Tomorrow is Wednesday. I have high expectations for an awesome day. Getting to work early has its advantages, and I intend to make full use of them tomorrow.
My goal? To get three things done by 8 a.m. We'll see how it goes. Update to come tomorrow afternoon.
Also, only seven work days remain until we leave for Montana. That's not a lot of time; I have quite a bit to accomplish. I am excited to get to Montana, however. It's been far too long, and I have lots of people to see. Something about Montana will always make it home for me.
One more update: it looks as though a bomb has gone off in our apartment. I'm packing in an orderly fashion, which involves taking everything out of boxes to make sure it's organized correctly. Poor Ryan. I don't know how he puts up with me. Good thing we're both excited to move to our new place.
4.28.2008
callie/miley... miley/callie
I've been putting off this post for awhile now, mainly because I wanted a current picture to post of myself. Sounds vain, doesn't it? I just wanted it to see if you guys agree with the comparison that has been made in the past couple of weeks.
Several weeks ago, my friend Beth and l exchanged text messages that read like this:
Beth's phone: ok... So has anyone ever told u that u sorta look like Miley Cyrus? :-)
Callie's phone: You, my dear, are the first. I did want to marry billy ray when I was younger... :o)
I chuckled, relayed the comparison to Ryan, and went on my merry way.
Fast forward two weeks. I walked into the gift shop at work and this gal working behind the counter just stared at me. It was a little awkward. Finally, she spoke, and our conversation when like this:
Girl behind the counter: Oh my gosh, has anyone ever told you that you look like that Hannah Montana person?
Me: (laughing) It's funny that you say that because no one ever had until a couple of weeks ago when one my friends said that I looked like her.
Girl behind the counter: It's crazy! You look just like her. You could make some extra money going around and impersonating her.
Me: (still laughing, and also getting concerned because it appears the girl behind the counter still thinks I may be Miley Cyrus)
Girl behind the counter: What's your name (inquisitively, because again, I think she still thinks I may be Miley)?
Me: Callie
Girl behind the counter: Oh, weird. Her name is Mi-ley (she emphasized the 'ley' aspect of her name) and yours is Cal-lie. Very similar.
Me: Yup, sure is. Well, thanks!
And I exited the store.
So, it's now up to you, dear readers. Am I Miley Cyrus? Should I make some extra cash on the weekends parading around 'tween girls' birthday parties, singing Hannah Montana songs? Should I start calling Ryan "Billy Ray"? The possibilities really are endless.... Watch for a 'comparison' picture of me, hopefully to arrive shortly.
Several weeks ago, my friend Beth and l exchanged text messages that read like this:
Beth's phone: ok... So has anyone ever told u that u sorta look like Miley Cyrus? :-)
Callie's phone: You, my dear, are the first. I did want to marry billy ray when I was younger... :o)
I chuckled, relayed the comparison to Ryan, and went on my merry way.
Fast forward two weeks. I walked into the gift shop at work and this gal working behind the counter just stared at me. It was a little awkward. Finally, she spoke, and our conversation when like this:
Girl behind the counter: Oh my gosh, has anyone ever told you that you look like that Hannah Montana person?
Me: (laughing) It's funny that you say that because no one ever had until a couple of weeks ago when one my friends said that I looked like her.
Girl behind the counter: It's crazy! You look just like her. You could make some extra money going around and impersonating her.
Me: (still laughing, and also getting concerned because it appears the girl behind the counter still thinks I may be Miley Cyrus)
Girl behind the counter: What's your name (inquisitively, because again, I think she still thinks I may be Miley)?
Me: Callie
Girl behind the counter: Oh, weird. Her name is Mi-ley (she emphasized the 'ley' aspect of her name) and yours is Cal-lie. Very similar.
Me: Yup, sure is. Well, thanks!
And I exited the store.
