Days like today are the reason why I love my job so much and I can't imagine working with a better group of people. Anywho, it was a really good day -- very busy but I found time to talk to one of the greatest people I know and he had me laughing most of the afternoon. I don't know how I get myself into the conversations I do (ok, that's a lie...I say crazy stuff...that is how it happens), but J seems to know exactly what is on my mind and where I'm going with everything and that is pretty scary! We got to talking about Christmas and New Years and the next time he gets to head north and somehow I thanked him for a very nice compliment he gave me this afternoon and the next thing you know we're talking about the crazy compliments I've gotten from my other co-workers this week and soon enough I brought up the fact that one of our fleet managers told me that he loved my shoes yesterday and that another one said I had cute pockets on my pants today. These are guys that I never would imagine giving me a compliment and so I comment to J about it and then he absolutely kills me by saying that if he was in St. Louis he would have probably joined in on the crazy compliments today as well. And of course I come back with that I didn't think that he would ever compliment my shoes or tell me that I was wearing cute pants and I'm sure he never noticed what the heck I had on like most of the fellas I work with. But it definitely got me to thinking....are people actually looking at what I'm wearing and how I look. I mean I never go into work wearing something tacky and I'm always put together, but I think I'm going to have to make sure that I always keep up a certain image...you never know what someone is thinking and willing to say!
Anyway, I just found that funny, especially since I thought I was a just a wallflower to all of the Ops people besides J and C. I guess I have made myself known! I wonder if that is a good thing....I guess we'll just have to wait and see!
Thursday, January 04, 2007
Sunday, December 31, 2006
Final post of the year...
About 12 hours left and it's the start of a new year and a new beginning for this girl. 2006 has been a great launching ground for me and I'm ready to do even more in 07. Now if I can only remember to write 07 on my checks now! :)
I went through many of my old posts the last few days trying to get an idea of how I wanted to put together this post and really there is so much to say about the past year. But, I'm not going to bore everyone with the details; however, I've made a lot of mental notes to myself on what I think I could do better and improve on and what has helped make me somewhat successful so far. Probably the biggest thing for me this past year is opening up and growing up and speaking my mind not just allowing the world around me to pass me up so with that said that is my main focus for 07 -- along with being a little nicer. Sometimes I think this outspokenness (if that is even a real word) gets the best of me and because I think everything is about attitude, I'm going to try to improve mine. I can be outspoken, but I'm going to try to be a little more happy-go-lucky as well. We'll see how this plays out....
As for the rest of 2006, well, Christmas was a lot of fun. I spent Christmas Eve with my dad and bro and my aunt, uncle and Grandma and then spent most of Christmas Day with my mom, step-dad and my mom's side of the family. I ended up getting a lot of neat stuff and I think the presents I gave were a hit as well. This year was less about household items I needed and more about fun stuff.
Tuesday I had to go back to work and start preparing for year end. In fact, that was what I did most of the week. M and I entered payables for what seems like an eternity and I made cash projections into early 2007 and tried to get my reports together for the new year as well. Wednesday was more of the same and we went out to happy hour after work at Casa. It's always nice to finish off your day with chips and salsa and a margarita...especially when the week seems to just pass you by. After work Thursday I went to the Styx concert at the Pageant with my bro, his girlfriend and his best friend and it was amazing. The ticket was a Christmas present from my bro and it was an awesome one at that. We were down in the pit and about 10 feet away from the stage....doesn't get much better than that! I don't know what my brother can do to top this year, but I'm giving him about 360 days to figure it out!! :)
Friday was year end close at work. We cut checks pretty much the entire day and I helped out as needed so that I could get the reports done for the year at a decent hour. It didn't take too long this time and I was out of there before 6, which shocked me because I had been preparing for much worse. Hopefully I followed through and took care of everything because my mind was surely not at work on Friday. In any case, I got the preliminary work done so that we can start financials in the next couple of days.
Yesterday was a nice break. I didn't have much to take care of in the morning so I just stayed home and then went to my mom's in the afternoon and I took her and my step-dad out to dinner for their anniversary. And this morning I was up at 4 to get them to the airport. Lucky them...they are on their way to Hawaii to work on the house...while I'm stuck here!
Tonight a few of us from work are going out to an early dinner for New Years Eve. Nothing like last year...but it will be fine. It's probably best that I keep myself out of trouble anyway! It will be nice to go out with everyone though and get the scoop.
I hope 2007 brings health and happiness to everyone! Here is to another great year!!!
I went through many of my old posts the last few days trying to get an idea of how I wanted to put together this post and really there is so much to say about the past year. But, I'm not going to bore everyone with the details; however, I've made a lot of mental notes to myself on what I think I could do better and improve on and what has helped make me somewhat successful so far. Probably the biggest thing for me this past year is opening up and growing up and speaking my mind not just allowing the world around me to pass me up so with that said that is my main focus for 07 -- along with being a little nicer. Sometimes I think this outspokenness (if that is even a real word) gets the best of me and because I think everything is about attitude, I'm going to try to improve mine. I can be outspoken, but I'm going to try to be a little more happy-go-lucky as well. We'll see how this plays out....
As for the rest of 2006, well, Christmas was a lot of fun. I spent Christmas Eve with my dad and bro and my aunt, uncle and Grandma and then spent most of Christmas Day with my mom, step-dad and my mom's side of the family. I ended up getting a lot of neat stuff and I think the presents I gave were a hit as well. This year was less about household items I needed and more about fun stuff.
Tuesday I had to go back to work and start preparing for year end. In fact, that was what I did most of the week. M and I entered payables for what seems like an eternity and I made cash projections into early 2007 and tried to get my reports together for the new year as well. Wednesday was more of the same and we went out to happy hour after work at Casa. It's always nice to finish off your day with chips and salsa and a margarita...especially when the week seems to just pass you by. After work Thursday I went to the Styx concert at the Pageant with my bro, his girlfriend and his best friend and it was amazing. The ticket was a Christmas present from my bro and it was an awesome one at that. We were down in the pit and about 10 feet away from the stage....doesn't get much better than that! I don't know what my brother can do to top this year, but I'm giving him about 360 days to figure it out!! :)
Friday was year end close at work. We cut checks pretty much the entire day and I helped out as needed so that I could get the reports done for the year at a decent hour. It didn't take too long this time and I was out of there before 6, which shocked me because I had been preparing for much worse. Hopefully I followed through and took care of everything because my mind was surely not at work on Friday. In any case, I got the preliminary work done so that we can start financials in the next couple of days.
Yesterday was a nice break. I didn't have much to take care of in the morning so I just stayed home and then went to my mom's in the afternoon and I took her and my step-dad out to dinner for their anniversary. And this morning I was up at 4 to get them to the airport. Lucky them...they are on their way to Hawaii to work on the house...while I'm stuck here!
Tonight a few of us from work are going out to an early dinner for New Years Eve. Nothing like last year...but it will be fine. It's probably best that I keep myself out of trouble anyway! It will be nice to go out with everyone though and get the scoop.
I hope 2007 brings health and happiness to everyone! Here is to another great year!!!
Thursday, December 21, 2006
One year ago....
One year ago today...M and I were in C-town after a crazy miscommunication when our billing department decided to fail to show up to work. We were going to C-town then we weren't then we go into our office and at 10 am the President of the company decides that we can't go 2 days without billing any revenue and our services were needed in the office down south. So we get down to C-town around 1:30 and work until 7 with our boss, trying to get some sort of billing out for the day. Not knowing that $65,000 was not a good amount to bill for the day and that half of our invoices were wrong...M and I were so proud of our work. In fact, after a quiet dinner with our boss we dropped him off at our hotel and then went and hit the town for a bit. Nevermind that we couldn't find any liquor at the truck stops and we had to call J who was on his way to Arkansas for Christmas and have him figure out our location in a town that was about 4 hours away from where he was at or the fact that Josh called me 5 times frustrated while trying to figure out what I wanted for Christmas while out shopping and I couldn't give him any kind of answer besides that he should drive 40 minutes to C-town and party with us in our hotel rooms once we found the drive-thru liquor store. It was fun times and as I think back now I wonder if I will ever have a memory from this year that sticks with me as much as this has. Last December was a month filled with many memorable moments....I hope as I finish out the next few weeks of 2006 there are more great times to come, however it will be hard to top the drive-thru liquor store in a place like C-town!
Sunday, December 10, 2006
Another exciting update...
It's been so long since I've posted...sorry about that. Work and my life just seem to be so busy that by the time I make it home at night I can't even sit down here to get another entry out, but alas here I am. Let's see...since the last post -- the wedding was freakin awesome! I had so much fun with my co-workers and she was such a beautiful bride. I hope if I ever get married I look that good. At the reception we had a great time talking with everyone and dancing the night away. I danced with C most of the night which was pretty cool since he and I haven't danced together for quite some time. I dared M to get the President of the company out on the dance floor and told her I would give her $100 if he danced with all of us (thinking he wouldn't because one of the guys that I work with is his best friend and he said he wouldn't get out there and shake his stuff) and I lost that bet! Of course, M told the President that she had a bet going with me and he told her that he would get out there and dance if she gave him half.
I guess the next big event was Thanksgiving. It turned out to be a pretty good day. I went to my dad's and he cooked this year. All of my cousins came over along with my aunt and uncle and my brother was there. It was so fun to get to spend the day with my bro. He and I have completely opposite schedules right now so I hardly get to see him or talk to him for any length of time. He got me hooked to the PS2 game Guitar Hero 2 while I was there. Let me tell you, I felt like a Guitar Hero playing that game. Pretty much you just stand there with a fake guitar and try to play the guitar notes to a rock song. I was absolutely horrible in the beginning but then he and I played the two player version and we sounded pretty good. Freebird was my best performance and I was rockin' out and showboating during that song. My dad took a few pictures of us while we were playing this game and I'm still working on getting them up on my Photobucket. They probably will be up after I take Christmas pictures since it is easier for me to upload a bunch of them at once rather than just 1 or 2.
The next big event was the ice storm about a week and a half ago. It took me two hours to get home from work on the 30th and I live 7 miles away from the office. It didn't help that it was month-end and I had to stay until everyone else had their work finished. I got out of the office about an hour early but still didn't get home until 6 and I was a nervous wreck driving the entire time. M called me numerous times while I was driving and I didn't hear my phone but she was freaking out because she hadn't heard from me and I was supposed to call her when I made it home. She had been home for an hour and a half when I finally got around to returning her many calls. My power was out from that Thursday night until Monday morning and it was freezing in my apartment so I stayed with my cousin Mary on Friday night and then at my parents house on Saturday and Sunday. I don't know how others in northern cities and states can deal with this cold weather all of the time! I need to be where it is warm!
This past Wednesday was a nice treat! I met Josh in Festus for dinner after he got off of work. We went to Ruby Tuesday's again and had a great time talking and just spending a few hours together. Our waitress probably thought we were crazy though because any time she came over to check on us we were talking about work or history related things. I guess they don't get a whole lot of twenty-somethings talking about what they've watch on the History Channel! :)
After dinner we warmed up our cars and we sat together in my car for a bit talking about the next few weeks and everything that is going on. About 11:30 we left and I had to make my 45 minute drive back home. I was fine until I made it to Arnold and then I was exhausted....it made for quite a trip home, but I'm still so glad that we got to meet and spend some time together.
