Weekend Reflections

Annie noted how quiet the blogging world had been and I would have to agree. I know I haven't blogged in way too long. Hopefully I can do a little better this week.

Last week was a super busy one filled with late working hours and not a lot of fun. I worked from home until about 2 AM most nights and until 4 AM Thursday night trying to finish up a report for work. Fortunately I finished it on Friday and so that late night working from home should be over. From the end of the Summer up until the end of the fiscal year (end of September) is always a busy season for us but getting this report out is one of my main tasks, and it is taken care of.

On Wednesday evening I got to go to my hometown for work... which was nice. I had meetings down there on Thursday. The meetings were somewhat stressful but overall they went well.

Saturday was probably the most exciting day of the week. My parents came to the town where I live on Friday night and on Saturday morning myself, my parents, my brother and my brother's girlfriend all went to an academic symposium on the debate between government controlled space exploration and privatized space exploration. I am showing my true "dork colors" by telling you that I went to a symposium on a Saturday morning... but I am even more of a dork when I tell you that it has been on my calendar for at least six months.

One of the organizations that I was involved with in college sponsored the event and so I had been notified of the event and the speakers that would be there for quite some time. When I saw on the agenda that Burt Rutan would be there I knew I had to go. If you don't know who Burt Rutan is, do yourself a favor and click on the link above and read a little bit about him. He's an absolute genius and was named one of Time Magazine's "100 Most Influential People of the World" after winning the X Prize for his work with Space Ship One .

I had the privilege of hearing him speak at Osh Kosh a couple of years ago and even got to see Space Ship One and Global Flyer fly that year. I was very excited to hear him speak, get a chance to meet him and even get his autograph on Saturday.

I did skip out of the afternoon part of the symposium. After staying up until 4 AM on Thursday night I was still pretty tired... and asking me to sit still and listen to people talk all day is asking a lot. My ADD tendencies kick in after about an hour. :-)

So this week I am thankful for lots of things. As always, I am thankful for my family and Brun. I am thankful that my report is finished and late work hours should be over (at least for now). I am thankful that I got to meet Burt Rutan and I am thankful for the rain we got on Saturday. We are suffering from record breaking heat and drought here so the rain was a welcome reprieve.

I hope everyone else had a great week!

Weekend Reflections

I haven't been very diligent with participating in Weekend Reflections recently but I will try to do better.

Last Sunday night I was talking to my friend Andrew at church and he asked if I had heard about the meteor shower that night. I had not but I told him that he and whoever were welcome to come over to the house later and watch. I live a little bit out of town and have a relatively big yard for us to hang out in. Andrew came over about 9 and a few other friends came over around 10:30. Andrew and I laid in the lounge chairs in the back yard for three hours. We only saw about 10 meteors in those three hours... but oh well. It was fun and Andrew and I got a chance to catch up. It is not very often that I take three hours to relax, talk and enjoy the beauty of God's creation... I should do it more often.

On Monday, I got some great news. I was happy to find out that my Uncle was able to go home from the hospital. He had been in the hospital for about a week but was finally doing well enough that they let him go home. I have been really worried about him but he is continuing to do better.

Tuesday night I headed to my hometown for work. I was there for meetings and to teach a class on Wednesday and Thursday. Thursday after I got home I had a lot of work to do. I have a major report due this week and so I worked on that until about 2 AM. Friday we had visitors so I got to go out to a nice lunch with people from my work.

This weekend no one was at the house other than Brun and I. Fortunately he let me sleep in Saturday morning and to "reward" him I took him to the vet to have his nails trimmed. He hates going to the vet so he was mad at me the rest of the day. Saturday morning and afternoon I worked on lots of sewing projects that I had been putting off. I also went to a wedding shower on Saturday afternoon for a couple at church. Overall it was a productive and relaxing day... my favorite kind of day.

This week I am thankful for friends that are coming back to town after being gone all summer. I am thankful that my Uncle is doing better. I am also thankful for the rain that we got yesterday... it was much needed. I hope everyone else had a great week! For more Weekend Reflection, visit Judi at Mommy of Two.

Weekend Reflections

Well my week was basically taken up with my trip to St. Louis for work. It was a good trip and just in case you missed it, you can read the recap of the trip here.

I arrived back in the town where I live Thursday evening and basically unpacked and rested Thursday night. On Friday it was back to work. I felt like I spent the whole day chatting with people in my office… but for the most part it was not social chatting. After being out of the office it was good to catch up with everyone and find out what they had been working on during the week. Friday night I chilled at home and did some things around the house.

