Well, as I'm sure a lot of you can imagine, I haven't had a moment to update this yet. Here's a photo I just took of our newest addition to the family. He'll be 2 weeks old tomorrow.
We're busy and sleep deprived, of course. Unfortunately breastfeeding wasn't working out very well for us, so I'm pumping breastmilk and feeding it to him in a bottle, but other than that, things are going fine.
The actual labor and delivery went very well. I had absolutely no pain once I got the epidural. I was surprised by that. I had always thought that the epidural just helped with the pain, not eliminated it. Labor prior to the epidural wasn't too bad either. I had my first contraction at 3:30 in the morning. Perryn was born at 6:30pm, so I guess we'd call that 15 hours of labor. I pushed for 2 hr 15 min and we nearly had to use forceps to get him out, but we managed just in the nick of time. I did have a little more bleeding than normal, but it was easily controlled and all was fine.
And that's our news in a nutshell. :-)
Friday, April 04, 2008
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Nursery colors
Here's an additional photo that shows the three colors. Pardon the blue tape that is still up in this photo - obviously it's a work in progress. The darker blue and green will be added to the striped wall as well. It will be a bright room.
Gary paints the nursery
Here's a picture of Gary painting the stripes on the nursery wall. There will actually be three colors when we are done.
Friday, February 22, 2008
8 months pregnant
Here's my 8 month photo. Everything is still going well with the pregnancy. I have experienced heartburn for the first time in my life, but I guess that's nothing major to complain about.
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
One of Our Projects
Here is a picture of one of the projects we've been working on. Gary painted the walls two different colors and we're in the process of putting up trim (this wall/corner of the room is done). We left the ceiling as it was.
We had pretty much the same thing in the old house and liked it. Since we have a softside waterbed, we had to do it before we setup the bed which we got done this past weekend. We've been sleeping in the guest room until now. It's very nice to have our bed back!!
We had pretty much the same thing in the old house and liked it. Since we have a softside waterbed, we had to do it before we setup the bed which we got done this past weekend. We've been sleeping in the guest room until now. It's very nice to have our bed back!!
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
What's New
Things are moving so quickly it appears I haven't had time to make an update in a while. So here's what's going on in a nutshell:
HOUSE - We moved the last weekend in January and we're still getting settled and doing lots of projects at the new house. There are still a lot of boxes around because we want to finish some of the projects before unpacking. For example, we're painting and putting up molding in the master bedroom and it will be easier to finish that project before placing furniture and unloading boxes. In the kitchen it will be easier to get the cabinet hardware on before loading cabinets since when we do that it will involve drilling and making sawdust mess.
OLD HOUSE - Gary has been busy painting the exterior and last weekend Roberta and I also helped. I figured with it being outside, it wasn't a problem for me to pitch in. I just stayed off the ladder and left that to them. We need to clean and do some interiror touch up painting and then we'll be ready to put it on the market and hope it sells quickly. :-)
BABY - We are 6 weeks from our due date, so they generally say that baby will arrive in +/- 2 weeks from the due date... which means we will be parents in 4-8 weeks. Yikes! Unfortunately the nursery isn't ready yet, but I figure the baby won't sleep up there right away anyway, so that isn't the end of the world. We have managed to do quite a bit of shopping and we finished our childbirth preparation classes. I also registered at both Target and Babies R Us. Those were 3 hour and 2 hours excursions, respectively. There's so many things to look at and choose! It was fun though.
During all our projects, we managed to squeeze in a little celebration for our anniversary. We went out to dinner at a nice steakhouse in Frisco and it was quite good. We also have tickets to the ballet this coming Saturday night. I figure we do have to take advantage of being sans child while that's still the case. :-)
I think that hits the highlights.
HOUSE - We moved the last weekend in January and we're still getting settled and doing lots of projects at the new house. There are still a lot of boxes around because we want to finish some of the projects before unpacking. For example, we're painting and putting up molding in the master bedroom and it will be easier to finish that project before placing furniture and unloading boxes. In the kitchen it will be easier to get the cabinet hardware on before loading cabinets since when we do that it will involve drilling and making sawdust mess.
OLD HOUSE - Gary has been busy painting the exterior and last weekend Roberta and I also helped. I figured with it being outside, it wasn't a problem for me to pitch in. I just stayed off the ladder and left that to them. We need to clean and do some interiror touch up painting and then we'll be ready to put it on the market and hope it sells quickly. :-)
BABY - We are 6 weeks from our due date, so they generally say that baby will arrive in +/- 2 weeks from the due date... which means we will be parents in 4-8 weeks. Yikes! Unfortunately the nursery isn't ready yet, but I figure the baby won't sleep up there right away anyway, so that isn't the end of the world. We have managed to do quite a bit of shopping and we finished our childbirth preparation classes. I also registered at both Target and Babies R Us. Those were 3 hour and 2 hours excursions, respectively. There's so many things to look at and choose! It was fun though.
During all our projects, we managed to squeeze in a little celebration for our anniversary. We went out to dinner at a nice steakhouse in Frisco and it was quite good. We also have tickets to the ballet this coming Saturday night. I figure we do have to take advantage of being sans child while that's still the case. :-)
I think that hits the highlights.
Thursday, January 24, 2008
7 months pregnant
Here's my 7 month photo. Things are still going well with the pregnancy. We've started buying some of the larger items for the nursery now that we've closed on the house. We found a crib and glider, etc. Lots of things to get ready, but it's fun.
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Garage Project
We got lucky this past weekend and had excellent weather... which allowed Gary to tackle painting the garage floor. Roberta helped with the trim (had to be done with a brush) and also sprinkling the little flecks on the wet paint. The epoxy paint had quite a strong smell, so I stayed away except for quick peeks from the outside to check progress.
I think it looks pretty good and it's really nice to have it done before we move anything in. Cute paint clothes, huh?
I think it looks pretty good and it's really nice to have it done before we move anything in. Cute paint clothes, huh?
Wednesday, January 02, 2008
We closed!
We are new home owners as of Friday. Now the fun begins... Gary has been busy sealing grout lines (we have quite a bit of ceramic tile, so that's not a quick project) and yesterday he started painting the nursery. I've been cleaning out construction dust from cabinets and doing shelf liner in the kitchen. There are a lot of cabinets, so that's time consuming also.
We're going to continue with projects for a few weeks and will hopefully move in after a few weeks, depending on how things go. We're painting a few rooms so we'd like to get that done before I move in since I shouldn't really be inhaling paint fumes. It's easier to paint empty rooms anyway, so I think it will work out well. We wanted to paint the garage floor with those cool speckled paint chips, but we're learning that it needs to be warmer for that, so that is going to be a pain. That would definitely be nice to do before anything is moved in there. I think it will need to be around 70 for at least 2 consecutive days in order to do that, so it's possible, but not sure how likely.
We'll be busy for the next few weeks for sure. It's exciting though.
We're going to continue with projects for a few weeks and will hopefully move in after a few weeks, depending on how things go. We're painting a few rooms so we'd like to get that done before I move in since I shouldn't really be inhaling paint fumes. It's easier to paint empty rooms anyway, so I think it will work out well. We wanted to paint the garage floor with those cool speckled paint chips, but we're learning that it needs to be warmer for that, so that is going to be a pain. That would definitely be nice to do before anything is moved in there. I think it will need to be around 70 for at least 2 consecutive days in order to do that, so it's possible, but not sure how likely.
We'll be busy for the next few weeks for sure. It's exciting though.
Tuesday, December 25, 2007
Merry Christmas!
Merry Christmas all! Here's a picture of us from last night.
It was a small event for us this year. My parents arrived in TX the first weekend in December, but unfortunately, they were notified on Monday 12/17 that their house had been broken into over the previous weekend, so they left the next morning. They had to go idenify what was taken for the detectives.
Gary, Roberta and I did our usual Xmas Eve tradition - homemade pizza. Gary and I are going over to Roberta's boyfriend's house for Christmas dinner today. His brother and family will be there also.
It was a small event for us this year. My parents arrived in TX the first weekend in December, but unfortunately, they were notified on Monday 12/17 that their house had been broken into over the previous weekend, so they left the next morning. They had to go idenify what was taken for the detectives.
Gary, Roberta and I did our usual Xmas Eve tradition - homemade pizza. Gary and I are going over to Roberta's boyfriend's house for Christmas dinner today. His brother and family will be there also.
6 months pregnant
Here's a photo of me at 6 months pregnant. I wore the same clothes as the 5 month pic on purpose.
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Fireplace Completed
Here's a photo of the fireplace now that it's complete. The hearth has been added with a flagstone topper on both the hearth and the very top of the fireplace (not sure you can tell). And of course the cardboard has been removed from the mantle, so this is the actual color.
Sunday, December 09, 2007
Latest House Update
Things are really moving along now. The appliances are in and they were carpeting this weekend. We're expecting to close the last week of December.
Sunday, November 25, 2007
Fireplace
We were excited to see the house this weekend, they've done quite a bit. The fireplace is in progress - just missing the topper and the hearth. The mantle is covered with cardboard, but is really a very dark brown.
They've also installed lights, some granite and started staining some of the cabinets. Everything is coming together and we're expecting to close in about a month.
They've also installed lights, some granite and started staining some of the cabinets. Everything is coming together and we're expecting to close in about a month.
Sunday, November 18, 2007
Monday, November 12, 2007
Latest House News
The house is still coming along. When we were there this weekend, the major thing that has been done since my last update was paint – although it wasn’t completely finished. They’ve also fixed some minor things we pointed out with the cabinets (for instance we wanted one of the cabinets to be hinged on the opposite side). They installed the laminate counter for utility room sink and the cultured marble counters in the secondary bathrooms (although they are the wrong color).
I believe they are still figuring out what to do about the cabinet stain for the maple cabinets since they were supposed to be getting us a new sample and we haven't heard from them. I’m guessing the granite counter tops won’t be installed until after that is done. I think they are also about to do the fireplace. There was a picture of what it’s supposed to look like hanging on the wall when we were there this weekend.
They’ve currently given us an estimated closing date of December 28th, which is later than we were hoping. However, we don’t want to rush them and we’ll certainly need to make sure everything is complete before we close.
I believe they are still figuring out what to do about the cabinet stain for the maple cabinets since they were supposed to be getting us a new sample and we haven't heard from them. I’m guessing the granite counter tops won’t be installed until after that is done. I think they are also about to do the fireplace. There was a picture of what it’s supposed to look like hanging on the wall when we were there this weekend.
They’ve currently given us an estimated closing date of December 28th, which is later than we were hoping. However, we don’t want to rush them and we’ll certainly need to make sure everything is complete before we close.
Latest Baby News
Here’s a picture of the nursery bedding/décor that we decided on. I like the vibrant colors the most and of course the animals are cute. I found a crib and rocking chair that I like, but have not made a definite decision on those yet. We won’t be in the market to actually buy those larger items until we move, so depending on if they are available at that time or we find anything else, we’ll see.
