Category: personal

January 20th, 2009

There Are Days I Really Love My Job…

And today was one of them.

Most of you know that my job is pretty straightforward. Nothing new happens very often. Everything can be very mundane. I actually look forward to our staff meetings, if that tells you anything. But today was awesome. Allow me to explain.

We ordered lunch for 15-20 men for an event we’re hosting next Monday, but the food came today due to a mix up in the order. So it was 10:30 this morning, and we have a pulled-pork lunch to rid ourselves of. What to do?

Thankfully, my boss was on the same page as I was, called the caterer to tell him we were keeping and paying for the food, and sent me to invite the construction crew who is working on the intersection by the church over for a hot lunch. When I opened the door to the construction office, the supervisor totally expected me to complain about something (because that’s what usually happens when someone off the street comes by) and was completely flabbergasted that we wanted to share our catering mix-up with him and his crew.

I have a soft spot in my heart for construction workers because my dad is one, and I’ve wanted to do something for this crew since the project started last fall. I guess I remember the stories Dad told when I lived at home about random things he got to do because he was in the right place at the right time. Like the day when his boss got the entire crew into the Nascar press tent for brunch at a Kansas Speedway event because the boss did a favor for someone in the press (or at the Speedway. I can’t remember the specific details).

So the crew of seven came over for lunch, two in a loader (which Dennis and Lane offered to drive), to eat our pulled pork. It was good to talk with them a bit and give them a hot lunch on a cold day. And it was good to have something completely out of the ordinary to do this afternoon.

January 12th, 2009

Word of the Day: Ugh

I’m here. Barely.

Not quite sure what happened the last part of December aside from Christmas and my week off from work. I just had no desire to turn on my computer.

And then I came back to work last week, and I was on my computer all day, and when I came home, I had no desire to turn on my computer either.

Funny.

Not quite sure where I’m going with my blogs in 2009. Definitely will keep SarahJoAustin.com and will keep posting, but honestly, managing two blogs is tedious, so I’m contemplating taking down BloggersGuide.net and moving those posts back over here. Ugh. Too much to think about.

Chris and I have some other stuff in front of us right now: working on getting some freelance business up and running. If that takes off, managing two blogs definitely won’t be an option. Double ugh.

I’ve got some other “projects” I’m working on this spring: working toward a half marathon at the end of March, redevotion to the abs diet (which is not a fad diet; it’s healthy food at 2-3 hour intervals), crochet projects for miscellaneous wedding/graduation gifts this year. Oh, and all those books I got for Christmas last year (2007) that I’m still working through. All of those require time, and for some reason time is escaping me right now.

I’m just in a funny mood today. I’m tired. Exhausted, actually. I was on my feet all day yesterday and did not get my prescribed Sunday afternoon nap. I got 10 hours of sleep last night, and I’m still tired. Seriously, who ever thought wedding showers on a Sunday afternoon were a good idea should be drug out into the street and shot. I told Chris after we left the shower that when we get around to getting pregnant, I’m banning all afternoon showers. Saturday morning, Sunday evening, whatever, but don’t interrupt my nap time. (I’ll be pregnant, so I can play the pregnant-lady-needs-a-nap card.)

Excited about tonight. Some friends and I are doing a Bible study together for eight weeks this winter. Yea! I’m leading it, and we’re having it at my house. We’ll see how it goes.

And I’m frustrated today because the email at work has been down since Thursday, and it’s all my fault. I’m switching the mail servers, and the changes haven’t propogated, so everyone is without email, and I’m praying I made the changes correctly (otherwise, it will be another 48 hours). Ugh. Ugh. Ugh.

And I need to do a three-miler today. Weather is beautiful outside, but I’m tired, and I’ll only have 1.5 hours between work and Bible study. I might just weight lift later tonight and do my miles tomorrow.

All right. I should go before I send you all spiraling into depression.

Things will be better tomorrow.

December 21st, 2008

Reindeer Make Good Pillows

Chris and Biff the Reindeer

Chris and Biff the Reindeer

Chris is going to kill me, but I don’t care. He’s asleep on the couch using his 17-year-old reindeer Biff as a pillow. That’s right, Chris has had Biff since he was 10-years-old. Biff usually lives in the guest bedroom, but we brought him out for Christmas. Just this afternoon, I commented that I was surprised the cats hadn’t snuggled up with Biff this month.

