Just A Thought

I know I have not posted in a while, but I have not been inspired. I was not sure if people wanted to read about potty training a puppy and said puppy eating its own poo..... I am not sure I want to experience it myself!!

I was inspired a little bit this weekend by my trip to the grocery store. I know you may be thinking "how can a trip to the grocery store be better then a poo-eating puppy?"

My thought is this... shopping carts! How is it that in this day in age, when we have cell phones that can do everything but cook us a meal, is it that we cant get a shopping cart that has good wheels! Seriously..... I always end up with the cart that has the squeakiest wheel, or the wheel that does not turn (??) or the wheels that rattle more then an angry rattle snake. How is it that no one has come up with an invention to keep wheels operating properly? We can put a man on the moon, use a device to get us anywhere we want to go, talk to our cars thru On-Star and watch tv on our phones. And yet, every time I go to the grocery store, or Wal Mart for that matter, I get the cart that draws the most attention with the antics of its wheels.
Maybe one day I will be able to shop in peace with a quiet cart so I can talk on my phone, while I watch tv & surfing the internet on the phone and bump into anyone who gets in my way at the grocery store!

Oh, and any suggestions on stopping the poo eating are welcome!

Can You Call This Babysitting??

On Monday my sister called and asked if I would babysit my 8 y/o nephew for a few hours. He was off from school and my sister had to go to work for a little bit. She roped me in with a small guilt trip, something to the effect of, "You say you want to spend more time with him, here is your chance!" How could I say no to that.

I had it all planned. Cool Aunt Tracey would show up with lunch from Burger King and then we would play some games, maybe go outside to ride his bike and "hang out". Silly me for not remembering what millennium we are in!!

Much to my dismay, there was no "bonding" time in the true sense of the word. the only bonding that was going to take place was between my nephew and the Play Station and Nintendo DS!! I am convinced that the video games were the "babysitters" and I was just an "afterthought", there for legal purposes only. We wouldn't want my sister to be arrested for child neglect, now would we! :)

A New Puppy!! (or.... buying stock in papertowels & cleaners!)

I finally have something fun to blog about! I got a puppy for Christmas! Ok, I know Christmas is not technically here yet, but she could not be left in the box until then....... She is a West Highland White Terrier and is soooooo cute! Her name is Noelle and she was born on 10/30/08. Now I know more then a few of you out there are thinkning that I travel too much for a puppy and you may be right. However, I know my travel destinations for the entire year of 2009 so I can plan accordingly to not be away, say 4 weeks in a row! AND Noelle comes with a dog sitting promise for when I am away, so don't worry about that detail.

Noelle is still a baby and is not housebroken yet, and she is teething. Oh so fun. This is definately the hardest time, so I am glad that I am home for almost the next FIVE WEEKS (except for one overnight). This will be good for both me and Noelle.

I am sure I will have many "tails" to tell, so stay tuned!

Merry Christmas to all!!!

Onions on a Plane....

Last week I traveled to Oregon. This is a 6 hour plane ride. I was lucky enough to get a "straight through" flight. These days, as I am sure you all know, there is nothing free on a plane, except maybe the toilet paper! Since the airlines now charge for baggage, people have become insanely childish when it comes to boarding. I feel like I am at a concert sometimes, people crowding the entry to the jetway, pushing and forgetting their manners. Most airlines have boarding orders or groups. I fly USAir mostly, so I have Gold status, which entitles me to board first or nearly first. This never stops 6 foot men from pushing me out of the way, surely a girl of not even 5 feet tall can't possibly have a better boarding group then them!
Then there is the carry on bags..... seriously people. A suitcase that you pack for a weeks vacation will NOT fit in the overhead..... just pay for it.
My ultimate favorite, however is the food choices that people decide are ok for on a plane. Since you have to pay for everything, including water, a virtual food buffet ends up on the plane. Most items are ok, ham sandwiches, bagels, fruit, and whatnot. But there is "one in every crowd"....... an Italian hoagie with onions, oregano, etc...... or a stinky fried something or another...... can we all remember that the airplane is a confined space with recirculated air!! Onions linger for an entire 6 hour flight......