As for myself, I’m definitely into maternity clothes now – mostly due to pants. I’ve been feeling movements and Gary even got to feel it one night even though the doctor said it would be a few more weeks before he’d be able to. That was cool.
We both got our flu shots last week which were highly recommended by my doctor. Apparently getting the flu when pregnant is a very bad thing. It was also recommended that Gary get one for once the baby arrives.
As for myself, I’m definitely into maternity clothes now – mostly due to pants. I’ve been feeling movements and Gary even got to feel it one night even though the doctor said it would be a few more weeks before he’d be able to. That was cool.
We both got our flu shots last week which were highly recommended by my doctor. Apparently getting the flu when pregnant is a very bad thing. It was also recommended that Gary get one for once the baby arrives.
Friday, November 02, 2007
It's a Boy!
I had an ultrasound earlier this week and we found out it's a boy. We also got to count ten toes - hee hee. He was laying looking up, so we didn't get the typical profile shot. We also got a clear picture of his foot and of his hand pointing. It was cool.
We've officially started buying baby things also. This was a big step since shopping has been so overwhelming! I mean I've shopped for baby gifts before, but ya know... there was normally a registry to choose from - lol. Now we are the ones figuring out the choices. I've definitely been looking for advice from family and friends and I've had some great info from several people.
Of course, It's all exciting but I can't believe I'm almost halfway through pregnancy already (Sunday is the official halfway mark).
We've officially started buying baby things also. This was a big step since shopping has been so overwhelming! I mean I've shopped for baby gifts before, but ya know... there was normally a registry to choose from - lol. Now we are the ones figuring out the choices. I've definitely been looking for advice from family and friends and I've had some great info from several people.
Of course, It's all exciting but I can't believe I'm almost halfway through pregnancy already (Sunday is the official halfway mark).
Saturday, October 20, 2007
Cabinets are In
Here's our maple cabinets in the kitchen. They were put in on Thursday this week. They are unfinished currently. We just provided the builder with a sample of the stain color we are looking for today, however in getting that sample we have learned a lot about staining maple cabinets. Not an easy task. Wish I would have known that before I chose to do maple, but I'm still hopeful at this point the builder can figure out how to do what we want. (We're trying to get a medium brown color, however maple doesn't take stain very well and they tend to get blotchy). I'm sure I'll be posting another picture when the staining is done. Wish us luck. Other than that issue, we're certainly happy with the style and look of them.
Monday, October 15, 2007
Airport Hotel
Gary knew he was staying at an airport hotel this week.... he didn't know this would be the view from his window. I wonder if he's getting any sleep?
Sunday, October 14, 2007
Latest Progress
When we visited the house this weekend we found that they have our fence up and have painted the exterior of the house (the parts that are siding, doors, trim, etc). The stacks of stones on the far side of the yard are for the fireplace.
Sunday, September 30, 2007
House Progress
They just started tiling on Friday and it looks about half done. We were pleased with the way it looks so far, but there's no grout yet, so still not sure exactly what it will look like.
All the wall texture is also done. On the outside it looks like they've done some leveling and brought in some sand. We met with the landscaping company this past week and we're waiting on them to send us some drawings to review. The landscape package isn't too bad. We get 2 shade trees, 2 ornamental trees and 25 shrubs.
All the wall texture is also done. On the outside it looks like they've done some leveling and brought in some sand. We met with the landscaping company this past week and we're waiting on them to send us some drawings to review. The landscape package isn't too bad. We get 2 shade trees, 2 ornamental trees and 25 shrubs.
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
A Bun in the Oven
Yep - for all who read this and haven't heard the news yet, I'm pregnant. We're really excited - of course.
This ultrasound was at 12 weeks and I'm 14 weeks now. I was waiting to post this until I told a few people in person, but couldn't wait any longer to share with everyone (at least everyone who reads this). :-)
I'm due the end of March.
This ultrasound was at 12 weeks and I'm 14 weeks now. I was waiting to post this until I told a few people in person, but couldn't wait any longer to share with everyone (at least everyone who reads this). :-)
I'm due the end of March.
Sunday, September 16, 2007
Drywall
They also finished the drywall this week. I'm standing in the family room looking towards the entry in this photo. The door to the left of the photo is the door to the study.
Brick Complete
Here's a picture from yesterday. They have completed the brick now. Not sure why the scaffolding is still there, so not the best picture. I'll take another one when it comes down.
Thursday, September 06, 2007
In Loving Memory....
This photo was taken at the family reunion last month and I'm so sad to say that my cousin Ryan died August 25th.
Another cousin, Stephanie, put together a "Safety Flyer" which she posted in local bars, liquor stores and colleges in Fargo. I'm going to just copy and paste her message here and hope that it will serve as a reminder to anyone who reads it:
We all watch movies or TV, read the news and hear of people being drugged at bars while they are out and think “That kind of stuff only happens in big cities like New York, Chicago or Los Angeles”. We also may think it only happens to risqué people who aren’t careful and that it’s their lifestyle that puts them in the situation. Our family recently has had to learn it does happen in small cities and it does happen to your average everyday girl who loves her friends and family, enjoys life, and is anything but risqué.
Ryan was your normal every day girl. After a night out we’ve now lost her forever. Her friends left and she stayed behind with an acquaintance. From there we can’t tell you what happened for sure. She was not a drug user but PCP was found in her system and caused her to have major heart damage that she could not survive.
Go out, have fun with your friends and live life but please remember safety:
- If you come together leave together
- Don’t ever leave with someone you don’t really know
- Don’t let anyone else in your group leave with someone either
- Always keep an eye on your drink and be sure no one can slip something in it
- Keep an eye on your cigarettes and don’t bum cigarettes - they can be laced
- Be sure your whole group makes it to their car/cab/home before leaving
- And of course don’t drive drunk
It can happen anywhere to anyone. Don’t let it be your loved one!
In Loving Memory of Ryan Marie Dockter 3/19/78-8/25/07
Monday, September 03, 2007
Started Bricking
Here's a photo from this weekend. As you can see they've done quite a bit of bricking on the front.
Monday, August 06, 2007
Vacation
Vacation was pretty great, but could have been longer - of course.
While in ND, Kim (a friend since 1st grade) had a few of our friends over to her house for an evening. It was really nice to see everyone and catch up.
Family had started arriving for the weekend reunion by the time I got to town, so there was family coming and going the whole time. The reunion was on my dad's side, but I also got to see a few members of my mom's side.
The reunion was really nice. It was at my aunt and uncle's lake house and was mainly her family that did all the planning and prep. They did a really great job and we had a turnout of 115 (I believe that's what I heard). It was so nice to see everyone and the lake was a good location to entertain all. The weather was nice also, although I'm sure some thought it was a bit hot. It was upper 80's one day and I believe it got to about 91 the second day. There's always a nice breeze off the lake and there were tents for shade.
The actual travel part of the vacation didn't go so great. Gary had trouble flying in... his early morning flight was delayed 2 hours due to aircraft maintenance and that threw off the whole day. He eventually got in at about 3p. When we left, we got on the plane and were all set to go when they came on and announced that there was a hole in the tire and the plane was not safe to fly. This being Fargo, no spare tire and no spare plane led to the flight being cancelled. It was the last flight out, so we had to reschedule for 5am the next day. When we got to the airport at 4:30 they had no record of me being on the flight - only Gary. Ugh. I managed to get on "standby" and in first class. I don't believe I've ever had so much trouble with flights, etc. Better luck next time hopefully.
While in ND, Kim (a friend since 1st grade) had a few of our friends over to her house for an evening. It was really nice to see everyone and catch up.
Family had started arriving for the weekend reunion by the time I got to town, so there was family coming and going the whole time. The reunion was on my dad's side, but I also got to see a few members of my mom's side.
The reunion was really nice. It was at my aunt and uncle's lake house and was mainly her family that did all the planning and prep. They did a really great job and we had a turnout of 115 (I believe that's what I heard). It was so nice to see everyone and the lake was a good location to entertain all. The weather was nice also, although I'm sure some thought it was a bit hot. It was upper 80's one day and I believe it got to about 91 the second day. There's always a nice breeze off the lake and there were tents for shade.
The actual travel part of the vacation didn't go so great. Gary had trouble flying in... his early morning flight was delayed 2 hours due to aircraft maintenance and that threw off the whole day. He eventually got in at about 3p. When we left, we got on the plane and were all set to go when they came on and announced that there was a hole in the tire and the plane was not safe to fly. This being Fargo, no spare tire and no spare plane led to the flight being cancelled. It was the last flight out, so we had to reschedule for 5am the next day. When we got to the airport at 4:30 they had no record of me being on the flight - only Gary. Ugh. I managed to get on "standby" and in first class. I don't believe I've ever had so much trouble with flights, etc. Better luck next time hopefully.
Monday, July 23, 2007
A Few Updates
I haven't taken a picture, but the house now has shingles on it. That's the only visible difference from the outside. The brick has not been delivered yet. On the inside, the electrical wiring is close to complete and the AC is in. The wiring for the audio/visual stuff is being done today. We met with the cabinet guy last night. It's getting a little stressful with all of these things coming at us at once and we've begun to get "no, you can't do X" type answers which certainly do not make us happy. We still need to meet with the lighting store also.
We met our neighbors whose home is a bit ahead of ours and they seemed to think we are almost to the point where things are going to slow down quite a bit. They actually said it's going to "sit" with nothing happening. Our response was that would be a nice break. :-)
In other news... I got a new boss. I met him yesterday. He seems nice, but of course time will tell. I've had a pretty laid back boss for a couple of years, so I'm hoping the new guy isn't too drastically different. My current boss stepped down to a Manager role, so he'll now be my peer. That will be a little strange I think, but I'm sure we will all adjust.
I'm flying to ND tonight and I am ready for a vacation!! We have a family reunion on my dad's side this weekend so I'm looking forward to seeing everyone. I'll be able to see friends this week also. Yay!
We met our neighbors whose home is a bit ahead of ours and they seemed to think we are almost to the point where things are going to slow down quite a bit. They actually said it's going to "sit" with nothing happening. Our response was that would be a nice break. :-)
In other news... I got a new boss. I met him yesterday. He seems nice, but of course time will tell. I've had a pretty laid back boss for a couple of years, so I'm hoping the new guy isn't too drastically different. My current boss stepped down to a Manager role, so he'll now be my peer. That will be a little strange I think, but I'm sure we will all adjust.
I'm flying to ND tonight and I am ready for a vacation!! We have a family reunion on my dad's side this weekend so I'm looking forward to seeing everyone. I'll be able to see friends this week also. Yay!
Friday, July 13, 2007
We have a Roof!
Here's a pic from last night. I'm standing in the neighbors yard across the street. All the windows are in, the sheathing is up and the roof is on. On the interior we have the fireplace installed, looks like most of the plumbing done and the bathtubs in the secondary bathrooms installed. yay!