Yesterday I went to the movies and dinner with my parents. We went to see Deja Vu. That was a crazy movie....I was confused the whole time, but I would still recommend seeing it. Today I get to go out Christmas shopping. I have a list of what I would like to get for everyone and I started shopping online a few weeks ago so I'm hoping I can just go out and get what I need to in order to finish up. It's hard to believe that Christmas is 15 days away! Where has the past year gone? Last year, I was planning the "Good Luck in Laredo" happy hour and having fun going out with the crew every night before J left St. Louis. Ahh...the memories.
Well that's it for now. I'm sure there will be another exciting update in the next week or so. My company Christmas party is coming up in a week and a half and then Christmas will be here and I'm sure I'll have something to write about!
I guess the next big event was Thanksgiving. It turned out to be a pretty good day. I went to my dad's and he cooked this year. All of my cousins came over along with my aunt and uncle and my brother was there. It was so fun to get to spend the day with my bro. He and I have completely opposite schedules right now so I hardly get to see him or talk to him for any length of time. He got me hooked to the PS2 game Guitar Hero 2 while I was there. Let me tell you, I felt like a Guitar Hero playing that game. Pretty much you just stand there with a fake guitar and try to play the guitar notes to a rock song. I was absolutely horrible in the beginning but then he and I played the two player version and we sounded pretty good. Freebird was my best performance and I was rockin' out and showboating during that song. My dad took a few pictures of us while we were playing this game and I'm still working on getting them up on my Photobucket. They probably will be up after I take Christmas pictures since it is easier for me to upload a bunch of them at once rather than just 1 or 2.
The next big event was the ice storm about a week and a half ago. It took me two hours to get home from work on the 30th and I live 7 miles away from the office. It didn't help that it was month-end and I had to stay until everyone else had their work finished. I got out of the office about an hour early but still didn't get home until 6 and I was a nervous wreck driving the entire time. M called me numerous times while I was driving and I didn't hear my phone but she was freaking out because she hadn't heard from me and I was supposed to call her when I made it home. She had been home for an hour and a half when I finally got around to returning her many calls. My power was out from that Thursday night until Monday morning and it was freezing in my apartment so I stayed with my cousin Mary on Friday night and then at my parents house on Saturday and Sunday. I don't know how others in northern cities and states can deal with this cold weather all of the time! I need to be where it is warm!
This past Wednesday was a nice treat! I met Josh in Festus for dinner after he got off of work. We went to Ruby Tuesday's again and had a great time talking and just spending a few hours together. Our waitress probably thought we were crazy though because any time she came over to check on us we were talking about work or history related things. I guess they don't get a whole lot of twenty-somethings talking about what they've watch on the History Channel! :)
After dinner we warmed up our cars and we sat together in my car for a bit talking about the next few weeks and everything that is going on. About 11:30 we left and I had to make my 45 minute drive back home. I was fine until I made it to Arnold and then I was exhausted....it made for quite a trip home, but I'm still so glad that we got to meet and spend some time together.
Yesterday I went to the movies and dinner with my parents. We went to see Deja Vu. That was a crazy movie....I was confused the whole time, but I would still recommend seeing it. Today I get to go out Christmas shopping. I have a list of what I would like to get for everyone and I started shopping online a few weeks ago so I'm hoping I can just go out and get what I need to in order to finish up. It's hard to believe that Christmas is 15 days away! Where has the past year gone? Last year, I was planning the "Good Luck in Laredo" happy hour and having fun going out with the crew every night before J left St. Louis. Ahh...the memories.
Well that's it for now. I'm sure there will be another exciting update in the next week or so. My company Christmas party is coming up in a week and a half and then Christmas will be here and I'm sure I'll have something to write about!
Saturday, November 11, 2006
Par-tay!
So it's been a crazy few weeks again! Just when I think things are going to slow down and I'm going to have time to breathe everything goes haywire, but I'm getting through it all. Josh probably thinks I've gone off the deep end but I do appreciate him taking the time to listen to every little issue I'm having right now and showing concern for my craziness. Speaking of Josh...we had the greatest time together last night. He came up and met me after work and we went out to dinner and spent a few hours together. I always love it when he drives up this way and we have a chance to talk and connect. I was really hoping that he would be able to stop by work and see the place but that just wasn't in the cards this time. Hopefully he'll get to see the place and meet everyone soon especially since I talk about the place so much!
So today everyone from work (well just about everyone, minus like 3 or 4 people) is attending the wedding and reception for one of our co-workers. It should be a great time!! I bought a new red dress and accessories and I'm going to get all dolled up for this. I did the mystic tan so I have some color and don't look so pale and I'm going to take the time and actually curl my hair. Usually I try to straighten it since it's so much easier, but I wanted something completely different for this. I'm going to try to have M take some pictures and I'll try to get them posted on my photobucket. We're also going to try to take pictures at the reception -- we'll see how that goes though! I work with a great group of people so I know it will be a lot of fun, plus you never know what will happen with 6 hours of open bar! I'll definitely have to remember details for a future post!!!
Tomorrow I get to drive out to my dad's for a birthday party. My cousin Nicole is turning 10 on Monday! It's hard to believe she is 10 already. I remember taking care of her all those years when she was little. I feel so old!! Time is just flying by -- I can remember back like it was just yesterday when my dad called and told me she was born and that we would go to see her the next day in the hospital. In any case, it will be nice to get to see part of my family. I haven't seen them in a few months already.
Other than that, there is nothing new to report I guess. Oh, I do want to say Happy 28th Birthday to J down in Laredo! Have fun buddy and don't party too hard!!!
And Happy Veterans Day to all those who have and continue to serve our country, including you Josh! You all make me very proud!!
Have a great weekend!
So today everyone from work (well just about everyone, minus like 3 or 4 people) is attending the wedding and reception for one of our co-workers. It should be a great time!! I bought a new red dress and accessories and I'm going to get all dolled up for this. I did the mystic tan so I have some color and don't look so pale and I'm going to take the time and actually curl my hair. Usually I try to straighten it since it's so much easier, but I wanted something completely different for this. I'm going to try to have M take some pictures and I'll try to get them posted on my photobucket. We're also going to try to take pictures at the reception -- we'll see how that goes though! I work with a great group of people so I know it will be a lot of fun, plus you never know what will happen with 6 hours of open bar! I'll definitely have to remember details for a future post!!!
Tomorrow I get to drive out to my dad's for a birthday party. My cousin Nicole is turning 10 on Monday! It's hard to believe she is 10 already. I remember taking care of her all those years when she was little. I feel so old!! Time is just flying by -- I can remember back like it was just yesterday when my dad called and told me she was born and that we would go to see her the next day in the hospital. In any case, it will be nice to get to see part of my family. I haven't seen them in a few months already.
Other than that, there is nothing new to report I guess. Oh, I do want to say Happy 28th Birthday to J down in Laredo! Have fun buddy and don't party too hard!!!
And Happy Veterans Day to all those who have and continue to serve our country, including you Josh! You all make me very proud!!
Have a great weekend!
Saturday, October 28, 2006
WORLD SERIES CHAMPS!!!
St. Louis has finally done it....24 years after their last title we now have the right to say we're world champions! Good job boys!!!
My friends from work and I actually went out and watched the game at Pujols 5 at Westport and that place was crazy but so much fun! Besides being at the game, I don't think there was a better place to be last night. I couldn't pull another 2 am dancing spree this time so I left when the game was over. It was a great night in St. Louis that is for sure!
In other news, I met with my boss this week and had my annual review. It turned out to be an excellent review and both he and the President of the company gave me a lot of positive feedback on my past 15 months at the company. I ended up getting a raise and I definitely am pleased with it! Plus, my boss has even allowed me to decide where I want to go from here...pretty much I can name the duties I want to take on and drop and he's willing to work with me on all of it. When it comes to that, I definitely want to see and learn more of the Operations side of our firm and hopefully he will eventually let me go to Laredo and work on some accounting/billing/administrative issues with the terminal down there. I'm not holding my breath for that one right now though! For some reason, he and pretty much everyone else in management thinks I'm going to get myself in trouble down there....imagine that....me in trouble down in Laredo....I think not!!! ;)
Anyway, my weekend is just getting started and I'm off to have some fun. Not sure what I'm up to yet but I'm sure I will find something to keep me busy. I probably should take it easy this weekend for a change, but we'll see!
My friends from work and I actually went out and watched the game at Pujols 5 at Westport and that place was crazy but so much fun! Besides being at the game, I don't think there was a better place to be last night. I couldn't pull another 2 am dancing spree this time so I left when the game was over. It was a great night in St. Louis that is for sure!
In other news, I met with my boss this week and had my annual review. It turned out to be an excellent review and both he and the President of the company gave me a lot of positive feedback on my past 15 months at the company. I ended up getting a raise and I definitely am pleased with it! Plus, my boss has even allowed me to decide where I want to go from here...pretty much I can name the duties I want to take on and drop and he's willing to work with me on all of it. When it comes to that, I definitely want to see and learn more of the Operations side of our firm and hopefully he will eventually let me go to Laredo and work on some accounting/billing/administrative issues with the terminal down there. I'm not holding my breath for that one right now though! For some reason, he and pretty much everyone else in management thinks I'm going to get myself in trouble down there....imagine that....me in trouble down in Laredo....I think not!!! ;)
Anyway, my weekend is just getting started and I'm off to have some fun. Not sure what I'm up to yet but I'm sure I will find something to keep me busy. I probably should take it easy this weekend for a change, but we'll see!
Tuesday, October 24, 2006
Annual review....
There's not too much going on right now, but I had a few minutes and well I decided to post. I have my annual review with my boss tomorrow. In fact, he's taking me out to lunch to talk about this past year and my future at the company. I'm nervous and excited all at the same time and hopefully things turn out well for me. I can't take anything else in my life changing on me right now that's for darn sure!!! Wish me luck!
I'm getting ready to drive down to SoCo to pick up a book from Josh as well. Since he's going to Ft. Campbell for the weekend for Guard training, I figured I would be nice for a change and help him with research for one of his classes, but I need the book before I can do that. I'm glad I get to see him too, even if it is just for a few minutes tonight! It's been a little over a month and I do miss him dearly. Maybe one of these days we'll actually get to spend a weekend together again!
I'm so jealous right now too. A friend of mine went to game 3 of the World Series tonight. No fair! I'd love to be at that game. I've never been to a World Series game before. GO CARDINALS!!!
I'm getting ready to drive down to SoCo to pick up a book from Josh as well. Since he's going to Ft. Campbell for the weekend for Guard training, I figured I would be nice for a change and help him with research for one of his classes, but I need the book before I can do that. I'm glad I get to see him too, even if it is just for a few minutes tonight! It's been a little over a month and I do miss him dearly. Maybe one of these days we'll actually get to spend a weekend together again!
