figuring out 40

Vegas, baby...

Wow. Where do I start? It's been a whirlwind trip. So many sights & sounds & action...nonstop. I'm on sensory overload. The show is amazing & huge & ....ohmygod I saw Cathy & Donna & Ali the minute that I walked in to the hall today....& it makes me want to work fulltime in this industry. So awesome! I have a stack of catalogs back in my room to go through tonight & try to make sense of .

First, I'm off to find some dinner....maybe play a few slots....hope everyone is having a great week!!

And, BIRTHDAY WISHES to the Cota boys today....Roman & Chris....they're still older than me...happy 36th birthday guys!

CHA or bust!

I'm headed to Las Vegas later today - woooo hoooo! I'm going to ignore the cold that has made my throat feel like it's closing up (taking Airborne and drinking lots of water!). I'm going to ignore the fact that I have NO CUTE CLOTHES to wear (at least I have those cute shoes...which you can get at Famous Footwear, by the way). I'm going to ignore the things on my list that still haven't been done (Rob runs a grocery dept...he can figure out how to feed the kids w/o me going grocery shopping). I'll ignore these things and I'll get on a plane at 3:30 this afternoon! So, I have to go finish packing (alright, I'll be honest....I have to START packing). I need to run to the store for throat lozenges. I need to put together lip gloss goodie bags for Wendy's lunch on Tuesday. And I need to get off this computer....

Have a great weekend everyone! I don't have a laptop, so you may not hear from me for a few days. I'll be home on Thursday. :)

things to do, things to do

I mentioned yesterday that I travel often. It's true. I travel for work, plus we're big fans of road trips in the summer. Rob's parents live 5 hours away. Target is 3 hours away. The ocean is 4 hours away. Lots of road trips. I am fairly efficient with the getting ready to go routine. Efficient, but very last minute. So, the fact that I leave for Vegas the day after tomorrow means that I need to start my "things to do before I go" list. I've been known to schedule a haircut or highlights the day before I leave for somewhere, simply b/c it occurred to me while I was making this list. Not to worry, I got a haircut & highlights a few weeks ago...so I'm all set there. Let's get this list started:

1. Buy socks. why? Because I wear boot socks all winter b/c my feet are always cold. And boot socks aren't so stylish. And you still have to take your shoes off at most airports, so socks will be seen.

2. Figure out what I'm wearing each day that I'm gone. Which will likely result in a run to Old Navy or Kohl's to pick up something that I need. Because even though I get dressed every day, I'm sure that there's something that I'm missing.

3. Pay bills. Because that's one of my home responsibilities. Rob does the laundry. I pay the bills. No complaints.

4. Go grocery shopping. Now, I know that there are some people (coughromancough) that think that I go grocery shopping ALL THE TIME. Really, I don't. It's just that I only buy what we need....so I will grocery shop for next week before I leave. Because if I don't, there will be far to much pizza going on here.

5. Find a book for the plane. Or two.

6. Charge my ipod. I totally dig my ipod.

that's all I've got so far....and since 1, 3, 5, and 6 will likely be accomplished about two hours before I leave for the airport on Saturday, I don't have much to do today/tomorrow. I said I was efficient...did I also mention last minute?

Off to clean off my car so that I can go to work. Holy snowfall batman!

a few pre-CHA jitters

I travel fairly often....New York City, San Francisco, and Columbus are my regular destinations. I travel alone fairly often. I've learned how to get from point A to point B in unfamiliar places. I meet with new people & daily contacts, pitch new products, and review current projects. I'm okay with small talk, and can remember names fairly well. I'm relatively comfortable with new experiences.

So, why is it that I'm so freakin' nervous about CHA?? Good grief! It feels like the first day at a new school. What am I going to wear? Will anyone talk to me? Will I be invisible? Who will I sit with at lunch? Yikes!! (side note...for those non-scrappers reading...CHA is the tradeshow for the Craft & Hobby Association) What the heck is wrong with me? I'm definitely excited - first time in Vegas, can't wait to see all the new scrapbook stuff, anxious to spot scrapbook "celebrities" - but nerves are definitely churning.

In an effort to calm my nerves, and ensure that I can walk to show in comfort...I bought new shoes. Cute & definitely comfortable. At least there's that!

color me happy!

  <-----what's that super cute flower, you ask? that's my new TATTOO! Yes, I decided to go for it. It's small, it's in the middle of my lower back....and did I mention how CUTE it is?? And yes, it hurt. But not unbearably. Just an annoying, scratching kind of pain. I don't understand how people get big designs done. I've heard/read that it's addictive...once you have one done, you want more. Nope. Rest assured, one is enough for me.

rock on

A band, a bar, a beer...good times.

Went to see the Complaints last night w/Jean & some of her friends. So much fun! There will be pictures on their site in a few days...I'll link them again when they're up (Jean, do you think they'll put up those pics of you dancing on the table? What? You weren't? Are you sure?).

We've reached the stage where we can go out kid-less without much planning. Austin slept over at a friend's house. Hope was at her Dad's...but also babysat for one of the women that went out with us. Now, that was strange. My kid is old enough to babysit your kids. HUH? How can that be? We got into a great/typical conversation with a BIG GAY HAIRDRESSER (okay, he wasn't, really...but that's what he was calling himself) about this subject. It's always fun to watch people's reactions when they hear that I have a teenager. I can see them doing the math in their head. Not to mention the look when they learn that Jean has 3 kids...and she's just a smidgen older than me. My conclusion? Being thirty-something is alright. We wear it well!

