Marvelous Monday? And cooking advice needed!! :)

So, walked in and had a daily memo (I'm assuming it's daily..haha???), and it's called Marvelous Monday.. Must admit, it kinda made me smile. I yell expletives at my alarm am not especially a morning person ;) but I respond well to positivity... so there ya go. (caveat: unless I'm especially cranky...b/c then I'd just make fun of this memo's title in my head). But today, I liked it. ha. Did you have a marvelous Monday?

My Monday was pretty good, but long. Just some of what we're doing right now leading up to the D@y of Caring (formal kickoff) is delivering campaign packets to the local companies..b/c some want to get started now..and that way we already have quite a few rolling already. a LOT actually. Here are just a few...like 6 or more per bag (one per company including pledge cards, etc). These bags are everywhere and packed full! Then, once I get a hold of someone at that company who is running their campaign, I set up a time to deliver the packet and have a personal meeting.

Today, I called prooooobably too many companies to count. My personal fav was the "Ma'am, are you aware we're in bankruptcy?" (it's a given, people.. you know who I'm talking about.). I said "Yes! I just wanted to give you the chance to donate like other local companies should your employees desire to..." I ended up getting a meeting with him, but man alive..that's about how my morning went. *sigh* It.was.tough. Call after call..attempting to start each one with a fresh smile and perspective. But, I after lunch, almost every call was positive and really enthusiastic about the campaign so that helped! Picking up queenies for lunch (an awesome local deli) also helped. I ended up getting meetings for the bulk of the next couple days!! Hooray!! :)

Side note: I'm still getting used to my schedule n stuff, but if you work downtownish and want to grab lunch, lemme know b/c I'd love to in the next few weeks! I'm not used to being in that area for lunch! :)

So, have you ever had a day where you dressed for work and thought "day-yum.. this is a good combo!" and been really proud of yourself? haha! I had one of those days.. Banana dress. Cute belt. Button down under the dress. Cute necklace. And ballet flats. I was impressed with myself. Come on.. tell me you do this in your head sometimes too. (??) :) I'm usually too half asleep to think about adding a cute belt to a dress, etc.. but this whole laying clothes out the night before is really working wonders for my style.. just sayin. ;)

Speaking of nighttime, as Gracie and I headed to bed last night, she looked at me..and I looked at her...and said "aw crap" when we realized my comforter was still.in.my.car. (No, my dog didnt talk, but yes, I think she understood me). Arg!! haha! I'd taken it to be cleaned and forgotten to get it out of the car. And I'm not a fan of fumbling with a large item in the dark and my keys in my pjs.. soo..in the car it was going to stay. I ended up waking up wrapped bizarrely in my sheet, a chenille throw and a winter blanket I'd retrieved from the closet shelf around 3amish when I stumbled to the hallway sleepily and freezing. Good gosh.

This is random. Sorry. Staying with that theme.. did you know Wolfgang P*ck's place is coming to TULSA?!!!!! Apparently I need to watch the news more. For real. How awesome is that?! (For those of you not in Tulsa, you'd be surprised to know we're actually a test market for a lot of companies..for reals.. I promise I'm not blowing smoke here.. haha). There's a new wrinkle for your brain or something. :) On that note, Harrison Ford's son opened a restaurant here a couple years ago. It failed. But, whatever. It was here.

Okay, blog friends, I need your help here!! I want to cook Eric breakfast on Sunday morning (aka his bday!) He knows about this so there's no surprise ruined if he reads this post. That said, I want it to be good!! And I don't cook breakfast that frequently..b/c well.. a cereal bar is easier than anything else when you live with your dog. *shrug* So, here we go. Help needed! Tips! Advice? Thoughts? Recipes? I want it to be fairly simple: eggs, bacon, yada yada.. What I could REALLY use help with is something unique (whatever you recommend) with any part of a breakfast dish or maybe a potato thing (we LOVE potatoes.. who doesnt, right?) or recipe for sausage gravy or something!! Your thoughts are welcome!!

Hope you had a "marvelous Monday" :) I also kinda hope we have a Tuesday memo so I can see what adjective they use for it... haha! ;) Lates, lovelies!! XOXO! AND HAPPY SEPTEMBER!! I cannot believe it's already September!!!!!!!! Whoa! (Dont mistake this post for excitement about that.. I'm unsure whether I'm ok with summer being almost over already...but I do love me some fall). :)

Weekend Recap!

Hope everyone had a fantabulous weekend! I feel like it was way short for some reason... *shrug* But, it was good. No complaints. :)

Let's see... Friday was our own office's campaign kickoff... Yup, our own UW office has a campaign for employees! Our goal is $77,000 and we're already at over 35! Awesome! We went to a local Y for lunch and then headed to @ndy B's (formerly Riverlanes) :) Now they've got bowling, glowbow and go carts out there. :) I didn't take a TON of pics b/c there weren't a ton of opps to make people smile pretty for my camera, but here are some...

