tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-184003672024-03-13T06:36:24.452-05:00This is me and my hectic life.My place for random thoughts, and [infrequent] updates about my life.Vanessahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01352326907716718804noreply@blogger.comBlogger64125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18400367.post-65130823954654841572013-11-10T00:51:00.003-06:002013-11-10T00:51:29.177-06:00So it turns out... Change is GOOD!So last time I wrote I was packing up my professional life, and getting ready to set out on a new journey. It's been almost a year and a half, and I must say, what a year (and a half...) it has been! Despite being unhappy at my previous position, it was what I knew, and I was hesitant to give up that comfort. I started my internship in June last year, and like I said, I didn't know what to expect. It was something that I had to do as a graduation requirement for my Engineering degree, so I went blindly forth to start my new life as an Engineer.<br />
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When I had my interview I was nervous, but something just felt right about the place. I left feeling pretty confident, but still unsure if THEY thought I was as good of a fit for the company as I did. It turns out, they did too! I was impressed when I got a card from the HR department before I even started welcoming me to the company. It really says a lot about a company when they are so invested in their employees that they go the extra mile and do something like that, even for a summer intern!<br />
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Then my first day, nervous, not knowing what to expect, I walked in and at the front desk they had a sign welcoming me to the company. I got settled, and right away they had me working on a design, something that I hadn't done at my previous job in a very long time. I was treated less like an intern as an intern than I had been at my job of almost ten years.<br />
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So the summer went on, and although I knew my employment there was only a sure thing until school started back up in August, I really enjoyed my work I was doing, and was starting to realize how much I loved working there. I guess I never really realized just HOW unhappy I was before. Well it turns out, they had enough work to keep me on over the fall semester, and so I continued on working there, and trying to decided what I was going to do once graduation came around, which was all dependent on passing the Fundamentals of Engineering Exam and finishing my senior design project.<br />
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Late in the fall I had a discussion with my supervisor about what I planned to do after graduation, and I threw caution to the wind and said how much I loved it there, and that ideally, if they had a position, I would love to stay on at the company. He didn't really say much, and I figured it was a long shot.<br />
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In December of 2012, I found out that I passed my exam, successfully presented my project and found myself the 10th graduate of the Western Illinois University Engineering program. Yippie! But still with no job, I had applied a couple of places, but I was still holding out hope for staying on. Then one day I got a meeting request, and my supervisor and one from the Structural group sat down and asked if I would be interested in joining the structural team. I said that would be fantastic, as that was where my passion really was. I did enjoy the work I did in the civil group, but buildings and structure was my focus starting out in Engineering school. So I got an offer in late December/early January, and I began my life as a full time Structural Engineer Intern that week!<br />
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<br />Vanessahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01352326907716718804noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18400367.post-68720188847623696572012-05-24T11:46:00.002-05:002012-05-24T11:46:42.291-05:00ChangeI don't like change, and there is a LOT of it coming down the line for
me and my family. My big kid just graduated from pre-K, and my baby is
not a baby anymore and will be starting preschool soon. I am so excited
for both of them, they are so eager to try something new, and let go of
the old. I love to watch them as they learn new things and try new things. I need to take a page out of their books, and just embrace
life.<br />
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I quit my job last week, and as of right now only have 3 1/2 more days here. I am facing so many emotions right now. I have been miserable here for the last few months (years even) so I am so excited to start something new. But I am also scared. I have been at this job for nearly ten years, and I know what is expected, what to do, when to be here. Those are all unknowns at this new place. Plus, it is an internship, and there is no telling what I will be doing come the fall.<br />
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I am trying to pack up 10 years of my professional life, and it is
difficult to tell what I might need in the future, and what the person
