RI: STL style recap

I'm sure you're on pins and needles waiting for my recap of the Restaurant Impossible dinner from Wednesday night, so here it is!

That's Joe waving, I'm on the right taking a pic of the Lexus.

Homemade Dessert?!?  Yes please!!!

The awesome sibling duo

Warning about walking onto a public set!  So exciting!!

The new signage behind the bar.

Robert's Signature Lexus SUV.

Chef Robert Irvine Taping the RI close for the episode

Overall the night was A-MAZING!  I wasn't sure what to expect besides dinner but by having an early reservation we actually got to be a part of the taping that they show when the restaurant re-opens.  The cafe only has about 20-25 tables so this was extremely exciting.  The camera crews were interviewing all of us and getting shots of our meals and pretty much putting the finishing touches on the normal clips that are aired with each episode.
I was star-struck seeing the chef in action along with Lynn the designer and Tom the re-modeler.  I spent most of my night with my head on a swivel trying to catch all of the action.  Sure, I watch them on tv nearly every week but seeing them live and in a local establishment was unbelievable. 
The actual meal  was absolutely fantastic.  We all ordered something different so we could try as much of the new menu as possible and then topped off the evening with dessert.  You only live once, right?!? 
This cafe is definitely a place I'm planning on revisiting because the food alone is magnificent and I truly hope they stick with Chef Robert's new menu.
Most of all, the night was an opportunity to enjoy time with Dad, Ryan and Joe and experience the live version of a show we all love.  As Dad put it the other night, "Who would have thought in 2012 we'd all be watching Food Network and found a show that we all enjoyed and then got to live it?"
Personally, I'm still pinching myself.....I could only imagine being a part of an experience like this!  And of course, wow we're all super pumped to watch the episode when it airs in late January, early February.

Another bucket list experience

Tonight I get a once in a lifetime opportunity.  It all started on Friday night when I got home from work and checked my Facebook news feed.  Usually I just scroll thru to see if anything exciting happened throughout the day.  Friday night I was checking in and saw a post that looked extremely intriguing.
One of my favorite chefs from Food Network is bringing his show to the area to revitalize a struggling restaurant.  You may have heard of the show...

Source

The post said Chef Irvine was coming to town for the Grand Reopening and that there were limited reservations available by calling the cafe.  I played the scenario in my head multiple times, sent a quick message to my Bro and then decided to give the cafe a call.  My name was put on a list and within a few hours, the new chef called me back and confirmed my reservation for a 4 top!  I'm so super excited and I can't believe that after watching every episode I finally can be a part of the RI experience!!
What's even cooler is that last Wednesday night, my Bro came to visit me and have dinner after work and we spent the rest of the evening watching a mini-marathon of RI on Food Network, while talking about how cool it would be to meet Chef Robert in person.
I'm definitely on cloud 9 right now!  I'll recap our dinner when I have a chance!

Sixteen years ago...

Sixteen years ago the most precious little girl came into the world and since that first day she's been the apple not only of my eye but our entire family.  She was the first and only cousin I had on my Dad's side (until my Aunt remarried a few years ago) and while we're nearly 14 years apart in age, she has always been like my little sister.
For the first 6 years of her life, I took non-stop pictures with my 35 mm camera, capturing as many of her milestones as I could.  Unfortunately, I haven't gotten those pics converted to digital yet, but I still decided to do a photo dump of some of the pictures I've taken since then.

Happy Birthday to my favorite girlie Nicole!!

Sixteen years ago we were on pins and needles waiting for your entrance into the world and now we're watching you grow into a mature, confident, smart young lady.

An election season promise

Seems like I've talked more about politics this election season that any other time in the past.  Hopefully this will be the last post about anything political.  Mostly, this is a post about common sense more than anything but I am making a promise to the Missouri Republican State Committee right now that I will not vote for Bill Otto in this election.
I got this in my mail today:

The blacked out part of this flyer is my full name and entire address.  In fact, it is my new address pre-printed on this piece of propaganda.  My new address in a different state!  I may not always be the brightest and most intelligent individual but shouldn't someone fact check addresses before mailing certain campaign pamphlets?  Wouldn't it be more appropriate to send this sort of mailing to someone who actually lives in the State of Missouri?
I think this is hilarious considering I forfeited my right to vote in Missouri the minute I moved and updated all of my records and registered to vote in the State of Illinois.

Sure looks like the Missouri Republican State Committee spent their advertising funds wisely for this election.  And don't worry Missouri, I'm helping protect and create jobs in your communities this election.  :)

In other news, this morning I had an appointment to get my haircut and colored.  After growing and growing and growing some more for the last year or two, I decided to get 5 inches cut off and darkened my hair a smidge for fall.
The result:

Feelin' super sexy!  (Ok, that's probably a little extreme, but I do love the new cut and color!)

I just might qualify

I know the countdown is on and in less than 3 months I turn 30 but I thought I was still in the prime of my life at this age.
I guess the canvasser than brought this by and hooked it to my front door knob thought differently.

Does 30 start to qualify you for senior discounts?  I wonder if I should call and get signed up for this Senior Final Expense Program asap?? 
They'll pay up to $25,000 for my funeral expenses even if I have a health condition!!!  Can't pass up a deal like that!


Yeah, this door notice ended up exactly where it belonged in the first place....after taking a pic for the blog, it's in the kitchen garbage can. 

I'm gonna try to retain my "youth" for a little bit longer.

Peter Piper picked...

Since moving into my new place, Sundays have pretty much been reserved for laundry, getting my work outfits planned, making meals and trying to catch up on anything I may have missed doing during the week.  My most favorite part about the day is spending time in my bigger kitchen creating my homemade breakfasts, lunches and/or dinners for the week ahead.  Besides being a big time planner, doing this saves me a lot of time during the week since I am working more hours and saves me from spending too much money going out every day, plus let's just face it, I love experimenting and creating culinary masterpieces (ok, probably not, but I have made some noteworthy meals) now that I have room to move in this kitchen.

While we were working out today, KP and I were talking about this past weekend and since we both have a love of cooking we both mentioned our adventures in the kitchen.  I told her about the pizza stuff green peppers I made for dinner this week and she told me about the steak fajita dinner she made for her mom's birthday.  Besides being an awesome friend, KP also tries to make mostly healthy meals and we compare notes on different techniques or recipes.  I ooohhed and aaahhed over her dinner and she was eager to try my take on stuffed green peppers. 

