It's almost been a week

I don't know about you guys, but I am ACHING for the weekend. I've been staring at Memorial Day Weekend on the calendar for at least a month now... I can't wait for the mini-vacation from work it provides. As you probably know, my schedule at work provides me with a day off every other week. In a two week pay period I work eight 9 hour days, one 8 hour day, and have a day off. It's seriously one of the best schedules EVER! I take every other Monday off work as my AWS (off) day. Most people here take a Friday, but since I started I've taken Mondays. It originally had something to do with Chad's work schedule, but since then I've decided it's way better than taking a Friday off. No one seems to agree... but when you're at work on Fridays it's a low-key day... end of the week, a lot of people are gone and long lunches always seem to happen. Monday... Monday is a real work day... everyone is here... so honestly... Monday feels like a real day off, where it's easy to be here on a Friday. Plus, Sunday night is the worst, and when you have Monday off every other week it makes life so much easier. Trust me... Monday off is WAAAAAAAY better.

That is soo not the point of this post... the point of this post is to give a new job update. As you may remember from this post... I recently got a promotion at work. Yes, that last post wasn't the most positive one, it was actually quite stressful. But atlas, here I am in my new position. I've been here for almost a week... and so far so good.

It's weird coming into the same work place and not really knowing how my day is going to flow. It's like going from being the expert to knowing very very little. It kind of sucks, I really like being the go-to person - so it will be awhile before I'm an expert. It took a long time to become an expert in my old position, but still, I could work on auto pilot over there... and here I'm on pins wondering if I'm doing things correctly.

It's hard to tell people who are not familiar with my work or organization what exactly I do, but basically I'm a travel clerk now. I approve travel, book it for some, and do travel related things. I think a lot of my day is going to be cutstomer service. I'm already realizing it's not going to be the face-paced situation I was in with my old position... which probably means I'm going to be bored... but we'll see when I get into the thick of it... I'm a fast worker, so we'll see how that ends up jiving.

I'll knock it out either way... that much I know!

Happy Memorial Day weekend ya'll... I'm counting the minutes until I get to leave... 3 hours 25 minutes and counting!

One Helluva Week

And it's really only been since Wednesday afternoon... so maybe I should title this post one helluva way to end the week...

I talk about work on here from time to time, but it's not a topic I dive very much into. I feel like keeping my work life separate from this blog is a good idea. I wouldn't want to say anything mean and then everyone at works knows I'm talking bad about somebody... and quite frankly a lot of my stresses at work are hard to explain to those that do not understand my job.

Well, around this joint the mantra is always apply for any jobs that you are eligible for... apply apply apply. So that's what I do... I want to keep my options open and I need to get to the next pay scale in order to become eligible for what I'm now going to call my "dream job" of a project manager. Well, I applied for this position in a different department still within my organization. I currently work in programs and this job would be in fiscal department.

I ended up getting an interview. I didn't really want this job... it's not my ideal choice... but I went through the motions. I even did the whole interview to get experience interviewing when a job you really want comes along. The interview was a little over a week ago and on Wednesday I was offered the position. I was really hoping I wouldn't be in this spot to have to decide about a job I love (my current one) and a new job that I'm not sure I'll like and takes me out of the area I want to stay in. Let me interject to say that I'm so thrilled they picked me. I'm so proud of myself for making it through the HR process and nailing the interview (something I usually blow at)... but in the end it was a really really tough position.

I talked to some people here would are familiar with the way out system works and the people involved. I talked to Chad and my parents. I even ended up talking to my boss and every one of them believed the right idea was to take the position. So mid-morning today I accepted the position. It will be on a different pay scale and it's slightly more money in the short term and a lot more money in the long term. I will need a year at this grade in order to apply based on merit for my "dream job". So it's great to have this step available to me.

Does anyone sense that the story isn't over yet??

Well, about 3 hours after I accepted the position I got a call about another job I had applied for. One I'm very much interested in that I thought fell off the face of the earth. It's more in line with what I want to do in my career and it's a better ladder position (meaning that not only will I start a pay scale higher than I'm currently at, in as short as another year I could be moved into the pay scale above that). I'm just at a loss... this week has not gone the way I expected it to. I think I know how I'm going to handle the situation... but man... life is funny sometimes... like when it rains it pours... or something like that.