A couple other LEs (Loaned Execs)

They played our 2009 video on the screens at the end.. and I took a zillion a few pictures. :)
Here are some other LEs! :) Ranging from @rvest bank to Qu!kTrip to On#ok.. :) I dont know why I look so short here.. We all look kinda awkward actually...haha..
Good times even though I'm a horrid bowler. If you haven't signed up for a D@y of Caring project (Sept 11th), you should consider it. It's not too late and it's a great way to give back to your community! :)

Friday night, had a dinner with some high school friends. :) Leslie and I thought it'd be fun (it was) but we had no idea it would balloon up to 20 or more people...at Los Cabos (where you cant make reservations). Kinda chaotic at first, but fun.. Glad I got to sit next to peeps I love chatting with (as opposed to the peeps I don't talk to as much) b/c after a busy week, I wasn't feeling overly social butterfly...

After dinner, I met up with Marla at Bru House where we realized weirdos were on.the.prowl. Sick. We sat down and started chatting and WHAM-immediate uninvited guest sits at our table. (Side note.. I think that is SO rude... Don't just SIT DOWN at girls' table.) From there, he proceeded to not take our hints, show us his multiple tats of his child's photo (yes, for real), repeatedly offer cheesy lines and conclude with asking for legal advice. Wow. We left that place and headed somewhere else but still decided to head in early after some over-served female repeatedly shouted lyrics to baby got back (we were over our attempt at a low key, girly night. haha..).

Saturday night, Eric and I finally headed to Canebrake!! We'd be trying to go forever, but have seemed to have something every weekend...or haven't felt like driving all the way out there. It's past Wagoner by Ft. Gibson lake and is also a resort offering yoga, trails, etc. The food at the restaurant is supposed to be amazing! And it was! The service was also fab fab fab!!

Ahhhh...finally.. a night where we're not rushing to be somewhere else, etc. :) It was nice, people, really nice. :)
We were STARVING so the bruschetta appetizer didn't last very long.. but I managed to take a quick pic. :) Yumtastic!
I ended up devouring my salmon and forgetting to take a photo, but whatever. It was pretty...and it was good. The latter is really all that mattered at the moment.:)

If you're in the area and looking for something different, upscale..and dont mind the 45 min drive (depending where you're located in town), I recommend Canebrake! Make a reservation though b/c it fills up. :) After apps, dinner, dessert and a glass of vino...plus an hr drive home, we were ready to just head home and chill....and that we did. Watched Entourage from last week and said goodnight to the world. Great Sat night. :) AND!! AND!! I almost forgot! We saw deer!! I know it's so weird that I live in OK and haven't ever seen a live deer, but we saw a little family!! SO CUTE!!!

Saturday DAY, I headed to the mall on a mission. I had some coupons about to expire and needed some work pants for the UW gig. Working at a jeans office hasn't really grown my office wardrobe that much. I buy a cute summer skirt here or there, but rarely any more dress pants or business skirts. Therefore, with a 2 month gig at the UW and lotsa presentations, I knew I'd be hurting and needed to buy a couple pieces. Bring on the Limited!!! (I heart the Limited...*happy sigh*)

Check out the cute skirt I got... (the lighter one in the pic). It'll be great right now AND when it gets cooler with tights and boots!! Then, I got these pants that are a super cute small houndstoothish pattern. AND Limited's pants were all 39.50-MAJOR SALE. Add 50% off any skirt (thank you coupons) and I was pretty happy with my purchase. :)

Then, I still can't decide on these.. I had a gift card to Francesca's from my bday and saw these jeans...and fell in love! I love them on, too! (they're darker than they look).BUT, they're regular length. They're REALLY long for a regular..but I always think that til the washer eats an inch from the bottom. Arg. Oh and the little long sleeve t shirt is 6 bucks at Target right now. Go. Seriously. :)
Today, I headed out to Tulsa Hills shopping center...which I think I'm becoming addicted to. It's like a little one stop shop, people. I milled around Belks, ran an errand at Target and had my eyebrows done at Ulta. I had to advertise here.. Ulta is having $10 brow waxes til Sept 5th! That's awesome!! I mean.. I usually only pay 15, but that's still a huge discount! All in all, I saved some serious cash this weekend between sales, coupons and gift certificates!

Dude. Random but my airbrush tan is exfoliating in some weird places. *nervous* haha! For real. I nearly clawed off my neck in the shower today attempting to rid the weird coffee stain going on before work tomorrow. Whatever. (I'm still glad I did it). I'm also slightly addicted to J!rgens N@tural Glow lotion now. Some friends who I thought either laid out all the time or spray tanned...use only that! Actually, they use the W@l-Mart brand b/c they said it smells and works better than jergens. *shrug* Who knew?! ha! I got Jergens though and put it on before bed b/c the smell bothers me and I don't wanna deal with it all day...so regular moisturizer after morning shower..and jergens at night. But it really does work. Fact.

Omg.. speaking of smell... I sprayed some random perfume on myself at Sephora yesterday and didn't think about it. The rest of the day, I kept sniffing my wrist and thinking "I smell goooooood! I need that stuff!" haha... And now I have no idea what it was. Arg. It was their "number two pick" or something... What's your fav perfume if you have one? :)

You know what next weekend is, peeps? Eric's birthday!!!!! I'm so excited and hoping my gift really surprises him! Cross your fingers!

So, tomorrow at work starts the real thing...We start calling our companies and meeting with people etc. I'm nervous!! Gonna leave you with dessert- a pic of our fabulous chocolate mousse thing from the Canebrake! Mmmmmmmmm.... Hope you all had a great weekend! :)

I think..

I think...

