Ummmm....

The new job is kicking my arse!!! (In a good way, I think.)

I foresee some blogging in the next couple of days... expect a full update!

It's my party and I'll cry if I want to

But I didn't cry. Surprisingly I almost did - I had that little knot start in the back of my throat and my jaw started to hurt...and I didn't expect that (obviously from my last entry!)

My boss gave the most heartfelt speech about me and it was really really special. I swear, if I could take him and my 5 managers with me wherever I go, I would. But now instead of my bosses, they will be my 6 honorary uncles...that will kick you ass if you ever mess with me.

Woo hoo! Looking forward to Monday!

Oh Happy Day!!

Incase you forgot:

TODAY IS MY LAST DAY!
I START MY NEW JOB ON MONDAY!

Moving on...

1. My first real thought this morning: Leather seats in a vehicle are really cold when it's really cold outside. Like REALLY cold.

2. I have a new obsession: Mentha Lip Tint from Bath and Body Works in tint no. 1139 by CO Bigelow Apothecaries. Ladies! Go buy some. Men! Go buy some for your ladies.

3. I managed to make the NASTIEST concoction in my crockpot yesterday and when I got home and excitedly opened the pot, the smell knocked me out and I immediately emptied it over the side of the deck and Abby ate it up. Atleast someone enjoyed it. HOW HARD IS IT TO SCREW UP A CROCKPOT RECIPE? Geez.

4. I think I have a "surprise" goodbye party happening for me here at work before 5pm (it's 3:36 now) and I'm nervous and dreading it. Does that make me a bad person? I don't think so....but going in there and screaming I'M SO GLAD TO GET OUT OF THIS DEPARTMENT may just give people that impression.

No really...I feel like I owe a disclaimer to #4.

I truly appreciate my experience in this department and the support I received from many individuals here. It is clearly just time to move on and learn new things and to be around new people and to expand my horizons. I'm glad I'm leaving now while I still have friends here and I can leave on a high note. I wish no one negativity or harm, only success and happiness in future endeavors.

In the wise words of Semisonic: "Every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end."

Insert Title Here

1. Counting calories = torture. Now I know why I have never done it. I'm back to WW points on Monday. Those only go up to 24. And someone in an adjacent cube has just brought back a big, black styrophome container of fried goodness from the cafeteria and I can smell it and now all I can think about is greasy breakfast foods and how much I WANT SOME. Doesn't quite compare to my Cottage Cheese Double that I "enjoyed" earlier.

2. Toby and I had the BRIGHT idea to make all of our Christmas gifts this year. We decided on Decoupage. Can I just say that I am damn glad we had a "practice night" last night? There will be no decoupaged coasters and lampshades in our families' futures. I hope they can contain their sadness when we tell them of the "Christmas presents that never came to be."

3. While we practiced being crafty, Toby watched "Batman Begins" and then immediately popped in "Sin City." I am now on testosterone overload and feel like I need to go get a pedicure or buy a nice new pair of heels to get my estrogen level back on track! WTF are those movies??? I know what they are: HORRIBLE.

4. I just got out of a 2 hour Records Management meeting. Now THAT is invigorating. Makes me want to get in my car and go home and take a long nap....like until tomorrow morning.

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

It's Madonna Day!

Denny and I have a standing date at the record store whenever a new Madonna CD is released. It's my favorite Denny & Stephanie tradition. I just got home from making our purchases at Tower...and can I just say, I LOVE THE WOMAN. She's just so FABULOUS. Who would have guessed that Boogie Nights would be her next reinvention? Leotards???? I mean, come on!

Go ahead and snicker but I think she's a genius.

Numerical Order

I would like to announce that I am going to steal my online friend Allie's template for journaling and use numbers. I think it looks neat and will help me to organize my thoughts and make blogging easier; therefore it will be more frequent - which is the goal. And Allie doesn't know that we are friends, but I like to think we are because she is so dang cool. :)

1. There exists a "Matt Taylor Fan Club" on MySpace.com. The girls who started said club are now selling buttons that have a picture of my brother with the quote "Matt makes me sexcited" which of course makes me laugh and puke at the same time.

2. My girlfriends from DWLZ came to Richmond on Saturday and we spent 12 straight hours eating and shopping and shopping and eating. Oh yeah, and laughing. A lot. I love those girls and I'm so thankful they are in my life. On Sunday, Toby and I had lunch with my parents and it was lovely! They came to check out the fruits of our labor (newly painted walls in shades NOT white!) After a chinese buffet lunch, we went by Kim's house so that my parents could meet my new niece who is the CUTEST BABY IN THE WORLD.




3. I start my new job in 4 business days - and not an HOUR TOO SOON! The level of BS in this department is just unbelievable. I don't know how some of these people fit in their offices with their GINORMOUS egos.

4. I worked out before work this morning.

5. I WORKED OUT BEFORE WORK THIS MORNING. I felt that statement was so monumental, that it deserved 2 numbers. It was nice to get it out of the way and I have had a nice, content, sublime feeling all day - with no guilty pangs. Note to self: No Guilt = Good Feeling!! KEEP IT UP!! I also started a new food journal that makes it easy to count calories. I'm going the calorie route since the WW Points route does not seem to be working as of late. We'll see. I'm going to give it the good ol' college try. AGAIN.