who takes my place might need instead. It is amazing how much stuff you can accumulate in 10 years, and the sad thing is we moved 8 months ago, and I got rid of a LOT of it already! I'm trying to slowly tackle the tangible items. The files shouldn't be as bad, I'll just toss them on a disk (or 10, haha) and deal with them at home on my time.<br />
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<br />Vanessahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01352326907716718804noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18400367.post-31019716614488852832012-04-06T14:21:00.001-05:002012-04-06T14:21:26.318-05:00ReflectionsHere I am again, with a random mix of thoughts and emotions running through my head. It's been one of those weeks (well, a few weeks really) where I just want to crawl in a hole and stay there until everything has passed by. School has me very busy, work has been difficult lately (our server taking a vacation is not helping things in that area) the kids are wound up and I am really irritable. I'm sure everyone has those times.<br />
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But then you get news that makes all of your troubles seem so insignificant.<br />
Last week, Dee Imlay, a fellow Lancer from a few classes below mine, was killed while serving our county. I knew him, not well, but I knew him. He left behind a wife and two beautiful children, ages 2 and 4. His wife was a Lancer also.<br />
A mutual friend of ours posted an update Tami had posted about making the final arrangements, and how in the midst of all she has to deal with she was going to take a day off to go to her 4 year old's first soccer game of the year. It was that message that really touched me. Tami is such a strong woman. I can't even begin to imagine how I would cope if I were in the same position. Would I just retreat into my cave and hide from the world, or would I be able to face life, and embrace the little things that are still going on despite my sorrow? Would I be able to function for my children's sake, if not my own? I don't know how I would deal with it.<br />
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Dee, thank you for your service to our country. Tami, I thank you also for your service and your greatest sacrifice. I admire your strength, and am deeply sorry for your loss. Vanessahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01352326907716718804noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18400367.post-26739841726545684832012-02-06T20:26:00.002-06:002012-02-06T21:05:36.188-06:00Busy lifeI want to apologize upfront about only posting when I have down days. It seems like the times I need to put words on paper are those that I have seen, read or heard about something terrible happening. <br /><br />I have been incredibly cranky lately. I wonder if I have some sort of imbalance or mild depression. I snap at the littlest things, and I end up yelling at my kids (and husband) far more than necessary. I have been really tired, apathetic and generally disinterested in things. I think I am going to try upping my vitamin intake and see if that helps. <br /><br /><br />Now, in an unrelated subject, I want to write about something I heard about today about an old friend's family. Something that makes me very thankful for a kind and loving husband.<br /><br />Today I learned of the death of my friend's nephews. Unfortunately, this family is no stranger to loss. Just over two years ago my friend's sister Susan disappeared. Nobody knows what really happened to her, at least nobody who was talking about it. The whole situation was pretty suspicious. It is a pretty high profile case. The police have been investigating it since her disappearance. This past weekend, her husband, who was "a person of interest" in the case, killed her two small children and himself. <br /><br />I am having trouble grasping the thought of this whole situation. Susan's sister was my best friend in Junior high. Her family lived down the street from us (they still do in fact) I used to play at their house all the time There were many times when all of us girls would play in the yard together. <br /><br />We are not close anymore, but I still grieve for my friends and neighbors. Not only have they lost their sister and daughter, but now these two precious children have been taken from them. Children that have been through a lot, way more than a 5 and 7 year old should have to, who were just starting to adjust to a somewhat happy life living with their grandparents. <br /><br />Today I pray for this family who has been through so much already. I pray for them to have the strength to get through this. I pray for the Child Protective Services officer who witnessed the explosion first hand. I pray for Susan and her boys, who may already have been reunited in death. I pray for Chuck and Judy, Mary and the whole family, who have to shoulder the burden of loss yet again. I pray for the investigators on the case, that they can bring justice to this family and the truth to light. Only God knows what has really happened to Susan. I feel sure that He has already judged those responsible.Vanessahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01352326907716718804noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18400367.post-73470366941583209082011-11-08T08:51:00.005-06:002011-11-08T09:06:12.000-06:00Thankful NovemberToday, I am thankful for having today. (Monday, Nov 7, 2011)<br /><br />"Now listen, you who say, Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money. Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that. " James 4:13-15Yesterday my Uncle Jerry was killed in a car accident in South Carolina. We weren't close, really. He was my mom's stepbrother, and we never lived near Jerry and Nancy, so I never really got to know him.<br />One of the regrets I have from my childhood is that I wasn't close to my extended family. One of the downfalls of being a military child I suppose. My cousins all pretty much lived in the same place, and my brother and I were just around for the occasional holiday. Facebook has helped bring me in touch with a lot of my cousins, but it still isn't the same. I don't want my kids to feel like they don't know their cousins or Aunts and Uncles. We do our best to travel to Nebraska as often as possible, so that we can have that relationship with Cory's family, but it is a lot more difficult to do with my family, as it requires a lot more planning and money to see them.<br /><br />Jerry's death comes in the wake of the death of my friends' sister just over a week ago, and that verse from James has been rolling around in my head for the past week or so. (Although, I didn't know it was from James, that I had to look up)<br /><br />RIP Uncle Jerry. The world has lost a great man, God has gained an angel.Vanessahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01352326907716718804noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18400367.post-17665914988907673052011-11-06T18:20:00.000-06:002011-11-08T08:51:01.481-06:00Thankful November Day 3<h6 style="font-family: times new roman;" class="uiStreamMessage" ft="{"type":1}"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span class="messageBody translationEligibleUserMessage" ft="{"type":3}">Today I am thankful for my sweet, opinionated, sassy daughter. May she always keep that inner confidence that she can pull of ANY outfit. :)</span></span><a id="publishButton" class="cssButton" href="javascript:void(0)" target="" onclick="if (this.className.indexOf("ubtn-disabled") == -1) {var e = document['stuffform'].publish;(e.length) ? e[0].click() : e.click(); if (window.event) window.event.cancelBubble = true; return false;}"><div class="cssButtonOuter"><div class="cssButtonMiddle"><div class="cssButtonInner"><br /></div></div></div></a></h6>Vanessahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01352326907716718804noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18400367.post-54786495816167960792011-11-05T19:17:00.000-05:002011-11-08T08:51:51.427-06:00Thankful November Day 2<h6 style=" font-weight: normal;font-family:times new roman;" class="uiStreamMessage" ft="{"type":1}"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span class="messageBody translationEligibleUserMessage" ft="{"type":3}">Today I am thankful for my creative son. He never ceases to amaze me! I love you buddy!</span></span></h6>Vanessahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01352326907716718804noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18400367.post-7828653403927033182011-11-03T20:43:00.000-05:002011-11-08T08:48:05.717-06:00Thankful November<h6 class="uiStreamMessage" ft="{"type":1}"><span class="messageBody translationEligibleUserMessage" ft="{"type":3}">Going to jump on the thankful bandwagon, a few days late.<br /></span></h6><h6 class="uiStreamMessage" ft="{"type":1}"><span class="messageBody translationEligibleUserMessage" ft="{"type":3}">Today I am thankful for my husband, who allows me to chase my dreams and makes sure everything gets done.</span></h6>Vanessahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01352326907716718804noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18400367.post-1536098586053298162011-10-28T00:47:00.002-05:002011-10-28T01:11:16.742-05:00A long, long time ago...One day, back when I had a toddler and a baby, I posted on this blog. Not very regularly, but occasionally. Now, I have a big boy, and a toddler who is well on her way to being a big girl. I'm not really sure how that happened, how I let nearly two years go by since updating this place. <br />I have excuses, as does everyone for why I don't do it. But my biggest reason is I'm lazy. <br /><br />Today (well, yesterday) was my 34th birthday. And as far as birthdays go, it was pretty good. The kids were very excited. I went out to a fun lunch with my coworker and had some margaritas. Another coworker brought in birthday treats. I had my horrible (HORRIBLE!) electronics class today, I brought in cookies to share with the class. Then it was over and the family took me out for dinner.<br />I had a great day, really I did. There was just one little part of my day that sucked, and it's been in the back of my mind the rest of the day, weighing down my heart.