Dad - you will be happy to know that all the seams on the sheathing look good - no gaps that we saw. Most are vertical, with the gaps on the studs, in places where they had to go horizontal, there is at least 6 inches of overlap. :-)
I got an email from the construction supervisor on the one "change" item that was missing and he said he would get it taken care of. (We added a tiny wall at in the media room and it was missing). I didn't think it would be a big deal.
I expect our brick will be delivered very soon and we'll see some shingles. There are a few places on the house that has siding and that is already up also.
Dad - you will be happy to know that all the seams on the sheathing look good - no gaps that we saw. Most are vertical, with the gaps on the studs, in places where they had to go horizontal, there is at least 6 inches of overlap. :-)
I got an email from the construction supervisor on the one "change" item that was missing and he said he would get it taken care of. (We added a tiny wall at in the media room and it was missing). I didn't think it would be a big deal.
I expect our brick will be delivered very soon and we'll see some shingles. There are a few places on the house that has siding and that is already up also.
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
The Inside
Here's a shot from inside. On the right side is the doorway to the kitchen from the living room . The opening in wall to the left is the opening above the kitchen sink - looking out on the living room. Above the kitchen is a bedroom.
Looking more like a house
Here's a photo from this evening. It looks like they've completed the framing on the interior. There are now stairs in the main entry. As you can see in the photo most of the windows are in. We've only found minor change that was left out so far (which should be easily fixable), so things are going well.
Gary met with the guy about wiring today and that seemed to go well.
This is the exciting part where things move so quickly... noticeable changes every time we visit. Fun, fun.
Gary met with the guy about wiring today and that seemed to go well.
This is the exciting part where things move so quickly... noticeable changes every time we visit. Fun, fun.
Sunday, July 08, 2007
Framing Continues
This was taken yesterday. We now have quite a bit of roof and a lot of finishing touches - art niches and arches. We also have one item we've been waiting for - the back staircase. Yay - we were finally able to go upstairs to see everything up there, including the game room and media room. Very exciting! :-)
We went to do our color selections today. I think we were there about 5 hours. It didn't seem like we were doing a lot of deliberating, so I'm surprised it took so long, but there were a lot of choices to make. We still have to meet with the wiring people and the lighting people too.
We went to do our color selections today. I think we were there about 5 hours. It didn't seem like we were doing a lot of deliberating, so I'm surprised it took so long, but there were a lot of choices to make. We still have to meet with the wiring people and the lighting people too.
Tuesday, July 03, 2007
More Progress
This is a photo from last night. They've gotten more of the second story framed.
We have our meeting with the design consultant on Sunday to decide on all our selections for tile, carpet, granite, paint etc.
So we are moving right along. It's so exciting! :-)
We have our meeting with the design consultant on Sunday to decide on all our selections for tile, carpet, granite, paint etc.
So we are moving right along. It's so exciting! :-)
Innocence?
She looks innocent, doesn't she?
Well, don't judge too quickly. I'm working from home today, so as I was sitting on the couch with my laptop in my lap, she crawls up behind me on the couch... and then... just takes a big ole bite on my ear!!?? Completely out of the blue. I would love to know what the kitties are thinking sometimes!! :-)
Well, don't judge too quickly. I'm working from home today, so as I was sitting on the couch with my laptop in my lap, she crawls up behind me on the couch... and then... just takes a big ole bite on my ear!!?? Completely out of the blue. I would love to know what the kitties are thinking sometimes!! :-)
Friday, June 29, 2007
Framing Has Begun
They started framing on Wednesday this week. This is a picture from last night. It hasn't rained yet today so I'm expecting they will have gotten to the second story today. I'll post pics of that when I have them.
Sunday, June 24, 2007
House Progress
Yay! We finally have a foundation. It's still been rather rainy around here so we were pleased to see they were able to get it poured. This picture is taken from across the street and that's Gary's car.
Thursday, June 21, 2007
House Status
Here's a pic from 6/12... still no foundation but at least we can see some progress. I'm hoping when we go by this weekend we may have a foundation, but it did rain more this week so who knows.
Monday, June 04, 2007
House Status
Here's the beginnings of our future house. This is from the back corner looking forward, taken 5/17. When we were there this weekend they hadn't done anymore. It's been so wet, apparently they haven't been able to pour the foundation yet. Looks like they passed the plumbing inspection though and some of the trenches have been filled in now.
Monday, May 14, 2007
Busy "5" Months!
Funny that my last post was 'busy month" and now I haven't posted anything in 5 months. I guess it's been a busy 5 months, so here's a quick update.
My parents were here from December to February enjoying the warmer weather...
Went on a cruise and got married in February in St Thomas and everything went well. If you haven't seen pictures yet, check this link...
It seems ever since the wedding, I've been messing around with wedding photos in one way or another and I'm still not quite finished. My sister's boyfriend took photos in a high quality format which needed to be converted to jpg's to actually share with anyone. In doing that, I'm learning photoshop. I've been creating photo albums for my family and for us. I've been collecting photos from others and sorting the best of everyone's so I can burn cd's and share with everyone. It gets a bit monotonous though so I can only work on any of it a little at a time.
We went house hunting and bought a house at the end of February. It's being built and should be done in October. We're really excited about having our "dream" house. The location will make my work commute a bit worse, but otherwise it's a good location. We've been busy figuring out details and working with the builder. We've finally been able to see some progress, but barely. They have forms built to pour the foundation. I think we'll see plumbing go in next and then they will pour. We went and looked at some other houses in the neighborhood this weekend and that got me excited to see ours get to the various stages.
We had a garage sale this past weekend and I've already been working on cleaning things out and packing things I know that I won't need until we move. I figure if I do a little at a time it won't be so bad.
So, that's what's new in my life.
For any ND friends reading this, I believe I'll be coming up at the end of July. I'll keep you posted. :-)
My parents were here from December to February enjoying the warmer weather...
Went on a cruise and got married in February in St Thomas and everything went well. If you haven't seen pictures yet, check this link...
It seems ever since the wedding, I've been messing around with wedding photos in one way or another and I'm still not quite finished. My sister's boyfriend took photos in a high quality format which needed to be converted to jpg's to actually share with anyone. In doing that, I'm learning photoshop. I've been creating photo albums for my family and for us. I've been collecting photos from others and sorting the best of everyone's so I can burn cd's and share with everyone. It gets a bit monotonous though so I can only work on any of it a little at a time.
We went house hunting and bought a house at the end of February. It's being built and should be done in October. We're really excited about having our "dream" house. The location will make my work commute a bit worse, but otherwise it's a good location. We've been busy figuring out details and working with the builder. We've finally been able to see some progress, but barely. They have forms built to pour the foundation. I think we'll see plumbing go in next and then they will pour. We went and looked at some other houses in the neighborhood this weekend and that got me excited to see ours get to the various stages.
We had a garage sale this past weekend and I've already been working on cleaning things out and packing things I know that I won't need until we move. I figure if I do a little at a time it won't be so bad.
So, that's what's new in my life.
For any ND friends reading this, I believe I'll be coming up at the end of July. I'll keep you posted. :-)
Wednesday, December 20, 2006
Busy Month
Well, it's certainly been a busy month so far....
My parents arrived for their winter stay the first weekend in December. They'll stay up until we go on the cruise in February for our wedding.
Of course, like everyone else I've been busy with Christmas shopping and prep. I've also been working on the wedding plans. Today was the deadline for all details to be spelled out with the cruise line, so I'm glad that's pretty much set.
Gary and I have also started looking at houses a little bit. We'd probably like to buy sometime next year, so we decided to start to get an idea of what's out there. That's been fun and exciting.
I'm on vacation this week, so it's been nice to catch up on my to do list.
My parents arrived for their winter stay the first weekend in December. They'll stay up until we go on the cruise in February for our wedding.
Of course, like everyone else I've been busy with Christmas shopping and prep. I've also been working on the wedding plans. Today was the deadline for all details to be spelled out with the cruise line, so I'm glad that's pretty much set.
Gary and I have also started looking at houses a little bit. We'd probably like to buy sometime next year, so we decided to start to get an idea of what's out there. That's been fun and exciting.
I'm on vacation this week, so it's been nice to catch up on my to do list.
Wednesday, November 29, 2006
Winter is Here
It has dropped 20 degrees in an hour and a half... when I left work it was 65 degrees and now it's 45. Thank you Mr. North Wind!!
It's supposed to be below freezing for the next four nights and we are supposed to get sleet and freezing rain tomorrow. Yuck!
It's supposed to be below freezing for the next four nights and we are supposed to get sleet and freezing rain tomorrow. Yuck!
Big Bonus Points for Gary
Monday was a big day - the 2nd anniversary of our first date.
I *completely* forgot. I forgot soooo much, that even when I received a voicemail that 1-800-flowers was trying to find me for a delivery, that I thought "Oh how nice, Gary sent me flowers out of the blue". To make matters worse, I didn't receive the message until right before I was leaving work so I wasn't able to return the call and get the delivery. Instead, I called Gary to tell him I was on my way home and I asked him, "Did you send me something today?". He said yes and I explained what happened. It *still* didn't dawn on me why he sent the flowers and he didn't say (assuming I knew). So then I asked him what we should do for dinner and suggested a couple things we could cook.
He says, "Well, I was thinking maybe we'd go out, it is a special day".
Rachelle says, "Huh? *pause*... Ooohhhhhh!!!!!!" Yeah, finally dawned on me.
Of course had I actually received the delivery, I would have been saved since it had a "Happy Anniversary" balloon. Argh - bummer. :-)
I told him I was all set to celebrate February 8th and therefore didn't even think about *this* anniversary. :-)
So... big bonus points for Gary. I, on the other hand, am in the dog house - ha ha.
I *completely* forgot. I forgot soooo much, that even when I received a voicemail that 1-800-flowers was trying to find me for a delivery, that I thought "Oh how nice, Gary sent me flowers out of the blue". To make matters worse, I didn't receive the message until right before I was leaving work so I wasn't able to return the call and get the delivery. Instead, I called Gary to tell him I was on my way home and I asked him, "Did you send me something today?". He said yes and I explained what happened. It *still* didn't dawn on me why he sent the flowers and he didn't say (assuming I knew). So then I asked him what we should do for dinner and suggested a couple things we could cook.
He says, "Well, I was thinking maybe we'd go out, it is a special day".
Rachelle says, "Huh? *pause*... Ooohhhhhh!!!!!!" Yeah, finally dawned on me.
Of course had I actually received the delivery, I would have been saved since it had a "Happy Anniversary" balloon. Argh - bummer. :-)
I told him I was all set to celebrate February 8th and therefore didn't even think about *this* anniversary. :-)
So... big bonus points for Gary. I, on the other hand, am in the dog house - ha ha.
Thursday, November 23, 2006
Happy Thanksgiving
What a beautiful Thanksgiving today. It was in the 70's and sunny.... very nice.