On Saturday morning I got up and ran errands and went over to my grandparent’s old house to paint more ceilings. My arms are still sore but the ceiling looks a ton better. My brother and dad came in while I was there after arriving home from their trip to Oshkosh, Wisconsin for the EAA AirVenture event.

So this week I am thankful that all of us (me, my dad, my brother and his girlfriend) had safe trips to and from our destinations. I am thankful for all of the cool things I got to see and do while in St. Louis. I am thankful for my mom who kept my doggie while I was gone. I am also thankful that my summer travel season is nearly over.

I hope everyone else had a great week. Go on over to Judi’s to read about everyone else’s week.

Weekend Reflections

I have not been very bloggy lately but I am going to try and do better this week. It has been a summer full of travel and this week was no different. I fortunately was able to spend the week in my hometown with my parents… so that made the travel not nearly as bad.

Sunday morning I was in the town where I live but on Sunday afternoon, Brun and I headed to my hometown. On Monday I had meetings for work in my hometown and then Tuesday through Thursday I was working in Selma for my fifth week. Only one more week to go… but that final week has been delayed for a couple of weeks. On Friday, I had meetings in my hometown. Friday afternoon was not what I originally planned and resulted in the first tow truck ride for Brun, mom and I.

The three of us eventually made it back to the town where I live. Saturday morning it was off to the Hallmark store for ornament premiere weekend… yes that’s right… Christmas ornaments. This is when Hallmark releases most of their ornaments and offers lots of incentives for you to come in and buy your ornaments early. My mom has always collected ornaments and now that I have my own house I collect them as well. We both bought an embarrassing number of ornaments. I love Christmas, so I don’t mind getting in the mood early.

After we finished up there we did a little more shopping and headed to my brother’s house (which is actually my grandparent’s old house). We picked bunches of blueberries and did a little work around the house. Eventually we are going to sell it so I am going to do some more work around there this week. Saturday night my parents headed back to my hometown with Brun in tow. I fly out to St. Louis next weekend for work… so I went ahead and sent him back with them. I am really going to miss him this week.

So this week I am thankful for a lot of things. I am thankful for good fortune related to the tow truck incident. I am thankful for the fact that I am nearly finished with my busy summer travel schedule. I am thankful for my parents… who not only take care of me but do such a great job taking care of my puppy.

I hope everyone else had a great week! For more Weekend Reflections, visit Judi at Mommy of Two.

Weekend Reflections

Well it’s been another good… and of course busy week. Last Sunday was Father’s Day. I was blessed with a wonderful father who puts up with my whining, and who along with my mom always gets to see my worst side. We have had a lot of great memories over the years and I am very lucky to have a father who loves me so much… despite all of my faults. My parents were in the town where I live on Sunday and so we went to church and then out to lunch. Mom left to go back home Sunday afternoon and Dad stayed until Monday.

On Monday, it was a typical work day and then my dad and I headed back to my hometown. On Tuesday, I was back in Selma for Week #3 of my work in Selma. On Tuesday evening we also went out for my mom’s birthday. Her birthday wasn't until Thursday but since I was in town we celebrated on Tuesday night. We went to a great local seafood place and ate some awesome shrimp.

I mentioned that I have a wonderful dad… well I also have a wonderful mom. I know we may all but heads from time to time, but I love them both so much and I am very lucky to have them as a continuing part of my life. For my mom’s birthday, my brother and I went together and got her a Scooba. Like the Roomba, it is a floor cleaning robot… but this one mops for you. She was very excited about her gift.

Thursday I finished Week #3 in Selma (halfway… yea!!) and headed back to the town where I live. I left Brun at my parent’s house and even though I miss him a lot, I know he is having a great time hanging out in the country with their dogs.

Thursday night I tried to catch up a little around the house and then Friday it was back to work. I made an eye appointment for Friday afternoon because (a) I am out of contacts and (b) by making an appointment on Friday afternoon I forced myself to leave work early. The eye appointment went fine and then I came home, took a nap and hung out at home Friday night.

Saturday I didn't set the alarm and since Brun wasn't home I got to sleep as late as I wanted. I still got up by 9 or so but it was nice to be able to sleep in. Saturday was filled with laundry and cleaning and errand running.

This week I am very thankful for my wonderful parents who love me, put up with me and are two of my best friends. I am also thankful that I am halfway done with my trips to Selma. Finally, I am thankful that Brun can hang out with his grandparents and “cousin dogs” while I am busy traveling for work.

I hope you all had wonderful weeks! For more Weekend Reflections, be sure to visit Judi.

Weekend Reflections

Well it's been another busy week on the road.

