunflowers. Isn't that neat? I really need to get out west one day.

Spying

Last night my husband and I were in our bedroom when we heard a lot of loud talking outside. We looked into the courtyard area, but didn't see anyone. Since it is one of our dreams to star in a spy movie, we quickly turned off the bedroom light. We raised the blinds just a little and every so slowly opened the window. It sounded so loud in our quiet house, but the people below were too involved to notice us.

Our window opening was well worth it. It was our mystery neighbor. This is the same neighbor that if the daughter arrives home the same time as us, will risk carbon monoxide poisoning by closing the garage before she turns off her car, rather than letting actually meet her. All we know is that an alleged father lives there with his alleged daughter.

We listened and Father didn't want to go home, he wouldn't tell random blond lady which house was his. Eventually she convinced him. Daughter opened the door and they spend the next 10 minutes convincing Father to walk in. Finally he went, a little while later a paramedic came and took him to the hospital. Father walked to the gurney and climbed on. I hope he's okay. We never did figure out exactly what his problem was, but my suspicions make me think he spent too much time at the neighborhood bar. Its really sad, we prayed for him.

During this confrontation, Levi and I stood in the shadows peering out the window on the second floor looking down on the action. At one point random blond looked up at the window, but I don't think she caught us. We became masters of staying in the shadow. We spied from the bedroom window, we spied from the living room window. Levi convinced me I need to let him get night vision, in case it happened again.

A Broken Car

We have awesome friends. We were at church Sunday night when Levi's car died. It wouldn't turn on, instead it made this choking sound. So after trying unsuccessfully to revive the car via cables. We did the only other thing we could thing of. We went to Dairy Queen and got some Ice Cream.

Our friends were so cool, they even volunteered to let us use their car for the day, until we could fix ours. Instead we both took the day off work. Let me tell you the weather was so perfect, I was almost glad it broke (note: almost does not mean I was truly glad, I just like to be outside). So after some flying wrenches, grunting, and angry remarks about car engineers. (One bolt is 15mm and the next is a 1/2 inch. Why can't they just use one system? Its not a hard concept.) Levi managed to fix the car. He went to school, I went to go see my family. It was so nice to get the break from the cube world.

Other Blogs

I am a big fan of blogs. I like to hear other people's stories. I like to get a taste of life in the south, or catch up on 80s pop culture. I think it is interesting to get a glimpse into a Mom's life. Its a good way to keep up with whats going on in my friend's lives. I wanted to share these with you. If i put yours and you don't want me to, e-mail me and Ill take it off. On the flip side, if I didn't link yours and you tell good stores let me know.
Bricks Explode - The best place to learn about the pop culture of the 80s and 90s.
Waiting for my Real Life to Begin - How could a girl who calls herself Swishy be boring? She always makes me laugh, by stalking people in coffee shops and taking their pictures on the sly.
True Story - Ashley has the most adventurous stories of "what I did this weekend". Plus, you get the NYC or SC drama.
Old Skool - Jill reminds me of myself a little bit. Plus, I've chatted with her a couple times and she's really sweet.
Steve's Camera Journey - The photographer for our wedding and a friend of my husbands.
Lisa Hessel Photography - A girl I went to college with. She's now the Mama in the boys dorm and I love her pictures.
BSC Headquarters - This is a once a week blog. The girl will read a Baby Sitters club book each week and give you a cynical report about it. Saves you all the effort of actually rereading a childhood favorite.
MaNiC MoMMY - I started reading her blog as Swish mentions her regularly. I like it. Bra Nazi, he he.
The Coffee Shop - This was another one I found through Swishy. I love the design of it and Trish's stories are pretty good, too. I like how she refers to her kids (Son18) without using real names, she's made it easy to follow.
Of course there is also Pop Candy, but she gets paid to write, so its not quite in the same category. I also read my friend JB's blog, but since she blogs on Myspace, I'll not link it.

Thoughts on Heroes Season 2

My theories for this season and comments about last night's episode.

The blood from the eyes is related to a Lizard. Hence the title of the episode "Lizards", I think it applies to more than Claire being able to regenerate. When horned lizards are scared they secrete a blood substance from their eyes that will repulse their predators. Its seems like Maya does the same thing. I don't think its a coincidence. Her twin brother is the only one to calm her. I think he absorbs her fear, which is how their friend was healed, but I do not think he is a healer like Linderman.

As for Peter not using his abilities to steal the box, it seems like he only uses his powers as an instinct rather than intentionally, which would be why he couldn't just take it. He doesn't remember how to control or use them.

I really want to know what Mama Petrelli's power is (assuming that she has one, since both of her children do). My guess is to know people's dreams or perhaps to plant ideas in someone's mind. Something in Season 1 gave me that impression, but I don't remember the exact situation.

What if "The Boogeyman" was 'created' by the older generation - Hiro's Father, Linderman, Mama Petrelli? When the company would kidnap people they could have taken some kind of blood sample and transfered it to an individual creating a super person, who then turns against them? It seems like it could be a comic book theme. What if that person was the child of Mama Petrelli and Hiro's father? That could have explained the surprise when he saw the person who pushed him over the edge.

Of course this is all speculation on my part.

Wedding Pictures

I realized that I hadn't put any pictures online yet, so here you go.

Our first dance together was Iron & Wine's version of "Such Great Heights". Its a beautiful song with great lyrics.

I am thinking it's a sign
That the freckles in our eyes
Are mirror images and
When we kiss they're perfectly aligned
And I have to speculate
That God himself did make us into
Corresponding shapes like puzzles pieces
From the clay

This is where we met. He does the lights and I do the sound / projector for church.

I loved our get away car. Too bad I didn't get to drive it.

The Day the Music Died

♫♪drove my Saturn by the levy, but the levy was dry♫♪

So about 3 weeks ago, I was in my car driving home from work. I was singing along with the top pop station (guilty pleasure) when all of the sudden the radio went quiet. At first I thought, no big deal, someone tripped on a cord at the station. I should switch to one that plays more quality music anyways. I switch. Nothing. I look around to make sure Jericho hasn't really happened, but things look okay. No mushroom clouds. So I put in a CD, and don't make a big deal out of it. Levi says maybe my antenna came loose. This sounds reasonable. Until we get around to fixing that I'll just listen my CDs.

Well Monday morning, I get into my car, all ready to rock out to some Deathcab for Cutie (well as much as you can rock out to DCfC) and all I hear is silence. Nothing. I take the cd out and put in a different one. Yes, I thought maybe the album that worked perfectly yesterday suddenly developed a problem and was no longer functional. I put in someAndrew Peterson, still nothing but that dumb error message.