Gary and I celebrated on our own this year. My parents are normally here before Thanksgiving, but this year they had a bit of a delay. Dad was recently scheduled for sugery to get his teeth implants... right before the surgery, his doctor had to have a triple bypass... obviously, his surgery was postponed. Now, although his doctor is not fully back to work, he is going to do Dad's surgery. Therefore, they are going to get that taken care of before coming down to Dallas. It will work out fine since they are planning on staying here until we leave for the cruise/wedding in Feb anyway... so they'll still be here for a couple months like they normally are.
Roberta went to celebrate with Dave's family. Gary and I had a nice Thanksgiving on our own. We bought a Tyson "oven-ready" turkey breast (which was very good) and had all the fixin's. Yummy.
Hope everyone had a nice holiday.
Gary and I celebrated on our own this year. My parents are normally here before Thanksgiving, but this year they had a bit of a delay. Dad was recently scheduled for sugery to get his teeth implants... right before the surgery, his doctor had to have a triple bypass... obviously, his surgery was postponed. Now, although his doctor is not fully back to work, he is going to do Dad's surgery. Therefore, they are going to get that taken care of before coming down to Dallas. It will work out fine since they are planning on staying here until we leave for the cruise/wedding in Feb anyway... so they'll still be here for a couple months like they normally are.
Roberta went to celebrate with Dave's family. Gary and I had a nice Thanksgiving on our own. We bought a Tyson "oven-ready" turkey breast (which was very good) and had all the fixin's. Yummy.
Hope everyone had a nice holiday.
Monday, November 13, 2006
Holidays Coming
FYI.... I decided to put all the wedding stuff on a new blog:
http://stthomaswedding.blogspot.com
In other news, I can't believe it's so close to Thanksgiving already. We have our potluck at work this Thursday. Mom and Dad plan to be here next Wednesay (day before Thanksgiving). They are planning to stay until we leave for the cruise/wedding. They're staying with Roberta this year.
I was doing some shopping this weekend and it did put me in the mood for Christmas shopping. I also scheduled an appointment for engagement photos for this coming weekend, so we can send them with Christmas cards. I was surprised when I figured out that I'll barely get them back in time to do that.
I'm also excited to put my Christmas tree up this year because I bought new ornaments in the after Christmas sales last year. I can't wait to see what it looks like.
I have a feeling time is just going to fly by until our wedding.
http://stthomaswedding.blogspot.com
In other news, I can't believe it's so close to Thanksgiving already. We have our potluck at work this Thursday. Mom and Dad plan to be here next Wednesay (day before Thanksgiving). They are planning to stay until we leave for the cruise/wedding. They're staying with Roberta this year.
I was doing some shopping this weekend and it did put me in the mood for Christmas shopping. I also scheduled an appointment for engagement photos for this coming weekend, so we can send them with Christmas cards. I was surprised when I figured out that I'll barely get them back in time to do that.
I'm also excited to put my Christmas tree up this year because I bought new ornaments in the after Christmas sales last year. I can't wait to see what it looks like.
I have a feeling time is just going to fly by until our wedding.
Wednesday, November 08, 2006
Wedding Update
Gosh, my to do list has been growing, but I've gotten some things accomplished as well.
We got our airfare booked. We're planning on staying in FL after the cruise and going to Disney World. Should be a nice trip.
I also found and bought my dress. Yay!
We've gotten several people booked and ready to go. Guest count is currently 8 (for 10 people total).
We unfortunately ran into a little trouble with travel plans... found out the Superbowl is in Miami on the day we depart. This makes it nearly impossible for guests who want to arrive in Fort Lauderdale on Saturday, to find a hotel room without paying an arm and a leg. :-(
I'm already annoyed with the wedding coordinators and the process has just begun, so wish me luck.
That's all for now.
We got our airfare booked. We're planning on staying in FL after the cruise and going to Disney World. Should be a nice trip.
I also found and bought my dress. Yay!
We've gotten several people booked and ready to go. Guest count is currently 8 (for 10 people total).
We unfortunately ran into a little trouble with travel plans... found out the Superbowl is in Miami on the day we depart. This makes it nearly impossible for guests who want to arrive in Fort Lauderdale on Saturday, to find a hotel room without paying an arm and a leg. :-(
I'm already annoyed with the wedding coordinators and the process has just begun, so wish me luck.
That's all for now.
Friday, November 03, 2006
We're Booked!
I'm happy to say that after much research our wedding and cruise are officially booked! Yay!!
We'll be getting married in St. Thomas on 2/8/07. Now we are moving on to plan details and I get to find a dress. I've already been out to a few stores. I'm taking my sis with me on Saturday to get another opinion. We did find her a dress already (I think). We have to order it online, so assuming it fits when it arrives and she likes it, we'll be good.
Oh and I guess we need some airfare to get to Fort Lauderdale... details. :-)
We'll be getting married in St. Thomas on 2/8/07. Now we are moving on to plan details and I get to find a dress. I've already been out to a few stores. I'm taking my sis with me on Saturday to get another opinion. We did find her a dress already (I think). We have to order it online, so assuming it fits when it arrives and she likes it, we'll be good.
Oh and I guess we need some airfare to get to Fort Lauderdale... details. :-)
Friday, October 20, 2006
Wednesday, October 18, 2006
Wedding Website
I created a wedding website for us. I'll keep adding more details to it. I kind of did the easy stuff first. :-)
Tuesday, October 17, 2006
US Population Hits 300 Million
I thought this was a funny part in the article on the event:
"When the U.S. population officially hit 200 million in 1967, President Johnson held a news conference at the Commerce Department to hail America's past and to talk about the challenges ahead. Life magazine dispatched a cadre of photographers to find a baby born at the exact moment, anointing a boy born in Atlanta as the 200 millionth American.
This year, there's a good chance the 300 millionth American has already walked across the border from Mexico."
"When the U.S. population officially hit 200 million in 1967, President Johnson held a news conference at the Commerce Department to hail America's past and to talk about the challenges ahead. Life magazine dispatched a cadre of photographers to find a baby born at the exact moment, anointing a boy born in Atlanta as the 200 millionth American.
This year, there's a good chance the 300 millionth American has already walked across the border from Mexico."
Monday, October 16, 2006
I've had a good week...
I guess I haven't announced it here yet, but I'm sure I've talked to everyone who reads this. Gary and I got engaged last Saturday (the 7th). We went to San Antonio for the weekend and he proposed after dinner Saturday night on the River Walk. Yay! I'm so happy and excited. :-)
We've begun researching ideas for what to do for a wedding and it seems that we will probably do a cruise / destination wedding.
We had a busy weekend this weekend as well. Friday night we made a quick appearance at Main Event for an outing with Gary's work team. Then we went down to the Sons of Hermann Hall to see Guy Forsyth. He was very good and it was an interesting place (a music venue since 1911). We met Liz and Daniel there and we haven't seen them in quite awhile so it was nice to see them.
Saturday evening we went to see the Blue Man Group at the American Airlines center. That was pretty cool also. It was definitely different from anything I've seen in person. It was more of a concert than I expected, however the show is called "How to be a Megastar", so maybe I shouldn't have been surprised.
And that was my good week. :-)
We've begun researching ideas for what to do for a wedding and it seems that we will probably do a cruise / destination wedding.
We had a busy weekend this weekend as well. Friday night we made a quick appearance at Main Event for an outing with Gary's work team. Then we went down to the Sons of Hermann Hall to see Guy Forsyth. He was very good and it was an interesting place (a music venue since 1911). We met Liz and Daniel there and we haven't seen them in quite awhile so it was nice to see them.
Saturday evening we went to see the Blue Man Group at the American Airlines center. That was pretty cool also. It was definitely different from anything I've seen in person. It was more of a concert than I expected, however the show is called "How to be a Megastar", so maybe I shouldn't have been surprised.
And that was my good week. :-)
Thursday, October 05, 2006
In Other News...
Just a few tidbits of my life lately:
- I got an MP3 player and I had no idea what I was missing. Gary described it best when making fun of me... saying that I would be like "Oh, I like that song.... Ohhhh, I like that song too". It's true. :-)
- Gary and I did a record 3 laps around white rock lake on our bikes this past weekend. It's 27 miles and although we have gone that far before, we've only done it at bike rallies where there are lots of rest stops and refreshments to keep us going. We did stop between each lap for a Clif bar but, Gary's convinced that a banana sure would have made that last lap easier.
- Work is getting a little less stressful again, however I doubt it will last. I've been training someone to take over part of my duties, but she just got moved. She's being replaced, but I will basically need to start training over with the new person.
- I've been checking out several new shows and really like Six Degrees and Studio 60. I still have my old standbys... and then I'm really liking Nip/Tuck which I started watching on DVD (just finished season 1).
- I do do more than watch tv though. I've been continuing to work out and I can actually say that it may actually be getting easier. I do a lot of step classes and I think I am finally ready to graduate to using 1 "riser". Woohoo.
- Gary is also on quite a winning steak with games lately... Trivial Pursuit (not a surprise, it's really not my thing) and Crazy Rummy. For the next Trivial Pursuit game I believe we agreed on a new rule to make it a little more even: I get two chances/questions every time I land on the opporutnity for a pie. :-) Believe me... it's fair.
And that's my update.
- I got an MP3 player and I had no idea what I was missing. Gary described it best when making fun of me... saying that I would be like "Oh, I like that song.... Ohhhh, I like that song too". It's true. :-)
- Gary and I did a record 3 laps around white rock lake on our bikes this past weekend. It's 27 miles and although we have gone that far before, we've only done it at bike rallies where there are lots of rest stops and refreshments to keep us going. We did stop between each lap for a Clif bar but, Gary's convinced that a banana sure would have made that last lap easier.
- Work is getting a little less stressful again, however I doubt it will last. I've been training someone to take over part of my duties, but she just got moved. She's being replaced, but I will basically need to start training over with the new person.
- I've been checking out several new shows and really like Six Degrees and Studio 60. I still have my old standbys... and then I'm really liking Nip/Tuck which I started watching on DVD (just finished season 1).
- I do do more than watch tv though. I've been continuing to work out and I can actually say that it may actually be getting easier. I do a lot of step classes and I think I am finally ready to graduate to using 1 "riser". Woohoo.
- Gary is also on quite a winning steak with games lately... Trivial Pursuit (not a surprise, it's really not my thing) and Crazy Rummy. For the next Trivial Pursuit game I believe we agreed on a new rule to make it a little more even: I get two chances/questions every time I land on the opporutnity for a pie. :-) Believe me... it's fair.
And that's my update.
Skunks Again
Would you believe the skunks are still living around our office building??
My boss saw one today when he went out to lunch. I guess we all need to be careful walking out to our cars. They seem to be living in the bushes right near the door, since that is where they've been spotted. Yikes. Wish me luck. LOL.
My boss saw one today when he went out to lunch. I guess we all need to be careful walking out to our cars. They seem to be living in the bushes right near the door, since that is where they've been spotted. Yikes. Wish me luck. LOL.
Friday, September 22, 2006
Skunks
So... I'm walking into work today and suddenly a black and white critter strolls across the sidewalk in front of me. I don't believe I've ever seen a skunk that closely before. I backed away slowly and walked around to a different door. Aren't skunks night creatures? It seems I've heard if you see one during the day, that's a bad thing.
