Fried

My brain, that is. And my nerves.

I worked for 60+ hours last week, including three full, exhausting days in Boston (one of which was Easter Sunday). It was fun and nice to work outside of the office, but I didn't get home until last night at around 10:30 p.m. After taking a few extra hours with Nora this morning to help make up for missed time with her, I took her to daycare and headed into a full work week with... more piles of work.

It's a busy time, and--don't get me wrong--that's great, but I am just mentally exhausted. I'm at the point where my brain seems like it physically hurts, and when people send me e-mails about additional tasks--even simple ones--I find myself on the verge of tears. It's not even that my workload is THAT bad now that I'm back; it's just that after working for seven eight days in a row now (putting extra hours in every single day), I am spent.

I am more than ready for the weekend, yet it's only Monday. Wahhhh.

So please excuse my continued lack of posting. I have Easter pics to share (we celebrated last Sunday, on April 1) and a few other little updates--but no work on the kitchen lately, boo!--at some point this week.

On a travel-related note, despite being there for three days, I didn't get to see ANY of Boston, which was disappointing. Thankfully we're planning a vacation back there sometime this summer if we can swing it. With the exception of this weekend, I haven't been since about 15 years ago, and Michael has never been, so it should be fun. We haven't taken a real vacation since Mexico last July, which is a really long stretch for us. But hey, we bought a house 'n' stuff, so you know how that goes.

ANYWAY, I'm about to go veg on the couch for a bit before sleeping, hoping to rest my body and brain for a bit. So... happy Monday? (That's me, trying to be optimistic. HA!)

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Saved by the Bell Storm

If things had gone according to plan, I would be in New York City tonight. IF they had gone according to plan.

They didn't.

I was supposed to fly out at 6:00 a.m. this morning for a conference all day, then half day Saturday and be back home before dinner. Short trip, but a part of me was still dreading it for one reason: I didn't want to be away from my girl! I've never been away from Nora overnight before, and I'm not sure I'm ready!

Last night, I was preparing to go to bed before my super early alarm, and I decided to print out my boarding pass so I could bypass the ticket counter in the morning. Well, thank goodness I checked, because when I got to the page and entered my confirmation number, I was informed that my flight was cancelled. Interesting.

I called Jet Blue right away to see what the deal was, and I soon found out that my flight was cancelled due to... weather. 8+ hours in advance. Weird. And try as they might have, they could not get me rebooked on any flight before 5:00 p.m. tonight. Considering Day 1 of the conference would be over by then, that news effectively made the trip pointless for me. I cancelled the reservation, got a refund, and went to bed.

This morning, instead of getting up at 3:30 a.m., I got up at normal time. I got to see my girl. And I turned on the Today Show to find... absolutely beautiful weather in NYC. And upon checking, every other 6:00 a.m. flight (different airlines) to JFK took off on time. And my flight was the only one that Jet Blue had cancelled.

Bastards! If this had been a vacation, I would've blown a gasket. Yet I found myself calm about the situation, because, well, there were too many "pros" to staying home.

Am I disappointed about missing the conference? Sure. Would it have been nice to make a quick trip to NYC? Yes.

But I got to drop off and pick up Nora from daycare today. I got to play with her and feed her and read to her. I got to put her to bed. I get to spend the entirety of my weekend at home with my little family. So, in the end, who can be mad about that?

The "first night away from baby" milestone will have to be saved for another time.

I'm so relieved.

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The Boy Who Cried Wolf

As I was leaving work yesterday, a few of my coworkers were discussing the weather forecast for today, saying we were supposed to get a good bit of snow (6-10 inches) and that conditions were going to be pretty bad.

I lightheartedly scoffed, "Oh, suuure. That's what they say. I'm sure we'll wake up to a dusting!"

You see, I have reasons for my skepticism. We've had a lot of false alarms this year. Frankly, our meteorologists don't know what the hell they're talking about.

Take the "Groundhog Day Storm," for instance. After a massive storm system essentially leveled Chicago and the midwest by blasting everyone with more than two feet of snow, our area was hustling and bustling, preparing for the "snowpocalypse" that had our weather forecasters practically guaranteeing 14-20 inches of snow.