Last Sunday was a good day. Our small group at church had a bible class after church Sunday night at one of the member's homes. It was a good class... very thought provoking.

Monday was a typical Monday in the office trying to get ready to be on the road for most of the week. Monday night I headed for my hometown in preparation for my three days in Selma (Tuesday through Thursday). Brun had stayed with my parents last weekend so I was very happy to see him when I got to their house.

Tuesday was Day 1 in Selma... nothing too exciting there. Wednesday morning I had a meeting back in my hometown so I was a bit delayed getting to Selma. That was okay with me that meant that I didn't have to stand outside all Wednesday morning. Thursday finished up Week 2 in Selma (1/3 complete) and I headed back to the town where I live with Brun in tow.

On Friday I was back in the office trying to catch up from being gone. Friday afternoon my parents came into town for the weekend. Even though I had seen them for most of the week I am always happy to see them. Friday night we went out to Logan's with Leslie, ToolMan and CRB. Friday night I had to give Brun a bath. He has a lot of fun at my parents house but he comes back FILTHY! I should have washed him on Thursday but I was too tired to worry about it.

Saturday was my "catch up" day. I took Brun to the vet to have his nails cut. That sounds rather girly but he spends enough time inside that I take him to the vet to have them trimmed fairly regularly. After that I started running errands including purchasing a Father's Day card and present and looking for a new purse. Leslie met me at one of the malls and that is when we found our FitFlops.

I spent most of the afternoon running errands and then came home for a late afternoon nap. I must have been pretty tired because when my parents called at 8:15 to see what I wanted to eat for dinner they woke me up and I wasn't sure if it was morning or night. :-) They brought home some dinner and we watched some TV. Saturday and Sunday was the 24 Hours of LeMans Sports Car race so I stayed up way too late last night watching that.

So I guess my week was pretty boring. I am thankful for the fact that I have completed two weeks in Selma (only four more to go). I am thankful that I am able to squeeze in a much needed nap from time to time. I am thankful for my parents who let me stay with them when I am on the road for work, who take care of my dog while I am traveling and who still take care of me.

I hope everyone had a great week! Be sure to visit Judi for more Weekend Reflections.

Weekend Reflections

Well it has been another busy week (I feel like I say that every week). Last Sunday my parents were in town and so it was good to have them here. We went to church and I napped all afternoon. I try not to nap all afternoon on Sunday's but some days it just works out that way. Then after my nap it was back to church. We had singing last Sunday night. I love to sing and so I enjoyed that.

On Monday it was a fairly typical day at work filled with lots of meetings (as most Monday's usually are) and preparing for the rest of the week. On Monday night it was off to my hometown with Brun in tow.

On Tuesday my summer of travel for work really got kicked off. I have been dreading it but the sooner it starts the sooner it will be over... right? On Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday of this week I had to work in Selma, Alabama. During those three days I am helping to train and deploy law enforcement officers on a computer program. It's a cool computer program but working with them for three days straight and spending time outside for half a day on Wednesday and half a day on Thursday in the near 100 degree heat is completely exhausting work. This was week one... I have five more weeks of it. So from now until mid July (except for the week of the fourth of July) I will be spending more time in Selma than in my office.

The good part of my time in Selma is that I do get to spend time with my parents in my hometown. I have opted to stay with them since they live close enough to Selma that I would rather drive back and forth every day as opposed to stay in a hotel. If you remember, I HATE hotels.

On Tuesday night I went to Amberly's with my mom and dad to "help" with the sewing project. I don't really know how to sew so I was much more useful playing with Amberly's girls than trying to help with the sewing. And I honestly probably enjoyed hanging out with them as opposed to trying to be useful on the sewing front. :-)

Thursday night I came back to the town where I live and accomplished absolutely nothing. I was so exhausted that I just sat/layed on my couch and watched TV. On Friday I went back to the office and tried to catch up from being out of the office for three days. I had to stay until 7 pm trying to get stuff done.

However, Friday night and Saturday were just for me. I cooked dinner Friday night and tried to catch up a little bit around the house. Saturday I worked on a number of different projects (including cleaning my messy house), watched a lot of racing, wore my pajamas all day and honestly never left the house. It was wonderful. :-)

So this week I am thankful that one week of my travel to Selma (16.67%) is over. I am thankful that my house is relatively clean and will hopefully stay that way while I am out of town this week. I am thankful that I had Friday night and Saturday to "catch up" on sleep and on projects for me.

I hope everyone had a great week. For more Weekend Reflections participants, visit Judi at Mommy of Two.

Weekend Reflections

Well it's been another busy week. Sunday was a good day filled with church and lots of race watching. I was very happy with the outcome of the IRL and NASCAR race so it was a nice day.