I'm so jealous right now too. A friend of mine went to game 3 of the World Series tonight. No fair! I'd love to be at that game. I've never been to a World Series game before. GO CARDINALS!!!
Thursday, October 19, 2006
You'll never believe what I did....
After standing firm and telling quite a few of my friends that they would never catch me on myspace.....I got a myspace account. Who knew how much fun it would be to find people and see what kind of stuff they have been up to since high school or college, etc. Plus, I met new friends as well. I guess I'm hooked now...or at least until things start picking up so much that I can't even find the time check my email. (This is what it was like a few weeks ago.)
In any case, feel free to check it out: http://www.myspace.com/linzee0129 and if you have a myspace page add me.
So since things have settled a bit for me, I've decided to take the little bit of extra time I have and either go out and watch the Cardinals games or just dance the night away. It's been a lot of fun. Last Friday I went to Westport and watched the game at Pujols 5 and then went dancing at America's Pub. The group from work that I came with decided to make it an early night so I stayed at danced with a few guys who are the friends of some of my friends. Really sweet guys if I say so myself. They looked out after me most of the night and made sure that nothing happened. What made it even better though was that they could dance....and definitely the way to win my heart over is for a guy to know how to dance (well that, and being able to sing almost all of Baby Got Back by Sir-Mix-Alot...of which they could do that too!) So the boys got bonus points from me. I ended up leaving about 2 am and I was exhausted...although I definitely wanted to party still but I came home so I could get ready for my weekend.
Saturday and Sunday were jam-packed with a Blues game and Rams game and watching the Cardinals play and showing Tom around St. Louis again. Blues and Cardinals won on Saturday and then the Rams and Cardinals lost on Sunday, but it still was a good weekend for sports in St. Louis.
Tuesday, M and I headed up to Brewskeez to watch the Cardinals game and actually saw another win. It was a lot of fun even if it was just the two of us and the Cards won which made it even better. And finally, tonight...we're going to Parties at the Plaza and probably watching game 7 of the NLCS somewhere at 7 tonight. It's do or die for our boys tonight. I'm sure the bars at Westport will be packed...but it will definitely be fun.
Anyway, I'm off to work. The owner is in today so it should be quite the day!
In any case, feel free to check it out: http://www.myspace.com/linzee0129 and if you have a myspace page add me.
So since things have settled a bit for me, I've decided to take the little bit of extra time I have and either go out and watch the Cardinals games or just dance the night away. It's been a lot of fun. Last Friday I went to Westport and watched the game at Pujols 5 and then went dancing at America's Pub. The group from work that I came with decided to make it an early night so I stayed at danced with a few guys who are the friends of some of my friends. Really sweet guys if I say so myself. They looked out after me most of the night and made sure that nothing happened. What made it even better though was that they could dance....and definitely the way to win my heart over is for a guy to know how to dance (well that, and being able to sing almost all of Baby Got Back by Sir-Mix-Alot...of which they could do that too!) So the boys got bonus points from me. I ended up leaving about 2 am and I was exhausted...although I definitely wanted to party still but I came home so I could get ready for my weekend.
Saturday and Sunday were jam-packed with a Blues game and Rams game and watching the Cardinals play and showing Tom around St. Louis again. Blues and Cardinals won on Saturday and then the Rams and Cardinals lost on Sunday, but it still was a good weekend for sports in St. Louis.
Tuesday, M and I headed up to Brewskeez to watch the Cardinals game and actually saw another win. It was a lot of fun even if it was just the two of us and the Cards won which made it even better. And finally, tonight...we're going to Parties at the Plaza and probably watching game 7 of the NLCS somewhere at 7 tonight. It's do or die for our boys tonight. I'm sure the bars at Westport will be packed...but it will definitely be fun.
Anyway, I'm off to work. The owner is in today so it should be quite the day!
Friday, October 06, 2006
Another one bites the dust....
Another week come and gone and I don't have a whole lot to show for it. It seems like the days just keep flying by. Last Friday I had month-end close at work and it was the end of the 3rd quarter -- everything went smooth but I still had to work for about 4 hours on Saturday to work on billing and accounting procedures for our Operations department. Really...it wasn't that big of a deal but working the extra hours really cuts into the time I have for other errands and projects I should be working on in my personal life, but I felt it was my duty after the meeting I had with my boss on Friday afternoon.
Right before the end of the day, my boss called me into his office and let me know that he and the President of the company were working on my annual review and that if I had any concerns beforehand to bring them to his attention, so I explained a little bit about the complications involved with my job. He agreed with the items I mentioned and told me that I was doing a great job and to keep pushing because things were moving in the right direction and that I should be very happy with the results of my hard work. I am very excited to meet with both my boss and the President of the company and I hope they see that I'm in it for the long haul.
As for Sunday...I went on a good ol' fashioned road trip with the fam down to Sikeston. We went to the home of the throwed roll, Lambert's. The food was absolutely delicious and it was a nice drive throughout Southern Missouri. Sikeston is close to C-town so I decided to show my mom, step-dad and grandma the terminal for the company I work for. Also, I didn't want them to think that I was lying all of the times I told them I was going out of town for business. (That's a joke people! They know it was all business related....even with the trips to the drive-thru liquor store!) I actually drove them through C-town and pointed out the drive-thru liquor store and the Comfort Inn (our choice of hotels!) to them as well. I know they weren't too excited about it, but even though I dreaded going down to C-town last December, it brings back a lot of memories to me that I will always cherish!
Anyway, on the way home we stopped in Cape but I missed seeing Josh. Not sure what he was up to for the weekend and I was really hoping that he would be free to go with us to Lambert's but it just didn't work out. Oh well, I guess if we decide to take another road trip, I should plan everything out a little ahead of time, so perhaps we will be able to see one another. I'm thinking about a visit to a winery....I haven't been to one since before I turned 21 and that was just no fun!
Other than that, I've just been home reading after extremely long days at work. I read a book on General Ulysses S. Grant this past week and I must say it enhanced my appreciation for him. St. Louis is known for having Grant's Farm but I really didn't understand why...and now I do. I love being an intellectual now that it's not required for school. Plus, I can show off with all of the little tidbits of information...I'm sure everyone is impressed!!! HA!
Anyway, tomorrow I'm going back into work for a few hours in the morning then trying to take care of every other thing I've put off the last few months in the rest of the time I have off from work....should be fun!
Right before the end of the day, my boss called me into his office and let me know that he and the President of the company were working on my annual review and that if I had any concerns beforehand to bring them to his attention, so I explained a little bit about the complications involved with my job. He agreed with the items I mentioned and told me that I was doing a great job and to keep pushing because things were moving in the right direction and that I should be very happy with the results of my hard work. I am very excited to meet with both my boss and the President of the company and I hope they see that I'm in it for the long haul.
As for Sunday...I went on a good ol' fashioned road trip with the fam down to Sikeston. We went to the home of the throwed roll, Lambert's. The food was absolutely delicious and it was a nice drive throughout Southern Missouri. Sikeston is close to C-town so I decided to show my mom, step-dad and grandma the terminal for the company I work for. Also, I didn't want them to think that I was lying all of the times I told them I was going out of town for business. (That's a joke people! They know it was all business related....even with the trips to the drive-thru liquor store!) I actually drove them through C-town and pointed out the drive-thru liquor store and the Comfort Inn (our choice of hotels!) to them as well. I know they weren't too excited about it, but even though I dreaded going down to C-town last December, it brings back a lot of memories to me that I will always cherish!
Anyway, on the way home we stopped in Cape but I missed seeing Josh. Not sure what he was up to for the weekend and I was really hoping that he would be free to go with us to Lambert's but it just didn't work out. Oh well, I guess if we decide to take another road trip, I should plan everything out a little ahead of time, so perhaps we will be able to see one another. I'm thinking about a visit to a winery....I haven't been to one since before I turned 21 and that was just no fun!
Other than that, I've just been home reading after extremely long days at work. I read a book on General Ulysses S. Grant this past week and I must say it enhanced my appreciation for him. St. Louis is known for having Grant's Farm but I really didn't understand why...and now I do. I love being an intellectual now that it's not required for school. Plus, I can show off with all of the little tidbits of information...I'm sure everyone is impressed!!! HA!
Anyway, tomorrow I'm going back into work for a few hours in the morning then trying to take care of every other thing I've put off the last few months in the rest of the time I have off from work....should be fun!
Thursday, September 28, 2006
I kick major butt!!!
My afternoon was filled with meetings from 3 until 5:30 today and you know what.....I finally realize that I have found my place in the world. I'm sure most of you have seen me as the quiet, passive, studious girl that does what she is told and tries to stay in the mold that I've created for myself. As of today, that is no more!!!
Let me replay the situation for you:
Last Thursday I received a phone call from one of our customers....it appears as though our Operations department put their account on hold because we were having a hard time with contracts and loads, etc. Well, their Operations department called me and made me aware of the situation. Why...I'm a little unsure....I mean I have tried to resolve some of the issues, but some of the things are out of my hands, but I listened to their side of the story and then I went to our VP of Operations. I didn't think it was right to suspend their account because we were as much at fault for the situation as they were and since I had been a point of contact for payment and billing, they felt I should know about the situation and see what I could do to help them. I about lost it though with our VP because of a lack of procedures with his people and I made him aware of the problems I saw within our firm. Well, this week was the big Ops meeting for his department and he requested that both myself and the billing department get involved with the meeting and explain what exactly we need to be a successful leader in the industry. Of course, I was nervous as anything. I feel like I know my job, but I'm not always comfortable trying to tell people in another department what they need to do in order to make things flow correctly. I was the one to start off the meeting today and I must say....not only did I sound intelligent....I believe I have made a difference. I had the attention of the entire Ops department in our office as well as all of Laredo on the phone and I did not stumble once!!! If this would have been two years ago, I would have lost it and been so nervous that I would have not been able to talk. I think I'm finally starting to fit into who I was supposed to be years ago. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would take the leadership role in my position after only a year and run with it. I just hope I didn't tick off my co-workers too much. Everything I said, I said with respect and maturity and I believe I came across that way. Not only that, but I get to throw my ideas into flowcharts and forms and anything else I feel that is imperative for growth. That is f-in' awesome!!!
To top off my afternoon, Josh called me and told me he got a 95% on his Historiography article review and that just made my day.
I'm so full of energy right now and I feel like I could just go out and party....too bad I have to get up for work in the morning early otherwise you'd find me out at one of my favorite dancing spots. Oh well, I guess I'll just settle for creating a flowchart of our transportation customers! I'm such a brown-noser! HA!
Hope everyone has a good weekend! I'm working on Saturday and then Sunday is laundry and grocery-shopping day. Woo hoo!