It was all anybody talked about for days. Any real breaking news got pushed aside in favor of coverage of the impending storm.

The grocery stores were mobbed with people trying to buy milk, bread, and other staples to get them through should they be trapped in their houses for days. (I've never understood this. We live in New York, not Virginia. Even if we get two feet--I have not been literally "snowed in" in a good 10 years, and even then it lasted for less than 24 hours. Do people really not have enough food in their cupboards to survive for 24 hours?!)

All of the schools cancelled classes. Not only did they cancel them, but they cancelled them THE NIGHT BEFORE. That almost never happens here. Almost never.

Imagine everyone's surprise when we all woke up to find that we had maybe four inches of snow on the ground. In fact, when I made my commute into work, the roads were less treacherous than they had been on February 1. It turned out that the MASSIVE storm, the BIGGEST OF THE DECADE (or whatever they were calling it), that was sure not to miss us--missed us.

Jackasses.

So, all of this to explain why I may be a bit of a skeptic when it comes to weather forecasts. And why I so easily brushed off the idea that this morning would result in anything other than a typical snowfall.

Upon first glance this morning, it appeared that I was right. It had snowed, and was snowing, but it was just a few inches. No big deal, at least not yet.

BUT THEN I GOT ON THE ROADS.

And holy hell. It was easily the worst commute I've had all winter (and my commute is short, people). My anti-lock brakes kicked in pretty much every time I engaged them, and my highest speed was probably 20 miles an hour. I fish-tailed nearly every time I made a turn, and there were a few times that I know I would've slammed into surrounding cars--if there had been any. This week is "February Break" for all of the schools in our area (they get a week off in February; I don't really know why, but it was awesome when I was growing up!), and it appears that our towns and cities believe that if kids aren't in school, roads aren't worth plowing. Lovely.

To top it all off, when I finally arrived at work and was pulling through the parking lot, I completely RAN OVER a curb with the tires on my driver's side. It was totally covered in snow and I didn't see it. In addition to the 6-10 additional inches of snow they are saying will fall today (snow brush FTW), I fear that my tires could be flat when I go to leave work today.

When I walked into the office, I had a few coworkers say, "HEATHER! This is all your fault!" (You know, because out of the millions of people in the world, Mother Nature apparently listens to me when I trash-talk the local meteorologists. Obviously.)

As I trudged to the kitchen in my snow boots, in search of the water cooler, my only response was, "You know what they say about the boy who cried wolf!"

P.S. Is it spring yet?

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Coming Up for Air

Well, the New Year has started off with a bang--at work, that is.

We are off and running at my company. EVERYONE is swamped. I've been running around with my head cut off all week, and my to-do list is overwhelming (and growing). Endless meetings, tons of deadlines, lots of 2011 planning--it's just crazy. I cross one task off my list only to have three more added.

It's lovely.

Still, we're all in good spirits, and we try to keep the humor in our situations. We walk around exclaiming, "OH, January. I love January." and "January is awesome." In other words, the level of sarcasm is at an all-time high.

Anyway, that explains my lack of blogging this week. I can't believe it's January 5th and I'm just now writing my first post of 2011!

We had a quiet, uneventful New Year's Eve at home, and it was just what we wanted after years and years of attending the same ol' parties. On New Year's Day, we did "Christmas" with Michael's older sister and our nephews, and some other members of his extended family.

In other news, we have officially started our house hunt. We started perusing listings online on New Year's Eve actually, and did a few "drive-bys" of places on New Year's Day. On Sunday, we went back to our favorites and took closer looks, and we already have two that we're interested in scheduling appointments to see. We are working with our realtor to see when we can get in for showings.

We're also starting to pull things together to put our place on the market. All of this is terribly exciting and scary at the same time. What if we find a house we love, but can't sell our current place? What if we put our place on the market and it sells quickly, and we have nowhere to live? The worst case scenario is definitely the former--we really don't want to end up having to pay two mortgages for any amount of time! But we will keep the faith that everything will work out as it should, like it so often does in life.