Monday was a holiday for most of this country but for some reason the institution where I work does not recognize it has a holiday. I find that very tacky and really quite disrespectful. A number of people from my office did take off but those of us who were in the office were probably not as productive as we should be... we were all a bit miffed at the fact that we were working on Memorial Day.

Tuesday was another work day but I don't remember anything all that spectacular or memorable. Tuesday night/Wednesday morning at midnight the fun began... it was time for another Woot Off!!! Some of you might remember me talking about the Woot monkeys I got at the last Woot Off. The Woot off started at midnight and when they start you have no idea how long it is going to last... they last at least 24 hours and can go for 72 hours. Well this one turned into a 72 hour marathon and I spent way way WAY too much time constantly watching Woot. I did buy a few very exciting things but given the amount of time that I wasted watching Woot I really did not buy that much.

I did buy a roomba for floor vacumming. It was a great deal and it actually arrived yesterday. I haven't used it yet but I hope to use it later tonight. I also got an emergency car kit with things like jumper cables, flashlight, air compressor, etc. It was $13 and places like Kohl's have them for about $60... so I thought that was a good deal. I also kind of accidentally ordered a portable heater for my car. I didn't know it was for your car and I had to jump on the offer before they ran out... but I'm not quite sure what I will do with that. It was only like $8. I also bought a DVD player that you can mount under your counter or use as a portable DVD player. I probably really didn't need that but it was a great deal and I wanted it... so I bought it. When the Woot Off FINALLY ended on Friday night they didn't have Woot monkeys... this time they had a Woot T-shirt. So I of course had to get one of those.

The Woot Off was fun but the novelty wore off sometime in Day 2 and I was glad to see it end. I stayed up way too late every night watching for what the new item was going to be. I was happy with the stuff that I was able to buy for a good price but there were several other things I would have liked to have gotten that they didn't have... oh well.

Saturday was a busy, busy day. I got up early to run some errands and to finish monogramming some towels for a Wedding Shower present. Around 10:30 (after I finished the present and got it wrapped) I made it to the Wedding Shower. The towels were a big hit so that was nice. After the shower I went to work for a little while to finish some stuff up that I didn't finish during the week due to my excessive Woot watching :-). Then I met my parents for lunch and headed over to the house where my brother lives to help do things around the house.

We are still working on trying to get it ready to sell but we hopefully helped with the curb appeal yesterday. I pulled vines and weeds that were the size of small trees for several hours. Some of the vines were evil with extremely painful thorns. I was not dressed appropriately (I was wearing shorts and a tank top) so I look like I got in a fight with a pack of cats... my legs and arms are all scratched up. But, the two areas we worked on looked SO much better after we finished with them... so it was worth it. We pulled enough out that we made a pile on the street that was as big as my SUV!!!

So this week I am thankful for the Woot off and the cool new things I was able to purchase... I am thankful that the Woot off is over... I am thankful that we were able to make some progress at my brother's house yesterday and I am thankful that I did not have to travel this week.

I hope everyone else had a great week! For more Weekend Reflections, visit Judi at Mommy of Two.

Weekend Reflections

It has been another crazy busy week filled with lots of travel. Last weekend I went to my hometown and attended a baby shower on Sunday afternoon. The baby shower was so nice and the couple got lots of cute things for their baby. While I enjoyed the shower I missed getting my Sunday afternoon nap. :-)

After church Sunday night it was back to the town where I live. I was so tired I came home and went almost directly to bed. Monday was a normal day of work and then it was back to my hometown. On Tuesday I had to work in my hometown and then drive back to the town where I live. On Wednesday it was work back in the town where I live and then right back to my hometown again. Thursday morning was a meeting for work in my hometown and then it was back to the town where I live.

So given that each trip is about 2.5 hours each way... I was in the car 12.5 hours. YUCK!!

Thursday night after I got back to the town where I live Brun had a bath. He had been at my parent’s house all week and even though he had a great time he was filthy!! He loves spending time with my parents and his “cousin dogs” but he comes back quite nasty.

On Friday I had a normal day of work in the town where I live. My dad rode with me back to the town where I live on Thursday afternoon and then my mom came into town Friday night. Friday night we ate at my house and did some stuff around the house.

On Saturday Leslie and I hung out and she and Classic Rock Baby came over and we worked on some sewing projects. I am so amazed at how great Brun is with the baby. He can be an absolute looney toon when we are playing but he is so sweet to the baby… he lets him pet him and squeal at him and he just plays along. Saturday night, my parents and I went to dinner with Leslie, ToolMan and CRB.

