Jacksonville Zoo Trip

Along with my annual trip home to Jacksonville for Christmas come our annual trip to the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens with my niece and nephew. I always look forward to this and dread the day they become too old for this. Hopefully, I'll have my own kids by then.

Now, in my opinion, I think the JAX Zoo is one of the best in the nation. Granted, I've never been to the infamous San Diego Zoo, but compared to some of the zoos I've been too, it rocks! It Definitely blows the Indy Zoo out of the water. I think a lot of that has to do with space, though... the JAX Zoo has a lot of land to work with! But I'm probably a little biased, too, since this is where I go with my niece and nephew all the time.

It seems no matter how hard we try, we can never get out of the house as early as we want to. This always leads us to rushing at the end of the day to see everything we want, but we know to catch the exhibits we want as early as possible. One of our favorites is always the Lorikeets. We always want to catch them early when they're still hungry. But this year we had a new exhibit to catch - a baby leopard! He was SO adorable at only 4 months old! Sadly, he can't go in the cage with his mother, so he'll likely be sent to another zoo when he's old enough, but he was fun to see, none the less.

The kids always love the Great Ape loop, too, though if the weather is too cool, there's not as much action. That really goes for all of the animals, just about... if they're even out, they seem to just be trying to capture warmth from the sunlight. Except for the penguins... they seemed to be loving the weather! Darian managed to be the last one to feed one of the giraffes today, as well... did you know they can eat up to 1% of their body weight, which can be more that 20 lbs of food a day??!!

So all in all, we had another wonderful trip to the zoo. I really think this is such a fun tradition to have - there's not too many zoos you can go to between Christmas an New Year's. So all in all, another great end to a great trip home for the holidays.

Christmas in Jacksonville

Eric and I made it down to FL late Christmas afternoon... but we still beat my sister and her family, so we were still good.

After getting all of our gifts settled, and the Pitts' finally showed up, we had a nice ham dinner and then proceeded to the 'big tree' to open gifts. I don't think we ever opened gifts on Christmas night - it was quite a different ambiance with the darkness outside and opening the gifts by tree light, essentially. As always, the gift opening flew by and we only saw half of the gifts open since there were so many being opened at once between the nine of us. But it was still fun and there were still those moments that were made into memories.

We weren't done yet, though. It got too late and some of us were too tired from traveling, so we didn't make it to the 'middle tree' and the stockings. We had to save that until the next morning. It was tough to keep the kids from it until after breakfast/brunch, but we managed. After that, we could all finally sit back and breathe a huge sigh as we took it all in. Another successful Christmas down. So much anticipation leading up to it, and no matter how much you try to make it last or spread it out, it's done, just like that. But it was another merry one.

I hope everyone out there had a Merry Christmas, as well!

Christmas in Indy

Wow... Christmas already! Not that I didn't see it coming, but where did the year go??

We celebrated the Strickland family Christmas today, complete with a yummy ham dinner. As Eric put it, "We're getting good at these", meaning, the more we host, the easier it gets. And I always have fun with the desserts. I tried not to go overboard (I did have the stuff from last night, which I made with the intention of using for both evenings), but there are just some things I can skip out on! (i.e. My $250 Nieman Marcus cookies)

After dinner, we opened gifts. Santa even came to our house this year for the boys. Unfortunately, AJ was trying to get over a sinus infection, so he spent most of the evening on the couch with little energy to spare - he even struggled getting some of the gifts open. Regardless of being off pace, though, he got it done and I think the presents sparked a little energy. Not much though. In the meantime, Nolan go enough construction trucks to start is own construction company - the boy loves his 'diggers'!

After the family left, Eric and I opened out gifts for each other. I always have fun figuring things out for him, even if it is so hard! He got me one of the RCA Dome messenger bags, which I really wanted... okay, so I knew I was getting it. But it doesn't change my appreciation factor.

Tomorrow morning we're off to FL to celebrate Christmas with my family. Yay! I'm anxious for a break from the snow, personally... and a little sunshine, to boot!

Christmas Eve Eve

Ah, the holiday get togethers. You gotta love 'em!!

Eric has been on a roll this year as wanting to play host. For anything and everything. This year he decided we need to have a neighborhood Christmas drink night. Well, more so a 'neighbor' drink night as it was primarily our neighbors in the condo building next door that we invited. It was decided that the best night for this was the night before Christmas Eve. #1 - everyone had off the next day and #2 - no one was doing family stuff that night. So that was the plan.

We decided to keep it low key, as far as food and such. Just some snacky food, though I did delve into a new dessert (Lemon Blackberry Gingerbread Trifle - YUM). Eric insisted on a couple of 'house drinks' and we pulled some recipes from drinks we learned about in FL that may be new up here (Dark and Stormies and Washington Apples). No one had heard about Dark and Stormies, and they were a definite hit. The Washington Apples usually are in shot form (for good reason), but we did full glasses. Plus there was wine and anything else someone might desire.

