Looking for a summer job

I was thinking how nice it would be to have a summer job. Like going back to the college days of working part time and spending the rest of the time laying on Bradford Beach. I'd put in a few hours at the desk, sorting, filing, answering the phone thinking wow I have a great job. And the rest of the time I'd be reading a book, working on an art project or waiting for my roommates to get home so we can go out for happy hour. Wasn't that the best? So relaxed and carefree what's stopping me from leaving my full time desk job?

Health Insurance and my 403B.

Let the countdown begin - 30 more years till retirement.

Revenge of the Scale

After eating the best chips and dip in Milwaukee (Cafe Lulu Chips with Blue Cheese Dip) I decided I thought I should weigh myself. I was under the impression that I was still in my early 20s where I could eat anything and not gain a pound. This year, after turning 27 I found that is just not the case. I stepped on the scale and there it landed 10 lbs over my usual weight.

Really? After eating Lulu chips - 10 lbs? I know I haven't got on the spin bike in a week, and have been eating healthy for most of my meals so really that's all it takes a couple days off the track and Lulu chips?

I was bummed the whole weekend. Sunday I had planned to go shopping but how was I suppose to fit in any pants I wanted to try on? I already can't buttom of them that I wore last summer. This was bad, I'm going to have to buy a whole new wardrobe. So I did go shopping. I did fit in my usual size pants at the Limited. How could this be?

I stepped back on the scale Sunday night, yup still 10 lbs over. Step off. Step on. Still 10lbs over. Step off. Look down - the scale is off! Hallelujah! Relief pours over like a beer after work.

I said YES!

I said Yes!

Yesterday Mike and I had reservations to go to the first restaurant we ever ate at which was almost two years ago. BUT before that he said we needed to check out a new sign hanging at the Milwaukee Public Market. I was cold and didn't understand why we were walking over there. Mike turns me around and in chalk was written a proposal. SO confused! Was this really happening! Oh My Gosh he has a ring!

Mike has gotten down on one knee and taken my hand before. I think twice in the kitchen and he'll ask what I want for dinner. Once in Door County and asked if I wanted my $5 ring put back on my finger, once on the sideway and asked if I would wait for him while he tied his shoe. I thought the same thing was happening again!

The public market is where we first go to really know each other. Every Saturday two summers ago Mike would come by my stand where I was selling bags. I sat down and we had candid conversations about past relationships, life, family, values. Our first dinner at Coquet he ordered fish and I thought to myself, wow he likes fish, good start!

I ordered the same meal last night, equally fantastic and Mike explained how he had dinner with my dad, how he got the ring, how excited he was. I was very excite to tell my family.

Little did I know Mike had that all planned out too. My friend sent me a text message seeing if we wanted to meet them for a drink and watch some basketball. Yeah I'm in for that. We get to Riverfront Pizza and I'm trying to look for her and then I see Brandon, and then Mike's cousin and then my friend Sue from Chicago. WHAT! All of our good friends and our family that could be there was there. Yes I did cry as soon as I saw everybody. I couldn't believe they were all there to celebrate this event. It was truly touching.

We are ridiculously happy.

Productivity

It's warmer outside, the snow has melted, the stock market is going up, girl scout cookies have arrived and I no longer have a cold. It's a very good start to the week. I have also been keeping a couple of my new years resolutions, to stay on top of my freelance work and to work on designing new bags.

I've been able to tackle and turnaround freelance projects much faster and get paid quicker. It's a good situation because my clients are happy and I am turn in happy. Before I had so much freelance I wasn't able to get to it when I needed to and projects could go on for months. Many of my clients are non-profits who don't have big budgets for web design or print design so I work within their budget, but the other day a client mentioned I should charge more for my work. I have to say that felt really good hearing that.

Since beginning of February I have been indulging in my other love, recycling. I have so much donated fabric in my Wauwatosa basement and in my West Bend sewing room that it seriously needs to go somewhere. It has been a kick in the pants to start working on some newly design handbags. After experimenting with zippers, rivets and pockets I've put together a few samples. The response from my purse loving friends has been exciting. Right now I'm currently working on very small purses or wristlets and a larger clutch version. Now I just have find a zipper supplier and fix one of my sewing machines and then I'll be sewing sewing sewing....with some freelance mixed in.