I certainly didn't want to take any chances. I'll be really cautious leaving tonight. Yikes.
I certainly didn't want to take any chances. I'll be really cautious leaving tonight. Yikes.
Thursday, September 21, 2006
Rachelle & Roberta
Rachelle & Roberta 2006
Originally uploaded by rkbk03.
Roberta and I went to a wedding this summer and her boss took this photo. He just sent it to her and I thought I would share. Tomorrow is her last day at her current job so I guess he's wrapping up loose ends. Of course, if we had known there would be pictures, maybe we would have coordinated and not both worn floral prints that clash. lol.
Friday, September 01, 2006
Visiting ND
I'm visiting "home" this week. It's been very relaxing. We haven't done much of anything except shopping. :-)
I'm enjoying the weather, but I see it has gotten cooler in Dallas as well. We're headed to the lake today to see my aunt and uncle. We waited until the coldest day of the week to venture out to the lake, as seems to be tradition (at least for the past couple of years). I'm in jeans and a sweatshirt - I'm set. It's supposed to be a high of 75 today and it's been very windy. The wind has died down here in Fargo, but I suspect it will be windier at the lake.
I managed to help my dad with some computer stuff this week, and it's worth mentioning since I'm by no means a computer expert. It wasn't without troubles, I did manage to delete an entire folder, but hey... I got it back. I'm happy everything is working. :-)
The diet on the other hand... not going so well. I've managed to gain 4 lbs this week, but who can blame me when there are caramel rolls (homemade) and birthday cake to tempt me. lol.
Tomorrow is my dad's birthday so we'll go out for dinner for that. (Yes, we got the birthday cake early so we actually had a chance to have some of it before we leave on Sunday... bad, bad, bad).
I miss my sweetie and my kitties though. Gary didn't come along this year. Roberta, her cat and I made the trip. Quincy is no replacement for my kitties since he is such a brat he usually won't let me touch him.
It's been a nice week though. A lot of times when we come home there are other guests around also, so it's been a rare treat to actually sleep in "my" room all week. The weather has been nice and we've been able to have the windows open every night too. I really need a break from work, so it's been great. It will of course be hard to go back though. :-)
I'm enjoying the weather, but I see it has gotten cooler in Dallas as well. We're headed to the lake today to see my aunt and uncle. We waited until the coldest day of the week to venture out to the lake, as seems to be tradition (at least for the past couple of years). I'm in jeans and a sweatshirt - I'm set. It's supposed to be a high of 75 today and it's been very windy. The wind has died down here in Fargo, but I suspect it will be windier at the lake.
I managed to help my dad with some computer stuff this week, and it's worth mentioning since I'm by no means a computer expert. It wasn't without troubles, I did manage to delete an entire folder, but hey... I got it back. I'm happy everything is working. :-)
The diet on the other hand... not going so well. I've managed to gain 4 lbs this week, but who can blame me when there are caramel rolls (homemade) and birthday cake to tempt me. lol.
Tomorrow is my dad's birthday so we'll go out for dinner for that. (Yes, we got the birthday cake early so we actually had a chance to have some of it before we leave on Sunday... bad, bad, bad).
I miss my sweetie and my kitties though. Gary didn't come along this year. Roberta, her cat and I made the trip. Quincy is no replacement for my kitties since he is such a brat he usually won't let me touch him.
It's been a nice week though. A lot of times when we come home there are other guests around also, so it's been a rare treat to actually sleep in "my" room all week. The weather has been nice and we've been able to have the windows open every night too. I really need a break from work, so it's been great. It will of course be hard to go back though. :-)
Wednesday, August 23, 2006
I'm Back
Yep, I know it's been a long while since I've written anything here. I've been super busy at work. We recently re-organized and although I have the same boss, everyone above him changed for several layers up. We've been swamped getting things in order for the way those upper levels want it. I've been putting in some long evenings and weekends. Whoa is me.
We are also no longer in the Finance department, so I quickly dumped the idea of a second Masters degree in Finance. No more school and I'm happy to have my free time back. The short bit I did was very time consuming. Oh, and maybe the best part of quitting that is not having to deal with the tuition reimbursement people.
Anyway, there is a light at the end of the tunnel. In the re-organization, I managed to gain a counterpart for my position to take half of it *and* I gained an employee. So I now have one direct report, which is great. Unfortunately I have to share the person with two other managers, i.e. she reports to me but has to support three managers. At least I basically get to dictate what she will and will not be taking on as part of her job functions.
Things are looking up.
We are also no longer in the Finance department, so I quickly dumped the idea of a second Masters degree in Finance. No more school and I'm happy to have my free time back. The short bit I did was very time consuming. Oh, and maybe the best part of quitting that is not having to deal with the tuition reimbursement people.
Anyway, there is a light at the end of the tunnel. In the re-organization, I managed to gain a counterpart for my position to take half of it *and* I gained an employee. So I now have one direct report, which is great. Unfortunately I have to share the person with two other managers, i.e. she reports to me but has to support three managers. At least I basically get to dictate what she will and will not be taking on as part of her job functions.
Things are looking up.
Kittenwar
This is a cute website that Gary found.
It randomly puts up two kitten photos up against one another and you are supposed to pick the cutest. Gary and I immediately sifted through our kitten pictures and...
Abby's results were very good
Molly's results were not very good at all
We *couldn't* have that, so I had to try again, with much better results - Happy Dance, I have a cute kitty too.
My conclusion is that you just have to show a little belly to get some cuteness points. :-)
(We don't have kitty pictures of Isabel, but I'm sure she would kick butt too).
It randomly puts up two kitten photos up against one another and you are supposed to pick the cutest. Gary and I immediately sifted through our kitten pictures and...
Abby's results were very good
Molly's results were not very good at all
We *couldn't* have that, so I had to try again, with much better results - Happy Dance, I have a cute kitty too.
My conclusion is that you just have to show a little belly to get some cuteness points. :-)
(We don't have kitty pictures of Isabel, but I'm sure she would kick butt too).
Friday, August 11, 2006
Kitten Wars
I put a baby picture of my cat, Abby, up on KittenWar.com.
As I write this, she's been in 699 battles and is totally kicking ass!
.
As I write this, she's been in 699 battles and is totally kicking ass!
.
Monday, June 12, 2006
Another Cycling Photo
Gary and Rachelle at Mesquite Ride
Originally uploaded by rkbk03.
Here's another picture from a recent ride. This was at the end of the Mesquite Ride last weekend.
On a Brighter Note
Gary and I did a bike rally this weekend. We went 32 miles and I believe that is probably a record or very close to it for us. It was tough, but we weren’t hurting too badly at the end. The worst part was the heat. It was a hot, sunny morning with no clouds whatsoever and very few sections of shade.
The ride was good. Nice route, good rest stops and support. They had one of the most organized starts I’ve ever been a part of. We also picked up our packets in advance for this ride (we normally have to register when we get there). That was very convenient and I’ll definitely try to do that in the future.
We went to the Parade of Homes on Sunday. They were neat to see. Some stuff was so extraordinarily over the top… it was just ridiculous. One house had a garage with a lift to work on your car... and the whole garage was visible via a window from the gameroom on the second story. A few of the houses had 2-story media rooms. Some were well done, some were not very functional. It was interesting though. There did seem to be a trend to have the media room located off of the main living area versus normally seeing it upstairs off of a gameroom. There were a lot more interesting things that we saw also. It was fun. It’s time to win the lotto! :-)
The ride was good. Nice route, good rest stops and support. They had one of the most organized starts I’ve ever been a part of. We also picked up our packets in advance for this ride (we normally have to register when we get there). That was very convenient and I’ll definitely try to do that in the future.
We went to the Parade of Homes on Sunday. They were neat to see. Some stuff was so extraordinarily over the top… it was just ridiculous. One house had a garage with a lift to work on your car... and the whole garage was visible via a window from the gameroom on the second story. A few of the houses had 2-story media rooms. Some were well done, some were not very functional. It was interesting though. There did seem to be a trend to have the media room located off of the main living area versus normally seeing it upstairs off of a gameroom. There were a lot more interesting things that we saw also. It was fun. It’s time to win the lotto! :-)
Infuriating
I am so steaming mad right now, I thought this may be a good outlet to vent. :-)
The last time I was to the dentist, I made an appointment for 6 months in advance for my next appointment. I’m sure this is pretty standard practice with dentists. Today, I discovered that my dentist appointment that is scheduled for next month is scheduled for a day that I will be in Rhode Island. So, I called to re-schedule. I say “I’d like to reschedule an appointment I have next month since I will be out of town”. She says, “Would you like me to put you on the list?”. I say, “What is the list?” First gripe… do you think maybe she should explain what the list is rather than just asking if I’d like to be put on it???
Well, guess what? No appointments are available until January, so “the list” is their cancellation list. They will call me if they have a cancellation and I can come in. Initially I said, OK fine.
After thinking about that idea I was concerned that them calling me at the last minute because they have a cancellation is not likely to work with all the conference calls and meetings at work. What are the chances they will call when I have nothing scheduled??
So I called back and asked more questions. “Does this mean that you may call me last minute to come in?” She says, “Well yes but we always allow time for you to get here”. What???!! Sounds last minute to me. I explained that with my work schedule, that is not likely to work. Asked again if there was nothing else she could do. Nope.
Then, I asked “If I were a new patient and I called and said I’d like to come in, you would tell me ‘Sure, in January’?” She said they don’t do cleaning on first visits so that’s not a problem.
Ughhh…..
I left this dentist once before for this very reason. (The first time was because I had to go to court for work… I thought that was a pretty legitimate reason to reschedule and surely they could do something, but nope. I was mad then too so I went to a different dentist).
However, I like this dentist because it's so convenient to work, etc so I went back. And the reason I asked that last question was when I did go back they were able to get me in within a week!!
I guess I’ll see how the list thing works out and find another dentist if I have to. I did certainly tell her how disappointed I was with their system. :-(
The last time I was to the dentist, I made an appointment for 6 months in advance for my next appointment. I’m sure this is pretty standard practice with dentists. Today, I discovered that my dentist appointment that is scheduled for next month is scheduled for a day that I will be in Rhode Island. So, I called to re-schedule. I say “I’d like to reschedule an appointment I have next month since I will be out of town”. She says, “Would you like me to put you on the list?”. I say, “What is the list?” First gripe… do you think maybe she should explain what the list is rather than just asking if I’d like to be put on it???
Well, guess what? No appointments are available until January, so “the list” is their cancellation list. They will call me if they have a cancellation and I can come in. Initially I said, OK fine.
After thinking about that idea I was concerned that them calling me at the last minute because they have a cancellation is not likely to work with all the conference calls and meetings at work. What are the chances they will call when I have nothing scheduled??
