Zip-a-dee-doo-dah! Zip-a-dee-ay! My oh my what a wonderful day!

I got a perfect score on my project!!! That leaves me with another A so my streak continues!!! if anyone wants to take me out to celebrate (or fly to Colorado to see me to celebrate) let me know :o) While the season has been slow going, Christmas week is turning out to be amazing- everything seems to be going my way. Life is great!

I had my appointment today and baby/mama are doing well. We are both growing nicely and perfectly on track. Small scare for a few minutes with the lack of a heartbeat sound but turns out the baby is just very active so she was having a hard time catching him to hear it. It would have been nice if she would have mentioned that while there was nothing but crazy silence but my doctor's nurse is definitely not an expert at bedside manners. It just seems so crazy to me that by the next appointment, we will be halfway through the pregnancy! And then, hopefully, we will officially know that he is a he. Of course, I do understand that there is a 50/50 chance that I am wrong and will be just as happy with a girl.

How I would rather be spending my day

It is interesting how I can find so many things I NEED to do today that do not involve writing my project that is worth 1/3 of my grade and due at midnight tonight. I tried starting it early (yesterday afternoon) but it just would not flow. I am hoping if I start checking things off the rest of my to-do list, the project will just flow. Or maybe I should just sit down and make myself do it and then get the reward of doing the rest of the stuff on my list. At least I get two weeks off between the end of this class and the start of the spring semester.

Things I would rather be doing today than completing my project:
*Making banana bread
*Eating banana bread
*Making sugar cookies
*Eating sugar cookies
*Making carmel corn
*Eating carmel corn
*Going to a movie with Jae (like we planned) & eating movie theater butter popcorn
*Christmas shopping at the mall (does that give you any idea how much I don't want to do this project???)
*Going to the Aurora mall (last year I was stuck for over an hour trying to get out of the mall because people drive so stupid) and getting Cinnabon, the four pack, not just one- YUMMY!!!
*Going to Park Meadows mall and getting Cheesecake Factory
*Going to Target and being influenced by the magic of the store (we finally made up so I can shop there again)
*Curling up on the couch with my new warm tie blanket and watching Four Christmases (I still haven't seen it!)
*Curling up on the couch with my new warm tie blanket and taking a nap while a movie with a happy ending plays on tv (I sleep better when there is a happy show playing)
*Going to Pizza Hut and getting some breadsticks (I do not remember them being yummy but golly do they sound delicious!)
*Making Kringla
*Eating Kringla
*Sending some Kringla to Andrea so I can get some chex mix
*Go to Petsmart and adopt another dog (they had the cutest boxer there yesterday)
*Go to Cold Stone and find a new creation (I just finished the pint that was in the freezer)
*Go to Taco John's in Iowa & get some Mexi Rolls and potato oles with cheese sauce (and see my family!!!)
*Get a car wash for my stupid Saturn (it hasn't officially had a carwash for a few years)
*Go buy a new car and trade in the stupid Saturn

Now that my list is getting dangerous (I really, really want a new car!), I suppose I should try my project again. Only 18 self- assessments, 8 journal articles, and 10 pages of writing to go! Wish me luck :o)

I should be writing my paper for school but I just cannot concentrate on it. Same reason I have yet to register for spring classes- i just cannot focus on the specializations to pick out one that sounds most interesting and will motivate me to finish my degree. I am at the point where I have to pick something so I can continue and have all my classes count. I am leaning towards change management but I just haven't committed to declaring it officially. I just wish someone was really looking forward to writing a paper tonight about the dimensions of culture in the workplace- I would be nice enough to let that person write it. Next week is the last week of this class and my huge project is due. Turns out I was supposed to be actually doing the assessments in the book all semester to be the main focus of the project- ooops!
On a positive note, I did manage to watch the last episode of the Dexter season. Oh my goodness- it was crazy!!! The only downside is that I have to wait 9 months to see the next episode. At least I have something to keep me busy until then.
Flash (that's the baby) is contributing to my jeans getting less comfortable. While I have discovered a few extra pair of comfy pajama pants for home, work was getting interesting. (Please note: I am glad that I am just sitting at a desk instead of waiting tables pregnant but apparently the way I have always sat at my desk is not going to work until after June.) I am lucky that I get to wear jeans to work so I decided to try out the belly band. While it is strange knowing that I am walking around with my pants unbuttoned, it is amazingly wonderfully comfortable.

It's official!

