Merry Christmas!

Hope everyone has a wonderful day spending time with family and friends.

More to come soon- I promise- on the Seattle leg of my northland trip and holiday party pics.

Adventures in the Northland

My trip up north was incredible. I loved every minute of it. I really didn't know what to expect seeing as how I was just going on rumors of what Alaska was supposedly like. It actually wasn't that cold. I packed long underwear and layers upon layers that I didn't end up needing to wear. The thing about Alaska is that it is so pure, so beautiful. There is a natural beauty there that I don't think people can really comprehend unless they've been there in person. People up there refer to it as the 'last frontier' and I would wholeheartedly agree with that. It is absolutely breathtaking.

I spent a few days in Anchorage, a city that I would say is a comparable size to Des Moines plus looming, gorgeous mountains and the ocean that you would never see in Des Moines. It's pretty small but it's the biggest city in Alaska. I met a few really cool people who I hope to keep in touch with. People up there are very friendly and open.

I then spent the last leg of my trip in Girdwood, Alaska which is approximately 40 minutes away from Anchorage. The drive to Girdwood is possibly the prettiest drive I have ever been on and the quaint town of Girdwood is stunning. It is a little ski town nestled in the mountains. In the summer, you can see glaciers from the top of a mountain in Girdwood. I cannot do it justice just to say it was beautiful.

The reason I went to Girdwood is one of my old friends from high school is living and working there right now. He went to school in San Franciso and then got transferred to Girdwood. Seeing him made the trip more special and unique just because I got to meet a lot of people through him, see the town in ways I probably wouldn't have otherwise, and most importantly I got to catch up with him since we haven't seen each other in literally years.

My adventure coming home kind of sucked but I will write about that more in my next post. And as soon as I have pictures, I will post them. Even though I had no desire to ever go to Alaska, I'm now thinking that I have to definitely get back there sometime. And I would highly recommend that everyone go up there at least once in their lifetime. You'll be amazed.

Alaska? Really? Um...yeah. I guess so.

Once again I find myself here a month after my last post apologizing that I don't post more. I always intend to, I just don't. I guess that's something that myself and my three readers will just have to accept.

I have a lot to post... including mostly pictures from my holiday party last weekend. Unfortunately, I can't do that now as all of the pictures are on my home computer and right now I am sitting in the airport on my laptop waiting to catch my flight to Anchorage, Alaska.

HUH?!

Yeah.

My reaction, too. I am going up there today through Friday... a little bit of work and a little bit of fun. I scheduled my trip for a couple of extra days so that I could see what this place is all about since I really have never had any desire to go up there before and I doubt I will again. Might as well explore it now that I have the opportunity.

I am pretty much prepared to absolutely freeze my ass off. Fortunately, I managed to find my loooonng woal coat leftover from my Iowa days that I got literally about two months prior to deciding to move to Phoenix. Needless to say, it hasn't been used much but I can almost guarantee I am going to be in love with this coat by the end of this week.

Anyway, I really have no idea what to expect up there. I feel like I am going to the Artic circle or something. It could be interesting. I'm also going to be seeing Seattle for a day or so... I have an overnight layover there and should have time to explore that city, too. I'll keep everyone posted on the adventures...

This post would be better with a picture...

But I haven't had a chance to take one.

The other day I had surgery. Intense, scary surgery.

Ok, so maybe I just had a mole removed. BUT. Can I just tell you that it hurt like f-ing hell?! And I now have stitches in my body where a chunk of skin was ripped out?

I was extremely scared before the surgery though because the doctor comes in (after I wait for 40 minutes) saying that he just caused a cyst to explode on him in another procedure he was performing. For sake of conversation and not really knowing what to say I asked, "well how does that happen?" And he says, "if you're not careful and you puncture it." Well, fantastic. So you're telling me that you were just NOT careful with the patient before me and you are going to proceed to cut me open? That makes me feel so. much. better.

Needless to say, it ended up ok with nothing bursting like the cyst dude before me. And now at least that sucker won't give me skin cancer.

A cold day in Phoenix

This morning I got into my car and turned the heater on, along with the heated seats.

Attire: black, wool turtleneck sweater, wool pants, black closed toe shoes.

When I get to the clients, the heater is on. It remains on all day.

The high temperature outside today, you ask? 90.

No joke.

90 degress is apparently our 60 degrees. So weird.

Swan Lake

This week has been insane. In fact, I think I say that every week now. Can I just have a chill week? It's been fun, though.

Last night I went with a couple of friends to the ballet, Swan Lake. It was beautiful... I haven't been to a ballet since I went to the Nutcracker a few years ago and I had forgotten how much I thoroughly enjoy going.

I almost died in the ghetto on the way TO the ballet. There was a suns game last night and being the idiot that I sometimes am, I forgot that I have to have cash to park in downtown Phoenix. Hello. So I had to find an ATM machine somewhere in the ghetto. I ended up at Walgreens at 7th Street and Thomas, which, if you know Phoenix, you know that it's a little sketchy there. I then proceeded to continue my smartness by taking back roads back to 3rd street and Washington (the nice part of downtown by the stadiums, symphony hall, etc). I especially loved the part where I drove by houses with police tape around them. Needless to say, I felt like quite the urbanite. The inner city girl in me certainly came out. After finally getting cash, we met at Kincaids, had a glass of wine and some brie cheese, and then walked to the ballet. At the end of the day, the ballet was absolutely superb. I was extremely impressed with the Arizona Ballet company.

