Weekend Recap!!!

Yo! Hope you had a great weekend! :)

Friday, Eric and I headed to River Spirit Casino to hear a friend's band play. It was pretty fun actually-from watching people shakin their groove thing...to gambling with our free five dollar card they give you, it was a kinda quirky good time. (and side note.. I got FIFTEEN dollars b/c it was near my bday! woohoo!! However, we won nothing. haha!)

Can you see me in the below photo? Huh? Canya? haha.. Hope not considering I took it from the web. My camera was nice and secure in a locker the whole time, but I was indeed at Big Splash Saturday! Eric got some peeps together to embark on a Saturday waterpark adventure! There was sliding. Eating. Tanning. Wave pooling. And an injury. It wasn't me!! In attempting to find the best way to propel himself down the slide as fast as humanly possible, Eric hurt his foot. Like enough to have a fist-sized bruise forming today. Sheez...poor guy. :(

Fun things from Big Splash: joining the crowd in shrieking with excitement and waving our hands in the air when the waves started; seeing a nice gentleman...with a house arrest ankle bracelet. For real. We started calling him "prison break"; Eric's friend's money flying out of his pocket when he went down the slide..only to have the little kid after him land in a pool of money and think he won the jackpot! LOL! (til E's friend grabbed the cash..haha)...

Sat night=a friend's bday dinner at ITR south.. and here are the girlies!! (Top-Beth, Kristy, Linda; Bottom-Jenny, Marla, Sara, me). :)

And while I'm on this, I can't tell you how excited I am for an upcoming bday shindig! Kristy (above) has a bday coming up and we've planned to have a "Tool Academy" themed party! BAHAHA! Don't know what I'm talking about? Here's the show...The guys are already talking about the affliction shirts they'll be rockin...

...and as for the girls... picture the Rock of Love and you're on the same page... If you'd like to give advice on my outfit, I'm taking any and all! I'm sad b/c Eric will be outta town...so I'll have to be a tool all by myself. ;)

Anyway, back to the party... The sunset was SO.PRETTY. And my fab new camera was able to capture it way better than my old one could have! Happy! :)

Okay, so.. from there, I headed over to Eric's where we both were lulled to sleep on the sofa while watching the Soup. Woke up to some weird show about an underwater space station or something. I think. No idea. Nice. Anyway, this morning I got a pic of Crazy Cat. What is that, you ask? Oh..just the spawn of satan a mean, wild cat who apparently decided to have her babies under his neighbor's house and now won't go away. (The babies are no longer babies). The thing is.. she wont run off if you walk toward her, she just assumes the attack position and you become her prey as she hisses wildly. Um...terrifying much???Yeah. The bush is blocking her fangs teeth as she hisses to show her adoration for us...

From crazy feline to loving puppy, this is what I get when I walk through the door! (I hadnt even removed my glasses-obviously). Gracie's so awesome. :)

Okay, annnnd.. I have a confession. *nervous* I have one closet. Well.. one aside from my tiny bedroom closet. As in...a singular closet for ALL things storag-ey. But, if anyone has ever tried to open my closet door, I would make some weird stifled gaspy/screamy noise and divert them elsewhere... b/c this was my closet... Embarassing. I know. And I'm a clean person, people. *sigh* I'm like a TLC home improvement show's dream with this...And and and.. some of this was good intentions. Think bags of clothes to goodwill minus the actual trip to goodwill to deliver said clothes. (Excuses I know.. whatever.) Eric said it looked like a cartoon...like everything strategically, chaotically placed so it didnt fall out...(He was semi right). :)
I needed an intervention. So...with TLC on in the background most of the day (motivation, people!), I attacked the disaster formerly known as a closet. Tah-dah!!!
Hooray!! I found a rollie cooler, a bracelet I thought I'd lost, a cute pair of shoes (no idea), some old pics, warranties for every electronic device I own, graduation mementos, scrapbooking stuff...Lordy. Anyway, I plan to paint the bathroom next weekend! I cant do anything crazy b/c I dont own the place, but just make it look nicer without spending a ton. I DO want to move. I DO want to purchase a home. But in the meantime, an organized closet and a coat of paint never hurts. :)

Organizing feels so gooooooood when it's done. :)

Hope you had a fab weekend! :)

Good News!!