So now I am totally car musicless. I have an MP3 player though, so I figure if I'm really desperate I can just use that and be all redneck. Well, I forgot to charge it, for two days. Then today I go to see Levi at lunch and its all charged up and ready to go. I was excited! So excited that I left my headphones on my desk.

I'll just have to sing to entertain myself. Other drivers watch out!

ITLAPD

Shiver me timbers its that day again. Its time to find that eye patch and dust off that peg leg. Today is International Talk Like A Pirate Day!

Meebo celebrates this day by translatin' all your IM conversations into Buccaneer Talk. so if you want t' chat with me... expect t' hear o' Davy Jones' Locker.

On a side note, I met a Pirate-Blacksmith on Saturday. His shop was called t' Black Pearl. I was such a good apprentice that I got promoted from fire-stoker t' striker all in one day. Blacksmithin' runs in me blood. me great grandfather was a blacksmith as was his father(me great great). me great great grandpa tried t' invent a perpetual motion machine, unfortunately he never succeeded. He did however make a tools that be used on fire hydrants. So if you house doesn't burn down its thanks t' him. :)

One Month and Counting

Its our One Month Anniversary!! Its been a good first month of marriage (with the exception of being sick). Home is feeling more like home than just a place where I am staying. I've gotten good at cooking with only 3 pots. (The store was out of the good ones we want to get.) Levi got the garage all in order and the basement. Now all we need to do is decorate. Anyone have any good connections at TLC or Home and Garden Network?

On a different subject. We had a fire drill at work today. It was good weather, so I didn't mind the break. We went back inside and I started working again. About an hour after our fire drill the company sends out an e-mail saying FYI: Emergency Evacuation Drills Scheduled in September for Corporate Buildings. It also included the escape plans for each wing on each floor. Useful? Maybe two hours go. Now? Not so much.

Maybe we can have a redo tomorrow, I hear the weather is supposed to be great.

Work in "The Office"

I've been offered a new job at Dunder-Mifflin!!

Click here to see the job posting

I'm going to head up the office in Fargo-ND and I want you to join with me. No this is not a pyramid scheme. Its a fun-a-mid scheme. Just imagine all the good times we could have here. All I need is 15 of you guys to join with this code aglfhgce4g. Then we can all work together! How cool is that?

The New Resume

I stole this from Josh's blog.

The Josh Sorokach Employment Test
1. Describe what has been your favorite job up to this point in your life.
Waitressing at Bob Evans, fun people (most of the time) and the mean / dumb ones give me good material for stories.
2. Describe your ideal fantasy job. I would love to be creative and come up with new ideas, maybe a PR company.
3. Briefly describe a key point on your resume. I have worked at the same place since I was 16. Thats dedication.
4. If you dad stole some bread from your boss because he was starving, would you take a vacation to Hawaii or send your dad a nice silver pen set to sort of say, “Hey I have so much money I drop over one hundred Washington’s on a pen." Neither. What kind of question is that?
6. Please describe your greatest strength and then juxtapose it with your greatest weakness. My greatest strength is that I can make anything sound nice, that means I find the positive side of someone losing a leg.
7. What song would you sing if the office went out for karaoke? I would sing the theme song from "The Office" Da da dadada dum...
8. Remember that scene in Rain Man when Dustin Hoffman counts all of those toothpicks? That was nuts. Anyway do you remember it? Nope, never saw it.
9. Rate the importance of personal fiscal success in relation to the overall financial success of this company. Happy employees do better work (see Google)
10. What are your top three choices for the office to watch on “Movie Monday’s?”
Oceans 11, Catch me if you Can, Grease
11. Honestly are you a good worker. Be honest, hence why I said honestly. Sure, I can accomplish in four hours what takes most people 8.
12. In regards to employment what is the biggest problem facing young people today in this changing social and economic climate. No one wants to give us a job because we don't have enough "experience".
13. If you saw Rick from marketing drop a twenty would you give it back to him? Yeah
14. Rate your skill level in intramural sports. On a scale of 1-10, i would get a 1 or 2.
15. Why should we hire you? I would be a very loyal, hard working employee. Plus, I'd bring in "good coffee."

Personality Test:
1. Favorite TV Show, movie, and non alcoholic beverage. Jericho / The Office, Catch me if you Can, Milk
2. Last concert you attended? Andrew Peterson
3. What did you do last Friday night? I went to the Andrew Peterson Concert.
4. Would you take 300 hundred dollars, St. James Place, a get out of jail free card, and one free ride of your choosing for Park Place? Depends who had boardwalk.
5. Who would win in a fight: A lazy yet slightly angry invisible Lion or an elephant with the sniffles that has a propensity for danger? The lion. Elephants don't have claws.

And finally…if someone wrote a book about you and the publisher absolutely needed it finished today, what would the title be? The Adventures of Tanya

Moony over my Honey

We made a trip to KC for our Honeymoon. The bed and breakfast we stayed at was so nice. The lady who ran the Inn brought us our breakfast up to the room each day. She made such good stuff too, French Toast one day and omelettes the next. I told Levi that he shouldn't get too used to the great meals, because breakfast when we got home would be milk and cereal. All the rooms were decorated with different themes. While we were there I managed to spy and peek inside each one of them. :D

We did the good touristy stuff. If you are ever there I would recommend visiting the WWI Museum. It was one of the best I have ever been to. Lets see, we also went on a Gondola ride downtown. That was really nice, when I saw the website for it I was sold on visiting KC.

It was so nice for us to spend time together with no distractions. I love him lots. :D

Our Perfect Wedding

Our day was perfect. The weather was great. I got up early and when to get my hair done. A couple weeks ago, I went for a "trial run". When I got home I cried. My original hair do made me look like a 80s prom queen. The actual wedding hairstyle was much much better. I felt pretty, well I felt like I looked pretty. With bobby pins anchored inside my scull, my head hurt. A lot.

I arrived at the church about 45 minutes before the wedding. I didn't want a lot of down time before the ceremony, where I would have nothing to do but stand around. My bridesmaids were all there. It didn't take long to put the finishing touches on our outfits. My florist was so kind and let me borrow a blue bracelet, so I could be superstitious and have something "old, new, borrowed and blue".

My dad wouldn't "give me away" (He refused to "give away a perfectly good daughter") He did however walk me down the aisle and present me for marriage. :D I asked my Mom to read 1 Corinthians 13. It was beautiful. The pastor made everyone laugh when he told our story. We are such nerds. We said our vows and made our kiss just a little awkwardly long. :D

The reception was so much fun. The pastors daughter was such a doll. She was the first on the dance floor. People seems to have such a good time. I really wanted my wedding to be fun, so everyone could share in the joy of our marriage.

WOAH

I'm getting married! How crazy-cool-amazing-exciting-scary-great-
wonderful-new-adventurous-deep-forever is that?