Halloween Weekend 2006

This weekend has been so much fun! Much better than the 40+ hour of studying weekend last weekend. Friday, I met my girlfriend Kelly for sushi. Then I ventured to my cousin's Halloween party that I decided to go to last minute. Of course, it was a rash decision after another happy hour I was supposed to go to got cancelled so I didn't have a costume. I was endlessly harassed but it was all good. Very fun, needless to say. Then some other people I knew were having a party so I dropped by there to visit. Next thing I knew, it was 4 a.m. I gotta say, I haven't had a night like that for a LONG time. I got up yesterday morning at 9 a.m. and went straight to my friend Melissa's house for a pumpkin carving brunch. I was pretty exhausted but it was a fun brunch with a great group of friends. The pumpkin carving was about like I remember it- gooey. Creative people probably like carving pumpkins but for the people like me in the world who only do the triangle face pumpkins, it's not so hot. But, like I said, the company was well worth it.

After that I headed home and then turned right back around to go to the infamous annual Halloween party hosted by this guy at my work. This party I was actually prepared for- I had my costume (rainbow brite- who I IDOLIZED as a kid) all lined up. My friend Carolyn came with me. She and I have known each other since grade school but haven't seen each other since high school graduation. I learned recently from a mutual friend that she is out here now (recently moved) and so we met once for sushi and then I invited her to come along with me to this. I think she had a pretty good time... everyone loved her! The party was a lot of fun... people are so creative with their costumes! I can't wait until Halloween next year (or maybe next weekend... I heard there are more Halloween parties)... it is so fun!

Rainbow Brite, ghost girl, and swede fighter guy aka me, Jaimi, Ryan

Rainbow Brite and suicide bomber aka me and Jordan

Andy, Kelly, Jenn

Side ponytails are so sexy. Trust me, they are coming back from the 80s. Especially once this picture gets out.

Jaimi & I

My friend Carolyn and I. I haven't seen her since high school graduation and we just met up again in Phoenix 2 weeks ago! Crazy!!

Dancing... so it must have been towards the end of the night

I really dislike dumb people

So, OMG. I almost castrated someone on Thursday. Namely, the IT guy at the client I'm at right now. We were trying to get hooked up to the printer at the client. And we told the guy it wasn't a big deal but if it was easy to do, then that would be fantastic.

Well, apparently it wasn't so easy to do. My computer and my co-workers computer were completely jacked. Our domains were wiped out, we lost all of our settings, we lost bits and pieces of our hard drives, we couldn't log in, etc. Describing it doesn't do our actual reaction justice. And, again, this was all supposedly the relatively easy task of hooking us up to a printer.

The guy was on drugs. And I'm not just saying the dude was on drugs because I am mad at the outcome of what happened. I was told this by the president of the company AFTER we realized that we were headed back to our office to have our IT guys somehow fix our poor computers. Um, hello? Maybe you should disclose the fact that your IT guy is on drugs BEFORE I let him come 10 feet close to my computer!? And btw, how is your company even operating? Oh, you still use greenbar? Oh this is an issue we try to address every year? Ah, it makes so much more sense now. And the logical question: 1) Why is it acceptable to employ an IT guy that is on drugs?

I would have done less damage trying to do what this guy was trying to do if I was drunk. And trust me, that's saying something.

There was yelling that happened, profuse apologizing from the controller, president, etc. to us. It was an ENTIRE day (no joke- 8 straight hours) of just trying to get the computer fixed. That doesn't work so well to waste a day considering the tightness of my schedule right now.

And, needless to say, my IT guy was certainly not happy. He did not find it humorous when I told him in all seriousness that I had a message from the client's IT guy: "if you just have whoever it is working on your computer do exactly what I just did (and he wrote out the instructions), you will be golden and will never have any problems." Noted. Maybe I should send that to Microsoft or Apple. It might be helpful at least in training people into how to fix massive problems.

Is that singing I hear?

Scenario: I'm at the gym tonight. Running. Next to a girl, a fairly in shape girl who looks like a good person to run by (mainly because she has headphones on which means she won't try to talk to me. Headphones are ALWAYS something to look for at the gym). All of a sudden about halfway through my run, I start to hear singing. I glance at her without being obvious but come to the conclusion that it must have just been the radio. Then again. I look at her and she's singing "Walking in Memphis." Loud. At the top of her lungs. In the gym. People are looking at me. Trying to figure out if it is me or her that is singing. Walking in memphis. In the gym.

I guess I just don't get it. Maybe if she was good it would have been more enjoyable. But as it was tonight, it was all I could do to keep from laughing out loud. Yeah, it was that bad.

Another scenario: I'm in my car. With the windows down. Hey, it's nice in Arizona now- 70s...perfect. I have my music cranked and a car pulls up next to me. They also have their windows down and their music cranking. And when they are right next to me, I hear singing. Holy crap is that the LADY I hear? Yes, over my music and her music, I could hear her belting it out. I couldn't help but stare. She had one set of vocals.

