Update

Well I started an update last week...sometime between getting home from trip #2 to Chicago and heading to Mississippi...(yes I drove there) to see my brother, his wife and now 2 month old Oliver! The update is that I got my haircut..but I keep forgetting to actually upload the photos from my iPhone to Flickr so that I can show you...soon I promise.

And I just twittered about being at the John Deere Classic, which is being broadcast live on the Golf Channel. And now that we are home for the day we are watching it as well as keeping track of Shot Tracker on the PGA website. I'm following Brian Davis. We met him last year and followed him and had the chance to say Hi again today before we came home.

Soo....I went to Mississippi last Tuesday morning the 30th of June. Drove down in around 10 1/2 hours...with a migraine most of the way. We didn't really leave the house a lot. I took Oliver outside daily and we sat/rocked on the swing they have hanging out front. They live on a farm with a pond out front and it is peaceful. I'd rock Oliver to sleep and read a book while sitting there. Probably the best part of the trip was that time just rocking back and forth with Oliver. This past Tuesday I drove back and managed to miss the ramp I needed in St. Louis to cross to Illinois so I decided to stop and eat...and I ended up at the Old Spaghetti Factory YUM! I was going to head to the wax museum but it was closed for some reason. I ended up getting a migraine when I left St. Louis so the 4 hour drive home was another exciting time.

Something that was a benefit and helped me through the drive was that I listened to an audiobook on the way down...after seeing a video preview for The Time Traveler's Wife (based on the book by Niffenger) I decided to buy the version off iTunes. Amazing book! I'm probably not going to be able to finish it til next week but I'm really excited about it.

So after returning home Tuesday night, and heading directly for bed, I got up yesterday morning and mom & I went to TPC to have training on what we'd be doing today. But it rained..and rained...and got rained out so we ate lunch and shopped for snacks and came home. My car still has not been unpacked other then my laptop and suitcase. I still have about 3 loads to bring in.

So today, Saturday and Sunday I'll be volunteering at the John Deere Golf Classic. Today was 7 am to noon, Saturday & Sunday is all day. I had fun today :) We watched for a while afterwards but it sure does take all your energy even when it's chilly out. Tomorrow I'm going to go out and probably follow Brian Davis if I can figure out what time he is teeing off. Hopefully it's not really early!

I think we are up to date...right?

Mini Vacations

I love mini-vacations for the fact that you can go a few hours away and have a great time exploring a city you visit all the time and still see and discover new things!

This past week I went to Chicago twice...

24 & 25 June - Sarah & I drove up to Geneva and got the train to downtown Chicago. We found the hotel and walked to PF Changs for dinner then back over to the Cadillac Theatre for Mary Poppins which was excellent!! I didn't realise it was based on the book so now i need to get a hold of those and read them. We also went to the Museum of Science and Industry. We paid for the audio tour headsets and saw actual pieces of furniture, clothing from the Harry Potter movies. It was awesome. We also went through the Smart Home and learned about ways we can build and renovate to use green materials to the best of our advantadges :) Plus we learned Chicago is the top city (in the US?) for garden rooftops. Mayor Daly is a big advocate of this and City Hall was the first building to have it in Chicago :) We also went to Millenium Park on our visit and I took a bunch of photos. To see them visit my flickr page.

26th June - I worked...and unpacked/repacked

27 & 28th June - Mom & I went back to Chicago. This time for the Taste of Chicago, where you can buy tickets and try all sorts of samples of different foods. We went to PF Changs for dinner again and then went to see Topol in Fiddler on the Roof. Amazing show once again :) We also walked around Millenium Park and through the gardens there. (once again pictures on flickr)

I came back last night and worked at the bookstore and today I've been packing for another trip...this time to Mississippi. If I didn't work tonight at the electronics store I would already be on my way. I'm leaving tomorrow morning and boy is there a lot to pack up to take with me! I'm going to see my brother, his wife and their new son Oliver :)

Another fun update

So coming up is a crazy hectic relaxing fun time for me...and boy do I need it. I've been napping almost daily either between jobs or after getting home from whichever one I work in the morning.

So here's what I have planned:

24 & 25 June - Going with Sarah to Chicago to see Mary Poppins. Also planned is going to the Museum of Science and Industry to see the Harry Potter exhibit and eating dinner at PF Changs YUM (I pretty much have decided I could live off this food)
26th June - work a morning shift at the electronics store
27th & 28th June - Going with mom to Chicago to see Fiddler on the Roof. Not sure what else we are doing as she's away visiting with my brother, his wife and their new baby.
29th June - Work night shift at electronics store
30th June - 7th July - Driving a few states away to visit my brother, his wife & new baby :) Also plan on putting together a surprise or two while I'm there and putting up vinyl lettering on the wall of the baby's room that a friend cut on her amazing cutting paper/vinyl machine
8th - 12th July - John Deere Golf Classic / PGA Pro Tour - My mom and I have been volunteering at this the past few years. It's a great way to see golf, spend time outside, plus if you volunteer it's only the cost of the shirt to get in for all the days :) My favorite part of this years is that Brian Davis (British Golfer) is returning. Last year we followed him and talked to him several times. I hope he remembers us!