Either way... I have a new position... so go me!!

Viva Las Vegas

That is currently where I'm sitting, in the great city of Las Vegas. I'm here with work (my job is a tough one, huh??) I'm staying at the Westin, which is about a block from the strip. It's a great location... this hotel has more of a business feel but it's so close to everything exciting.



Last night we ventured out... my co-worker and I agreed to go to a show with some faculty members. We headed out and grabbed a quick dinner inside of Bellagio. Then we headed toward the show... on the way we stoped and watched two of the Dancing Water Fountains in front of Bellagio. I've been wanting to see this for quite awhile. It did not disappoint... it was amazing. Really really amazing. I was amazing at how fluid it all was. And just how high the water shoots, up... incredible!! I could have stayed there and watched it more... maybe I will tonight. Here is the only picture I took... I really just wanted to watch instead of worrying about a good picture.

Told you it wasn't a very good picture... I think I accidentally took a picture of the edge of my finger, haha... it was an amazing thing to see though...

Anyway... then we headed to the show... what show you may ask? Well, none other than the Holly Madison Peep Show. It was really fun... I wasn't really sure what to expect, but there was singing and dancing... and boobs... but a fun time. I enjoyed it. Although I will say that I kept thinking about the plot of Showgirls... wondering if anything like that was going on behind the scenes... eh... probably not.

I'm really happy I got to go to a Vegas show. I wanted to do something Vegas-y... and last night was perfect. I haven't yet gambled... but I kinda doubt I will. I'm really don't know how to gamble (does that sound dumb??)

Is it Spring for real?

I have been working for the government for two years now. What you may not know is my mom also works at this same location... not in the same building but we are at the same location. This allows us to go to lunch together often as well as see each other much more often.

This post isn't really about that though...

For as long as I've been on this Earth my mom has been working at this location... so it was actually pretty cool coming to work here myself. This post really isn't about that either...

One of the cool things about this location is the amount of wildlife we have around here... ok, there's isn't THAT much, but more than a normal place. Mostly we see deer and groundhogs. And that's what this post is about... groundhogs.

The groundhogs here are huge... like really big... like I didn't know groundhogs got that big big. And they are all over the place. In the summer time you can count several basking in the sun. I remember as a kid it was so much fun to come to mom's work and see groundhogs (and visit her of course). I really haven't seen groundhogs anywhere else but here. They are so cute and funny looking.

Well, yesterday I saw my first groundhog of the season. It was such a nice afternoon yesterday (and oh-em-gee a beautiful afternoon today)... and seeing that groundhog made me wonder... is it really springtime? Are we finally done with this gosh-awful winter?? All the ice and snow and wind and sleet and freezing rain and snow-magedon and cold is done and past? Could it really be??

I sure hope so, I'm really to bounce into spring and get this thing going!!

New Month

Yesterday was the first of the month... I always like the first of the month around these parts. I get a sense of joy to change the month on the calendar and look at what's upcoming.

At work I have four calendars. That's right folks... four different calendars that I use for different purposes. Some might call me crazy... but I actually look at all of them. These four calendars does NOT include my Outlook calendar that I use very regularly as well. I have a monthly calendar that I got free from the humane society, I have a yearly calendar so I can see any dates in 2011. I have a 3 month government calendar that I track programs, days off, travel, etc. And finally, I have a small calendar that I keep track of tentative program dates (since things aren't set in stone quite yet).

What I look forward to on the first of the month is changing my calendars over. Marking my days off for the next month and upcoming programs... it's fun. I'm not sure why I find it fun, but it's a whole new month ahead... starting fresh. I'm not sure why I like it. But it's always something I'm excited to do. So much so when I get to the end of the month I always think about 'cheating' and filling in the next month early. But I try to resist that urge... it's like a 'gift' each month... something to look forward to... as silly as that may sound.

Work Space

I thought that I would share a couple of things that personalizes my work space...