CPA exam 101

I took the CPA exam on Monday. Let me tell ya, I can't believe that's something I have to experience three more times, probably more considering that I may have to take one or more of the sections over again. I'm not even CLOSE to exaggerating when I say that it is by far the hardest, most exhausting test I've ever taken. It's like all four years of accounting all balled up into 4 hours. I can't even explain how impossible it is to try to study for that. And we're only talking about one section here, peeps!

I took the financial section on Monday. I studied for about 30-40 hours straight beginning friday night through about Sunday afternoon at 5 when I experienced a mass breakdown that resulted in me throwing my financial book, running out of the house in tears, and thinking seriously about my career options aside from accounting. I went to the gym, came back more calm, realized I knew what I knew and took it easy Sunday night. Monday I reviewed a bit and then sat for the test at 10. I feel relatively good about some parts, not so good about others. Like I said, it's so comprehensive that it's impossible to know exactly what to study for and eventually in the process of studying you have to accept that you're never going to learn it all. At the end of the day, I feel ok about it. I know eventually I'll pass it and even if I don't this time, I know at least I got the experience.

After I walked out of the exam, I swear it felt like I was in a different century. I probably looked like I was on crack. Hell, I felt like I was on crack. I couldn't process anything. Nothing. Couldn't even focus on the road when I was driving. Stared at people blankly when they talked to me- including the Starbucks guy. It's probably a good thing it takes two months to get the results back... as stupid as that is. If I got them directly following the exam, I don't think I would have been able to process the results.

The next class section of the CPA exam review started Monday night- as in, yes, the same day I took the financial section of the test. This section now is auditing and it's AWESOME. So much easier than the last. I'll take that part of the test at the end of November. After that, I start regulation/tax in January (the next hardest section compared to financial) and then business law/ethics in February.

One down, three to go.

Spinning out of control

I'm convinced that the CPA exam is going to be the end of me.

Trite, of course.

But I go to bed dreaming about numbers, people. I wake up thinking about leases. I take a shower and I think about the different disclosures required for pensions plans. Sometimes when I'm on the phone, talking with clients, hanging with friends, I think I start speaking in tongues in a way that makes them look around like make. the. madness. stop. They do not care that I can recite FASB 144 or SFAS13. And that I do so on command, I even do it in the middle of conversations just because I cannot process any normal conversations anymore. I'm asked a question and all I can respond with is some kind of reference to the statement of cash flows. DO WE NOW SEE THE PROBLEM HERE?

Like I said, the CPA exam is going to be the end of me. And, while confident in my abilities, I'm very confident in the ability of this test to kick the living crap out of me. And that's ok. I fully expect to take it again because I sincerely doubt that one round of this torture will be enough to satisfy it and the effect it's having on my life.

Today I don't live in Arizona

Just in case you were wondering. I'm going to deny it just for one day.

And I'll walk around with my head to the ground while I'm out in Arizona today.

24-23, folks! To any sports fans out there, this means something to you.

To people in Arizona, all it means is sheer embarassment. How can we call ourselves Cardinals fans after the destruction of the Bear's victory last night?

Oh, how glad I am to NOT be a part of the Cardinals offensive line today.

Quote of the day

"I promise you not a moment will be lost as long as I have heart & voice to speak & we will walk again together with a thousand others & a thousand more & on & on until there is no one among us who does not know the truth: there is no future without love." -Storypeople

Today is a new day

My resolution is to post more... starting now.

I have many pictures... of the house, the restored car (that we FINALLY got back last week), and of the trip to the Grand Canyon we took a few weeks ago. Those will follow shortly... hopefully.

While I intend to post more, it's sort of hard to do so. My CPA class finished a week or so ago and now I'm busy cramming for the test that's quickly approaching. I'm pretty busy at work, too. But, such is life.

Although I'm not a great back poster, I'll try to make more effort to keep this updated as to the current happenings in my life. We'll see how it goes...

Back into school mode

I started my CPA review course about 3 weeks ago. I go to class for 4 hours a night, 2 nights a week. There are 4 parts to the exam. You study for one part at a time, take the exam for that section and then move on to another section. The section I'm studying for right now is the financial section. It's huge and incredibly hard. I've found that I'm glad I've waited (IE: procrastinated) for 2 years to start studying. It seems like I know some things now just from experience that I may not have known before. I'll take this part of the test probably right around October 15. The exact date is to be determined.

So, I have spent all day today trying to cram the information I should have learned in the past 3 weeks into my head. It's going well... I'm just so out of the school mode that it's been hard to get back into the swing of things, to develop a 'study schedule' per se. But, I'm working at it and hopefully something I do works...

My actual job is going well... it's still fairly busy but that's ok. I moved into my own office which is nice and I think I may have mentioned in an earlier post that I got promoted... So, things are going well on that front. Pretty soon I'm going to start a countdown until January 15, the day when things (IE: any life I may pretend to have) start to go down the drain as a result of the craziness of busy season. I can't believe it's already almost that time again... Ugh... Gotta love public accounting!

Out of commission

Both cars, that is.

Our trusty Ford Focus and of course, the mini cooper.