<br /><br />While I was reading through the birthday messages on my wall I came across a post from a friend of mine. Her sister was killed Wednesday in a near head on collision. I didn't know her sister, but my heart is breaking for my friends who have to say goodbye to their baby sister. She was 26 years old. <br />I can't imagine losing my brother. I don't know what to say to them. I have never been where they are right now, and God willing I never will be. But it certainly makes you reassess things in your life. <br /><br />I want to enjoy my life more. I want to be remembered as someone who laughed a lot. Not someone who is stressed out and crabby. I need to figure out how to get to that point. I want to be able to enjoy the time I spend with my family. <br /><br />I find writing is a great way to help me feel more balanced. I am thinking about applying for the Creative Memories Design Team. <br /><br />This is an incredibly rambly post. Sorry. My brain is all over the place right now.<br />I'm going to try to post more often, perhaps if I am doing it more often, I can be more concise. Maybe not. I'm not going to promise anything exciting. Just words.<br /><br />Hug your family.Vanessahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01352326907716718804noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18400367.post-85478988098291176292009-11-24T23:48:00.002-06:002009-11-24T23:51:07.110-06:00Thrush in mouth is worth two in bush?Thrush it is. Although annoying, not the worst thing that could happen on a short week with a long weekend involving too many plans for a sick baby. She just looks like she has been eating chalk. Nothing major, right? I hope so.<br /><br />We are getting ready to head to the Hubs family for Thanksgiving, we are going to his sister's house (the pregnant one) It should be a good time.Vanessahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01352326907716718804noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18400367.post-88326883971479682012009-11-23T11:57:00.004-06:002009-11-23T12:03:48.042-06:00Long weekend, short weekElinor had a fever all weekend, and I think she may have thrush, I need to call the Dr. about that. We are home today, even though she is feeling better. Since she had a fever yesterday, she had to stay home from daycare today. But we got up nice and early to take Fin in to school, since Daddy had a very early trip today. Yay! Then we stopped in to the office to get some coffee, and came home, where I discovered the white mouth in the bathtub. She is napping now, and I will check it again when she wakes up, or maybe I'll just call the Dr first to get an appointment, just in case. I don't know.<br /><br />So I started out thinking I was going to type about something totally different, but my brain took a detour. It has been doing that a lot lately.<br /><br />I am having a three day weekend, a two day week and then a 4 day weekend. It would be nice if all weeks could be like this, minus the cranky baby.Vanessahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01352326907716718804noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18400367.post-84603061027730583892009-11-20T13:52:00.004-06:002009-11-20T14:12:02.911-06:00MamaNessaThings are crazy when you have a 2year old and a baby. Just some quick updates and tidbits from the kids.<br />Finley is getting so independent, he can put his shoes on himself, and his coat. He recently moved up to the toddler/preschool room (it's a room for older toddlers and younger preschool kids) and they stress self sufficiency. He also spends a lot of time in the "Thinking Spot" for hitting/biting. Any thoughts on how to stop that kind of behavior? One of his little friends in the Caterpillar room must say "Oh Man" al lot, becasue Fin has been saying that all the time. A typical conversation:<br />Me: Finley, pick up your coat and hang it on your hook.<br />Fin: Nuh-uh.<br />Me: Fin, please hang your coat on your hook.<br />Fin: :Giggle: no!<br />Me: Fin, hang your coat on your hook or no George!<br />Fin: Ohh man! <br /><br />Elinor is 8 months old now (really, 8 months, when did that happen?) She weighs 18 lbs, is crawling like crazy, pulling herself up to standing, and starting to cruise around furniture. And I thought maybe she'd wait a little longer than Finley did to walk. I don't think it's going to happen. She also is VERY vain, and loves it when people say what a pretty baby she is. She also likes to look at herself in the mirror, where she coos and giggles at herself. She blows a mean raspberry, which is cute, unless it is 1am and Mom is trying to get her to go to sleep. Her feet are tiny. She is still not in a size 3 shoe. (Which is pretty much where Finley started out.) She likes food, on her terms. If she doesn't want to eat, or doesn't like what you offer, she smacks the spoon away.<br /><br />Fin loves his baby sister, and likes to kiss and hug her. Infrequently he tries to pick her up, but I think he's learning that he isn't allowed to do that. <br /><br />She is not allowed to play with his toys, which includes pretty much everything we own, but he has been known to trade her a sock for whatever object she has that he wants. She doesn't mind, chewing on socks is one of her favorite things to do. She just crams it in her mouth and goes. It's pretty funny to see. <br /><br />Well, that is just a little look into our world right now. I don't know when I will post again, since I am really not sure where the time has been going lately!Vanessahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01352326907716718804noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18400367.post-26841252467358357332009-09-22T17:02:00.004-05:002009-09-22T21:43:13.502-05:00And again with the HiatusHighlights of the last year:<br />Stubborn baby, I guess it's a surprise (my last post!)