cooking

From disaster




to success.

10/8

Work is good. Busy, but good.

A girl that I work with this site, peopleofwalmart.com

I've got nothing else. But I am sure that I will have something to vent about before the weekend... goodie. :)

Work, and marriage.

As always, with this blog I go through phases. I think I go through phases with everything in my life. But yet again, I tell myself that I am going to start updating this things again. There are many positives to updating this blog and hopefully I can keep my promise and get in the habit of updating it again. In the future, to look back and see what my thoughts were at a specific time in my life will be exciting.

Marc and I got married last weekend. I can't believe it has finally come and gone. It was an exciting weekend, great to see everyone, but the both of us could not be more happy with it finally being over. The details and little stresses that come along with getting married are worth it, but I am so glad that it has come and gone. Now we finally get to start the rest of our life together. We have been starting it for the last two and half years... but it feels like it has been officially started now. :)

Work is going well. It is fairly slow, because the pipeline hasn't reopened. But once it finally reopens for my region, I am looking forward to getting in a good routine. I don't know if that is possible with the department I work for, but I can keep my fingers crossed. The department has gone through a reorganization and it seems to be a much more organized and fluid. Hopefully it stays this way.

I have developed some good relationships at work, and I am working at keep them. There are two co-workers that I have become fairly close with and they are good people. It is always nice to surround yourself with people that have the same values and a similar perspective as yourself.

COMPUTER

Friday, I finally got my computer! but I don't have a passwords... AHHH. I have been there a full two weeks and have yet to log onto a computer. Maybe Monday.

Meridith and I have desks right across from each other! It is going to be "trouble" and oh so much fun to have each other right there! I think I am going to really enjoy this job!

Week 2 of Work

So this past week at work as nice. It was difficult at times but it was much better than the first. We were set free to fool around with the program and learn how to underwrite. We were set up with an underwriter so that we could learn and improve our techniques. Sometimes work seemed easy and other times it was very difficult. We worked in groups and were able to help each other out. I am looking forward to this next week so that I can get into the program myself and learn what I actually know...

Some of the girls at work are turning into not so nice girls. Their jokes are no longer funny and I don't know how much longer I can take being nice to them if they are not going to be nice to me. But maybe I am looking to far into things and should just let them be the way they want to be.

If just frustrates me when one person of the group is not around, so they start talking about her and say negative things. It makes me curious to what they are saying about me. I know I should worry about what they think about me, since I am being me but it is just human nature to try and impress everyone.

zoo and arena football

Here are some pictures I took this weekend at the zoo. I would have some pictures from the arena football game we went to but they made me check my camera, since it has a removable lens.

Lunch Friday

I am starting to feel confident at work. I am comfortable with the team of people I am going to work with. The girls I work with have a little tradition of going to lunch together. Since we have only worked there a week, none of use are familiar with the different places we can eat our lunches. We have found a couple of different locations but were going to try a new place on Friday. It was the lunch room that the company provides. To get through to this area you have to go through a revolving door. But to make the door move, you have to scan your badge. Well I watch the majority of the group go through the door and thought I had the hang of it. Well, that wasn't the case. I swiped my badge, and the door starts to move and then stops. It said "Too many people are trying to enter on one badge". So I try again. Well this time the door keeps going but my lunch box was stuck in the section behind me.... I had to let my lunch box go so my arm wouldn't get caught in the moving door. Luckily there was another girl left so that she could push my lunch through.... It was so funny... and gave everyone a good laugh. I am glad that I can do stupid things to create bonding moments for the team I work on.

1st Day of Work

Last Monday, May 18, 2009, I started my first day of a "real job". I made it downtown without any trouble. I found the correct building, with a little guidance from a fabulous security guard. I even met some nice people before 8 am.

28 other people were waiting in the lobby with me. Four people stepped off the elevator and welcomed us to this new adventure of a career. They broke us up into groups of seven to give us a quick tour of the office. I being the friendly person I am was talking to the gentleman behind me. I was not paying attention to where I was going. There happened to be a pole and I ran right into it. Nice way to start the job. At least the person behind me was the only person to see it happen.