Let me replay the situation for you:
Last Thursday I received a phone call from one of our customers....it appears as though our Operations department put their account on hold because we were having a hard time with contracts and loads, etc. Well, their Operations department called me and made me aware of the situation. Why...I'm a little unsure....I mean I have tried to resolve some of the issues, but some of the things are out of my hands, but I listened to their side of the story and then I went to our VP of Operations. I didn't think it was right to suspend their account because we were as much at fault for the situation as they were and since I had been a point of contact for payment and billing, they felt I should know about the situation and see what I could do to help them. I about lost it though with our VP because of a lack of procedures with his people and I made him aware of the problems I saw within our firm. Well, this week was the big Ops meeting for his department and he requested that both myself and the billing department get involved with the meeting and explain what exactly we need to be a successful leader in the industry. Of course, I was nervous as anything. I feel like I know my job, but I'm not always comfortable trying to tell people in another department what they need to do in order to make things flow correctly. I was the one to start off the meeting today and I must say....not only did I sound intelligent....I believe I have made a difference. I had the attention of the entire Ops department in our office as well as all of Laredo on the phone and I did not stumble once!!! If this would have been two years ago, I would have lost it and been so nervous that I would have not been able to talk. I think I'm finally starting to fit into who I was supposed to be years ago. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would take the leadership role in my position after only a year and run with it. I just hope I didn't tick off my co-workers too much. Everything I said, I said with respect and maturity and I believe I came across that way. Not only that, but I get to throw my ideas into flowcharts and forms and anything else I feel that is imperative for growth. That is f-in' awesome!!!
To top off my afternoon, Josh called me and told me he got a 95% on his Historiography article review and that just made my day.
I'm so full of energy right now and I feel like I could just go out and party....too bad I have to get up for work in the morning early otherwise you'd find me out at one of my favorite dancing spots. Oh well, I guess I'll just settle for creating a flowchart of our transportation customers! I'm such a brown-noser! HA!
Hope everyone has a good weekend! I'm working on Saturday and then Sunday is laundry and grocery-shopping day. Woo hoo!
Saturday, September 16, 2006
That's a winner....
This past week has gone by in a blur. I can't believe it's Saturday again already! Since I don't want anyone to think I have fallen off of the face of the earth, I decided to update. The concert last Saturday night was awesome! My bro is one of the coolest guys I know. We had a blast...even if he and his girlfriend and his best friend did decide to harass me all night long. I think Foreigner is one of my new favorites and Styx was great as well. I'm a little ticked though...Styx did not play "Babe." What the heck! In any case, I've had both bands songs flowing through my head all week long.
Work is extremely hectic right now. We all are continuing to work weekends so that we don't fall too far behind. I know Josh probably thinks my life revolves around work and spreadsheets and right now, it pretty much does. Speaking of Josh, I was lucky enough to go have dinner with him on Wednesday night after we both got off of work. Now driving to Cape on a Wednesday night would have been completely crazy (although, if he would have asked, I would have done it) so we met halfway at Ruby Tuesday's in Festus. It was delish....and we finally got to catch up a bit. He, like almost everyone else in my life, hasn't gotten much of an update from me lately due to all of the craziness and it was great just to sit back and get to enjoy a few hours together. I felt like I was a teenager again while we were out because after dinner we decided to drop off a few boxes of stuff from his place in Cape at his dad's which is just about a mile or two away from where we met. Well...considering it was like 10 at night and his dad would most likely be asleep because he has to work early in the morning, we tip-toed into the house like 10 times carrying all sorts of stuff and each time we stopped to make sure that we didn't wake him. It reminded me of high school and trying to sneak into the house at the crazy hours I did without waking up my parents. Anyway, it ended up being a terrific night and it was sad to see us driving in opposite directions going back home.
Friday, some of the work gang decided to go to Fairmount Park and watch the horse races. It was the first time I'd ever been to a horse race and it was actually pretty fun. I don't know much about odds and jockeys and horses, but it was at least neat to watch. I actually bet in race 5 and my horse won! For some reason when I decided to bet, I picked a horse whose name and number I liked. It was #3 Lady Diazo. One of my co-workers noted before I officially decided to place a bet that the jockey was pretty good too...so I went to the window and bet $2.00 win on #3. The race was only like a minute and a half long and for the first part of it my horse was like #5 out of 7 horses...but as they came around the bend she started moving up. It was an easy win though when it came down to the finish and my horse pulled through and as a result.....drum roll please....I won $5! Look at me over here -- the big spender and big winner at the track. WOO HOO!!! And that was the last of my betting for the night. It was a good time though and I'm glad the gang was able to get together and go out for a change.
As for today, I got up and went into work around 10 along with M & S and we worked on getting billing caught up while most of the guys we work with went and played in a golf tournament. (I guess they didn't realize that girls know how to play golf too because we weren't invited.) We put in another full day....and finally at 5 we decided to call it a day. M & I decided that since we didn't take a lunch and since we had no plans for the evening that we were going to go have dinner so we went to Red Lobster and tried to solve all of the world's problems in just an hour and a half. Actually it was nice getting to go out and talk to her for a change. We never really get much of a chance to just have a nice conversation....at work now we are in an office with 6 other people and everyone overhears everything said and some of the things we talk about aren't appropriate. Let me rephrase that....it's appropriate but it's mean. There is quite a bit of tension between certain people and it's affecting the jobs of others....it's that way at every company though and really just to let off some steam....mean things get said. She understands it and so do I and we're usually each others support system when that happens. Lately though, with the commotion we don't have much time to catch up and talk so this was a great way to fix that.
That's this past week in a nutshell. Tomorrow I'm planning on relaxing for a bit and catching up on some much needed sleep and then there is a family dinner at my Grandma's house with everyone. It should be a nice day though before the craziness starts again at 8 am on Monday morning. Have a great weekend everyone!
Work is extremely hectic right now. We all are continuing to work weekends so that we don't fall too far behind. I know Josh probably thinks my life revolves around work and spreadsheets and right now, it pretty much does. Speaking of Josh, I was lucky enough to go have dinner with him on Wednesday night after we both got off of work. Now driving to Cape on a Wednesday night would have been completely crazy (although, if he would have asked, I would have done it) so we met halfway at Ruby Tuesday's in Festus. It was delish....and we finally got to catch up a bit. He, like almost everyone else in my life, hasn't gotten much of an update from me lately due to all of the craziness and it was great just to sit back and get to enjoy a few hours together. I felt like I was a teenager again while we were out because after dinner we decided to drop off a few boxes of stuff from his place in Cape at his dad's which is just about a mile or two away from where we met. Well...considering it was like 10 at night and his dad would most likely be asleep because he has to work early in the morning, we tip-toed into the house like 10 times carrying all sorts of stuff and each time we stopped to make sure that we didn't wake him. It reminded me of high school and trying to sneak into the house at the crazy hours I did without waking up my parents. Anyway, it ended up being a terrific night and it was sad to see us driving in opposite directions going back home.
Friday, some of the work gang decided to go to Fairmount Park and watch the horse races. It was the first time I'd ever been to a horse race and it was actually pretty fun. I don't know much about odds and jockeys and horses, but it was at least neat to watch. I actually bet in race 5 and my horse won! For some reason when I decided to bet, I picked a horse whose name and number I liked. It was #3 Lady Diazo. One of my co-workers noted before I officially decided to place a bet that the jockey was pretty good too...so I went to the window and bet $2.00 win on #3. The race was only like a minute and a half long and for the first part of it my horse was like #5 out of 7 horses...but as they came around the bend she started moving up. It was an easy win though when it came down to the finish and my horse pulled through and as a result.....drum roll please....I won $5! Look at me over here -- the big spender and big winner at the track. WOO HOO!!! And that was the last of my betting for the night. It was a good time though and I'm glad the gang was able to get together and go out for a change.
As for today, I got up and went into work around 10 along with M & S and we worked on getting billing caught up while most of the guys we work with went and played in a golf tournament. (I guess they didn't realize that girls know how to play golf too because we weren't invited.) We put in another full day....and finally at 5 we decided to call it a day. M & I decided that since we didn't take a lunch and since we had no plans for the evening that we were going to go have dinner so we went to Red Lobster and tried to solve all of the world's problems in just an hour and a half. Actually it was nice getting to go out and talk to her for a change. We never really get much of a chance to just have a nice conversation....at work now we are in an office with 6 other people and everyone overhears everything said and some of the things we talk about aren't appropriate. Let me rephrase that....it's appropriate but it's mean. There is quite a bit of tension between certain people and it's affecting the jobs of others....it's that way at every company though and really just to let off some steam....mean things get said. She understands it and so do I and we're usually each others support system when that happens. Lately though, with the commotion we don't have much time to catch up and talk so this was a great way to fix that.
That's this past week in a nutshell. Tomorrow I'm planning on relaxing for a bit and catching up on some much needed sleep and then there is a family dinner at my Grandma's house with everyone. It should be a nice day though before the craziness starts again at 8 am on Monday morning. Have a great weekend everyone!
Saturday, September 09, 2006
Thank You Bro!
I just have to send a thank you out to my bro who got me a ticket to tonight's Styx and Foreigner concert. Bro...you are awesome! It should be a great concert and I'm excited that I get to go. It's hard to believe that my 19 year old brother likes Styx & Foreigner....it's before both of our times....but it's darn good music.
Other than that, I've been doing the same ol' stuff. Work has picked back up and with one less person in our department, we're definitely working hard and spending a lot more time at the office in order to get caught up. But, I guess it's good job security. Anyone with a background in transportation billing...feel free to send me your resume. We could be adding more people in the near future if we don't get caught up quick enough! Of course, then you would be stuck working in an office with me....and if that doesn't appeal to you...then maybe reconsider. HA!
I spent most of my week getting everything organized so that my boss and I can crank out financials next week....nothing too exciting but just a lot of number crunching for accruals. Josh thinks I'm absolutely nuts for actually thinking this is fun, but I do enjoy it. Go ahead...call me crazy...someday you'll want me to be your personal accountant though!
Other than that, I've been doing the same ol' stuff. Work has picked back up and with one less person in our department, we're definitely working hard and spending a lot more time at the office in order to get caught up. But, I guess it's good job security. Anyone with a background in transportation billing...feel free to send me your resume. We could be adding more people in the near future if we don't get caught up quick enough! Of course, then you would be stuck working in an office with me....and if that doesn't appeal to you...then maybe reconsider. HA!
I spent most of my week getting everything organized so that my boss and I can crank out financials next week....nothing too exciting but just a lot of number crunching for accruals. Josh thinks I'm absolutely nuts for actually thinking this is fun, but I do enjoy it. Go ahead...call me crazy...someday you'll want me to be your personal accountant though!
Sunday, August 20, 2006
New Post...Finally!
Because an update has been demanded, I figured I would put something together. I wish I had something exciting to report, but like always, I'm just working a ton of hours and in my spare time, trying to do a little research on bettering myself. (I can't say anymore than that right now because of a confidentiality agreement that is in place, but if something changes, say in the next month, then I will be more than happy to spill the beans....until then....let's just say, I've been doing alot of thinking and trying to figure out what is best for me.)
Ok, so since I haven't had much of a life, I decided to post some tidbits of information and I'm calling it: Things You Probably Didn't Know About Me.
If you did know these...well I guess some people know me better than what I think. If you didn't know these things...well maybe you learned a little something today...not that it really matters though, but here we go:
- I am a loyal & trustworthy friend.