<br />Getting bigger and bigger<br />Finley moved to the toddler room at daycare<br />Messed up holiday trips<br />4 Christmases<br />Impromptu trip to Washington<br />Getting tired of being pregnant<br />Finley turned two on March 14th<br />It's a GIRL! <br />Elinor Olyn was born March 19th, 2009<br />Maternity leave<br />New scrapbooking toy, my KNK Maxx 24"<br />Summer<br />Henry was born June 29th<br />Went to visit my family in Washington to meet Henry<br />Finley moved to the preschool at the daycare, Elinor started daycare.<br /><br /><br />That is the past year in a nutshell.Vanessahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01352326907716718804noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18400367.post-68527602586139809902008-11-07T11:21:00.002-06:002008-11-07T11:23:41.211-06:00It's a....We had our "BIG" ultrasound today, and baby wasn't giving up the goods for ANYTHING. So we are having another surprise baby! Everything looked good, baby is sunny side up and breech, so that might explain why I'm not feeling much movement, except for the occasional well aimed kick to my cervix or bladder. I will try to post a few pics when I get home to the scanner and update the post.Vanessahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01352326907716718804noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18400367.post-61788268340698499092008-09-23T16:23:00.002-05:002008-09-23T16:34:20.249-05:00News from the Abyss...So this has been an exciting summer. One where I felt like crap 90% of the time, and slept like 15 hours a day. We found out in Mid July that we are expecting baby #2, just in time for little man's second birthday. I guess we were aiming for two years apart, I just figured it would take a little longer than it did. Our due date is March 26th, but since it will be a repeat C-section, they want to do it about a week before my due date, making it around the 19th, only 5 days after little man's birthday. I am still deciding if we want to try for St. Patty's day instead, but I am just not sure about that. We are just out of the first trimester, and boy am I glad. I was so sick, much sicker than I was last time, and tired, ugh, I can't describe it! I thought i was tired before, but man, that was nothing!<br /><br />Speaking of little man, he is 18 months old now, and I still can't believe it! He is getting so big, and so independent. He goes up the stairs standing now. He doesn't get that he is getting a little brother or sister yet, but it's a little early. <br />He knows what his belly button is, and where it is. He new favorite game is poke mommy in the belly button. Ouch. But it's cute. He also knows what his foot is. I say show me your foot and he kicks it up in the air.<br /><br />This week has been rough, since little man is teething, again. This time it is his last molar and I think some canines. Hopefully lots of them, so we are done with teeth for a while. I remember back when he had none yet,and I was thinking, is this kid ever going to get teeth, now I just want him to be done. But he HAS gotten 10 teeth in under 6 months. <br /><br />Okay, back to work for just a little while, then home to my family! Yay!Vanessahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01352326907716718804noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18400367.post-30032672080503577472008-08-20T16:09:00.000-05:002008-08-20T16:11:15.736-05:00New Words!So, little man has learned a new word. Lawnmower. That;s right, he says lawnmower. He dosen't say mom, or mama, or call ME anything, but he can say lawnmower, and even knows the sound one makes. It is really kind of cute.Vanessahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01352326907716718804noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18400367.post-13384195131214511882008-07-15T08:26:00.002-05:002008-07-15T08:33:24.099-05:00ScrappingI enjoy scrapbooking, which a lot of people think is a strange hobby for me. I enjoy the feel of the paper, and all of the stuff that you amass when you really get into it as a hobby. I am a stuff collector, and I have a lot of it. I love stuff. Sometimes I got up to my scrap space just so I can move my stuff around. I do also use some of my stuff to do some scrapping. My newest venture is that I am a Creative Memories Consultant. I originally joined last year because I was going to spend a lot of money at a show I hosted, and a lot of the things were in the consultant kit. Then in December, I deactivated, because I couldn't afford to buy more stuff. In May they gave recently deactivated consultants the opportunity to come back for free, so I did. But this time I decided to make a go of it. Maybe earn a little extra money for maternity leave, should I ever need to take it again. <br /><br />That's all I have today. I'm tired. One of the cats knocked over a glass of water very early this morning (onto my laptop), and I have pretty much been up ever since. Joy.Vanessahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01352326907716718804noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18400367.post-19283220189142862372008-06-16T14:08:00.002-05:002008-06-16T14:11:53.442-05:0015 months, fathers day, flood, fluWhat a weekend. Little Man turned 15 months old this weekend. Daddy was off all last week fighting the flood in Waterloo, IA, and came home just in time form me to have the Flu (or Food Poisoning) on Saturday, then left again on Father's day to go to Quincy, IL for a little more flood fighting. Whee! Who knows when he'll get to come home.