It's almost here. I can see that little glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel as we race towards the end of Session. And, with every passing day it seems more and more possible that we may not have to spend the summer in Special Session, too! It's so exciting to know that my life is almost mine again!
My work is winding down. We held our last hearing this past Monday and last meeting on Wednesday and I turned in my final Committee Reports yesterday. We celebrated the end of our meetings with a lovely committee dinner on Wednesday night. I'm going to kind of miss seeing all of our members on a weekly basis, but not enough to wish us back into Session.
It's almost 10 am on a Saturday morning and I'm at work. I was here late last night, too. It's exhausting, but I find the floor debate fascinating (because we all know I'm a giant nerd), so I don't mind it. Just 9 more days, friends. 9. more. days!
Saturday, May 21, 2011
Friday, April 29, 2011
Unplugged.
I'm house sitting for my Great Aunt this week. She's vacationing in Destin with her travel friends. The ladies have been taking trips all over the world for the last 30 years. So fun!
It just so happens that a few months ago one of my friends from Jr. League moved in two doors down from my Great Aunt. I let her know that we would be neighbors for the week and we planned to get together upon my arrival. Well, then I hurt my hip. And then I ended up working late the last few nights.
The House concluded their business around 5:30 last night so I was excited to get away from the Capitol at a decent hour. On top of that, the anti-inflammatories I'm taking actually started working and my hip is no longer hurting. I took that opportunity to got visit my Liz and her husband and sit out by their pool and just relax for an evening.
And now we get to where the title of this blog comes from, "unplugged". I needed to charge my phone, so I left my phone at home, along with my watch when I went to visit my friends. I can't think of the last time I ever ventured to do something so bold. No cell phone? No watch? Just an evening of enjoying good conversation with no worries as to how late it is and if someone's trying to reach me. And it was wonderful. Of course, I probably wouldn't have stayed out until 11 pm if I'd had my watch on (I'm old, I need my sleep), but I highly recommend that everyone unplugs every now and then. It's refreshing.
It just so happens that a few months ago one of my friends from Jr. League moved in two doors down from my Great Aunt. I let her know that we would be neighbors for the week and we planned to get together upon my arrival. Well, then I hurt my hip. And then I ended up working late the last few nights.
The House concluded their business around 5:30 last night so I was excited to get away from the Capitol at a decent hour. On top of that, the anti-inflammatories I'm taking actually started working and my hip is no longer hurting. I took that opportunity to got visit my Liz and her husband and sit out by their pool and just relax for an evening.
And now we get to where the title of this blog comes from, "unplugged". I needed to charge my phone, so I left my phone at home, along with my watch when I went to visit my friends. I can't think of the last time I ever ventured to do something so bold. No cell phone? No watch? Just an evening of enjoying good conversation with no worries as to how late it is and if someone's trying to reach me. And it was wonderful. Of course, I probably wouldn't have stayed out until 11 pm if I'd had my watch on (I'm old, I need my sleep), but I highly recommend that everyone unplugs every now and then. It's refreshing.
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Not. my. month.
Wow, it's been awhile. April has not been my month, dear friends, which is why I've been so absent.
For starters, it's that crazy time of year at work... longer days on top of longer days. I've got my eye on the prize though, and very much looking forward to May 30! The four days off for Easter was exactly what I needed to rejuvenate me for this last little stretch. Because to be honest with you, I was hanging by a thread all last week. Such is life, though.
Since my last post, I've had a small banking crisis when a personal check was stolen from my account. It's a pretty long story and I won't bore you with the details but after 22 days, I think we've got everything wrapped up... minus one police report that has yet to be filed. I've been debit card and checkless for the better part of this month, which has been super annoying. I've now got my handy new debit card and am just itching to use it, ha!
Right around the same time I came down with tonsillitis. That was so not fun. It's the second time I've had tonsillitis in my life, the first time I wasn't even 2. I was miserable for about a week and on antibiotics for almost 2 weeks. I think the boyfriend is the most happiest that I am well, apparently I'm not the most pleasant to be around when I'm sick.
Made a trip to Lufkin to see the fam. We put together some pretty adorable Easter baskets for all of the kiddos. The most popular item were the bunny ears that I got for $1. Ella was the only one who didn't want to have anything to do with them. I was shocked when even Eric put them on and wore them for our egg hunt! My nephew is smiling these days, and it's the cutest thing.
Attended C.A.R. National Convention. I probably would have enjoyed it a lot more had there not been so much going on at work. It was great to see old friends, though. And the kiddos did a great job with their paging and aiding.
There have been multiple crisis involving various members of my fam. Once again, I'll spare you the details, but some illness and some sad circumstances have occupied the last few weeks.
And then apparently I'm getting old. I'd like to say that I injured myself doing something dangerous or somewhat exciting, but alas I can not. On Sunday evening I went for a walk in the boyfriend's neighborhood while he did some work in the yard. And now I can barely walk. I've hurt my hip. Walking. This was after I went for a run on Friday and was FINE! I was looking forward to turning 30 in a few months, but if this is what comes along with it.... I may have to reconsider.