- I listen more than I talk.
- I like to cook and can actually make edible meals.
- I make a mean confetti angel food cake.
- I am a romantic at heart.
- I love to listen to music & dance.
- I sing in my car constantly & don't care if people think I'm crazy when I'm belting it out.
- I have just as much fun hanging out at home by myself as I do going out with a group of friends.
- I love reading romance novels.
- I value intelligence (in myself and other people).
- I balance my bank accounts monthly.
- I am a control freak.
- I am the queen of Excel spreadsheets.
- I clip coupons & actually use them when I shop.
- I have written in a journal since I was 13 years old.
- I have more male friends than female friends.
- My favorite channel on TV is Food Network.
- When I was in high school, I planned on moving to Mexico after graduation.
- I wish I was strong enough mentally and physically to join the Army.
- I do not regret any of my actions over the past 23 years -- I have learned every step of the way...even if it meant doing something out of the ordinary for me.
- I am a rule follower.
- I am self-conscious.
So there's a start. These types of things have been running through my head lately and I thought I'd just get them all out in an entry. Are you happy now Joe? I updated for you. Anyway, how many of these things did you know?
It's back to work tomorrow and hopefully things go smooth. I know I have a cash projection to put together for the rest of the month and the rest is up in the air....like usual.
Ok, so since I haven't had much of a life, I decided to post some tidbits of information and I'm calling it: Things You Probably Didn't Know About Me.
If you did know these...well I guess some people know me better than what I think. If you didn't know these things...well maybe you learned a little something today...not that it really matters though, but here we go:
- I am a loyal & trustworthy friend.
- I listen more than I talk.
- I like to cook and can actually make edible meals.
- I make a mean confetti angel food cake.
- I am a romantic at heart.
- I love to listen to music & dance.
- I sing in my car constantly & don't care if people think I'm crazy when I'm belting it out.
- I have just as much fun hanging out at home by myself as I do going out with a group of friends.
- I love reading romance novels.
- I value intelligence (in myself and other people).
- I balance my bank accounts monthly.
- I am a control freak.
- I am the queen of Excel spreadsheets.
- I clip coupons & actually use them when I shop.
- I have written in a journal since I was 13 years old.
- I have more male friends than female friends.
- My favorite channel on TV is Food Network.
- When I was in high school, I planned on moving to Mexico after graduation.
- I wish I was strong enough mentally and physically to join the Army.
- I do not regret any of my actions over the past 23 years -- I have learned every step of the way...even if it meant doing something out of the ordinary for me.
- I am a rule follower.
- I am self-conscious.
So there's a start. These types of things have been running through my head lately and I thought I'd just get them all out in an entry. Are you happy now Joe? I updated for you. Anyway, how many of these things did you know?
It's back to work tomorrow and hopefully things go smooth. I know I have a cash projection to put together for the rest of the month and the rest is up in the air....like usual.
Monday, July 17, 2006
Happy Anniversary to Me
Any minute now I feel like there is going to be a flashback reel replaying the last year of my life. It's been a crazy year and as I celebrate my one year anniversary at work tomorrow, I know even greater things will come with time. I still remember my first day last year. I was scared to death that no one would like me and that I would not be able to do the job. Well, both of those turned out to be completely false. I have some of the greatest friends at work, including my best friend and I've succeeded with flying colors when it came to all of the stuff thrown my way. (Ok, maybe not with flying colors and not without partially losing my mind, but it has definitely been a learning experience!)
So here are some of the highlights of the last year:
- Trying to get my desk and computer up and running with a 50 foot network cable stretched across two rooms because nothing was ready in our office.
- Working out of boxes for the first two months because we didn't have filing cabinets.
- Learning to clothes the month-end books just 11 days after starting at the company and having to call my boss in England because I was stuck.
- The first Parties at the Plaza with the work crowd.
- My first trip to C-town with M last September. We had no clue what we were in for!
- Bowling with J and a few others and throwing my bowling ball behind me rather than down the lane. (I will never forget how hard J was laughing at me for that one!)
- Taking J out for his birthday and him spilling his beer all over M.
- Going to the Bottleneck Blues Bar numerous times with J, C, M and the rest of the crew and dancing our butts off.
- The Party Planning Committee succeeding at throwing the happy hour of the year celebrating J's promotion to Laredo Operations Manager.
- The Christmas party at Cannoli's where I spent much of the evening hob-knobbing with the owner of the company.
- The trip to C-town 3 days before Christmas where M and I had to learn billing and then take over when the "Christmas flu" was going around the office.
- Finding the drive-thru liquor store in C-town and driving around to find the houses of everyone who lived down there before they moved to St. Louis.
- FedExing cookies to Laredo for my bestest buddy.
- Going out with M for New Years and calling C and J at midnight to wish them a happy 2006.
- Spending my birthday dancing the night away with my coworkers at America's Pub and Patrick's.
- Having an "AR meeting" at the Eastern Conference Center with the President of the Company, Director of Operations, Billing and Accounts Payable.
- Going to Kobe Steakhouse of Japan with the President, Owner, Director of Operations & M and catching a flying shrimp in my mouth and also having the owner spit water on me after the president told a very funny joke.
- Watching the Owner play the air guitar when we went out for drinks.
- Getting AR down to 13%.
- Having everyone think M and I are fighting because we're switching desks and she moved to another part of the office for 2 days while her desk is being built. (This was late last week and today and it was hilarious to watch because we're closer than ever...but everyone was worried.)
- Becoming "Carrier of the Year" and finally settling in after a long 11 and 3/4 months!
- And finally, today...packing up my desk and putting everything aside this afternoon so that my new desk can be built in the morning. Tomorrow will start out just like my first day last year!
One final note, I would like to say thanks to Josh for putting up with me over the past year. (Heck...the past 3 years for that matter!) But really, if there was one person who had faith in me from the beginning, it was him. I still remember the day of my interview on July 1st last year and then him coming up that night to spend some time with me. He knew that night that I would get the job and do great things even when I wasn't so sure of myself and I appreciate that tremendously! And no Josh, I'm not moving to Texas anytime soon...you're stuck with me in Missouri!
Ahhh...the memories! Anyway, I'm in for a fun-filled day tomorrow. Besides trying to get my new desk organized, I have to get ready for my weekly meeting tomorrow afternoon and get all of my other Tuesday duties completed. It should be quite the day....and I'm definitely looking forward to coming home tomorrow night and celebrating with a Smirnoff!
So here are some of the highlights of the last year:
- Trying to get my desk and computer up and running with a 50 foot network cable stretched across two rooms because nothing was ready in our office.
- Working out of boxes for the first two months because we didn't have filing cabinets.
- Learning to clothes the month-end books just 11 days after starting at the company and having to call my boss in England because I was stuck.
- The first Parties at the Plaza with the work crowd.
- My first trip to C-town with M last September. We had no clue what we were in for!
- Bowling with J and a few others and throwing my bowling ball behind me rather than down the lane. (I will never forget how hard J was laughing at me for that one!)
- Taking J out for his birthday and him spilling his beer all over M.
- Going to the Bottleneck Blues Bar numerous times with J, C, M and the rest of the crew and dancing our butts off.
- The Party Planning Committee succeeding at throwing the happy hour of the year celebrating J's promotion to Laredo Operations Manager.
- The Christmas party at Cannoli's where I spent much of the evening hob-knobbing with the owner of the company.
- The trip to C-town 3 days before Christmas where M and I had to learn billing and then take over when the "Christmas flu" was going around the office.
- Finding the drive-thru liquor store in C-town and driving around to find the houses of everyone who lived down there before they moved to St. Louis.
- FedExing cookies to Laredo for my bestest buddy.
- Going out with M for New Years and calling C and J at midnight to wish them a happy 2006.
- Spending my birthday dancing the night away with my coworkers at America's Pub and Patrick's.
- Having an "AR meeting" at the Eastern Conference Center with the President of the Company, Director of Operations, Billing and Accounts Payable.
- Going to Kobe Steakhouse of Japan with the President, Owner, Director of Operations & M and catching a flying shrimp in my mouth and also having the owner spit water on me after the president told a very funny joke.
- Watching the Owner play the air guitar when we went out for drinks.
- Getting AR down to 13%.
- Having everyone think M and I are fighting because we're switching desks and she moved to another part of the office for 2 days while her desk is being built. (This was late last week and today and it was hilarious to watch because we're closer than ever...but everyone was worried.)
- Becoming "Carrier of the Year" and finally settling in after a long 11 and 3/4 months!
- And finally, today...packing up my desk and putting everything aside this afternoon so that my new desk can be built in the morning. Tomorrow will start out just like my first day last year!
One final note, I would like to say thanks to Josh for putting up with me over the past year. (Heck...the past 3 years for that matter!) But really, if there was one person who had faith in me from the beginning, it was him. I still remember the day of my interview on July 1st last year and then him coming up that night to spend some time with me. He knew that night that I would get the job and do great things even when I wasn't so sure of myself and I appreciate that tremendously! And no Josh, I'm not moving to Texas anytime soon...you're stuck with me in Missouri!
Ahhh...the memories! Anyway, I'm in for a fun-filled day tomorrow. Besides trying to get my new desk organized, I have to get ready for my weekly meeting tomorrow afternoon and get all of my other Tuesday duties completed. It should be quite the day....and I'm definitely looking forward to coming home tomorrow night and celebrating with a Smirnoff!
Thursday, July 13, 2006
Then vs. Now
Ok, so before I go make my frozen margaritas for the happy hour before the Cardinals game tomorrow night, I have decided to fill out a survey and post it on here rather than email it out. This one is a little different than the ones that have seen in the past and I thought it would be a breeze to fill out, but it was a little harder than I imagined...only because I had a heck of a time thinking back to what I was up to 5 years ago. That seems like so long ago now, especially since so much has changed for me in that amount of time. Here are the results:
5 years ago...
How old were you?: 18
What school year were you in?: I was getting ready to start college
Where did you go to school?: I had just graduated from Hazelwood East and I was getting ready to start McKendree College
Where did you work?: Korte as a part-time accounting clerk
Where did you live?: Highland, IL
Where did you hang out?: mostly at home or at my high school friends' houses before we all went to college
How was your hair style?: shoulder length and light brown
Did you wear braces?: no, that was back in junior high
Did you wear glasses?: yes
Who was your best friend?: my cousin Mary and my mom
Who was your boyfriend?: I was single
Who was your celebrity crush?: Ricky Martin
Who was your regular person crush?: Greg...he was my conversational spanish partner senior year in high school
How many piercings did you have?: my ears double-pierced
How many tattoos did you have?: zero
What was your favorite band?: Journey
What was your worst fear?: not fitting in at college and not graduating within 4 years
Had you smoked a cigarette yet?: no, smoking is not for me
Had you gotten drunk yet?: no, I didn't really drink then
Had you driven yet?: yes, I had been driving for two years
Had you had sex yet?: no, I had always planned to wait until marriage
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
HA HA HA!!! LETS SEE WHERE I AM NOW!!!!!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
How old are you? 23
What school year are you in?: I am happy to say I'm finished!