So, it's now up to you, dear readers. Am I Miley Cyrus? Should I make some extra cash on the weekends parading around 'tween girls' birthday parties, singing Hannah Montana songs? Should I start calling Ryan "Billy Ray"? The possibilities really are endless.... Watch for a 'comparison' picture of me, hopefully to arrive shortly.
4.25.2008
what I said to Ryan in my sleep...
(Apparently) these are the words I muttered, clear as day, in my sleep last night.
"Shhh.... We need to have a meeting about the salad bar. We have to discuss the state of the cous cous."
I do not remember this. I do not understand this.
Thoughts? Explanations?
"Shhh.... We need to have a meeting about the salad bar. We have to discuss the state of the cous cous."
I do not remember this. I do not understand this.
Thoughts? Explanations?
4.23.2008
spring.
I’ve been lax in my postings again. Ah, imperfections. What can I say?
I have several topics to blog about, but just can’t seem to get them written. I’ve had several long weeks at work, and when I get home after those long days of communicating, the last thing I want to do is communicate more… thus the long periods in between my last post and this one.
I’m going to limit this blog to the loveliness that is spring. I went riding again last night, and saw the evidence of spring everywhere. My favorite confirmations that spring is here are the new babies! The mares are birthing foals quite often, and there was one newbie yesterday. This little guy can’t be more than 24 hours old. He was so wobbly and cute!
A new batch of kittens has also made its way into my heart. These little ones are so sweet! They’re just tiny, but very friendly. It was fun to watch them play, even though they too are very wobbly. Too bad they grow up to be full-grown cats. If they didn’t, I’d bring them all home.
Hope you enjoy the pictures. Stay tuned for an upcoming post about fame, Miley Cyrus and me.
I have several topics to blog about, but just can’t seem to get them written. I’ve had several long weeks at work, and when I get home after those long days of communicating, the last thing I want to do is communicate more… thus the long periods in between my last post and this one.
I’m going to limit this blog to the loveliness that is spring. I went riding again last night, and saw the evidence of spring everywhere. My favorite confirmations that spring is here are the new babies! The mares are birthing foals quite often, and there was one newbie yesterday. This little guy can’t be more than 24 hours old. He was so wobbly and cute!
A new batch of kittens has also made its way into my heart. These little ones are so sweet! They’re just tiny, but very friendly. It was fun to watch them play, even though they too are very wobbly. Too bad they grow up to be full-grown cats. If they didn’t, I’d bring them all home.
Hope you enjoy the pictures. Stay tuned for an upcoming post about fame, Miley Cyrus and me.
4.14.2008
efficiency is overrated.
My plan to get a lot done last Friday didn't work. Blocking off time didn't work. Too many things required immediate attention, or else things took much longer than expected. I may work on refining my methods of scheduling, but we'll see. Efficiency is overrated, right? :)
In other news... it snowed this weekend. But today is bright and sunny. I got in to work at 7 this morning, and am looking forward to a productive day. I've been successful at being productive so far. Three things are checked off my list. Count the other three things I checked off the list by working on Saturday, and I'm well on my way to completing my whole list.Maybe not well on my way -- but definitely on my way. I'm excited to go riding tonight, especially since the weather is looking beautiful!
Off to get more completed...
In other news... it snowed this weekend. But today is bright and sunny. I got in to work at 7 this morning, and am looking forward to a productive day. I've been successful at being productive so far. Three things are checked off my list. Count the other three things I checked off the list by working on Saturday, and I'm well on my way to completing my whole list.Maybe not well on my way -- but definitely on my way. I'm excited to go riding tonight, especially since the weather is looking beautiful!
Off to get more completed...
4.11.2008
new tactic = increased productivity?
I’m trying something new at work today. I’ve got a few meetings scheduled, but outside of that, I’m going to actually schedule time to work on projects. (I’m usually in more of a reactionary mode because there’s so much going on.) And I’m going to follow that schedule quite rigidly. I think the first thing on my schedule (beside a brief five minute window for blogging) will be a half an hour to clean my desk. It’s a mess; it’s a royal mess. Post-it Notes are helpful, but they’ve left my desk looking like a desk at 3M hit by a tornado. Not good. I’m actually going to try and take before and after pictures. I’ll post them.