...wine and girlfriends can solve almost any bad and/or long day (almost).

...finding a dollar/5/10, etc.. in your coat pocket from the winter before is like winning the lottery

...I'm a nicer person if I'm able to have a morning pepsi

...I'm becoming a mac person

...shunning bars/restaurants for being loud, smokey, etc etc..is a hilarious new categorization of places I never though of while I was in school

...it's weird getting older, but it's nice not getting the "no way.. you're too young" when I say I'm an attorney

...those e-trade commercials with the babies are the most hilarious things on tv ever

...blogging makes me more sane (if that's possible..haha)

...my dog and I understand each other

...visiting the UW agencies this week has forever changed my life

...Heidi Kl*m is awesome (currently watching Project Runway)

...the way Eric and I get along and entertain ourselves together is probably one of my favorite things in the whole world

...waiting to fix my heels til they make that annoying tapping sound is perfectly okay (annoying though)

...I want another spray tan..b/c my other one is wearing off in some weird places..lol!

...this week, while rewarding and challenging, has felt like TWO!

...I should definitely get to bed earlier next week.

...raising over 5 million dollars ALONE through my assigned companies in less than 70 days is going to be the most challenging and rewarding thing I've ever done...law school included.

...I will take my camera to our kickoff event tomorrow so you can see some peeps and stuff!! :)

Have a fabulous weekend, everyone!! Sorry I haven't been the best commenter this week. Once I get into a better schedule, I'll be back in action! XOXO!

WBW!

Dude. I forgot it was Wednesday! I mean... 100% forgot. I totally thought tomorrow was Wednesday.. Sheesh. Well, I suppose that's a pleasant surprise... *shrug*

So, here's a WBW from Chicago in winter of November of 2007! I love love loved the snowman...on the beach....holding what I think was a beer can.. I dont remember. No, I didn't make it. :) I actually remember taking the scarf wrapped around every inch of my face (except my eyes) off for this picture... haha! Fairly certain it was a crisp 5 degrees or so... *agh*

So, I promise to blog more tomorrow, but here's today in a nutshell.. I got my assignment at the UW.. and it's a GREAT one! I got en*rgy!!! That's so awesome!!! I went to my first function tonight actually and I wish I could write who it was an how much they raised b/c your eyes would pop. All the accounts are great, but I really love mine!!!! I was shocked when they announced me for this one since it's so large. Love a challenge so I'm up for it and pumped! :)

Friday, we have the launch of our own campaign and are headed out for a day of fun.. bowling...go carts...etc.. I'll take some pics so you can see my new loaned exec family for the next couple mos! :) We also have "jeans Fridays" which we pay for (all for the UW of course) :) but it's so funny to me since I now work in a jeans office full time in my regular work life so jeans Fridays are kinda quirky to be thought of as a "treat." :) Love it though.

Okay, I'm rushing through this b/c I am soooo tired and have a lot to do since I had that event tonight-laundry, cleaning, dvr watching.. Ya know.. obligations of life, people. ;)

Hope you had a great hump day! (Ps I totally didn't know what that meant til...um... like late college. Wow). And I noticed I have 50 followers! That's kinda fun!!! Thanks, everyone, for stopping in on my roaring twenties and saying hello or becoming a follower!! Loving reading all your bloggage, too! (bloggage should so be an actual word. just sayin). Someone asked me what I'd call it when I turned 30.. I had a clever answer I'll spare you from, but needless to say I have a couple years to think about that one....haha!

Peace *picture me throwing up a peace sign and pursing lips* Lates!

Totally Tuesday, peeps! :)

There is never any good tv on Tuesdays. Especially this time of year. It's driving me bananas. On that note, I think I might be driving Eric a little bananas b/c I am somewhat missing the social aspect of comfortable work convos, I think.. haha... I mean I talk to people at the UW. Duh. But we're at that uber professional common goal type relationship, not "friends." I love it so far...but, I think I'm subconsciously missing my "good mornings" and "how are yous" at workie work. :) It'll be cool once I'm more adjusted, I'm totally sure... But I've noticed my "talk to me" moments with Eric have increased a little...haha... It's funny actually. We both laughed at it tonight over a quick dinner. It had to be quick b/c he's starting to study for the CPA, folks! *nervous* Thank goodness I had the bar exam of fun so I somewhat understand. That said, mine was 2 mos...really one month...of complete and total antisocial behavior, 15 hour days of just.studying... but then it was done. His...is an entire year of testing! Cuhrazy!! At least they get to take in sections, I suppose...

So, today at the UW was good, peeps! And I am LOVING my commute not being as long.. Mind you, I really dig that time to myself with the radio and highway and all..for reals. But, leaving AND having time for a soda from QT this morning without rushing was a nice change of pace! :) We started off learning about the history, etc...and were told that we'll each be responsible for a portion of the 24 mil. (whoa). We took a tour of Goodw*ll, which was WAY bigger than I thought and their operation...is awesome. The work programs they have are outstanding... I wont go on and on, but I had no idea!! The UW has some other innovative programs in the works to assist for returning soldiers, etc, dealing with PTSD and traumatic brain injury. Did you know the avg solider has 200 concussions during a tour of duty? Wow, right? Anyway, for the past few years, they've taken on some innovative grant work which has resulted in things like safe pl@ces, the two-1-one emergency hotline (look it up if you don't know about it-it's awesome), and a voicemail program for prospective job hunters to have their own recorded vmail so employers aren't calling the day center (for ex) and hanging up once they realize it's the day center. Anyway, all good things.