Where do you go to school?: in the real world...that's a school within itself
Where do you work?: at a transportation company in St. Louis, MO...I'm the Accountant
Where do you live?: Hazelwood, MO
Where do you hang out?: Sybergs, Bottleneck Blues Bar, Trainwreck, M's house
How is your hair style?: long with blonde highlights
Do you wear glasses?: I wear my contact more, but yes.
Who is your best friend?: M and my mom
Who is your boyfriend?: Josh
Who is your celebrity crush?: Kenny Chesney
Who is your regular person crush?: J in Laredo...he's a great friend and I love his Arkansas accent.
How many tattoos do you have?: zero and it is staying that way
How many piercings do you have?: my ears are still double-pierced
What is your favorite band?: Shinedown
What is your biggest fear?: failing at life or my job & letting down my family and friends
Have you driven yet?: yes, for nearly 8 years
Have you smoked a cigarette yet?: no, and I'm not planning on ever smoking one
Have you gotten drunk yet?: throwing up drunk no, but I have been quite buzzed a few times
Have you had sex yet?: yes, my attitude on sex before marriage changed a little
So there we go. Now I'm off to make my margaritas. Four of us from work are going to the Cardinals game tomorrow night and we thought we'd throw a little tailgate party. It is going to be a blast and I'm sure I will have a few stories to post. The seats we have for the game are awesome too since they are company ones. Hopefully the Cards can pull off a win or I'll even settle for seeing Pujols hit a homer!
5 years ago...
How old were you?: 18
What school year were you in?: I was getting ready to start college
Where did you go to school?: I had just graduated from Hazelwood East and I was getting ready to start McKendree College
Where did you work?: Korte as a part-time accounting clerk
Where did you live?: Highland, IL
Where did you hang out?: mostly at home or at my high school friends' houses before we all went to college
How was your hair style?: shoulder length and light brown
Did you wear braces?: no, that was back in junior high
Did you wear glasses?: yes
Who was your best friend?: my cousin Mary and my mom
Who was your boyfriend?: I was single
Who was your celebrity crush?: Ricky Martin
Who was your regular person crush?: Greg...he was my conversational spanish partner senior year in high school
How many piercings did you have?: my ears double-pierced
How many tattoos did you have?: zero
What was your favorite band?: Journey
What was your worst fear?: not fitting in at college and not graduating within 4 years
Had you smoked a cigarette yet?: no, smoking is not for me
Had you gotten drunk yet?: no, I didn't really drink then
Had you driven yet?: yes, I had been driving for two years
Had you had sex yet?: no, I had always planned to wait until marriage
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
HA HA HA!!! LETS SEE WHERE I AM NOW!!!!!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
How old are you? 23
What school year are you in?: I am happy to say I'm finished!
Where do you go to school?: in the real world...that's a school within itself
Where do you work?: at a transportation company in St. Louis, MO...I'm the Accountant
Where do you live?: Hazelwood, MO
Where do you hang out?: Sybergs, Bottleneck Blues Bar, Trainwreck, M's house
How is your hair style?: long with blonde highlights
Do you wear glasses?: I wear my contact more, but yes.
Who is your best friend?: M and my mom
Who is your boyfriend?: Josh
Who is your celebrity crush?: Kenny Chesney
Who is your regular person crush?: J in Laredo...he's a great friend and I love his Arkansas accent.
How many tattoos do you have?: zero and it is staying that way
How many piercings do you have?: my ears are still double-pierced
What is your favorite band?: Shinedown
What is your biggest fear?: failing at life or my job & letting down my family and friends
Have you driven yet?: yes, for nearly 8 years
Have you smoked a cigarette yet?: no, and I'm not planning on ever smoking one
Have you gotten drunk yet?: throwing up drunk no, but I have been quite buzzed a few times
Have you had sex yet?: yes, my attitude on sex before marriage changed a little
So there we go. Now I'm off to make my margaritas. Four of us from work are going to the Cardinals game tomorrow night and we thought we'd throw a little tailgate party. It is going to be a blast and I'm sure I will have a few stories to post. The seats we have for the game are awesome too since they are company ones. Hopefully the Cards can pull off a win or I'll even settle for seeing Pujols hit a homer!
Friday, July 07, 2006
Burning Bright
For some reason I feel like posting and I really don't have a whole lot to say. The week has gone by and I haven't done anything besides work and come home every night to an empty apartment. Tonight we went out for drinks at Casa after work, but that only lasted about 2 hours and now I'm back home. That's for the best though because Nicole is spending the rest of the weekend with me and I don't need to be hungover for her visit. Plus, I'm really looking forward to shopping and swimming and spending time with her.
In my spare time I've been listening to a lot of music. Ok, not really, I've listened to the same CDs over and over again and I'm absolutely loving the 2 Shinedown CDs I have. J got me hooked on them before he left for Laredo and I must say his taste in music is superb. Well, I actually started listening to all of the words I've been belting out lately and for some strange reason I'm stuck on "Burning Bright." I think the song is a good representation of me and some of the stuff I've gone through in the past 7 or 8 months. I'm sure there are only 2 people right now who understand why this fits me so well. Who knows -- it might only be one.
In any case, I've decided to post the lyrics. Usually I'm not the type of person to do something like that, but considering I think this song describes me to a tee, I thought I'd let everyone in a little bit. If you don't know how exactly this applies to me, that's ok....I'm not expecting you to, but I just thought I'd let others in on how I currently see things.
So, here we go:
"Burning Bright"
I feel like there is no need for conversation
Some questions are better left without a reason
And I would rather reveal myself than my situation
Now and then I consider, my hesitation
The more the light shines through me
I pretend to close my eyes
The more the dark consumes me
I pretend I'm burning, burning bright
I wonder if the things I did were just to be different
To spare myself of the constant shame of my existence
And I would surely redeem myself in my desperation
Here and now I'll express, my situation
There's nothing ever wrong but nothing's ever right
Such a cruel contradiction
I know I cross the lines its not easy to define
I'm born to indecision
There's always something new some path I'm supposed to choose
With no particular rhyme or reason
I'm sure that when the guys of Shinedown wrote this song, they weren't thinking of me and the meaning I got from it, but I bet if I went back and explained myself to my friends it would make a lot more sense. However, I'm not going to take the time to explain all that. Don't worry...I'm not emo or anything like that. In fact, if you don't know who Shinedown is, they're good ol' Southern Rock. They've got the strong voices that make me quiver when I hear their songs, especially the acoustic versions.
Anyway, if you have any questions regarding any of this, feel free to send them my way. But, I feel so much better just to get this out a little bit....even if everyone else is lost.
Hope everyone has a great weekend! I'm going to relax before my fun-filled weekend starts tomorrow morning!
In my spare time I've been listening to a lot of music. Ok, not really, I've listened to the same CDs over and over again and I'm absolutely loving the 2 Shinedown CDs I have. J got me hooked on them before he left for Laredo and I must say his taste in music is superb. Well, I actually started listening to all of the words I've been belting out lately and for some strange reason I'm stuck on "Burning Bright." I think the song is a good representation of me and some of the stuff I've gone through in the past 7 or 8 months. I'm sure there are only 2 people right now who understand why this fits me so well. Who knows -- it might only be one.
In any case, I've decided to post the lyrics. Usually I'm not the type of person to do something like that, but considering I think this song describes me to a tee, I thought I'd let everyone in a little bit. If you don't know how exactly this applies to me, that's ok....I'm not expecting you to, but I just thought I'd let others in on how I currently see things.
So, here we go:
"Burning Bright"
I feel like there is no need for conversation
Some questions are better left without a reason
And I would rather reveal myself than my situation
Now and then I consider, my hesitation
The more the light shines through me
I pretend to close my eyes
The more the dark consumes me
I pretend I'm burning, burning bright
I wonder if the things I did were just to be different
To spare myself of the constant shame of my existence
And I would surely redeem myself in my desperation
Here and now I'll express, my situation
There's nothing ever wrong but nothing's ever right
Such a cruel contradiction
I know I cross the lines its not easy to define
I'm born to indecision
There's always something new some path I'm supposed to choose
With no particular rhyme or reason
I'm sure that when the guys of Shinedown wrote this song, they weren't thinking of me and the meaning I got from it, but I bet if I went back and explained myself to my friends it would make a lot more sense. However, I'm not going to take the time to explain all that. Don't worry...I'm not emo or anything like that. In fact, if you don't know who Shinedown is, they're good ol' Southern Rock. They've got the strong voices that make me quiver when I hear their songs, especially the acoustic versions.
Anyway, if you have any questions regarding any of this, feel free to send them my way. But, I feel so much better just to get this out a little bit....even if everyone else is lost.
Hope everyone has a great weekend! I'm going to relax before my fun-filled weekend starts tomorrow morning!
Tuesday, July 04, 2006
Independence Day
Happy 4th of July! While most people take this as a day off to relax and sleep in, I was up at 7 am. So much for taking it easy!
Anyway, good thing I'm up because there is a lot to report on and this is the first chance I've gotten to update. Last week went by in a blur, I was busy the entire week and finally when I got home last night I just sat there and vegged out on my couch for the night. I had dinner with Shell to start the week last week. I got off of work at 5 and high-tailed it home to change clothes and drive back to the neighborhood I grew up in. Usually it doesn't take that long to get there from where I live considering it is only like 12 miles away but with traffic on the highway it took me over 45 minutes to get to her house. It was nice to be able to catch up with her, especially since we've been friends since first grade and I haven't been the greatest at keeping in contact with people I grew up with. When I graduated from high school, I always thought I would keep in touch with that close-knit group of friends and now 5 years after graduating, I barely keep in touch with one of them. But, I will say I had a lot of fun hanging out with Shell and we both decided we'll have to make this a regular thing.
Last Wednesday, I drove back over to my Grandma's in that same exact neighborhood and had dinner with her, my step-dad and a friend of my Grandma's. Traffic that day was even worse and all of the highways were closed due to the President being in town for a fundraiser. By the time I made it to my Grandma's I had sat in traffic for about an hour and a half and I was a little peeved when I did finally make it to her house and in my personal opinion, Sen. Talent made a big mistake by inviting the President. He's definitely lost my vote, and not because I dislike Bush (don't get me wrong though, I don't think he's the greatest) but because they shut down the highways at rush hour and that's just wrong!!! But, dinner ended up being a lot of fun. My Grandma's friend actually works for another local trucking company as a fleet manager so I spent most of the night talking trucking with him. I think he was impressed that I knew so much for being so young and only working at a transportation company for 11 months. I actually impressed myself too...I have learned a lot in that amount of time!
Thursday and Friday, Tom was in town so Joe, Lindsay, Tom and myself went out after I got off of work. Thursday we went to Fast Eddie's and then to play pool and then Friday we went to Hooter's at Westport. I wasn't much fun to hang out with though, I was worn out and I probably seemed out of it both nights, but that's what you get from me when it's the end of the month and I've got a million other things on my mind and I'm working a ton of extra hours. Friday night I had month end and nothing went as scheduled and that didn't help and as a result, I had to go into work on Saturday morning to see if I could fix the mess. So Saturday, I got up and got ready for work and went to breakfast with Tom before he set out for Oklahoma and then worked a few hours fixing nothing, but at least getting started on everything needed for July.