MARRIED

Well, not quite yet, but I will be in just a few short hours. I'm so excited!!!
Everyone keeps asking me if I am nervous. Really I'm not. I've been busy, and a little worried about getting everything needed in time, but not nervous about marrying Levi. I know that I am marrying the best man God has chosen for me. I hope our wedding will go well, but its our marriage that is really important.

I think it will be really cool to be a wife. I know that we will have lots of fun together. He always makes me laugh and listens to me when I whine. He comforts me when I am sad, and rejoices with me when I am happy.

I'm ready for this day! Its going to be so great! God has really blessed me!

Bike, Boxes, Bachlorette

This has been an eventful weekend. It all started Friday when my sister won a bike!! How cool is that? My neighbor kid got the other one. They were some excited kids. This was the first year in a long time that I wasn't the photographer for VBS. I did, however, go to family night and visit with everyone.

Saturday was moving day. Big moving day. Which really wasn't that big. I've been slowly taking things over to the Nest, but now I finally have the majority of my things there and few left with me. Can I mention how much I hate packing? It was torturous, espicially since I have just discovered Pandora and Tasha (the Toshiba laptop) was in a coma. After much work I managed to revive her and she is just like new. New in the sense that her hard drive is nice and empty because I lost everything on it.

Saturday Evening We had my Bachorette party! This was a really good time. My MOH organized it. We started at Olive Garden, where I ate way too much food. Then we headed to the mall for a Scavenger Hunt. We had to find different wedding-related things such as "Something borrowed, something blue, a guy who looks like Levi, a girl who looks like me...". Good times.

A True Friend

What is a friend? The dictionary says "a person attached to another by feelings of affection or personal regard". I view my friends as people I care about, who also care about me in return. A pretty simple concept.

I don't think friends have to talk everyday or hang out every weekend. There are people I would consider a friend, that I haven't even seen in months. We just don't have a common meeting place. It doesn't mean I don't care about the people. We are both just busy. There is nothing wrong with that.

My MOH (matron of honor) is one of those type of friends. We don't get together all the time. We aren't on the phone with each other every day, but I still consider her a good friend. When we hang out we have a lot of fun together, and when we talk we have great conversation. There have been times we've gone 6 months without contact, yet I still consider her a close enough friend to ask her to be my MOH.

On the other side of the spectrum I have a different friend. We hadn't talked since May. Not because I don't like the person, but just because I have been busy. My phone takes incoming calls though, so the blame is not entirely on me. This person however has stated they "wish me well in life, but no longer wishes to have the friendship". This makes me so sad. I feel like I have done something to offend the person.

I understand that some friendships are for a season like school friends, when the class ends so does your friendship. Its not a bad thing, just the way life is. Still I feel a sense of loss, because this friendship wasn't based on a common activity. We became friends when we worked together, but continued being friends after that ended. I guess thats just life.

Surprise!

I have to say that as much as I complain about living in the cube world, I have great co-workers. Today we had a "meeting" at 12:30. I was all prepared to go discuss whats been going on. I even took the time to make a list of things I wanted to bring up.

But when we walked into the room, everyone who was already there, yelled "Surprise!" I really was. I didn't even think that I was going to have a shower. It was so nice of my co-workers to do this for me. Mostly it was people on my team, but there were a couple people from other teams as well. It made me feel so special. They gave me gifts and cake.
:D

At the old Ball Game

Last night I got to go see a baseball game. We had gotten some free tickets to a minor league game. It was so much fun. Everyone was laid back and cool. You didn't have to wait in forever long lines. There were lots of people there as families. I was reading that Monday nights are even a night where people are allowed to bring their dog.

I just thought that was cool. Major league athletes always seem to be causing trouble, and good tickets to games are quite pricey. Here there wasn't a bad seat (except for ones in the sun, but since the park it outside, its to be expected). Between each inning they had some kind of contest or cheer or something on the field. The kids were even allowed to go run the bases when the game was over. Isn't this how it should be? Not the over-glamorized commercialized thing it has become.

Camping

... in the back yard.

So we got this super cool new tent. The people who designed it thought of everything. One corner has a set of mesh shelves, another corner has a small opening for a power cord. There is another spot where you can put things in without opening the door, and all the normal cell phone pockets.

Well its great to have a tent like that, but what fun is it if you never use it? Last night we decided to go camping in the back yard. All of us girls got the air mattresses and sleeping bags. We stayed up late playing Clue and reading books. It was a lot of fun, the only thing missing was the marshmallows. Best part? No spider filled camp shower houses. Worst thing? One of our hens thinks she is a rooster and likes to be a lil noisy in the mornings.

The Memo

I have the greatest idea for the next episode of The Office. It could be called Memos. Every hour Michael could send out a memo that names someone who did something they shouldn't have. Such as, "No employee should remove all candy from the candy jar on Pam's desk, Kevin." This one is sent when Michael is craving a treat and there are none.
The next memo sent is concerning cooking food in the kitchen microwave. Michael goes to use it after Kelly cooks some Indian food, and his cheeseburger tastes like curry flavored. He sends out a Memo to tell people that the microwave is off limits if you are cooking wierd food, Kelly." I wonder if I could get hired to write for the show? I wouldn't mind sitting at a desk all day "acting" while surfing the web.

Lately at work, it seems we are getting reminded of someting almost every day in a memo. Most are rather boring. "Take breaks downstairs in the designated area." "Don't have overpowering air freshners, whose odor wafes out of your cubical." "Please adhere to the dress code." Some are a little more exciting though. "If you need to speak with a co-worker, please walk to their desk. Do not use aerial objects."

For the last couple weeks we are getting a memo along these lines almost every other day. Sometimes we even get it a couple times from different managers. TKS Reports! Each time I receive one of these e-mails I am tempted to walk up and down the aisles in my department, looking for the offending party.

Television

"Visors are hats for people that like getting ripped off." - Creed, TThe Office

Right now its summer, the time of the year to catch up on tv watching. What else are you going to do? plan a wedding? buy a house? Since we just got this great new TV, I'm going to tell you the best shows to watch.

Gilmore Girls- How I loved thee. I have seen every episode and with seven seasons dating back to pre-shows being online, this was quite a feat. Best thing? You don't have to worry bout changing the channel when mom comes in. Worst thing? Since the show has ended there will be no more Rory / Loralie banter.

Survivor- They keep repeating the same concept, but they always have some new twist. Just when you think that you have it figured out, someone breaks their alliance. Best thing? Every season is unique. Worst thing? You spend the first 6 episodes trying to keep everyone straight.