Soooo my boss asked me awhile ago if I'd be interested in a "loaned exec" program for an area volunteer organization. Well, it's a national organization (Unit*d W*y-don't want it to show up in search results). :) Basically, tonsa companies want to participate in the yearly campaign but don't have the staffing ability, etc, to run one on their own. Additionally, other companies need presentations about the campaign. And the campaign is HUGE-they need people to manage contributions and numbers, etc. So, local companies "donate" an "executive" to help during that time.

Sooo.. for 15 weeks or so, that's what I'll be doing this fall!!! I got selected from my company!! I'll be working there full time and basically won't see my desk for nearly 3 mos. That's crazy! I'll be super busy and likely have longer hours...but what an awesome cause and what an awesome experience! My boss actually did it a couple of years ago and I think she handled about 20 campaigns-personally! From public speaking to organizing campaigns to lotsa other stuff, it will be so cool!!

Always up for a new challenge and completely flattered I was selected out of some very qualified candidates!!

As for the reunion, thanks for your feedback, peeps! I think I've decided on Wicked...so I'll be hitting up the picnic at the school for sure. Still up in the air on giving up my concert tix for Eric to take someone else during Friday's reunion cocktail hour... We shall see...

Crazy travel for two weeks + good news on a Friday= Jackie ready to go home for the weekend.. haha! :)

I gave in....

...and saw Harry Potter tonight! I officially speak wizard. Have I read ANY of the books? No. Have I seen any of the movies? Huh uh. But, when Eric's friends invited us to go tonight, I thought "sure, why not!" haha! After calling Muggles "Puffins" or something getting briefed in the car, I was armed with wizard-potter-loving-information in my arsenal. I have to admit...pretty good! I even got teary! I kinda wanna read the last book (b/c hello.. I cant start from the beginning now...or can I??? Hmm...)

Thanks for all the fun comments on my Way Back Wednesday! I think I wanna start doing Not Me Monday, too... Depends how creative I'm feelin... ;)

Sooooo while in line for the movie tonight, Eric said "Dont forget August 1st is..." and I finished with "....my reunion." He was like "Are you kidding?" I said "Um.. no.. " He said "Well, that's the night we have tickets for Wicked." (as in...with his family). Crap. He felt really badly that he hadn't mentioned the specific date for Wicked before now or remembered about my reunion. It's not that bigofadeal, BUT now I'm left with decisions here, folks.. (1) go to my reunion alone..which sounds awfully fun *eye roll* (2) Go to the afternoon portion of the reunion at the high school instead of the night portion (I hadn't originally intended to go to the afternoon portion, so this is a tradeoff) (3) Skip the concert I got tix for on Friday night and attend both the cocktail hour AND the Saturday afternoon event.

This is a toughie here, peeps. I mean.. the Wicked tix were expensive...and Eric's fam got them...so we both can't bail on Wicked, that's for sure. And I really DO want to go to Wicked. I own half the songs already! I love musicals! And well... the people I want to be in contact with from high school, I kinda already am... (Love you gals!) and some of the people I'd love to see aren't even going. Blah. HOWEVER, it's a right of passage in my opinion. I mean.. right? Plan: text/email a couple people to see if they're going to either Friday's cocktail hour or Saturday's family day. If I can see a large portion of the people I want to see, I think I'd be a-ok with missing the evening deal on Saturday...

In other news, my boss text me tonight saying she has good news and I should call her. Kinda excited... wonder what it is!! (No, it's not a raise.. don't get your hopes up-I'm not. hahaha!) I was in the movie, so it has to wait... *nervous!!!*

Oh and to stick with the randomness, have you seen this? It's hilarious... Watch the comments he made after this video, too. I guess United tried to right their wrong. Commendable that he let people know that. And uh... I now definitely think Ohare's baggage people must all need anger management or something. (that's where my bag got mangled, too).

Weekend plans? Eric and I tossed around having a Big Splash day.... haha.. no really. Renting rafts and everything. He's got a small group interested, too! Are you? Lemme know!!

Oh and I mailed off my contest to my Chicago parking ticket! It included pics, a rather lawyeriffic letter..and I mailed it two days-certified! Yeah-yuh! After 7 days, there's an admission of liability. Well, we're just gonna ensure they dont act like it doesn't exist they receive it within 7 days. Cross your fingers, peeps!

WBW as promised!!

Okay, first, Eric and I ate at Gina and Guiseppe's tonight at the Riverwalk! Yum! I recommend-especially the strawberry mojito. Just sayin.