For starters, it's that crazy time of year at work... longer days on top of longer days. I've got my eye on the prize though, and very much looking forward to May 30! The four days off for Easter was exactly what I needed to rejuvenate me for this last little stretch. Because to be honest with you, I was hanging by a thread all last week. Such is life, though.
Since my last post, I've had a small banking crisis when a personal check was stolen from my account. It's a pretty long story and I won't bore you with the details but after 22 days, I think we've got everything wrapped up... minus one police report that has yet to be filed. I've been debit card and checkless for the better part of this month, which has been super annoying. I've now got my handy new debit card and am just itching to use it, ha!
Right around the same time I came down with tonsillitis. That was so not fun. It's the second time I've had tonsillitis in my life, the first time I wasn't even 2. I was miserable for about a week and on antibiotics for almost 2 weeks. I think the boyfriend is the most happiest that I am well, apparently I'm not the most pleasant to be around when I'm sick.
Made a trip to Lufkin to see the fam. We put together some pretty adorable Easter baskets for all of the kiddos. The most popular item were the bunny ears that I got for $1. Ella was the only one who didn't want to have anything to do with them. I was shocked when even Eric put them on and wore them for our egg hunt! My nephew is smiling these days, and it's the cutest thing.
Attended C.A.R. National Convention. I probably would have enjoyed it a lot more had there not been so much going on at work. It was great to see old friends, though. And the kiddos did a great job with their paging and aiding.
There have been multiple crisis involving various members of my fam. Once again, I'll spare you the details, but some illness and some sad circumstances have occupied the last few weeks.
And then apparently I'm getting old. I'd like to say that I injured myself doing something dangerous or somewhat exciting, but alas I can not. On Sunday evening I went for a walk in the boyfriend's neighborhood while he did some work in the yard. And now I can barely walk. I've hurt my hip. Walking. This was after I went for a run on Friday and was FINE! I was looking forward to turning 30 in a few months, but if this is what comes along with it.... I may have to reconsider.
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Madelyn's First State Conference
A few weeks ago I took my precious Madelyn to her very first C.A.R. State Conference (if you don't know what that is, then you obvs don't know me very well and should probably stop reading). One of my all time favorite mamas, Mama G, was kind of enough to ask Madelyn to be one of her personal pages for the Conference. Usually this entails walking in front of the officer you're a page for, standing whenever they stand, and delivering notes and running errands as needed. Since Madelyn is all of 3 1/2, we decided it was probably best not to test her attention span with having her sit on the platform, so all she did was walk in... and she did it beautifully! And I got to buy her the most adorable white dress for the occasion.
She had a blast at C.A.R. and especially enjoyed all of the presents. Home girl racked up in loot. She was presented with a gift from Mama G for paging, won a door prize (which entitled you to pick out two things), and I presented her with two pins in honor of her first State Conference. I fear she may have a skewed perception as to what actually goes on at C.A.R. events, but she has fun with her friends and I love being able to pass on something that I love to her.
She had a blast at C.A.R. and especially enjoyed all of the presents. Home girl racked up in loot. She was presented with a gift from Mama G for paging, won a door prize (which entitled you to pick out two things), and I presented her with two pins in honor of her first State Conference. I fear she may have a skewed perception as to what actually goes on at C.A.R. events, but she has fun with her friends and I love being able to pass on something that I love to her.
Here are a couple of cute pictures from the event... yes, I know they're sideways. I've tried to upload them like 5 times over the last two days and I officially give in, just turn your head. Can't believe how big sweet Mady is getting!
Madelyn and William waiting to walk in.
Sweet Mady!
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
The mystery of the check engine light.
I'm just going to go ahead and start out this post by admitting that I am not the most attentive car owner. You're probably shocked because of the family of mechanics I come from, right? Well, I didn't inherit any of those genes. So now that little fact is established, onto my tale...
The check engine light in my car has been on for awhile. About a month and a half, awhile. For the most part, my car has been running fine, with the slight exception of when I'm idle at a stoplight. After a few seconds, the car starts to shake a little and then the check engine light starts flashing. After I accelerate from the stop light, the car stops shaking and the check engine light stops flashing.
The boyfriend doesn't know much about cars, but he thought that perhaps my oil needed to be changed, along with the filter. Not so sure when that last happened, so I agreed. Had that done last week, and there wasn't a change.
On Saturday, he needed to get a new tire for his truck, so I followed him to the store. While we were out running errands I suggested a stop by Auto Zone so they could run the diagnostics test on my car to see what the problem is since I have to drive to Dallas this weekend. The guy ran the test and I almost kissed him when he informed me that it was a misfire in cylinder 3 which just equated to the spark plugs needing to be replaced. How easy is that! And, I have a wonderful twin brother who knows how to do such a thing and lives in the same city I will be visiting very soon! I was absolutely giddy with this news.