<br />So forgive me for the short message, but I am still feeling a little under the weather today.Vanessahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01352326907716718804noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18400367.post-52347880101280373262008-06-12T13:42:00.003-05:002008-06-12T14:10:46.989-05:00FoofHi there all. I am a member of the <a href="http://www.bzzagent.com">BzzAgent</a> program, and one of the things in my Frogpond today was Foof. Now I don't normally think the Frogs are worth anything to me, but, I hate ads in my browsing, so this is right up my alley. It is a Firefox plug-in that blocks ads. You can also set it to show you relevant ads, but I have mine set to totally block. I like it so far. <br />Check it out:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.bzzagent.com//p/5653887513/VHab49">Foof</a><br /><br />I also put a link to it on the right hand side over there-----> It's under Places I go.<br /><br /><br />**Interested in joining Bzz agent? Let me know and I will send you an invite. :)Vanessahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01352326907716718804noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18400367.post-32674207983504975842008-06-11T08:38:00.004-05:002008-06-11T08:57:17.657-05:00Tag.. I'm it!<a href="http://mommamary.blogspot.com">Mary</a> tagged me for this little do-hicky... so here goes.<br /><br /><strong>What was I doing 10 years ago?</strong><br />Let me think back to ten years ago... which would have been the summer after my sophomore year of college. I was getting ready break up with my boyfriend of almost a year and a half. Well, it was about to happen, HE did the breaking up, not me. He had just graduated, and was moving to Florida to go to flight school, and didn't want to have any attachments. I was heartbroken. Then I left to go home for a<a href="javascript:void(0)" tabindex="10" onclick="return false;"><span></span></a> month for my brother's wedding. I was a mess.<br /><br /><br /><strong>5 things on my to do list today:</strong><br />1 Work, and actually get some work done.<br />2 Clean my kitchen, after Little Man goes to bed.<br />3 Wii, maybe<br />4 Get a lot done on my project here at the office, that's right, work.<br />5 Work on organizing my scrap space, and maybe do a little scrapping.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Snacks I enjoy:<br /></span>Mmmm. Snacks. I like chocolate, donuts, cookies, popcorn, cheese. Pretty much, I like snacks. :)<span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span><br /><strong>Things I would do if I were a billionaire:</strong><br />Invest for a healthy annuity, then spread the wealth, some to children's hospitals, cancer research (I had a cousin die from cancer at 17 years old) make sure my family (parents, inlaws, siblings) are living comfortably. I would stay at home with my little man, and I would get some hobbies done.<br /><br /><strong>Places I have lived:<br /><span style="font-weight: normal;">Ready? Okay, I was born in Hastings, NE; Bladen, NE; Talahassee FL; Omaha, NE (Offut AFB); Rantoul, IL; Puyallup, WA; Mildenhall, England; Lakenheath, England; Lincoln, NE (college); and Davenport Iowa (current). Whew. Can you tell I was a military brat?<br /><br />Okay... I'm tagging... umm, Anne from <a href="http://pumproom.blogspot.com">pumproom confessions</a>, and well, I don't know. Back with more tags in a bit... maybe. :)<br /></span></strong>Vanessahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01352326907716718804noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18400367.post-897731297176143752008-06-09T10:09:00.002-05:002008-06-09T10:12:15.512-05:00Joining the Wii-volutionWe finally got a Wii yesterday. Yay! We bought it at Best Buy. The only reason we did is because Hubby won a GPS at the conference he went to a few weeks ago, and we already have a GPS, so we returned it for store credit at Best Buy. And they just happened to have Wii's in stock. Yay. So today, my arm hurts. A lot. But it is a good hurt. Now I just have to wait for somewhere to get Wii Fit in stock.Vanessahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01352326907716718804noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18400367.post-91861386061791173102008-06-05T14:47:00.002-05:002008-06-05T15:06:06.513-05:00Totally not me...So I don't normally blog about the political circus going on in America right now, but I have to get this off my chest. Really. IF you don't like it, tough. But check back later for a non-political post.