Saturday before last I was laying in bed watching Valentine's Day (terrible) at about 10pm-ish when I hear a noise on the front deck and then that "power down" noise you hear when your power goes out. All the lights in half of the house shut down while others stayed on (but are very dim). Talk about freaky. Neal was gone, my landlords were out of town, and my Dad and step-mom were in South Carolina. I couldn't see ANYTHING outside because it was so dark and I was terrified b/c the power was not out everywhere, it was just half-out at my house. I flipped all the breakers, nothing happened, so I panicked and called my brother. He told me to get in the car and come stay at his place, but I didn't want to walk outside by myself. He told me to call the cops and ask them to come and check stuff out. I didn't know what else to do, so I called 'em.
About 10 minutes later a cop car pulls up and out gets a female cop who is both younger and shorter than me. She wasn't scared to walk around outside in the dark though, so she did and said she didn't see anything or anyone. She said it looked like a power company issue, so after she left I called Cleco. They showed up about 20 minutes later and spent about an hour fixing it. It had stormed earlier that day and according to one of the Cleco guys, "Them lines were all messed up in them woods up thar." After they left I finished up watching the crap-fest that was Valentine's Day and eventually went to sleep. (Honestly, that move is an awful, wanna' be Love Actually.)
And no, I'm not pregnant yet. For a few days I thought I could be though because I was about 6 days late. And I'm never late. I even made a doctor's appointment so that I could get checked out, but I decided to keep the appointment even though I wasn't preggo and get my yearly check-up etc. I'm glad I went because I totally love my new doctor. She is young and cool and sat down and talked to me, and I am so happy that I don't have to doctor shop for someone now.
I am taking the day off of work next Thursday to go to Thibodaux with Neal to meet with his adviser at Nicholls. We both generally prefer that I handle the administrative logistics of our lives (bills, paperwork, schedules, etc) so I don't mind going. This means I get to plan, make schedules, and possibly label binders and folders. It all makes me a little giddy.
I want to now take this time to give a shout-out to Sarah who was on her best behavior as bride-to-be/center of gift opening attention at her shower. And she did it all while looking fabulous and wearing pants. Also, she and John make quite an expert registering team...they have registered for some fantastic home goods. Coolest knife block ever.
I'm supposed to be going to Seattle for a work conference week after next, but I so don't want to go. I feel like I should be excited about going somewhere new, but the trip is with my boss and I just don't want to spend 5 days there with the boss while having to schmooze, etc. I think I would be more into it if he weren't going. I mean, I really do like working for him, but I don't want to spend 5 days out of town with him. Plus he's kind of clingy and likes to talk a lot...I'm trying to maneuver my way out of this one...we'll see. And I wouldn't get back until late Saturday night, which would make me very late for Kristenpalooza. And we can't have that now, can we?
A couple of weeks ago I decided I needed to get my haircut and I didn't know where to go so I just made an appointment at this salon that is right next to my gym. I walked into a room full of very loud women talking and laughing with the "yattiest" accents I'd ever heard. I think I was the only woman in that room who was not from Chalmette. Oh lawd, it was love/hate on my part. I find it annoying and yet so entertaining at the same time. I don't think I can go back there again though..it was just. too. much.
And I have one observation from today: when there is a mini-cooper with two kayaks on top of it in a parking lot outside of a coffee shop, it is not difficult to walk into the shop and pick out exactly who they belong to.
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Monday, May 17, 2010
Back to School
So today is our 2 year anniversary! He's at work until Wednesday, but he did send me a dozen roses. Very sweet.
We found out Friday that he got accepted to Nicholls for their Petroleum Services program! We hadn't even sent them his high school transcripts yet when we got the acceptance letter. They had received his college transcripts though, so I guess that was enough. So Neal is a "Colonel" now (I had to Google their mascot....I sincerely thought it was going to be a crawfish named Thibodaux or something) and starts in the fall. The program he is in is offered for guys who work 7 and 7 in the oil field, so hopefully work + school won't be toooooo strenuous. They are supposed to offer a good number of online classes too. I'm super excited and am so very proud of him for doing this. So...Geaux Colonels!
We found out Friday that he got accepted to Nicholls for their Petroleum Services program! We hadn't even sent them his high school transcripts yet when we got the acceptance letter. They had received his college transcripts though, so I guess that was enough. So Neal is a "Colonel" now (I had to Google their mascot....I sincerely thought it was going to be a crawfish named Thibodaux or something) and starts in the fall. The program he is in is offered for guys who work 7 and 7 in the oil field, so hopefully work + school won't be toooooo strenuous. They are supposed to offer a good number of online classes too. I'm super excited and am so very proud of him for doing this. So...Geaux Colonels!