Speaking of the cats, we had the bright idea of petting them with dryer sheets this afternoon to clean off some of their fur and general linty-ness. Now they both smell like fresh laundry. It’s sorta weird, and I think they’re confused about their fresh smells, too.

And I have a two-day work week! W00t! I am so ready for twelve days off of work even if it means two very busy days Monday and Tuesday.

December 14th, 2008

Snow Days

An ice storm is moving through the Ozarks tonight, and I’m tempted to stay up and watch it come in. Chris noted that watching an ice storm roll in is not nearly as fun as watching tornadoes roll in. I agree. At least with tornadoes, the weathermen have something to tell us on a minute-by-minute basis.

Anyway, if the roads are really bad tomorrow, I might not have to go in to work, which will throw a wrench in tomorrow’s planned post. (It’s gonna be a fun one!) In a fleeting moment of wisdom tonight, I picked up a stack of paperwork I’ll need to go through tomorrow and brought it home just in case I get to work on the couch while watching Ellen. <fingers crossed />

Freezing rain and sleet are on their way. An Arctic front has moved in. I have mixed feelings about going to work tomorrow:

  • It’s gonna be slick, which means people are going to be stupid on the roads. I’m confident that I will get around pretty well, but I’d rather not get out if I don’t have to. And then there’s the adventure of trying to get my rear-wheel-drive Blazer up a slick, icy driveway after I go out. (I have sandbags in the back, but I don’t want to test them out. And I’d like to keep what’s left of my mailbox, which I pretty much destroyed last winter with the Blazer, intact.)
  • It’s gonna be cold. For days. And I’m afraid if I let myself stay in on Monday, I’ll want to stay in on Tuesday and Wednesday, too. Of course, the building at work will be cold, too, and there are no cats there to keep me warm. Or blankets. But there is leftover pizza from tonight’s Explore LifePoint…
  • Vacation is so close. In 10 days, I’ll be on vacation. I’m not going anywhere, but I have 12 days off for Christmas and New Year’s. I have quite a bit to finish between now and then, and while I can more or less work on those from home, I don’t want to get in the vacation mindset until it’s official.
  • What about Chris? Chris’s workplace has no policy on snow/ice days, so more than likely, he’ll have to make the trek into Springfield tomorrow. And snow days are no fun when you have no one to hang out with. :(

Thankfully, we have plenty of food and wood in case we get iced in, so I’m not concerned about that. And ultimately, the choice isn’t up to me. I’ll get up as usual tomorrow, and if the boss calls and tells me not to come in, I’m prepared to work at home–in my jammies.

October 18th, 2008

I Am Not A Bore, I Promise!

So I guess I haven’t written in a while. Yeah, my mom mentioned it on the phone tonight. You know I haven’t written in a while when my mom mentions it. I could blame my lack of writing on busy-ness because work has been a little a crazy and home has been a little crazy, but I hate letting busy-ness be an excuse for not getting things done. Truth is, I’m of the opinion that I’m pretty boring; therefore, I’m of the opinion that I have nothing to write about. But when I think about it, I know I’m not boring. Here is the evidence:

  1. I bought a Mac this summer, and now I have become a Mac snob. I’m certain that had I not become a Mac, I never would’ve finished that triathlon, gotten bangs, or seen So You Think You Can Dance on tour. (OK, the Mac association is probably a little extreme, but I think it has some merit…)
  2. I am reading Hemingway. I got four of his books for Christmas and have spent the last few weeks reading two of them. Gotta say that The Sun Also Rises was sorta weird, but I liked A Farewell to Arms. Working through For Whom the Bell Tolls right now, and then all I have left is The Old Man and the Sea.
  3. I am a little obsessed with fleur-de-lis right now; hence, the new background on my blog. I have another blog in the works to explain this. I’ll get it up soon.

I don’t know what I’ll be writing about in the coming days and weeks. I’m not training for anything right now–just doing some periodic running and weight training. But stay tuned…things are bound to get interesting!