That's pretty much my 2 week vacation plan. It's going to be wonderful to do some different things for a while, but I am pretty sure I'll be poor at the end of it. The only benefit of both jobs is that I get paid weekly between the two :)

What are you doing this summer? Going to see any musicals? Traveling? Volunteering anywhere?

A day off

Follow me through an hour of my day yesterday...I decided to go outside and take photos. So I took photos on my Canon Rebel SLR (need to develop them) as well as on my phone so I could have instant photos. In the first photo Flash is ahead of me...he stayed under/near the apple tree I decided to climb. I found a birds nest in the tree. And I took some self photos ... my new phone background is the photo of me where you can see my Canon and my shorts/tank top. If you want to see the full run check out my Flickr to the right. (Because of my backround the photos look a bit dull sorry!)

Things to say

So on Sunday I started my 'new' job. At the electronics store they have decided to change it up as to how we are set up staff wise. So I had a decision to make and I chose to do Merch for the department I have been in since I started. So basically I'm doing all the same things except I don't have to deal with selling anything to customers. I put signage out, set up displays and put out all the product as soon as it comes in. It's great! I have been enjoying it and I love getting so much accomplished each day.

I've also been messing up my sleep schedule. If I don't end up working both jobs I will come home after work and take a nap.

Last night was a Mel be social night so I went to a friend's and we went for ice cream at Dairy Queen...never been before, then to the bookstore for books (I bought 5, listed below) and then we went a bit crazy. I was hoping to go to the Rhubarb Festival today but it rained. So here I am....maybe I'll read a book. Right now I'm watching Smart Travels on PBS. The gentleman is in France and it's neat to watch since I was in Paris but didn't see everything he is visiting on the show.

I have been reading books like crazy...here are the ones I can remember reading in the past few weeks:
Thanks for the Memories by Cecilia Ahern
The Birth of Venus by Sarah Dunant
The Love of Her Life by Harriet Evans
Wild Designs by Katie Fforde
Love the One You're With by Emily Giffin
Magic Hour by Kristin Hannah
Nose Down, Eyes Up by Merrill Markoe
Up Island by Anne Rivers Siddons
Sarah's Child by Linda Howard

Okay I think that's all I've read...

I just bought
An Offer You Can't Refuse by Jill Mansell
Sleeping Arrangements by Madeline Wickham (who happens to also write under Sophie Kinsella)
Before the Frost by Henning Mankell
The Grand Finale by Janet Evanovich
Naughty Neighbor by Janet Evanovich (which I've to return since I discovered I already have a copy on my shelf)

Now that I've made this list I'm checking out Amazon.co.uk to purchase more books! That's the problem I look at the authors website and find books I want to read that I can't purchase in the US yet..so have to order them.

If I had a wish..

I'd get some of my photos printed out in a larger size then 4x6" and one way of attempting to get one printed is to enter a contest to win one. I'm hoping to blow up a photo from my time in Chicago last June. I have some really awesome black/white photos you can see here...some of the set is in color too. It would be fun to do a series and frame them but sometime in the future I hope to do that. Plus they make great gifts. My brother and sister in law are belatedly receiving some of those photos framed. Here's a way for you to win an enlarged print...go here and enter!

Playing Second Fiddle

So in late June I'm going to see Chaim Topol. Oh you don't know? He is Tevye from the original motion picture of Fiddler on the Roof. I found out he was coming to Chicago's Ford Center/Oriental Theatre and immediately set out to get my mom to go with me. I'd ask Andrew but he's not coming home anytime soon. When Andrew was in high school he was in the musical Fiddler. Out of all the performances there was only one where noone dropped a wine bottle off their hats. I still remember being really excited about that and whichever friend was with me couldn't understand my excitement. Anyway, Topol is on a Farewell Tour in the same role of Tevye. SOOO we are going at the end of June...I'm so happy! I'm trying to get my friend Sarah to go see Mary Poppins in Chicago as well.

Back to watching Celebrity Apprentice..haha

Mother's Day party

So the party yesterday was around an hour and a half long. YAY for the length! Part of that was probably that I was actually cutting out paper as the kids were coloring other items.