The mini drama is never ending and always infuriating. First of all, insurance companies are dumb. I mean, really, who are these people that we are dealing with? They are just absolute morons. On Tuesday, Tim talked to them and we were 25% liable for the accident, the other lady was 75% liable. When they talked to me on Wednesday, we were 70% liable and she was 30% liable. Did they just determine that they didn't like me after talking to me? Because nothing that happened in the accident changed from Tuesday to Wednesday. They said that ultimately it's my word against hers (so perhaps them just not liking me could be accurate) and that because she was on my right, I'm liable. Dumb. The liability is still to be determined because we learned after further discussion that they have the facts wrong regarding where exactly I was coming from before the accident happened. Apparently that changes everything... it's complicated but I'll suffice it to say that I firmly believe that it was her fault. If nothing else, they should at least say we're both equally liable (50%-50%).

Then, the body shop. Oh, the body shop. They are my new best friends. They called me several days ago to tell me that they are happy to report that they 1) Have all of the parts for my car and 2) Got everything they need from the insurance. I'm thinking, "Fantastic... my car should be done soon!" That bubble burst quickly when my guy said, "I'm happy to report that we'll have your car back to you in FOUR WEEKS!" Oh great, retard, that's just fabulous! You've already had it for four weeks. So the total for fixing my car is 8 weeks? They built the whole thing in England and shipped it to Iowa in 5 weeks. Tell me if that makes sense. Not to mention the fact that if we're 50% liable, we'll have to pay 50% of the rental car costs which are $20 a day. Do the math on that. It's more than I really care to pay for driving around a ghetto Chevy Aveo (what is that, you ask? Just picture the biggest shit box you've ever seen on the roads that is purported to be called a car. But it's a 2006 model! With no CD player! Or tape deck! Or auto locks or windows! And as a bonus it smells like old cigarettes!)

So, on top of this mess, earlier this week the focus deciding to start grinding. And not in a good grinding way. It was the type of grinding that hurt ME to hear it. We realized that it might be the brakes. The car has 106,000 miles on it, we've had it since it was brand spankin new and we've never had the brakes fixed. So we take it in and the brakes need to be fixed in a big $600 type of way... mainly because of the rotors or something (this is the part where I tuned out). Anyway, it's something major... naturally.

Now we're done to the ghetto Chevy Aveo rental car between us... sweet!

Have I mentioned that cars suck?

Poor little Winston

Here are the pictures the adjuster took of our car to give the insurance the estimate (which was approximately $4500, by the way).

It's so sad.

And, yes, the car's name is Winston.

The croc hunter is dead?

I find that absolutely unbelievable.

Steve Irwin just seemed so happy and invincible.

Babies, watermelons, and revelations

So in honor of the traditional labor day festivities, we decided to have a barbeque today since Tim's brother, Aaron, is in town visiting us and he leaves in the middle of the day tomorrow. We went to the grocery store to get the appropriate items, one of which was a watermelon. On the way home, I sat with it on my lap to prevent any rolling that might occur anywhere else in the car.

As I was sitting there with this 10 pound ball on my lap, I had the sudden revelation that it must really be uncomfortable to be pregnant and to be carrying something in your actual body that is similar to this size and shape. I mean... wow. I made the comment to Tim and he basically looked at me like I was crazy. Then I tried to stuff the melon under my shirt to put a realistic spin on it and I think that he freaked a little himself. For whatever reason, because of this ball of melon and its sheer weight, I gained an entirely new respect for all of the mothers out there in the world. I mean, seriously, not only does pregnancy seem highly uncomfortable but after you go through all of that, then you actually have a baby (and everyone KNOWS what comes along with that). I cannot even begin to imagine how, if and when I will ever be prepared for the actuality of this motherhood process... and to think that these thoughts all spawned from a melon... who knew that melons could be so profound?

I'm told I need soap

For what some people may see as a potty mouth? Do I need to refer everyone back to the post I made several months ago stating that I reserve the right to say what I want to say because this is my forum to do so? If it offends anyone, you, in the same manner, have the right to stop reading. I will only be me on this website. The way I am in real life is the way I will be here. I will not conform because of who may or may not be reading this.

Allright. Moving on from that...

Although, I do have one more thing to say about it: if anyone could see my poor little mini car right now, they might have a word of choice to offer, too. It's so sad.

Here are the details: I was going west in a Walgreen's parking lot. This lady in a Dodge Durango was going south. She hit my passenger's side right above the wheel wheel and into the headlight. My hood is all pushed up and out, the light is completely deteriorated. The car cannot be operated at the present time.

Since it happened on private property, the insurance companies fight for whose fault/liability the accident was. So far, the verdict is still out. It's getting towed tomorrow to the body shop recommended by our mini dealer. Then the insurance adjuster will go out at the end of this week to write up an estimate and then the repairs can start to be made. In the meantime, I just have to wait and see who is determined to be liable.

Frankly, I just want my car to be fixed. It kinda blows. I've never been in an accident before and I don't recommend it. It just sucks.

Aside from this, everything else is going well. Just working and playing... the usual. My CPA review course starts next week so I'm trying to enjoy this last week of freedom this week before I lose my life for a while...

By the way, has anyone ever heard of Landon Pigg? I just got his CD and I really like it...

And, again, accidents do happen... aware or not.