All in all, it was a great night. Everyone who braved crossing the front yard had a great time and it was a nice way to celebrate with the neighbors you see almost everyday but don't get to really talk to that much.

So to my neighbors that read this, Merry Christmas and thanks for the fun night!

DONE!

I can finally breathe. I'm done!! I'm done shopping. I'm done wrapping. I'm done with Christmas cards. I'm even done with the shipping. So now I can finally site back and enjoy this last week before Christmas. I actually have some time to take it all in.

*sigh*

I love this time of year and so often get so wrapped up in, well, getting things wrapped up, that I miss out on some of the good stuff. Stuff like sitting in the living room, with just the tree lights on, and enjoying a cup of hot chocolate. Taking a walk and looking at Christmas decor, whether in a neighborhood or along a downtown commercial district (well, maybe not this year with all the snow and frigid temperatures). Just the overall spirit of the holiday season...

Now don't ask me what all I have planned for the next week. I just know I'm going to do my best to enjoy every moment and take every opportunity I can to put myself deeper into the Christmas spirit. If that's possible. I think it is, though... in my opinion, you can never spread enough cheer with those around you.

You're a Mean One... Mr. Grinch!

I love Christmas. Love, Love, LOVE Christmas!! That's probably apparent from my blogging done around this time of year.

Unfortunately, some people don't share the same enthusiasm as me for Christmas. So much, in fact, that he tried to destroy my Christmas this year!

I almost wasn't able to stop him! But that's okay... I have enough Christmas cheer for both of us.

Merry Christmas, to all of our friends and family out there!

And the Stockings were Hung by the Chimney with Care...

This year while decorating the house, I had to think long and hard about what went where since I was (1) combining decorations and (2) didn't want to overwhelm Eric with my decorations.

I love Christmas. It's my favorite time of year. I love the decorations, I love how everyone is so merry, I love making other people smile when they open that perfect gift (or at least one they really like). And of course I love spending time with family. Because of my great fondness for this time of year, I go all out on the decorating, inside and out, usually. But Eric isn't into Christmas the way I am. So in the end, I limited my decorating this year and just got enough up to show some festiveness around the house. But next year... next year there will be more. That I can promise.

But for this year, I still have two decorated trees and a the standard stuff you expect at Christmas, like the stockings and greenery wrapped banister on the stairs. When the boys were over on Saturday, they had a blast with all of the interactive ornaments that have music, lights, and motion to them (thanks Hallmark!). Nolan was actually fascinated... he kept asking me to come over and press buttons... but by the end of their visit, he figured it out and started pressing buttons on his own.

I miss my outside lights. For me, that is tradition that dates back to when I was young in Palm Bay and my sister and I would go out and put lights on our roof and palm tree out front. Every year... and I always loved that time. So much, in fact, I carried on, by myself, at my house. All white lights for the most part, with ice cycles on the roof, my porch column wrapped like a candy cane, and the gardens lined with red and green. I'd put white lights on my small tree off the corner of my house, and on the bush at the other corner. And of course, my door had a wreath on it with with lighted greenery around the door itself. So eventually, I'd like to do more outside here... but I need to figure out what all can be done, first... we've got a great front porch to work with, so I guess we'll just have to see what sparks my imagination. I definitely want some lights to some extent...

Less than three weeks till Christmas!

First Snow

Today, we got our first 'real' snow fall. In fact, it's still snowing as I write this... and coming down pretty good, actually.

I say 'real' because it's more than a dusting... and it's sticking. The first glimpse of snow came last Wednesday. But it was truly a dusting. A little more fell on Thursday night, into Friday morning... more than the first day, but again, not enough to stick around. Just enough to screw up any rush hours both time. Not that it impacted me.

It started snowing late last night, with the weather man promising 2-4" when it was all done. It's been coming down all day, a little heavier at times, but usually just enough to be pretty. It's always nice to look at when you don't have to drive in it.

Eric's nephews came over for a bit and we went out back to play in the snow. Nolan, the youngest, still isn't too sure about it, but AJ had a blast. I'm sure Nolan will be into it by the next snowfall.

Let's just hope all the craziness of the first snowfall (like people not remembering how to drive in it) only lasts for the first snowfall and not all winter! I know just the dustings earlier in the week made for a lot of mishaps on the road... you'd think people would remember from year to year and not get all crazy...

Ramblings

One thing about being unemployed is you have too much time to ponder things. You think about things for no reason at all - stuff just pops in your head. Or you see something around the house that triggers memories. Sometimes it's just something you see outside (things you normally don't see if you have a 9-5 type job). Regardless, I have found myself pondering crazy things... and wanting to vent about stupid things. I've held off for awhile now, but I think I just need to get stuff out of my system at this point. So this may not be an exciting blog, but it's helping me. A little venting, and little pondering... but mostly rambling.