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Two Weeks Worth
Hey Dudes.
Let's start with weekend before last....the A/C went out in the house. I woke up to 78 degrees inside Saturday morning. I called the landlord, but of course you cannot get anyone out to your house to fix the A/C during the weekend. I just turned all the fans on high and powered through it. I pretended like I was in a movie, b/c you know when a movie is supposed to take place in south Louisiana they always show houses with windows open and ceiling fans on and nooooo air conditioning. They came out Monday morning and fixed it, so crisis over.
Work was non-stop last week. The worst it's ever been. I enjoy being busy and all, but it was a little out of hand. I literally got fussed at for working too hard and was told that I need to chill before I burn out. That was a first. I was also told to delegate more than I have been...I totally knew that was going to be a problem.
I enjoyed a great week/weekend with Neal and family. 'Cause that's what it's all about people....spending time with those you love. We went with Maddie and Harmon to see Ryan Bingham play in Baton Rouge at Chelsea's Friday night. While RB put on a great show, I will never ever ever go back to Chelsea's for a concert. It was so small, so crowded, and so hot. And when you're only 5 feet tall, all you see is this.....
The stage was practically level with the floor. As the crowd thinned out a bit, people seemed to feel sorry for me and kept being like, "Oooh, here's a spot! Here's a spot! Move up so you can see!" So I did move up. I was almost to the stage so that I could finally get a glimpse of RB (who is also short), but the 3 assholes in that picture above were first row and would not move. They were all well over 6 feet tall. I did get a pic or two of Ryan Bingham though...
Honestly, if you don't listen to this boy's music, you should check it out. Go on iTunes and listen to "Southside of Heaven." It's good stuff.
We ate hungover lunch at Brewbacher's in BR Saturday and it was delish. Before last weekend, I swear it had been 7 years since I had been there. Chicken club still tastes the same.
We did Mother's Day/Mom's 50th celebration Saturday night at my Mom's. It's not often that the 4 of us kids are together, so it's always fun when we get to spend a little time together. TJ was so funny. He walked up to Neal with his arms raised (it's his cue to "pick me up"). It was pretty damn cute.
And about the kiddies and such...no, not preggo yet. It seems that my "lady schedule" completely conflicts with Neal's work schedule. Not quite sure what we're going to do about that, but I'm sure we'll figure something out. I see a drive to Shreveport for a Saturday night during his work week in my near future. Can I take off of work for an out-of-town booty call with my rig-workin' husband? I'm not sure, that may be frowned upon.
Speaking of rig-workin' men....if I see a picture of another oil-soaked bird on the news while I have yet to see a picture on the news of a single one of the 11 rig workers who freaking died in the explosion, I will scream. Hating the media right now.
I found out last week that my old boss died. Kirt Bennett, the guy who gave me my first job out of college on his campaign, had a stroke week before last and passed away about a week later. He was 42 years old, married, with 3 young children. As far as I knew, he was a healthy guy. He was one of those people who was just truly exceptional and made a difference in so many peoples lives. I went to the visitation Saturday morning, and got there just in time to see some women take his wife out of the church for a little while. You guys, it was not good. This woman was not okay. I know that she will be fine b/c she is so strong and smart and has great family and friends who will be there for her and her kids, but it was terrible. His death was so unexpected...a stroke at 42....it's just not fair. Kirt was involved in politics for a little while, but his biggest contribution to Baton Rouge was the Young Leaders Academy. It was a school that he founded for young African American men who did not have father figures in their lives. Apparently, some graduates of the YLA stopped by the hospital to say goodbye to Kirt when it was understood that he was not going to regain any brain function. One of his sons was asking who was going to correct him when he was wrong/did something wrong now that his dad was not going to be around, and one of the graduates of the academy said something along the lines of, "Your father was there for me when I didn't have one. Me and the 45 other YLA graduates who were taken care of by your father will be there to take care of you."
Let's start with weekend before last....the A/C went out in the house. I woke up to 78 degrees inside Saturday morning. I called the landlord, but of course you cannot get anyone out to your house to fix the A/C during the weekend. I just turned all the fans on high and powered through it. I pretended like I was in a movie, b/c you know when a movie is supposed to take place in south Louisiana they always show houses with windows open and ceiling fans on and nooooo air conditioning. They came out Monday morning and fixed it, so crisis over.