Also, we are itching to travel. We haven't been anywhere since we went to Montreal in June, and we haven't flown anywhere since we went to Florida in April. Little Miss Nora has put a serious cramp in our traveling style! ;) But now that she's past the newborn stage, we're ready to start planning family trips now, so we're exploring a few options for a week-long trip in the spring.

And we did book airfare for a trip--but this one won't be taking us anywhere until summertime. My cousin is getting married in Playa del Carmen, Mexico on July 2, and... we're going! All three of us. The airfare was reasonable and with good flight times, so we jumped on it. It's going to be hot as hell down there at that time of year, but we plan to spend a lot of time in the shade, in the pool, and um, at the swim-up bar. :)

I really hate this time of year. January, February, and March are the worst. But at least work is busy, and our time at home is happily busy, too, thanks to a certain little girl we know and love!

All in all, there is already much to look forward to in 2011!

EDIT: I just realized that it's actually January 6th. Just goes to show how out of sorts I really am! HA!

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Santa Baby

On Wednesday, Nora and I dropped into my office to participate in the filming of my company's video holiday card. We looked pretty festive, eh? :) I do believe that Nora was the star of the show!

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Practice

I took 12 weeks off of work for maternity leave. I have only 3.5 weeks left.

Now that I am within the final third of my all-day, everyday time with Nora, I am shaking in my boots. I always knew that I'd be going back to work after a baby, but now that it's becoming a reality ohmygodIsodon'twantto. I dread the day I have to leave her at the sitter's and go to work all day. Dread it.

One of my friends told me that the day she had to leave her daughter for the first time was one of the worst days of her life. Another friend told me that for the first few weeks, I will feel an actual physical ache all day long, the whole time I'm separated from Nora.

Well, now... doesn't that all sound fun?

Today, I had to go into work for the morning for a special meeting. Michael was able to arrange it so he could work from home for half the day, so he stayed home with the babe while I took off to the office. I had to leave the house at 7:30 a.m., and I was back a little bit after noon. Four and a half hours, people. That's all.

Still, last night, as I was lying in bed, I stared at my little sweetheart in her bed and felt sadness in the pit of my stomach. It wasn't that I was worried about her--she was going to be with her daddy, after all--it was just that I knew how much I was going to miss her. And we're talking about four and a half hours!

Oh, man... the real thing is going to hurt.

On December 6, I fear my heart will break into a million little pieces.

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Spilling the Baby Beans... at Work

When you ask questions, I really try my best to answer them. Someone mentioned they were interested in knowing when and how I told my boss about my pregnancy, and well, here we go!

Of course, my situation is a little different than most, as I switched jobs at the end of my first trimester. So I didn't just have the privilege of breaking the news to one boss, I had to do it twice.

When we first got the positive pregnancy test, our plan was to tell people at work when we told everyone else--at 12-13 weeks, when the first trimester was safely behind us. However, when I was seven weeks pregnant, I went to the bathroom one morning at work and found that I was bleeding pretty significantly. I went back to my desk, messaged Michael, and proceeded to start completely freaking out. I closed my office door to call the doctor's office, shaking with terror, and I could no longer hold back the tears. After talking to the nurse and having her tell me to come in for an ultrasound, I could not calm down--plus, I was going to need to leave in the middle of the morning for the appointment--so I knew then that I would not be able to hide my pregnancy anymore... at least not from my boss.

I ended up going into her office, sobbing, and closed the door behind me. I sat down and told her I had something to tell her, and broke the news that I'm pregnant--followed by the news that I was bleeding and wasn't sure if I was losing my baby. It was a lot for the poor woman to handle, but she congratulated me on the pregnancy and wished me the best for the ultrasound. After we saw the beautiful heartbeat and were somewhat reassured that things were going to be OK, I was advised to lie with my feet up for the rest of the afternoon.