First off, I applaud all the stay-at-home moms out there. I don't know how you do it, but I'm impressed. I don't even have kids and I have problem prioritizing and getting everything done around the house. And so many things are so minuscule that they go unnoticed... which inturn causes your husband to question what goes on when he's at work. Now granted, I still have boxes being unpacked and with the holidays here, there's time being spent doing that, as well. But still... how do you do it??

I finally realize the point of all the stupid talk shows out there... to make you feel better about your life! You can be down in the dumps, but one episode of lie detector tests and/or DNA tests make you realize you don't have it so bad. I've just left the TV go after the news is done in the morning as I go on doing other things around the house and heard some of the 'conversations' that go on... where do they find these people?? There can't be that many stupid people out there that can't figure out who their baby's daddy is... and they test multiple guys! Sad. To tell the truth, just about all the daytime television thinks pretty lowly of people who watch TV during the day. I've found there really is no reason to have it on until primetime.

I am convinced we only have days of the week for the purpose of making schedules. I say this because if you have no schedules to make or meetings to keep, you lose track of what day it is pretty quickly. I find myself constantly questioning what day it is. Not just the date, but the actual day. And Eric doesn't help with the weird schedule he keeps.

There's still a lot of people out and about during the day. When you have a typical job, you kind of assume everyone is in an office like you and all the roads and stores are empty. No. They're not. Granted, it's not like rush hour, or the grocery store right after work... but there's a steady flow. Kind of nice to be in a non-lemming formation when driving and shopping. Perfect example... the Monday after Black Friday... NO problem with lines or crowds at ANY store that I could tell. May not have the doorbusters, but nowadays, they're not much better than a normal sale somewhere.

However, there may be less traffic, but I think the driving is worse! I hear more horns honking at one another than I ever did on the downtown connector in Atlanta. Or I-4 between Disney and downtown Orlando. And I know from personal experience that I've used my horn more in the past few months during daytime driving than I have in the entire 10 years of owning Bleu. There are idiots out there.

We, as a society, have the worst eating habits and I blame the restaurants out there with their advertising. It's getting to the point where I believe the better it tastes, the worse it is for you! I mean seriously... a chicken 'sandwich' with no bun, and instead to pieces of chicken with the condiments between them?? Triple cheese and bacon pizza?? Half price happy hour milkshakes?? Sadly, though, these places do this because this is what sells... this is how they up their sales. Because we eat it!!! I'm just as guilty as the next guy, but I got to admit, when I was getting into shape before the wedding, my trainer enlightened me to quite a bit. I've tried to change my habits significantly. If nothing else, we all need to learn portion control. Just because it's served on one plate does not mean that is one portion, people! And just because your kids want it doesn't mean you should give it to them, either!

I have more... but this is getting long and more pointless with each subject. Thank you for letting me ramble. Another disadvantage to be unemployed... you don't get to talk to too many other people. I need to get this out of my head somehow...

Officially Listed

Well, it's official... my house is fully on the market, waiting for that one person to want it. It took a lot of time and effort for Eric and I, but it's done. Now all we can do is wait.

For me, this is huge. If you've been reading along, you know how hard this has been for me. I got to thinking... I signed the papers with the realtor almost exactly at the 9 year mark from when I signed the papers with the builder to build the house. I signed with CP Morgan (my builder) on November 17, 2001. I signed the papers with Century 21 to sell my house November 18, 2010. One day over the 9 year mark. Almost erie.

Some days, I feel like I'm being over sentimental with my house. Am I? I think I just get attached to everything in my life. My car is older than my house... I'll probably be upset when I have to get rid of Baby Bleu, too... just balling at the Nissan car lot (I assume it'll be a Nissan).

So if you know anyone in the Indy area looking to buy, feel free to pass on the info! I just want it to be a good home to someone out there, just as it was for me. Just click here and forward the link! There's actually lots of sites out there that it's listed on, but the link goes to my agent's page. But, just in case that one has issues, here's another one to try. This one is the general Realtor.com link.

Black Friday 2010

Right after my last blog was finished, I started my Black Friday shopping online. My goal was to avoid as much as I could at the stores on Black Friday... the novelty of waking up for it has passed for me. Besides... just about every store offers those same deal online on Thanksgiving day, so why put yourself through the chaos??

Anyway... I did get a majority of it done online. I surfed for a few things that a knew I wanted, first. That was easy. This year, being unemployed and have two mortgages to pay, I (we) have a bit more of a budget to work with then I have in the past. I'm hating that. But it's a very workable budget. I just actually have to think about what I have and what I have left... leaves no room for the fun, spontaneous buys I usually make for people.