Work was non-stop last week. The worst it's ever been. I enjoy being busy and all, but it was a little out of hand. I literally got fussed at for working too hard and was told that I need to chill before I burn out. That was a first. I was also told to delegate more than I have been...I totally knew that was going to be a problem.
I enjoyed a great week/weekend with Neal and family. 'Cause that's what it's all about people....spending time with those you love. We went with Maddie and Harmon to see Ryan Bingham play in Baton Rouge at Chelsea's Friday night. While RB put on a great show, I will never ever ever go back to Chelsea's for a concert. It was so small, so crowded, and so hot. And when you're only 5 feet tall, all you see is this.....
The stage was practically level with the floor. As the crowd thinned out a bit, people seemed to feel sorry for me and kept being like, "Oooh, here's a spot! Here's a spot! Move up so you can see!" So I did move up. I was almost to the stage so that I could finally get a glimpse of RB (who is also short), but the 3 assholes in that picture above were first row and would not move. They were all well over 6 feet tall. I did get a pic or two of Ryan Bingham though...
Honestly, if you don't listen to this boy's music, you should check it out. Go on iTunes and listen to "Southside of Heaven." It's good stuff.
We ate hungover lunch at Brewbacher's in BR Saturday and it was delish. Before last weekend, I swear it had been 7 years since I had been there. Chicken club still tastes the same.
We did Mother's Day/Mom's 50th celebration Saturday night at my Mom's. It's not often that the 4 of us kids are together, so it's always fun when we get to spend a little time together. TJ was so funny. He walked up to Neal with his arms raised (it's his cue to "pick me up"). It was pretty damn cute.
And about the kiddies and such...no, not preggo yet. It seems that my "lady schedule" completely conflicts with Neal's work schedule. Not quite sure what we're going to do about that, but I'm sure we'll figure something out. I see a drive to Shreveport for a Saturday night during his work week in my near future. Can I take off of work for an out-of-town booty call with my rig-workin' husband? I'm not sure, that may be frowned upon.
Speaking of rig-workin' men....if I see a picture of another oil-soaked bird on the news while I have yet to see a picture on the news of a single one of the 11 rig workers who freaking died in the explosion, I will scream. Hating the media right now.
I found out last week that my old boss died. Kirt Bennett, the guy who gave me my first job out of college on his campaign, had a stroke week before last and passed away about a week later. He was 42 years old, married, with 3 young children. As far as I knew, he was a healthy guy. He was one of those people who was just truly exceptional and made a difference in so many peoples lives. I went to the visitation Saturday morning, and got there just in time to see some women take his wife out of the church for a little while. You guys, it was not good. This woman was not okay. I know that she will be fine b/c she is so strong and smart and has great family and friends who will be there for her and her kids, but it was terrible. His death was so unexpected...a stroke at 42....it's just not fair. Kirt was involved in politics for a little while, but his biggest contribution to Baton Rouge was the Young Leaders Academy. It was a school that he founded for young African American men who did not have father figures in their lives. Apparently, some graduates of the YLA stopped by the hospital to say goodbye to Kirt when it was understood that he was not going to regain any brain function. One of his sons was asking who was going to correct him when he was wrong/did something wrong now that his dad was not going to be around, and one of the graduates of the academy said something along the lines of, "Your father was there for me when I didn't have one. Me and the 45 other YLA graduates who were taken care of by your father will be there to take care of you."
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Sick, Sick, Sick
Neal got home last Wednesday and came down with a horrible cold Thursday. He was sick the whole week he was home. He finally went to the doctor a few days ago and was diagnosed with an upper respiratory infection, bronchitis, sinusitis and an eye infection. For reals. So then I started feeling bad Tuesday afternoon. I went to the doc yesterday and was told that, so far, it's just allergies. I got a steroid shot, Allegra, and antibiotics to take in case it didn't get any better. I still don't feel great, but it's not bad enough for me to miss work. Can we just be over this, please?! I hate not feeling well. It's messing with my work-outs.
Being the great and caring wife that I am, I left Neal home by himself Sunday and went to Jazz Fest with my mom. We had free tickets and VIP passes to the Acura Tent (compliments of one of her "friends"), so I got to watch the Allman Brothers from the stage. It was freakin' awesome. Did you know that JF tickets are $60 a pop now? Because I didn't! I thought they were still $32, and I thought THAT was high.
Besides my Jazz Fest trip Sunday, I really was a good wife and took care of Neal the rest of his week off. I made homemade chicken pot pie for him, went to Walgreens 40 different times to pick up every over-the-counter cold and sinus medicine in existence, kept the frig stocked with gatorade and frequently tried to de-germ the house. He's back at work now and is hopefully feeling much better.
