Job Update/Happy Halloween

OK - so lots to tell.

Job Stuff:

• I am NOT going back to my old job.
• Had dinner/drinks for 3 hours with the old boss. Emotional cry fest for me.
• I would end up right back in that frustrated place that drove me to leave to begin with.
• There is an amazing position open at another children's hospital that I am working hard to get - working connections, reaching out, praying like crazy!
• Things here at the bank will move slowly for a while, so I've got some time.
• Feeling better. More confident.

Happy Halloween! (I will post pictures this weekend)

• Maddy is Hannah Montana.
• Emma is Minnie Mouse.
• They are both adorable in their costumes.
• We went trick-or-treating last night at my mom's and are going again tonight in Medina.
• Maddy was a nightmare - crying and shy and wanting no part of going up to people's houses.
• Emma LOVED it! Running (even with her cast) up to people, getting candy, laughing and smiling and waving to everyone! So cute!
• Gabby went too. She was this cute little pink flower!

We have a busy weekend. More trick-or-treating tonight, party tomorrow with family and then I have a stamping party on Sunday while Jer takes Maddy to the circus and Em stays with my mom! Crazy busy. I'm exhausted already.

Drinks Tonight

Tonight is my drinks date with the old boss. I really hope it goes well. I'm nervous and very anxious about it. I mean J (old boss) is a very dear friend and I'm totally comfortable catching up with her, but I really do have a sincere interest in coming back there and I'm just nervous about her feedback and response to that will be. I have gotten emails from hospital leadership encouraging my return; however, not the leadership that will make the hiring decision... hmmm...

Things here at the bank are rather boring. Can't do too much without some feedback and answers that we don't have... so, here I sit, blogging.

Anyhoo - wish me luck tonight!

Interesting Day

Well, today is not such a good day at work. We announced that we are being acquired by another bank. Bottom line: Lots of people in Cleveland will be losing jobs, including me. While they haven't officially announced the cuts, it's obvious. They will eliminate our headquarters though, which means "corporate support" stuff - like me - will go away. I've already reached out to the old boss... maybe I can just go back to the hospital as if I had been on an extended vacation? :)

We'll see what happens. Everything happens for a reason, and I know no matter what that I will land on my feet. This experience has only made me stronger.

I'm Bored... Can you tell?

So, I'll do a couple of tags I noticed recently... 7 fun facts about me & 6 secrets.

6 Secrets:
1. I do not eat any fruits or vegetables EVER. For real. No joke.
2. I pay my mom to clean my house.
3. I'm a Google junkie. I Google people I know all the time, just to see what comes up. It's a strange thing I do when I'm bored...
4. My husband and I sleep with separate blankets - I don't like to share blankets, so I have mine and he has his. We rarely make our bed (unless people are coming over) because we can't keep our blankets separated when we make it...
5. I hate to read books written by men or if the main character is a man. Call me sexist, whatever.
6. I have puked on planes, several times. I get monster bad motion sickness if I don't take Dramamine. And let me tell you that those stupid little bags are not big enough or strong enough. Yuck.

7 Facts:
1. I turn 30 in 2009.
2. My mom is my best friend.
3. My daughter, Maddy's entire persona is a direct extraction of me. Her looks, her expressions, her voice, her entire personality.... it's like looking in a mirror.
4. I am counting down the hours until Nov. 12th when Emma gets her cast off!
5. I am driving to Dayton for the day next Wednesday.
6. We are going to HSM 3 on Saturday at 11:50 at Crocker Park.
7. I will officially become Gabby's Godmother on Sunday!

13 Years and Counting

I was inspired by friend Megan and her post about her anniversary, and I wanted to post about some of the things that have changed since I had my first date with Jerry on February 24, 1995. Kind-of things we've been through together...