Just got into my first one in a Walgreens parking lot just a week after paying $1000 for the accident that I was told I was in but wasn't aware of. Say it with me, people: SHIT. Groan.

It wasn't my fault but of course my car is all jacked up.

Pissed.

Apparently accidents happen without awareness...

Makes no sense, right? I know. I'm with you.

So a week or so ago, I finally decided that the airplane noise that the mini cooper was making every time it was turned off was not normal. I took it into the dealer and because we live in Arizona, something about the water pump was screwed up. Since the car was bought brand new and it's only 1 1/2 years old, it was covered under warranty.

So, I leave it there and get my rental car: a 2006 audi A4 convertible. Sweet. And I go on my way.

I get a call that afternoon in the office that I need two front tires. Price: $900. No way. I'll take it somewhere else. They say fine, the water pump will be fixed in the morning and will be ready by noon. Cool.

The next morning at about 9 a.m., I get a call from the dealer again. They ask if I've been in an accident. Huh? Um, no. Apparently when they were taking the car apart, they found that either 1) I had rear ended someone 2) I had hit something with my front end or 3) someone had hit me. The condenser was bent in so severely that they said it was something I would definitely remember. As a result of the condenser being bent in, if I opted not to fix it immediately, I would then be faced with having to get a new radiator because the condenser was bent to a point where it was making a hole in the radiator. Ugh. So, we went back and forth with the dealer. We didn't feel like we were liable because we hadn't been in an accident. I mean, seriously, how do we know THEY didn't do it? They basically said that if that's the way I felt, we could come get the car. Jackasses. We had no choice but to just suck it up and pay it.

Luckily I was driving a cool, fun rental car... but STILL.

So, the next day I go in and pay approximately $1,000 for a new condenser. And the guy is a complete dick to me (I think Tim had been kind of a jerk to him the prior day when we were going back and forth about whose liability it was... but that was justified!) So that made me mad. And then, this freakshow has the audacity to tell me that he took off $50 from the bill. Oh, thanks a-hole. I mean, seriously. I'm paying $1000... do you really think I give a crap about $50? If the total labor was $100 and he took off $50, that would be a different story.

Anyway, it was frustrating, to say the least. The only thing we can figure is that someone hit us in a parking lot or something.

Last week was an expensive week... that's the moral of the story. We paid $1000 for the car, $2600 for the mortgage, and $3300 for the dumb CPA exam stuff (which I am really NOT looking forward to). Why does grown up stuff have to be so expensive? Sometimes I just want to rewind the clock all the way back to 2nd grade... stuff was so much simpler then... I didn't even know that cars had problems or what mortgages were back then. All I cared about was what clothes my barbies were wearing.

The beginning of a long road...

I just got notification from the Arizona State Board of Accountancy that I have been approved to sit for the CPA exam. On the surface this is good news in that it means that I meet all of the qualifications necessary to be a candidate. But, deep down, it really means that I now begin the long task of studying and actually sitting for the exam. The first step is to enroll in Becker (the most known program of study for the CPA exam). This will require that I give up 4 hours two nights a week OR 8 hours every Saturday for 4 months (1 month per section of the exam). Then, after a month is completed, I take the corresponding section of the exam (and pray upon everything that I pass). So, I'm probably going to opt for the two weeknight classes simply because I refuse to give up a weekend day. Oh, and did I mention how much it costs just to study? It's about $2K. To sit is another $1K. Luckily, the benefits of passing FAR outweigh the cost.

I'm so out of school mode, though. I just don't want to return to that way of life. It sounds just disgusting to me. Study? Ick. Take a test, much less, a HUGE, life-changing test? Bigger ick. And aside from that, I am working full time and trying to cram as much of this process in before my life stops again for busy season in January for 5 solid months. Should be interesting...

More pictures...

I have nothing exciting to post. All I do is work... well, sort of. I do find time to play, as evidenced by these pictures. Hopefully next week will be a little less crazy and I'll have more time to put together some posts...

Last weekend I went to Sedona with a friend- we hiked and enjoyed the cool weather. It was spectacular! Tomorrow we have a happy hour for one of the girls who is leaving and then the rest of the weekend I plan to sit by the pool and lounge around...

By the way before anyone jumps to STUPID conclusions, Tim has been in California... which would be why he hasn't been making the headlines of this blog. So switch the rumor mill position to OFF.

The group... 7-13-06

Jaimi and I laughing our asses off... (probably because we were TRYING to dance... Carmen Electra booty shake- who wants to see it?!) 7-14-06

Um, yeah, don't ask. 7-14-06

Jaimi and I at Sandbar after Sushi 7-14-06

Who is that nerd? 6-26-06

The cool chicks I work with-6-26-06

Kim & I-6-26-06

TedFest 2006- boys and pool basketball.

Tedfest 2006 (6-24-06)... Me, Jaimi, Kim

Question of the day

Is it better to do something selfishly based on what you feel is in the best interest of your own ultimate happiness or choose not to do something for your ultimate happiness in order to keep everyone surrounding you happy?

I apologize for any typing errors. I am typing minus my left middle finger. It is not functioning properly... I got into a fight with the washing machine this morning and it definitely won the battle as evidenced when it slammed shut on the finger I was using to flip it off... The next load I put into it is going to be jam packed full of dirty underwear, ketchup stains, towels, etc. especially if I end up losing my fingernail.