It's kind of tradition around here to collect something for all our work trips. I decided on my first trip to collect magnets... this is by no means I unique decision, I would say most people collect magnets. I also keep my gift magnets (things people may bring back for me) separate from my trips. I like to look at the space and see exactly how many trips I've been on. It's amazing how quickly they have added up. My specfic preference is to have the city listed. When I went to Tampa, I couldn't find a Tampa specific magnet (they all just said Florida) so I bought a Florida one that I could write on... so I would remember. I decided the city thing after I went on my first trip and bought a Colorado magnet instead of Denver. Luckily my mom flew through Denver and picked me up a Denver magnet. I also decided that if I visit the same city more than once I will get another magnet. I like to be able to count how many trips I've been on instead of just how many cities. So here's my magnet collection... they are placed in order of the trips.

In case anyone is interested... the trips (and magnets) are in order as follows: Denver, San Francisco, Baltimore, Las Vegas, San Jose, San Diego, Indianapolis, Tampa (you can see I wrote Tampa around the edge of the sun), New Orleans, San Francisco, Atlanta, Los Angeles, Washington, DC, Salt Lake City, and finally, Miami.

Another special area in my office is my window (that's right, I have a window!!) I have slowly grown my plant collection. I started off with a small jade plant... it has grown so so well, I'm amazed at how big it is getting. The next place I added was a gardenia, however shortly after I got it they turned on the heaters in my building and fried it. I was able to bring it back and kept it alive until this winter when they turned the heaters on again and it did the same thing... I had to say goodbye to it after that... While I still had the gardenia I bought another succulant plant, it's grown like crazy, it's sproating off different 'branches' and getting really tall. The third plant I lucked into is an African Violet. A coworker was down here and asked if anyone wanted one. I said sure, especially since I just got rid of the gardenia and had an open spot. I was surprised how big it was when I got it. He was looking a bit limp, but after some good water and loving he spruced up quite quickly. I need to get him a new pot (and probably the succulant) to be able to grow even bigger. I want this to prove to everyone that I can keep a plant alive!! Just not ones I plant in the yard...... My coworker called it survival of the fittest, and I like that theory. Anyway, here's my plants...

Do you see how rainy it is outside? I get to go into that real soon... yay... not... But don't they look great?? I have to rotate the two outter ones to make sure they grow more straight and not toward the window (which that do)

Thanks for stopping by the office, maybe I'll give you a tour of some other things I have another time!!

While it's snowing in St. Louis

I'll be viewing this from my hotel balcony in Miami



Okay, okay, I'll be working a lot too... so it's not all rainbows and fairies...

Thinking Back about Travel

I was in Washington DC last week for a conference. I had quite a few people ask me if I traveled often. My typical response is I travel about once a month... and it really is true... since April I have traveled every month. It's been insane this year the amount of travel... but not insane in a bad way but insane that I've been able to this much. For the people in my same position I travel way more than anyone else... and for that I feel pretty lucky. I've been complaining lately that I'm just sick of it, and that's sort of true. I've really been dreading the travel beforehand, but once I'm there I typically enjoy it. I'm in nice hotel rooms, I get paid extra money, I get to visit different cities and I get out of the office. None of those things are bad. I do get sad to leave home and Chad and the animals... but I'm really getting a lot of experience and I'm getting much better at being at these conferences. The things to look for, the questions to ask, the things I can get hotel staff to do for me, etc.

I am also getting pretty darn good about navigating airports. I'm an expert getting my ticket, getting through security, boarding the plane, etc. I've also figured out exactly what kind of hotel rooms I want to stay in and what seat I want on the airplane. I know exactly what to get out of my bag and when to fall asleep. I also know exactly how to book my travel and complete my expense report upon return... I'm the go-to person in my area for questions.

There are still some I need to get better at. There are times I travel when I'm not traveling with someone who wants to do things, or doesn't want to do things I'm interested in. I need to be better about doing things on my own. Touring the city by myself, going shopping or to dinner or get a drink by myself. I'm trying to get better, but this is something I really need to improve on.

On every work trip I get a magnet to display at work. I'm gaining quite the collection... So where all have I gone?