Okay, wow.. here we go. I went to mom's to get some photos so I can get them scanned in and sent to our reunion committee! :) These are all senior year of high school....Prepare yourself.

High school graduation! Blaze, Shawna, me, Tammy!
Josh and I were the November seniors of the month. I'm posting this b/c I've told some of you I really did think sweater vests from Abercrombie were awesome. As evidenced by my choice to wear it in said yearbook photo. Wow.

And those of you who knew me then already knew about this...Oh, and this was in my first car...it was bright green. I loved it! Before it got a little on the totaled side of things.

From my senior memories book, some senior photos... Note the hot lifeguard tan lines! haha!

...and I actually filled in every.single.page. of the book. I'm such a nerd. And I forgot I was StuCo TREASURER.. as in me...who hates dealing with money. I read that and thought...What? Bizarre! LOL!

A hemp necklace? Really, Jackie? Yeah. Nice.
I cannot believe my reunion is coming up.. but I'm so happy I've always had a photo habit b/c these are hilarious to look back on!!

Way Back...Last Weekend...:)

I'm gonna try to upload a real WBW post later tonight but have been waiting to upload the weekend pics, etc! Since I'm working from home today, I'm able to! Here they are!

The bride and groom were married on Friday at a local catholic church. It was a beautiful ceremony! I thought it was kinda cool they had baskets of loose lavender which people grabbed to throw. :) They did the same thing Blaze and Dave did-had an "exit" at the church so everyone could participate-instead of just at the reception (cause receptions can go kinda late, etc). I like that!!

Just arrived at Five Oaks... Eric's proving the place used to be an amusement park. Check out the old kiddie boat area behind them! I'd NEVER noticed and been there at least a handful of times! Crazy!
Tables were set up both inside and out-we picked an outdoor table. Beautiful setting!
The breeze kept blowing my dress and made me look prego in a couple pics. *nervous* haha! Here we are on take three...with Eric holding my dress behind us so it didn't blow again...(you can't see that part). Comical. :) (and I'm carrying my fun new handbag!!)
Carrie and me sitting in the little rockers! They'd rock all alone with the breeze and after dark, it looked a little creepy... haha! Oh and I was so proud of myself for my semi-summer-updo! Messy buns are in, right? Right. Well, my hair's too short to do an elaborate one, but it still looked pretty good if I do say so myself. Here's what I did (first video). I should have taken a pic!
Thomas and Meghan! aka Bride and Groom! :)
All the guys and the bride! :)
Thomas (groom), Ryan, Eric, Brian.. Note Ryan and Brian's matching outfits (unintentional and not in the wedding party). Wow. lol!
It was a little humid outside.. hence the "glow" we've got... but funny pic nontheless! :)
Sparklers sent the couple on their way. It was a little smokey... *nervous*
Saturday, hair appt followed by Scott and Craig's annual pool shindig! Here's Sara and I. For some reason, I think cowboy hats and swimsuits go together. And my scalp didn't get burned. (learned my lesson a week or two ago).
Me, Scott and Sara! Note the pink kiddie chair behind us.. It was known as the "time out chair" for when people (1) left the bathroom door open since it was an a/c room, (2) spilled anything, (3) otherwise did something stupid. Love it! haha!

Sunday, after I made it to Chicago, met Lauren for dessert and tea! So good to see her! Sad it wasn't for as long as we'd planned, but makes scheduling another visit all the more appealing!! This little place was near Wrigley.
A little theater called Music Box. Cute!