FYI - I decided against the vegetable garden. The area where the box is located does not get enough sun during the day...and it's waaaay too much work. I'm going to stick with pre-potted plants that I can just transfer to another, larger pot with some soil. I'm not into doing things that I have to "till."
Being the great and caring wife that I am, I left Neal home by himself Sunday and went to Jazz Fest with my mom. We had free tickets and VIP passes to the Acura Tent (compliments of one of her "friends"), so I got to watch the Allman Brothers from the stage. It was freakin' awesome. Did you know that JF tickets are $60 a pop now? Because I didn't! I thought they were still $32, and I thought THAT was high.
Besides my Jazz Fest trip Sunday, I really was a good wife and took care of Neal the rest of his week off. I made homemade chicken pot pie for him, went to Walgreens 40 different times to pick up every over-the-counter cold and sinus medicine in existence, kept the frig stocked with gatorade and frequently tried to de-germ the house. He's back at work now and is hopefully feeling much better.
FYI - I decided against the vegetable garden. The area where the box is located does not get enough sun during the day...and it's waaaay too much work. I'm going to stick with pre-potted plants that I can just transfer to another, larger pot with some soil. I'm not into doing things that I have to "till."
Friday, April 16, 2010
Wooooooooooooooooooork
I have gotten so busy at work that it is unbelievable. Still loving it, but WOW. I usually don't drink very much during the weekdays, but this week I've been craving a class of wine as soon as I get home. That's how I know it was a long day. I'm realizing that it is virtually impossible to do all the work that is on my plate, so I'm starting to delegate a little bit. I have one assistant now with another one starting later this month. It's exciting and scary all at the same time.
Jeanne's wedding was so much fun! I'm so happy for her and Patrick and it was so great to hang out with my favorite girls all weekend.
I have a little raised box in my back yard now that is full of dirt and weeds. I think I am going to attempt to start a vegetable garden. Granted, I have no idea how to do this, but that's what book stores, the internet, and libraries are for. It's time to get domestic, bitches.
Neal gets home Wednesday and his sister and her boyfriend are coming in town next weekend. As long as it's not raining, we plan on going to Jazz Fest Sunday. Neal has never been to JF before, so I'm going to break him in with the Allman Brothers.
I can't think of a single other thing to write about right now, so I'm going to get in bed and catch up on my shows.
Jeanne's wedding was so much fun! I'm so happy for her and Patrick and it was so great to hang out with my favorite girls all weekend.
I have a little raised box in my back yard now that is full of dirt and weeds. I think I am going to attempt to start a vegetable garden. Granted, I have no idea how to do this, but that's what book stores, the internet, and libraries are for. It's time to get domestic, bitches.
Neal gets home Wednesday and his sister and her boyfriend are coming in town next weekend. As long as it's not raining, we plan on going to Jazz Fest Sunday. Neal has never been to JF before, so I'm going to break him in with the Allman Brothers.
I can't think of a single other thing to write about right now, so I'm going to get in bed and catch up on my shows.
Friday, April 2, 2010
No Work Today
I am soooo happy to have today off. I cleaned last night so I don't have to worry about it this weekend. I have a family crawfish boil at my grandmother's tonight in Mandeville that I am also excited about. And my brother and his family and Maddie will be staying with me tonight, so yay!
My inlaws went overboard and bought me a new backyard for my birthday. They gave me a porch swing, two swivel/rocking chairs with a table, a picnic table (which Neal and I stained last weekend), and Marilyn bought a bunch of potted hanging plants and planted some flowers around the house. The backyard looks a million times better than it did; I must take pics. The blue hydrangea bushes around the house are starting to recover from the cold weather, the azaleas are in full bloom, and there are some very pretty purple freesia-looking flowers that are blooming now too. Oh I so wish they would just sell us the damn house. I'm expecting to have some issues finding a place to buy that I like as much as this place.
Now can we talk about allergies? I could not sleep at all last night. The first half of the night I was congested and the second half of the night my nose was running. Ew, I know. My ears are even stopped up. I took a claritin this morning and am hoping my PJs iced coffee will do the rest.
So I'm getting an assistant at work. And my boss showed me the new organizational chart for our department, and it looks like I will be getting an additional second assistant at some point in the future. And the word "manager" will be in my job title. Hmmmm. I'm kinda' pumped.