Here's what the kids made:

• Mother's Day Gift Certificate Booklets with 4 certificates
• Mother's Day Card (which should have had their photo on it, but my printer won't accept SD cards?! Need to figure out what's going on there)

We also read 4 books about mom's and children that were cute. One of my co-workers picked them out because I left my sheets at home for the party! I would have had a few activities for the kids had I remembered them, such as a word scramble, a maze and something else that I can't think of now.

Before going to work my mom and I went to town and checked out a plant sale, which was a disappointment, then lunch (my treat) and then we went to an Animal Welfare Shelter to see if we could find Flash a friend but no luck. After all that I went to Michael's craft store and found some glitter foam stickers for the kids to use as well as sheets of foam to cut out for the front and back of the Gift Certificate booklets.

I'm still reading Columbine by Dave Cullen. I'm pretty sure I'm going to start passing it around at work for everyone to read. It's a really interesting book and it's opening my eyes to how the media tells us something that isn't true, as well as how much we really learn about events we see on the tv/newspaper. Did you know that the Columbine incident wasn't meant to be about shooting people? Do you know that shooting was the 3rd part of it and there was so much more to the story? I'm challenging you to read it and find out more!

Activities

So tomorrow is the kids party that I'm in charge of (you aren't surprised are you?) and it's for Mothers Day. Looking over the papers thought up by someone who doesn't work IN the stores makes me laugh.

First of all, they give me a list of supplies...most of which are NOT provided by the store. So I either buy them myself or scrounge supplies up in the store that I can use. Then they give me activities to do that are not appropriate for the children (age wise). Then they tell me how long each activity will take, which never proves to be accurate. Usually my parties last an hour, they have told me in the past that my parties should last 2 hours. I'm really not sure how to stretch out a party that long unless I come up with activities that take longer. But that's difficult since those activities are the ones that have the children cutting stuff up. Again, supplies. I do not have scissors for kids to use. Also, they give me an hour to prepare for the parties usually. This time I don't have any time as I'm schedule to start work AT 2 (when the party starts). So that means I'll have to do everything tonight or tomorrow morning before I go. Usually I do quite a bit of prep work anyway.

Prep has included:
Spending 2 hours looking up Elmo's face online, copying the parts on the correct colored paper. and one hour of cutting parts out (nose, mouth, head shape).
Going to a craft store and purchasing tissue paper, spending three to four hours tearing paper up, finding a butterfly design online, copying design.
Craft store again, using a circular punch to cut out circles from different colors of card stock.

Plus, usually my hour of prep time is putting the activities in order, copying the activity sheets that ARE included in my paperwork from the company and then moving everything out to the children's area, as well as making store announcements, and ensuring we have snacks prepared.

This is not complaining, it's just showing that realistically these parties are not hastily thrown together before they start. The one thing that would make this easier was if a craft store was to give me a gift certificate so I could get some amazing supplies, more punches, kid scissors, card stock, and some kids craft kits :) That would make my day!!

Anyone volunteering? Oh also, I could use a helper tomorrow...I wonder if anyone wants to fly in to do that..for free....okay I'd totally buy you a coffee or drink.

Luggage to win and more

So there are a number of giveaways I'm entering. Some for me and some for my sister in law who just had Oliver last night :)

The first one is at Sandier Pastures for luggage. You go to Luggage.com and pick out luggage you like then luggage you want to win. I found some amazing luggage on there. Here and here they are! They are two different sizes in case you are wondering why the design looks the same. I live on a farm..its PERFECT and easy to spot. I may have to buy it if I don't win it...I mean seriously..it's amazing!

The other giveaways I signed up for are found at Etsy It Up and The Shopping Mama. Oh my gosh..so cute! Plus the cover is perfect for Dena so she can be anywhere and nurse happily :)

Check them out for your chance to win!

Why you should always lift correctly

To remind myself about my injuries I should probably write about them here. So here goes...
I've broken numerous toes, multiple times. I've also broken my left wrist, playing softball and my back was bad in high school when I had a waterbed. Apparently they do not agree with me.

That brings us to this past Friday. I was working at the electronics store and picked up a large printer box for a customer, then set it down, then after she had some questions answered, I picked it up and we walked up front to Customer Service where I rang up her purchases. This was actually a purchase that gave me an extra hour of work time since I stayed an hour later to help her, and then 2 other customers looking at computers. About ten minutes after this customer left I was in immense back pain and have been since then. On Tuesday, after calling in an incident report (with my manager) I was told to go to a specific work fitness place to get checked if I wanted to. At this point I was really tired of being in this much pain so I went after work. I came out with ibuprofen, muscle relaxers (for when I sleep) as well as ThermaCare Powerful Heat Wraps. The Ibuprofen has helped, as did the muscle relaxers. The heat pad has been slightly helpful but also annoying. If I had to recommend a product, I don't know that this would be on my top five. The main problem is if you move, such as walking, the wrap works its way upwards. I repeatedly had to move it back down around my lower back area. There is no way to keep it in place. It would be a bit nicer if it was sticky in some way and held in place.