Denver - June 2009
San Francisco - August 2009
Baltimore - September 2009
Las Vegas - September 2009
San Jose - October 2009
San Diego - January 2010
Indianapolis - April 2010
Tampa - May 2010
New Orleans - June 2010
San Francisco - July 2010
Atlanta - August 2010
Los Angeles - September 2010
Washington, DC - October 2010
Salt Lake City - November 2010 (haven't gone yet, but travel is already booked)

Upcoming Travel

This is the other post that I can easily write. I have travel scheduled for just about every month from now until September or October.

I just got back from Indianapolis.

In May I will be headed to Tampa for my first conference "alone." I won't actually be alone b/c Euclid will be there with me, but I will also not have a project manager attending with me... I'm a bit nervous but I think this will be some really great experience for me.

In June I will be headed down to New Orleans. I'm excited for this trip as my mom will be coming with me. It's the first time I've brought someone along with me and we'll be sampling some New Orleans flare, since neither of us have been there before. It will be a fun trip just the two of us.

In July I might be going to San Francisco... I'm just not sure my travel will get approved. It's ok if it doesn't... we'll just have to see.

Also in July I'm hoping to go on family vacation finally to Daytona Beach. This was a spot we visited once a year for several years in a row, so it would bring back some memories. Plus it would be really great to show Chad these things.

In August I will be headed to Boston. This will be my second conference alone, but Euclid won't be there this time... so it's making me a little bit nervous. But it's still several months away, so there's no use in getting worried about that now.

In September or October I will possibly be headed to Washington DC... we'll see if I'm able to go.

I know that sometime in the coming months we'll want to visit Chad's mom in Virginia... just not sure when yet.

All in all... I'm becoming quite the traveler!!

Indianapolis

This past weekend I went to Indianapolis for a larger (325 person) higher profile (Chiefs of Staff and Nurse Executives) conference. For some reason this conference has been a pain in the butt for the last few weeks. They kept changing the brochure and faculty members... it was tough to keep up on everything. I was thinking with all this crap before the conference that during the conference things were bound to mess up. I guess I just really didn't know what to expect. I did everything I could not to drop the ball anywhere... I'm just not sure it's possible to do that 100% of the time.

Anyway the conference was this past week and it went really smoothly. I was pleasantly shocked. I am just so happy that we not only got through with it that it we knocked it out of the park in the process. People were very nice and thankful for everything that we did and everyone seemed to think it was a really great conference. After we finished up on Thursday I was just high on life. I was so flipping happy at how good of a job my team and I did. All my hard work paid off big time.

The hotel staff was amazing too. We were at the Downtown Indianapolis Marriott and I would have to say it was the best hotel staff I have worked with. They were so accommodating, personable and friendly. They got things done and since they scheduled a huge dinner a half an hour after our conference was suppose to end (it went late) they really made up for it. They also didn't rush us out of there... (ok they maybe did a little by setting up around us but it wasn't bad)

I guess I just want to say that I'm really happy this conference is over but I'm also really happy the end result was so good.

Work...

Work has been driving me crazy lately... seriously.

I have this big, higher profile conference coming up at the beginning of April in Indianapolis... right now this conference is driving. me. crazy!!

Seriously. This is the most complicated conference I've worked on. It's a two day conference for two groups of people. On the first day they are all together and the second day they split up. So there are two different brochures, two different sets of faculty and two different sets of problems.

These are higher profile people I'm dealing with also, so they don't always realize that it's important to send me the information I need.

The complexities keep growing and growing which gives me a growing feeling that I'm going to drop the ball somewhere... I hate that feeling. I like to be as on top of things as possible, and honestly I think I'm doing pretty good job of handling all the pieces, but this group is not making it easy... at. all.

Next week I ship which will be a bit of a relief... but not enough considering I still have to go to the conference and survive that. So... April 9th can't get here fast enough (well really April 8th at 6ish I'll be pretty happy)

I think this will be the first trip that I will be driving myself to the airport as well... that should be interesting... it sucks b/c I have a 6:10 flight... whew that's early!!

Alright, back to figuring out how I can plan ahead to make the next couple of weeks easier, but if you don't hear from me, you'll know why!!