• He taught me how to drive.
• We went to Homecoming & Prom together our junior year.
• I wore his football jersey to school and to his games :)
• We broke up a few times - love high school drama!
• We graduated high school together.
• We went to college 4 hours away from each other, and made that drive in the middle of the night, when our schedules really didn't permit, and to turn around and drive right back, just to get 5 minutes of time together.
• He lost his friend in college - he died from meningitis.
• One year later, on the same day, he lost his precious "Grandpa George."
• I graduated from ONU. Moved back home. Got a job. Quit said job and went back to school.
• He graduated from Malone. Moved back home. Got a job.
• We moved into a totally horrible apartment because it was cheap and we could be on our own together.
• I got my Master's degree while we lived in that shitty apartment - Jerry paid all the bills on his first year teacher salary!
• I got another job.
• We broke our lease to buy/build our first home - moved in with my parents until it was ready.
• We got married. June 8, 2002.
• Went on a fabulous honeymoon.
• I lost my job. Found a new one in mere days - just before we signed papers on our new house and moved in!!
• We both got new, better paying jobs in 2003.
• About a month after our second anniversary (2004), I got pregnant with Maddy.
• In December of 2004 - suffered HUGE marital disaster, but lived to tell about it.
• February 2005 - my grandma suffers major heart attack, life-flighted to Cleveland Clinic.
• Maddy was born. March 25, 2005.
• Niece Jenna was born April 6, 2005.
• My brother got married. August 2005.
• September 2005 - I am victim of identity theft. Resulted in $8,000 in credit card debt - later transferred to the thief!
• My brother moved in with my parents - October 2005. FAMILY NIGHTMARE.
• I switched jobs again - this time we needed to move.
• My brother officially divorced - March 2006.
• Built our second home (our dream home that we LOVE). Moved in April 2006.
• July 2006 - got pregnant with Emma.
• Emma was born. April 7, 2007.
• Livin' life with two beautiful daughters.
• June 2008 - my brother and fiancee have baby, Gabby.
• August 2008 - I switched jobs again! VP.
• September 2008 - my brother remarries.
• November 2008 - nephew Julian will arrive!

As parents, we have done some amazing things with our girls that are cherished memories:

• Maddy's emergency c-section.
• All Maddy's firsts.
• Hayrides at Boyert's every single year for Halloween.
• Maddy to see Doodlebops live.
• Maddy to see Sesame Street live.
• Maddy to see My Little Ponies live.
• Amazone.
• Chuck E. Cheese
• Kalahari (too many times to count)
• Emma's scheduled c-section.
• Both girls to see HSM on Ice
• The movies.
• The drive-in.
• Wake-up Santa at the mall (totally insane).
• Idlewild.
• The Zoo.
• Boo at the Zoo.
• Artist for a Day.
• All Fired Up.
• Fairs.
• Library adventures.
• Geneva on the Lake.
• Family reunions.
• Emma's firsts.
• Maddy's stitches.
• Emma's broken foot.
• Potty training.
• Maddy's RSV scare.
• Emma's horrible eczema issues.
• Coming soon: HSM 3 movie trip!, Disney on Ice, DisneyWorld in June!!

Oh the list could go on and on. Anyhow, bottom line is that we've grown up together. We've gone from high school crazy drama teenagers to career/professionals, married with two amazing daughters. We've survived major blows to our relationship during the course of our 13 years, but there is no doubt we are in this life together forever. We've learned so much along the way, and we have truly shaped each other into the people we are today. I am so proud to be his wife and a mama to our little princesses :)

It'll grow out, but still...

I got my hair cut last night, and I'm so mad. It's way shorter than I wanted and I don't like it. rrrrr. I have been getting my hair cut by the same person for 10 years, but this just makes me mad. I made a comment last night and her response was "that's what happens when we gab too much." Well, if you can't talk and cut my hair at the same time, then perhaps it is time to change things up and head to a different salon? Ugh.

Teary

Have I mentioned that my job move was emotional and stressful and continues to haunt me? Well, on my way home from work last night my cell phone was going crazy because apparently there was a wild rumor flying around my former place of employment that I lost my job yesterday... strange. Anyhow, no. i did not. So, I had a legitimate work-related reason to call my old boss and I wanted her to know I was still employed and I called her today. Bad idea. It made me all teary and upset. I miss my old job... terribly. Sniff, sniff. I am having drinks with the old boss next week. Sniff, sniff. I have been gone for 2 months now, and I still dream about it every night, think about it all the time, worry about what lies ahead constantly.... sniff, sniff. Why did I have to give my heart to my work there? This would've been an easier thing to do if I hadn't fallen in love with my work... sniff, sniff.

Scrapbooking

aaaahhhh... scrapbooking. Just the pure thought of it makes me feel warm and giddy all over! I am a complete addict. My Nikon P80 camera has made me crazy - taking hundreds of pictures and scrapbooking as many as I can! I mentioned before that my friend M and I go to Archiver's Scrap Mania once a month, and we are going on Saturday!! Woo-hoo!

I heavily prepare for these monthly outings - matching photos with papers and embellishments in advance and packing everything up "just-so." This month, I am eager to scrap Maddy's flower girl photos, some more "top model" photos, Emma's cast pictures, Maddy & Daddy's Date Night photos, and some photos of the girls "helping mommy" bake a cake.