What's a girl to do when someone wants to try your culinary creation?  Why of course you pack a pepper for her to enjoy!  I'm excited that she asked me to bring in a sample and even more antsy to hear about what she thinks.  It's nothing extraordinary, but they are hearty and quite delicious and packed with lots of veggies.  This may be just what I needed when I said I should start cooking for the work group.  It may be even more apparent now that we started our "Gettin' Fit Challenge." 

Hmm, I may need to keep working on that!

I'm no food stylist or photographer and they don't look as pretty from my phone's camera, but I can attest these peppers are yummy!

Early bird catches the....

Election day is right around the corner and while I'm not the most political person, I do still try to vote in all the major elections.  Up until a few days ago I was wondering how I was going to be able to vote this year considering I leave for the gym and then work at 4:30 am and the polls don't open until 6 am here and usually I never make it home in enough time in order to hit the polling place after work.  However, with living on the other side of the river for this election, this great state gives its residents the ability to participate in Early Bird Voting starting earlier this week.  I had to make a trip to Village Hall this morning to drop off my utility payment and decided why not get my civic duty out of the way so I don't have to worry about switching around my schedule on Election Day.  Let me tell you, it worked perfectly, no hiccups and I was in and out of there within minutes.  (Of course, since I try to be the model of efficiency and time effectiveness, I studied and researched my specimen ballot last week...remember?)

Now, I just wish I could stop all of the political bulk mailings that are clogging my tiny mailbox and the slanderous tv ads.....ugh, annoying!

This week's randomness

Ok so let's not talk about how my Cardinals completely flubbed up the last 3 games of the NLCS series and looked like they started their winter vacation early after Thursday's game.  Or the fact that during last night's game I was so uninterested in baseball that I actually researched all of my officials for the upcoming election and tried to decipher the specimen ballot sent to me by the county.  (True story!)

Let's talk about something much more exciting, shall we?
Who am I kidding....there is not much excitement going on right now.  But I can give you a rundown of some of the normal stuff going on.
The girls and I have been formulating a workout plan for our lunch-time gym sessions.  Last Wednesday we were weighed in and our measurements were taken along with getting all of our membership "stuff" taken care of.  I started showing the girls some simple workouts for toning and getting into shape also.  KP and I worked on lunges and squats our second day (Thursday) and then KP couldn't walk without being sore until yesterday (Monday...whoops!).  On the other hand, squats and lunges are great exercises to get your legs in shape (and KP would agree).  Yesterday we worked arms, back and shoulders and had a little bit better luck with me not hurting her.
Our goal through the holidays is to get in 3-4 days of working out at lunch and then 1 day off, typically for Friday work family lunch.  For me, this is perfect paired with my morning sessions.  Well, maybe not this week considering I had a half day today and Friday is fall potluck day.  (Eeeeek!)  But I'm pumped to join the girls for tomorrow's workout....and we're still trying to convince the boys it is ok to workout with us every now and again.

As for today's half day, it really wasn't for anything fun  I had a doctor's appointment this afternoon and was going to ask off a bit early as it was.  My boss, knowing how much I've been working to get everything in order with my two companies over the last few months, insisted I leave at noon today.  It was a "thank you for your dedication" half day.  (I like those kinda days!)  I did get to stop in at Kohl's before my appointment and pick up a few things.  The rest of the afternoon I prepped (for my Food Network friends, mise en place) for my potluck dishes I need to make for Friday.  It was nice to have a few extra hours free and it was really good to get back into the kitchen and go crazy with the amount of food I prepped.  This cooking for just me has proven most difficult lately.  I'm still cooking for a family of 4 and then eating the same thing all week long because I don't want it to go to waste and I'm running out of freezer space (mental note to self: start cooking less of a dish!).  I'm starting to think I should just cook lunch for my group one day a week just to satisfy my need to be in the kitchen.  (hmm....another mental note, that is if I could get them to agree on the weekly meal idea!)

Other than that, it's been pretty much the same here.
Oh and in case you're wondering, I'm rooting for Detroit in the World Series.  Why you may ask?  Well D. Rob is originally from Michigan and an avid fan of all Detroit teams and since I still need his help on a daily basis for nearly all things involving logistics at work, I felt it was best to root for the Tigers.  Good reasoning, right?!?

Intrigued by an infomercial

I have to admit, I was intrigued by the infomercial one morning during my weekend warrior workout.  So much so that I did some research, got a few friends to like the Facebook page and got a 50% off coupon to try out this creative invention.  Last week I finally made my purchase and have anxiously been awaiting its delivery.  Finally last night my package showed up at home!  Don't get me wrong, I'm not expecting this device to work miracles, but after losing 80 lbs and making huge strides in working my core during nearly every single workout, I do need a little bit of assistance to get the last little bit of toning and firming for my mid-section complete.  It just comes with the territory of spending a good portion of my life over-weight, however I'm not accepting the fact that I can't do anything about it.

The newest addition to my fitness and healthiness journey:

Source

It's been charging as instructed for the last 24 hours and tonight for the first time, I'm trying out this bad boy!  Think I can eventually look like one of the spokesmodels?!?  jk!!

Just speaking the truth

Found this in my Facebook feed earlier tonight and I had to giggle.  I probably do have to agree with this card, I'm more in love with the post-season play of my home team than the political circus right now.  This afternoon I was offered a ticket to the game.  The only reason why I politely declined was due to the fact that it was supposed to be less than ideal weather-wise at game time and I didn't want to be sitting in the GREEN seats (the expensive, catered 12 rows behind home plate) when the storms came through.  Yes, I'm dedicated to my team but STL storms scare the bejeesus out of me.  As luck would have it, much of the game has been played before the rain started.  And 3 hours later, I'm waiting for the last few innings to be called or the game to restart.  Yep, I'm glad I came home.  There are two more games here this week...maybe I'll luck into another ticket.

In any case, I'm excitedly rooting on my Cards!!  Let's go Birds!!!