Dinner and drinks with co workers! Me, Justin, Shawna and Bobbie. :) Woohoo public affairs! Spent the day in media training.. aka being interviewed on camera and then having it played in front of the class! Nervous! We went over interview tactics, etc, so as to not sound like a complete moron...not sure if I passed that test. Hey, it was my first interview on camera. Gimme a break. :)
Finally! Almost home!! My flight didn't leave til 8something and I got to Chicago at 2. There was another flight at 4, but after returning the car, etc, I didn't think I'd make it. So.. I opted to explore Wicker Park since I'd never been! Ate lunch at Potbelly's (yum) and took a pic b/c I'd never been in a Nanette Lepore before (see it beside Potbelly's). :)
I may have changed out of my work clothes in the car and realized my jeans were too long for sandals. Option one: walk around in heels. Option two: roll up jeans. Hey, if Katie Holmes and other celebs can do it and look cool, I think I can! PS...I was kinda awkward at first, but now I might be in love b/c it lets me wear some of my fav jeans without heels!!
This is for one of my fav mama's, Sarah!! Her little baby, Lucia's, name was featured in Wicker Park at a super cute little bistro! :)
More Wicker Park/Bucktown! It was such an eclectic area-from Bebe and Nanette Lepore..to tiny vintage boutiques...to a random bookstore I kinda wish I hadn't walked in. That's all I'm sayin. *nervous* There's also a store down there where Lauren's taken me before-super cute! Called Akira. Check it out online! :) Some high end stuff, but mostly really affordable! I tried on a long black maxi dress, but it didn't fit. Arg. I really want a long, black one!! (Recommendations?!)
And finally.. the ticket... There's my car.. See it? The blue camry? Right there. See the signs? Cool.. Well...lemme zoom in on the parking one for you..
b/c this is what it says. Um.. where does that say ANYTHING about 4pm? Note.. the signs across the street DID say no parking from 4-6 pm. I think Mr. Ticket Man got confused. But, I'm not paying 70 bucks for his confusion. NOT.
Working from home today hit a bump in the road when my work computer refuses to get a signal from my wireless internet..which is what I'm on right now on my personal computer. So uh.. yeah.. I seriously think I may have pissed off the universe somehow.. lol! Can't help but laugh. However, decided I needed my sanity (and was worried for my coworkers well being unless I got some rest), I opted to do what I could from my blackberry and compose some other documents which didn't need email assistance and sat on a conf call. :) Hopefully this will help me breathe a little deeper when I return to the office tomorrow since I've rested a little!! :)

And Picture Perfect is on. You can't go wrong working from home when a Jennifer Anniston movie is on. Just sayin. :) Happy Wed!! I've got to go to my mom's and grab some high school photos for the reunion when I get Gracie later, so I'll use one for WBW! It just might become WBT(Thurs) :)

Oh and.. I think Eric and I are going to try Gina and Guiseppe's tonight! Hooray! I still want to try Oliveto and LXi. :) I've heard (and read on your blogs!) good things about all those places!

Um....yeah.

Okay, here's the deal. Tomorrow, I'm going to post a cute post with pics and smileys and rainbows. Today, I just feel like letting you laugh at my "I should have a reality show" couple of weeks...

So you read the last post where I basically vented about last week. Yada yada I get a cookie for my coping skills. Cool. Soooo... I landed Thurs night and was headed out again Sunday.. Cool. Here's the replay of the weird things that happened (the fun details will be included tomorrow as said previously..this is just the weird stuff)

1. 10:25 am Sunday. At the airport. Ready to roll! What what!!! *insert me raising the roof like a moron* Maintenance issues prevented us from leaving. My personal fav was the announcement "We have a must-fix issue and some issues that can wait.." My thoughts .. "can wait?! CAN WAIT?! Awesome.. That doesnt make me nervous.." haha.. Sooo.. within a bit, we got the "We're getting a new plane from the hangar." Okay.. so we do all that. Leave late. To be expected these days.. whatev.

2. Go to get bag. Mind you.. I HATE checking bags...esp for short trips. But, frankly, I just didn't wanna deal with it so I paid my 15 bucks and there I stood, waiting for my little red bag. It appeared and looked like it got in a fight with a trash compactor...and lost. I took my mangled bag and left.

3. Rental car. "Ma'am (thats me), go to the second floor, get the camry, keys in it.." Okay.. I do that.. til I try to leave and security man says "They gave you the wrong car. You ned to take this back and get the right one." The mangled bag and I headed back and got ANOTHER camry and almost drive over those "do not drive over these" spikey things in the process. The GPS computer and I may have had a colorful interchange out loud. (what.ever).

4. Done with training today and have HOURS to kill. Head to Wicker Park to explore! :) Sign by the car says "No parking between 6pm and 12am." Cool. I paid and left. Upon returning at 4:30, I had a ticket...for failing to adhere to the posted sign. Um.. it was 4:30 aka not 6. The ticket my friends...is for 60 bucks! What?! I took pictures to prove I'm right in this one and will be contesting it tomorrow.

5. I get to the airport, head to Macaroni Grill and while in line at hostess stand.. see...my ex. WHAT?! No, it's no one recent. It's someone from law school that some of you have met. He moved away and let's just say our last communication wasn't ahem..something that would result in hugging it out. I pretended to not see him. He saw me. Good Gawd.