I think I may start posting photos of some of my layouts. I'm a 12x12, two-pager girl. My layouts are loaded with pictures and I despise photos cut into weird shapes. My pictures drive everything and my pages have to have dimension. I hate "flat" pages.

During my 6 hours at Archiver's on Saturday, I will probably get 8-10 (2-page) layouts done. The prep ahead makes all the difference!

While I'm discussing creative things, I am in desperate need of some time tonight to catch up on my stamping business stuff!!! I have a big order to place and prep work to do for October's club meeting. This weekend is crazy busy, and our meeting is Monday!

Retail Therapy

I am an absolute firm believer in retail therapy. I know that shopping always makes me feel better. This is normally not a big deal - I will go in spurts and binges, but nothing too significant. UNTIL NOW. When everything around you has made you into a stressed out depressed nutcase and your true "medication" is shopping, you can end up doing some serious financial damage. And, thus this post.

Ever since I switched jobs, I have been a mess. Mentally, I am still angry and upset and sad and hurt over my previous job. I am bored and confused and disappointed and stressed out about the new job. I dream about work. I constantly second guess my decision to leave my old job. I have no idea what the future holds at my new employer. ugh. I am just a mess about it all, and so what do I do? Shop. A lot. Damn that stupid Target store!!!!

Target is my Prozac. I can walk through Target for hours and hours and find hundreds of dollars of things that I don't need but have to have... and I can honestly tell you that it is extremely rare for me to leave that store without spending at least $100. It makes me feel good... until the credit card bill comes (and I dread the lecture from Jer again :) Because, mixed in with the Target doses are the expensive trips to the craft stores... oh yes, Archiver's and Joann's are additional drugs of choice. Scrapbooking supplies are wonderful and inspiring... and expensive. I always have new pages needing extra embellishments and more paper and ribbon and rub-ons and oh my!

So anyway... shopping is what I always turn to in times of mental angst. And, lately there has been a lot of mental angst - work, Emma's broken foot, etc. - which means a lot of shopping. The credit card bill (my credit card - the one Jerry allows me to use for therapy) came on Friday, and I kept it hidden in my purse until this morning. I didn't want it to ruin the weekend :) Anyhow, it was a little higher than normal (and it also has our airline tickets for our Disney trip on it) and I expect to get a lecture when I get home this evening. I left it in the office (along with a check for some funds out of my stamping account to help alleviate Jer's stress over the bill) before I left for work this morning. Sneaky, I know.

I'm sure this is amusing. My guilt/shame over excessive retail therapy this month. I go back and forth between feeling guilty/ashamed and entitled. I make almost twice as much money as my husband, and the new job provided a hefty salary increase, so part of me feels this sense of "I deserve it." The other half though knows how hard Jerry works on our budget/bills/financial stuff to keep us from being swallowed up in this economic mess the world is in, and I am not doing my share to help...

Anyhow, this is a monthly internal battle for me. I'll let you know who wins this one.

Fall

Fall is my absolute favorite time of year - for a lot of reasons. It's more than the leaves changing color. It's more than the crisp wind blowing my hair while the sun gloriously shines...

It's football season, and many of my most favorite memories with Jerry revolve around either him playing high school or college football. It's the perfect soup-feeling weather, and my love for making good soup. It's the pumpkin patch and Halloween. It's sweatshirts and sweaters. It's cozy, curl up with a blanket and a good book nights. It's baseball post-season - Jerry and I really like watching the close, down-to-the-wire games.

There are a few falls from the past that really stand out in my mind.
- the fall we spent in our crappy little apartment before we were married. I was in grad school and spent many mornings running (when I was like a size 2 and still losing weight for the wedding).
- the fall we moved into our new house after we got married. We were so proud to have built our first home.
- the fall I started my job at UH... The Ritz Carlton Pumpkin Parade, trick-or-treat for the patients.
- the fall I was pregnant with Emma and went into this crazy cooking frenzy and wanted to cook large meals for my entire extended family every weekend.
- and now this fall. Maddy was the flower girl. Emma broke her foot.

OH, and Sweetest Day. Sweetest Day has always been a great holiday for Jer and I. Again, it was always during football season, which meant plans were always mapped out well in advance. In college, I always came to that game, wherever it was. I remember most years it ended up being at home in Canton. I remember so many great things about our little Sweetest Day adventures, and this year was no different. My hubby, who was amazing to me and our girls this weekend, bought me a REAL Coach purse for Sweetest Day and a matching change purse!!!!!! He also took the girls and I for a stroll through Crocker Park, which was so sweet on Saturday because the girls were snuggled with blankets in their wagon and it was a beautiful day. Then we all went to lunch together and had a great afternoon as a family before heading to a big "hayride" that night.