Gettin' fit with the work fam

I've been religiously working out for nearly 4 years now.  When I lived in my apartment, I was only 7 minutes away from the gym and I was only about 3 minutes away when I worked at my two previous employers.  Those facts alone made it much easier to get my butt into the gym nearly every single day.  I learned to love working out and when life (or work) became too stressful, the gym became my haven (seriously there were some weeks I logged 15, 16, 17 hours there).  With the new job and having a 30 minute commute, I've lost out on some time I used to spend working out.  Don't get me wrong, I'm still at my new gym at 5 am every morning but I only get an hour long workout Monday thru Friday and then I try to make up some of the lost time with my 3 hour weekend warrior workouts each Saturday and Sunday.  Right now it works, but some weeks I really wish I was able to pick up a bit more time just for the heck of it but again, there are other priorities besides being a gym rat.

Last week my company offered free gym memberships for all employees if we wanted to workout at the facility located on another floor of our skyscraper building.  My entire group jumped at this opportunity.  For me its a chance to pick up some extra gym time I've been craving.  For KP its about getting into stellar shape for her wedding next year, B. Dilly just wants to start making good (healthy) choices and the boys are realizing they aren't quite a young any more and can't eat and drink like they did when they were in their early 20s, so starting tomorrow this group is beginning on our lunchtime fitness journey.  I've got my gym bag ready and an idea of what my morning and lunchtime workout plans will be and its time for me to show my group how dedicated I am to staying healthy.  I'm super pumped! 

Now if we can just convince the boys to take Zumba with us on Friday....

Defeating the odds

I can not believe what I just watched....

Source: AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais

 Welcome to the NLCS STL Cardinals!!!

So superly crazy but that seems to be how this team plays.  Largest comeback win?  Of course, that's what makes these wins so sweet!  Last year I jumped on the Allen Craig fan bandwagon.  This year it just might be Daniel Descalso or Pete Kozma.  (For now at least!)

Way to go Birds!!!!

I'll have an another exciting update when I'm not 100% tired and nerve-wracked from watching a baseball game.

Turn on the light

For Father's Day, I found my Dad one of the greatest gifts ever (his words not mine).

We had a home-made one of these at home and when my parents divorced Dad left it.  He always talked about what a cool gadget it was and how he wished he had either taken it with him or had my Grandpa make him another one.  When Father's Day rolled around, I'd seen these advertised online and thought it would be a perfect surprise for Dad.  Indeed it was and he still talks about my awesome find even months later.

Now I'm left with topping the perfect gift as Dad's birthday is next Wednesday and let me tell you, I'm stumped.  My Dad is non-materialistic and a simple, minimalist kind of guy.  Of course, I'm planning on making him dinner and a pumpkin cheesecake but I also wanted to buy him something he wanted and/or needed.  Dad never asks for much, so this is proving way more difficult that I had hoped.

I sent a text to my Bro this afternoon and asked if he knew of something to get for Dad.
His response....No idea.

Big help Bro, big help.  I've got a couple more days to shop and come up with something but after month-end on Monday and a super busy week in general, my brain is mush.  I'm hoping the lightbulb in my head decides to flip on soon.

Welcome back refs!

It started on Thursday night with a friendly text exchange with my longtime Seattle sports buddy, Tom:

Tom: Ruh Roh!  Its time for the Seahawks whupping the Rams week  :)
Me:  No way!!  My boys got it at home & we have real refs.  No cheating this week!!  :)

Tom and I have been friends for years and he's even visited in the past when the Seahawks play the Rams in St. Louis.  Sure most of the games have been in the 'Hawks favor and overall they lead the series in number of games won but we had that home win in 2010 and I'm expecting them to show the same spunk they did in that game.
You can bet I'll be catching all of the game and most like yelling at the TV during every play.  I'm hoping to prove to my friend that my Rams can put up a fight this week and that they are possible of touchdowns with no question of who is in possession of the ball in the endzone.

Most of all, I'm super excited the regular refs are back for all of this weeks' games.  The past 3 weeks have played havoc with my picks in our football pool!!

Source: Dilip Vishwanat - Getty Images

More Game Info: NFL Capsule: Seahawks at Rams

UPDATE:
See this pic....

Source

It's the picture of my Rams (Eugene Sims to be exact) illustrating to the Seahawks just what they are this afternoon.  LOSERS!
Oh the texts were flying this afternoon, but my team rose to the challenge and took down the Seahawks 19-13!  Such an amazingly exciting game!  I keep telling everyone this team is different than the Rams of the last few years and at home they've played stellar, if they work on their on the road game, they will be unstoppable. 
And mad props to our rookie kicker Greg Zuerlein who broke the Rams record twice today with his field goal kicks -- a 58 yarder and then a 60 yard field goal!  I made the joke earlier this afternoon, Zuerlein must be a rockstar at lunges and squats in the gym.  (Yes, my joke was met with eyerolls too!)

Alright, I'm going back to enjoying this afternoon's win.  :)

Only my parents...

Usually I check in with my parents a few times during the week and over the weekend.  Saturday ended up being a fairly busy day of errands and chores and by the time I realized what time it was, I didn't end up calling or visiting either one of them.
I figured on Sunday, I would call and see how they were doing and update them on all of my happenings.  It was mid-afternoon when my phone rang the first time and not even an hour later it rang again.  Both parents had called to see how I was doing after the last few days of the work week and how my weekend was going.  I gave them the rundown and talked about the week ahead, normal conversation with my parents.

Perhaps the funniest thing is that both parents reminded me that had they remained married and not divorced in 1994, Sunday would have been their 35th wedding anniversary.  This year they have now been divorced longer than they were married, yet each one still remembered the day and made a remark about it.  What really made me laugh was the fact that each parent talked about wanting to call the other and wish them a "Happy Non-Anniversary."  However, both refrained from such silliness.

It's also crazy for me being a child of the 80s to realize the 1970s were over 30 years ago.  Geez, where is the time going?!?

Queue the highlights reel

7 years and 8 days after starting this blog, I've made it to my 400th post and I can proudly say this blog has kept to its name, it truly has been random thoughts from the very first entry.
I decided to go back and read some of the entries and especially making sure I read the other milestone posts.
My very first entry: September 18, 2005 - short and sweet.  (Gosh I was a dork!)
Post #100: July 19, 2008 - celebrating my 3 year anniversary in the trucking world.  (Yep, still a dork!)
Post #200: July 30, 2010 - Chicago girls' weekend & Bon Jovi awesomeness (Losing a small amount of the dorkiness....possibly)
Post #300: August 28, 2011 - Mantras for a happy life (This was the start to the craziness of the next year of my life.  I didn't know how dramatically everything would change after this post...too bad I couldn't remember these mantras thru some of the madness!)