<br /> I have serious issues with the delegate system, and the electoral college in general, but they are in place, and it isn't going to change. But that is not what I want to write about. What really torks me off is the Florida and Michigan delegates for this year's primary. Rules are rules, people. (And really, this applies to things other than politics too.) Why is it that YOUR STATES broke the rules, but it is the DNC's fault your delegates weren't going to count? What is our country coming to that makes it okay to break the rules and then whine about not getting what you want (i.e. the delegates you 'deserve') Yes, voting is a right, and an important one to boot, but why didn't someone say, "If my vote won't count, why should I go out and vote." Tell your elected officials to put the primary back to it's proper time. Stage a protest against your state, who is so needy and power hungry that they wanted to shape this election, and therefore broke party rules so they could vote earlier than the rest of the country. Don't tell me they didn't try to schedule their primaries before the caucus and primaries of Iowa and New Hampshire. Moving their primary up so far caused a lot of problems for those states, and you don't hear them whining about how having a caucus on January 3rd ruined their holiday vacations. (For the record, it did, we had to cut ours 4 days short.)<br />So Florida, Michigan, step up, and be adults. Don't say you will never ever vote for Barack Obama because HE stripped you of YOUR delegates. HE had nothing to do with it. The DNC and the candidates did what they all thought was fair to give you the delegates you lost fair and square. Don't say "I'm switching to Republican," or "I'm voting independent" because you didn't get your way. <br />Okay. Thanks for letting me get that off my chest. Please check back soon for our regularly scheduled, non-political post. Oh, and don't hate me for my opinion. :)Vanessahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01352326907716718804noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18400367.post-13795531552105978722008-06-03T22:08:00.005-05:002008-06-03T22:17:24.106-05:00As Promised...<div style="text-align: center;">Some pictures. Bad ones, but pictures all the same. I don't have any of me standing with any of the bridesmaids, but I will post a picture of each.<br /><br />This is me. Don't I look happy? Two of the brother's in law had on matching pink ties.<br /></div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_lX9DTJXRl8k/SEYIbUegsTI/AAAAAAAAAb4/2g4x8DxYpRQ/s1600-h/IMG_0885.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 216px; height: 161px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_lX9DTJXRl8k/SEYIbUegsTI/AAAAAAAAAb4/2g4x8DxYpRQ/s320/IMG_0885.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5207859284546728242" border="0" /></a>These are two of the bridesmaids.<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_lX9DTJXRl8k/SEYIBRK6RMI/AAAAAAAAAbw/8oTjoIEq1EA/s1600-h/IMG_0888-crp.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_lX9DTJXRl8k/SEYIBRK6RMI/AAAAAAAAAbw/8oTjoIEq1EA/s320/IMG_0888-crp.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5207858836982613186" border="0" /></a>So the colors were REALLY close. It worked out really nicely! All of the wedding pics I took are poopy, so I'll have to get better ones from the rest of the family. :)<br /></div>Vanessahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01352326907716718804noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18400367.post-45925803271126652472008-06-03T08:44:00.002-05:002008-06-03T08:51:32.578-05:00Ahem, An UpdateSorry it's been so long, I have been busy. And tired. And for some reason, I could not log into blogger yesterday. All poor excuses, I know. But too bad. :)<br />So I am WAY behind right now on NaComLeavMo. Because like I said, I couldn't get blogger to load yesterday. Annoying. <br /><br />The wedding was fun. I didn't take many pictures, because the Little Man chose to cry starting 30 minutes before the wedding, and didn't stop until 10-15 minutes into it. So we missed the walking down the aisle, and the homily. We did get to see the vows. Which made me happier. I just couldn't believe that my happy boy, who rarely fusses, was all out screaming for 45 minutes, at that particular moment. Oh well. I think he was tired, and hot, and hungry. Not a good combo.<br />My dress matched the bridesmaids dresses wonderfully, so the pictures all look pretty neat. I have to find the camera, and I will see if there are any good ones on it.<br />Well, that is all for now, I need to do some actual work today. Yeah.Vanessahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01352326907716718804noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18400367.post-49376695665658158382008-05-30T11:58:00.002-05:002008-05-30T12:05:38.713-05:00Today is the big day!Hubby's sister is getting married today! The wedding is at 5:30, but this place has been chaotic since about 9 this morning. Two of the siblings are staying at another one's house this week, and between the three families, there are 8 kids, so it is a madhouse! Right now, I have bright pink fingernails and toenails, to go with the dresses the bridesmaids are wearing. I am not a bridesmaid, but the dress I bought is almost the same color as their's... not that I will ever wear a bright pink dress ever again. Really. Apparent;y the wedding colors are Raspberry and Champagne. Kind of makes me think of Steel Magnolias, with her Blush and Bashful shades of pink. In this case, I would say the raspberry is more of a fuchsia, no raspberry. Oh well. People probably thought my red was too much also... :) I'll have to post pics of the dresses later.Vanessahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01352326907716718804noreply@blogger.com10