Sick of Sharing

Ever since Valentines Day the honey and I haven't been feeling well. Yesterday and today have been awful. I have not showered, changed my clothes and have filled up wastebaskets of kleenex. I have lied around for the past 30 hours sleeping, watching bad reality tv and not eating. Mike and I have been passing sickness back and forth and I'm tired of it, literally. I feel like I need to detox the house so this won't happen again.

Itching

After reading halfway through a new book "Broken Open: How Difficult Times Can Help Us Grow" which was recommended from a friend, I feel stuck, swamped and sedated. The book's responsibility is to enlighten one during a difficult time to overcome and become an even stronger person. Questions of happiness start to bubble the surface, I thought I was happy. I am in a great relationship, I have a good challenging job, I have creative outlets and supportive friends and family.

For the next couple days I questioned all of these things. Was I really in the relationship I was meant to be in? Shouldn't I be searching for my dream job? Shouldn't I be living in a city I want to live in? Am I that creative? Am I good at what I do? I started to put all this behind me because I didn't want to think about it, I was completely and utterly happy before I started reading this book so why did I ever start reading it in the first place? I was hoping to become a better person.

After now a month of not picking the book up again, i get little reminders about these things and I'm starting to itch. What would it be like to live in Denver or work at a travel magazine or become a handbag designer? I guess I want it all right now. When I was a teenager all I wanted to do was be in my 20s so I could drink, have a cool job and social with really cool people. How I get to having it all I don't know, but maybe I have it.

Take a Vote

A look back at 2008

Recently I've been thinking about how awful this winter is, how cold it is, how much snow we have. I realize this will pass and there will be green grass and moments of reading outside again. I was also thinking how over the course of every year my life tends to change. This year the big change was moving in with Mike. I am in a committed relationship with someone I could live with for the rest of my life. I would have never thought that a couple years ago, nor would I have wanted it.

In 2008:

1. Watched my sister get married, move into a house and buy a puppy
2. Relaxed, drank, ate and made friends in Cabo, Mexico
3. Ate my first Izumi's fish fry and then many many more
4. Tubed on Shawano lake - which I haven't since I was in high school
5. Danced, partied and tanned in Fort Myers beach with the girls
6. Designed my favorite campaign to date - the Flavors of Denver and am very happy that they raised a huge amount of money, topping last year's event.
7. Double Dated at Noah's Ark
8. Lost a lot of money in the stock market
9. Took Mike to his first State Fair
10. Won best an award for best email campaign within the nations continuing education schools.
11. Learned how to cook with garlic or cook in general
13. Feel in love with the blue cheese dip at Lulu and Juniper 61
14. Chaired a committee at work to raise money for local and national nonprofits
15. Saw some really great music acts: Ray LaMontange in Madison, Amos Lee in Chicago and Milwaukee, Jack Johnson in Alpine Valley, Matt Costa in Atlanta, Jeffery Foucault in Milwaukee and Fort Atkinson and the best show ever - Bruce Springsteen and the E-Street band at Harley Fest
16. Surprised Mike with a trip to Atlanta to see his best friend
17. Learned a lesson to stay away from group dinners over 8 people
18. Meet about 50 more relatives of Mike's in one evening
19. Pushed myself to design better, say no to clients and be utterly creative
20. Learned to: value the friends I am closest with, reconnect with old friends, take criticism with a grain of salt, cherish the time I have with my grandmas and grandpa, live responsibly not extravagantly, speak up, and most of all love the one I'm with.

Payoff

So after the previous ranting, that day happened to be our work holiday party. At which time two awards were given out for employee excellence. Guess who won the first? Yes yours truly, out of 80 employees I won an award for outstanding work. It was ironic while I was standing beside the Dean while she was reading that I make all my deadlines, am very optimistic, etc that the two week prior I have not made one deadline and would rather drink arsenic for lunch than work on a project. I do hope that being the only one in the office over the winter break, I'll be able to catch up on all my projects and you know be prepared for that big 17 day vacation come March.

Give me a straight answer

At work I deal with all types of people. Nice people, demanding people, controlling people, crazy fun people. The past couple weeks I've dealt with them all more so than before. Today was the first day in a really long time that if the person on the other side of the telephone was standing in front of me I would have mustered up all my frustration and punched them.

You see this person on the other side of the phone is not the person you can get a straight answer from when you ask her a general question. And if it's a billable question, this person wants it in writing. But when asked a very general question she will not answer it. Not at all. And when the process is not followed to a T but made efficient for a brief moment in time, who gets a lecture? I do.