When I returned to work the next morning, I was able to sit down with my boss again, calmly and with a smile, and give her the update. It was a much more lighthearted talk, that's for sure! I asked her to please keep the pregnancy under wraps from my other coworkers until after the first trimester, and she was understanding. So even though things didn't go according to plan, and I was essentially forced into telling my boss earlier than I had wanted, things worked out. And it was actually nice having her know, because on the days when I felt like crap and was extra tired, it was good to have someone at work who understood why.

Fast-forward a few weeks and I got the offer for the new job. I was about nine weeks pregnant, and again, hadn't planned on telling anyone else. I knew that I wasn't required to say anything to anybody, and that by law, they couldn't discriminate against me for my pregnancy. Still, I was nervous about saying something, but felt it was wrong to hold out on my new boss, too. I didn't want to go into the new job with a secret. Since my potential start date was right around the beginning of my second trimester, I felt that I would have to tell within a few weeks of starting the job, and I just did not want to start off on the wrong foot.

When I went in for my final meeting/interview, I was offered the job on the spot. I wasn't prepared to tell him about my pregnancy at that moment, so I bought myself a little time by saying I wanted to talk to my husband before formally accepting the offer. The next day, after I felt like I had some time to properly prepare myself, I decided that when I called to accept the job, I'd also spill the beans. In order to protect myself, I waited until after the official offer letter had come in, then called to talk to my new boss.

I started off by telling him that I was extremely grateful for the opportunity to work with them and that I was really looking forward to it. Then I dropped the bomb, "...but I have something I need to tell you first." I think he probably imagined all of these horrible things, because when I said, "I'm pregnant," he immediately responded, "Oh, but that's good news!" He proceeded to ask when the baby was due, and the only thing he wanted to be reassured about was whether I was actually planning on coming back to work. When I told him it wasn't an option for me NOT to work, he was completely supportive of everything. He told me that maternity leave wouldn't be an issue and we small-talked about his children. He even told me that I should try to hold out to go a few days late so I'd have a Libra baby. :)

Needless to say, my situation has not been typical. But I've definitely been lucky in that BOTH bosses were great about it and have been genuinely happy for me.

If there is anything to be taken away from my experience, I think the "lesson" is that you need to do what is right for you and your situation. If things had been uneventful and gone as planned, I really think I would've held out until 12+ weeks. But the way things worked out was fine, too. If you're sick as a dog during your first trimester, it may not be feasible to wait to tell, as you'll need the understanding and support from your boss to get you through. On the other hand, I've heard of women who have their own reasons not to tell until they really start to show, which in some cases, is 20 weeks or more.

The other thing to consider is the relationship with your boss. I've been fortunate in that I've always had good relationships with bosses--in every job that I've ever had, going back to when I worked at McDonald's when I was 15 years old. If your boss is any kind of a friend, I'd imagine you'd feel comfortable telling sooner rather than later. If your boss is an asshole, well, maybe you're one of the women who wait as long as possible to tell.

Oh, and as for coworkers--at my old job, I worked in a pretty small department, but I still waited until I was really close to the 12-week mark before I told anybody besides my boss. At my new job, all of my immediate coworkers (the ones I work with directly) were told right away, but there are still a lot of them who are just now discovering my pregnancy, or some who still don't know. It's not that it's a secret; it's just that, unless it comes up in conversation, it's sort of an awkward thing to tell someone you don't know very well. I figure that sooner or later (probably sooner, now that I'm really starting to show!), everyone who doesn't know will certainly figure it out!

P.S. One year ago today, I witnessed my nephew's entrance into the world. It continues to be one of my most treasured moments in life, and I will hold onto it forever. I love you, Hunter, and Happy Birthday! xoxo

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Trial by Fire

My first day at the new job was pretty insane. It was unlike any other "first day" I've ever had, that's for sure.

Usually, you kick back, get acclimated with your new workspace and computer, meet with HR, fill out a trillion forms, shake a lot of hands, and putz around for most of the day. In fact, in my past experience, that's really how the first week goes.

Not for me. Not here. Not today!

I got a call from my new coworker last night at about 8:00 telling me that I actually needed to be at work an hour early this morning. Yikes! It was fine, and it's not something that will happen often, but it was still quite an interesting way to start things off.

