Valentine's Tree

My daddy sent me a bonsai tree for Valentine's Day.

A great addition to my desk.

Structure Views

From Sun Up

To Sun Down

My View in Royal Oak.

BFF Reminders

I enjoyed a mini butterfinger bar and used mint colored paperclips today.

They both reminded me of Elise, which made me smile.

EFAM 2013

July 27-31 was EFAM 2013

the International Association of Administrative Professionals

held it in Anaheim, CA this year.

There were morning speakers in massive ballrooms

break rooms set up with snacks&puzzles

and lots of sessions to fine-tune administrative skills.

The first night was the kick-off event

with lots of dancing&music and wine&appetizers

ending with a Beach Themed Dance Competition.

We all had tacky nametags to wear

showing off any certifications or "first-timer" status

and all the "older" admins were pretty silly&uppity.

Mostly, I enjoyed it.

I felt like a bit of a "youngster" but I was glad to attend

and I'm excited to get involved in the organization.

(some parts very much brought my back to my sorority glory days.)

Detroit To LA

A 1-hour Delay in Detroit

2 New Friends

1/2 a RelaxingPill

2 Stiff Drinks

and

I made it to LAX on Friday night.

Mom picked me up at the airport

and immediately threw the GPS at me.

"This thing won't put me on any major highways! Fix it!"

So I did.

And we got to the hotel in no time flat.

So happy to have my feet back on the ground.

I often forget, though, how much I love airports&flying.

BFF Sunday

waiting&working at Starbucks for Elise to get outa work

skipbo&beer in bed with my bff

Morning Ride

I rode my bike from Syd's to work this morning.

It was a beautiful ride at the sunrise

and I sat in the parking lot enjoying the weather

while I waited for Joe,

so he could throw my bike in the back of Gloria

and we could walk over to work together.

I genuinely love the town I work in

...and the Madden Girl flats I bought at Salvation Army last month

...and the birds that have finally come out of hiding

after Michigan's harsh (well, not so harsh) winter.

Hello, summer.

I love you.

Birthday Attention

Last year, my birthday was ignored in the office.

This year I got a card and a balloon.

So cute.

I feel like one of the team - for real.

Birthday Work

I kicked my birthday morning off with work

...like the 12:00am kind of morning.

I've become a workaholic.

Berry Cupcake

I discovered Taste Love Cupcakes about a week ago

and I've been getting a Cupcake A Day ever since.

It's kitty-corner to my office

and I want to find the perfect flavor to spoil Barbie with

when she comes into Michigan for her wedding.

Today was a shortcake with berry filling & whipped frosting.

Not my favorite...

we'll cross that one off the possibilities list.



New Office

Joe&I have combined offices.

We both got promotions,

thus, he's entitled to an office

away from the common space.

And since mine had an opening,

we moved him in.

I honestly like our space...

and I truly love being near him all the time.

Promotion Work

I've learned that the word "promotion" mean

"completely swamped all the time" at my office.

I got one and I feel like I work 24/7 these days.

.full workdays on weekends.

.ten hour days at work.

.constant attachment to my e-mail.

It's frustrating.

It'll be worth it in the long run.

I need to keep telling myself that...

someday, when Mr.U&I move away

(to utilize his master's degree)

I'll need to be able to find a job

and the experience I'm getting is necessary.

Sometimes, though, I just want to scream.

Netflix Junkie

Barbie&I finished Gossip Girl, Desperate Housewives, Pretty Little Liars, and now Army Wives. I felt like I was mourning a loss when Desperate Housewives ended – I absolutely fell in love with that show. I think I could watch it again already and still enjoy every episode. I’ve seen PLL from the first season, but Barbie hadn’t, so I had to catch her up. Her pick was Army Wives (which still has one season to premier and lacks the latest season online) but the first 5 were good. Heartbreaking, but good. We were both mentioning how attached we get to characters and in a show like Army Wives – where people are expected to die – the attachment is even worse cause we eventually lost some of them. Fall in love with strong wives, vulnerable husbands, and their wonderful children then lose some of them along the way… how awful? We both found ourselves crying through work at points, but it really was/is an inspirational show. The military – no matter how I feel about the wars they defend their country in – will always create a soft spot in my heart. And the actors&actresses in this series made it even more enjoyable&emotional.