The week was filled with lots and lots of travel but it all went well. So I would say my week was pretty tiring and the weekend was definitely the high point. This week I am thankful that I had safe travels in all of my driving. I am also thankful for my family and friends who I spent time with during the week. And I am thankful that I do not have to do any travel next week.

Finally, I am thankful for the fact that this coming Sunday is race day. Being a big racing fan I can start my day with the F1 race, watch the Indy 500 after church Sunday afternoon and then finally finish up the day with the Coca-Cola 600 after church Sunday night. I will be very tired of watching cars drive around in circles (or on road courses in the case of the F1 race) by the end of the day Sunday but I love it. :-)

For more Weekend Reflections, visit Judi.

Weekend Reflections

Well I am once again very late with my Weekend Reflections but I think it is a beneficial thing to reflect on the week that was and so I am going to go ahead and take a shot at it.

The first of last week was fairly routine with work on Monday and work half a day on Tuesday. On Tuesday afternoon I was headed to Atlanta for work. More often than not I dread trips for work that force me to stay in a hotel... but I was actually looking forward to this one. I love Atlanta and while I don't think I would ever want to live there, I do enjoy visiting and it had been a long time since I have been over there.

Because of the way my schedule worked out I traveled alone and met up with some people from work when I got to Atlanta. Call me crazy but I actually prefer to travel alone. I can listen to what I want on the radio, talk on the phone to whoever I want and stop (or not stop) whenever I want... and best of all I don't have to worry about awkward silences between me and whoever else is in the car. :-)

So I arrived safely in Atlanta Tuesday evening and met up with several folks for a wonderful steak dinner at a local restaurant called Houston's. Wednesday was filled with relatively boring meetings but overall they weren't too terrible. By the time Wednesday night rolled around everyone else from my group had headed back home and so I was left in the city by myself. My hotel was in the downtown Buckhead area and so I walked next door to the mall and shopped around a little bit before time for church. I had not been to church in Atlanta in about two and a half years but it was good to see some old friends while I was there. One of them got married and had a baby since the last time I saw him... which was a huge surprise but an exciting one.

After church I made my way to the Cheesecake Factory (one of my absolute favorites) where I enjoyed my sandwich but was disappointed to find out that they were out of the dessert that I love so much. I don't eat cheesecake at all but they have a brownie and ice cream dessert that is wonderful! Since they were out of that I passed and went back to my hotel. Oh well... I didn't need the extra calories anyways.

On Thursday I did not have to be at the meeting until after lunch so I slept in and piddled around the hotel room until lunch time. After my meeting was over I headed back for home. On Thursday night I met my parents and aunt and uncle in Birmingham for a Collector's Club meeting. This is a monthly meeting for Hallmark ornament collectors. I am the youngest member of the club but it's fun to go and they have cool door prizes. On Thursday night my mom, aunt and uncle presented the meeting on their collections... not of Hallmark ornaments but other things. My mom and my uncle both collect old watches so they had a beautiful collection on display for everyone to see. My uncle also collects old wood planes... which are used to shape wood... and so he brought a bunch of those.

After the Collector's Club meeting I finally got back home to my wondeful dog Brun. He was very happy to see me and I was very happy to see him. My roommate is so sweet to take care of him but I still miss him and worry about him while I am gone. My parents also came back to my house for an extended weekend to do some things around the house where my brother lives.

Friday was possibly the least productive day I have ever had at work. :-) I had been out of town for two and a half days so it felt like everyone wanted to visit and catch me up on what I had missed. A lot of it was work discussion but not a lot of real work got done... oh well. Friday night I worked on some sewing projects and ate dinner at home with my parents.

On Saturday morning I didn't accomplish much. Saturday afternoon I went to my brother's house for a very brief time to help my parents do some things around the house and then it was time to head to the wedding.

So it was another busy week but a good one. This week I am thankful for exciting big cities like Atlanta (that I can visit but don't have to live in), old friends who I can catch up with from time to time and for happy couples like Bryan and Haley who find each other.

For more Weekend Reflections, visit Judi at Mommy of Two.

Weekend Reflections

Well it has been another good and busy week. I was in town most of the week so I would say this week was a little less busy than usual.

Last Sunday was spent at church and then at a picnic with our small group from church. This is a program started within our congregation to help us get together in smaller groups in order to get to know each other better and encourage each other to participate in activities. After the picnic I came home and watched the Talladega NASCAR race. As a big NASCAR fan I was a little sad not to be a few hours away at the race but I was also quite happy to be watching it from my couch and not fighting the traffic, crowds and heat.