Okay. That's that. I feel like negative nancy or something, but I'm totally not... I'm just in awe of the absurdity as of late. I'm working from home tomorrow and plan to sleep a leeeetle in the morning, so I'm hoping nothing blows up before say...9:30. Cross your fingers!!

Tomorrow.. pictures. Rainbows. Smileys. *Affirmative nod* Happy Tuesday, peeps!

Weekend Recap!

Happy Monday! This isn't quite a weekend recap b/c I have some pics I wanna add, but didn't have time to download, sooo.. Let's see.. Friday was Eric's friend's wedding. :) The reception was at Five Oaks in Jenks. Eric had some Tulsa trivia (I have NO idea where he gets this stuff but I love it) that I didn't know.. Did you know Five Oaks used to be an amusement park called Skyline Park?! What?! It really did. I didn't believe him...til he showed me where the old coaster was...and the kiddie boat area.. (I took a pic). :) Anyway, the pics are coming! Gorgeous wedding and reception!

Saturday, woke up early for my hair appt and met my mom for brunch afterward! :) Then headed Scott's annual pool party with Sara! It was really fun to chill and sit poolside, but with as tired as I was already, I got home and crashed...til I woke up at 7 and realized I needed to pack for today. Things I love: afternoon naps. Kids don't realize how good they have it at naptime. Just sayin. Took care of the packing biz-nass and headed to Eric's to get some chill time in with each other before the week took over. :)

A movie on the sofa followed about 16 bowls of chips and enchiladas at Senor Tequilas. ;) PS.. Have you seen Eagle Eye? I went to sleep thinking the principle was "eh," but kept thinking a computer was going to take over my rental car today...

Anyway, a great Sat night before I ramped up for this week with my morning travel to Chicago. The plan: I have to be in Bloomington by 8am Monday.. so I had to fly in Sunday. And you can imagine how many flights go direct into Bloomington, sooo.. I got to fly into Chicago and see Lauren for what was to be about 5 hours! I was so pumped!! "Maintenance issues" quickly changed my plans so instead of 1pm, I got to Chicago at 3, then had to get my rental car and drive to meet Lauren. It is what it is. I got my bag...and the peeps not only searched it and dumped my allegra (allergy pills) ALL over the bag, but RIPPED it and took off the zipper pullies! Good thing I paid to check that bag.. *hmmm* See?! (that's zipped up..they ripped it at the seam...and no, it wasn't overstuffed by ANY means)

No one loves a bad attitude-especially me when I have one- so I rolled with it... so I'm not going to mention the rental car "situation" where I may have gotten a little stressed and may have been a little less than charming. I'm not proud of myself. *sheesh* Whatever. In the grand scheme of things, scheduling issues and ripped bags aren't huge issues. Sooo.. moving on...

I was still so pumped to see Lauren! :) After some navigating (thank you, gps system), we had dessert at Julius Meninl, a little coffee/sandwich place that's only in Vienna and Chicago! Super cute and yummy! :) We didn't get as much time as I'd originally planned, but a couple hours was still great! We ate, chatted, walked around (most stores closed by that time) and took a couple pics. Bloomington is about 2.5 hours so I hit the road at 6:45 and got here a bit ago. I realize I shouldnt take pics while driving... in a busy city...I'm not familiar with... but.. hey, here's the skyline!

Tomorrow, have training all day then get to hang with some coworkers I rarely see (from another office) who are also up here for training. :) True Blood then bedtime for me....

I hope you had a great weekend! I look forward to posting some pics from mine when I get back!

Happy Weekend!

So, hopping in Eric's truck and getting a hug started to take away the week's craziness...but the couple glasses of wine I had at the wedding last night helped.. haha! As did hanging out on such a pretty night with great people! :) I took pics (with my new camera!!) but will post later! Oh and the hair appt this morning was a major boost as well. Gawd, I love having my hair done. It's sad really..... haha..

Thanks for hangin' with the "Jackie might have lost it" post yesterday... :)

And.. I was getting bored with my layout b/c I wanted something brighter, but still not overwhelming. A blog I follow used a super cute site (upper left corner of my blog) for her layout and I opted to change mine, too! Next step, updating the banner with pics from vacay!! I still need to blog our last day, too... I want to do it when I actually have time to sit down and reminisce as I post, though.. :)

Hope you're having a great weekend, everyone!!! :)

T.G.I.F. Seriously.

So, it's Friday. That means this week is almost to an end. THANK.YOU.JESUS.

