new month, new post

Here we are on the eve of May 1st and the weather is beautiful. The temperature is in the high 70's, the humidity is low, and the sun shines past 8:00pm. I swear, as I do with every change of the season, that this is my favorite time of year.

Work is going well. Busy as hell, but I still love it. For the first time in a long time, I feel essential in my job. I know that if I didn't show up for work tomorrow morning, projects would fall through the cracks, deadlines would be missed, and, in general, my absence would be noticed. It's a good feeling to be needed. To go to work everyday and know that the people around you look forward to you being there; to be surrounded my people who truly support you and aren't just using you to get ahead in their own career; to be inspired (and, at times, intimidated) by the level of intelligence and creativity that oozes from the minds of my co-workers. It's a motivating feeling to actually look forward to work each day.

Sierra is doing wonderful. She is teetering on 90lbs and still has about 5-10 more lbs to go before she is full-grown. Her young, energetic puppy personality has remained in tact at 14 months old and continues to keep my husband and I entertained every minute of the day. I am overdue for updated pictures, I realize. I will get to that soon and be sure to post them for all of you to view.

That's all for now...but will continue to check in - I promise!

alloy

Among the ten catalogs I receive a day (most of which are Victoria Secret catalogs - those people are relentless!), I recently discovered a great new shopping option - Alloy. I checked out their website and it is not nearly at cool as their catalog, so I recommend signing up for their free catalog here.

apology necessary

I owe my (few but dearly loved) readers a huge apology. My absence is due an explanation.

Simply put: My job has taken over my life. It has been a wonderful change that I have embraced and absolutely love...yet a change that has given me a massive ulcer and ten times the number of gray hairs I had before taking on this new career endeavor. I am working mad hours, my responsibilities have multiplied, and I've even expanded my circle of friends with amazingly wonderful co-workers. I haven't been this happy in my job in a long time. However, as a result, my days spent pondering my next blog post seem to be very far and few between.

I do not plan on ending my blog, I just don't plan on updating it as often as I once did.

Sierra is doing wonderful. She is as cute as ever, of course. Thank you to all of you who continue to ask about her.

So stay tuned...I'm not going anywhere.

sun day

Screw snow days. We need sun days; days off from work to enjoy glorious sunny days to spend playing outside, lunching on an outside patio, or enjoying any outside activity you wish.

On days like today, I am all too happy to be gazing out my 5 inch-view of sunlight from my teeny-tiny office space and day dream of places I'd much rather be. 70 degrees, sunny, and a light breeze are all that describe this magnificent day. And here I am stuck in front of my laptop with my only option of seeing daylight being 4 hours from now.

Beautiful weather such as what we have today is an exciting reminder that spring is right around the corner. Soon we'll be cleaning off the lawn chairs, dusting off the grill, and opening our windows to the refreshing spring air. I forget how much I love a season until it has just about arrived. Fall is my favorite season when the air gets that crisp and surrounding colors begin to change, winter is my favorite season when then first snowfall is predicted and Christmas songs begin playing on the radio, and spring and summer are my favorites on days just like today.

getting reaquaintanted

Since purchasing my Sirius satellite radio a little over a year ago, my CD collection has been slightly neglected. With 100+ channels to listen to (including 24/7 Howard), I was easily distracted from my beloved portfolio of favorite musicians.

This past weekend presented the perfect opportunity for a reunion with my CDs: a road trip. Although it was a comparatively short road trip, it was long enough to jam-out to some of my favorite albums that needed dusted off. Fleetwood, the Crowes, and Bob were all in attendance and were happy to belt out some tunes as I cruised down the highway; windows opened with the volume cranked. It was a glorious way to spend a beautiful Saturday afternoon.

baby girl news

I have a weekend to look forward to that is full of spending time with good friends over delicious food and nights on the town. But the fun in my near future is being overshadowed by the unexpected news my husband and I found out last night: Sierra has contracted Lyme Disease.

Essentially, it is in a muted stage right now but could flare up at any time; a day from now or a year from now. We need to keep an eye out for symptoms such as lameness, swollen glands, lethargy, or flu-like symptoms. When these symptoms occur we have been instructed to take her to the vet immediately to be placed on antibiotics until the symptoms subside. The heartbreaking piece is that it cannot be cured, so this is something that will always effect her.

I woke up thinking about the diagnosis and haven't stopped. I don't think it truly hit me last night and today I am worrying. I've done research online and haven't found much more information than what was told to me by the vet last night. I just hope that her symptoms are obvious so we are able to treat and care for her as soon as possible. She's just so young and I don't want this to effect her for the rest of her life. I really hope it turns out to be a minor issue we tend to very infrequently.

everything but the braces and perm

I thought these feelings went away once I passed the age of twelve. The
butterflies, the giddiness, the daydreaming…all over the crush of a movie star.
My days of buying TigerBeat have long passed, yet I still find myself foolishly
obsessing over the latest leading man.

A few months back, my crazed fixation was on Ryan Gosling after watching The
Notebook. This month's flavor happens to be Leonardo DiCaprio after seeing The
Departed. He appears in my dreams and I am embarrassed to tell you how far I've
researched him via handy-handy Googling. I'm a complete mess, I realize. Why
and how does this still happen to me at the ripe age of 28? Shouldn't this
nonsense end with the graduation from middle school? It's when I start
comparing myself to Giselle Bundchen that I start to seriously worry.

While I may no longer be a subscriber to TigerBeat, my alternate vice is now US
Weekly. I'm certain this is not an improvement.

discovery

I recently came across a very unique and resourceful website during my search for a cleaning service (yes, I think I'm caving to my inner-laziness). It is called Service Magic (www.servicemagic.com) and is a go-to guide for local contractors of all sorts - from carpentry projects, to electrical projects, to windows and doors - every possible home improvement project is covered.

You simply submit the project you are looking to accomplish and after answering a few questions regarding the specifics of the project, three pre-qualified, pre-screened contractors will automatically be contacted on your behalf. It's a convenient way to seek out legitimate, recommended contractors - which, as a homeowner with lots of home projects on my to-do list, I know first hand how hard it is to find good, reliable contractors.