I'm feeling nostalgic and blessed today. :)

18 Months Old

My baby Emma is 18 months old already! I cannot believe it. I took her for her check-up/shots yesterday, and it just made me all emotional about how fast she's growing up. Emma is a mama's girl, and I always feel just how much she needs me when she's scared or confused. Maddy was always so independent and smart and outgoing that she never really showed a "need" for mama. Emma is much more quiet and reserved and will bury her face in my shoulder in her moments of shyness. I LOVE this about her. She melts my heart. Her little curls in the back of her hair are priceless, and her belly laugh gets me every time. She's so different from her older sister, but she tries so hard to be just like her, and I love watching her efforts.

Emma Grace is my silly girl who loves "Pooh" bear and Pablo from Backyardigans. She will eat anything you put in front of her, and she LOVES shoes. And socks. Always wants shoes and socks on. She loves her crib and will sleep forever. She's my snuggly girl and I just can't get enough of her!

I worked from home yesterday so I could take her to the doctor. I also got to pick Maddy up from school. Nice to spend time with them, but hard to be back at work today.

By the way, I am so proud of Maddy at school. The teacher's feedback to us is that Maddy is friends with everybody and likes to play with everyone. My niece (who is in her class) gets upset with Maddy for playing with other kids, and the teachers are trying to encourage Maddy to continue her friendships and for my niece to start playing with other kids too. I love that Maddy is so confident and secure with herself to just play and talk to all the kids!

Blah

Today is a blah day. It definitely feels like Monday. I am mad at Jerry for his stupidity yesterday - details I do not need to divulge, just typical man crap. I am also mad at myself, because while I normally am on top of EVERYTHING in my planner, I made a mistake with Emma's well visit appointment which has forced me to request to work from home tomorrow. I thought I had scheduled her appointment for the 11th (Saturday) when I actually scheduled it for tomorrow (the 7th) at 10:00 a.m. ANNOYING. She has to get shots, so I want to be there myself. I know Jer is going to suggest that his mom take her, but I am adamantly against that.

Anyhow, I am just blah today. Have my . Blah. CRANKY day.

On a happy note, I did have a fun weekend with the girls. Went to the drive-in on Friday to see the Chiuaua(sp?) movie. Cute. On Saturday, we went shopping and to lunch with my grandma and Maddy asked her to spend the night, so she did. We made homemade pizza for dinner, which Maddy loves to do. Yesterday, I made homemade wedding soup (damn those stupid little meatballs that take FOREVER to make!). I baby-sat my niece yesterday. Gabby. Oh, speaking of little Gabs, my brother asked me to be her godmother. That makes me feel really honored. She's so cute!

Oh well, I'm going to go get on with my blah day. Hope you are having a better Monday than me!

Traffic Fiasco

When I took this new job a month or so ago it meant re-joining the "downtown" work force and battling the commute nightmares every day. Things haven't been too bad - I was actually surprised at how easy the commute had been. UNTIL THIS WEEK. Stupid stupid inter-belt bridge inspection junk. Closing two lanes both ways AND closing all the on-ramps for the freeway that are remotely close to my office building!!! Ugh. I have been forced to adventure off on new routes I wasn't too sure about, but nonetheless made my way to and from work.

All of this recent traffic experience has had me reminiscing about my first ever job "downtown" and how freaked out about driving down here I had been - I wouldn't do it. I took the rapid every day because I was afraid of traffic. This seems so funny to me now, but I was young (20) and completely inexperienced at the whole work environment. I remember getting so mad when I didn't get to leave right at 5:00. Now, 5:00 is like a pipe dream! Ohhh... how times have changed. Traffic still sucks though - it doesn't scare me now, just pisses me off.

Out of Maddy's Mouth

This is probably going to be a regular thing - posting the crazy things that Maddy says.

Last night, out of the blue... "Mommy, you have a big job."
"I do? Who told you that?"
"Daddy."

Playing at home... "Mommy, can I walk the runway now?"
"Sure. Go ahead."
"No, mommy. You need to take my picture. I'm a top model."

Yelling when she catches me hugging daddy... "Mommy, get away from my daddy!"
"Why? I can't love daddy too?"
"No. You can only love Emma."