The Office- Funny, but not overdone. Its a perfect mix of real life in sitcom form. Full of quotable lines and every character contributes. Its the type of show you can watch the same episode three times and its still good. Best thing? Its funny and well written. Worst thing? We have to wait for the fall for new episodes.

Heroes- My newest addiction. I love this show, it reminds me of X-files. I'm mid way through season one. Every time you think you know what is going on, they add someone new or reveal something cool that messes up your theory. Best thing? Its a popular show and you don't have to worry about it being cancelled. Worst thing? I'm not so big on the evolution premise.

Jericho- The show I need an extra hour in the day to watch. I have seen bits and pieces. It looks like such a good quality make you think show. I'm so glad its back on the air. Plus, you can watch online. Best thing? Its back, so there will be more than one season. Worst thing? I'm scared people might have to send more nuts.

Independence Day

My favorite holiday is Independence Day. I like it so much. Its the perfect day, the weather is always beautiful. You get parades in the morning. Fairs in the afternoon. People eat delicious food cooked outdoors on the grill, like hamburgers and hot dogs. Unlike Christmas there is very minimal prep time involved. Its a day to just enjoy yourself. The best part of the whole holiday is the FIREWORKS!!

I don't know why I enjoy them so much, I just think they are pretty. They whole sky is lit up with all these colors, and they make this wonderfully loud bang! This year I got to see them with Levi and a couple of our friends. They live in the same town as I and claimed to know the best spot to see them. As we were walking down the street, I was rather nervous. "Are you sure we will have a good view?" "Maybe we should go back to where everyone else is watching them." But we kept pressing on. It was so worth it. She knew the best place to see them. We had the best unobstructed close up view in a non crowded, not lighted place. It couldn't have been more perfect.

I love the 4th of July

Car Thief

Its a Monday. I needed coffee. I know we have the MARCC, but I just wanted some good old gas station cappuccino (and it was only 25¢ (thanks Cardinals)). I went into the store, came out with my coffee hit the button to get unlock my car doors, started to climb in and saw a Bible on my passenger seat? I did not have a Bible in my car. I looked a little closer and realized that my purse was missing. Someone stole my purse and replaced it with a BIBLE?!? Thats just wrong.

I'm really starting to freak out now. Should I call the police? Its at that point I look a little closer. This isn't my car. Its identical to Jet Black. Same dark blue exterior, same tan interior. I quickly climb out of the car and close the door. Unfortunately the guy whose car it was had just come out of the gas station. I apologized like five times. Fortunately he was nice about it.

I then walked two spaces to the left, hit the key chain and climbed in to my car. I almost died of embarrassment.

Justification. The cars looked exactly alike and were parked one spot away from each other with an SUV in the middle, so you couldn't see both at once. He had a plastic grocery bag on the passenger seat, I had a plastic grocery bag on the passenger seat. The door opened after I hit the unlock button on my keys. I was distracted trying to carry my phone, coffee and keys. I had not yet actually drank any coffee.

M.A.R.C.C.

So the coffee situation at the new building is just as bad as it was at the old. Fortunately, the two-baggers are on a different floor, so we don't have them making bad coffee worse. Unfortunately, we still have bad company provided coffee. I have a theory that, since they have a cafe that serves Starbucks. They want us to spend our money there, so they give us grossness to drink for free. Counting on the fact that everyone who is an addict will go for the Starbucks.

To counteract that we have formed the MARCC (Member A/R Coffee Club). Several of us hardcore coffee drinkers united to purchase drinkable coffee. We fill a carafe and keep it on a desk, away from the icky coffee. Then we drink it and its cheaper than buying coffee every morning. I am the VP / Treasurer / Secretary. Which reminds me I have some $$ to collect, someone hasn't paid their $3 membership fee.

Adventures in Bachlorhood

Matt has moved into the house. He is now getting to experience being on his own and a homeowner. For the most part things have gone pretty easily, but there have been a few trials.

It all began with our "Point 5" bathroom. Part of flusher broke. Being a resourceful guy, he went to fix it and to keep it from running over. When he tried to wedge it into the position to turn the water off, the lever snapped. Now, he had to find the water shut off for the toilet. After much turning he did manage to cut off the water supply.

Later that evening, he became very hungry. Now I've grown up with a toaster oven, but for him it was a new appliance. He decided to use it to warm up some left over Crab Rangoon. He put it in the oven and left it warming. Well, I guess he left it a little too long, because they burnt, a lot, with enough smoke to set off the fire alarm. He tried opening doors, but the alarm kept chirping. Finally, he just took the battery out. Throughout this whole ordeal I was on the phone with him trying not to giggle. (I wasn't very successful). Then instead of tossing out the food, he eats the inside which was okay. He was still starving. Poor guy. We need to get married soon so I can keep him from starvation.

Chocolate Mint

I'm so excited. I got a new cell phone last night. Now I no longer will be carrying the phone that everyone's mom loves. Its part phone, part mp3 player, all coolness. It even comes in my favorite color - green. Is it bad that the color was a big selling point for me? It matches my bridesmaid dresses perfectly. Maybe we should all carry Mint Chocolate phones instead of flowers ;)

Closing!

Today is the day! The day I get to go into major debt. The day I get a new home. The day my dream for the last 4 years comes to fruition. Levi and I are getting our new home. Its exciting!!!

We close in about an hour then the rest of the day we're moving stuff over. He gets to live there first, then I move in after we get married. Last night I found boxes that have been packed up since my MBU days and loaded them into Jet Black ~the mystery car~. We're going to get our house all set up this weekend.

We're moving at work today, too. Its b-u-s-y, busy week. Monday morning when I get to work, I'll have a new cube, with not so much privacy, but a nicer layout from what I hear. Maybe I'll just make a tent over my new cube if people bother me to much.

Office Wars - Moving

My office is moving. A whole block down the street. We go from being in the building no one knows about to the old corporate (or whatever the higher-ups think it should be called this week). I've seen old corporate, it looks nicer. I think that dodging the trashcans in the hallways whenever it rains will be thing of the past. But it means I will have to give up my view of Burger King and the gas station. No more trips across the street (I feel like a Frogger) to get some 25¢ drinks when the cards score more than 6. (Although, that isn't happening as much as it should).

This week things here have been weird. Its like half the people here have already checked out. The icky coffee supply is running low. The vending guy doesn't even fill our vending machines anymore. Sad. I guess we will have to start eating our desks, since there are no longer any pop tarts or grandma cookies.

The worst thing about the move is we have to keep our chairs. Old corporate has nice chairs that come in 3 sizes, for 3 different sizes of people. That means that I could have gotten a chair that fit me comfortable but noooo, the people who get the fancy brand new eco friendly artwork decorated building took their chairs. Meanies. 1 2 3 4 I declare Office War!