Side note: It’s only 8:30 in the morning and I’ve already had a grande coffee and could use another three or four.
Side note: It’s only 8:30 in the morning and I’ve already had a grande coffee and could use another three or four.
4.10.2008
grr....
I am frustrated. And I did not see this frustration coming when I woke up this morning.
I went to work as I always do. I have a lot of big projects going on right now that require some of my undivided attention. I worked for about three hours and realized that I was getting consistently interrupted; since I (miraculously) didn’t have any meetings, I decided to pack it in and work from home. This also worked out well since the weather is getting bad and it’s supposed to snow today. (BIG BLAH!!!)
When I got home, I walked into the hallway of the apartment complex to find my old dishwasher sitting there to greet me. “Hmm,” I thought. The manager had mentioned something about replacing our old dishwasher (finally – it hasn’t been getting dishes clean in over two years), but they hadn’t called to let us know they’d be coming. I walked inside and saw another dishwasher sitting in the living room.
“Knock, knock,” said I.
“Hello,” said a muffled voice.
“Great,” I thought.
"We’re just installing the dishwasher; it should be another 10 to 15 minutes,” said the man under the sink.
That was an hour and a half ago. I can hear my cat Rory meowing. He originally locked her in our bedroom, where she promptly tore up the carpet. I took her out and put her in her cage.
This is ridiculous.
I went to work as I always do. I have a lot of big projects going on right now that require some of my undivided attention. I worked for about three hours and realized that I was getting consistently interrupted; since I (miraculously) didn’t have any meetings, I decided to pack it in and work from home. This also worked out well since the weather is getting bad and it’s supposed to snow today. (BIG BLAH!!!)
When I got home, I walked into the hallway of the apartment complex to find my old dishwasher sitting there to greet me. “Hmm,” I thought. The manager had mentioned something about replacing our old dishwasher (finally – it hasn’t been getting dishes clean in over two years), but they hadn’t called to let us know they’d be coming. I walked inside and saw another dishwasher sitting in the living room.
“Knock, knock,” said I.
“Hello,” said a muffled voice.
“Great,” I thought.
"We’re just installing the dishwasher; it should be another 10 to 15 minutes,” said the man under the sink.
That was an hour and a half ago. I can hear my cat Rory meowing. He originally locked her in our bedroom, where she promptly tore up the carpet. I took her out and put her in her cage.
This is ridiculous.
4.09.2008
it happened...
I can't remember if I blogged about this or not, but I know I've commented about it on my friend Beth's blog. (check it out here; also note my comment to her post.)
Yesterday, my friend Rebecca and I were enjoying our almost-daily jaunt through the skyways. We've passed Larry the singing man so often that I've started to expect him, and thus don't pay as much attention to him. (Though his lyrics still sometimes catch my attention.) Anyway, we were just past him, and I heard him stop his song and start singing, "Power walk, power walk; Ladies on a power walk," which is what we were doing -- power walking.
I turned around and looked at him, and he was smiling at us! Hooray! We're nearly famous! :)
I should also take this time to explain what we look like while on a powerwalk. Picture two professionally-dressed women, walking as fast as they can, dodging in and around other slow-moving people, wearing tennis shoes with their skirts and suits, and glistening. (We try not to induce a full-out sweat; that would be gross.) If you want to know what we sound like, it's usually a rant of some sort, broken up by gasps for air. Talking and speed walking isn't easy.
So, yep. Inspiring a song... Looking like a fool... these are all things that happen in a day in the life of me.
Yesterday, my friend Rebecca and I were enjoying our almost-daily jaunt through the skyways. We've passed Larry the singing man so often that I've started to expect him, and thus don't pay as much attention to him. (Though his lyrics still sometimes catch my attention.) Anyway, we were just past him, and I heard him stop his song and start singing, "Power walk, power walk; Ladies on a power walk," which is what we were doing -- power walking.