We also learned in depth about our role, record keeping for our accounts, some presentations skills, etc. We'll be shaping our own individual presentations and practicing them tomorrow in prep to go out and do the real thing! Then, we have pictures (they post pics of all the execs from past years all over the office), and then we "graduate" and get our assignments!! Agh! So nervous about who I'll get!! :)

Today wasn't that long, but man, I'm tired....And my apt looks like a whirlwind hit it. You know what that means? My LLs will find some reason to come over and fix something. Arg. It's not DIRTY; but it's definitely not dinner-party clean, peeps. So, I chose to blog instead of cleaning. Whatever. It is what it is. :)

Eric posted some pics of his trip on facebook so I stole some to put on here! :) I haven't gotten to sit down with him and go through the rest... so here are a few for ya! :) Whistler=gorgeous, right?!

He and his bro.

Whistler sunset.
Nice, Eric. Nice.
Gondola ride! Thanks to his fun fact, I now know the one on the right there holds 28 ppl! Whoa!
Atv adventure.. Are you starting to feel like you're in an adventure movie? I kinda did when I was looking at them... haha :)
Go Eric!! Gawd, how gorgeous is this?! He said he saw some forest fires that were raging at the time, glacial rivers, the mountains, etc.. breathtaking experience...

Reasons I love my boyfriend number 236,000... He posted 97 pics on fbook...and has hundreds more. We heart cameras. (He tries to blame me for being picture crazy, but he's SO just as bad...okay..almost as bad). Eric and I tossed around the idea of skiing sometime... I havent been skiing in years!! I'd likely being a bumbling disaster at first..haha.. Do you ski? If so, where's your fav? :)

Hope you had a great Tuesday everyone! Cant wait to post what assignment I get tomorrow!!

First Day at the UW!

Hi everyone! So, today was in a word...awesomesauce. I've gotten a couple questions about what I'm doing and I suppose I shouldn't be so vain as to think everyone reads my blog all the time.. haha.. I'm a lo@ned exec for the UW. It's a two month gig where I work ONLY for the UW but am paid by my company. I get to help them with their campaign for the fall and we're (as we were told today) an invaluable asset to the whole raising 24 million dollars in 80 days. (jaw dropped...80 days.. that's a lotta dough in 80 days!)

We kicked everything off at breakfast where I met some important folks, ladies and gents... (no names no names). Plus I got to meet all the rest of the loaned execs! There are 25 of us and we come from all walks.. some peeps have insanely impressive resumes and have gotten laid off....and were therefore often found in close proximity to the power players... Some peeps were from large companies I'd heard of, some were from smaller places.... Overall, though everyone was awesome. At first it was very sorority rush.. "who are you? where are you from? etc etc etc..." But by day's end, we were all more comfy and a little less in rush mode.

We visited agencies today.. bused around to them. The first was the Y... I had NO idea about all the good things they do. And we didn't just sit in a conference room, guys. We went and saw the mental health floor...A guy let us see his room-a former vet... It was really touching to see his little dormlike space. We also learned that shelters are WAY less worthwhile than permanent housing.. and helping people transition into jobs and real life. Shelters/ppl in them often take the bulk of the funding but are the least effective. Interesting. And did you know the Y is closing?!!!! The plan of what to do with all the peeps is really interesting... I have to admit, I hung on every word... Anyway, from there, we headed to F@mily and Childr!n Serv and had our eyes opened more. We got a tour of the facility, history of the place, how they came to take on mental health (they didn't used to), and what things they offer. Did you know we have one of the highest divorce rates in the nation? Did you know 45% of 9th graders here won't graduate from high school? Did you know any of that? Did you know we incarcerate more women than ANY other state and that we're the ONLY state getting more unhealthy?! Yeah. Wow.

Anyway, from there, we headed to the S@lv@tion @rmy...and wow.. I got a little tear in my eye during part of the presentation. I'm serious. Did you know they have 94 beds for single men that are full every.single.night. They also have family rooms and single women rooms. And they never turn anyone away (unless they're visibly intoxicated or troublemakers, etc but even those folks get in when it's bad weather). A family let us tour their "apartment" and we later saw their story on the video...just a guy who'd lost his job and the family were down on their luck. I'd just never seen that side. Ever. I knew it existed, but to see it...in person. And sadly, they usually feed the most people in December... and the least in July. This year, they fed the SAME amount of people in July as they did last Dec. That's terrifying for funding...and for how many they stand to support THIS December. They're definitely hurting. We were there during lunch...and saw people in line for food, etc.. They were so nice to us. The director told us a lot of people love it b/c it's a place to sit and have a conversation...which they never get to do over a meal like you and I get to. They talked about getting people on their feet and the programs related thereto. It was all just amazing...the vast numbers of people they help every.single.day.

Finally, we ended up at the D@y Center for the Homele**. I have to admit.. that was the only place I felt a little weird.. I was in a pencil skirt and blouse and heels. And a homeless man bent down in an attempt to check me out or look up my skirt.. I dunno.. But it was just a little uncomfy to be touring with 200 plus people staring at us after that encounter. But, the info was awesome and the things they do there are amazing. It's not their fault my pencil skirt wearing self was uncomfy at times. Whatev. I just felt bad...by just being there in dressy clothes n stuff. SO glad I didn't go for the suit. Over.kill.