Jeffina

My good friend had her first baby. I'm so excited. Later today I'm going to go meet the new baby. I was really trying to get my friend to name her little daughter Jeffina. Her husbands name is Jeff, her fathers name is Jeff and her brothers name is Jeff. That would make it so easy for her if she would have picked that name, but it didn't work. She decided to go with Madalynn, which is quite pretty, too.

Its cool, because I've been friends with this girl since college. She has always been a great example of what a Christian should live like. We have so much fun together. Sometimes we go play dress up at stores and pick out outfits for each other that we would never really wear, but were fun to try on. Then we take pictures and once we even got busted for it. Good thing they didn't confiscate the camera. :) Now we got someone new to take with us on our dressing room adventures.

Flowers

Love & Respect
Grace & Joy
Good things.
I have the roses to prove it.
Levi is such a big blessing in my life.
He is the best. Ever.

Health

I have a problem with my wedding vows and its not the word "obey". Traditionally they go "I take you for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health...." Thats where I have my problem. Health. Thats just so nondescript. Kind of like weather. We always have weather; we always have heath. Sometimes its good, sometimes its bad, sometimes its even neutral. So why do we use it as a comparison to being sick? Someone didn't think this out.

So my proposition is that we change the vows to "I'll love you if we're richer, poorer, sicker, weller, happier, sadder, madder, gladder, sleepier, awaker, sneezier, grumpier, ..." Any other dwarfs missed?

Seriously though. Maybe we should write our own.

Office Wars - Vending Machine

I like pop tarts. Especially the brown sugar cinnamon ones. They are all kinds of delicious. Now that I know where the toaster is located, I can even toast them. BUT our Vending Machine Stock Boy (he is only a boy, he has much to learn about life (yes a boy can have grey hair (thanks Josh for letting me know that three levels of parenthesis are acceptable in blog writing))) has not learned the art of Vending Machine Etiquette. He puts them up on the 4th level. When they fall to the bottom of the machine, they turn into Pot Tart bites. They are broken. You can't toast something broken. You burn your fingers trying to get it out. Dumping is not an option either, cause then you get crumb city on top of your Pop Tart. Its so rude of him! All I want is toasty tarts. Is that too much to ask?

I think Ms. Manners is needed here. Pop Tarts are a bottom row item. The donuts can go on the 4th level. They have cushions and don't break. If they were to get crumby at least you don't toast them. Plus you can always resquish the crumbs together when necessary.

The Wedding Planner

No, I am not talking about that JLO movie, I'm talking about me! Matt and I are getting so much done. We have almost all the major stuff figured out. People thought it would be hard. I don't know what they are talking about. I have a dress and my bridesmaids have dresses ordered. Matti has a suit, which I hear he looks amazing in. We have a church, we just have to sign on the line and we have a reception place.

I made us a website. Things are really starting to come together. Now, all we have left is to get flowers, a dj, and some cake. I can't believe people looked at us skeptically when we said "August, yes, this August".

May Showers

Today was so fun. One of my friends I've known since I was like 11 is also getting married this summer. Her wedding shower was today. Jo and I rode up there together, since we left right after work.

When I walked into the church where it was being held, I felt like I had just traveled back in time. We attended there when I was a kid, but I hadn't been there in so long. Oddly the sanctuary seemed bigger than I remembered it. We had such good times there. I remember there was one night we had a sleep over (did I mention she is a PK) and went to the church and made up a dance on that stage to MxPx's song "Little Man". We were such dorky kids, but we sure knew how to have fun.

Its so weird to think of how many of my friends are either married or getting married. Boy am I old. Pretty soon I'll be needing a cane.

Offer & Counter Offer

We are getting a house!!!

I've been blogging wanting a house forever and now my wish is finally coming true! We made an offer on this great place; its almost 1,300 sq ft, has a two car garage, a basement, 2.5 baths and two bedrooms. We offered $10,000 less than the asking price and were met halfway, which still comes out to a little less than we expected to pay. I am so excited. There is so much to do. We are working on getting an inspection, then all the other necessary stuff you never think about. I'd be lost if not for the guidance of my Realtor. She is one patient lady. For more than a year, she has taken me to look at probably more than 30 homes. I bet she is happy I finally found one.

I've wanted to buy a house since I was 20 years old. I remember looking at my savings account and thinking, "I should buy a house". Really though it was my college money and it wouldn't have gotten me much of a home, but thats when it first became a dream of mine. Now Levi and I will get to do it.

Office Wars- Paper

This is in a somewhat response toAshley's Light Green Blog.

Paper usage. Why do people think they have to print out e-mails? It makes absolutely no sense, they already have a copy of the information. I bet if we only printed out necessary things, we could save the company bunches of money. If wish that I could convince my co workers that printing many things, multiple times is unnecessary. I would be glad to receive that $40 saved on each box of paper in my paycheck. Maybe we should just switch over to Gmail paper. At least its free. I can't help but think of all the money the company spends to store papers. Stuff no one ever will look at. Stuff that we have electronically. Several times a year we sent boxes and boxes of paper to be stored. Don't forget the money we spend to dispose of confidential information.

I'm in the wrong department.

Grinds My Gears - Pictures

Know what really Grinds, my, gears? Photographs. No, I don't think that if my image is captured on film my soul is going to disappear. The thing that makes me snap is how people look at them with no respect to order and sequence. Take my engagement pictures for example. I start with the proposal picture. That happened first. You should have that image in your mind before you see us as a happy engaged couple.

Then I sorted the picture based on whether they were taken from a landscape or portrait orientation. This is to help people's wrists and necks. I do now want to cause discomfort from all the twisting and turning to view the images from the correct angle. Much effort (a whole minute!) went into this arranging process.

So when I share this joyful collection with people what do they do? They disregard all of my labors. They pile the pictures haphazardly, on whatever flat surface is nearest, putting them in reverse chronological order. Thats bad enough, but some people have the nerve to take it one step farther. These are the people who ruin any semblance of order these moments of time may have once had! They mix the images up! They pass one to someone else, but not the next! They pile them up in any order! With any Orientation! They Don't Care! They Ruin the Viewing Pleasure of the Next Person to Look at my Photos! No consideration for the next guy! I bet they leave toilet seats up and coffee pots empty! They leave Fingerprints! They are Bad! They are Evil! They are...

GRINDING MY GEARS!!!

I'm Getting Married!!

I still don't think it has really set in yet. We've been talking about it since December, but until today, it was something that was going to happen. Now it has. He was tricky and totally caught me by surprise. Earlier this week he asked what I wanted to do on Friday. Being me, I didn't really have anything definite in mind. He suggested we play guitars and go to the park, which sounded great to me. I like being outside.