And now post 400!
What can I say, my life has been a roller coaster over the years.

As of today's post, I've officially made it to my 6 month anniversary in my sales accounting position at my new place, which is more than what can be said for my last position.  For the record, I quit 3 days before hitting my 6 month mark because I couldn't take the stupidity and stress.  I'm so glad I took a risk and made this leap.  I'm enjoying the environment, being able to work with great people, and overall my ability to grasp my job and the industry.  Most of all, I feel like I'm able to contribute and make a difference in my department.

In my personal life, I went from being attached and madly in love with the one person who understood me, cared for me and ultimately made me feel normal to now being single.  Over the past 11 months, I've learned a lot about who I really am and I'm more confident and accepting of myself and I've also learned what I am willing to accept in a date or potential boyfriend and what I am not.  (Yeah, my list for potential suitors is pretty much unachievable, you are being compared to Broccoli after all, but I'm content with that.)

I've also learned who you can count on and remain friends with and who will not fight for your friendship when life doesn't go nearly as perfectly as expected.  Again, I'm ok and accepting of these changes also.  I think some of the fall outs were eventually inevitable and most likely necessary so I could grow and actually figure out who I really am.  I am truly grateful for my friends who have remained loyal and true friends through thick and thin.

Most of all through the 400 entries and 7+ years of posting, I've learned that I can step out of my so-called comfort zone and find what it takes to be happy, healthy and successful in my life.  Hopefully I've been able to portray that through all of my randomness.

Not your average Tuesday

I thought field trips were a thing of the past but today I got a chance to get out of the office and visit one of the terminals we use to get our product to our customers.  Outfitted with steel toed boots borrowed by MW's wife, we got to tour the facility and grounds across the river.  I saw material from one of my companies and I got a better understanding of what it takes so that I can do my job here in the office.  On top of that, we got to have lunch at a great BBQ place close by.  (Love me some good pulled pork and cole slaw!)  Getting out of the office gave me a greater appreciation and much better understanding of my position in the sales department and the company in general.

 

Besides claiming victory in my understanding of my job (ok, maybe just a small part of my job), I also notched a mini win against the property management company of my former apartment.  Seems as though they thought it would be fair to charge me for 1/2 month rent for September even though my lease was up on August 31st.  Somehow the keys I returned were "misplaced" and they thought I was staying for a bit.  Umm, hello....I moved out earlier than my lease stated just to get the heck out of there.  I made it clear in my 60 day notice, I would be out on or before (stressing the before) August 31st.  Also, how is it possible to charge me for 4 months of utilities when I was paid up through June as of the end of July?  Someone's math is way off.  In any case, they are looking into it and will get back to me on the final figures.  All I can say is that I best be getting at least part of my security deposit back.

 

Overall, I'd say today was a success.

 

Now I'm headed for some rest and relaxation because the former apartment drama kept me awake and irritated most of last night.

Why my co-workers are so awesome, reason #512

At month-end JP gave all of the Sales Accountants a ranking as to where they stood on his list of favorite co-workers.  Granted there are only 3 of us, but the ranking went like this:
#1 - me
#2 - KP
#3 - B. Dilly

At first he gave us the rank based on how much extra work we had for him as Contract Admin when he came back from vacation the week of month-end.  Luckily, I had 1 small issue I needed fixed in our system so that I could get my companies closed with no problems.  My list continued to stay that small as each day before the 31st came around.  KP's and B. Dilly's list continued to grow, not because of anyone's fault, it was just due to the nature of their sales, but we've continued to make a joke about it every day since.  Somehow with the comments and things B. Dilly does in the office she's moved to 4th, 5th and sometimes 10th place and if she doesn't finish her DMX song for JP by Christmas, well she can just kiss herself off of the list completely.
Last week I officially cemented my position in the top spot as I told JP about one of my favorite side dishes.  We were all talking about veggies at lunch and the best way to cook them and what certain veggies taste like.  JP loves brussel sprouts as much as I do and we were trying to convince KP to buy them and test them out.  She asked about the best way to cook them and I mentioned roasting them with a bit of sea salt and parmesan cheese.  Matter of factly, JP says, "Lindsay, you are by far my #1 favorite, I've never had them cooked like that but I'm so trying it."
And because our group tends to say inappropriate, yet funny things when its just us, we came to the consensus, you just can't go wrong with cheesy, salty balls.

Source

The Fisher 'Stache

Another great, yet packed weekend and another fantastic Sunday filled with football.  It's even better when your team puts on a show for the home opener and takes down the 'Skins.
Did ya see it? 

Source: AP Photo/Jeff Roberson

Source: AP Photo/Seth Perlman

Rams rally in 2nd half, beat Redskins 31-28

What was even cooler is that I picked them to win today's game!  Makes up for the stupid Chicago loss on Thursday night, I guess and still keeps me in the mix in the football pool.  And you can bet I will be picking my boys in blue and gold in their game against Chicago next Sunday!

Oh and in case you weren't aware, today was a special game.  It was Fisher 'Stache day at the game as each fan got a fake mustache to wear today.  Unfortunately, I was not in attendance, but what better way to make it into the Guinness Book of World Records than by wearing a fake mustache?!?

Heading back in time

I never thought I'd be excited I paid attention in Algebra class all those years ago (let's see, 7th grade Algebra, 8th grade Advanced Algebra, some year in high school, and finally College Algebra) but it's finally paying off.  The few days I've been working on costs analyses for my facilities/companies at work and while I have final numbers on multiple sales and cost reports, the numbers are pulling from different spots in our system.  After an in-depth meeting with my bosses last week (each Sales Accountant got a personalized meeting based on our specific customers and locations, which was super helpful for someone with only 5 months of Sales Accounting under her belt!), ultimately we need to know what report is using what calculation. 
Enter those wonderful handy dandy math skills that I thought would be useless once I hit the real world.  After 2 days, I have most of the reports decoded.  I'm not entirely sure each report is illustrating exactly what we want it to, but at least I have answers for my boss when she asks how we came up with a certain customer cost, sales price or adjustment.  I even went old school when completing my calculations, pulling out the pencil (ok, it was black pen) and paper solving my equations by hand.