Pet Peeve

So I've refrained from talking about work on here... I just don't feel like the two should be mixing...

But... there's something that really bothers me... and it has to do with paper. I cannot stand that people will not refill the supply in the copy room. If you use the last of the paper you should walk your butt downstairs and refill the paper supply in the copy room. It's just a common courtesy... What bothers me even more is if you need paper and there's none in the copy room and people just walk downstairs and grab a couple of reams instead of bringing some boxes upstairs... I bet they really appreciate it when there's paper in there and each should take our turn to refill when necessary...

So here's my question... do I tell say something to everyone or just keep my mouth shut? I never know if it's my place or not...

::sad face::

I am so over this week... this week has not been fun...

I've started writing this post several times in the last week or so but I don't feel like I've been able to describe it correctly... I'm not sure if some would even understand unless they have knowledge of the government's hiring processes.

The basic-ness is there was a promotion available which I feel like I'm perfect for (among lots of other people) and I didn't make it to the interviews b/c my previous job experience didn't qualify me. I completely don't agree with this. It doesn't help that people who have been here less time (ie a temp whose been here about a month) got interview. I am the best candidate for this position... and I'm not stuttering when I say this sentence. I am the best candidate. It completely sucks... I am so mad and disappointed and upset.

It doesn't help that people here maybe expected me to get it... or at least get an interview... so I have to keep telling the story (b/c that's who I am)... everyone agrees that it's bs and some tend to get a little agitated by it, which is nice they feel the same way, but I'm just sick of it... I want the whole situation to go away... which it won't b/c someone will be getting that position, and it's one that I'll interact with on a daily basis. I'm just mad and sad and disappointed and upset. It's just the politics around here sometimes become draining...

With all of that being said... I am really happy where I'm at... I come into work happy (except this week) and I leave happy... I'm happy to know I'm making a difference and that I'm really good at my job. I'm knowledgeable and liked. I love the people I work with and this place is so amazing. I'm incredibly happy and lucky to have a job here.

So anywho... chili and Survivor tonight, that's a happy thing.

Chili Cook-off

For Veteran's day we had a chili cook-off at work. I was excited to participate since I LOVE the chili we make. So I entered our chili into the contest. It was a pretty good batch of chili for us...

I ended up winning 3rd place, out of 10 entries. I'd say that's not to shabby!!

I would totally share the recipe with everyone but Chad likes to keep that a family secret... so... you'll just have to find a time to try it :)

I won a $5 gift certificate to the Canteen, a retail store here at work... but bragging rights are better.

Busy Bee

So I know I've mentioned this before... but September is going to fly by... seriously... the next few weeks are full!!

September 11 - Dinner with family
September 12 - Chad's birthday, Cardinals game
September 13 - Eating with Chad's grandparents
September 14 - Flying to Baltimore, meeting up with Chris
September 15 - CARF Conference
September 16 - Wrap up CARF, flying back to the Lou
September 17-18 - Work
September 19 - 1 Year Anniversay (YAY!!)
September 20 - Flying to Vegas
September 21 - Pre-Conferences
September 22-24 - EP conference, only helping out
September 25 - Flying back to the Lou

Then things calm down... and boy will I be ready for it!!

The San Francisco Treat

A week ago I went to San Francisco for a work conference. It was the very first trip that I traveled alone... I was somewhat nervous about a new airport by myself and finding my shuttle to the hotel. But I managed and was super easy.

We had the conference and stayed at Marines Memorial Club and Hotel. They gave us this awesome deal where we got free buffet breakfast in the mornings and a free two hour happy hour each evening (free drinks yay)

The conference went very smoothly which is always nice. And I had some time to tour around. The project manager, Linda and I got to sight see a bit.

We took the cable cars down to Fisherman's Wharf. We walked around down there (didn't realize it would have such a Venice Beach feel) and we grabbed some lunch on Pier 39. Then we checked out the sea lions. We then headed over to Ghirardelli Square. After that we were pretty tired so we walked back to the cable cars and took them back to our hotel.