7.13.06

I will always have a comment about how I truly dislike the numbers 7 & 13. Anyone remember my post from July 13 of last year? Well, if not, check out the archives. So, this year, I'm more ok with the number 7. My feelings on the number 13 remain the same. But still, the date today freaks me out so I will be continuously watching my back.

It is one of my friends' birthday, though, so I kind of have to like today more than I used to...

Driving in the city

Does anyone understand why in the HELL every city has to have so many freakin 1 way streets? I mean, is it really that hard to design all cities with roads that go both ways? I hate 1 way streets because you can only go one way... and then, oh FREAK! That was the street I'm supposed to be on but it only goes east so now I have to spend 10 more minutes going in f-ing circles until I can finally get back to the one way street that I need to be on. If it was two ways, problem solved without any wasted time or aggravation.

I also hate one way streets because usually when I'm in the city, I'm trying to find my way around so I'm not really paying attention to whether or not a street is one way. Thus, my problem today. I was right at the base of chase field. I needed to go slightly west on Jefferson to get to where I needed to park. So I turn west. I wonder why there are people sitting in a turn lane on the north side of the street. (sidenote: I should have thought about this logically). Then I see multiple cars coming at me IN ALL LANES. Oh holy mother of god! I am going down a one way street the WRONG. WAY. Luckily, I am in my little mini car so I flip a quick u turn in the middle of the road (only slightly illegal) before all of the traffic reaches me. (Then duck, put my hands over my face and pretend like I'm not the most retarded person in the world at the moment when all of these people drive past me thinking, "Who's the idiot?")

So after this, I have to go north a block to washington so that I can go west. Oh, Washington has construction? Perfect. I have to go on a loop-de-loop detour for TWENTY, repeat: TWENTY minutes so that I can go .08 of a mile to the freakin field parking lot!!! My thought after this was that maybe I should have just tested my luck with the one way street... see if I could've beat the oncoming traffic to my turn which would've only taken about 30 seconds...even if it was a potential death wish. Or MAYBE all cities should just make streets two ways. And we're back to the original point: What is the purpose of 1 way streets?

Gotta love it...

The temperature at 7:32 a.m. (yes, that's AM) was 102.

For all of you sportsfans out there, I'm working at the Diamondbacks this week. Yes, that means I'm spending my days at Chase field. Apparently, that's supposed to be cool... and I guess it kind of is.

And I'm late for work.

Wedding Summer!

Tim and I just got back last Tuesday from Chelsea and Scott's wedding in Kansas City. It was absolutely beautiful. Two weeks prior to that, I took part in Wish and Josh's wedding in a small town just south of Kansas City. Here are some of the pictures of these beautiful weddings... I'm so glad I was able to be a part of each wedding...

Scott & Chelsea with Tim's parents 7.2.06

Rachel and Travis with us-gotta love the pink! 7.2.06

Erin R. and I 7.2.06

Tim and I at Chelsea and Scott's wedding 7.2.06

Just married! 6.17.06

Jilly Marie and I at Wish's reception 6.17.06

Cara and I 6.17.06

Wish and I just before the wedding 6.17.06

The girls- Wish's Wedding 6.17.06

The Beautiful Bride 6.17.06

Kathryn and I, Wish's Wedding 6.17.06

Oops

I made a post earlier in the day (and it was LONG!) that I had to delete due to the sensitivity of some of the issues I discussed. I wasn't really thinking when I posted it for the whole world to feast their eyes on. Whoops.

Nothing exciting has happened today other than um, nothing.

I swear, I'm back

I'm going to be more consistent at posting. Have I said this before? Well, this time I mean it. I mean, seriously people. Who's keeping me accountable? It's been a freakin month for the love of god. My post busy season resolution is to post more...especially since I learned over the weekend that I actually have people that read this blog.

Yesterday was an absolutely insane day. Scary, actually. I PROMISE I will write more about it later.

For now, I just want to wish my parents a happy anniversary. It's been 32 years of wedded bliss for them. They are truly an example that love can last and can grow stronger over the years. I wish for them all of the best and that they have many more good years to come.

A conglomeration of random photos that I promised...

Some are really dated...IE: the Scottsdale Culinary festival photos (this event occured in May). Most of the people in the photos are friends of mine that I met through work, just as an FYI. Anyway, it's a random spread of sort of current events...and proof that we have managed to be social and make some friends in Arizona. ;) Enjoy!

Kim & I at the Scottsdale Culinary festival.

Really old picture- the culinary festival back in May, I think... Me, Tim, Andy, and Jaimi

Me & Melissa... I took this picture- great shot, huh? (At Mickey's last night-June 9)

Me, Jaimi, Kim last night at Mickey's in Old Towne.

Me & Kim- last week June 2. How adorable is she? Did I mention she's the best?

Me, Kim & Jaimi last week at Dos Gringos in Old Towne Scottsdale.

Pamela, me, Jaimi last night. Seriously, how cute are we?

Jaimi, Michael & I (Ok, Poll: who thinks Michael looks like J.P. Roberts??)

Me & the norway brothers-Anders & Baard-pronounced "Board" (literally, they're from Norway). I'm so sad because Baard accepted a new job in Atlanta and his last day is this friday... and I'll be in KC so I'll miss his going away party... I'm going to just plain out miss him...