Baby Butler will be here around June 12th! These are the pictures from our 12 week ultrasound last week. We won't know until late January if it is a boy or a girl. I had a semi-rough first trimester but I am starting to feel back to my old self- thank goodness! If my work would just change the dress code to allow pajama pants and hoodies, life would be perfect! I am starting to struggle with the buttons on my jeans and my shirts are getting a little snug in the tummy area.

Maybe I am hungry...

Is it too early to start baking Christmas cookies? One of my favorite things to do during the holidays is to make mass amounts of sugar cookies and I am excited this year to have mom's frosting recipe. I will also of course be making the traditional holiday Kringla and hoping the twisting goes better this year! Yet another favorite- we are having our work holiday party in two weeks so I signed up to bring the raspberry salad- YUMMY! Although, I think it tastes better in Iowa :o) I was thinking ahead this year and bought a bunch of raspberry Jello a few weeks ago so that I don't have to get angry at people at the store for not leaving me any. Guess I am pretty much focused on the food for the holidays :o) As long as Andrea mails me some Chex Mix (in fair exchange for Kringla) this could be a delicious holiday season!

Highlight of an otherwise crappy day

I just checked my final grade for my Management of Organizational Behavior class and I finished with 974 out of 1000! My streak continues :o) In fact, his comments on my final project said it was the best paper in class (347/350). Almost makes it worth sitting at the computer all day yesterday writing the whole thing. Now I wonder if I would have gotten such a great score if I had started before the day it was due... nope- pretty procrastination papers are the best!!! Not too much time to celebrate- my next class starts today.

Hooray!

I got the position I was going for on the Quality team and my first day of my promotion is officially tomorrow!!! I will be doing the same things I did during the fellowship but now I don't have to leave :o) In addition to enjoying the work and moving on from my old position (it was 2 years and I was ready for change), I will not have to move to our other building! My old team moved to our new building that would increase my drive by about 30-45 minutes each way. Plus, the stupid Saturn sucks in the snow so at least I still have a short drive (for now) to get to work. We will have to find a house that is more in the middle of our jobs though as right now Cory has the yucky drive. I cannot wait to start looking for a house- I am soooooo ready to get out of apartment living! Plus, I really, really want a yard where I can just let Emma out instead of getting bundled up and walking her around the complex. Buying a house will be our next big adventure- any advice from all of you owners?

Boo

I am sorry to say that the almost good news got wrapped up in business politics and did not work out. Although I am still a little frustrated, the quality team does have an opening so I have formally applied for the position. I did a summer fellowship with the team and loved it! With the exception of one annoyance, the summer was great! Please cross your fingers for me again. I am hoping that I will know by the end of the month.

Hi!

Hello world! I am back in class again. I finished my first semester with A's so I am quite happy. I am currently taking Management of Organizational Behavior and I am so excited! In addition to being a topic that I am intersted in, it appears to be a normal class (unlike my last class!). There are assignments planned, due dates, and my opinion counts! In addition to that, I actually get to use the ridiculously expensive book that I had to purchase for the class -again, unlike my last stupid class in which I was told not to quote the textbook author because he was not an expert on the subject- what?!?!?

Moving along...(random thoughts)... I got some almost good news at work today :o) I am hoping that it will turn into really good news tomorrow or at least Tuesday. (More to come on that later!) Emma's leg is better. Now we have to work on her lack of waist- more walks for us, less people food for her, and possibly looking at doggie diet food for her. The cat has been staring at me for the last 24 minutes. It is almost like she knows my homework is done and she wants me to take the dog out so she can get her nighttime treats before we go to bed. Either that or she is trying to will me to clean her litter box. Speaking of litter box, I got to make my delicious Kitty Litter cake again- and it only offended one person. Not too bad! My newest happy thought- I bought myself a back to school gift- my first Coach purse! I have been searching for a new purse for quite some time and finally found the perfect one. :o)
Do you all realize that it has almost been two years since Cory and I got married?

I have avoided sleep so far by staying away from the voo doo of the couch and that crazy magic picture box but as 5:00am is creeping closer, I suppose I may need to give in and hit the hay. Who knows what tomorrow will bring :o)

Dangnabit!

As I am sitting at the computer, struggling to post something for my class tonight, I get distracted thinking about next semester. That leads into thinking about books for next semester. I went out to Amazon.com to check out how their prices compare to the school prices (turns out I can save $120). I needed to get my planner to figure out my log-in stuff. On the top of my planner, where I cannot miss it, is the giant hot pink sticky note I left for myself. BAKE SALE TOMORROW!!! It is 9:25pm, I am exhausted, I still have to post for school, I need to find something to bake for tomorrow, probably need to make some sort of dinner, and the bed needs to be made before I can go to sleep- DANGNABIT!