Ever want to get in a car on an open highway and go like...120mph... just b/c it's reckless? Oh and you'd also like to be screaming at the top of your lungs the whole time? Yeah. That's been my week.. haha...

Monday and Tuesday were filled with stress in anticipation of this week's live broadcast for some of our VPs. There are a ton of steps to make this thing happen and 1/4 of them couldn't take place b/c of limited time. (It's a long story). Sooo.. those are the cards we were dealt and that's what we went with. I sat down and warned the VPs this, telling them pushing it back might be a good idea. That was not an option. So.. okay. Here we go! Mind you, the invitation to watch said broadcast went out to the entirety of my two state market area plus the other states are free to watch if they want including our BIG execs) No pressure. Scripting is done. Slides are done. Video production guys are ready. Corporate video streaming is ready. Rehearsal is set. Links are live. Oh and yeah.. I'm the one handling all that... *nervous*

So, after a few bumps in the road (read: nervous breakdowns), we were ready to fly to STL! I usually have a committee for these things. This time, I was my committee. So, what I didn't add about my Wed morning (the day we left) was when I woke up, my cable was out. I assumed it was thanks to the storm. Whatever. This will be relevant later. So, after dropping of Gracie at Eric's, spilling her food everywhere, ripping my shirt, and getting in the security line at the airport (LATE) behind a very slow woman with a double stroller (Think shes on her cell phone 25 min before my flight in front of me saying "Honey, how does this thing collapse? No, I dont know how... There isn't a button.. No..") I may have been tapping my heel and sighing a lot. Ya know.. b/c that makes people hurry. Whatever. haha.. We got to STL. Phew.

Along with a navigator sitting shotgun, aka my VP (nervous), we headed to the hotel! WOOHOO! Got there, checked in, booted computer.. realized my a/c sounded like an attic fan eating a small child. Whatever. I didn't have time to deal with it. Ordered room service. Guy walks in "Ma'am.. your a/c sounds horrible." Me: "Yes, thank you. I'll take care of it later..."

Rehearsal goes well, headed to galleria allll alone in my rental mazda 5. Anyway, good times. Shopped. Yum. Back to hotel, call from my vp on some stuff at 9pm. Cool. Whatever. Take care of it. Nothing serious. :) Then, I listen to the melodic sounds of the clanging a/c as I'm lulled into dreamland.. til my cell phone goes off at 6am. My poor VP was sick! :( As in sick on the day of production. Got ready early (I had the rental car, remember) and headed to Walgreens where she already had an rx waiting. Phew.

Okay, go time. Things went well. We got GREAT feedback!! I was really pleased..and more importantly, so were the execs..as in not just mine, but also the execs in the CEO too. Hooray!! :)

Feeling great, but still operating in defcon 5 b/c it's hard to get out of that, returned the car, got on the flight and headed home. :) Went to pick up Gracie at E's where found out she was a really good dog and got to run and play at TU (thank you, Eric)! However, in my crazy-stressed mode, I was a little snippy about something and therefore put him in an "eh" mood. Oops. Awesome. Can't a sista get a break?! *sigh* Tired, stressy, and dog in tow, I headed home... where...

..my cable was still out. Internet too. Phone? Yup. My dreams of watching SYTYCD were dashed as I called Cox, prepared to let them have it. The guy was too nice for me to do that, so whatever. But it was definitely something a tech had to come out for. He put me on hold and I may have started crying. LOL!

I wasn't sobbing or anything, but hello people.. I'd been operating at level defcon 5 and was coming down and just wanted to watch freaking tv. Went to sleep.. felt better today...UNTIL...

My boss called and is now HACKED that the webcast didn't go as smoothly as some of the others she'd seen (remember that 1/4 of things we didnt have time for? yeah, this is what I was afraid would happen). You can't exactly tell a vp that he/she should have planned a little further out...soo.. ya just kinda listen, vent with them and ultimately come up with solutions. Which we did. (Cross your fingers that they're good solutions here peeps).

And when all of this boss-is-upset madness was going on, guess who called? Cox! "We're 10 min from your house." Of course they were. Headed there...and he thinks someone STOLE my cable..for the copper in it. B/c it was GONE. Not cut, but MIA. Are you joking?!

Eric and I have a wedding to go to tonight...where I hope there's wine. I will NOT let this week beat me. Oh hell no. I'm leaving again Sunday for some Monday-Tues meetings, but excited I get to see Lauren first in the chi! That makes me look WAY more forward to this trip.