I'll leave the hard part making sure the figures are reported in the right spot up to management and our system programmer.  For now I'll just be happy that I retained something besides boy band lyrics from my teenage years.

An ideal weekend

I have to say after dealing with month-end on Tuesday and all of the craziness that ensues the few days after, this weekend has been highly enjoyable and mostly low-key.  It started off somewhat rocky with the torrential thunderstorms I encountered on my way home Friday night (it was so bad, I had to pull over for a good 15 minutes because my wipers wouldn't work fast enough and I was super afraid of hydroplaning) but from then on, it's been a picture perfect almost fall weekend here.
Completed the first half of my weekend warrior workout yesterday morning, shopped for new fall work clothes through the afternoon and then came home to do laundry and enjoy my Saturday night watching the last race before the Chase (or what could have been called the race that didn't want to start and then took hours to end). 
Today, I finished the second half of my weekend warrior workout, prepped lunches and dinners and ironed clothes for the week ahead and most importantly I'm spending my afternoon watching football.  While my Rams just lost to Detroit, they actually held their own most of the game.  I'm pretty proud of how they've looked so far and I'm excited to see what successes the team will have with Jeff Fischer leading them.
I am also super pumped for my NFL boyfriend's (in my head, that is) return to football after a year out of the game.  Yep, I'm rooting for the Broncos tonight!

Source

With the return of football season, my Sundays all around are so much better.  Now, if I can just win a week of football picks against the boys!

Unofficial end of summer

Exciting Labor Day weekend....

No, that's not my ring nor is that even my hand, but my good friend KP texted the work fam last night with this pic and informed us she got engaged yesterday.  We are all so happy for her and her fiance and we're so excited to hear the details when we get back to work on Tuesday.

While it has been an eventful weekend for KP, pretty much for me this weekend (and really the last 4 days in general) has been a bust.  After feeling absolutely horrible on Thursday and Friday and plugging through work so that month-end goes smooth on Tuesday, I came home Friday night and vowed I wasn't doing anything until I felt at least halfway normal again.  I tossed and turned all of Friday night and I was getting a bit stir crazy, so I got dressed and headed to the gym thinking I would sweat out whatever was making me feel like crap.  No such luck though since the doors are computerized and the power had gone out during the night.  That was my cue to come home, put my pjs on and spend the day on the couch.
The work fam kept me entertained all day as we group texted back and forth.  Really, I think that is the only reason why I didn't try to get up and tackle my list of many projects I had in my head for the long weekend.

Somehow I managed to sleep decently last night and while not feeling 100%, today I'm at least able to function and get some things done like laundry, apartment cleaning and making lunches and dinners for the week ahead.  I still haven't pushed myself full force because if this sinus/allergy/cold BS comes back and I have to suffer through a 12 hour month-end close on Tuesday feeling like I did on Friday, I will have the worst close ever.  (And right now, that's the last thing I need!)

Hurricane Issac has made this a less than perfect holiday weekend in the STL also as we've had showers and storms pop up pretty much the entire last two and a half days.  We've needed the rain, so I'm not complaining and it is still warm (and humid!) but the sun and rain has come and gone in a weird untimely pattern.  I guess it's nice that I didn't have grand plans for Labor Day weekend...less chance of them getting rearranged because of Mother Nature.

Testing my patience

I'm not sure how I made it through the first 18 years of my life without the internet because after being down for 3 days at home, I was about to go insane and I'm only home and awake for 2 or 3 hours most nights but man oh man, have those hours been less than enjoyable.  Finally last night I decided to call Charter and get a service tech out here to figure out exactly what was wrong.  The service to my place appeared to be working, the modem, which is only a month old, was lit up and connected but the internet would not connect  The tech ran all of the commands he knew to get things back in order, he even called a second tech that popped in to help but still no internet.  After giving me multiple options of what could be wrong, they left about an hour later not being able to fix my MAJOR internet issue.  I was bummed but understood.  In fact, the techs were surprised that I wasn't upset or mad at them for not fixing my internet.  Really, how could I be mad, its not their fault.  So I sat here for about 2 minutes more and decided, why not give the ol system restore a try.  Viola!!  Here I am!  I just don't know why I didn't think of this 3 days ago!  I promise, I'll be smarter the next time.

In other news, last night I had my physical exam for the new life insurance I applied for.  Things went well until the paramedical examiner needed to take a blood sample.  2 small viles of blood is all that was required, easy enough.....well for most.  Of course not for me though!  I made it through 1 vile and passed out while he was taking the second.  Not only did I pass out, he had to catch me before I wiped out on the floor in my living room.  I was out for a good 20 minutes even with him shaking and yelling my name over and over again.  Seriously, who passes out like that?!?  According to both Bro and Mom, both of them have done the same thing.  Guess it runs in the family.  I spent the rest of my evening feeling like I'd been hit by a truck.  Let's hope that the fainting doesn't affect my ability to buy this insurance policy.
It was funny today at work as the girls made it a point to remind me not to pass out when doing certain tasks at my desk or while walking through the office.  What a bunch of jokesters!

Lunch with the work fam

As my family, loyal readers, close friends and even the girls at work know, I'm obsessed with Food Network and really any food program (think: Top Chef, Hells Kitchen, Masterchef, even Man v. Food, etc) on tv.  You will find my television tuned into these more than anything else on any channel.  I'll even watch repeat episodes of my favorite shows if that is the only appealing thing on tv at the time.  Like I told the cable guy who hooked up my service a few weeks ago, I really don't need an updated channel guide unless they moved Food Network, Bravo, Travel Channel or the locals stations, which being on the basic tier, it's highly unlikely these channels will change.
Today we took B. Dilly out to lunch for her birthday.  I'm not exactly sure how the side conversation with D. Rob turned from JP's weekend bachelor party trip to Memphis to cooking competitions on television, but I then decided to have a 15 minute exchange with him about all of the great food shows on various networks.  And I gave him a rundown of places in St. Louis where hosts such as Guy Fieri, Adam Richman and Alton Brown have visited on their respective shows.  I know I probably freaked him out with the knowledge of food shows on the tip of my tongue and then as if I couldn't get any more geeked out, I told him about all of the times Broccoli and I held Iron Chef and Chopped competitions in my little galley kitchen and even winning the 1st Iron Chef Battle Pineapple competition against Michael.  Ironically, the main dish I made for that competition was the same dish I had for lunch at TGI Friday's today -- dragonfire chicken. 
I'm pretty sure after today's lunch he won't choose to sit next to me at our next work family outing.  Ooops!  Although I did enlighten him on the BBQ Championships at Memphis in May this after he told me about his uncle's Ribfest a few weekends ago so maybe he'll give me a pass for now.