Saturday night ended up being a complete blast! M was having a graduation party for her daughter who recently graduated from high school and the work crowd was invited along with all of her kids friends, both sides of the family and other friends. I came a little early to help M get some things set because I knew she would be stressing a little as it came down to the wire. Well, I ended up not leaving until like 3 in the morning! All of the 20 somethings that were there ended up causing a few problems and I was trying to talk some sense into them. Imagine that...me -- another 20 something trying to talk sense into others! Actually most of the time I was there I was with the older crowd because I know most of them from work or they are friends of M's that I have gone out with before so I felt more comfortable with them. The President of the company I work for ended up coming and I got to talk to him for quite awhile which was a great relief to me. Actually, he pulled me aside and talked to me about work for a bit also and come to find out he is extremely pleased with what I have done so far. It was a big help for me to hear everything from him because I think I'm doing a decent job, but until you hear it from the President of the company, you never know if it is true or not. We also talked about how my year anniversary is coming up and that I will have my annual review with him around the 18th of July and he assured me that I have nothing to worry about. I know I have some improvements to make and I'm always looking to move forward and I think he realizes that too. Overall it was a great night!
Sunday I headed over to my mom's to do laundry and for BBQ. And because I was up so late the night before I ended up napping most of the day in between switching laundry loads. Not sleeping a lot during the week definitely caught up with me! But it did help me feel refreshed for work yesterday and it ended up being a great day. The next few weeks are going to be slower for us operationally but that should help the administrative side get caught up with our backlog and by the time we get through this little slump (it's a yearly slump due to the automotive industry taking a two week hiatus to change over the plants). Although from what I heard we shouldn't be nearly as slow as last year because we have found quite a few logistics companies that need our help moving the loads that they broker out.
As for the rest of the week, it should be fairly smooth. Tomorrow is M's one year anniversary at work and I have something up my sleeve for that and I have an AR meeting with my buddy C. Friday we're going to try to go out after work. It's been quite a few weeks since we've gone out after work and I'm having dancing withdrawals so I think we're going to go up to the Bottleneck Blues bar.
And finally, I'm looking forward to Saturday. My aunt called me last weekend and asked if my 9 year cousin could come spend the night at my apartment this weekend and of course I agreed. My cousin is the absolute cutest and considering I lived with her for nearly two years and she's like a little sister to me I love getting to spend time with her. I'm sure it will be a jam-packed Saturday and Sunday for us but I know it will be fun!
Anyway, good thing I'm up because there is a lot to report on and this is the first chance I've gotten to update. Last week went by in a blur, I was busy the entire week and finally when I got home last night I just sat there and vegged out on my couch for the night. I had dinner with Shell to start the week last week. I got off of work at 5 and high-tailed it home to change clothes and drive back to the neighborhood I grew up in. Usually it doesn't take that long to get there from where I live considering it is only like 12 miles away but with traffic on the highway it took me over 45 minutes to get to her house. It was nice to be able to catch up with her, especially since we've been friends since first grade and I haven't been the greatest at keeping in contact with people I grew up with. When I graduated from high school, I always thought I would keep in touch with that close-knit group of friends and now 5 years after graduating, I barely keep in touch with one of them. But, I will say I had a lot of fun hanging out with Shell and we both decided we'll have to make this a regular thing.
Last Wednesday, I drove back over to my Grandma's in that same exact neighborhood and had dinner with her, my step-dad and a friend of my Grandma's. Traffic that day was even worse and all of the highways were closed due to the President being in town for a fundraiser. By the time I made it to my Grandma's I had sat in traffic for about an hour and a half and I was a little peeved when I did finally make it to her house and in my personal opinion, Sen. Talent made a big mistake by inviting the President. He's definitely lost my vote, and not because I dislike Bush (don't get me wrong though, I don't think he's the greatest) but because they shut down the highways at rush hour and that's just wrong!!! But, dinner ended up being a lot of fun. My Grandma's friend actually works for another local trucking company as a fleet manager so I spent most of the night talking trucking with him. I think he was impressed that I knew so much for being so young and only working at a transportation company for 11 months. I actually impressed myself too...I have learned a lot in that amount of time!
Thursday and Friday, Tom was in town so Joe, Lindsay, Tom and myself went out after I got off of work. Thursday we went to Fast Eddie's and then to play pool and then Friday we went to Hooter's at Westport. I wasn't much fun to hang out with though, I was worn out and I probably seemed out of it both nights, but that's what you get from me when it's the end of the month and I've got a million other things on my mind and I'm working a ton of extra hours. Friday night I had month end and nothing went as scheduled and that didn't help and as a result, I had to go into work on Saturday morning to see if I could fix the mess. So Saturday, I got up and got ready for work and went to breakfast with Tom before he set out for Oklahoma and then worked a few hours fixing nothing, but at least getting started on everything needed for July.
Saturday night ended up being a complete blast! M was having a graduation party for her daughter who recently graduated from high school and the work crowd was invited along with all of her kids friends, both sides of the family and other friends. I came a little early to help M get some things set because I knew she would be stressing a little as it came down to the wire. Well, I ended up not leaving until like 3 in the morning! All of the 20 somethings that were there ended up causing a few problems and I was trying to talk some sense into them. Imagine that...me -- another 20 something trying to talk sense into others! Actually most of the time I was there I was with the older crowd because I know most of them from work or they are friends of M's that I have gone out with before so I felt more comfortable with them. The President of the company I work for ended up coming and I got to talk to him for quite awhile which was a great relief to me. Actually, he pulled me aside and talked to me about work for a bit also and come to find out he is extremely pleased with what I have done so far. It was a big help for me to hear everything from him because I think I'm doing a decent job, but until you hear it from the President of the company, you never know if it is true or not. We also talked about how my year anniversary is coming up and that I will have my annual review with him around the 18th of July and he assured me that I have nothing to worry about. I know I have some improvements to make and I'm always looking to move forward and I think he realizes that too. Overall it was a great night!
Sunday I headed over to my mom's to do laundry and for BBQ. And because I was up so late the night before I ended up napping most of the day in between switching laundry loads. Not sleeping a lot during the week definitely caught up with me! But it did help me feel refreshed for work yesterday and it ended up being a great day. The next few weeks are going to be slower for us operationally but that should help the administrative side get caught up with our backlog and by the time we get through this little slump (it's a yearly slump due to the automotive industry taking a two week hiatus to change over the plants). Although from what I heard we shouldn't be nearly as slow as last year because we have found quite a few logistics companies that need our help moving the loads that they broker out.
As for the rest of the week, it should be fairly smooth. Tomorrow is M's one year anniversary at work and I have something up my sleeve for that and I have an AR meeting with my buddy C. Friday we're going to try to go out after work. It's been quite a few weeks since we've gone out after work and I'm having dancing withdrawals so I think we're going to go up to the Bottleneck Blues bar.
And finally, I'm looking forward to Saturday. My aunt called me last weekend and asked if my 9 year cousin could come spend the night at my apartment this weekend and of course I agreed. My cousin is the absolute cutest and considering I lived with her for nearly two years and she's like a little sister to me I love getting to spend time with her. I'm sure it will be a jam-packed Saturday and Sunday for us but I know it will be fun!
Sunday, June 25, 2006
All Quiet on the Western Front
Well I must say, I feel much better about everything and all it took was an apology and explanation of the situation at hand. This past week went much better and I have definitely seen an push for the things I have been trying to get accomplished. On Thursday, the owner of the company came into town for his monthly meeting with our managers. First thing he does when he comes into the office is walk into our accounting office, grab a chair from across the room and sits right next to me and says, "show me numbers." I'm in awe basically because there are plenty more people who are more important than me, but he wanted to see cash and my receivables percentages since I had been plugging how much better they would be on Wednesday after a little negotiation I pulled off with one of our largest customers. Much to his chagrin, the numbers were better...8% better than the Friday before. I think he was shocked and a little speechless. While I try to make myself look good 95% of the time, I know I mess up and that there are things that I have put off because I either don't know what to do to fix them or I trust people too much and believe most of what they say, even though I know they are probably saying whatever they can to please me and they aren't going to follow through. In any case, he was excited about my hard work and gave me pointers for moving forward. That is one cool thing about the owner....he thinks of me as a person and a vital part of the team. Most owners that I have dealt with barely know my name and he's pulling a chair up to my desk and wants to know the status of things from the "accountant's" standpoint. That is awesome! Of course, he should do that...it's his money that started our company and it's his money that continues to grow as our company becomes successful. I'm hoping at some point though he'll realize my hard work and reward me for it! A trip somewhere would be nice!
So anyway, I ended the week on a positive note. I'm glad that things went smoother and that people finally realize what exactly it takes to do my job and to do it well.
Tuesday around midnight I got quite a scare. I was dozing off and all of a sudden my cell phone starts playing Save Me by Shinedown. It means only one thing....I have a text message so I opened my phone and it was from Josh. I was excited and very happy to hear from him since we haven't had much contact lately. In any case, he tells me that he's in Branson and that he's got National Guard training in mid-July. Of course, now I'm freaking out. Yes, I knew his two weeks would come up eventually but I'm a nervous wreck! Thank goodness I didn't know him while he was in the Army, I don't know how I would have slept at night. So we texted back and forth a few times and tried to update one another on what's going on the next few weeks and all I can continue to think about is how am I going to get through July knowing he's got training. It's nothing for him...he says: Linds, it's just the National Guard. I know it's the National Guard, but do you know how much the National Guard is doing now??? A whole lot! For all I know he could be shipped down to protect the border or who knows where else. I know I'm probably over-reacting but that is my nature. No wonder we get along so well, our personalities compliment each other. I'm the worrier and he's the one that just goes with the flow and lives life the way he wants to.
As for this upcoming week, well there could be a whole lot going on or there might not be. It all depends on everyone else. Tuesday night is the Lynyrd Skynyrd and 3 Doors Down concert -- I would love to go but my work crowd and I haven't gotten tickets yet. Thursday, Tom is making a stop in St. Louis on his summer roadie. We'll see what he wants to do and if Joe and Lindsay (the other Lindsay) are free. I'm sure we'll go hang out somewhere, but who knows where. I was joking with Tom the other day and telling him I was going to take him to one of my happy hour spots around town. I could definitely use a happy hour right now!
So anyway, I ended the week on a positive note. I'm glad that things went smoother and that people finally realize what exactly it takes to do my job and to do it well.