I turned around and looked at him, and he was smiling at us! Hooray! We're nearly famous! :)
I should also take this time to explain what we look like while on a powerwalk. Picture two professionally-dressed women, walking as fast as they can, dodging in and around other slow-moving people, wearing tennis shoes with their skirts and suits, and glistening. (We try not to induce a full-out sweat; that would be gross.) If you want to know what we sound like, it's usually a rant of some sort, broken up by gasps for air. Talking and speed walking isn't easy.
So, yep. Inspiring a song... Looking like a fool... these are all things that happen in a day in the life of me.
4.08.2008
busyness…
I’ve been in an argument with myself lately about how much “busy” is the right amount of “busy”. I’ve always been someone who likes to have things going on. The past couple of years, I’ve gotten to be less of scheduled and more spontaneous. But sometimes there are still things that need to be scheduled!
So, I’m nearing the end of a couple of months that have been a dead sprint. Actually, it seems like the time from Christmas forward has been a dead sprint. It’s been work trips on weekends, changes with churches, volunteering with a non-profit, starting to ride horses again after the winter break, preparing to move in May, going to Montana for my sister’s wedding in May, making exercise a priority (which really takes a lot of time!), and having family visitors (which we LOVE!!!). Not only that, but there has been lots of new stuff going on at work – which brings great opportunities, but also a lot of work.
I’m feeling exhausted. I feel like I’m drawing the line with my work/life balance, but sometimes I feel guilty for actually drawing that line! (That’s a pressure I put on myself, I know.) When I feel guilty, it ruins my good night’s sleep. It makes me cranky with Ryan. It makes me lazy.
It’s all very confusing…. How much busy is too busy? How much busy is excitement, and how much busy is stress? What’s the right balance? Anybody have some good advice?
In other news – we’ve switched churches again. I know, I know. Please don’t lecture. But, we’re very happy about our new church. It’s called Grace Nazarene, and is in Inver Grove Heights. We learned about it through my mom-in-law and dad-in-law – it’s where they attend. The church is pretty small, which I think both Ry and I are ready for. The pastor and his family are young and vibrant, which is also good. And it feels like home. You can’t beat that. We’ve enjoyed the Bible study on Wed. nights and Sunday School and the service on Sunday mornings.
So, I’m nearing the end of a couple of months that have been a dead sprint. Actually, it seems like the time from Christmas forward has been a dead sprint. It’s been work trips on weekends, changes with churches, volunteering with a non-profit, starting to ride horses again after the winter break, preparing to move in May, going to Montana for my sister’s wedding in May, making exercise a priority (which really takes a lot of time!), and having family visitors (which we LOVE!!!). Not only that, but there has been lots of new stuff going on at work – which brings great opportunities, but also a lot of work.
I’m feeling exhausted. I feel like I’m drawing the line with my work/life balance, but sometimes I feel guilty for actually drawing that line! (That’s a pressure I put on myself, I know.) When I feel guilty, it ruins my good night’s sleep. It makes me cranky with Ryan. It makes me lazy.
It’s all very confusing…. How much busy is too busy? How much busy is excitement, and how much busy is stress? What’s the right balance? Anybody have some good advice?
In other news – we’ve switched churches again. I know, I know. Please don’t lecture. But, we’re very happy about our new church. It’s called Grace Nazarene, and is in Inver Grove Heights. We learned about it through my mom-in-law and dad-in-law – it’s where they attend. The church is pretty small, which I think both Ry and I are ready for. The pastor and his family are young and vibrant, which is also good. And it feels like home. You can’t beat that. We’ve enjoyed the Bible study on Wed. nights and Sunday School and the service on Sunday mornings.
4.03.2008
stuff to look forward to...