After the initial round online, I put on my PJ's and rummaged through the newspaper ads - sometimes it's just easier to find things in print. I found a few more things and jumped back online. Before I knew it, it was 2:30am... the time some people may have actually already been heading out to some of the sales. I, instead, went to bed with about 60% of my shopping done. There were a few items I wanted to pick up in person today, but I didn't have to do the early thing.

So around 9:30am, Eric and I headed out to hit some stores. We had a quick breakfast at Panera and then went into stores with a mission. No wandering this year. We hit Target, Macy's, JCPenny, Kohl's, and Dick's... and when all was said and done, we were up to about 75% complete. Not bad for less than 24 hours of shopping.

So what's left? Well... our main focus has been gifts that need to be shipped, so we've barely scratched the surface of gift buying for Eric's side of the family. But we have ideas, at least... so it won't take much to knock it all out. Just don't want to get stressed!

Thanksgiving 2010

Well, more proof this year is flying by... Thanksgiving has come and the turkey has been eaten. Can you believe it?

My Thanksgiving actually started yesterday. I was in the kitchen all day baking. I made an apple pie and a pumpkin pie, and then some pumpkin cookies. Both pies were from scratch... COMPLETELY from scratch. I used multiple types of apples and pumpkin from my garden. The cookies had a little cheating involved, but still used my fresh pumpkin. By the time I got to those, though, I was already beat from making pies!

Eric and I decided to keep Thanksgiving a little simple this year... stuck to the extreme basics. Just turkey, mashed potatoes, green beans, and fresh cranberry sauce. His mom brought some rolls and salad to start the meal... and that was it. And we STILL had a ton of leftovers. But that'll give us something to snack on through the weekend.

But the main point was to just spend time with family, which was nice. Though retailers may believe differently based on the store shelves, the holiday season officially begins today. It is only from Thanksgiving til the end of the year that you can really say "Happy Holidays" and not have someone look at you all crazy.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving!! Now bring on Christmas!

It's Not My House

Eric and I have put a lot of time, money, and effort into my house for the past month, getting it ready to go on the market. We repainted all the rooms, changed out appliances, changed out light fixtures, hauled up furniture for staging...and this is just the 'major' stuff. There were lots of minor things, too, that I won't list out here. When I look at it now, one thing comes to mind, though... this isn't my house!

We have changed so much on it, that it looks nothing like it did when I actually lived there. It looks SO much better, actually... it's sad to think I never did any of this before. For me and my enjoyment. But if you need to detach yourself from you home, just change everything about it.

Don't get me wrong... it will always be my first home (on my own). And just like when my parents sold my childhood home, I will still cry when I sell this home.

I wish I had some 'before' pictures to share... but I didn't think to take any, and though I'm sure I could dig some up, it'll take too long. But for those who've been to my house, you'll see the difference. Below are just a handful of pictures of the house that used to be my home... *sigh*

The Living Room

The Living Room from the other end (note the open floorplan to dining/kitchen)

The front of the living room (note the new foyer flooring)

Fully Upgraded Kitchen

Dining Area

Master Bedroom

Fully Upgraded Master Bath

Bedroom 2

Bedroom 3

Hall Bath

Urban Living

So I've 'officially' been a downtown dweller for about 4 months now, and I've had time to take everything in and get a good comparison of urban living verses suburban living.

Living downtown definitely has its perks. Lots of close, unique dining experiences, all the downtown festivals and activities within walking distance, and always something going on. I do miss having the closeness of the Target and a 'real' grocery store (one that has a footprint larger that a quarter of a small city block). There is at least a mall in downtown Indy, so I don't lose out on that shopping, though it doesn't have all the stores that I'd like for it to. So, basically, I do miss the shopping of the suburbs - you may have to drive more to get to stuff, but it's a closer drive than driving from downtown.

But what I miss most is the silence. There's always some sort of background noise downtown, whether it be trucks driving by (or even loud cars), or the trains that regularly cruise through downtown. Then there's the sirens and helicopters that you very rarely get in the suburbs. During the day, the noises all blend together, but at night is when I especially miss the quietness of the suburbs. Trains still blow their horns, the sirens still blare on calls, and it seems as if those sounds get amplified at night.

I never realized how much I enjoyed the calm and quietness of being able to walk out my front door, look up at the stars and hear nothing. Looking up at that big sky and have the silence envelope you made you realize how big this world really is... and what a small role you really played in it. It was subduing, because it made all of your problems seem that small, too. Who knew walking outside could be so therapeutic? And on those particularly clear nights, it seemed like the stars went on forever.

You can't even see the stars downtown.