Tuesday around midnight I got quite a scare. I was dozing off and all of a sudden my cell phone starts playing Save Me by Shinedown. It means only one thing....I have a text message so I opened my phone and it was from Josh. I was excited and very happy to hear from him since we haven't had much contact lately. In any case, he tells me that he's in Branson and that he's got National Guard training in mid-July. Of course, now I'm freaking out. Yes, I knew his two weeks would come up eventually but I'm a nervous wreck! Thank goodness I didn't know him while he was in the Army, I don't know how I would have slept at night. So we texted back and forth a few times and tried to update one another on what's going on the next few weeks and all I can continue to think about is how am I going to get through July knowing he's got training. It's nothing for him...he says: Linds, it's just the National Guard. I know it's the National Guard, but do you know how much the National Guard is doing now??? A whole lot! For all I know he could be shipped down to protect the border or who knows where else. I know I'm probably over-reacting but that is my nature. No wonder we get along so well, our personalities compliment each other. I'm the worrier and he's the one that just goes with the flow and lives life the way he wants to.
As for this upcoming week, well there could be a whole lot going on or there might not be. It all depends on everyone else. Tuesday night is the Lynyrd Skynyrd and 3 Doors Down concert -- I would love to go but my work crowd and I haven't gotten tickets yet. Thursday, Tom is making a stop in St. Louis on his summer roadie. We'll see what he wants to do and if Joe and Lindsay (the other Lindsay) are free. I'm sure we'll go hang out somewhere, but who knows where. I was joking with Tom the other day and telling him I was going to take him to one of my happy hour spots around town. I could definitely use a happy hour right now!
Sunday, June 18, 2006
Fireball of Energy
It has only taken me nearly 24 years to realize that I have a different work ethic than 99% of the population and that most people are just happy with finishing something not whether it was done right, wrong or otherwise and I'm the kind of person that if I want something done correctly I should just do it myself. As a result, there has been some tension in my office. I guess I have to be the bigger person and perform damage control on Monday in order to fix the relationships with the people in my office who felt that I have wronged them by telling them their job....no matter how hard that is going to be for me to do because I know what I did and said was the correct thing for the situation in hand. Oh well, I guess I'll just have to surrender and apologize and just realize that most people just work for a paycheck and while yeah, that is nice, I'm there for the bigger picture.
Don't get me wrong, I have to work to support myself, but I'm there to keep moving up in the company. I didn't go to college and step into this position to sit, I came aboard to give them my ideas about business and accounting, learn more about trucking and help this company progress from being a "start-up" to a leader in the transportation industry....all of which are still on my agenda. Most of all, I look at the situation like this -- I look at how far we've come in the year's time I've been there and with a little more hard work on everyone's part, I can see the progression into a transportation giant. I'm just not sure if everyone is there to put in that little bit of extra effort and that bothers me tremendously that they aren't, especially since it would pay off in the end if they put in that extra umphh. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to understand that when profits are up and expenses are down that it means more cash for a company and in my experience (granted I only have 7 years in the workforce), extra cash means bonuses and raises and other incentives. Perhaps I need to refresh everyone's memory...or maybe they know and just don't care. I don't understand why certain people feel like I have a bad attitude, I kinda think my attitude is the correct one to have and I would hope that the company's President and Owner would have the same attitude as me.
Overall this whole incident brings me to a realization that I just can't settle anymore...I'm a fireball of energy when it comes to business and my career and if I means stepping on the toes of my work friends to get in there and get the job done, I guess that's what I'll do and I'll apologize for it later.
In any case, I'm sure I'll have quite the week ahead of me smoothing over all of the issues considering very few people were talking to me at the end of the week after my little rant.
Finally, I just wanted to say Happy Father's Day to my dad and step-dad!
Dad, sorry I couldn't make it out to see you today, but I'll be out to visit in a few weeks. Try to have a relaxing day!
Don't get me wrong, I have to work to support myself, but I'm there to keep moving up in the company. I didn't go to college and step into this position to sit, I came aboard to give them my ideas about business and accounting, learn more about trucking and help this company progress from being a "start-up" to a leader in the transportation industry....all of which are still on my agenda. Most of all, I look at the situation like this -- I look at how far we've come in the year's time I've been there and with a little more hard work on everyone's part, I can see the progression into a transportation giant. I'm just not sure if everyone is there to put in that little bit of extra effort and that bothers me tremendously that they aren't, especially since it would pay off in the end if they put in that extra umphh. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to understand that when profits are up and expenses are down that it means more cash for a company and in my experience (granted I only have 7 years in the workforce), extra cash means bonuses and raises and other incentives. Perhaps I need to refresh everyone's memory...or maybe they know and just don't care. I don't understand why certain people feel like I have a bad attitude, I kinda think my attitude is the correct one to have and I would hope that the company's President and Owner would have the same attitude as me.
Overall this whole incident brings me to a realization that I just can't settle anymore...I'm a fireball of energy when it comes to business and my career and if I means stepping on the toes of my work friends to get in there and get the job done, I guess that's what I'll do and I'll apologize for it later.
In any case, I'm sure I'll have quite the week ahead of me smoothing over all of the issues considering very few people were talking to me at the end of the week after my little rant.
Finally, I just wanted to say Happy Father's Day to my dad and step-dad!
Dad, sorry I couldn't make it out to see you today, but I'll be out to visit in a few weeks. Try to have a relaxing day!
Saturday, June 10, 2006
"Good Things Come to Those Who Wait" Pt. 2
This morning was a reality check for me. M, S and myself went downtown for The Susan G. Komen Race for a Cure. It didn't hit me until we were down there and walking with 65,000 other people that breast cancer affects more people than you can imagine. It was sad seeing "In Memory Of" on the back of t-shirts and seeing how many women are currently battling the disease. But, I will say I was very proud to see people lending their support to such a great cause. I think it was a cathartic experience for S too since she has been in remission for nearly 2 years and I'm glad I was able to be there for my friend. I definitely plan on participating for years to come.
As for everything else that has happened since my last entry...hmm...let's see. My mom and step-dad left for Hawaii a week ago to work on their house. It's been a bigger problem than the expected, but I've done what I can for them here so they can focus on that mess. I would have loved to go out there and spent some time in paradise but my job just wouldn't allow for it right now. Hopefully I'll make it out there soon though for a little R & R.
Last Sunday I was able to go to the Cardinals-Cubs game down at Busch. I took my grandma with me and we had a great time. The Cardinals ended up winning that game after losing the other two in the series. And even though Pujols was out because of an injury, I was able to see my other favorite player who now plays for the Cubs, John Mabry. He came in to hit in the 7th or 8th inning.
The rest of the week went pretty well. I'm finally starting to feel comfortable with the changes we've made over the last few weeks with procedures and financial issues and most of all receivables. While numbers are not exactly where they need to be, I was finally able to get some of the older stuff from before I took on this job collected. Like J said to me last night when I talked to him while I was out with the work crowd, "good things come to those who wait." If he only knew how true that is for so many situations I've been in lately.
Like I mentioned we went out last night after work and I had a lot of fun like normal. We went up to Syberg's because Deep Six was playing plus there is always a reason for us to party on a Friday night. It ended up being the usual bunch going out and C joined us for a bit as well as our former co-worker and fellow party girl D. Perhaps the coolest part of the night happened right before I left. D and I went to go freshen up in the bathroom before she left and I decided to go back in and see who was still in the bar. Well I walked back into the doors and before I got a foot in, the lead singer, drummer and bass player all stopped me and told me that they were taking a survey and wanted to know what 3 songs I wanted to hear. Well, being a little out of it, I didn't know. I love the band and whatever they wanted to play was fine with me and I told them that, but they wanted my opinion, so I stood there and thought about it and talked with them for awhile. The bass player still reminds me so much of Josh and he's got that magnetic personality that just makes you want to like him right off of the bat, the drummer and the lead singer are the same way also. In fact, I ended up talking to the lead singer for like 15 minutes. I found out the scoop on the band and where they'll be playing in the next few weeks and what kind of songs they are working on to add to their show. It was very cool and so unlike me to continue to talk with people I don't know without thinking twice about what I'm asking or talking about. Actually at that point everyone else I was with was long gone and on their way home so I figured why not talk and get to know these guys a little better. Heck, I'm on their website dancing from the last time I saw them perform at Syberg's so why not get to know them a little more. I ended up talking to them until they went back on stage for their next set and heard them get started and since I had to be up at the crack of dawn this morning for the race, I left to get home. I wouldn't have minded staying but with everyone else gone already I felt it was probably good for me to go also. I'll be there for their entire show the next time though! I think I'm becoming a groupie, or maybe I can be a backup singer/dancer for them... I'll run that by them next time!
As for everything else that has happened since my last entry...hmm...let's see. My mom and step-dad left for Hawaii a week ago to work on their house. It's been a bigger problem than the expected, but I've done what I can for them here so they can focus on that mess. I would have loved to go out there and spent some time in paradise but my job just wouldn't allow for it right now. Hopefully I'll make it out there soon though for a little R & R.
Last Sunday I was able to go to the Cardinals-Cubs game down at Busch. I took my grandma with me and we had a great time. The Cardinals ended up winning that game after losing the other two in the series. And even though Pujols was out because of an injury, I was able to see my other favorite player who now plays for the Cubs, John Mabry. He came in to hit in the 7th or 8th inning.
The rest of the week went pretty well. I'm finally starting to feel comfortable with the changes we've made over the last few weeks with procedures and financial issues and most of all receivables. While numbers are not exactly where they need to be, I was finally able to get some of the older stuff from before I took on this job collected. Like J said to me last night when I talked to him while I was out with the work crowd, "good things come to those who wait." If he only knew how true that is for so many situations I've been in lately.
Like I mentioned we went out last night after work and I had a lot of fun like normal. We went up to Syberg's because Deep Six was playing plus there is always a reason for us to party on a Friday night. It ended up being the usual bunch going out and C joined us for a bit as well as our former co-worker and fellow party girl D. Perhaps the coolest part of the night happened right before I left. D and I went to go freshen up in the bathroom before she left and I decided to go back in and see who was still in the bar. Well I walked back into the doors and before I got a foot in, the lead singer, drummer and bass player all stopped me and told me that they were taking a survey and wanted to know what 3 songs I wanted to hear. Well, being a little out of it, I didn't know. I love the band and whatever they wanted to play was fine with me and I told them that, but they wanted my opinion, so I stood there and thought about it and talked with them for awhile. The bass player still reminds me so much of Josh and he's got that magnetic personality that just makes you want to like him right off of the bat, the drummer and the lead singer are the same way also. In fact, I ended up talking to the lead singer for like 15 minutes. I found out the scoop on the band and where they'll be playing in the next few weeks and what kind of songs they are working on to add to their show. It was very cool and so unlike me to continue to talk with people I don't know without thinking twice about what I'm asking or talking about. Actually at that point everyone else I was with was long gone and on their way home so I figured why not talk and get to know these guys a little better. Heck, I'm on their website dancing from the last time I saw them perform at Syberg's so why not get to know them a little more. I ended up talking to them until they went back on stage for their next set and heard them get started and since I had to be up at the crack of dawn this morning for the race, I left to get home. I wouldn't have minded staying but with everyone else gone already I felt it was probably good for me to go also. I'll be there for their entire show the next time though! I think I'm becoming a groupie, or maybe I can be a backup singer/dancer for them... I'll run that by them next time!
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