Dear week, I'm ready for you to stop abusing me now. Thank you and bring on the weekend.

Home Sweet Hotel...

Sooo no WBW. I didnt have time to send myself pics before I left today (I'm on my work computer, not my personal one). *sigh*

Today started out with a case of murphy's law. My personal fav (aside from the dirty dog in the rain with luggage in tow on the way to Eric's) was climbing inside G's crate to get her water out annnnnd ripping the back of my shirt. This was all PRIOR to heading to the airport this morning! LOL! Anyway, she's hanging happily at Eric's tonight! He's getting his watching Gracie initiation on this trip since mom's outta town..haha... I lectured her about being good and we had a brief discussion (Gracie and me) about how Eric's leather sofas were off limits. She totally understood...er...yeah.

Anyway, got my rental car and drove myself and the VPs to the hotel. They were just gonna cab it and I offered to drive. Nothing like driving important people around in an unfamiliar city! haha! It was cool though-everything went a-ok. :) Then headed to the rehearsal. Mind you, I was INSANELY nervous. I know I kinda like stress (in case you havent noticed) but when I'm actually really concerned that something is out of my hands and won't go well, I hate stress. Sooo..yeah.

Here's the sitch.. we're doing a webcast to the states in our area...and I guess I'm kinda the "producer" of sorts. That's the easiest way to explain it at least.. We have three VPs speaking...and here's where the magic will happen tomorrow. :)

I was able to have a SUPER happy sigh when the rehearsal went AWESOME! I dont mean well.. I mean AWESOME! It's kinda like going into a movie with crappy expectations then laughing your rear off.. That's what it's like. haha! Good feeling. :) They kept laughing and mocking Sat Night Live's weekend update.

Anyway, I'm hoping tomorrow goes just as well!! :) I really like my job, people...which is why I stressed yesterday when I was terrified things wouldn't rock anyone's socks off. I love the people I work with...and doing a good job for them feels rewarding. A rehearsal isn't the real deal, but I'm feelin good going into it! :)

On a funny note to end this... (since it's been sooo interesting, I know. Sorry). The VPs kept talking about where they were going for dinner. I didn't want to be invited out of pity (since I'm the only non VP in our little group)...and I wanted to go to the Galleria (3 min away) anyway. So, I may have made up that I was going to dinner with a friend, had to describe said friend (apparently we went to law school together-this awesome friend of mine) and hid in my room til I was sure they were gone.. and then went to the Galleria where I ate Italian fast food alone and happily milled around. :) Fabulous!

Have a great Thurs!! :) I've been trying to comment on your blogs, but my computer keeps freezing.. Arg.

This blog is stolen from our friends at Hallmark.

So, I was at Hallmark today and saw these fun pics and frames. You cant really tell from my phone's camera, but they look really cool! Each pic is of a separate letter-black and white obviously-from a sign, scrabbles piece, even the "s" is written in the sand. Anyway, I usually don't like this word art stuff, but I thought this was pretty cool. I plan to replicate. Now I just need to figure out what to say...haha..No cheesy words. *cringe* Just sayin.

I leave tomorrow morning and have a ton more to do before then so I'll try to blog WBW tomorrow! :) Nervous about completely and totally failing my business meetings...Then I leave again Sunday. Good Gawd! But that's a less I-might-have-a-coronary stressful meeting and I get to fly into Chicago which means I get to hang with Lauren for a little bit!! :) Happy Tuesday night/Wed morning..whenever you're reading this. If this week is stressful for you too, I'm cheersing you via the internet. *sigh* Lates.

Thoughts of the morning...

1. What was I doing last week again that needed to get finished today? *actually furrowing brow*
2. (walking in to work in pking lot behind someone) White skinny jeans are not for everyone.
3. Why are thank you cards so damn cheesy? Seriously. They always say "Thanks so much for doing that. You're amazing." They try to make the card personal, but use "that" instead of "amazing wedding gift" or "fabulous birthday celebration" or something. So, it's a "personal" (sarcasm noted) "hey, you special person you-thanks for doing that when you did it. It was awesome." Blah. Or it's some creepy sentiment with a big circa 1992 flower in vase on it. I mean...what?
4. I like smelling my purse. Creepy? Sorry. But I do. *closing eyes and sniffing* Mmmm leather...
5. I think I had a nightmare about vampires last night. I think. *shrug*
6. Coming back from long weekends is challenging. Officially.