We also got to eat at some nice restaurant. I even got food outside of my norm. The first night we went to the Italian restaurant near the hotel. I got gnocchi, which I've never had before but was delicious. The second night we went to a French Vietnamese restaurant where I spent nearly my entire per diam... the wine was awesome and I had sticky rice and baby spinach cooked in garlic with soy sauce or something like that. It was pretty awesome.

Overall the trip was great. San Francisco is an amazing city and I really want to go back... especially with Chad.

Here a the few pictures I took:

Here's a picture of the cable cars, it looked much more picturesque in real life, haha

We had a very clear day so Alcatraz was very clear
Here's out our restaurant window... you can see Linda's reflection
Here are the sea lions

It was fun to watch them
Ghirardelli Square

boo-who

Vent time!!

Have I told you about this guy from work? I've probably made alluded to him in past posts, but now his nickname will be power trip guy (PTG for short)

Well PTG is at the big conference this week with my friend. (the conference I should be at, but moving on...)

She texts me yesterday asking me "Did PTG ever make you cry?"

I responded with no, why?

Friend: "hm, he might have led us to believe that he did"

I respond with no, PTG has never made me cry, when did he say this happened?

She says, when you accidentally sent out that reminder with the wrong time on it... I remember this... what happened was I sent out a Outlook calendar invite and I converted eastern time to central wrong... oops, shit happens... easy fix... was I a bit fluttered by this, yes, was I pissed off at how PTG brought this error to my attention... hell yes... did he make me cry... hell no.

Today I was able to talk to her a little more, and she clarified this event... saying that PTG totally told everyone he made me cry... He said that my eyes welled up and everything.

I am LIVID about this... I did NOT cry (sorry PTG you don't have that effect on me)... he was no where near making me cry... and even if I did cry (or was on the verge of tears) why would you be spreading that around to our co-workers?

Drove it home

Last night was really awesome. We had a happy hour at a co-worker's house... just the PSAs. It was a lot of fun, and I'm so happy we were finally able to pull something together. I even convinced Chad to go with me. This is the first time I've hung out with this entire group outside of work.

Anyway... it just made me realize what an awesome group I work with... how much fun and how truly amazing they all are. I'm really happy to be at the place I am, and Chad was finally able to see just how freaking cool they all are.

I'm a very lucky gal.

Get Real People!!

Here's another thing I'm not sure I've blogged about... I one point in my life I was a Park Guide at the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial... and in layman's terms... I was a park ranger chick at the Gateway Arch.

I did this for two summers in college... it was a pretty amazing job, and I could dazzle you with some great stories... but I'll save those stories for another post.

My point in telling you this information is to one, admit that I know way too many facts about the Arch and two to tell you that in my job duties were to work a post at the top of the Arch. Meaning I've been up there a lot of times.

A lot of people will claim to feel the Arch swaying... I've had loads of people say this to me directly when I was up there... and I've heard that story loads of time since.

Now, this is not me trying to discount anyone's experience of what they may or may not felt. But I'll tell you this much, most ALL of the people who have told me directly at the top that the Arch was swaying was making it up (probably unconsciously) the Arch was NOT swaying, they were merely thinking it should or something.

I have been up there when you can feel it... I remember the worse time... it was totally weird and cool... it was like being drunk, not being able to walk a straight line... It's totally crazy.

Either way... whenever I hear one of these stories (last time was when I was on my Denver trip from one of the annoying people I traveled with.) and I totally discounted his story, and I don't think he liked it one bit... oh well... I had to say it.

Chuckers

Here's something I don't think I've blogged about...

I am a member of a softball team... That's right... me, Jenn is playing softball this summer... Okay... that's partially a lie... tonight is the first full game I've actually played... I played half of one game before we got chased off the field by a bunch of 11 year old girls (headed by their over-enthusiastic asshole of a coach)... we haven't been able to play any games through end of May into June where it rained every Tuesday, thus not being able to play...

This team is a coed work team... We are the Chuckers

Anyway... Tonight was my first full game. I've been really nervous... but it ended up being a lot of fun... we had really nice weather (especially compared to last week). But I played the entire game... I didn't strike out at all... I *almost* made a pretty cool catch... in the end it was a lot of fun to get out and play.

Maybe I'll actually show up to the rest of the game ;)