October 6th, 2008

Busy, Busy Beaver

Is it bad when I start to get used to insanity? Seriously. I’ve been so busy, I’m almost used to it. I don’t know what to do with myself. Here’s what I’ve been up to:

  • Curtains: sewing and hanging at LifePoint. The worship room looks incredible.
  • Engagement: my college roommate and Chris’s best friend got engaged on Thursday night, and we hung out with them and some others on Saturday night to watch the Mizzou game. We’re going wedding dress shopping tonight!
  • LifePoint’s fourth anniversary: all day Sunday. Ugh. I was so tired, but I think I got some great photos. Sometimes I think I’m crazy for devoting so much time to LifePoint, but there’s nothing else I’d rather be doing even if I wasn’t getting paid!
  • Mold: no, it’s not gone yet, but things are moving in the right direction.

Husband? Gee, Chris and I have been meeting each other coming and going. He’s even busier than I am b/c he’s actually responsible for so more than I am at LPC. We could use a night out, but money is tight, so who knows when that might happen. Heck, I’d even take a night in with Scrabble, a movie, and home-made espressos at some point this week!

Running? Eh. No, it’s not been happening, but I want it to. Thinking that if I want to do a marathon this fall/winter, I might need to get a coach–someone to keep me on track for my mid-week runs and long runs (even if they can’t run with me). If you’re one of my readers and you might be interested in fulfilling this role, leave a comment.

September 27th, 2008

762 Gets a Makeover

Chris and I should never own an RV because we would be nomads, unable to stay in one place for very long. But since we own a home, we still get anxious to switch things up every now and then. Last weekend, we started on of our biggest projects yet: a massive overhaul of the living room, office, and spare bedroom. Here are the pictures:

762 Gets a Makeover

Aside from the mold we found in the office closet, everything went really well and everything has been put back together. All the stuff in the spare bedroom is supposed to go in the office closet, but we’re waiting to take care of the mold situation before putting all that away.

This phase of the project is done. We still have to paint the spare bedroom; don’t ask about the colors–we were going through a weird phase when we bought the house. We’re also getting a day bed from my mom, and we’ll paint it, too. We had plans to recarpet the bedrooms before we found the mold, so that might not happen for a bit longer. Stay tuned for more changes!

September 22nd, 2008

Pictures from Our Labor Day Trip to Chicago

I’ve finally sorted through all the pictures Chris took while we were in Chicago (why I never take the camera, I don’t know), and I’ve posted them on Picasa. View at your leisure…

September 18th, 2008

Insanity!!!

Everything is completely, totally, irreversibly insane today, this week, this month, this fall, but I’m using the final five minutes of my lunch break to get in an update. Here’s what’s going down:

  • Allergies. They suck.
  • Long run. Eight miles on Monday night without any knee pain. Six miles next week.
  • Mold. In a spare bedroom closet. Praying it is isolated and not contaminating my entire house. Also praying this doesn’t get expensive.
  • Bookshelves. Chris and I are rearranging/painting some bookshelves this weekend and cleaning out crap. We filled up the trash cart last night, we have a huge pile in the living room going to goodwill, and we have a huge pile in the entry that needs to go to eBay.
  • Cats. They’ve been watching other cats on YouTube. You should friend Mowgli and Ravi Austin (Nixa, MO) on Facebook. They’re lonely because I’ve been so stinkin busy.
  • Lo mein noodles. Yum! I made some last night.
  • Jesus. Knowing that he knows my breaking point and that he won’t let life/work/finances/mold go past my breaking point is the only thing getting me through my day.
  • Cookies. Thank you, HG, for making snickerdoodles! They rocked!

That’s all I have for today’s lunch break. Back to craziness…

September 12th, 2008

I’m Quasi Back

This is the first day I’ve had to think about this blog in a long while. I started because I was passionate about blogging and about all I was learning about blogging, but then life sort of got in the way, and what was once a priority got shoved to the back burner. Ugh.

So I have a bit more free time now that things are settling down at work, and I have published all the back issues of the Blogger’s Guide Carnival. I also have a fancy little to-do list of Blogger’s Guide tasks I need to complete every day/week, and hopefully, that will keep me motivated to keep this blog alive.

A good friend and I are meeting every Friday to work: she grades papers and I work on miscellaneous projects, so in theory, I have time set aside to work here a little bit every week. More later…

 

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