Plus, I had to wear a suit. But it was also fine and won't happen very often. It would've been more fine if my suit pants still fit. HA! Well, I could button them, but not comfortably. I totally had to bust out the Bella Band today. :) My suit pants never had a lot of wiggle room in them, so it makes sense that they are the first to be sacrificed to the growing baby belly. (I'm still not officially "showing"--still waiting for that to happen!)

Anyway, I was out of the office at the special event until around 11:00 a.m., when we finally went back and I was actually able to sit down at my new desk. I had enough time to catch up on my (already full) e-mail inbox before my coworker and I headed out for lunch. Back to the office a little before 2:00, and it was time for training with IT, meetings with HR, and then a meeting with my coworker so she could hand off a bunch of writing assignments. Assignments that are due Wednesday. Awesome. (Truly.)

I'm not used to being so busy! For the past 3.5 years, I've grown accustomed to the slow pace that was my old job. I like the feeling of being occupied again. It certainly made the day go by faster.

Everyone I've met seems really great and I'm excited. Oh, and probably the best thing I found out today--my new company offers short-term disability insurance coverage! Can I get a "WOOHOOO"? I'll pay a small amount out of every paycheck to cover the premium, and when I'm on maternity leave later this year, I'll get paid 60% of my salary. I repeat, WOOHOOO! I was going into it expecting for the entire leave to be unpaid, so this was fantastic news.

For those who asked or may have been curious, my new company was fully aware of the pregnancy prior to my taking the job. Even though I knew I wasn't required to tell them in advance, I felt badly entering a job with what I felt was such a big secret. I told up front, and I'm so glad that I did! They have been really great about it. I'm lucky to have entered such a supportive environment.

I couldn't sleep last night. I think it was a combination of being messed up from daylight savings and being anxious about starting the new job. I couldn't shut my brain off. Couple that with the fact that I had to get up an hour early and I am TIRED! I'll be ready for bed tonight, that's for sure.

Tomorrow: Day 2! :)

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Chapter: Closed

I worked my last day at my job today.

Even though it was my choice, and I'm excited about where I'm going, I still couldn't help but feel somewhat sad. I worked at this company for 3.5 years, and I have so many great memories of it. It was time to move on, but still... there is much that I will miss.

I worked with some really great people. That's always the hardest part--leaving the people who you are accustomed to seeing and talking to on a daily basis. Even though you vow to stay in touch, even though you do stay in touch--it is never the same as it was.

I feel extremely lucky to have left on such good terms. My boss and coworkers responded to my leaving by being supportive. They understand that it's a valuable opportunity for me, and can put their happiness for me ahead of their disappointment. I so appreciate that. Last week, my closest coworkers (the ones I work with every day) took me out to lunch, and gave me gifts--one for me, and one for my unborn baby. :) Today, I was thrown a cake reception by a larger group of coworkers, and everyone gathered to tell me I would be missed.

As I was wrapping things up this afternoon, one woman came up to me and handed me a gift bag, saying "It's just something for your baby." I said, "You really didn't have to do this! Thank you so much!" and she said, "Oh, it's nothing!" I opened it up when I got home tonight, and inside were three little baby toys that attach to the car seat or stroller. They are so adorable... hardly "nothing." It was so thoughtful.

After all of the kind words people have said to me over the last week, I feel humbled. It's nice to know that I was liked and appreciated.

I feel like a part of me is in denial! Even though I packed up all of my things, transferred all of my files, and said my goodbyes, I still don't really believe that I'm never going to walk into work there again. As I walked to my building this morning, I tried to take it all in. It's my last time here. This is the last time I'm going to walk into this place in the morning. Still... it's not real yet. I guess it'll take a while to sink in.

Again, I'm happy about the choice I've made and the change I've invited into my life, but it's still weird to leave a place you like. Maybe it's extra hard because I never hated working there. For the most part, I really loved it. I had bad days, but who doesn't? My choice to leave stemmed from the lack of opportunity for growth and advancement. If my company could've offered that to me, I probably would've stayed there for a really long time.

But it is done. It is over. It is time to move forward, onto better things and greener pastures and all that.