I just want to point out that this is a direct quote from the website, 'Can be worn on the move, during chores, when relaxing, or overnight'. NOOO it really can't be worn while moving. I bet if I wear it at home while sitting around I'd have no problems.

It might be because the wraps are for sizes Sm-Lg...and I should really have been given a Small only wrap. However this is what the doctor gave me.

I also have restrictions of what I'm allowed to do.

• Not push more then 10 lbs on a cart
• Not lift more then 10 lbs
• Not bend over more then 3 times an hour
• Not crouch or get down low very often if it all

So you can see where my working has changed a bit. Today was interesting because I couldn't get iPods out of the case. Luckily there was only 2 times where I would have but was able to find someone to do it for me. I'm also supposed to do physical therapy but they haven't called me to schedule that yet.

Sheraton stay for Blogher 09

So I JUST found out through Twitter that I won the 3 night stay at the Sheraton for Blogher 09! YAY! If I wasn't in pain I'd totally do a dance right NOW! WOOOOOOOOoo! Check out the information about what I won here....

I can't believe it! Go here to see the place where they announce I won!

I LOVE ZRecommends! Okay...I'm really excited! Does everyone want to do a dance with me now?

I'm only a little scared cause I think SAHMtoo may want to hurt me since she let me know about the contest...haha So stop on by her amazing page and tell her she's a great person!

Possibilities

So I finally had time to come home and organize my stuff. I put scrapbook pages into scrapbooks. I put my drawers of scrapbook materials into the rolling cart. I also put books away, wrote out checks for bills and washed clothes. Today I have the day off so I showered and decided that maybe I should take photos of my hair. Odd I know..but it's gotten so long. And I've been waiting for nearly a year or so to cut it for one of those hair places you can donate it to.

• Locks of Love
• Pantene Beautiful Lengths
• Wigs for Kids
• Childhood Leukemia Foundation
• Looks Like Me

I seriously could go on and on. Some of these have 12 inch requirements and I really have no idea how long my hair is. Here are 2 photos of my hair so you can see what I'm talking about. I doubt I'm at 12 inches but I'm definitely more then 8.

The weather is so nice I'm going to go pick up oil and do an oil change. How exciting right? I also finally dropped off my photos to be developed from Florida. I had 4 or 5 rolls so we'll see what comes out of those.

Blogher 09 Updates

So I'm excited about the upcoming blogger conference which I have told you about here...and here. As it gets closer I am thinking over the details...
1. How to get involved: a Blogherteer (volunteering at the front table checking in Blogher guests)
2. How to get there: Riding or driving with SAHMtoo
3. Where to stay: Sheraton (Blogher is being held here)
4. Who to stay with: Lara
5. What to take: Laptop, clothing, money, camera
6. How to cover room: This amazing Blogher Giveaway :)
7. Where to find out about Blogher: Blogher's website

If you are also going to the conference you should check out the contest! Not only do they comp you if you have prepaid for your room through Expedia or one of the other travel sites but you have exclusive access to the Executive Club Level. Which allows you into a bi-level lounge which features not just "breathtaking views" but daily complimentary breakfasts, evening hors d'oeurves, and snacks and beverages throughout the day, plus free high-speed internet access, PC and Mac workstations, office supplies, and massage chairs.

Hello? Massage chairs? Yes, my favorite thing is having a massage....YAY! Course the beverages and hors d'oeurves are awesome as well...I certainly won't turn down amazing food and drinks! Would you pass it up?

Sooo entries are due by tonight so get on the ball people!

Weekend crop

Yes you read that right, not crap, but crop. This weekend is a Scrapbooking weekend and we are meeting up at a hotel tomorrow and staying until Sunday. I'm really excited :) I need to pack tonight. Unfortunately I'll be late going since I work tomorrow til 5 and everyone is getting there at 10 am! I did think ahead and printed out a bunch of photos from Florida but I haven't developed my Florida film yet so I will be doing half of my items.

There is a rainbow in the sky right now since it's raining and the sky is beautiful. Today I worked outside and cleaned up a garden, backing my car up and hooking a chain around a pool that had been laying in the garden for 2 winters...and dragged it right down the lane to the garbage. It was really fun! I also helped plant seeds in little seedling holders so we'll see how it goes.