Now, it’s on to One Tree Hill.

BrusselsSprouts

I’ve been all about making brussels sprouts lately. After having them at our girls’ dinner about a month ago, I’ve made a couple different batches. I definitely like to make them spicy – red pepper flakes, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, white vinager, etc. Then, as all the recipes state, bake on medium heat for 30-40 minutes. Waiting for these little babies to cook is miserable – the smell starts filling the house within the first few minutes and I have to stash myself away to escape it until I can eat them.

(they also make excellent left-overs that everyone likes to smell in theOffice.)

Driving Notes

Mr.U had a phone meeting with his professor for his last master’s class today, so he drove to my office to interview for a position here then stayed in the car taking notes on ever work his professor said about potential research topics for his thesis. He talked the entire ride home – getting all excited about healthcare acts and people with disabilities.

I love that he actually loves what he’s studying and thoroughly enjoys learning more&more about his topics of passion.

PublicPolicy&Football… my boy is easy to please.

Old Faces

Some of the faces on the papers I receive at work are just too adorable.

Indoor Rain

I got into my basement office this morning and a damp&disgusting scent hit me in the face. As I rounded the corner, I found two of my coworkers hurriedly pulling stuff from our supply room with yellowish water pouring down from the ceiling. The indoor rain started spreading through the dropped-tiles of the basement – little leaks popping up from room to room. By mid-morning we had trashcans all over – collecting raindrops – and trash bags spread all over any boxes we couldn’t get moved. When maintenance showed up, they had no idea how to stop it. And after a specialist finally solved the problem, the stench of moist mold was too much for my allergy-filled head to take. Lucky for me, one of the doctor’s offices was open upstairs, so I got to sit at a nice, big desk with a big bowl of candy to do my work for the day. And when I finished early, I was able to leave early.Ended up working out well for me.

Post-Work Tinis

I had some extra time after work before Mr.U came to pick me up yesterday, so my boss and I hopped over to The Rock on Third for some $5 martinis. I’d never had a ‘real’ Cosmopolitan – shocking considering my love for Sex & the City. We each got on and the scent of alcohol slapped me in the face as our waitress sat them down.
They were good, though.
Agreeing that we didn’t need to drinks, we split a Toasted Coconut martini after our Cosmos went down. We chitchatted about work, irritations, boyfriends, etc as we enjoyed the sunshine on the outdoor patio before parting ways.

Manager Beads

All the ladies in the upstairs office of my building kept complimenting my necklaces and bracelets, so I let them know that if they gave me a color-scheme, I’d make them something since I’m trying to get rid of the unorganized pile of beads taking over my coffee table. The first to volunteer her desires was our Canadian-American, incredibly fashionable manager who requested long&black.
So, I spend a weekend putting one together and brought it in a couple Mondays ago. I let it hang by my desk, though – worried it wasn’t cute enough or looked too homemade – until she walked into my office yesterday and pointed out how badly she needed a long, black necklace for the outfit she had on.
I showed her my creation and she loved it.

Relief.
Today she brought me in a lotion from the new Burt’s Bees line.
It’s fun to have someone else to bead for besides myself.

Attitude Adjustment

I’ve had a poor attitude about my job for a while. I let little things like interruptions and immature outbursts get under my skin and irritate me till I can’t dig out the good anymore. But, I told myself to get a year of experience and – when I actually think about it – this place is not that bad.
I have flexible hours
casual dress-code
laid-back coworkers.
I’m good at my job – it’s pretty simple not too swamped.
I’ve already been given more responsibility and praise…
so I really need to adjust my attitude and stop dwelling on the things that bother me.
They aren’t worth getting worked up every day.
My job is good – my location is great – my mindset will be wonderful.