Anyway... there was just so much to learn there.. For example, they have storage bins people can keep their stuff in...b/c I mean.. people are afraid to go on interviews b/c they dont want to leave their stuff. I could SO see that. I mean.. why would someone leave all their worldly belongings to go on a job interview they may or may not get. So the storage bins for individuals solve that! There's so much more..

Can you tell I'm digging this? I know they have us tour the agencies as fuel for our fire to get us really geared up to encourage people to donate. It works. haha! :) I'm excited! Tomorrow, we start early and have another packed full day of stuff!

And FINALLY, THANK YOU to Kelsey over at the Seattle Smith's! She gave me this fun One Lovely Blog Award! :) She's definitely one of my fav new blog friends and I think we'd totally get along enjoy some laughs together over wine if we lived closer. :)

So, I think she gave it to fifteen people, but I'm tired and I'm weird about not making anyone feel left out, so rather than list ppl out, if you're on my blogroll, you get this! YAY! I'm serious! Love ALL your blogs!!!! :) (and I'm in a stellar mood today even though I am soooo tired). :)

Okay, I just realized Rachel Zo* is playing again... Time to change the channel. Although, her show just made my type "channel" as "chanel" Yeah. It did. They're looking at vintage jewelry at chanel...wow... just wow. Don't you just love vintage jewelry like that? I mean.. they lady was just holding up a bracelet from like the 1600s! WHOA! Granted, I don't wanna know if they pried it off some dead woman's hand... so guess that's a downfall. Wow, my mind is weird.

Happy Tuesday! Sorry for the ranting, but I was pumped about today and had to share!!!

Weekend Recap!

So, this weekend was the Tool Acade*y party for my friend's bday! Sooo funny... I caked on some bronzer (on top of the spray tan).. Us girlies mastered the lip gloss, too.. hot pink liner with concealer stick (as lipstick) and then add super gloss.. (in case you were curious).

I may or may not have a fake tat of a tiger on my chest... a tiger. Yes. Wow.

The bday girl and her hubby! :) He looks like a total creeper... I love it.. haha! :) (the guy all wore eyeliner)
Some of the guys....hahahaha...

mmmm ring pops!

I think the best part was going to Leon's like this afterward.. (since the party was at someone's house). The looks we got when walking in were awesome. Period. I wasn't as scandalous as some-I wanted to have fun while still being okay with the pics, ya know...but I was still extuuuhremely glad that Eric let me stay in the car when we went back to the airport to pick up his luggage (shocker-airline put it on a later flight). (ERIC'S BACK! ERIC'S BACK!!) He picked me up at Leon's and I was SOOO excited to see him, people! I didn't even care that I looked like a tool...haha! But the staying in the car thing.. yeah.. His parents had to get their luggage too.. Could you imagine seeing your son's girlfriend like that? Yeah. Um. Not okay. "Hi mom and dad, Jackie's not quite herself tonight.. Please ignore her bra hanging out and her tiger-tattooed breast. Thanks." *nervous*

So, Friday night, we played catch up and I got to hear all about his trip! From his brother sabering a champagne bottle like they did in the Napoleonic era to atv riding with his dad to skydiving over forest fires, the mountains and glacial rivers, to ziplining through the rainforest area, they had a blast! :) Sadly, his camera broke so he has to wait to get pics off it... but I will totally post some!! I'm cheesy-pumped he's back..esp before I start at the UW.. I dunno...just kinda nervous now (and excited) so it's nice to have Eric back in town. :)

Saturday night, he and I headed to India Palace...which I'd never been to! I know.. Crazy, right? Anyway, it was good, people! Full parking lot-good sign. :) Then, went to see District 9. I'm not sure how I felt about the movie.. It was um.. well... okay. It was probably more boyish than I typically like, but it wasn't horrible.

And back to UW.. tomorrow is my first day. I wasn't nervous at all til tonight for some reason...I spent the day at the pool with Marla but then got home, looked at the agenda and got a little nervous! haha! I officially have two cars now.. weird. I have my rental from work for this experience...and mine. So weird considering I live in an apt so parking is limited. But, definitely not complaining about the free gas and lack of unnecessary miles on my personal car since I'm under the impression I might be driving a lot. Tomorrow kicks off with a breakfast where we all meet each other. I've been kinda stressy about what to wear. The lawyer in me says suit suit suit. The business person says business casual. Afterall, it's a philanthropic organization and I don't need to look like a hot shot. Agh. Decisions decisions! What would you wear?!

Okay, I think I'm gonna hit the gym for a little to relieve some nervousness! :) Hope you had a great weekend, everyone!!