I even miss hearing the kids playing next door. They always would wave to me if they saw me outside or coming/going somewhere in my car. There aren't too many kids downtown, and they definitely aren't playing outside where I can hear them. But I will admit, the friendliness of the kids didn't always extend to the adults - I do know my neighbors downtown better than I did in Fishers. Though I think we have a special case, here - Eric and I are lucky to have such friendly neighbors who do come outside and socialize. I never see anyone come out of the houses across the street or anywhere else on the block.

Bottom line - if I'm going to live downtown, now is the time in my life to do it. Before kids, while I'm still young enough to enjoy all the amenities a downtown (any urban downtown) has. So for now, I'll miss my silence and big starry sky. But I know I'll get back there. Only when I'm back there in the suburbs, my mind will be full of memories downtown.

Halfway to Italian Fest Fest

A couple of weeks ago, I received an email stating I had been selected to host a House Party. This particular one was for Sabra Hummus - I love hummus! I approached Eric about the idea and we didn't just want to have people over for hummus - that just seemed silly.

So we thought about and decided to tied the Mediterranean flavor in with another Mediterranean country/theme... Italian Fest, which is hosted by a church right here in our neighborhood. It's the second weekend in June, traditionally, and though we're not quite at the halfway point, we're close enough. Finally, our thought process turned to having a dinner party - we've been wanting to do this for awhile and what better way to start off than to have a theme all set for you?

And we were off, with two weeks to get people interested and the house ready for guests. We sent plenty of invitations out in hopes of getting just enough to fill our table. Well, we got more than expected (12 guests plus the two of us), but we were still within what the house and our planned meal (my lasagna) could handle. Now if anyone showed up that didn't RSVP, we might have had a problem (at least for the sitting at one table part). So the detailed menu commenced around the lasagna, including Italian meatball soup, bruschetta, hummus chicken salad (had to tie in the hummus), plus a twist on the bruschetta using a layer of hummus (keeps the tomatoes on better and tastes awesome!). Oh, and off course, pita chips and hummus. To top it off, my friend, Jen, made a pan of tiramisu that was to die for - superb!

All in all, the dinner party was a hit! Everyone had a blast and the 14 of us went through 12 bottles of wine and some Peroni's (Italian beer). After all was said and done, Eric and I decided we must do this more often! We braved the first one, and now we want to do more - it's just nice to get together with people for more than just the reason of drinking. Not to say drinking doesn't happen, obviously, but it's not the main point.

For now, though, it's back to focusing on the sale of my house and the holidays, which have quickly come upon us! Where has the year gone??

So. Much. Painting!

I have spent a majority of this week up at my house painting. And more painting. Essentially, I'm repainting my whole house. All in three shades of beige. How exciting!

I'm actually taking today off. Not because I want to, but really because I have stuff to do around the house here - you know, the basic stuff. Plus, it's supposed to get nasty later - maybe even icy flurries! Yuck! Why drive it that if I don't have to? So I'm staying warm and cozy at home, doing chores and such here.

Here's a quick run-down of what was done, though, just so you can appreciate my physical exhaustion. Painted the LONG wall that spans the living room and kitchen, painted the rest of the living room, painted the hallway, repainted one of the master bedroom walls (it's giving me difficulties - paint doesn't want to stick to the primer)... oh, and had new appliances delivered. Hmmm... looking at the list, it doesn't seem like a did that much. But it's more than it sounds like.

Regardless, there's more to do. Tomorrow will be another busy day of both Eric and I at the house. He'll be playing with electricity while I play with paint. The goal is to have it to a point where we can talk to the realtor again and get some feedback from her. We shall see!

House Project

As I have blogged about earlier, Eric and I are having to do some work on my house in order to get it on the market and hopefully sell! Well, that what we did all weekend.

We actually started on Friday by scoping out our desired appliances for the upgrade there. We actually lucked out and found some good deals! Kind of excited about that (though appliances still cost a pretty penny...). On a side note... anyone want to buy a fridge or glasstop stove?? Both are in great condition (they just weren't stainless). LOL

Saturday we started the painting. We have SO much painting to do. Well, actually, we starting the priming. I have some dark colors in the master bedroom and bath, so first we must prime. Man, primer has some fumes to make you lightheaded! And they linger! we also do some basic fall yard maintenance, just t keep it up for when it goes on the market. After all that fun, we went and bought the rest of the needed appliances. And also bought some new kitchen light fixtures. And some other things to make it look nice at the end of this whole thing.

Today we painted the kitchen and installed the light fixtures. I have to say, so far, I'm jealous of my own kitchen. It's a shame I'll never get to enjoy it. All this work for someone else to enjoy it. So sad.

Needless to say, I'll be spending most of this week painting at my house. I have to paint the living room, the hallway, the master bedroom and bathroom, and at least a couple of accent walls in the other two bedrooms. I don't think I'll ever understand why people can come into a house and imagine their own colors on the wall... why does everything have to be so neutral???