We played a few songs, then he said he wanted to play a song. He started playing a couple times. It was a really sweet song, where he was saying all these great things. I started wondering "is he going to ask me?" but I thought he couldn't because he didn't have the ring yet. At the end he sung the words, "Will you marry me?" It was amazing, those are the words every girl dreams of hearing.

Then he said them again. I don't remember if I said yes first or kissed him first, but then he got the ring out and put it on my finger. It is a beautiful ring. I kissed him again. Then he told me to me take my hat off, because it made a better picture.

I looked around in surprise. I hadn't seen anyone taking pictures, but his friend Steve was there with his camera taking pictures of the whole thing, which is great! It will make it so we can always remember the details. I'm so excited. I love this boy with all of my heart. I can't wait till we get to say "I do".

VT

I usually don't comment too much on things that happen outside of my little bubble. I'm happy here. Don't think that I don't care about the outside world, because I do. Its just that sometimes it can be so depressing.

political
I have a really close friend who goes to Virgina Tech and is working on his engineering degree. He's okay. He was nice enough to message me, before I even heard of the shootings, so I didn't freak out. It made me so sad to hear of it. Had I not been at work I probably would have cried. Even though everyone I knew yesterday is still alive today, its hard not to think of the hundreds of people whose lives will never be the same.

I know this next statement probably won't be popular, so if you disagree, thats fine. Comment, and I'll respond, but be logical. I think its awful that someone was able to shoot all those students, But the people that are calling for stricter gun laws. Well, I don't understand their thinking. Someone who is going to commit a crime, does not have a respect for the law. If they want a gun, they are going to find one. Its naive of us as a nation to think that they won't find a way.

Now, if you allow others - conscientious citizens - to carry a weapon concealed, we have people to defend us. I don't think everyone should be allowed carry. There are a lot of people who are not rational enough to always be responsible. Someone who is willing to take the time to go to the classes and learn the law, is capable.

Had guns not been banned from campus a student (or a professor) who had taken the classes and was well trained could have shot back. They could have prevented the deaths of many of the people there.

I am not trying to place the blame on the administration of the campus for not allowing weapons. I do understand that they don't want things like this to happen, and by banning them, they are attempting to do just that. I just think that they fail to take into account that someone who is going to commit a crime, doesn't respect the rules, so a policy like that only prevents the responsible from being able to take action.
/ political

He love me, he does

Recently I was having a conversation. I was telling someone about my past and some of the awful things I'd done. I could tell it really hurt him deeply. He was angry and went for a walk. I just sat, so disappointed in myself. Ten minutes later he came back, rather than still being angry, he gave me a big hug and told me he loved me.

In the time he was gone, I felt so broken and lost. I didn't know what to expect when he returned. I didn't expect him to show such grace. I expected some type of conflict or confrontation. That's what I deserved.

Salvation is like that. He illustrated it for me in such a real way. God doesn't love us because we are good. He doesn't love us because of anything we could ever do. He loves us in spite of what we do. He loves us just because.

MVT or Most Valued Tanya

Today is cool. Ms. Whisper-yeller was really nice today. I walked into work and got to my desk and WOW (the exclamation, not the game). She had gone all out decorating it for my Birthday. It made me feel so cool and special. I also got a cake and everything. I like sitting in the prettiness. I try really hard to not be a selfish person, but its really nice to be appreciated on my Birthday. Once I become president. I'm going to declare April 8 everyone's birthday and make it a national holiday. Just because. :)

Are you blogging this?

Yes, believe your eyes. This is a video on the Mood Ring. Its probably got something to do with Josh's blog's influence on me. I just thought it was pertinent for you fellow bloggers.



While I'm still under the influence....

Tanya out
;)

"Working"

I've had to "work" hard today. Our main system for working on things has been down a good part of the morning. I've been catching up on the news and such. Is it just me or is it sad that Anna Nicole Smith dominates the main pages? Not that I don't think that she was a valuable person, but our society places such and emphasis on people that do nothing to contribute to the well being of humans or our country. Instead we're concerned with the mess the "professional celebrities" make of their lives. Just a thought.

Why is it that on a day when I have a lot of stuff to do the computer system goes down. Last Monday I would have appreciated a forced break, but with someone on vacation this week, I don't want to fall too far behind. Grrr...

Anyone play any good April Fools jokes this year? I love what my big brother did. He is so creative. I know several people who would appreciate this service. How about this one? The best think I did was I told some of our Bob Evans customers that we were out of "Eggs, Pancakes, and Bacon". They believed me too, which was great. Its a good thing I didn't let it go on for too long though or else they'd have gone to Hardees.

Flower Petals

Last night I got home from work to see a beautiful sight. The trees in the backyard were beginning to shed their white petals. It was almost like it was snowing, the big fluffy snowflakes that make you feel like you're in a snow globe. It left the yard sprinkled with a layer of white. It was so very beautiful. Made me think of a time coming soon when I may be able to walk a flower petal covered path.

Don't read too much into this. Just got me thinking. :)

Smells like Spring Spirit

I don't know about other places, but here its gotten warm. The trees are in full bloom. It seemed to happen almost overnight. This past winter was the coldest I remember since I was a kid in Chi town. Now its so beautiful. I hardly believe it. I can leave the house without a jacket and not freeze my tail off. It smells delightful outside. Its weather like this that makes me happy. I love to drive with my windows down and the radio turned up to loud.

Speaking of the radio. Has anyone heard this song called "This is Why I'm Hot"? Its so dumb. Here are the details of its lyrics. I think I should get into the music business. It doesn't matter if you're talented, think Paris Hilton; it doesn't matter if you have bad dental hygiene, think Nelly and his grill; it doesn't even matter if you are attractive, think Red Hot Chili Peppers; you don't have to even write good songs, think Who let the Dogs Out. So I officially make "Pop Musician" my career choice this week.

Office Wars - Toasty Toast

We have the entire 3rd floor to ourselves. A quick inventory of supplies yields the following results:
2 break room / coffee areas
1 dish washer
2 refrigerators
4 microwaves
2 pop vending machines (1 Coke product cans and 1 Pepsi product bottles)
1 cold food vending machine
1 snack machine
1 toaster
Logically, you would think the toaster should be in the big kitchen. The kitchen with chairs and tables so you can eat your food. The kitchen with many windows and a view of the "mountain". The kitchen that contains 3 out of the 4 vending machines, including the one with pop tarts. Of course, some people are not logical.
Life was good. I had toasty brown sugar cinnamon pop tarts for lunch or breakfast. Then one day the unthinkable happens. The toaster disappeared! It was a mystery, I searched high and low, but no luck. I asked for Nancy Drew's help, but she was busy solving other mysteries, that she deemed more important than a missing toaster.
A few weeks later I happened to visit the baby kitchen (the one with only 1 vending machine, fridge, no chairs, and no view of the "mountain"). I see the toaster! They stole it! They are toaster thieves! It should be in the big kitchen with the pop tarts and bagels. I'm waiting till late one Friday, when this place rivals a ghost town in the old west. I'm going to steal it back. Wish me luck!