So I called back and asked more questions. “Does this mean that you may call me last minute to come in?” She says, “Well yes but we always allow time for you to get here”. What???!! Sounds last minute to me. I explained that with my work schedule, that is not likely to work. Asked again if there was nothing else she could do. Nope.
Then, I asked “If I were a new patient and I called and said I’d like to come in, you would tell me ‘Sure, in January’?” She said they don’t do cleaning on first visits so that’s not a problem.
Ughhh…..
I left this dentist once before for this very reason. (The first time was because I had to go to court for work… I thought that was a pretty legitimate reason to reschedule and surely they could do something, but nope. I was mad then too so I went to a different dentist).
However, I like this dentist because it's so convenient to work, etc so I went back. And the reason I asked that last question was when I did go back they were able to get me in within a week!!
I guess I’ll see how the list thing works out and find another dentist if I have to. I did certainly tell her how disappointed I was with their system. :-(
Monday, June 05, 2006
Good Weekend
We had a fun weekend. We went on the Mesquite Rotary Ride Saturday morning. It was only 20 miles… and it’s so good to be able to say *only* in front of *20 miles*. I guess we’re getting better.
The route was good and the support was wonderful. Afterwards, lunch was being catered by Outback Steakhouse, although that sounds much better than it actually was (chicken sandwich and chips). Next week we’ll attempt 32 miles. That will be more challenging.
Saturday night we went to The Improv to see Christopher Titus. We’ve seen him before there and I thought he was great and I used to watch his TV show on Fox a few years back. This time was good also. There was some material I recognized from before but some new stuff also. He did mention he’s getting a new TV show and doing a movie, so that’s cool. I’ll be interested to check them out.
Sunday I spent cleaning in preparation for school starting this week and hence the reduction in free time… certainly cleaning won’t be a high priority following the reduction. :-)
The route was good and the support was wonderful. Afterwards, lunch was being catered by Outback Steakhouse, although that sounds much better than it actually was (chicken sandwich and chips). Next week we’ll attempt 32 miles. That will be more challenging.
Saturday night we went to The Improv to see Christopher Titus. We’ve seen him before there and I thought he was great and I used to watch his TV show on Fox a few years back. This time was good also. There was some material I recognized from before but some new stuff also. He did mention he’s getting a new TV show and doing a movie, so that’s cool. I’ll be interested to check them out.
Sunday I spent cleaning in preparation for school starting this week and hence the reduction in free time… certainly cleaning won’t be a high priority following the reduction. :-)
Sunday, May 28, 2006
Rachelle at the Cross Timbers Classic
Rachelle_CTC_May 2006
Originally uploaded by rkbk03.
Here's a picture of me at the Cross Timbers Classic. This was at the end of the 30 mile ride.
Wednesday, May 24, 2006
I'm so sore...
I can't figure out if it's the Afro-Latin dancing I did yesterday or the tennis I played last night. Probably a combination.
Yep - I did a workout that I recorded off of Fit TV that was in the style of Afro-Latin dance. I think my neck is sore from that... recall what I'm sure you have seen on TV at some point... the African dance, throw your head around, kind of dance. Are you picturing me doing this now? LOL. It was fun.
I played tennis with my sis last night and according to my heart rate monitor, burned 800 calories. Woo hoo... except it probably didn't make up for the Red Lobster dinner we had beforehand :-(
Tonight it's another new adventure in exercise. I'm going to do a Hip Hop class at my gym. I wonder where I'll be sore tomorrow.
Yep - I did a workout that I recorded off of Fit TV that was in the style of Afro-Latin dance. I think my neck is sore from that... recall what I'm sure you have seen on TV at some point... the African dance, throw your head around, kind of dance. Are you picturing me doing this now? LOL. It was fun.
I played tennis with my sis last night and according to my heart rate monitor, burned 800 calories. Woo hoo... except it probably didn't make up for the Red Lobster dinner we had beforehand :-(
Tonight it's another new adventure in exercise. I'm going to do a Hip Hop class at my gym. I wonder where I'll be sore tomorrow.
Sunday, May 21, 2006
Weekend Bike Tour
Gary and I did the Cross Timbers Class Bike Tour this weekend in Flower Mound. It was nice since it was very close to home. The ride was 30 miles, which was a lot for our second tour this season. It was tough, but do-able. There were some hills that were a struggle, but we did all right.
The rest stops were very nice. The volunteers at the second stop were unbelievable. They were by far the most grateful (that I've ever seen) at a rally for the riders to be participating and supporting their cause. We pay to participate and the money goes to a charity or some cause, I'm actually not sure what this one was for, but they were very appreciative.
The police support was rather spotty. There were times when they were at intersections where they probably weren't needed and other times when they weren't at major intersections (like the first time crossing main street, although they were there the second time). Overall it was pretty good support, but I was puzzled by the location choices.
It was fun and challenging and I would definitely do that ride again.
The rest stops were very nice. The volunteers at the second stop were unbelievable. They were by far the most grateful (that I've ever seen) at a rally for the riders to be participating and supporting their cause. We pay to participate and the money goes to a charity or some cause, I'm actually not sure what this one was for, but they were very appreciative.
The police support was rather spotty. There were times when they were at intersections where they probably weren't needed and other times when they weren't at major intersections (like the first time crossing main street, although they were there the second time). Overall it was pretty good support, but I was puzzled by the location choices.
It was fun and challenging and I would definitely do that ride again.
Thursday, May 18, 2006
Class One: Complete... Seven More to Go
I finished my first class last week before we left for DC. Yay!
I had my final the night before we left and I was pretty confident that I did well on it. I did get an A on both the test and in the class. Double Yay!
I have a couple weeks off and then summer school. That will be more intense since it's two nights a week and only 5 weeks long. Here's hoping it's not *too* much. :-)
I had my final the night before we left and I was pretty confident that I did well on it. I did get an A on both the test and in the class. Double Yay!
I have a couple weeks off and then summer school. That will be more intense since it's two nights a week and only 5 weeks long. Here's hoping it's not *too* much. :-)
Tuesday, May 16, 2006
Trip to Washington DC
Gary and I went to DC this weekend. It was a lot of fun, but it was certainly a lot of walking. My feet seem to have recuperated though.
We left Thursday morning and headed straight to the National Zoo when we got there. They have a baby panda that was adorable. He's several months old now and weighs about 50 lbs, but still really cute. Towards the end of our day it began to rain and a lot of the animals had sought shelter. It was a nice zoo though. We stopped for Chinese on the way back to the hotel.
Friday we hit a couple of the Smithsonian museums and then we did a Segway Tour, by recommendation of Liz and Daniel. That took us by the Capitol, the White House, Lincoln Memorial, Vietnam Memorial, and Korean Memorial, among other things. It was a pretty cool tour. Afterwards, we got some dinner and then walked around a bit as it was getting dark. We saw the Supreme Court, the Library of Congress and got closer to the Capitol.
Saturday, my feet really needed a rest, so we tried to do a little less walking... we drove to Mount Vernon. On the way back we went to Georgetown for dinner and then actually saw a movie (again resting the feet).
Sunday we explored Arlington cemetery. We bought tickets for a play for Sunday evening before we left Dallas. We made some dinner reservations nearby and then headed over to the play which was at the Warner Theater. The play turned out to be quite an experience. Among the patrons we were by far the minority - I believe I counted 5 other white folks like us. :-) It turned out to be quite a cultural experience. The audience was very boisterous. They were dancing in their seats during some of the songs and at one point the lead actress actually said, "I'm going to need you to be quiet while I'm doing my lines". That was pretty funny. The play had it's moments. There were some quite funny parts.
Finally on Monday, we went back to hit more of the Smithsonian museums. We only made it to one, but it was a good one (American History).
Overall, the trip was a lot of fun and very full. The hotel was nice and was less than a block to the subway station, so we traveled by subway most of the time. Our one experience driving was to Mount Vernon and then back through Georgetown. We soon found out why everyone told us not to try to drive in DC. :-)
Monday, April 17, 2006
Easter Weekend
Easter was pretty uneventful for us. However, we did have an unusual meal for Easter... We grilled out some Bison. Yep, bison.
We went grocery shopping at Walmart on Saturday and I told Gary he was in charge of picking out some steak for us to grill. I then went off on in my own direction. When I returned, he asked me what I really meant when I said he was in charge. I told him I trusted him to pick out a good steak. He then showed me his find... Bison.
I did have a brief feeling of that just not being "right"... especially since I went to school at NDSU and our school mascot was the Bison. But, I did agree to give it a try.
It wasn't too bad. Of course, I'm not a big steak fan, so it really tasted like any other steak to me. Maybe others would be able to tell the difference. The good news is it is really low fat. :-)
We went grocery shopping at Walmart on Saturday and I told Gary he was in charge of picking out some steak for us to grill. I then went off on in my own direction. When I returned, he asked me what I really meant when I said he was in charge. I told him I trusted him to pick out a good steak. He then showed me his find... Bison.
I did have a brief feeling of that just not being "right"... especially since I went to school at NDSU and our school mascot was the Bison. But, I did agree to give it a try.
It wasn't too bad. Of course, I'm not a big steak fan, so it really tasted like any other steak to me. Maybe others would be able to tell the difference. The good news is it is really low fat. :-)
Friday, April 14, 2006
Second Test
Good news. My second test didn't turn out to badly. I actually managed to get an 85% on it, so I was pleased with that. I was even more pleased when the instructor told us that due to the low median score of 74%, the he would add 10% to all of our scores. Yay - that means a 95% and I'm still headed for an A.
Stars Game
Gary and I got to go to the Dallas Stars game this past Tuesday courtesy of someone he knows that has season tickets which they couldn't use. It was a first for both of us (a Stars game) and it was a lot of fun.
Unfortunately, we did leave a little earlier with the Stars leading 3-0, and... we ended up missing some excitement. The other team scored two goals in the last 2 1/2 minutes.
Oh well, it was still fun. (I enjoyed cheating on the diet with some nachos loaded with cheese also). :-)
Unfortunately, we did leave a little earlier with the Stars leading 3-0, and... we ended up missing some excitement. The other team scored two goals in the last 2 1/2 minutes.
Oh well, it was still fun. (I enjoyed cheating on the diet with some nachos loaded with cheese also). :-)
Monday, April 10, 2006
Weekend Activities
This weekend was much improved over last weekend, which I spent studying. We actually had quite a bit of fun events planned, although they didn’t all go so well.
Friday night we went to the Frisco Roughriders baseball game. Unfortunately, it was cold and really windy. The fireworks that were supposed to be after the show were cancelled due to the wind. Thankfully they did announce this early on in the game since it was one of the main draws for me. So… since we were freezing, didn’t have a finale to look forward to, and Frisco was getting their butts kicked, we didn’t stay long. Actually, I believe we left in the 3rd inning. We basically had an expensive hot dog while we huddled under a blanket - lol.
Saturday morning we intended on doing a bike rally in Plano. We got up and started getting ready at 5:45am (yikes), but after checking the weather and realizing that it was still cold and windy (wind chill in low 40’s), we went back to bed.