Anyway... as it all comes together, I'll post some 'after' pictures. It should look pretty good when all is said and done, complete with the staging. Probably look better than it ever did when I lived there. Again... so sad. Oh well. 'Tis life, I guess.

Halloween

It's Halloween!

Already??

Well, Mother Nature sure agrees with the time of year... but where has the year gone??

Last night, Eric and I actually dressed up and went to a couple of our friends' parties. And can you believe it - I didn't take a camera with me, so I have no pictures! But one of our friends sent a picture of us from last night, so you get to still see it for yourself. Eric dressed up as a South Beach DJ and I went as a safari girl/female version of Indiana Jones (complete with whip!). It was fun! And funny. LOL It was my first time really going out in awhile, so I made a point to thoroughly enjoy myself. Good times...

On that note, if any of you head out tonight, be safe!

Happy Halloween!

Just When I Thought I Could Relax...

So the moving is pretty much done (just some random things left in the garage), as is most of the cleaning, so I thought I could finally relax a little. You know, put my focus somewhere besides my house.

Wrong again.

We met with a realtor, and due the the pretty crappy sellers market, we've got some sprucing up to do before it even hits the market. So my time will still all be going to my house for the next couple of weeks.

Eric and I figured on some of the things, but others, though we discussed, we were hoping to get away with not doing until 3 months down the road (or more... or not at all) if the showings weren't going well. Basically, though, even though I'm in one of the better areas regarding sales, this past month in particular hit a wall for home sales.

Oh... and the fun part... we get to take some furniture BACK up to my house to stage it. She basically said vacant house aren't moving at all! So we'll take a mix of stuff back up, just enough to make it look nice, though I'm sure it won't look lived in. But that's what buyers want to see.

*sigh*

It's Great to be an Auburn Tiger!

On Sunday, when the new USA Today and AP polls came out, I was ecstatic that Auburn was ranked #3 in both of them. I don't think anyone imagined Auburn was going to be this good this year. Not that we we expecting a bad year... but 8-0?? Awesome!

I was even more thrilled to see the BCS poll come out today... Auburn ranked #1, baby! A tough schedule pays off (and beating another top 10 team last weekend helped). But wait... the last three weeks since the BCS first came out for the year, all the #1's have been beaten. Uh-oh... should I be worried? Is this a sign?

I don't know. All I know for sure is Cam Newton should win the Heisman! He is an amazing quarterback!! He's breaking records, left and right, and he does it all with a big ol' smile! You gotta love that...

Still have a few tough games ahead of us, including Bama (the original #1 to be knocked off). Hopefully, the team doesn't come out too confident for any of the games and let someone beat us that has no reason to beat us.

Regardless, it's great to be an Auburn Tiger! Especially this year!!

Stress. Yes, Stress!

I really think that I am more stressed being unemployed than I ever was employed. And it has nothing to do with being unemployed. It's the moving. It's taken over my life and quite frankly, I'm sick and tired of it. Literally.

I have stressed myself sick. I feel like I have flu like symptoms... but it's not the flu. The achiness is simply the stress and the head congestion and sinus pressure is mostly the time of the year... but also stress. I haven't been allowed to just sit still for awhile. I try to do that in the mornings a bit, but I get guilty twinge if I watch TV because 'there's stuff I need to do', so I can't enjoy my down time. I'm just going, going, going... and I don't like that. My body and mind can't handle that. I need my down time. It's very valuable to be and I've always cherished that time.

And then Eric tries to get me out of the house because he thinks I need it. I don't need it. Nor do I want it. I understand his intentions are good, but I just want my 'me' time! There are some things I'd like to do right here in the house that would leave me completely content. Let me just chill on the couch. Let me work on something that benefits me, and only me. Let me do something to pamper myself. I don't need to leave the house to get myself in a relaxation mode. In fact, I'll do much better not leaving the house (so long as it doesn't mean working on the house). I'm not that person that has to be constantly doing something to be happy. In fact, that makes me very UNhappy!

*sigh*

I know this seems like a bunch of bitching and whining at this point. This blog seems to be full of it lately. It has just been a very frustrating month of being unemployed. And unlike my previous unemployment, someone sees me day to day and just wants to make sure I don't get bored or depressed while unemployed. But the fact of the matter it, as long as the unemployment is short lived, I'm fine with it. It gives me a chance to do things for me that I don't normally get to do. This particular time, it was moving to start with, with the down time to follow. Unfortunately, the moving took much longer than anticipated and just became a stressful event. And no down time to date.

I NEED my down time!

One Month Down...

Today marks one month since my last day of employment. As much as I'd love to say 'all is well', it's not. Well, on the job front, at least.

I'm still waiting to hear back from the two prospective employers, both of which I've had two interviews with as well as post interview follow-up. I tried touching base at the end of last week - one had the decision maker out of the office all week and the other, my contact was at a conference a majority of the week. So no luck there.