PS Update on Coffee Edition
I started labeling the two bagger's pot "Rocket Fuel". Unfortunately the cool name makes it more desirable. I can't let the two baggers have an advantage, I need to invent some cool name for "regular pot of coffee". Any ideas?

Office Wars - The Radio

Maybe I have seen Jim play too many pranks on Dwight. Its possible. We were told that could listen to our radios at a moderate level. So its allowed, but its annoying. All day long I hear whispers of Beyonce's Irreplaceable (Is it just me or is that song played way too much, especially for a dumb song?), and others songs that I can't quite make out. It drives me crazy. There is no wall of separation that keeps Ms. Whisper-yeller's musics away from my ears. The worst part of it is the fact that she has headphones, she just chooses not to use them. Its sound pollution to make me listen to that stuff.

Did I mention I've got a hankering for some screamo or some hardcore? I have an FM transmitter. Ms. Whisper-yeller listens to a FM station. Would that be mean? Maybe a little, but here's a better question. Would that be funny? Heck yes it would!

Happy Birthday

Think it would be easy? Not so much. I think you need to visit my favorite message board. There's a link on this page. Find me there, and you will get your next clue.

Office Wars - Coffee edition

The coffee pot. That wonderful place you meet each morning before you get any real work done. Its where Cube Jockeys get to bond. Important matters such as last nights episode of "The Office" and "Survivor" are discussed. It was great until someone comes here and throws off the groove.

Know what they do? They take bad coffee and make it worse. They put two bags in one pot of coffee. Ewww... Now, I am not against strong coffee, sometimes you need that extra jolt. But this coffee (if it can even be called coffee at this point), is barely drinkable in a regular pot. Aramark is not sold in stores for a reason. These are the beans Juan Valdez and his cute little burro rejected. I don't know whats wrong with these ladies.

After an indepth survey (of about three co-workes) I have discovered that no one likes this "Strong Coffee". This is also evidenced by the pot that I labeled "Strong Coffee" yesterday, whose quantity did not diminish much during the day. Unfortunately, that label was the first and only time that pot has been marked. There is nothing worse than taking a sip of gross first thing in the morning. Is it not bad enough that our office building is across the street from a trash dump, must they try to put that taste in our mouths as well?

I hereby declare war on the two baggers! Its just wrong, very very wrong.

Traffic

This morning on my way to work I got stuck in traffic. It took me 4 minutes to get to the highway, which is good. It took me 30 minutes to go the next 2-ish miles on the highway. I could have walked faster. I have walked that distance faster. Still, who wants to be in a big hurry to get into work? So instead of getting a bad case of road rage, I looked around. I saw a guy reading the newspaper, there was a girl in a mini-van rocking out to some rap music, and lots of people were on their cell phones. If nothing else being stuck in traffic gives you a good opportunity to think. The Amish make a good point when they say that us "englishers" take life too quickly.

The past few days Levi and I have been discussing a lot of things for our future. Its scary, but a "first day of school" scary, not like a "monster's chasing me" scary. I am so optimistic about us. Its strange to me that I am not having more doubts, usually I am more insecure about making the right decision when its something big. I have confidence in this. I keep praying that if this isn't what God wants that he will take away my desire for him, but so far it has just been intensified. I am so genuinely happy and content right now.

Warm-ish

I've become a relativist. I got a new shirt, its kinda bluish. When do you want dinner? 5ish. Hows the weather? Warmish. Ish. Its my new word. I wonder if anyone has Urban Dictionaried it yet?

Some kinda coolish news. I have three degrees of separation to Y! Josh mentioned me in his blog, which was mentioned in Popcandy, which is on the Yahoo. there's a mouthful for you.

Question of the moment. Should I add links to my favorite blogs? Maybe I'll do it tommrowish.

Comment if you want to be included. :)

Teaching

Teachers only have to work about 185 days a year. They get spring break. They get Martin Luther King Junior day off. They don't even work full 8 hour days. They don't get asked by Lunsburger to come in on Saturday. They don't even have to work summers, unless they want to.

Why did I not stick with education? Why did I think I wanted to work in the cube world? Why did I not apply for CEO instead of settling for "Tanya - the temp" then accept a promotion to "Tanya the Research Specialist"? Why did I not win the lottery so I could invest and live off if interest? Why did I not pracitice my guitar more, so I could start a band and travel the world? Why did I not have a rich uncle to who died and left me a great inheritance? Why did I settle? Why did I not move to Seattle? Why did I not raise cattle? Why did I not fight in a battle? Why did I not write I book? Why did I not end this paragraph, while it was still intersting?

Help! I need a vacation.

Work this week has just been frustrating. Sunday early morning, I told someone waitressing was my "fun job". Ha. We only had two cooks, which ment they were super stressed and messing up. Food took forever and we were short on big glasses. Everytime a customer ordered a coke, you would have to hunt for a big glass. When you finally found one you would have to try and cool it off, becuase it was just out of the dish washer. Cold drink + hot glass = shattering glass. I didn't break any luckly, but a lot of people did, which just made the problem of not having enough that much worse.

The office job hasn't been much better. I try to resolve as many issues on my own as I can, but sometimes I need others to credit accounts and such. Unfortunately, people aren't very helpful. A simple request turns into a 9 e-mail battle, that still is not resolved a week and a half later. If I can't help someone I try to refer them to someone who can and when I get an e-mail I respond asap. Others just don't care as much. Its frustrating. I, personally. try hard to do good work and to be a help to others in my company. I just wish I could pass that attitude along.

Board Member

Since I am not very happy with my current position (it’s not a bad job, I'm just bored and would like a bigger pay check), I have been considering other career options.

The other day over dinner, while watching the news, I came up with this wonderful idea. I need to become a Board Member! Once you are a member of one board, you can make some friends and then you get appointed to other boards. Board Members do not have very intensive jobs, and so long as nothing gets too messed up in the company, you can give yourself a raise. Sometimes, you still get the raise, when things are bad. I should probably pick up golf though. Might help in the social aspect of the job.

Ash Wednesday

Because it makes a good story....

< humiliation >
I guess I never got out much. I was 16 working at a restaurant and it was "Ash Wednesday" not being Catholic, I had never even heard of the holiday other than a blip on the calendar.