If I'm not an alcoholic by 2009 I'd be surprised.

$1.59

Gas is now down to $1.59. And for all you milk drinkers, the price for a gallon of milk is $1.98 (with coupon). According to this ad, you're saving $1.91. Everything is half off this Christmas, except movie tickets.

Sleep

As soon as it started getting cold out I LOVE sleeping. At work at about 3pm I can't wait to cuddle up, put my head on the pillow and have sweet dreams. It's hard to stay up at night unless something really exciting is going on like a wedding, 80's dancing or some really good Entertainment news. Since it's been cold a new soft furry blanket has made friends with the sheet and quilt. I end up kicking down the cotton sheet so that my body is wrapped up in this milk chocolate fur. It is absolutely wonderful.

Red Lobster

Yesterday, for the first time in over 15 years I dined at Red Lobster. Since I had an extremely frustrating day at work all I wanted a cold beer and fried food. Mike and I have been to the dive places in Tosa so we decided to try something new - Red Lobster. I anticipated red leather booths, all you can eat fried shrimp and the smell of grease. Not the case. I would say it's the equivalent to a Applebees. The decor was nice, the menu had variety but there was not all you can eat anything. The food was so so. I can't believe we went there - next time I'm going back to the Rick Inn on capital where jack and cokes are less than $5 and the fried fish is awesome.

$1.69

Gas is now $1.69. I thought it would spike after lunch due to holiday traveling. Clearly it went the other way. Down. I'm back to bombay sapphires tonics and doesn't it feel good.

$1.79

Gas has now drop 10 cents since my last post. Which means it dropped in two days. If we continuing dropping at 10 cents lets say per week (to be generous) we will be at $1.29 at Christmas, maybe $1.39 because of traveling. Today it is now more than half of what it was this summer. Since people are having trouble buying cars and paying loans i have an idea. Forget that your 401K down, it will be back up after your hair has fallen out. So your now paying half of what you used to for gas. Let's put that money toward your mortgage or your car loan or the new purchase of a car, rather than material things or a to "stimulate" the economy. It will be slow but then the banks can start trusting in the average person and we will be back on track.

Revenge of the gnome

I thought I found all the 40+ gnomes that lived in my dad's house. I was proven wrong. When I opened a box in the storage room labeled "Kitchen" I pulled out a sculpture that Mom had made. "Cool" I thought, "There must be more." So I started unwrapping the newspaper and there in my hand lay Caroline, the ballet gnome; Yule, the Christmas gnome; Val, the valentine gnome; etc. Total gnome count before Monday was 60+. Then I talked to my grandma in Oconomowoc who mentions she has more gnomes for me to take ((since she is moving (which will be a completely different blogpost)). I think my mom was crazy and my dad was crazier for letter her spend $30, even more for each gnome. I have no idea what value they added to everyday life but I have spent over one day trying to sell these creatures on ebay. I'll try to say goodbye but I know that is probably not the case.

$1.89

Gas is now $1.89.

Last Friday it was $1.99 which I didn't think it would hit that mark until the end of the year. Christmas has come early for gas guzzlers. Where will it be by the end the year, lower or higher? I was reading the December issue of Money Magazine which experts said the gas price may drop to the price it was last year...around $2.35. If the experts aren't on, who else isn't? The government. This price drop is a better bailout plan than Bush sending out checks to everyone but the rich.

My question is why is a half gallon of milk more expensive than gas?

My little sister got married

My little sister got married Nov. 1st in Fort Myers Beach, Florida. I don't think I've ever drank, partied and danced four days in a row. Whatever it took, money, stress, coffee we all made it work and it was so much fun. The highlight of the trip was party after the wedding. Most of the wedding party, friends, family crowded into the Tiki bar which had the best DJ ever. Within minutes of a song request the dj would play it. More than half of the bar was guest from the wedding. And most of us stayed to close it down. I also learned that you cannot take an open intoxicant into the car. Which I guess I wanted to do. But by the time I plopped myself into grandpa's big chair I was asleep.

The weather, the seafood, family and friends made for a very good beach wedding.

What a weekend

It was very hard to get up this morning. It could have been that I topped off constant blue moon beer drinking with a glass of red wine. Between gallery night on Friday, a birthday party, cleaning the house, buying pumpkins, cooking at 2am, and the third annual Mike and Gina pumpkin party I think I deserved to sleep in a little bit.