Checklist to 30

With B. Dilly turning 30 tomorrow and nearly all of my friends hitting 30 within the next year or so, and not to mention my 30th birthday being less than 6 months away, I started thinking about this milestone.
Years ago Glamour magazine and contributor and author Pamela Redmond Satran published the article, 30 Things Every Woman Should Have and Should Know by the Time She's 30 and just for giggles I thought I'd review the list and see how many of these things I do already  know and have done and how many more I should actually think about doing before January 29, 2013 rolls around.  I linked the article above if you want to read the entire thing.  But here's my take on Satran's list:

By 30, you should have:

1. One old boyfriend you can imagine going back to and one who reminds you of how far you’ve come. (Up until Broccoli, I can definitely see how far I've come in the dating world, Broccoli would be the exception and the one and only guy I would definitely go back to if it was at all possible.  He brought me confidence and pushed me to realize its ok to be the person I truly wanted to be.)
2. A decent piece of furniture not previously owned by anyone else in your family.  (I can proudly say I bought my own loveseat and couch when I moved into my first apartment and I still have it to this day and I've spent many nights snoozing on both.)
3. Something perfect to wear if the employer or man of your dreams wants to see you in an hour.  (Of course, not the same outfit but I have multiple outfits ready to go for the right occasion.  This is the one time by super organizational skills and my ability "to always be ready for whatever" comes in handy.)
4. A purse, a suitcase and an umbrella you’re not ashamed to be seen carrying.  (Yep, I'm fairly conservative in this aspect of my life so you won't find any standard accessory too crazy.)
5. A youth you’re content to move beyond.  (I think so and to be completely honest, I feel I've gotten smarter, more confident and more social as I've gotten older.)
6. A past juicy enough that you’re looking forward to retelling it in your old age.  (Hehe.  I might bypass over exact details, but yes.)
7. The realization that you are actually going to have an old age—and some money set aside to help fund it.  (This has really hit in the last few months and I've started looking into my retirement financials a bit closer.  As a result, I've had numerous meetings with financial reps & insurance agents.)
8. An e-mail address, a voice mailbox and a bank account—all of which nobody has access to but you.  (I've always maintained this.  I'm just that kind of independent chick and no, I'm not hiding anything by doing so.)
9. A résumé that is not even the slightest bit padded.  (I've been lucky to have numerous experiences in all of my "Accounting" jobs that none of my resume has to be padded.  I'm also crazy for doing all of the duties in my previous positions, but I like to work and I love to learn so "Accounting" turned into a multi-functional word.)
10. One friend who always makes you laugh and one who lets you cry.  (I'm lucky to have a great best friend and brother that lets me do both and I'm very grateful that they never judge me when I need a pick-me-up or a good cry.)
11. A set of screwdrivers, a cordless drill and a black lace bra.  (Yes, no and no.  Gotta work on this one!)
12. Something ridiculously expensive that you bought for yourself, just because you deserve it.  (I'm extremely conservative with my money as just about anyone close to me will tell you.  This may be something for me to work on but I'm definitely a "saver.")
13. The belief that you deserve it.  (There are a lot of things I think I deserve, but very few that come without hard work.  I continue to bust my rear to get the things I want from life.)
14. A skin-care regimen, an exercise routine and a plan for dealing with those few other facets of life that don’t get better after 30.  (Skin care, somewhat, probably should pay more attention to it though; exercise routine, you know it, the gym is my second home!; a plan, in the past few months, I've been able to come to grips with this better and I think that is also under control too.)
15. A solid start on a satisfying career, a satisfying relationship and all those other facets of life that do get better.  (I'm definitely on the right path with my career, the relationship factor is on hold and nearly all other aspects of my life have seemed to fall into place in the last couple of months - new place, new car, new job, new friends and a life I truly enjoy.)

By 30, you should know:

1. How to fall in love without losing yourself.  (After seeing places where I failed in my relationship with Broccoli early on, I do know it is ok to be me and I can still be loved unconditionally.) 
2. How you feel about having kids.  (Yes, this has been figured out loud and clear and while I adore kids, I will not be having my own.)
3. How to quit a job, break up with a man and confront a friend without ruining the friendship.  (Yes!!  Yes! and something I need to work on.  The trust factor gets in the way for me.  We may still be friends but I"m not sure we will be as good of friends.  I'm extremely loyal, I expect my friends to be the same, you break that, I just may have to reconsider that friendship.)
4. When to try harder and when to walk away.  (This is just something I have figured out after years of trying and trying and working to fix everything and driving myself insane, I now realize its ok to walk away.)
5. How to kiss in a way that communicates perfectly what you would and wouldn’t like to happen next.  (I would like to hope so!  But I'm not going around and just kissing people now days.)
6. The names of: the secretary of state, your great-grandmother and the best tailor in town.  (Hillary Rodham Clinton; Dorothy, Mabel, Mildred & Edna; I've only been to one but my dress was gorgeous, I'd go back!)
7. How to live alone, even if you don’t like to.  (Every day for the last 7+ years.)
8. How to take control of your own birthday.  (Yep, I believe I have this under wraps.)
9. That you can’t change the length of your calves, the width of your hips or the nature of your parents.  (Calves I'm ok with, really wish my hips would shrink (LOL), and my parents have been nearly the same way for the 29.5+ years I have known them.)
10. That your childhood may not have been perfect, but it’s over.  (Yes, and thank goodness I don't have to relive it!)
11. What you would and wouldn’t do for money or love.  (I'm very clear about what I would and wouldn't do for both!)
12. That nobody gets away with smoking, drinking, doing drugs or not flossing for very long.  (No smoking or drugs here, very little drinking since I'm a lightweight anyway and I'm getting better with the flossing.)
13. Who you can trust, who you can’t and why you shouldn’t take it personally.  (I used to trust everyone, then I trusted no one, and finally I've figured out the select few I can trust with my life.)
14. Not to apologize for something that isn’t your fault.  (I'm trying, I'm trying, but so many things have been my fault for so long.  It's automatic to apologize, I'm sorry, I'll get better!)
15. Why they say life begins at 30.  (We shall soon find out!)