Still, I pause to reflect on the past 3.5 years--on the people who have touched my life, on the things I have seen and done. I think about how all of us will move on. For me, it's with a new company. For them, it's with a new person to replace me. Weird. It is really weird to think about someone else doing my job. Especially since I made so many changes to the way the company did things; it feels like a lot of those things are my projects. But now they are someone else's.

*sigh*

Out with the old; in with the new.

I am ready for the future. But I will never forget the past.

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Officially Official

Remember those changes I hinted at a few weeks back?

Well, in some miraculous turn of events, things are seemingly falling into place perfectly for us. I don't know if I have ever believed in the "what is meant to be will be" cliche more than I do right now. I feel like I was led in this direction, and therefore, decisions that might normally be difficult have been very easy.

I quit my job today.

Yesterday, I received a job offer from another company, and I am pretty excited about it. I will be making the transition over the next few weeks.

Without going into too many details, this was one of those things that kind of fell into my lap to begin with. I was approached about the open position; I did not seek it out. I agreed to go through the interview process with the mindset that things would happen as they should, and I wasn't going to stress about it.

I didn't spend a lot of time preparing for the interviews; I went in each time and just talked. (And um, it was a total of FIVE interviews. Yes, FIVE. These people are thorough!) Really, I chatted. It was casual. I had the normal amount of butterflies at the idea of making a life change, but overall, I was not worried. I knew that things would happen as they should.

When I received the call letting me know that they had filled the position, I was not upset. I was told that I had been the other finalist, and that it had been a tough decision to choose between myself and this other person. I thanked them for the opportunity and moved on, knowing that things had happened as they should.

Last week, out of nowhere, I received an e-mail that changed everything. I was told that the person who had been offered and accepted the position had suddenly backed out, and that the job was back on the table. I was told that I was at the top of the list, and that I needed to go in to meet with the CEO one more time just to make sure that this was going to be right--for them and for me. When I met with him, we were talking about the situation and how I had somehow ended up back in the running, and he actually said to me, "I guess it was fate." And I nodded knowingly, because I always believed that things would happen as they should.

I'm anxious because big life changes almost always make me anxious. But I feel so good and so sure about this that it's hard to be anything but excited. I'm sad to leave my current position, as there is much that I will miss about it. But I go knowing that I was a valued employee, and that I am moving forward into a new position that is a good move for us.

And tonight I sit in awe at life and how sometimes, it all works out. At how things happen the way they should.

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No Time

I apologize for the complete lack of posting this week. I haven't had time to do much of anything.

At work, I was co-chair of a HUGE event, something that we've been planning since January. The last few weeks, I've been tied up with all of the little last-minute details, projects, phone calls, e-mails, meetings. Wednesday and last night, I didn't even get home until almost 10 p.m. It was all-consuming and exhausting. I ran on adrenaline all week, as I didn't get much sleep because I kept thinking of everything I had to do. Gotta love how that happens.

But you know what? It's over.

The event was yesterday (big success!), and I think I can officially reclaim my life as my own. There are still a few wrap-up things to take care of, but the vast majority of tasks is done. No more pulling my hair out. No more taking my work home with me. No more answering e-mails at 11 p.m.

Last night, after the last guests had gone home, my co-chair and I stayed behind and had a few glasses of wine. I so needed that. When I finally walked through my door, I pretty much went straight to bed. I didn't even watch Grey's Anatomy, which says a lot (but I did catch up on it during my lunch break today, ha!).

Today, I feel like I've been hit by a truck, but at least it's Friday. I have the weekend to hopefully (FINALLY) catch up on my sleep.

And I'll hopefully (FINALLY) get back to blogging.

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12 Days

I know what you're thinking. 12 days of Christmas, right? Given the time of year, that's natural.

But it's also wrong.

I'm celebrating 12 days... of FREEDOM! No work until Monday, January 5.

*cue angels singing*

Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Halle-lujah!!

So, so happy. We'll be pretty busy with Christmas stuff through Saturday, so I'm sure this week will fly, but after that... aside from New Year's Eve, we will get a chance to enjoy a bit of a stay-cation. It's nice to be able to have time off and stay at home to relax.