On Sunday I noticed that my car was driving much smoother. The check engine light was still on, but the car wasn't shaking at stop lights and the light wasn't flashing. When I left work on Monday I stopped by the grocery store. When I arrived at the grocery store, my check engine light was on. When I left the grocery store, the check engine light was no longer on and hasn't made an appearance since. How strange is that?
I called the boyfriend to see if he somehow had managed to fix my car without me knowing, but he hadn't. I like to believe that the spark plug fairy paid me a visit and made my car problems go away : ) Here's hoping for safe travels tomorrow as I venture to Dallas for DAR State Conference!
The check engine light in my car has been on for awhile. About a month and a half, awhile. For the most part, my car has been running fine, with the slight exception of when I'm idle at a stoplight. After a few seconds, the car starts to shake a little and then the check engine light starts flashing. After I accelerate from the stop light, the car stops shaking and the check engine light stops flashing.
The boyfriend doesn't know much about cars, but he thought that perhaps my oil needed to be changed, along with the filter. Not so sure when that last happened, so I agreed. Had that done last week, and there wasn't a change.
On Saturday, he needed to get a new tire for his truck, so I followed him to the store. While we were out running errands I suggested a stop by Auto Zone so they could run the diagnostics test on my car to see what the problem is since I have to drive to Dallas this weekend. The guy ran the test and I almost kissed him when he informed me that it was a misfire in cylinder 3 which just equated to the spark plugs needing to be replaced. How easy is that! And, I have a wonderful twin brother who knows how to do such a thing and lives in the same city I will be visiting very soon! I was absolutely giddy with this news.
On Sunday I noticed that my car was driving much smoother. The check engine light was still on, but the car wasn't shaking at stop lights and the light wasn't flashing. When I left work on Monday I stopped by the grocery store. When I arrived at the grocery store, my check engine light was on. When I left the grocery store, the check engine light was no longer on and hasn't made an appearance since. How strange is that?
I called the boyfriend to see if he somehow had managed to fix my car without me knowing, but he hadn't. I like to believe that the spark plug fairy paid me a visit and made my car problems go away : ) Here's hoping for safe travels tomorrow as I venture to Dallas for DAR State Conference!
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
A Final Farewell
Well, it finally happened. I wasn't sure it ever would. I have officially and fully resigned from Bath and Body Works after 10 1/2 years of service. Back in October (or was it November?), I went from being a sales floor associate to only working floorsets. I guess I needed to ease myself into the idea of no longer pushing bath products.
A few weeks ago I received a nice little promotion and pay raise at my real job. This was something that I've been working toward for the last two years, so I've been rather pleased. Of course, with great power comes great responsibility, so I needed to not have to worry about my "for fun" job getting in the way of my "real" job.
I have to say, my departure was rather anti-climatic. There was no cake, no present, no real celebration of all of my time served, even though you could probably add up the years of service of ALL of the other staff at our store and not equal my individual service. Instead, I just quietly worked through my assignments and then departed with a few hugs and well wishes (and early because I'm kind of a rock star at completing tasks in less than the scheduled time). Peace out, BBW.
A few weeks ago I received a nice little promotion and pay raise at my real job. This was something that I've been working toward for the last two years, so I've been rather pleased. Of course, with great power comes great responsibility, so I needed to not have to worry about my "for fun" job getting in the way of my "real" job.
I have to say, my departure was rather anti-climatic. There was no cake, no present, no real celebration of all of my time served, even though you could probably add up the years of service of ALL of the other staff at our store and not equal my individual service. Instead, I just quietly worked through my assignments and then departed with a few hugs and well wishes (and early because I'm kind of a rock star at completing tasks in less than the scheduled time). Peace out, BBW.
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Kids play
The boyfriend and I went to dinner last night at a neighborhood Italian place he likes. I'd never been, but it was definitely tasty. Of course, my opinion could be a little biased as I unintentionally skipped lunch yesterday, so I was starv-ing. The place had a few arcade games and after we ate he wanted to play Golden Tee.
As I waited for him to get change, I became intrigued by the Toy Chest game. What kid didn't love that game growing up? I mean you could win an actual toy! I think as a kid I won maybe 2. Well, now I have 3! After about 5, maybe 6 tries I walked away with this:
Hopefully this means I'll have plenty of good luck this week! I could use it, that's for sure.
As I waited for him to get change, I became intrigued by the Toy Chest game. What kid didn't love that game growing up? I mean you could win an actual toy! I think as a kid I won maybe 2. Well, now I have 3! After about 5, maybe 6 tries I walked away with this:
Southpark came out when I was in high school. At the time, Lufkin didn't get Comedy Central. One of my friend's Aunt would tape a bunch of the shows and then mail them to him and we would all get together and watch. We all adopted characters and had their stickers on our cars, because that's the sort of cool thing we did. It just so happens that mine was Stan, so my new toy is especially appropriate. Plus, the boyfriend liked this option much more than the Longhorn I originally sought.
Hopefully this means I'll have plenty of good luck this week! I could use it, that's for sure.
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