Finally, we did get to have some fun on Saturday afternoon – something worked out. We went to an “Easter Party” at a friend of Gary’s home in Lucas. It was fun to watch all the kids search for eggs, etc. The house was gorgeous, and I finally got to meet some of Gary’s friends from work or previous work.
Friday night we went to the Frisco Roughriders baseball game. Unfortunately, it was cold and really windy. The fireworks that were supposed to be after the show were cancelled due to the wind. Thankfully they did announce this early on in the game since it was one of the main draws for me. So… since we were freezing, didn’t have a finale to look forward to, and Frisco was getting their butts kicked, we didn’t stay long. Actually, I believe we left in the 3rd inning. We basically had an expensive hot dog while we huddled under a blanket - lol.
Saturday morning we intended on doing a bike rally in Plano. We got up and started getting ready at 5:45am (yikes), but after checking the weather and realizing that it was still cold and windy (wind chill in low 40’s), we went back to bed.
Finally, we did get to have some fun on Saturday afternoon – something worked out. We went to an “Easter Party” at a friend of Gary’s home in Lucas. It was fun to watch all the kids search for eggs, etc. The house was gorgeous, and I finally got to meet some of Gary’s friends from work or previous work.
Thursday, April 06, 2006
Second Test...
.... Probably didn't go as well as the first. I took it last night and I knew I didn't quite "get" everything, but I was hopeful that I knew enough to plug the right data in the right formulas and end up with the right answers. Unforutnately, it didn't work out quite that well. :-(
I'm still hoping for a B, but I was really frustrated that I had to flat out *guess* on some of the multiple choice questions. Yikes. Not good.
Here's crossing my fingers and I am *really* glad it's over.
I'm still hoping for a B, but I was really frustrated that I had to flat out *guess* on some of the multiple choice questions. Yikes. Not good.
Here's crossing my fingers and I am *really* glad it's over.
Monday, April 03, 2006
Tour Dallas
Gary and I did our first real bike ride of the season this weekend. It was the Tour Dallas and was really a good ride. It started out at American Airlines Center and "toured" around downtown Dallas - The West End, Swiss Avenue, Turtle Creek. It was cool to get to ride through town vs the normal rural routes that we do. The only draw back was that there were a *ton* of people and it was pretty tightly packed most of the time. I think we averaged about 11 mph (which is pretty slow). The number of police at intersections was amazing compared to other rides we've done. I think there were two police officers at every intersection. It misted a little bit, but not enough to be bothersome. Overall, it was a great start to the season.
Monday, March 27, 2006
A Litte Fun / A Litte Productive
That's the description of my weekend.
For fun, Gary and I had dinner with Liz, Daniel and Alan at the All Good Cafe in Deep Ellum. The Asylum Street Spankers were there. We liked the location and the Spankers were good, as always.
For productive, I got some homework done - Yay. I've been procrastinating a bit and the next test is a little over a week away. Secondly, Gary and I had some fun adjusting the sprinklers. Woohoo. Gary was even more productive and put down the fertilizer and fire ant killer. :-)
For fun, Gary and I had dinner with Liz, Daniel and Alan at the All Good Cafe in Deep Ellum. The Asylum Street Spankers were there. We liked the location and the Spankers were good, as always.
For productive, I got some homework done - Yay. I've been procrastinating a bit and the next test is a little over a week away. Secondly, Gary and I had some fun adjusting the sprinklers. Woohoo. Gary was even more productive and put down the fertilizer and fire ant killer. :-)
Tuesday, March 21, 2006
Kevin Nealon
We went to see Kevin Nealon, of SNL fame, at the Improv this weekend. It was cool to see someone that famous there. I thought he was pretty funny, but not the funniest guy I've ever seen or anything.
It was nice to see Liz and Daniel since they have been particularly busy lately. We got to catch up over dinner beforehand.
Tip for purchasing tickets for "special events"... usually tickets are first come, first seated, but in the case of special events - your table number is assigned when you purchase the tickets. Thankfully we purchased tickets at about the same time so we were at neighboring tables. :-)
It was nice to see Liz and Daniel since they have been particularly busy lately. We got to catch up over dinner beforehand.
Tip for purchasing tickets for "special events"... usually tickets are first come, first seated, but in the case of special events - your table number is assigned when you purchase the tickets. Thankfully we purchased tickets at about the same time so we were at neighboring tables. :-)
Friday, March 17, 2006
New Picture of the Twins
Sammie and Jake March 2006
Originally uploaded by rkbk03.
Mom (Kelly) quickly gave me a more recent photo. Aren't they cute? :-)
Monday, March 13, 2006
Trip to the Zoo
Kelly's Twins
Originally uploaded by rkbk03.
My friend, Kelly, and I took her two-year-old twins to the Fort Worth zoo on Saturday afternoon. We spent all afternoon chasing them around. The day went about how I expected it to. Kelly thought they were a lot more trouble than she expected. I was probably expecting the worst since 1) she had told me she wouldn’t be able to handle them by herself and 2) she kept asking me if I was *sure* that I wanted to go. I told her she was scaring me and maybe I should rethink my offer…
Honestly, I’ve been feeling a bit anxious to get married and have kids and I really was thinking that a day at the zoo with two-year-olds would probably help me feel less so. I thought I’d be thinking “I don’t ever want kids” by the end of the day. But, they were just so gosh darn cute even when they were bad. That thought just didn’t come to pass. :-)
This is the most recent picture I have of them from Halloween last year.
Wednesday, March 01, 2006
First Exam and First Project
Yay - Got my first exam and first project back tonight in my class and got an A on both. Yay!! I really thought I was headed for a B on both, so I am very happy.
Got a new project assignment tonight, so hopefully will go as well. The first one was really a bitch. It took a lot of time. At least it ended up well. :-)
Got a new project assignment tonight, so hopefully will go as well. The first one was really a bitch. It took a lot of time. At least it ended up well. :-)
Tuesday, January 31, 2006
New Job Opportunity
My boss recently offered me the opportunity to make a change and do something different. It sounded like a good opportunity, so I accepted the offer. It’s a lateral move but I will no longer have direct reports. I’m basically going to help him with analysis and projects as he has been swamped and needs some assistance. I’ve only gotten a little taste of what I will be doing so far, but I’m looking forward to it. It will be nice to do something different since I’ve been doing the same thing for a couple years.
Wish me luck. Hopefully I won’t soon regret the decision.
Wish me luck. Hopefully I won’t soon regret the decision.
Formal Night on Cruise
2006 01 09_19_Rachelle and Gary formal night
Originally uploaded by rkbk03.
Here's a picture of us on our cruise.
Monday, January 23, 2006
Catching Up
Abby is doing much better. She’s eating on her own and seems to have recovered.
The cruise to Hawaii was excellent. In brief, we hit Hilo where we rented a car and checked out the Volcano National Park and then Rainbow Falls. In Kona, we went on a terrific snorkeling excursion and even saw some whales on the way. In Maui, we drove the Road to Hana on the first day and then on the second day we found a beach and lounged/rented boogie boards. In Kauai, we did a kayaking/hiking excursion and got to swim and sit in a waterfall. (It was cold, but it was a fun experience). Overall, I would rate the Pride of America highly. I did give them a lengthy list of suggestions on the feedback card, but nothing really that major. It was a nice ship and the crew was really great.
I started my first class for my Finance Masters last week. It seems like it will be a good class. My first impression of the instructor was good and the syllabus didn’t look to frightening.
We had a fun weekend and saw a couple shows. Saturday we took my parents to the movie “Walk the Line”. I thought it was good. Sunday, Gary and I went to the play/musical “Sex and the Second City”. It was entertaining and funny, but I wouldn’t go so far as to rave about it.
The cruise to Hawaii was excellent. In brief, we hit Hilo where we rented a car and checked out the Volcano National Park and then Rainbow Falls. In Kona, we went on a terrific snorkeling excursion and even saw some whales on the way. In Maui, we drove the Road to Hana on the first day and then on the second day we found a beach and lounged/rented boogie boards. In Kauai, we did a kayaking/hiking excursion and got to swim and sit in a waterfall. (It was cold, but it was a fun experience). Overall, I would rate the Pride of America highly. I did give them a lengthy list of suggestions on the feedback card, but nothing really that major. It was a nice ship and the crew was really great.
I started my first class for my Finance Masters last week. It seems like it will be a good class. My first impression of the instructor was good and the syllabus didn’t look to frightening.
We had a fun weekend and saw a couple shows. Saturday we took my parents to the movie “Walk the Line”. I thought it was good. Sunday, Gary and I went to the play/musical “Sex and the Second City”. It was entertaining and funny, but I wouldn’t go so far as to rave about it.
Thursday, January 05, 2006
Hmmm.... interesting
Here’s an interesting angle for an alternative to online dating… I got this in my email today:
"Are You Invited?
The Beautiful Room is Dallas’ most exclusive, social experience. The Beautiful Room Party is an event brought to you by The Beautiful Room, which will bring together Dallas’ most attractive people in one place to socialize and mingle in a unique setting on Saturday, January 21, 2006. The Beautiful Room Party is an exclusive event and is by invitation only.
To be considered for invitation, please go to: http://www.thebeautifulroom.com/qualify"
To qualify you have to submit pictures. “The qualification board is composed of three people who will base their decisions solely on the photographs you provide”.
I think I’ll submit a few really non-beautiful people for consideration just for fun. Ha ha.
"Are You Invited?
The Beautiful Room is Dallas’ most exclusive, social experience. The Beautiful Room Party is an event brought to you by The Beautiful Room, which will bring together Dallas’ most attractive people in one place to socialize and mingle in a unique setting on Saturday, January 21, 2006. The Beautiful Room Party is an exclusive event and is by invitation only.
To be considered for invitation, please go to: http://www.thebeautifulroom.com/qualify"
To qualify you have to submit pictures. “The qualification board is composed of three people who will base their decisions solely on the photographs you provide”.
I think I’ll submit a few really non-beautiful people for consideration just for fun. Ha ha.
Tuesday, January 03, 2006
Hair Debacle
Should I have realized I was in trouble when the girl doing my hair had a Mohawk? Perhaps.
I’ve had parts of my hair dyed three times in the last two days. The good news is that 1) I do now find it to be of acceptable quality to be seen and 2) I had plenty of time in the salon to finish reading Harry Potter (the 1st one), which I got for Christmas.
The bad news was 1) I wasted a total of about 5 hours in the salon and 2) she dropped a gob of dye on my book. That was bad enough but then to make it even worse, it got all over my jeans because I didn’t realize she had dropped it. :-(
Advice: 1) Don’t get your hair done by someone with a Mohawk and too many piercings to count, 2) Wear grubby clothes to the salon that you don’t care about, and 3) take a magazine rather than a book that you specifically asked your family to buy you in hardcover because you intended on keeping it long term.
I’ve had parts of my hair dyed three times in the last two days. The good news is that 1) I do now find it to be of acceptable quality to be seen and 2) I had plenty of time in the salon to finish reading Harry Potter (the 1st one), which I got for Christmas.