***yawn*** so sleepy tonight

This is the point of the night where I should just go to bed but, here I am. Too much on my mind to sleep and not enough mind left to do much of anything. My first semester of classes is wrapping up in just two weeks- it would be really exciting except for the massive portfolio project due. Then I have a week off before the next semester starts. My job is still going good- making me a little crazy right now but in a good way. Please just think happy thoughts for me and when it all works out the way that I want it to (got a little more confirmation today that it is leaning that way) I promise I will post more information. If for some reason, it doesn't, I think I will need to use up my vacation days. I have been hoarding them this year but it is getting tempting to start using them.
A little worried about the family in Iowa- wish we lived closer so I could help more but thankful for the family and friends who have been helping Brenda and Jason out. Although, I did offer to take the three oldest for a week until they can get back into their house. I draw the line at the gerbils though- the little escape artist are not part of the deal :o)
Now that I have found a better balance with school, work, and life, I have started getting back into reading for fun again (not saying that "Making Sustainability Work- Best Practices in Managing and Measuring Corporate Social, Environmental, and Economic Impacts is not fun, but...). There is an woman at work that shares her books with me so I have one that I am reading now but I definitely need some new books. I am going to check out the friends of the Aurora Public Library store one of these weekends as the same woman at work said they have books starting at $0.50 there. Might just need to get a new bookshelf :o) Anyone have any book suggestions or a stack of books you are done with and want to drop off at the apartment? I will settle for a Barnes & Noble giftcard that has been laying around gathering dust... I mean, if it is in the way, I would sacrafice and take it off your hands.
And with that, I do believe it is time to take the dog out for our bedtime walk and try to get some sleep. (The sleep happens when we get back inside- not on the walk)

New format

Yes- I realize the picture is screwy now but I don't have the time to fix it. The other background was bothering me and the last time I tried to go outside the templates listed, I downloaded a virus. I will update the picture as soon as possible. Thanks!

A great big sigh of relief!

I spent the weekend working on my homework- working on my final portfolio project for my first class and trying to get caught up on my second class (the professor has changed our assignments once a week so far- hard to know what to work on!). Although it sounds like an excuse, I really do my best work when I am in the "crunch time" zone. My portfolio was due last night at midnight so of course, I submitted it at..... 11:55pm. I was kind of panicked as this assignment was worth 350 points out of the total 1000 points for the class. Up until this weekend, I had a strong A so my course grade came down to the project and I figured out how many points I would need to get the A and what the minimum was that I needed to get a C so my work would still pay for the class. I felt pretty strong on the assignment through about 8:00pm last night and then I read the checklist again and saw that it should be presentation worthy. I spent the next hour adding pretty pictures, pasting logos, and color coding the entire paper. I started freaking out around 10:00pm since I took a small break from homework to make brownies for the ACS Climb to Conquer bake sale and then felt I was behind on the last two sections. I quickly, over the next 90 minutes, finished my project, reviewed it just enough to make sure I at least finished each sentence (I tend to jump around a lot!) and submitted it with 5 minutes to spare.
After a big sign of relief, I took the dog out for a walk and came back in to clean up my mess. While looking the papers I was picking up, I realized I never addressed the issues of global opearations or responsibilities and started panicking. I managed to fall asleep for 3 hours last night and then spent the day worried about this class. Today pretty much stunk, very busy and very sleepy, and then I got an email from my professor that grades were done. I just checked my grade and I got 346 out of 350 for my project!!!! That takes me to 97.7% for my final grade!!!
I still have 4 weeks left in my other class and 5 semesters to go but what a great feeling to get the first class out of the way and rock an A! I need to send out a big THANK YOU to my hubby for being so supportive while I go through my "crazies" of trying to get everything done. I also apologize for everything that we are missing since I have been doing so much homework on the weekends. The understanding really is appreciated! Going forward, I will only be taking 2 classes each semester, one after the other- no more overlapping classes.
I need to get dinner done quick before my online class starts in 20 minutes so I will follow up on work stuff later!

Life is good!