Monday and Tuesday were your typical work days with normal evening activities. On Wednesday I got a haircut. It really needed it so I was happy to get that taken care of. My hair grows pretty slow so I usually go three or four months between haircuts. Haircuts are stressful to me so I am glad that I don't have to have them any more often than I do.

Thursday was my last day of work for the week... yea!! Thursday right after work I headed to my hometown for a class I was taking on Friday. When I got to my hometown Thursday evening I was able to attend a singing that my parent's congregation was having in one of the member's home. I like the church in the town where I live but I LOVE the congregation where my parents attend. I could go on for hours about why I like my parent's congregation but for now I will just say that I was very happy to be able to gather with some of the folks from their congregation and sing praises to God. Unfortunately, Amberly and her family weren't able to be there because of the "crud" she had late this week.

On Friday I was able to take a class on using my new sewing machine. I will write more on my new machine next week so for now you will have to be in suspense. :-) The class was very informative and I learned a lot. After class my dad, Brun and I headed back to the town where I live. My mom joined us in my town after she got off of work and we were all able to go out to dinner. After that I spent some time using my new sewing machine.

Then this morning the doorbell rang at 7:58 AM. Because my parents were in town, I was sleeping on the couch. You can't really see the couch from the front door so I opted to continue to lay on the couch and ignore the doorbell. I was not awake at 7:58 AM on Saturday morning but my mom was so she went to the door. Apparently the extra early FedEx man brought my Woot monkeys!!!!! When my mom said "The Woot monkeys are here" I popped right up off the couch and tore into the box. I am easily entertained so I was thrilled to get them. :-)

After I opened the Woot monkeys and slingshotted them around the house a few times I laid back down and went back to sleep. Apparently I was pretty tired because I slept until 10 or so regardless of the fact that everyone else in my house got up at 8 or before. After I finally got up I did a little bit around the house and then spent all of the afternoon at the house where my brother lives. This is my grandparent's house and we are trying to do some things to get it ready to sell and so there was lots to be done this afternoon.

After I left there I came back to my house and cooked dinner for my parents and I and continued on some sewing projects. I had several things (mostly graduation presents) I had to finish to send back with my parents so I finally got all of that wrapped up. Leslie, ToolMan and CRB dropped by for a little while to check out the new machine.

So I am thankful for a lot of things this week... I am thankful that I was able to be home most of the week, I am thankful for my parents, I am thankful for good church congregations that I was able to spend some time with this week, I am thankful for my new sewing machine, I am thankful to have my dog back at home with me... and even though I am tired from painting and scraping windows I am thankful for the physical ability to do things like that.

I hope everyone else had a great week! Go visit Judi at Mommy of Two for more Weekend Reflections.

Weekend Reflections

This has been a super busy week. Monday was a fairly typical work day but then I headed back to my hometown Monday night for work on Tuesday.

On Tuesday I had to work in my hometown until mid afternoon and then I had head to south Alabama for work there on Wednesday. On Wednesday I worked in South Alabama and then drove to West Alabama for work that afternoon. By Wednesday night I finally got to come home. I made it to church that night but that was about all I did. I fell asleep Wednesday night laying in bed watching TV and apparently I was so tired I never moved and slept the whole night holding the remote.

Thursday I was in the office for about an hour and then it was back to my hometown for a work meeting. This was just a day trip and fortunately I did not have to drive. By Thursday night I was finally back home and so glad to be there. I don't remember accomplishing anything Thursday night other than watching TV and cooking mac and cheese for dinner. This doesn't sound nutritious to most (and it probably isn't) but after having to eat out most of the week I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Friday I was honestly glad to be back in the office to try and catch up on things. Mid morning my brother (who works in the same office) came in my office and said that he wasn't going to be getting much work done because Friday was a Woot off. If you have never heard of a Woot off I have to refer you to http://www.woot.com/ Normally on Woot, they have one deal per day and they sell them until they are gone. When the deal sells out you have to wait for the next day for the next deal. Some of the specials are great and some of them are for things you would never need.

Well when they have a Woot Off they have constant deals. When one deal sells out they immediately put up another one. Some sell out very quickly (in only a minute or two) and some take hours. This process usually goes on for 24-72 hours in order to help clean out the Woot warehouse. My brother got some great deals on the last Woot off so I immediately became distracted by this and spent much of late Friday morning and afternoon watching the Woot off.