I'm baaaaack :)

Happy Thursday/Friday... whenever you're reading this, I suppose. :) So, my meeting in MO went well! It was another live intranet production except this time we look live q&a at the end.. submitted via email to ME. Soooo... my inbox was up on the big screen for the vps to read.. I kept thinking "please no stupid forwards... come on friends, dont sell me out.." haha.. Safe. Phew. :) And I got to hang with a coworker last night! She invited me over to have dinner and hang with her fam-so sweet! We ended up having a little wine and chatting til it was time to head to the hotel for bed. My coworkers are so great (and hospitable)...I love that. :)

I seriously barely made my flight. It's a 2 hr drive to STL from where I was (and I was flying out of STL and had to return the rental car). I left at noon. As in exactly 2.5 hours before my flight. CRAP. I have never ridden so many bumpers to get them to move in my life! I officially think MO drivers suck. Sorry.. not trying to be offensive here b/c STL drivers were fine. But the ones on the stretch to/from STL need some serious lessons. MOVE.OVER. or don't go 60 in a 70 zone. Those are your choices. And dont get angry at me when you're going 65 next to a semi also going 65 and I'm boxed in so I opt to ride your ass til you move. I hate doing that, but it was either that or miss my flight. Pretty sure I made no friends on the highways of MO today... *nervous*

Soooo got home today and had a young Chi O alum happy hour! We didn't have many people attend, but it was our first one. Especially loved catching up with Ashley! Blogs only take you so far, people. :) We also got to meet a couple girls from OU. :)

After a few beers, I let a stranger spray my mostly-naked body with tanning mist. haha.. Oddly, it wasn't awkward at all. I mean.. it was a college girl who does this all day, so really.. whatever. I smell funky now and can't shower til tomorrow morning (ew), but I already like the results. It's weird though b/c my face is really tan.. My face never naturally tans a lot! Gracie kept trying to lick my calves and I'd start sprinting away from her...which made her think we were playing. The whole thing was comical.

So, tomorrow I have every intention of getting out of work early.. b/c if I don't I'll be there til 5:30. Annnnnd I leave for the UW on Monday so I have a ton to do so we'll see.. Gonna be SO.WEIRD. to walk out tomorrow and know I'm not there for awhile! Surreal. I've already gotten a few email requests for some new things to be taken care of before I leave. So nervous and excited all at the same time!!

Another thing I'm excited about... ERIC IS COMING HOME TOMORROW!!!!!!!! I'm seriously so pumped! He sounds like he's having so much fun though! I cant wait to post some of his pics on here... I think he should guest blog. Just sayin. So far he's ziplined, atv toured, gone on a dinner tour, annnnnd he skydived!!! I am SO jealous! I've done it here, but I've always wanted to do it over the mountains like he got to. It was his first time and his dad sent me another fun postcard. :)

What about you? Ever been skydiving?

Wow. I intended for this to be a quick blog... Sorry.. Sheesh. Guess I was feeling wordy. I hope you have a great Friday! I'm off to catch up on some of your blogs that I wasn't able to read on my work trip. :)

Way Back Wednesday and Other Randomness...

Don't know what to blog? I think you should blog an old pic for Way Back Wednesday! Just sayin.. ya should. ;) XOXO!

I wasn't sure what to blog for this....until I saw this photo. This is from the Br@dy Party 2006. It's an annual halloween party locally- hosted by someone as a b-day celebration. Held in an old theater downtown and I probably wouldn't be exaggerating to say 1,000 people attend... Anyway, I have NO idea why I thought being a love bug was a good idea... haha.. Note to you guys: Do not wear a costume with head antennas when at a party with around 800 people. Just sayin. or wings. Yeah, no wings either. We had a good time (recognize Sara as a blonde?!). Certain I had a fight with my then-boyf and ended up walking down the street, mad at him, in a lovebug costume, sans shoes (they were hurting), pouting. Please picture seeing that whole thing go down and have a laugh at my expense. Thanks.

Today, I headed to Jan M@rkey Gifts at lunch. I love that store! Picked up some fun things for a friend-a tyler candle in my fav scent, DIVA, and a cute notepad. :) (yes, I wanted to take pictures of these things and blog them and no, I don't know why).

Almost stopped in DeNovo, but haven't ever been there. Thoughts? Can I even get stuff to-go there? So confused.

So, I leave bright and early for my last work trip before the UW and for the first time, I packed before I blogged. Wow. Anyway, I'm starting to get so nervous about it all.. the UW thing I mean. I want to give everyone covering for me enough info to handle my tasks, but I also want to take care of the bigger stuff before I leave...and dont want to leave anything hanging in the balance. I want to be missed, but not in the "crap, why didn't Jackie get that done before she left" kind of way... *sigh* Anyway, I have a few more days to worry about this so I'll shutup.

And uh, what's up with Dr. McSteamy and the s*x tape with his wife... in COSTUMES and the former Miss Teen USA? Whoa. Just whoa. At least it was his wife... (I'm trying to salvage it here and still making a really nervous face).

In other news, my new neighbor somewhat resembles her pomeranian. It makes me laugh. Daily. I'm sure she's very nice... I'm just sayin...

Show Us Your Life-Fav Vacation Spot!

So, my new blog friend, Carol, participated in a thing called "Show Us Your Life" on Kelly's Corner. I've seen a couple other peeps do it and decided to participate! Plus, it's an excuse to post more St. Lucia pics again. haha... I don't have some of my pics from previous vacays on this computer yet (I know I know I need to get them off the old laptop), but the ones I have on here are tops anyway!