There is just over one week left of my first class- very exciting!!! That should mean about 5 weeks left in the second class. I am really enjoying my classes (as much as someone can enjoy business ethics & sustainability!) and it is fun to use the information I am learning from both of them with my job. My fellowship with the quality team is great. Right now, that will be through August but I have my fingers crossed that it may lead to a permanent move. Please feel free to cross your fingers with me.
Cory's work is going good- he is still pretty busy. I guess no matter what, people need their cable! He has been such a great support through my first classes and I couldn't have asked for a better husband.
I played my first round of golf with my new clubs I got in December. They are pink and spectacular! It turns out I am kind of good at golf and really enjoyed it. We played with two older men that we very supportive of my game :o) The only downside to the round- I did get a small sunburn as I forgot to put sunblock on, I lost one of my pink balls on the last hole, and watching the mommy & daddy birds try to save the baby bird from the mean hawk that snatched it up. I know, I know- the circle of life and all that crap... I know it happens, I just don't need to see it!

Exciting.... or not

I was trying to post something exciting here but nothing exciting is coming out. Cory left for Vegas last night and just called- he is having a great time (of course!). It has been thundering since I got home from work and I cannot get Emma to stop barking at it. That leaves me either constantly getting up to correct her behavior, shutting the door which makes it a gajillion degrees in the apartment or putting her in time out (laying all the dining room chairs down around the table so she is stuck in the dining room with me). I started the fellowship position with the quality team today- my schedule just got bumped up to start 7:00am. Classes started today- not sure my brain was quite ready to start.
I am not complaining though- I am blessed to have all these things in my life. I have an amazing hubby and we are fortunate enough to be able to send him on vacation. Emma is a great companion and I love having a dog. At least I have a place to live and I am not cold tonight. Only two people were selected for the quality fellowship and it will be a great learning experience. Plus, by going in so early, I will be off earlier in the day to get started on my school work. And, at least, I have the opportunity to further my education and we have a great computer.
Now if only I could find the positive for taking the dog for a walk in the middle of a thunderstorm....

Happy Mother's Day!!!

"A mother is the truest friend we have, when trials, heavy and sudden, fall upon us; when adversity takes the place of prosperity; when friends who rejoice with us in our sunshine, desert us when troubles thicken around us, still will she cling to us, and endeavor by her kind precepts and counsels to dissipate the clouds of darkness, and cause peace to return to our hearts." --Washington Irving

Thanks for being such great moms!!! We love you!

On vacation!!!

Flat Stanly helping me make dog treats

After being a little stingy with my vacation days in the first part of the year, I am making up for it in May! I have today off for a date day with my amazing hubby (who also has the day off!), the next week of to go to Iowa, and of course my birthday. Exciting plans today include getting the cars ready for the great switcharoo so I have a safe drive back to Iowa. There will also be an amazing breakfast when he wakes up and just a great day of hanging out. Tomorrow starts the great drive to Iowa- I really hope I remember how to get everywhere. It has been a while since we drove back the whole way and this time I will be alone. While I will have my atlas, I am not the best at reading maps and I have become very dependent on the mountains to tell me what direction I am going. That is not going to help in Iowa.

I guess I will not be completely alone in the car though- Flat Stanley will be taking the road trip with me. Last weekend Cory and I took him on a tour around Denver. While we felt a little silly at times taking pictures with him, we have met people who know what we are doing and seem kind of excited to see another Flat Stanley.

In additional to the great excitement of taking Flat Stanley and his journal back to Iowa, I will also get to enjoy a few school lunches and possible recess duty- the perks of being an aunt! There also might be a little bit of dog training again, lunch/dinner with a couple of old friends, and lots of talking catching up with family! I am getting so excited! Meet you back here in just over a week for new pictures and stories!

Paid Holiday!!!

Yep- I am sitting at home in my jammies, catching up on personal email/Facebook/MySpace/Blogs and getting paid for it- it never gets old! :o) Of course, it would have been nicer if I could have slept past 8:00am but it was sleeping in a little & at least I get the most of the day.

Other than that, just getting excited for my trip back to IOWA!!!! I will be back for the whole week and cannot wait! Since the trip will be over the first day I was scheduled to start classes, I pushed back my start date, will start in the B session of the summer semester, June 1. To stay on my path to graduate by the end of summer 2011, I will have to double up on a class somewhere. That may interfere with my education reimbursement amount so I may have to push my graduation back to the fall of 2011. Well worth it so I can come home and catch up with my family!!!

