& that's the way life goes

Pieces of Me – August 2011

I like:

hanging out with awesome ladies † shooting newscasts † feeling accomplished at the end of the day † the Limited † having friends that are willing to help you out even if it means getting dirty

I don’t like:

losing my favorite shorts tubing † the septic tank backing up † not feeling like i have enough time for everything i want to do † not feeling like cleaning my house  † 

I want you to know:

I’m still not over it and I’m beginning to think I never will be, but it’s ok – live and learn. I’m not taking as many pictures as I used to and it makes me sad.

I’ve planned:

To go back to school, I start class in the fall.

I want to say to someone:

Doooouuuuche Baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaag

*Thanks for the toothfairy for starting this

*tap tap tap*

Things I can’t believe:

Stella is over 6 months old already.  She’s a smart little stinker and a day after we got her spayed she was running around and jumping on furniture.  Help!

I shot my first video newscast for work

I work a lot but I enjoy the challenges

I got a work phone, it’s an iPhone 4.  It’s a lot different from my personal phone but I love having instagram

I leave for Nashville at the end of the month for a conference.  My first business travel, eek!

Girls weekend at the cottage has come and gone.  We planned it a year in advance so it’s crazy that’s it’s over
 It’s August Bitches!

Today is my birthday!!!!!!!!!

Last year I made a list of 28 things I wanted to do before my 29th birthday.  Let’s see how much I accomplished.

1. Go horseback riding
2. Finish setting up my office: hanging the picture collage that’s sitting on the desk and the tape markers are up
3. Participate in a fundraiser
4. Organize the cupboards (boring yes, but it NEEDS to get done)
5. Go through my closet and get rid of the things I don’t wear
6. Sell something on eBay
7. Stain the man shack
8. Wakeboard
9. Something special for LP’s 30th & C’s 35th birthdays
10. Take a class

Not too shabby about 1/3 of the things on it. Here are some that I didn’t do that I’m rolling over to this year…

• Send out cards
• Create a fun tradition in January so the month doesn’t seem so long
• Take time to meditate weekly
• Perform in the aerial yoga student showcase
• Make Pink Champagne Cupcakes

I’m also adding…

• decorate my new little cubicle, something I never did at my current job
• keep up running 5 miles a week
• plan my 30th birthday
• lose the last pesky 10lbs

Tomorrow is the last day I will drive to Ann Arbor for work. It’s the last time I will make the 32.9 miles one way trip to a parking lot that is just shy of 1/2 mile from my building. A 1/2 mile I have to walk if it’s sunny, pouring or snowing. Tomorrow evening is the last time I have to deal with the backup at M-14 and I-275. In honor of this, here are the things I’ll miss most about Ann Arbor and my job.

• Every other Friday off
• Working from home
• Not being stressed if I’m running late or the weather is awful
• Having all kinds of restaurants and stores within walking distance
  No Thai
  Totoro
  Pizza Bob’s
• Working on campus
• My double monitors (though I’m going to ask my new job if I can order a second one)
• Casual attire
• Awesome health and retirement benefits
• My coworker(s) and the ability to rant in someone’s office when I’m stressed out or about to “cut a bitch”

I’m thrilled for my new opportunity.  It is a position that will allow me to grow and give me a sense of satisfaction in my work.  If I’m going to have to sit at a desk for 40 hours a week I would rather be achieving something than just wasting time.  These are a few of the things I’m looking forward to.

• Driving 20 miles less a day
• Opportunities to carpool with C, depending on our schedules after work
• Filling my closet with new clothes (Thanks to Mae for going to the mall and helping me pick up great mix and match pieces!)
• Working back in the city where I went to college
• Being able to sign up for aerial yoga classes again because  it will be right down the street and I can go after work
• Happy hour with my favorite girls in the city and Friday lunches with LP
• My own cubicle
• Not having to answer the general phone line
• Making the move to have a career and not just a job
• More $$

The next couple of days are going to be filled with sadness and change.  Tomorrow is not only my last day at my job but my 29th birthday.  It’s going to be a great year, I know it.  Wednesday C and I are heading up north for a long weekend at the cottage.  After all the running around and excitement I’m looking forward to relaxing and working on the cottage for a few days before I jump into my new adventure.

In case I’m sparse around here don’t forget what we look like

taken at C's sisters wedding this past weekend

There are…

…3 days until Chuck’s sister’s wedding – I don’t know what I’m wearing but I won’t be buying anything new

…4 days until I have to spend an absurd amount of money building a wardrobe for my new job

…6 days until my birthday

…6 days until my last day at my current job

…7 days until my retreat up north

…11 days until Father’s Day – I’ve been worried about my Dad lately and I’m not sure why. Send good thoughts and vibes please

…12 days until I start what will be a career.  Not a place where all the work I do is answer phones and schedule meetings.  I’m so looking forward to having a purpose and not being the “face” of the office.  I’m so excited and scared but I know that this was the right move for me.  I can’t stay where I am.  I’m already slightly bitter and a lot frustrated.  I need room to grow and create and I am not getting that here.

Other things that I’m looking forward to:

4th of July + Girls Weekend (I even put in for a Friday off!) + Kid Rock (I hope we get tickets) + Starting my Grad Cert Program in the Fall

Now if my eye would just stop twitching and people stop dropping projects off on my desk I think my stress level would decrease.  I just paid $300 for renewal tabs on our vehicles.  I feel like I’m drowning in bills and I need to buy new clothes.  Breathe. In. Out. I know everything will work out and I am making things a bigger issue than they need to be but it’s hard to just breathe.