Before I get to St. Lucia, I HAD to mention Chicago. I.love.Chicago! And yeah yeah, I know what some of ya'll are thinking, but no.. really.. It was convenient that an ex lived in one of my favorite cities but that's definitely not when I started loving it. *awkward I-smelled-something-bad-scrunched face* And what's more important is one of my best friends lives there, Lauren!!! :) And the first time I went to Chicago I was in college... the second time, Lauren showed me around. The city is amazing.... and here are a few reasons why!

You cant mention Chicago and not mention the shopping... from little boutiques to Michigan Ave's Magnificent Mile, there's something for everyone. Here are Lauren and I in front of the Hancock building ( black bldg to the right).

During the spring/summer, the place is alive with people-in parks, at the beach, shopping, reading a book outside! It's just so energizing and fun!
And at Christmas, they have a fireworks display after the Christmas parade!! (hence all the people). Fireworks.Christmas.Cocoa. HELLLO, people! Youjustcantgowrong. The city is just aglow with Christmas lights and it just feels kinda magical.. even in the freezing weather (except when your feet go numb. That kinda sucks).
And the carriage rides... I'm sure they get annoying to people there, but I love carriage rides. I've never been on one in a big city like NYC or Chicago and have always wanted to...especially snuggled up in the cold. Tulsa offers them at Christmastime from the garden center, but it's not the same...*pouty face* (I realize my vision of this doesn't include horse sh*t or bums passed out on the sidewalk as you trot past in a carriage, but let me have my fantasies, people).

And..... you saw it coming, so I dont wanna disappoint (you're soooo saying "not again! haha)

ST. LUCIA!!!!!!!! Not only was it my first vacay with Eric, but it was amazing-the people, the food, the experience, the scenery, the adventure, the culture.... There are very few places I'd want to go twice....b/c the world is SO massive, why not try as many places as possible?! But, St. Lucia... I would definitely want to return to. You guys have read my wordy plethora of blogs about the place, but this was easily the best vacation I've ever had for a lotta reasons! :)

Mountain-check. Ocean-check. Jackie and Eric-check. Drinks in coconuts-Chuuuh-eck!
One thing I didn't tell you before is from school age, children are taught that tourists are good! (b/c we are. duh). ;) Therefore, there is very very very little crime against tourists b/c it's their main income and people understand that. Children are taught to wave and greet tourists.
The upgrade to a private villa with pool didn't exactly hurt the experience.. just sayin...

Ahhhh, I want to go back...American sent me an email today telling me companions fly free to Barbados when you book this week.. Eh? Takers?

And I took back the dress I originally bought for the Tool Academy party. It was just too scandalous for me. I would have been tugging and pulling at it all night. Plus, when posed the wrong way, I was a censored photo waiting to happen...*nervous* So, here's the new digs for the partay! Thank you, Forever 21 for a cheap costume that appropriately covers the girls.

The bracelet is red with leopard print. The belt's silver part is plastic! LOL! Will be with black short shorts and heels. Oh and a fake barbed wire tat on my arm (thank you Sp*ncers!). Although that tat makes me nervous since I'll have a spray tan....I'm referring to the taking off the tat thing.. Hmm...

Here's what I'll look like from the back... Oh yeah... This is why I loved the shirt...I'm an angel, people! The best part was telling everyone who stared at my pile of inappropriate stuff to try on about the party... Hello awkward, meet Jackie. Pretttty sure I looked like the creepy girl who strips on the weekends carrying 4 bustiers, lace tights and a sequined miniskirt. Whatever.

Gracie asked to wear my jewelry. I had to oblige. Oh and the glasses, too. I bribed her with 20 minutes of tirelessly playing "chase" around the apt with her ball for this photo. She doesn't understand bribes. I tell myself she does. I'm going to be such a good parent. *nervous*

Yep. It's Monday.

Things I don't like:

* Not being tan. For reals. Judge me. I don't care. ;) I made an appointment for airbrushing Thursday..ya know..after my flight gets in and I go to an alum happy hour. Busy week. Wow.
* Eric's international vacation effing with our communication. I like communicating daily. It's making me cranky.
* I have a chick doctor appointment today. This rougly means: awkward conversation, wanting an immediate shower, PA student/nursing student whatever observing for educational purposes (always-ugh). Bothersome...all the way around.
* My VP coming in with a document she hand wrote b/c she failed to send the attachment the first time. Then, she says "I dont like doing work twice.." as she hands it to me. (Um, how is it my fault you didn't send the attachment before?)
* My computer keeps saving a file in a 52,000KB size. WHAT?! Stopit! There's no reason for your bad behavior, computer.

Yes, folks, it's definitely a Monday. :) XOXO!

Weekend Recap!

I didn't get nearly enough done this weekend... mostly b/c I was messing with Sprint the bulk of Saturday and half of Sunday.. but it was a good weekend nonetheless. :)

Friday, picked up In the Raw and headed to Eric's to hang and help pack. :) Then woke up bright and early to take him to the airport at 6:30am. I'm already ready for him to come back, but I think he's totally enjoying some needed relaxation time. Annnnd this whole him being gone thing is making me learn more about twitter since that's how we're communicating. :) Is there a good app for my phone (I dont have the iphone-will tell story in sec). Oh and also random but...he has a gift card to the Canebrake from watching his neighbors' house and I've heard guuhreat things so hopefully we'll try it when he comes back! Have you been there?