Well, that's really all that I have to say this morning. LOL. Go to the band's website. Listen to some tunes. Check out how adorable Dean is. Enjoy!

Another round of blog tag

Lori tagged me in the newest version of blog tag that's going around...

What were you doing 10 years ago?
Finding out that I was pregnant with Austin! Which means that I was likely throwing up...since I threw up each & every day until (& including) the day he was born.

What were you doing one year ago?
Probably a lot of the same things that I'm doing now...working, scrapbooking, going to lots of basketball games. Oh, and planning a quick trip to Oklahoma to help my Mom out after surgery.

Five snacks you enjoy:
Anything chocolate. Green apples. Cheese & crackers. Almonds. A current fave...Soy Crisps from Costco.

Five songs, to which you KNOW all the lyrics:
I was going to list 5 Joss Stone songs, but that would make me sound obsessed, wouldn't it?

Five things you would do, if you were a millionaire:
Go back to school. Move to a warmer climate. Buy a newer car. Depending on how many millions...quit my job & own a scrapbooking store just for fun. Take a vacation to Hawaii.

Five bad habits:
I am always late. I drink too much coffee. I correct my husband's grammar all the time. I worry A LOT. I crack my knuckles (is that really bad? I don't know...Grandma Bea used to tell me that it was bad)

Five things you like doing:
Scrapbooking. Watching my kids play sports. Reading blogs. Watching reality TV. Seeing friends.

Five things you would never wear, buy, or get new again:
Wear: pleated jeans, stirrup pants, stiletto heels. Buy: a whole CD (I can just get the songs that I want on itunes!). Get new again: a car (buy used!).

Five favorite toys:
Computer, cell phone, DVR, digital camera, scrapbooking stuff

*****************************************************************

In other news -

Spent a few hours in the ER with Hope last, getting Xrays on her ankle. She got hurt during last night's basketball game. No fracture, just a bad sprain. My Mom tells me that my sister is getting Xrays on her ankle this morning...hope it's not broken Karen!

Happy Friday!

someone get me a latte

please. preferably non-fat. venti. with a few extra shots.

I'm having one those "thoughts swirling, body not moving" mornings. Woke up with my mind racing about things that I need to do. Things that I need to do before leaving for Vegas next weekend. Things that I need to do before this weekend. Appointments that I need to make, bills that I need to pay, calories that I need to burn. I need a planner. Somehow, I started the year off w/o a planner. Maybe b/c I'm not very successful at using a planner. It's not that I'm not organized. Really, I am. Part of it is b/c I have a REALLY good memory. So, I don't need to write things down to remember them. But I do need to write things down to organize them. And to give me that satisfaction of crossing them off when I get them done. I've been wanting to make a planner....but I've also been wanting to do a stack of layouts for my Mom, complete the 3 circle journals that are sitting on my scrap table, and...oh, let's not forget...CLEAN my scrap table so that I can actually have room to do those things. Did I do any of this yesterday, when I wasn't at work??? Uh, well, in a word: NO. To be fair, I did work from home for part of the day...which meant sitting at this computer & constantly refreshing my webmail, answering my landline & my cell, and getting stressed about the fact that I wasn't at work. Then I took my car into the shop to see what that "check engine light" was all about (nothing but a loose wire) and have my brakes checked (b/c the inspection guy had said that he shouldn't pass my car b/c something was wrong with the brakes...there's nothing wrong). Then I took Hope shopping. Then I watched Idol. So it's not like I did "nothing"...I just didn't do all the "somethings" that I wanted/needed to do.

So here I sit, blogging, when I should be getting my latte-needing self into the car so that I can stop at Starbucks on the way to work and get a fix. Since sitting here waiting for someone to get me that latte isn't working out so well.

it's wonderful

My Mom wanted me to use my birthday money for something that would bring me joy...and because I always do as I'm told (why are you laughing?)...I bought myself some wall art from Wonderful Graffiti. I was going to put it up after work today, but work is questionable (schools are closed, roads are icy)...so I put it up this morning. So easy...just like a giant rub-on for your wall. It's on the little wall in our entryway. LOVE it! (thanks Mom!!):

So, while I'm waiting out the weather, I guess I'll tackle Sophia's blog challenge about little things that make my life more simple.

1. Menu board: we have a white board calendar on the fridge. Every Sunday, I plan out dinners for the week, and fill in the days on the calendar. Not only does this eliminate the "what's for dinner?" dilema, but it also makes it easy for Rob or the kids to start cooking while I'm on my way home from work.

2. No video game rule: it's not a thing, but it definitely simplifies our life...we don't allow gameboy or playstation or Xbox. No fights over games or controllers. No mindless violence for the sake of moving to the next level. No cash investment in more & more games.

3. DVR: The best $7/month I've ever spent. Simplifies our TV watching time, and prevents us for "scheduling" around shows. I know that eliminating TV altogether would simplify even more....but really, who does that? (okay, other than one of my coworkers, and my brother)

4. Our mudroom: Okay, so maybe it's not a little thing. But it certainly simplifies our life. We come in & out of the house through the mudroom. Everyone's coat lives there. Everyone's shoes live there (yes, there's A LOT of shoes in our mudroom). Everyone has a cubby in the mudroom for hats/gloves/stuff. Saves time in the morning, and concentrates that kind of clutter in one room. Now if we could just get some heat in there...

Alright, off to decide about driving. Think I might be working from home today....

running late (as usual)

so, two things....

HAPPY (belated) BIRTHDAY Matt...now you're old, too....love ya.

and

(completely unrelated)....JD Fortune is hot. Welcome back INXS.