So, there is my benchmark for heading to 30.  I better get cracking on the pending items.  The last 5 months have flown by at an unbelievable pace and the next 5 will be here before I know it!

Official resident

Earlier this afternoon, I tweeted this:
I think I'm 1 of the only girls I know that would put my own license plates on my car. I know I'm the only 1 to do it in a skirt & wedges!

And with that, the last piece of my move is complete!  I surrendered my new(er) Missouri license, aced my driving test (written and vision only), and retitled & registered my car.  Feels good to have everything complete and nothing more lingering overhead to handle by one of the many deadlines put forth.  And it was relatively painless, less the $224 it cost to transfer everything.  (On a positive note, at least I'm not paying Missouri's Personal Property tax on my new car this year.  That would have cost me a boatload more!)

After handling all that first thing this morning, I went to visit Dad at work and proudly show off my new license.  He knew there was a good possibility I would be stopping by this morning since he works just a few blocks away and when I hit the door and he spotted me, he was already waving and smiling from ear to ear.  Besides me being happier being in my new place, Dad has been ecstatic.  I don't see him much during the week since our schedules collide but on the weekends I've had more of an opportunity to pop in and catch up with him.  Today he took me around and introduced me to more of his co-workers (I meet new people every time I stop by) and they all tell me how much my Dad talks about me and how nice it is to finally meet me and how happy he is to have me closer.  It's kinda funny to me since I really didn't think Dad would really care that much when I made the decision to move.  (Not in a bad way, Dad always wants Bro and I to do things that make us successful and happy and has sacrificed a lot to see that through.)
In any case,  it was nice to get to stop in before I had to make my way over to get my oil change and take care of some other weekend shopping errands.

Tomorrow, Mom and Michael will be coming over for Sunday afternoon dinner and birthday cake as we celebrate Mom's birthday.  The cake is baked, the dinner menu is planned, food is prepped and my condo is cleaned, all that's left is actual cooking their visit.  Looking forward to showing off the new digs now that I'm settled in.

Finally the last of the day's events include getting my refund from my insurance company since my rates decreased dramatically.  It was super nice to see a check for $118 in my mailbox this afternoon.  That's definitely going to be put to good use!  And all in all, this has been another great Saturday!

One blink and its August 7th

It's been super crazy here again and even though I'm settled at the new place, it still feels like there is so much to do to paperwork-wise to officially make this my new home.  To top it off, last week was month-end and we all know that for at least 2 days I'm in full work mode from the time I wake up until the time I finally make it home and lay my head on my pillow.  July month-end was no different from any other month but at least we didn't have computer or network issues for this close.
As for paperwork with the move, nearly everything is changed to my new address.  I did swing by my old place to check the mailbox one more time and found that not everything has been forwarded as requested.  Of all things, one of my credit cards sent a letter notifying me that an address change had been requested.  Hmm, might be a bit smarter to send this to the new address rather than the old if you're not going to put Address Service Requested on your mailing.  I still need to visit the DMV and take care of my car and my driver's license and then everything has been switched over.  I'm hoping to find the time to do that this weekend, among other things like an oil change, finding my Mom a birthday present and normal weekend errands.
Speaking of birthdays, Mom and B. Dilly share the same birthday (August 13th).  While I'm going to be nice to Mom by making her a cake and hopefully visiting with her this weekend, we're having a little fun at work on Monday for B. Dilly.  She's one of the first in our group to turn 30 and KP and I went all out a few weeks ago and bought a lot of crazy decorations for her desk and our area (bring on pin the crown on the princess!)  and we're having a really fun cake made for her big day.  Our entire group is excited for Monday and that's saying a lot since it is still a Monday!

No swimming necessary

The move has become a huge part of conversation lately.  Yesterday afternoon while at work, I was talking to one of my work group friends, D.Rob, about my move and he was asking the whereabouts of my condo in town.  Originally he's from Michigan but he has friends in the area and has spent time hanging out over here since he started working for our company.  And actually, he was extremely helpful in telling me fun places around town.
 
In any case, our conversation went a little something like this,
D. Rob:  Do you know where the water tower is in town?
Me: Yep, I'm about two blocks down the street from it.
D. Rob:  Oh then you're not that far away at all.
Me:  Nope, not really.  My commute actually got much easier by moving where I am even being the same distance away from work as before.

Fast forward to last night and the conversation that I had with my mom...
Mom:  Yeah, we would have asked you to watch Oreo and the cats while we're out of town but you're so far away over that river.

I'm the same distance away from her house as I am from work as I was in my previous apartment and yet, now because there is a river separating our houses, I'm sooooo far away.  I could understand me not watching them because of my crazy work schedule with month-end next week, but really her explanation is the river?  It's not like I have to swim to get to her house.  Believe it or not, I'm finishing up my first week in my new place and I've not had to swim to work once!

In other great news because I moved, my car insurance is being cut in half.  I would have written a post about this last night but I was too busy dancing around my condo.  It's looking to be a $600 savings this year.  Woooooo weeeee!!

A normal Sunday

My 2nd day in my new digs and I actually got to enjoy it!  I made a trip to Kohls to spend the Kohls cash I earned earlier in the week and bought a toothbrush holder for my bathroom and then made a stop for groceries since I had depleted my cabinets and fridge as much as I could before the move so I didn't have so much food to transport.  I whipped up my lunches for the week and even cooked a dinner for the next couple of nights.
I updated my address on nearly every account I have open and even did another load of laundry (not missing the laundromat for sure!) and finally, decided to work on a plan for the week ahead.  Overall, I'm getting into my new groove and learning more about my new surroundings.

The only hiccup in my day?  The 30 minutes it took me to get to the gym early this morning.  It should have been a 10 minute drive but I got lost.  Yes, I did visit my new location a few weeks ago and had no problems.  However this morning, I had a complete brain freeze as I drove down the highway that connects my condo complex to the main artery the gym is on and turned around twice as I couldn't find the road I needed to turn onto.  (Duh, you didn't go far enough dummy!)  I didn't freak out but I was getting a bit irritated that I couldn't remember any of the common businesses on the corners.  (Who can't remember Walgreens?  Really?!?)  I drove a bit further and then passed up the road I needed.  When I finally got there, I felt like I accomplished a huge feat and my workout hadn't even started.  And everything was 100% better when I walked in and heard one of my favorite songs ever being piped through the gym.