People started coming into the restaurant with marks on their foreheads in the shape of a cross. Not everyone was marked, but enough couples to really make me wonder. I went to the mirror in the bathroom to make sure I didn't have one, too, but in the Left Behind books you couldn't see your own.... so I was still unsure.

My knowledge of the end times came mostly from those books, but I thought the mark to distinguish Christians came later. Tim and Jerry must have had it wrong. Later that day, when I got home, and saw my parents didn't have marks, I realized there had to be some other explanation.

That’s when I learned of Ash Wednesday.
< / humiliation >

Stomp

I've had the best Valentine's Week. It all started on Monday when Levi sent me flowers at work on Monday. Maybe some of you guys won't understand, but there is something deliciously wonderful about getting flowers at work. All the other girls look at you with envy hoping their guys will do something sweet for them. Until Levi, I was never the one to get the treats, which just makes this that much nicer.

On actual Valentine's Day I invited him over to my house. He came over and we played guitars. We practiced Andrew Peterson's "Just as I am", we might sing it one of these Friday nights. Its such a great song.

Saturday was our Valentine's Day night. We dressed up all nice, we even had a picture taken before we left my house. He took me to dinner at the same place we went on one of our very first dates. Then we went down to the Fox theater to see Stomp. As soon as we walked in I looked up and around. That place is so neat, its an old theater with all the elegance of days past, before metal and glass became so in vogue. Stomp was really neat. The way they would tap on things and make a song out of it was so neat, you never knew what they would use next.

Am I the only one?

Sometimes I wonder.

This morning I decided to get fuel for Jet Black on the way to work. I could have waited and done it later, but since its all snowy and icy, I wanted to have a full tank of gas. I pull into the station. Turn my car off so only the radio is playing (It was a great song, I had to hear the rest of it.) and pull the release for the gas door. After my pep talk - its not that cold, you won't freeze, I get out of the warm car, and press the "Pay Cash Inside" button for my 4¢ discount on each gallon. When I go to stick the pump into my tank, I realize the door wasn't open. Thinking that perhaps I was a little too much into that song, I pulled the latch again. No luck. So I climbed back into the car and tracked down my scraper. I removed the layer of ice on my car and gave a hopeful tug. aaahhhhh. What am I going to do if I can't fuel my car?

Finally, I went inside and got weird looks from the guy behind the counter. I'm sure he thought I was scheming, since I pretended like I was going to pump gas, but did not. My Wash U coffe cup was filled with some hot water that melted the ice that was holding the door fast. I filled up the tank, paid my $20 bucks and left. Only me.

MBA from MBU?

I am bored. I'm thinking of going back to school to work on my Masters Degree. The company where I work gives tuition assistence. I don't feel like I need to have my degree, but it would be nice. I looked up all the rates of the different universities in the area. MBU is the least expensive, and I get a discount on the price, because I'm alumni.
As for getting a MBA, I could get a degree in marketing or communications, but I haven't had much success in finding a job in that area. I figure if I have a basic business degree, I will be skilled in more areas. Besides there are a lot more MBA programs to choose from.
My other idea is to get my realtor license. My mom and I were talking about it and we would make a good team. I haven't looked into this much, but thats my next project.
Any feedback?

Turn the U 90º Clockwise

I have some ideas about last nights Super Bowl.

If you turn the horseshoe to the right, you get a C for Chicago. I think the horsies wanted to be bears.

I wonder if football players take gymnastics to learn how to fall / tumble?

What about the dance in the end zone? I think they date cheerleaders to get imput on what to do.

The pretty spot on each end, scores you points. 6 of them.

The big yellow џ gets you bonus points.

They wore mufflers for thier hands. he he

Knocking your heads together is a form of affection.

Referees, must have been the inspiration for the "adults" on Charlie Brown.

The next big dance craze should be "The Referee Dance".

No one really cares about football anymore, only commericals.

Its not necessary to worry about missing the commericals, since they all are availible on the internet.

Bring Back the Ska!

So with the death of my 1gig Sansa MP3 player, I have come to rely on CDs. My collection is rather small, because in recent years I have not added much to it. Which means that most albums I own are from my highschool/community college years. Back in the good old days when Ska was in full swing and I went to a different youth group every night. Oy oy oy!

I am really getting into these old albums. Supertones, Five Iron Frenzy, a few old WOW cds have been making me smile. I have an urge to start wearing my hair in a bun and find some black and white checks. Anyone want to skank with me?

Pick it up!

A Prayer

I was reading through my old diary and I found a prayer I had written back in March of 2004. I really liked it so I'm going to post it here.

Lord, give me your wisdom, I want to live for you and honor you in what I do. Help me to know your will, in your time. I don't want to do things that only please me. Let me please you, that is what will give me true joy. Honor is something I now understand. Its to follow because I know your wisdom surpasses mine. Its to trust - You know things I don't and its to do it with a humble attitude. In the whole scheme of things I'm nothing, yet Jesus would have died for only me.

The Nod

Does anyone else have this problem?

What do you do when you see someone in passing in a hallway? You don't really want to have a conversation with them, but its someone that you know. I always feel obligated to smile or nod or do the Hokey Pokey. Sometimes I get a response, sometimes I don't. Other people do the same thing. We will pass in the hallway and they'll say "Hi, whats up?" but walk away not really wanting an answer to the question. Can we just make some kind of universal "I know you, so I acknowledge your presence, but I don't know you well enough, that I want to have a converstaion" motion? Maybe we can do a youtube video similiar to this one?

The Nothing Weekend

It seems like its easy to just get so busy, so this past weekend was the nothing weekend. When Levi (the new boyfriend's blog nickname) asked me what I wanted to do I answered with "nothing". Friday we had some dinner and watched some Family Guy. Then Satruday he came to my house and watched Ocean's 11. I needed a time to just be. I have been constantly running for so long.

For a nothing weekend it was rather eventful. In local-now-become-national-news there was a 13 year old kid that was kidnapped. They found him and another child that had been missing for 4 years. Its interesting to see how God works things out. It reminds me of Joseph, something bad had to happen to him, to make things good in the long run. Had the second kid not been taken, the first one probably would have never been found. It took him having to go through that to save the first child.

We also had a big Ice Storm. We were really lucky at my house, we didn't lose power and the many tree branches that fell did not fall on anything important. Although some came really close to my car. Had I parked it about 3 feet up the street I'd probably have to take Jet Black ~the mystery car~ to the car doctor. I feel so bad for my friends who have been without electricity. My family is very prepared, but many people aren't.

A Good Year

2007 is here. Its going to be the best year ever. I'm optimistic beyond my usually Pollyanna attitude. Things are going to happen this year. Good things.

I didn't make a resolutions, because I think its pointless. Most people end up breaking them. I'd rather just decided to do something and stick with it.