Yesterday was a crazy day at work. Lots of meetings, lots to do, and when I left work, I got stuck in the parking garage for a good 15 minutes without moving. All in all, it was very frustrating.
The good news is that today is starting out to be a fantastically wonderful day. Ryan and I got up early, ran to Starbucks and then headed on our separate ways to work. The weather looks decent, and I'm going out for a long-awaited horseback ride. It's been a couple of weeks, and I'm going through withdrawls.
I'm wearing a vest that I haven't been able to fit into for a good two years.
I've got a long list of things to do today, and I think I have enough free time to get most of it done.
It's Thursday; tomorrow's Friday -- jeans day. Sweet.
Hope you all have a good Thursday!
The good news is that today is starting out to be a fantastically wonderful day. Ryan and I got up early, ran to Starbucks and then headed on our separate ways to work. The weather looks decent, and I'm going out for a long-awaited horseback ride. It's been a couple of weeks, and I'm going through withdrawls.
I'm wearing a vest that I haven't been able to fit into for a good two years.
I've got a long list of things to do today, and I think I have enough free time to get most of it done.
It's Thursday; tomorrow's Friday -- jeans day. Sweet.
Hope you all have a good Thursday!
4.02.2008
virginia is for lovers...
...but ryan had to stay home with rory.
(Note -- this was written while I was in VA -- I just didn't get it posted until today. :)
I arrived to Richmond on Friday morning, and met a colleague to drive down to Williamsburg. We arrived and checked into the hotel, and then set out to explore the town. I must admit, it was pretty neat. However, in order to go into any of the buildings, you have to pay a minimum of $45. And that's a lot of money. Needless to say, we just walked around outside and peaked in windows.
The rest of the conference went well. I went home on Saturday evening with Mom and Dad. We spent Sunday relaxing. My dad and I went for a walk by my parents' house. Apparently, when they were building the home sites, they found an old confederate burial ground. They died of dysentry and other diseases during the winter. It was forgotten because the soldiers who buried them then went into battle and died. It was very sad and very intriguing to think that all of that happened in my parents' backyard. We also walked to an old cemetery with people buried from the mid-1800's. I love history, and am glad that I got to see the site of the Battle of Bristoe Station, which took place on my birthday - though it was a few years earlier.
We went and saw the cherry blossoms today, and my little sister gave us a tour of the capitol. She's an intern for rep. Denny rehberg from Montana. It was neat to see her all grown up and in-charge of a capitol tour group. Now my mom and I are on the virginia railway express heading home.
My flight leaves at 6:00 tomorrow morning, so I hope I get out. Ryan said there's a horrible storm in Minnesota.
Until then...
(Note -- this was written while I was in VA -- I just didn't get it posted until today. :)
I arrived to Richmond on Friday morning, and met a colleague to drive down to Williamsburg. We arrived and checked into the hotel, and then set out to explore the town. I must admit, it was pretty neat. However, in order to go into any of the buildings, you have to pay a minimum of $45. And that's a lot of money. Needless to say, we just walked around outside and peaked in windows.
The rest of the conference went well. I went home on Saturday evening with Mom and Dad. We spent Sunday relaxing. My dad and I went for a walk by my parents' house. Apparently, when they were building the home sites, they found an old confederate burial ground. They died of dysentry and other diseases during the winter. It was forgotten because the soldiers who buried them then went into battle and died. It was very sad and very intriguing to think that all of that happened in my parents' backyard. We also walked to an old cemetery with people buried from the mid-1800's. I love history, and am glad that I got to see the site of the Battle of Bristoe Station, which took place on my birthday - though it was a few years earlier.
We went and saw the cherry blossoms today, and my little sister gave us a tour of the capitol. She's an intern for rep. Denny rehberg from Montana. It was neat to see her all grown up and in-charge of a capitol tour group. Now my mom and I are on the virginia railway express heading home.
My flight leaves at 6:00 tomorrow morning, so I hope I get out. Ryan said there's a horrible storm in Minnesota.
Until then...