Friday for lunch, my brother and I met Leslie, ToolMan and CRB at a local restaurant. It was yummy... but then it was back to the office and back to watching Woot. I actually did get some work done but not as much as I had planned to. :-)

Friday night Leslie called to see if I wanted to come over for dinner... so I went over to their house for dinner and to spend the evening with them. I probably wasn't the best guest because I was still watching the Woot off... fortunately they became intrigued as well. I actually didn't buy anything during all of this time but it was a lot of fun to watch. Then at 9 something Friday night this came up on the Woot off. It signals the end of the Woot off and immediately clicked the link to buy. I got three!! Yea!! They sold 10,000 of them in less than two minutes so I was fortunate to get them. I am keeping one for me but I will have to decide what to do with the other two.

Today has been a relatively lazy day at home. I love my family, I love my friends, I love my dog and I love my roommate but none of them are here today and I am okay with that. I have been in my pajamas all day long and I haven't left the house. I have cleaned, watched TV, done a little work (to help make up for the time spent watching the Woot off on Friday) and worked on some sewing projects.

To name a few things that I am thankful for... I am thankful that I have a good job... even when it does force me travel. I am thankful that I had safe trips driving all over the state this week. I am thankful that I got three screaming monkeys in the Woot off :-) and I am thankful for lazy days at home.

I hope everyone else had a great week! For more Weekend Reflections, visit Judi at Mommy of Two.

Weekend Reflections

Well it's been another good week... nothing particularly bad that I remember so that is always an accomplishment.

Last Sunday I came back home from my weekend trip to my hometown. Monday wasn't a great day but then Monday night I headed back to my hometown for work on Tuesday. I took advantage of being in my hometown and participating in a smocking class on Monday night. On Tuesday I taught a class for work in my hometown and then came back home. I was in the office the rest of the week and it was pretty routine.

Tuesday night and Wednesday night were spent at church. We had a Gospel Meeting the first of last week and heard some wonderful lessons that I know I needed to hear.

On Thursday night my parents came into town pretty late but after they got here we decided to give Brun a haircut. He had been in need of one for quite some time and by the time we finished it looked like a dog exploded in the back yard... not that I really know what that looks like but you get the picture. He looks so much better and younger somehow. I will try to get a good picture of him sometime... he wasn't very cooperative this weekend.

Friday night after work I had dinner with my family, my brother's girlfriend, Leslie, ToolMan and CRB. It was a bit chaotic at the local Pizza Hut with our big group but it was a lot of fun. After dinner my weekend of crafting started up.

My mom brought her sewing machine to me and so I worked on several embroidery and craft projects. I embroidered a pillow case for a friend for a gift she needed, a t-shirt for CRB, and made and embroidered some receiving blankets for a diaper cake that I made on Saturday. I also worked on my smocking.

On Saturday morning I got up and cleaned the yard (one of the joys of having a doggie and a fenced back yard), washed the dog (another doggie mom pleasure) and got back to my weekend crafting projects. I spent part of the afternoon at my brother's house (which is technically my grandparent's old house) and helped my parents with some painting in the basement.

So it was a fairly mundane week but a good one. I like being able to finish projects and mark things off of my list. I was able to do that with a number of things at work and with my own projects. Of course the list for this coming week is already growing but hopefully this week will be as productive as the last.

I hope everyone else had a great week... go visit Judi for more Weekend Reflections.

Weekend Reflections

As I said in my photo hunters post, I am a bit behind on my blogging but I wanted to stop a second and reflect on the week that was.

Sunday was Easter and it was spent at home with my family and friends from my hometown. It wasn't particularly bad and it wasn't particularly good but you can read more about it here. Sunday night after church Brun and I headed back to our home and we had a nice relatively relaxing week. Monday was a normal day of work and Monday night I had a nice dinner (if you call Pizza Hut nice... and I do) :-) with Leslie, CRB, ToolMan and my brother.

On Tuesday Brun had his yearly vet checkup and I spent the evening trying to make him feel better. Wednesday was a normal work day with church that evening.

Thursday was another work day with several people from my office out of town. Fortunately this allowed me to get a lot of work done and they had a good and productive trip for our organization.

Although it was not in my original plans for the week I decided to take off from work on Friday and head back to my hometown for a serger sewing class with my mom. I do not own a serger and so Thursday after work I went over to Leslie's to borrow hers for the weekend. I had a brief visit with their family and then headed out of town. I was late getting into my hometown but my wonderful parents waited on me for dinner... which meant dinner was not until about 9:30 that night.