Desperately Seeking Motivation

Now that I know the the e-mail thing works, I'll give it a try from my actual cube. Since I have piles of work to do. And no motivation to do it WHAT.SO.EVER. Oh my gosh. It's 4:01pm and I really have not done much today. I hate to admit that but having ONE day like this is tolerable, right? Especially when I just found out this past Monday that on November 21 I will be STARTING A NEW JOB!!!!

God Bless America! Hallelulah! Amen! Woo hoo! YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!!!

I'm very happy incase you couldn't tell. It's a bit of a promotion and it's in a completely different department and on a completely different floor than where I am now - and THAT is what I am most excited about. New people. New energy. No more negativity. New goals. No back-stabbing. The list goes on and on. I know that EVERY work environment has it's own "challenges" but I truly feel that my current place is much more dysfunctional than most - and I'm glad to be getting the heck out!

I am confident that this change will have a domino effect on the rest of my life. When you are unhappy at work (the place where you spend MOST of your life - how sad is that?) it tends to follow you home...and into the rest of your life...and manifest itself in other ways (negative view of self, tired all the time, irritable at innocent bystanders, etc.) and I'm sick of that happening. (And so are my innocent bystanders!!)

Here's to positivity all around!!!!

So, life is good.

Toby and I will be married for 9 months on Saturday. Sometimes that feels like 9 days and sometimes that feels like 9 years. Wow. That was a deep statement. (ha!) What I'm trying to say is - Marriage is hard!!!! But oh-so-rewarding. Anything WORTH A DAMN is going to be hard. It's difficult to CONSTANTLY be working and putting effort into something and at the same time remembering to not take it for granted and appreciate it to the fullest and overcome daily obstacles...Whew!...It's EXHAUSTING. Sometimes I don't think I am strong enough to be all grown-up and married and have such responsibilities. I'm a lazy-ass at heart. But most times, the challenges we have overcome remind me that I am incredibly strong and that I am the best damn wife this side of the Mississippi!! And he is the best damn husband this side of the James River. (haha - little humor for you Richmonders) And we are building a foundation of marriage that will last for eternity.

I have come to realize that is what the first year is all about. BUILDING A FOUNDATION. Every. Single. Day. And anyone who tells you that is easy, is a big fat liar! The goal is to successfully mesh YEARS (in our case, 31 and 28 years) of 2 very different and independent lives into ONE union under the same roof to create a healthy base for a future family. That is HUGE.

I have learned that while it is incredibly rewarding and exciting in it's own unique way, the first year of marriage is not like in the movies. It's not all fairy tales and bubble baths and champagne.....

The SECOND year is.

RIGHT?!?!?!?!

1.5 Months Later...

If anyone is still out there.....My LOVELY place of employement has now blocked all journal-y type sites as well as any photo album-y type sites. That is just great since most of my time was spent in those 2 places. I guess they want me to WORK or something. But anyway, I'm testing out this "E-mail to Blog" feature to see how this works....

Please say a prayer...

I truly need to update this blog! Lots going on....and I had full intentions of coming here today to add the most recent events in my life....but just before I was to come here, I got an e-mail from my best friend, Cece. And all those "events" I wanted to talk about all of the sudden felt like bullshit.

Cece and I became best friends in Mrs. Atkinson's 5th grade class - at the ages of 10 and 11. (Cece is a year older than me. Nanny nanny boo boo.) But anyway, that was nearly TWENTY YEARS AGO.

I can't believe I just wrote the phrase "twenty years ago" about myself.

Even though we grew up and she moved away to Hollywood to be a funny girl, we are still the best of friends and my greatest memories in LIFE involve her.

Well, since I have known her for 20 years, I have also known her Mom, Carol Bock. (You also can't just call her Carol - we all call her "Carol Bock" - all the time - to her face.)

Carol Bock is THE most amazing woman I have ever known. She's amazing in every way - mentally, spiritually, physically..... I won't even BEGIN to talk about her because I'll never stop.

Carol Bock has been on a roller coaster from hell for the past few years with Cancer.

And Cece's e-mail of 5 minutes ago just told me it is back and it is bad. I saw her a couple weeks ago at her house and she was in so much pain that she couldn't even sit...or stand...or lay down...or do ANYTHING really. It was thought that her pain was caused by an outbreak of Shingles - but it turns out that it was not infact Shingles, it was the Cancer.

She is now going to take Chemo in pill form.

And I just want to ask for some prayers for Carol Bock.....for her husband, John Bock....and for my BFF and sister, Cece.

FREEDOM from PHILIP

I am leaving today and won't be back in this cube again until September 13. That is TWELVE GLORIOUS DAYS that I will NOT be here.

Tomorrow: In the morning I will go to New Kent and hang out with Cece and Carol Bock. Then a catch-up lunch and shopping with Cece! YAY

Saturday: 1. Pack my car full of Pampered Chef stuff to deliver, my cat, and my husband. 2. Pick up rental car. 3. Go to Mom and Dad's for Labor Day pool party

Sunday: Pack up rental car and HIT THE ROAD JACK for Morganton, NC for 2 days. I get to meet my honorary neice, Clara.

Then onto Banner Elk/Sugar Mountain for 3 days for our "honeymoon."

We return home on Thursday at our leisure.

Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday will be spent doing whatever the hell I want. Probably working on the house...

See ya when I get back!!