Me, Kelly, and Kim last night at Mickey's in Old Towne... I love them...

Jaimi & I last night at Mickey's (we're the midwesterners-she's from Wisconsin).

Kelly T. & I. June 9. (She's a midwest girl, too- from Chicago). She is totally the best...

Pamela & I... I actually just met Pamela a few days ago. She works in the Scottsdale office of our firm (I work in the Tempe office). But we get along really well...she's super nice.

Kind of a joke shot-they told us to be funny and this is what we came up with. Hilarious, no? These are my friends Mike & Ryan (left to right) last night at Mickey's in Old Towne.

My friend, Kelly, and I sharing a cookie thing- last night (June 9). She and I share the same sweet tooth and let me tell you, this thing was fan-freakin-tastic!

My friends from work- Kim, Melissa, Pamela

Our kitchen of our new house (the only completely finished room).

Our kitchen from a different angle

Our desk area in our kitchen looking into the family room

The day of June 8

I truly believe there was something funky happening on June 8. I don't have many bad, crazy days but Thursday was one of those days... Here's a couple of highlights:

1) Computer problems... I'm working on a client that I have a tight deadline on. Basically what I'm doing is creating a report that consolidates the general ledger/trial balances of several entities. It's the report where I do all of my work on. On Thursday, this report decides to go absolutely haywire. So, we do all we know how to do to fix it... we get the IT people involved, we regenerate the report-nothing works. Then I call the software technical support (an external company). They recreate a new report for me and fix several problems on my computer. So I'm thinking, "Perfect, I should be good to go!" So in addition to the 3 hours I've spent getting to a point where I think the report is fixed, after this I spend another 3 re-doing my work on the new report, doing periodical checks to make sure it is working, etc. I finish and it appears to be working. Then, I hit save one last time before I close it. It completely screws up again- I'm talking arrows all over the page, duplicate accounts (not a good thing when you're going for accurate account balances), complete chaos. I was almost in tears-that's how frustrated I was. So then I call the technical support back and tell them I'm going to email them a whole package and that they basically need to get their shit together and figure out is going on... As of today (Saturday) I still haven't heard back. And did I mention that we're on a tight deadline, here? As in, I have two days until it has to be met. Ugh.
2) Right after this report continued to be completely jacked, Tim calls and asks "Have you ever had any problems with getting the key into the ignition of the Focus?" Ummm... nope. He went to lunch with a co-worker and when they came out they couldn't get the key into the ignition. They finally managed to get it in but then it wouldn't turn. They had three people working on getting it in. And it wouldn't go. So, the drama begins. We just got AAA (thank GOD!) and so we called to get the car towed to the dealer (did I mention that the Focus had just hit 100,000 miles that morning... so naturally a problem occurs after the century mark). The tow truck was called at about 2 p.m. The car wasn't towed until about 10 p.m. (A mess in itself). So, I left the office at about 5 pm (after realizing that a bunch of additional things in my report were screwy and realizing that the day would end right then) and picked up Tim. We went to the gym and felt great. Once we got home, he dropped his phone. And even though he's dropped it about 500 times, this time it basically shattered and is not really usable. Oh, and it's the phone by which the tow truck people are trying to call us. Anyway, I guess it all worked out in the end... the ignition was jacked up so it cost $250 to fix it and we're getting Tim a new phone tomorrow... really, the whole thing was just comical...
3) Other random things happened to us (that aren't worth writing about) and to several of my friends on Thursday (including breakups, resignations of people) that seemed crazy in the 'normal' scheme of things...

So, anyway, June 8, dudes. Let me tell you... watch out next year. Tim and I were talking on Friday June 9 about how we were so glad that the previous day was over. Yeah, it was that weird. At least we were able to laugh about it...