Then came time for the serger class. I was really looking forward to the classes on Friday and Saturday and was hoping to learn a lot. Friday went pretty well... I was mentally exhausted by the end of the day but I learned a lot and did not hate the serger. Then came Saturday. This was part two of the serger class and let's just say it was not as positive as Friday was. The goal of Saturday was to finish a pillow project by the end of the day. I did complete the project but as a perfectionist it did not meet my normal standards. :-)

The teacher of the class was not my favorite person and at some point made me so angry that I started crying. I hate to cry in public so this was fairly monumental. However, the owner/manager of the local store was very nice and tried to help cheer me up when my frustration became obvious as the day went on. After class was over I came home and took a two hour nap because I was once again exhausted and frustrated.

I am glad that I took the class but I don't think I will be serging anything any time soon. Sewing with a regular machine and embroidery projects are much more up my alley. I think I will leave the serger stuff to my mom. After I got up from my nap I had several embroidery projects to finish for people by Sunday so I took care of those... and they all came out very cute!

So all in all I would say it was another good week. I was glad to be at my own house for part of the week and glad to be back in my hometown. I do enjoy expanding my horizons and so I did like the serger class... regardless of my tears and frustration. :-)

I hope everyone has a great week... and go visit Judi for more Weekend Reflections.

Weekend Reflections

Last week I mentioned that I was a bit tired of traveling and ready to be home. This week was another busy one but I did get to stay home more and I got to sleep in my own bed a lot more... which is always nice.

Monday and Tuesday were normal work days... nothing too exciting. The weather here has been beautiful so as I mentioned in my post earlier this week I have been enjoying Daylight Savings Time.

Wednesday was another normal work day but on Wednesday evening I had to go out of town for work on Thursday. Fortunately the meetings on Thursday were in my hometown so I got to spend the night Wednesday night with my parents.

Then Thursday it was work meetings until early afternoon... they all went well. My dad came back with me to the college town where I live so that was nice.

Friday was another normal work day and then Friday night my mom came into town. So Friday night my mom, Leslie, CRB and I hung out while my dad, my brother and Leslie's husband, Toolman, went to a seminar. I hope they had fun at their seminar because I know we had fun.

Today has been an unexpectedly busy day. I am not a big fan of yard work but I found myself doing that all afternoon. My parents were over at the house where my brother lives (which was my grandparent's house before they passed away). It is a beautiful old house with lots of land that our family still owns.

Down near the back of the property there are several blueberry bushes where I pick blueberries every year. During a storm a few weeks back a relatively small tree fell on top of the bushes. The tree didn't seem to really damage the bushes but we had to get the tree off of them. In the process we discovered lots of vines that were taking over the bushes. So I pulled vines and carried branches and vines out to the street for hours. It looks SO much better and the blueberries should flourish this summer. Would you believe I don't even like blueberries!! Oh well... I got started and didn't want to quit until the job was done. I am a tired girl with lots of scratches and blisters but it was worth it.

This week was fairly mundane but I like weeks like that every once in awhile. I am thankful for being able to sleep in my own bed and I am thankful for spending time with family and friends. I am also thankful for the sense of accomplishment I feel when I am able to do something successfully that I don't usually do.

I hope everyone had a great week! For other weekend reflections, go to Weekend Reflections at Mommy of Two.

Weekend Reflections

Since this is my first week blogging this is obviously my first chance to do a Weekend Reflection. Thanks to Mommy of Two for the idea.

It has been a busy week! Last weekend my dad and I went to the 12 Hours of Sebring Race in Sebring, Florida. I had a great time but I was so ready to come home that I drove all night and we got back at 6 AM Sunday morning. I had an hour and a half of sleep before it was time for church. But I had a wonderful day on Sunday because I got to spend time in my hometown with my family and friends, including Amberly and her family.

On Monday I took off from work in order to recover from my trip. I am not very good at taking time off but I was fairly successful at relaxing and sleeping in. On Tuesday and Wednesday I worked out of town and then late Wednesday I finally returned to my house in A College Town, Alabama. I have been out of town so much recently that it was really nice to be back in my own bed.

On Thursday I finally got to see my best friend Leslie and my wonderful godson, Classic Rock Baby for the first time in several weeks. We spent the evening together and it was so much fun. I have missed them a lot.

On Friday it was a typical work day and then I came home, took Brun for a walk and gave him a bath. After that it was time for a little rest and relaxation around the house.

Saturday I went to a brunch hosted by one of the wonderful ladies from church. Then Leslie, CRB and I ran an errand and came back to my house to do some sewing projects. The interaction with Brun and CRB went great!!

I love spending time with my family and friends and on vacation but it is nice to finally be back at home and to return to a more "normal" routine. I love my house, my bed, my couch, my tv, my dog, etc... and so it's nice to be back home to enjoy all of those things. It was an eventful and fabulous week but I am looking forward to a more typical routine next week.