Post-Graduation

Instead of just posting pictures of my life, I plan on using this site to document events in my life. In the past month I have transitioned from being a college student to a young professional.

Two weeks ago completed a major chapter in my life. I graduated college. I actually finished all of the requirements set forth by the State of Iowa Board of Regents to receive a degree. Now I am working for a Fortune 500 company. I never thought a degree in Anthropology and a minor in Math would lead me in this direction. But I guess you can never predict the twists and turns of life.

My first week on the job has already produced many fun experiences. I started with a group of 28 young graduates who are in the same position I am. Many of us don't have degrees related to the field but were lucky enough to find a job. Last week was spent in the classroom, a basic crash course in Underwriting. Tuesday, I go back to work. Hopefully, I will be assigned a desk by then and I will have a computer so that I can practice my newly learned skills.

The girls I work with are amazing. They are hilarious. I can't wait to have more adventures with them.

Outdoor Kitten

 

cupcakes

Made cupcakes tonight... failed miserably.

Blaming it on you Bill... :)

Promise to start posting more when finals are over...

Friday, March 20

Went to the ranch. One of Mike's friend owns a ranch south of Houston. We were invited to visit and had a great time.

View from the deck at the ranch. 

When we first arrived we went on a tour of a wildlife reserve and actually saw some wild crocs!!!













Went to the ocean.

Road ATV’s and mule around the ranch




Shot a couple rounds of military grade weapons.


Had a few drinks and smoked a few hookahs!

Pond at the ranch.

Ate some more meat.


Looked at the stars- listed to the coyotes- and went to bed.

and had a good time.

Thursday, March 19

Hung around College Station. Ate at Layne’s Chicken. Again very delicious food. Played a round of mini-gold at Grand Station. It was a very interesting indoor mini-golf course but was caked with children who were attempting to play the fastest round of mini-golf possible. We let them pass and continued to play at our own pace. Marc and I played a game of air hockey. I won! 6-5. Went back to the apartment and took it easy for awhile.


Ate at Sodolaks – had the biggest steaks ever. See Pictures.

Marc and I shared this one. We could barely finish it. 

Mike's Steak before... this thing was literally hanging off of his plate. 

Mike couldn't finish his steak, so he is packing it up to take home.

Inpane and his finished steak

Day Miles: 23.3
Total Trip Miles: 1590.3

Wednesday - March 18, 2009

Off to HOUSTON!!!

The plan was to go to the zoo. Drove all the way to Houston to get stuck in traffic in attempt to find parking at the zoo. We saw the entrance to the zoo but could never find any parking. There was a huge amount of traffic, road construction and everyone and their mother, father and extended family wanted to visit the zoo. All of these things combined made downtown Houston an absolute nightmare. After about 3 hours in the car including the drive to Houston we decided that it wasn’t meant for use to go to the zoo.

Instead we stopped at this ghetto Wendy’s, a very shady part of town. To use the restroom at 3 pm we had to get the restroom key. And then I couldn’t get the door to close. So I just peed with the door open, well partially open – closed enough that no one could see me. It was rather strange and amusing. The trip to Houston and time spent in the car will not soon be forgotten.

(Mike and some Texas size jelly beans)

Instead of giving up on the Houston mission we found a shopping area called the Woodlands in north Houston. It was a very nice area of town. Ate a place called Grilled Fish on the patio. Had some awesome margaritas.



After dinner we went to Barnes and Noble, which provided to be a very interesting trip to the bookstore. First, Inpane got in the elevator with me and told be how wonderful the elevator would be to have sex with someone in it. As he was saying this, the door was closing so there was no escape. A very awkward moment followed. The second event of the evening was when we were leaving the store there was a red head cashier. Marc was walking up to pay for his book, and noticed the redhead. He then heard Inpane say “Good God” and associated this red head. The four of us joked about this until the end of the trip.