This morning, getting up for preschool... "Mommy, I want to take a shower by myself today."
"ok." Mommy puts her in the shower. She immediately starts yelling... "MOMMY! I CAN'T FIND MY BODY TO WASH!" She meant her pink body wash that was in the tub from her bath last night. "MOMMY!! I CAN'T FIND MY BLUE SHAMPOO!" Shampoo was with the body wash. "MOMMY!!! I LOVE YOU."

Last night, she had lined up a bunch of stuffed animals on the couch and was reading them books and pretending to be their teacher. She put stickers on each one. I asked her why they got stickers - for doing a good job? She says, "No, mom. Those are name tags." So, I asked what their names were, and proceeds to point to each and every single sticker and say, "See Mommy, M-A-D-D-Y Elmo. M-A-D-D-Y Patches. M-A-D-D-Y Monkey...." She thinks M-A-D-D-Y spells "name."

And one more thing.... every morning Maddy likes to stand on the scale in our bathroom. She tells me, "I have to measure my feet." aaahhh... if only that's what it really did!

Financial Crisis - A Crash Course in Banking

So I started working for a bank about a month ago. Yes, I know. Smart career move. Perfect time to join the financial services sector.

Anyhow, as you may have guessed from the name of my blog, I am by no means a smarty pants serious banker type. Until I started working here, I honestly never paid a minute of attention to the stock market or anything financial in nature. I didn't do very well in econ class either. However, I have learned a lot in this very short amount of time.

If you've paid an ounce of attention to the news lately, you know our country is in the middle of a financial hurricane. My job = media relations for a bank in the middle of it all. Fun times. In my first month here, I have worked 13 hour days, been on multiple weekend conference calls, and witnessed heroic media relations efforts. I am in complete awe of the team I have joined, and am getting a serious crash course in all things banking, as well as first hand education on best-in-class crisis communication management. Does that mean I love my new job? Absolutely not.

Until things calm down (if things calm down), I can't do a whole lot. My job is really about promoting events and activities in specific markets to the media; however, given the fact that ALL banking/finance reporters are covering the Wall Street crisis, it is totally a waste of time to pitch anything else at this point. Not to mention we don't really want to right now. I'm bored. I can't help too much with the crisis stuff. I just keep my eyes on the media coverage in my markets and pitch in when I can. I sit in my new office, mostly in mute mode listening to conference calls. Job security is a big issue too - with all of these banks falling down around us, who knows who's next... aaaahhhh.... what did I get myself into?

Enough about work. I am sure it will work itself out. Until then, I am focusing much more on my creative work - stamping and scrapbooking. Loving that. I want to go on a scrapbooking getaway weekend sometime soon. My friend M and I have been going once a month to Archiver's Scrap Mania - love it! I highly recommend it. 6 hours of uninterrupted scrapbooking with the added benefit of as-needed shopping!! Had my Sept. stamp club meeting on Monday. I did all Halloween stuff - pretty fun projects. A Frankenstein candy bar wrapper, card using the new scallop edge punch, Pop Rocks card.

My parents are on vacation in California until Tuesday. I HATE when my parents go anywhere. I feel so stranded because of everything my mom normally does for/with me and my girls! Usually, she has my girls overnight every Thursday night and does stuff with us/them on the weekends. She does the girls' laundry. She cleans my house (I pay her for this with stamping stuff). She is always available to pick something up for me on the way home that I can't because I'm stuck in traffic or working late. Just all these things that are such hugely helpful tasks to my routine. I really miss her!! I know... I'm spoiled. But I really do appreciate her and everything she does. Believe me, I do show her my gratitude :) And, I think all of the hugs, kisses and "I love you's" from the girls are all she really does it for anyway!

On to the most important topic of all - Fashion. So, it's officially fall. My absolute favorite time of year. I LOVE the skirts and tights and sweaters that come with the cooler weather. I am feeling a bit inadequate on the work wardrobe front though. I went shopping a couple weeks ago and bought two suits, but I am returning one. I feel guilty about how much it cost, and I don't LOVE it enough for the money. The other one is pretty awesome though. It's more a professional dress than an actual suit - very Jackie-O. I have decided that there is really one designer of petite suits that I can actually wear - Tahari. All of the other petite suits are not petite. The pants are meant for someone at least 6 inches taller than I am. Anyhow, I am ready to bust out the wool A-line skirts and opaque tights. I am on the look out for a new plaid skirt - one that I can mix with different jackets and turtleneck combinations. And of course, I am always looking for shoes. I need to find a new pair of brown "school shoes" (as my friend Julie calls them) for the evenings/weekends romping around with the girls. There were a few pairs at DSW worth considering... will have to make a return trip. Maybe on Saturday while Jer is at a bachelor party! :)