So Jeanne's wedding next weekend?! I can't wait!! I may need to get some waterproof mascara.
My inlaws went overboard and bought me a new backyard for my birthday. They gave me a porch swing, two swivel/rocking chairs with a table, a picnic table (which Neal and I stained last weekend), and Marilyn bought a bunch of potted hanging plants and planted some flowers around the house. The backyard looks a million times better than it did; I must take pics. The blue hydrangea bushes around the house are starting to recover from the cold weather, the azaleas are in full bloom, and there are some very pretty purple freesia-looking flowers that are blooming now too. Oh I so wish they would just sell us the damn house. I'm expecting to have some issues finding a place to buy that I like as much as this place.
Now can we talk about allergies? I could not sleep at all last night. The first half of the night I was congested and the second half of the night my nose was running. Ew, I know. My ears are even stopped up. I took a claritin this morning and am hoping my PJs iced coffee will do the rest.
So I'm getting an assistant at work. And my boss showed me the new organizational chart for our department, and it looks like I will be getting an additional second assistant at some point in the future. And the word "manager" will be in my job title. Hmmmm. I'm kinda' pumped.
So Jeanne's wedding next weekend?! I can't wait!! I may need to get some waterproof mascara.
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Busy Bee
I've been non-stop today! I actually slept until 815 this morning (which is late for me) because I stayed up until after midnight last night watching the Real Housewives OC reunion shows. Quality television. Then today I picked up my bridesmaids dress for Jeanne's wedding, bought some gold strappy shoes to go with the dress and some silver gladiator sandals (by one get one half off), went to Target, Old Navy, LSU store, and then to Roly Poly for lunch. I came home, cleaned the whole house and finally showered. I'm wiped. Now it's rainy and I'm watching Everybody Loves Raymond. Not a super exciting day, but it was productive.
The inlaws are coming in Thursday for the night. They're buying me patio furniture for my birthday, which our house totally needs. Then mine and Cara's b-day crawfish boil is Sunday. Holla!
Work was insane this past week. I've been put in charge of all these Parish projects and it is terrifying. I've never been put in charge of this type of stuff before, so I'm learning as I go. I'm not used to having this much authority at work and it is really freaking me out. I do appreciate that my superiors seem to have confidence in me and my abilities...I just wish I had that much confidence in myself! Sometimes I miss the old days of micro-managing bosses. (Yeah, I said it.) It was annoying, but a lot less stressful. The grass is always greener....
Neal and I picked out some pearl earrings for my birthday. I love them. The ones I've been wearing the past few years were tiny and fake, so I love my new ones.
I guess the only sort-of big news that I have is that I've gotten off of birth control. We'll see what happens!
Our lease is up in May and our landlords want us to stay here as long as we want, so we are going month-to-month from now on with a 60-day move-out notice. I've started looking at houses online, but we haven't started seriously looking yet. I really like that we don't have to sign another year-long lease and that we can also take our time looking for a place to buy. I was worried that we would be rushed trying to buy a house; I didn't want to settle for a place just because we were time limited in our search. Hopefully we can find something in Covington or Abita Springs, within our price range, that we both like.
I think that's all I've got for now. 30 in T-3 days, ya'll.
The inlaws are coming in Thursday for the night. They're buying me patio furniture for my birthday, which our house totally needs. Then mine and Cara's b-day crawfish boil is Sunday. Holla!
Work was insane this past week. I've been put in charge of all these Parish projects and it is terrifying. I've never been put in charge of this type of stuff before, so I'm learning as I go. I'm not used to having this much authority at work and it is really freaking me out. I do appreciate that my superiors seem to have confidence in me and my abilities...I just wish I had that much confidence in myself! Sometimes I miss the old days of micro-managing bosses. (Yeah, I said it.) It was annoying, but a lot less stressful. The grass is always greener....
Neal and I picked out some pearl earrings for my birthday. I love them. The ones I've been wearing the past few years were tiny and fake, so I love my new ones.
I guess the only sort-of big news that I have is that I've gotten off of birth control. We'll see what happens!
Our lease is up in May and our landlords want us to stay here as long as we want, so we are going month-to-month from now on with a 60-day move-out notice. I've started looking at houses online, but we haven't started seriously looking yet. I really like that we don't have to sign another year-long lease and that we can also take our time looking for a place to buy. I was worried that we would be rushed trying to buy a house; I didn't want to settle for a place just because we were time limited in our search. Hopefully we can find something in Covington or Abita Springs, within our price range, that we both like.
I think that's all I've got for now. 30 in T-3 days, ya'll.
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