But for now, I'm in the kitchen baking. I'm making more peanut butter cup cookies, and also another I've never shared here before. That recipe will come tomorrow. :)

In the meantime... Happy Holidays!

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Questions & Answers

Last week, I posted about having a little bit of writer's block. I offered to answer questions any of you may have, just to give me something to write about. Then I ended up having things to blog about day after day after day. Which was good.

Today? I'm not so inspired today.

So I'm going back to find your questions, and answer them. This probably won't be too terribly exciting, but here we go...

From Anonymous, and also Gia: What are some of your favorite blogs?

I have actually posted about this before, but not really all in one spot. I mention them here and there. I read a lot of blogs, but my favorites are probably Matt, Liz, and Madeline; Mama's on a Playdate; Boobs, Injuries, and Dr. Pepper; More Than a Minivan Mom; and Cake Wrecks.

For baked goods, I really like Good Things Catered. Her meals are a little too "upscale" for me. :) I just don't cook that type of food! But Katie has never led me astray with a dessert. Everything I've tried has been really, really good.

From Vanessa: I have a question - how do you fit it all in? Are you very organised with journals etc? How far in advance do you plan everything to get it done? And do you feel your responsibilities/hobbies have changed since getting married?

To be honest, Vanessa, I'm not really sure what you mean when you say "fit it all in." The truth is that life is pretty busy. But compared to other times in my life, I do think it's a good kind of busy. Most of the things that I do, I enjoy doing. I love having lazy weeks or even just a lazy night or two per week, but for the most part, I do like to stay busy.

Lately, I've been filling my free time with aerobics--step and kickboxing--twice a week, and then lots of baking. In the past, I did a ton of paper projects (especially for the wedding), or I took the cake decorating classes. Oh, and I do watch a pretty decent amount of television! I can't help it; I like TV. There is usually at least one show per night that I like to watch.

I don't keep journals (aside from the blog), and I don't really plan each day in advance. So in that way, I guess you can say I'm not very organized. I just kind of go with the flow. If I feel like cooking or baking, I will. If I don't, I won't.

I don't think my responsibilities have changed at all since getting married. We lived together for three years prior to the wedding, so marriage hasn't really changed our lives that much at all. We're just a little more "grown up" now, I guess. Everyone's getting married and having babies!

My hobbies have changed, definitely. But that's just because I spent a year doing so much for the wedding. So many projects. Once that was all over, I had to channel my energy into something else.

From Laura: you seem to thoroughly research things before making a decision (i.e. buying your tv). have you bought a car recently? if so, what did you do as far as researching?

I'm surprised that this character trait has come through in my blog, but I guess that it has. I am an obsessive researcher. Not for every purchase, of course, but for bigger ones (i.e. TV, car, house, appliances, computers, cameras, etc... even vacations!), I do a lot of research. I usually get it done pretty quickly, because once we decide to get something, I'm usually excited to get it now. So for the TV, it was a bunch of research over a couple of weeks. I usually stick to the info I can find online. Reviews, comparisons, etc.

I purchased my car in 2004, so I'm not sure if that's recent enough for you. But at that time, I had a 1991 Honda Civic that had treated me really well, so I was certain that I wanted another Honda. So while I did a lot of research and reading to inform myself, I didn't really do the kind of comparison shopping that you might find other people do. And, for what it's worth, I ended up buying a Honda CR-V.

Our next "big" purchase will likely be a new washer and dryer. Our dryer has been on the fritz; it takes like two hours to dry a load and it is annoying. We're trying to hold out a bit longer, but I realllllly want one of those nice front-loading sets. I still have a lot of research to do on those. We'll see what happens.

Vanessa and another Anonymous poster touched on questions regarding my job.