At home

After hours of packing, loading, unloading and unpacking, I survived the "Big Move of 2012."  I'm sitting in my new put together living room entertained by my ability to watch Food Network and blog and relax after a crazy day.  I'm so grateful and appreciative of all of the help from my family today and all of the support from my friends who called, texted and kept me sane when I wanted to fold from the anxiety of creating my new home.  With about 98% of everything unpacked and put away, I'm planning on enjoying my Sunday and trying to have a "normal" day in my new surroundings.
I can tell you, even after only 10 hours I'm in love with this place and feel at home already.  I even have my first load of laundry in my washer!

Just your typical city slicker

This morning as I was walking into work I realized I've become one of those downtown employees: 
- I wear heels and business clothes nearly every single day and on casual day I still usually wear some sort of heel. 
- I park in a public garage a block or so away from the office and then walk to our building and through the huge lobby to my set of elevators. 
- Many days we leave at lunch whether its walk to one of the many restaurants or Culinaria (the downtown grocery store) or just to walk to the Arch for exercise. 
- And while it's not been 4 full months yet, I carry a bag with me every single day into the office.  In that bag, I always carry an umbrella, a pair of flip flops with me and most days I have my tennis shoes and socks. 

Today it became obvious to me -- I've morphed into the typical downtown worker, always on foot and armed with the necessities. 
(Go ahead...make fun of me rocking my Reeboks and a classic pencil skirt!)

Boxes, boxes & more boxes

I'm living in a sea of boxes but luckily on Saturday, the moving festivities begin!
Right now it just looks like I really love apples....Jazz, Empire, Washington Red & Golden Delicious, New Zealand Galas, Jonagolds & even Granny Smiths.  (Really though, thanks Dad for all the boxes!)

My bedroom looks the same but I didn't get pics in there.  I spent much of this weekend packing up the last little bit and now I'm pretty much living out of a suitcase until the big move happens.  Tuesday afternoon I'm headed to pay my water deposit and pick up my keys and then the fun begins next weekend.  Overall, I think I'm ready.  I'm excited and a bit nervous but mostly I'm hoping everything works out with little to no problems.  Let's get this new adventure underway...

Checked off the list

I called Charter tonight to transfer my services to the new place starting next weekend.  The rep was super helpful and did not push me to accept anything more than what services I already have through them unlike numerous times in the past when I've received calls for phone service and finally I got pretty ticked off and finally told them to put me on a do not call list. 
Luckily with the move, I'm doubling my internet speed (30 Mbps!) and getting a few more channels with my current cable service for less than what I'm paying now.  (Woo hoo!  Saving money at its finest!!)  He did explain the next tier just so I knew what my options were and then explained some of the shows on the additional premium channels (popular shows I'm guessing).  I have two reasons for not upgrading my cable but I only gave him one -- I work a lot right now and haven't found extra time to watch much tv.  He understood and we went forward with the service transfer. 
My other reason, which I will divulge to you, when I do have my tv on, its pretty much stuck on 2 channels (Food Network or Bravo).  Yes, I'm that lame....cooking shows and crazy reality tv.

In related news, SiriusXM Radio keeps calling me about renewing my subscription and finally after receiving multiple calls today and probably 8 calls since my free trial ended about a month ago, I told the last telemarketer she could shove that service where the sun don't shine.  I'm not sure how hard it is to put a note in their system when I give them the same reason every single time they call me....no, I'm fine with regular broadcast radio or my IPod, I don't use the satellite radio in my car.  I used it once during the 3 month trial period and wasn't that impressed.  When I told the first girl earlier today I was not interested she blatantly hung up on me.  When the second call came through when I left work just a few hours later, I was irritated and I let the second telemarketer get the same sort of courtesy the first rep gave me today.  The added aggravation did fuel my evening cardio workout though!

Ready for the holiday

After a crazy 15 hour day yesterday and a rocky start to the work week with our systems being down all weekend, I'm happy to report that I made it through month-end and got both of my companies closed late last night.  And, I was so elated by the time it was all finished that I couldn't wind down for quite awhile once I did get home...not good on a Monday night when I have to get up early for work the next morning.
But, the great thing about working as hard as we did to close in 1 day and also handling as much as we did while our boss was on vacation last week was that we were rewarded today by getting a few extra hours off and we have a few other perks coming later this week.  It's definitely nice to know that everything was appreciated and I'm even more appreciative to have tomorrow off for the 4th of July.  My plan is to catch up on some much needed sleep and get some much needed workout time in at the gym.

As for the rest of the happenings from today, JP labeled me the "Voice of Reason" at work.  I'm assuming that's a good thing as I seem to be the one always holding some middle ground in our Sales and Logistics group. I'm also assuming that most of my close friends that have known me for any length of time would deny that fact.  Somehow I'm feeling the words "worry wort," "demanding," "high maintenance," and "majorly Type A" would be their replacement labels for me.

And because I'm still so super excited, the countdown rolls on -- 14 days from today, I get the keys to my new place!  Woo woo!!

Enjoy your middle of the week holiday!!

Well that didn't go as expected

Normally if you'd ask me what's going on in Beckley, WV, I wouldn't have a clue nor would I be really concerned about it.  Today I'm online reading the news from WVNSTV and checking the AEP website for outage updates.  Apparently there were bad storms in Beckley and the much of the rest of the state on Friday night.  So bad we have no connections to our servers, including our ever important email in our office in St. Louis and throughout the rest of our company sites.  It made for a rough morning trying to get things updated so that we can complete month-end by the close of business tomorrow and rather than working all day so that tomorrow is calm for month-end, we were only able to work a few hours doing non-system related tasks.  The good news is that I've been told our group is working to buy and install a generator so that we can at least be up and running tomorrow, but I'm not as positive as I was at the end of last week that this month-end and quarter-end is going to go as planned.
Most importantly, tonight I'm left with trying to figure out my schedule for Monday...get up extra early and head in or go in normal time and work extra late?  The one thing I know for sure right now is that I'm a ball of nerves hoping I get everything done. 
And because I'm way too worrisome for my own good most of the time, I did write out my plan for everything that needs to get done system-wise tomorrow so at least I won't forget everything still pending.