The bad news was 1) I wasted a total of about 5 hours in the salon and 2) she dropped a gob of dye on my book. That was bad enough but then to make it even worse, it got all over my jeans because I didn’t realize she had dropped it. :-(
Advice: 1) Don’t get your hair done by someone with a Mohawk and too many piercings to count, 2) Wear grubby clothes to the salon that you don’t care about, and 3) take a magazine rather than a book that you specifically asked your family to buy you in hardcover because you intended on keeping it long term.
Abby Update
Abby is doing better. We are “force feeding” her (with a syringe) three times a day. She’s been eating a small amount on her own. She seems to be happy and in good spirits. Gary took her to a specialist today that could run more sophisticated tests on her. His opinion is that the condition is reversible as long as we can keep her nutritional intake up.
Gary and I are headed to Hawaii on Saturday for a week, so my parents (in town anyway) will be housesitting for us and taking over cat care. We hate to leave her since this will likely stress her out, but hey… non-refundable tickets to Hawaii, ya know? :-)
Seriously, we are optimistic that she will be fine. Even if she doesn’t make progress on eating on her own, the syringe feedings should do the trick.
Gary and I are headed to Hawaii on Saturday for a week, so my parents (in town anyway) will be housesitting for us and taking over cat care. We hate to leave her since this will likely stress her out, but hey… non-refundable tickets to Hawaii, ya know? :-)
Seriously, we are optimistic that she will be fine. Even if she doesn’t make progress on eating on her own, the syringe feedings should do the trick.
Thursday, December 29, 2005
More Serious Kitty Check In
It appears the stress has taken a more serious toll on Abby recently. She was hospitalized this week. We had noticed a decrease in weight and food consumption and figured it was due to stress. That became even more serious in the last few days. When Gary left for his trip to Rhode Island, we think she pretty much completely quit eating. I was able to hand feed her a little bit, but she basically wasn’t eating. We took her to the vet on Tuesday and they kept her overnight to give her fluids. She was eating a little bit at the vet and they are giving her an appetite stimulant. The lack of eating has caused some liver problems. We brought her home for the evening last night, but she didn’t eat anything the whole time she was at the house. She’s going back to the vet to have more fluids today. We are hoping to get her eating again and hoping that will kick-start her liver functions back to normal… really hoping she hasn’t done permanent damage to her liver.
Sunday, December 25, 2005
Christmas 2005
Christmas 2005
Originally uploaded by rkbk03.
Here's a family picture from last night.
Merry Christmas!
Monday, December 19, 2005
Christmas Prep
I'm happy to say that I'm almost finished Christmas shopping. I believe I have 2-3 items left to pick up, which shouldn't take too long...the Christmas cards have been mailed... everything I've already bought has been wrapped and put under the tree. I think I'm almost ready.
Now it's time for Christmas cookie baking. :-)
I'm also happy to hear that the weather is expected to be very nice this weekend.
Now it's time for Christmas cookie baking. :-)
I'm also happy to hear that the weather is expected to be very nice this weekend.
Thursday, December 08, 2005
Winter Weather
I think my parents brought the cold weather with them. :-)
They arrived here Saturday, so at least they got to enjoy one really nice day before the weather turned to more of what they are used to. The scary thing is that even this weather is nicer than what they would be dealing with in ND. The good news is it will be back to the 50's by the weekend.
We usually only get one or two episodes like this per year and I'm very glad to have the ability to work from home this year. I left work early yesterday before the roads got bad and I'm working from home today also. It's very nice to have the choice to not go out.
They arrived here Saturday, so at least they got to enjoy one really nice day before the weather turned to more of what they are used to. The scary thing is that even this weather is nicer than what they would be dealing with in ND. The good news is it will be back to the 50's by the weekend.
We usually only get one or two episodes like this per year and I'm very glad to have the ability to work from home this year. I left work early yesterday before the roads got bad and I'm working from home today also. It's very nice to have the choice to not go out.
Wednesday, December 07, 2005
22% Yankee
Holy Crap! I've been in Dallas for too long. According to this test, I'm only 22% yankee.
For what it's worth, my answers were:
A-B-A-B-B
B-A-C-C-A
A-A-A-A-C
A-A-A-A-B
< Update >
I've been informed that, on this particular test, a low score means I'm more of a yankee. My score makes much more sense now.
And ... I managed to score a 79% on their spelling test. The quiz contained commonly confused and misspelled words. It was quite difficult, I thought.
For what it's worth, my answers were:
A-B-A-B-B
B-A-C-C-A
A-A-A-A-C
A-A-A-A-B
< Update >
I've been informed that, on this particular test, a low score means I'm more of a yankee. My score makes much more sense now.
And ... I managed to score a 79% on their spelling test. The quiz contained commonly confused and misspelled words. It was quite difficult, I thought.
Tuesday, November 29, 2005
Good News
Good news... Gary got a new job.
Better news... He's taking time off between jobs and we booked a Hawaiian cruise during that time.
Woohoo - can't wait. :-)
Better news... He's taking time off between jobs and we booked a Hawaiian cruise during that time.
Woohoo - can't wait. :-)
Wednesday, November 23, 2005
Kitties
Well for an update...
They are getting along ok, but not great. There is still a lot of hissing and growling going on.
I'm not sure who is winning between Molly and Isabel. They seem to be equally matched and I have spotted both of them chasing the other. I never really see who starts it.
For Molly and Abby, Molly is often doing the chasing but they keep their distance more because Abby is definitely doing the most growling. The good news is, it appears Abby is losing weight from all that being chased and going up/down stairs. She has been much more active and playful than I have ever seen her. Gary actually had her jumping up and batting at a cat toy... I've never seen her do that. :-)
They are definitely all enjoying all of the attention and company.
They are getting along ok, but not great. There is still a lot of hissing and growling going on.
I'm not sure who is winning between Molly and Isabel. They seem to be equally matched and I have spotted both of them chasing the other. I never really see who starts it.
For Molly and Abby, Molly is often doing the chasing but they keep their distance more because Abby is definitely doing the most growling. The good news is, it appears Abby is losing weight from all that being chased and going up/down stairs. She has been much more active and playful than I have ever seen her. Gary actually had her jumping up and batting at a cat toy... I've never seen her do that. :-)
They are definitely all enjoying all of the attention and company.
Friday, November 11, 2005
Kitty Check In 2
I'm working from home today, so Abby has really enjoyed the company. She's been on the couch with me most of the day. She's still growling at Molly whenever she sees her.
Today Molly and Isabel were chasing in a bad way. I'm not sure who was chasing who or what exactly happened, but I heard some mean screaming (in cat language) at each other. I yelled at them and they ran in opposite directions as they came down the stairs. :-(
Thankfully I wasn't on a conference call or something at the time. :-)
They seem to be fine now so I'm not sure what that was all about.
Today Molly and Isabel were chasing in a bad way. I'm not sure who was chasing who or what exactly happened, but I heard some mean screaming (in cat language) at each other. I yelled at them and they ran in opposite directions as they came down the stairs. :-(
Thankfully I wasn't on a conference call or something at the time. :-)
They seem to be fine now so I'm not sure what that was all about.
Last Chapter
After getting the school and tuition reimbursement folks on a 3-way call yesterday, I decided to give up. I just wasn't getting anywhere.
Last night I went ahead and applied and put the fee on my credit card.
Wouldn't you just know it... today I got an email from the tuition reimbursement people that although they normally require fees to be associated with a class for approval, they have gone ahead and approved this for me.
Now, I'll see if the nice folks at the school will reverse the charge on my credit card and accept the payment from the tuition people. The school was much more reasonable to deal with yesterday, so I think that may work out fine.
Last night I went ahead and applied and put the fee on my credit card.
Wouldn't you just know it... today I got an email from the tuition reimbursement people that although they normally require fees to be associated with a class for approval, they have gone ahead and approved this for me.
Now, I'll see if the nice folks at the school will reverse the charge on my credit card and accept the payment from the tuition people. The school was much more reasonable to deal with yesterday, so I think that may work out fine.
Thursday, November 10, 2005
That thing I do
My company issued a press release today, announcing a line of wireless and wireline softswitches that will be marketed in the US. Almost makes me well up with pride and burst into the official company song.
Anyway, I mention it not because I get a commission on each item sold (though maybe I'll drop that little idea in the suggestion box), but because friends, relatives, and coworkers (go figure!) sometimes ask me what I do at work. Well, here it is: I help figure out how to make these things work here in the states.
You see, telecom gear talks different languages (or at least dialects) depending on where you are in the world. There's a whole maze of regional standards to navigate. Then there are the regulatory considerations. Each country tells us how to do things like 911 and wiretapping a bit differently. Finally, we need to iron out various stuff with the customers themselves. For example, our equipment needs to generate billing records just so, so it can be easily fed into their accounting systems and you get your bill at the end of the month.
We're a little informal about job titles around here, but this would generally fall into the category of "systems engineer" or maybe even "systems analyst." I figure out what the thing's supposed to do (requirements analysis) and then tell the engineers (requirements specification). Then, the engineers ignore me (design and implementation) and, lastly, I beat them with a stick until it works (quality assurance).
So that's it in a nutshell. Not so complicated after all, huh?
Oh ... and did you notice the title of the article? "Samsung unveils plans." It sounds kinda ominous, doesn't it? As in, "Samsung unveils plans ... to rule the WORLD!! muahahaha!!!"
Hmmm ... another idea for the suggestion box.
Anyway, I mention it not because I get a commission on each item sold (though maybe I'll drop that little idea in the suggestion box), but because friends, relatives, and coworkers (go figure!) sometimes ask me what I do at work. Well, here it is: I help figure out how to make these things work here in the states.
You see, telecom gear talks different languages (or at least dialects) depending on where you are in the world. There's a whole maze of regional standards to navigate. Then there are the regulatory considerations. Each country tells us how to do things like 911 and wiretapping a bit differently. Finally, we need to iron out various stuff with the customers themselves. For example, our equipment needs to generate billing records just so, so it can be easily fed into their accounting systems and you get your bill at the end of the month.
We're a little informal about job titles around here, but this would generally fall into the category of "systems engineer" or maybe even "systems analyst." I figure out what the thing's supposed to do (requirements analysis) and then tell the engineers (requirements specification). Then, the engineers ignore me (design and implementation) and, lastly, I beat them with a stick until it works (quality assurance).
So that's it in a nutshell. Not so complicated after all, huh?
Oh ... and did you notice the title of the article? "Samsung unveils plans." It sounds kinda ominous, doesn't it? As in, "Samsung unveils plans ... to rule the WORLD!! muahahaha!!!"
Hmmm ... another idea for the suggestion box.
The Saga Continues
Would you believe... the tuition reimbursement people have now denied my application because "any fees need to be associated with a class". I ask you... how can an application fee, which the policy clearly says it covers, be associated with a class??? UGGHHHHH! Getting angrier...
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