Honestly, I try to stay away from blogging about my job. First of all, there's not usually anything terribly exciting to blog about. I'm in marketing and I do a lot of writing for a living, so I feel like... why would I want to continue writing about that in my free time? Besides, I don't think there are a lot of people who would find it interesting! As far as further education or exciting things that may happen/were expected to happen, I'll just say that there is really nothing new to share. If I made some big life change, it would be hard not to blog about it, so I'm sure you'll all know if and when there is. :)

From Mrs.B.: Are there any home projects that you are doing/want to do? Do you still take orders for the aisle runners and banners? Do you have any great crafty tips?

Well, this year, we already did the big floor project, as well as the new sliding glass door and the addition of the pantry cabinet (all related to the floor project).

In 2009, we're thinking about more floors! We're definitely planning to replace our bathroom floor, and we'll also be looking into new carpeting. And of course, with us, we always go big or go home. We figure... if we're going to have the carpet ripped up anyway, we may as well take the opportunity to repaint. So if all that happens, that will be a very big project. After that, I don't think there's anything else we could possibly want to do before we eventually sell (a couple of years down the road). But who knows... as homeowners, there always seem to be more projects!

And no, I do not take orders for the aisle runners and banners. As soon as our wedding passed, I pretty much immediately felt as if I had "gotten over" all things wedding. It's weird how quickly things can change.

I can't think of any crafty tips that I haven't already shared!

Well, there are all of the Q&As so far. If you want to leave other questions, feel free to do so in the comments and I'll answer them with another post in the future.

Oh, and one other thing. That whole "secrecy" thing I posted about before? Some of you were speculating, and I hate to disappoint, but....

I am so not pregnant.

In all honesty, it just has to do with Christmas presents. There are a couple of gifts I want to share, but don't want to for fear of spoiling them. They're cool, but not THAT exciting!

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Moving on... up?

I have to move to a new office tomorrow. I am not very excited about it.

The problem is that we are currently experiencing a shortage of space in my division. We are scheduled to move to new digs next spring/summer (we're still not completely sure where that will be), but for right now, we're stuck where we are. Right now, there are just enough offices to fit everyone. Sounds OK, right?

Well, it was OK. Until we hired an additional person.

My division is pretty big. My department? Small. We only have three people (including myself). Soon to be four people.

Back when we offered the new person her position, we knew we would have to cross the "where are we going to put her?" stage eventually. When I returned from the honeymoon, we sat down as a department and discussed the available options for offices for the new person. The thing that sucks is that none of them are within our department's office space. She basically would have an office in a different department in our division... not close to us at all. Way down the hall on the other side of the building, or upstairs on a different floor.

At the time, we agreed on an office space for her, and that was that.

Until earlier this week.

One of the vice presidents, the one who is the head of our division, told my boss that he felt very strongly that I should move, and that the new person should take my office. Why? Well, because the new person is going to have a lot to learn. The person who is going to be her direct supervisor? Right now, her office is directly across from mine. My office would be the perfect space for the new person, because she'll be close to her supervisor and colleague who she will work with most often. She is going to have a lot of questions, a lot of meetings, etc. and the vice president felt like having her close to her supervisor would help their productivity.

The fact of the matter is... he's probably right. I'd be lying if I said that the idea of ME moving hadn't crossed my mind. It had. But I didn't have any desire to give up my office space and move out of my department. However, once the vice president suggested it, I couldn't really say no. I'm being a pretty good sport about it, I think. But I have to be honest... it is a little bit depressing.

I know that the reason I'm being bumped out of my office is because I have been with the company for two years. I know what I'm doing, and don't really need to be supervised. So it's actually just a vote of confidence in me.

It doesn't change the fact that I'm going to be so out of the loop with all of my coworkers now. Just on a comraderie level. Where I am now, my coworkers walk by my office all the time just because I'm kind of in the center of everything. They stop in and chat, about work, about politics, about life. It's nice. Where I'm going? I won't have any unscheduled visitors, I can tell you that. It's much more secluded.

The offices themselves are pretty similar, so it's not really a step up or step down. I still won't have a window. :( But I WILL be able to SEE a window from my desk (when the door is open), so that is kind of nice. (Just trying to look at the positive.)

It's just all about location, location, location.

Big bummer.

So off I go to work tomorrow to pack up my office and move upstairs. The new person starts Monday. Fun times.

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