The sxcitement for my day.... trying out my new sewing machine! It came with an instructional DVD so I am hoping to be successful today with figuring out how to get the piece of cardboard out from under the foot/needle area. Once I get past that, the rest will be a piece of cake! I am also hoping that I got some of grandma's sewing abilities- I figure Brenda got her cooking skills from Grandpa so it is only fair that the gene fairy passes on sewing to me. :o) Please cross you fingers for me!

My other goal for the day is to make some dog treats. Steve & Paula gave me a cookie cookbook for Christmas and it has a recipe for dog treats so I figured I might as well try. The most expensive part of the recipe was the package of fresh mint- much cheaper that the bag of treats at the pet store. If it turns out, I may have to try to see if I can figure out a cat treat recipe. Wouldn't it be fun to have my own pet bakery store?

And to round out the happy post- CONGRATULATIONS to Brenda!!! I was waiting for her to toot her own horn on her blog but I think I have waited enough. Brenda won the Biggest Loser Competition in Eldora. I am so proud of her for sticking with it & beating out the crazy guy with his unique weight loss techniques. Great job Brenda!!!!

What is going on in my head?

So today was a work-from-home-in-my-jammies day for me. My work has really improved their Disaster Recovery program so with the blizzard (???) I have the opportunity to work a few days from home. Cory's office just closed so he got a day home of video games- I am a little jealous. I am glad that I was able to work since I am a little stingy with using my vacation days but it would have been nice to have the day off together. And what else is going on in my head? Let me share... I think it is funny that people will plan shopping trips for months revolving around Black Friday to throw hundreds/thousands of dollars away but won't invest anything in the market for their retirement future when stocks/mutual funds are on the biggest sale they have been in a long time. I wish people like Mr. Scream-at-the-TV-with-my-sleeves-rolled-up-while-doing-a-stupid-zooming-thing would just shut up and start talking about the positives in the freaking world (I don't know his name or what channel he is on but he drives me nuts!!!). The Dow is really trying to go up- have a little faith people!!!
And then...? I am working on getting everything together to start my Master's Degree in the next couple of months. I suppose since I am here and not on the school's website getting more done, that may be an indication that school might be challenging but I am really excited.
And then...? I am running out of books to read. This may be a good thing with classes starting and my lack of focus at times but it actually concerns me a little- there is open space on my bookshelf... very concerning.
And then...? My obsession with Partylite has been revived! After being laid to rest for a few years, one party and I am full swing into figuring out what else we need to the apartment that we do not already have. :o)
And then...? I am also currently obsessed with finding a purse. I am using a tote that I got with a perfume and I hate it but I can't find anything else that I like. It needs to be just big enough to hold my planner but not much bigger. The search continues... (my birthday is in May if you find one that will hold a size 4 Franklin Cover planner but not big enough to hold a large notebook!)
And then...? In between visits, our niece Cadence went from being a baby to a toddler- just like that. Crazy!!! I guess the bonus is that any day now she will start saying Melissa- of course the step between her current "Uh-oh" and my name may take a little time- good thing she is such a smartie pie!
And then...? I am really excited my cousin, her husband and furry kids moved back to Iowa so we can see them the next time we come back or maybe they can come visit us easier now that they are only a 9-10 hour drive away.
And then...?
And then...?
No more And then!!! :o) (Time for a movie with my hubby! Sweet! Dude!)

Emma vs. The Squirrels

We got Emma a cute new toy a few weeks ago- a stump that hides 3 little squirrels. The box said that it will help stimulate her mind and create hours of entertainment. While I didn't really fall for the "hours of entertainment" line, I thought she would still have a little fun playing with it. The idea of course is that I would "hide" the squirrels in the stump and then Emma would have fun digging them out and repeat. It said to give the dog some time to get interested in the squirrels before hiding them or she will not search for them. We played with all three squirrels for about 5 minutes to get her scent on them and then I hid them in the stump. She pulled them out a couple of times before she decided to just chew the part of the stump that was separating the two side holes (see the top 2 pictures). She then proceeded to kill the first squirrel, ripping out this squeakers and all of his stuffing. What a productive first day! The last two squirrels died within a few days and now we have various parts of squirrel bodies that she really likes to play with and a seriously destroyed stump. I think we are really going to have to stick with Kong toys- at least it took her a month to pull the legs off her Wubbie and rip out the balls inside.

Happy Birthday Cadence and Steve!!!

This week we had two birthdays!!! Our niece Cadence turned one on Monday just one day before her Grandpa Steve's (Cory's dad) birthday.