Anyway, Eric is officially missed here in T town. *sigh*

Saturday, I spent the whole day dealing with Sprint. The.whole.day. I went to the store at 1:30 to talk to someone. Emerged phone in hand at 4pm. Was supposed to "give it two hours" to let it connect to the network. It didnt. Called Spr*nt and told them I needed an CTM* ticket(?) b/c that's what the peeps at the store told me to do. Well, Andre the genius didn't get it and tried his own little fix it...in the way of DELETING my account accidentally. Yeah. He then tried to reinstate it which didn't work b/c I had an "outdated plan." (last year is outdated in Sp*int land). So, then he transfers me to account mngmnt w/0 telling me he did any of this. Brian (?) tried everything and finally got me a new plan (for more money) since my old plan is now gonzo. So at this point, I'm livid, but trying to be patient with Brian and keep saying things like "I know this isn't your fault, but this is unacceptable. My phone is now STILL broken and I've got an awesome more expensive plan??WHATTHEHELL?! " Then, he conferenced in a tech person to try to fix the initial problem with the internet I went to the sprint store for (wow, yes, this is officially 7:00pm by this point). I literally got ready for dinner while on the phone with the Sprint people on speakerphone.

So, tech person had me enter pound-number-number-pound...and my phone shut off and wouldnt go back on. She was like "huh... that's weird.." I finally said "Look, I'm cancelling my services. It's 8pm and I want to go to dinner b/c this has been 7 hours of this today..." Brian assured me a mgr would call me today to discuss waiving the fees to cancel. Guess what didn't happen. Yah. Sooo... more to come below...

Anyway, I got to Sara's Saturday night and she had a glass of wine waiting for me (she knew the phone sitch). I love her. hahaha... A few of us headed to Sonoma for pizza and girls night!

Then we headed to Ish's 30th bday party!! AND Suzanne and I officially met in person. Blogs colliding with real life.. haha...Love it. :) (Below: Marla, me, Suzanne)

We ran into B*ker Fox! If you're from around here, you know who he is. If you're not, you need to. He's B*ker Fox. Enough said.
We decided to stage a new profile photo for my friend, Scott (I call him Scottastic. You should too.) :) I think he should use it. Just sayin.

Annnnnd back to the phone issue. So, I woke up and started calling them. Re-explained the sitch for the zillllionth time. (Mind you, this whole time I was so polite. SO.POLITE.) Today, the girl was stupid though. For real. She was the ONLY one I was rude with b/c she was rude to me. Anyway...she said a supervisor would call me back. So that was it. Breaking point achieved. I got a copy of my bill (for my acct # etc) and headed to AT&T to buy an iphone and just deal with Sprint later. The supervisor called me on my way. I was said "For the most part your staff has been very helpful and tried to do what they could...but they couldn't do anything except make it worse. So, here's the sitch. *explained* I am en route to get an iphone and leave Sprint. If you can give me a solution, I'm all ears but I doubt you can. You have 5 minutes before I get there." She waived all fees to get me a new phone, waived me having to get a new contract and gave me a discount on my plan. FINALLY. Someone who can DO something. Jeezus! She was not authorized to waive fees for canceling my service. So, I opted to take her solution temporarily, but not without serious hesitation. And I want to keep my number if I change companies and I have to have an active phone to do that. So this is the best way...even if I switch this week or something.

And when I went to Spr*nt again today, the guy looked at my acct and said "Omg, what did they DO?" (cause he can see the notes in the file). Anyway, he also candidly told me they are willing to waive fees if I don't like this phone. Fair enough. So, I took this phone. If nothing else, I can wait out my contract a few more mos and leave without having to deal with this insanity. B/c that's what it was, people. IN.SANITY.

Yes, it's "berry" but only b/c it's supposed to have new software since it's a new model so wont eff up like my last one. (The new models are colors). If this phone so much as glitches, I'm out. I think I was beaten into submission this weekend. But at least I paid nothing and got a new phone and didn't leap from my balcony in the process.

*sigh* If you read all that, I'm sorry about those minutes of your life I took.

I've been wanting a snap-front plaid button down! American Eagle had one and it sold out in two days! Wha?! I just happened to be browsing Forever 21 and saw this cute little number! For UBER cheap! YAY! (and got a cute necklace for 4 bucks, too). :) You have no idea how thrilled I am about this purchase! I cannot wait to wear it with my tall boots and skinny jeans! And I got some stuff on sale at Limited for my gig at the UW-since I'll have to dress up more. :)
Today, met up with Kristy and Marla at Tulsa Hills to shop for our Tool Academy outfits! Here's Kristy in her winner mocking smoking a cigarette.. her hoodie says "boom boom pow" LOL!
Here's what I ended up with is a leopard print dress. Yeah... I dunno about it. Now insert a major fake tan, blingy jewelry, fake hair and fake tats on both of us... I was thinking hot pink jewelry if I keep this. I still can't decide.. I don't wanna look skanktastic b/c I dont need that all over facebook-hello unprofessional. Sooo.. we'll see the final package and evaluate. :) I've been watching Megan wants a Millionaire to research... lol! I may end up at Forever21 looking for something else...

Please note her earrings will say "Baby Girl" LOL!!!!

Welp, that was long b/c of the phone ranting so thanks for sticking with me. :) Hope you had a fabulous weekend!!!! :)

Off to watch Kourtney and Khloe!! :)