So I wait.

Granted, I've kept plenty busy with the moving and all. I actually wouldn't mind a little actual down time before getting a job. But I'd at least like to know something's coming. Hopefully I'll hear more this week!

Moving is a Total Drag

Moving really sucks. I'm not sure when or how I would've gotten moved out of my house if I wasn't unemployed. I thought I could knock it out in a week. WRONG!!

Granted, I've had no real deadline. Yes, I want to get it on the market or rented. But there's no one standing over me, telling me I have to be out by a certain date. Except Eric. And he adds a whole other level of stress to the situation. I've never had more tension in my neck and shoulders caused by pure stress as I have the past few weeks. To him, it should be a cut and dry, in and out process. But he also has half the amount of stuff I have - every place he's lived before the current house has been a fraction of the size of my house, PLUS, he's moved a lot in the past decade... I've moved ONCE... into my house! Well, not entirely true... I moved from Atlanta, to an apartment in Indy, where within the first 6 months, a signed a contract for my house. So I was pretty much ready to go by the time the house was built 6 months later.

He argues that I've know about this for nearly a year and should have been able to have this done awhile back. But then it goes back to the fact that I still have a lot of stuff and even with being unemployed and nothing else to focus on for three weeks, it's still taking time. Every weekend from Christmas until the wedding, and even through last month, I/we had something going on. So what was I supposed to do - take time off work? Not hold commitments to friend on the weekends? Completely drain myself of all energy and happiness right before the wedding? It wasn't that I didn't want to get moved... I just didn't have the massive chunk of time to do what I'm doing now.

And I'm still not done. All the big stuff has been moved. Now I have all the remnants... the things scattered on the floor that are waiting for their fate to be decided. Is it something that just didn't fit in a previous box? Something put aside for Goodwill? Or is it just something to be thrown away? Then there's the cleaning... (mental note - rearrange furniture more often). But at least that's easy as to what gets cleaned up... EVERYTHING!

The good news through all of this... I AM going through things. Five trips to Goodwill so far, and there's at least one, if not two more trips to come. And there's been three weeks of a very packed 90 gallon trash bin, as well. So there will be less stuff for next time we move!

Jags Beat Colts!!

The Jags did it again... they pulled out an upset over the Colts!

Somehow, they are able to do this against the Colts on a semi-regular basis. And it amazes me every time. My Jags looked awful the previous two weeks, coming into this game with just one win over Denver. I was excited that they were keeping this game so close, then got even more excited when they were up with 2 minutes to go.

But then Peyton did his thing and drove it down the field for a touchdown to tie it up. His only mistake was that he left time on the clock. All David Garrard had to do was move it close enough for the amazing Josh Scobee to kick a field goal, which he did from 59 yards out as time expired. Again. Though this time it was a longer kick - 3rd longest last second winning field goal in NFL history (who keeps all these random stats that they can throw them out so quickly??). Last time he did this against the Colts it was on the Colts' home field. This time it was in front of a home crowd.

Go Jaguars!

175,000

I hit yet another milestone today... well, my Xterra did. She rolled over 175,000 miles!! And the best part is, they are all mine! LOL

So here it is, more than 10 years later (I bought her in June of 2000), with over 175,000 miles on her, and my Baby Bleu has still never left me stranded (knock on wood). She didn't have her first major repair until this past year... and it was a pretty big repair (intake gasket - basically had to take apart most of the engine). But even when it blew, she still got me home. And I love her for that.

What does this all mean? Well, nothing really. I don't plan on getting a new car anytime soon (though Eric wants me to... at least after I'm employed again). I know she's good for another 25,000 miles, at least! But I will say this... I'm 95% sure my next vehicle will be a Nissan again!

Two 2nd Interviews Down...

Okay... so as if I wasn't already torn about the job situation, now I am even more so. I should just be thrilled that I've had the two companies interested in me in this economy, let alone the fact that I had two follow-up interviews! And I'm trying not to get my hopes up about either. I mean, really... what are the odds of getting two offers? Slim, I'm guessing.

But anyway, my thought on which company I was leaning towards kind of flipped after the follow-ups. I'm not going into detail, but I think it might just be the actual people I interviewed with - it was different people involved and maybe it was just the different personalities. I don't know.

All I can do now is wait and see. It sounds as if both would require yet another meeting with different people if it progresses. Keep your fingers crossed for me!

I Love Auburn Football!

I just have to write a quick note about my team... I LOVE Auburn Football!!

I was so nervous last night about the game against South Carolina. First off, I hate Steve Spurrier. He's the devil. He always seem to have something up his sleeve... whether it's legit/fair always seems to be questionable. It was like that when he was at Florida, and he's like that with South Carolina.