Day Miles: 236

Total Trip Miles : 1567

Tuesday - March 17th

Mike went into work again for a few hours. We met him for lunch at Pot Belly’s, a chain sandwich shop in A&M’s campustown.




Marc and I wanted Inpane wanted to eat at Texas De Brazil but the closest was in Dallas. So we went to Dallas for dinner. This restaurant brings different types of meat to the table and you can eat as much as you want. They also have a "light" salad bar with items such as lobster bisque and fresh mozzarella. Inpane was impressed with the level of service that the restaurant gives. Ate lots of meat among other things. A really delicious meal. A dinner that you have once or twice a year. 




Day Trip Miles: 371 miles
Trip Total: 1331 miles

Texas Vacation - Monday

Monday - March 17th, 2009 

Hung around College Station. Mike went into work for a few hours. Met him for lunch at Pho John’s- a Vietnamese restaurant. VERY GOOD. Ran by Kohl’s to get Inpane some shorts because it was "so hot" in Texas that he couldn't stand his pants.



Also, visited the memorial site for the Aggie Bonfire collapse. Very cool. Not cool in the sense that people died but cool in the memorable sense. The story of the tale of events goes that these college students were building the structure of the bonfire and the structure collapsed on them. One thing we all found really interesting was how the memorial was laid out. It is a large, more like an enormous, circle - the size of the actual structure. The three of us had a hard time comprehending the size of the fire. We later learned that it was the structure that collapsed, not when the fire was going, but when they were building it. The entire memorial was well organized with TONS of motifs and little things to make you feel like you were actually there. If you are curious visit Aggie Bonfire Memorial . This brochure tales about the motifs and other parts in more details of the memorial used to remember the fallen students.




Went by the George H.W. Bush library. Learned a bit about Bush. Interesting to see the different positions he held before he became president. Seems like a very smart man... but it was the Bush library and well they want to emphasize the great things he did and well not look at some of his mistakes.









Played some Frisbee golf and were going to go to Sodolak’s but we lost track of time and ended up heading out like 20 minutes before they were closing so we had dinner at Fitzwilly’s. It was a bar-like restaurant, higher emphasis on the bar, that had two levels and lots of dead animals on the walls. But what real Texas restaurant does not have dead animals on the wall. Inpane feel in love with two red heads that were playing darts. The love of the red heads became a joke from there on out.




Total Trip Mile: ~960

Texas - Sunday March 16, 2009

We, Marc, InPane, and I, decided to embark on a great adventure to College Station, Tx to visit the great Mike Eller.



Instead of leaving Ames at a normal time like normal people we decided to leave as soon as Inpane got off of work. He ended up arriving in Ames around 2am, so that is when we left. Between the three of us we drove straight to Texas. Inpane’s mom made egg rolls and sent them with us. Marc and Inpane ate egg rolls the entire way – it made them fart like crazy. It smelled like rotten eggs. Between the two of them it was probably the worst smelling car ride of my life. The windows were going up and down… so that we wouldn’t die of methane consumption.


We were driving through Texas and passed one of my friends on the side of the road. Ashley Leger, crazy girl, was on the side of the road looking to fossils. I call this insane, I wouldn’t voluntarily stand on the side of Interstate 35 while cars passed me at 80 MPH. Attempted to get together with her in Dallas but it didn’t work. We went to Dallas a day after she had left.


After many hours in a smelly car and one wrong turn. Speaking of that wrong turn the only turn of the entire drive… Well we were in Waco and were turning on to HWY 6. The road signs are not labeled very well and I missed the turn. There is one sign that says HWY 6 next left but the next left does not mention HWY 6. Oh well, we figured it out and ended up in College Station around 5:30 pm. Went to dinner at an authentic Texan restaurant, Chicken Oil. Had fried chicken fingers. Very delicious.



Total Miles: 950