MIA- I know, I know

Things have been pretty crazy lately.... I promise I will post in more detail later (pictures included!) Here are some highlights to suffice everyone's growing curiousity, at least for the moment:
1) We are IN! (To our new house, that is). Hooray!! We took friday off last week and spent what was our 4-day memorial day weekend moving into our house. Actually, friday we spent all day walking through our house with contractors, signing our life away and finishing packing our apartment.
-Tim's family joined us in the move-in process. I am completely positive that we would have been absolutely beyond screwed without their help. We are so ignorant... we thought we could just round up a couple of our guy friends and spend a few hours getting stuff moved in. Well, with Tim's family's help (that's 6 of us working, folks- and non-stop at that) we spent 3 straight days moving, unpacking, installing stuff (ask Tim about his speakers...), buying stuff (refridgerator, washer, dryer, lawnmower, grill, furniture, etc), and cleaning the old apartment. At work on Tuesday I literally was falling asleep at my desk. On the plus side, I worked so hard that I lost three pounds last weekend... Interesting, but I'll take it...
-Anyway, we are mostly in now. We're living in a fishbowl... we have no blinds. We ordered custom made blinds and shutters and we're crossing our fingers that they'll arrive this week. The only bad thing we've found about this is that it gets light in the summer in Arizona aroudn 4:45-5:00 a.m... and we're talking BRIGHT. So, we've had some early mornings.
-Our formal dining room, formal sitting room, and two guest bedrooms are basically completely empty. But the kitchen, family room, bathrooms, and master bedroom look amazing... (pictures to come later...)
2) Aside from the house (which, by the way, why did no one inform me of how much work being a homeowner is? It took me a couple of days to adjust...) we've been busy working. I'm slightly confused by the fact that my busy season has 'officially' ended but I'm still busy... it's a total phenomenon. I'm only working 40-45 hour weeks (because, hello, busy season is OVER... no more long hours for me) but I really have about 50-55 hour weeks in terms of the work I have. So this weekend I have to spend some time catching up...
3) In a few weeks, I'm getting ready to go back to KC for a couple of weddings- Wish's and Chelsea's... I can't wait. I finally got my dress fitted for Wish's and I'm glad to say that my well-being is no longer in danger as a result. (As a side note, I was actually starting to get worried at the procrastination I exhibited on the alterations... it was unlike any other procrastination I've ever experienced, well, maybe not...)
4) I just met a neighbor that lives across the street from me... she seems really nice... We have a very diverse neighborhood, which I love. The people across the street are Asian (she needed a lighter for candle-she said in their culture they say a prayer and have a little ceremony before they actually move in), the people next door to them are African American (I think...), the people next door to us are white, and on the other side they are hispanic. It's really very cool... I think we are probably one of the only people on the street without kids, too, by the way... it's pretty neat that everyone is so young...
5) I have some pretty great pictures of my night last night... I went out with a bunch of work people... Fun times... I'll post pictures of that, too, when I have a chance...
6) It's 113 degrees here today. We broke a record. But amazingly, it doesn't feel as hot as it did last year when it was 120... apparently we've adjusted to the climate...

Anyway, I can't think of much else going on... right now Tim is yelling at the dumb Sprint people who keep screwing up our bill. That could be an interesting story later judging by what I've heard him say so far...

Oh, and as a last thought, I really hate it when you discover that someone isn't who you really think they are. It just makes me really sad. And I really despise gossiping. I'm getting sick of dealing with both... But oh well...

I can't promise I will be better at posting but I can promise I'll try... my work schedule is continuing to look insane and a lot is going on... so I might still be MIA for a while, but I'm going to try to do better... I know I've had some funny stories in the past few months but by the time I get around to posting, all I can do is a generic, rambling post. (Yes, like this one... I know)...

Sushi time...

I just had sushi for the first time ever. I went with one of my girlfriends from work... it was actually really fantastic. Especially once we had some saki bombers in us... We went to this really hip place in Scottsdale called Sting Ray. For anyone who loves sushi, please come visit me so I can eat it every day!

Birthday time!

My birthday was last Saturday. I am officially considered to be in my mid 20's now. That's kind of a scary thought... Anyway, it was totally the greatest day ever. I think that people like me more this year. It's very weird. I think I got about 20 phone calls and many, many presents. Everyone was way too nice.

It was a really low key day. I didn't really want to go out with people since I knew I'd be out two nights this week (more on that later). So, Tim and I had a nice, quiet day to ourselves. We got up, went to see our new house (it looked fantastic!), went to breakfast at my favorite joint, then went on a really long hike. Have I ever mentioned that hiking is possibly my favorite thing ever? We hiked in the white tanks for about 2 hours... probably about 7 miles. It was perfect. Then Tim took me to a surprise dinner at Chart house. It was really yummy. Then we went shopping and I brought presents for myself. One of the best phone calls of the day was when my brother called me while we were shopping... He and his friends did something very admirable in honor of my birthday. I can't say what here but it was fantastic! Anyway, thank you to everyone who called, emailed, took me to lunch, gave me presents, etc. Everyone was so nice to me! I have such a great support group!!

Onto this week: It was really a relatively low key week. I have a new job I'm working on so I'm a little stressed about it. My office looks like I had several huge packs of paper throw up all over it (just like how my house looks like the washing machine threw up clothes all over). And I start another new job next Wednesday. Which really means that I SHOULD be working now instead of jacking off. But... there's always tomorrow, right? We had a team building thing on Thursday at work... it was one of the best days I've had in a long time. We went to a park and played sports then went to eat, went to bars, went to a co-workers house (where I subsequently got thrown in a pool-no phone in the pocket this time, thank god!) It was a really fun day...Friday morning was rough. But I got to work, worked some, and then went to a happy hour that I had arranged for one of my friends that just got canned. There was a pretty good group of us. It was a fun night too. But I guess that the week was fairly unproductive as a result of both Thursday and Friday night.

We didn't do much this weekend... I tried to get organized since we'll be moving in three weeks. Other than that we just hung around, worked out some, got some errands done, enjoyed the sun. It's always nice to have a laid back weekend every once in a while...

More of the house...

We went and checked out our house yesterday and were thrilled to find that 1) The roof was down 2) The house was painted 3) We have light switches and most importantly, 4) our cabinets were in (and they look fantastic!!) Enjoy the pics below... can't believe we are only a month away!

Other than that, yesterday we spent the day at the Scottsdale Culinary festival... And I am now 20 pounds heavier... We were there from about 1 pm to 9pm and met up with several friends from work. It was a really good time...

Outside...we have a roof and paint!

Kitchen