And, well... South Carolina was making us look pretty bad for awhile. Though I guess some of the blame had to be on ourselves... some bad plays were definitely made! But in the end, we pulled it off and even managed to look really good in the last few minutes.

Whew... close one again!

One Week Down

Well, my first week of being unemployed has past and not much has changed. Things have happened... but no changes.

I've had two interviews so far, and both have requested follow up interviews. That's a good thing. But they are two extreme different sides of the ball, as far as what I'd be doing... so I'm kind of going back on forth on what I really want to do. And of course, I'm pessimistic with the thinking of that "it'll just be another two years before this happens again." It seems to be a cycle.

On the packing front... well, I can sum it up with an analogy. My house is like a bowl of pasta (or rice)... no matter how much I pack, it seems like what's left has only grown. It feels like the packing will never be done. Not a good feeling. I'll feel a little better when I can at least see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Other than that, I like the not having to wake up n the mornings. There's still an alarm for Eric... but I get to roll over and sleep a little longer. I'm so not a morning person... my natural wake up time is 9am... are there any jobs that will work with that??

Wendy's Wedding

Today was finally the big day... Wendy's Wedding!! She's been looking forward to this day for as long as I've known her, and more specifically, looking forward to marrying Chris for the past fours years or so...

The weather worked with us... no rain and only a little bit of humidity. It would've been nice to have more breezes, but all in all, it was nice. As the final preparations and set up wound down, the time had come. Wendy put her dress on and got all cinched up by her sister... and then it was time for her Dad to walk her down the LONG aisle from the pavilion, across the playground, and to her waiting groom.

The ceremony, itself, was very non-traditional... one of Chris' long time friends conducted the ceremony and it was filled with Dr. Seuss moments, baseball analogies, and even a unity margarita. And of course a monkey. But it suited the bride and groom perfectly and everyone enjoyed it for what it was - a very personalized ceremony of two people who belong to each other.

After the ceremony, we headed back to the pavilion for much of the traditional reception activities. There was the toast, the cake cutting, the first dance, father-daughter dance, the bouquet toss, and the garter toss. They had a 'photo booth' set up to serve as personalization for their guest book - take some goofy pictures and sign your well wishes on a scrap book page. This is where your personality got to shine trough in the celebration, complete with silly dress-up items you could add to your attire. And there were definitely some interesting ones taken...

So all in all, it was a great time and the perfect day for Wendy and Chris. I, personally, wish them the best. As I said in my toast... there will be many more roads travelled for them... and I know they will have fun on all of them.

A Victim of the Economy... Again

So amidst all of these good times with friends and family I've been having, a major downer was sent my way. Once again, I was laid off.

This time, however, I was given early notice (which I've now decided is a bad thing... I'll explain why later in this blog). Last week, after a major announcement from the company on Tuesday about needing to make cuts of all forms (due to an international debacle, basically - my opinion), I was called into a meeting with the head of HR and my boss. As soon as I saw who was calling me, I knew what was happening. This wasn't my first time. Sure enough... though I was surprised I wasn't leaving right then... I figured boxes would be waiting for me. But they wanted to smoothly transition things over. I understood. And I wanted my clients to be taken care of, not screwed over.

This turned out to be a very hard thing to do. Not the transitioning, but the coming in everyday, knowing that in less than two weeks you wouldn't be there. I couldn't tell anyone in my department - I knew I wouldn't be able to handle the questions, the sympathy, etc. I'd start crying at the thought of it, let alone being prompted! So it was kept quiet, only being shared with those work was being transitioned to. Everyday, I took a few things home to avoid having multiple boxes to take home today. Last Friday, one of the big bosses called me upstairs - he was completely torn up about the situation. He even teared up a little talking to me and offered whatever help and support he could give. And again today, another one of the top guys called me up... and he, too, teared up. It's hard seeing the bosses tear up - though you definitely get the sincerity of how they feel in the situation. That meant a lot to me, though it didn't make it any easier. I got similar sympathy and support from the few others that knew the past week or so.

Once I came to grips with the situation and the fact that it was happening to me for the second time in this crappy economy, I started to see the silver linings and bright spots to the whole situation. I'm good at that. For one, I'll be able to get fully packed and moved out of my house in Fishers... FINALLY! This is what I needed - a big chunk of time to just spend up there, making it happen. It also came to light the type of connections I have made in my industry. Pleasantly surprised by that. In fact, there are a couple of prospects due to these connections, so maybe it won't be as long before I'm employed this time. But it's scary to see how little is being posted out there...

So keep your fingers crossed for me. The good thing is I have someone to back me up this go around. Eric has already been a big support for me the past couple of weeks. And since we're married, I won't have to lose insurance coverage or completely lose an income. We'll just be a single income for awhile. Plus what little unemployment will give us.

Here I go again!