Blog Stealing

The following post is one of those get-to-know-you type things. I 100% stole this idea off of a blog that a freind from high school's wife writes... follow that??? The goal is to answer the following in only one word........

This is a One-Word-Answer MEME. Pretty self explanatory:

Where is your mobile phone? Charging

Where is your significant other? sleeping

Your hair colour? strawberry

Your mother? home

Your father? Delaware

Your favourite thing? facebook

Your dream last night? scary

Your dream goal? numerous

The room you’re in? yellow

Your hobby? sleep

Your fear? failure

Where do you want to be in 6 years? content

Where were you last night? home

What you’re not? tall

One of your wish-list items? happiness

Where you grew up? house

The last thing you did? type

What are you wearing? sweater

Your TV? black

Your pets? furry

Your computer? addicting

Your mood? stressed

Missing someone? yes

Your car? Escape

Something you’re not wearing? shoes

Favourite shop? Kohls

Your summer? hot

Love someone? yes

Your favourite colour? blue

When is the last time you laughed? today

When is the last time you cried? Friday

Feel free to "steal my blog!"

Ski Lift Line or Security Line??

Since I travel every week, I spend a lot of time in the airports. Philadelphia is my "home" airport, as unthrilling as that is. What made me laugh this week was a huge sign that congratulated Philly as the number one airport in customer satisfaction according to some magazine, Forbes, I think. Seriously??? It is the WORST airport as far as customer service and on time arrivals that I travel to. I am not sure who was asked to vote on this, but I don't believe it was the every day "Joes" who use the airport.

I do, however, need to acknowledge some nice changes that I have noticed over the past few weeks. First, the TSA uniforms were revamped in all airports and they do look much nicer, but it did nothing for the personalities..... Second, some new signage and arrival/departure/baggage claim info boards brings the airport into the 21st Century.... finally, this week, I noticed a change in security procedures. I found myself faced with a black diamond line, a blue oval line and a red triangle (i think) line. I felt like I was getting ready to ski! I do LOVE this change. The lines are based on your travel experience. The red triangle is for families traveling with little children and the inexperienced traveler. The blue line is for the casual traveler and the black diamond line is for the frequent traveler. Whoo Hoo!! This is the best change! Especially in the summer and high travel times, like holidays. Now, if they only hold true to the lines........

Phinally Phighting Phillies!!!

WE DID IT!!! And by we, of course I mean me......you mean I didn't help?? :( Anyway, the PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES ARE WORLD CHAMPIONS!! The last time this happened was in 1980, I was 10, and my mom had to wake me and my sister up to see the end of the ninth inning and the celebration of the win. It took 28 years for us to do it again. AND 25 years since the city has had any championship team. Unless you count the Soul, Jon Bon Jovi's Arena Football team in Philadelphia. Go Philly! I, however, am in Cleveland in a hotel and watched by myself. Jo Ann's house looked like more fun!

Feet In Four!

Last week the company I work for held a convention for our Directors in Disney World. The convention was fun, but the real fun came last Saturday. Myself and a few of my co-workers (including the Vice-President of Operations!) stayed in "The World" for a day in the parks. We had purchased a one day park hopper and were going to try to get to all four major parks if we could. Well, a few fellow co-workers said that we would not make it to all four parks in one day. To us that meant-CHALLENGE ON! Needless to say, we did make it to all four! We spent 3 hours in Hollywood Studios, 4 hours in Animal Kingdom, 3 hours in Epcot and 2.5 hours in Magic Kingdom! It was well worth the challenge, but not something I would do again. Our feet and bodies hurt for two days after! We walked about 22,800 steps, which equals 12.5 miles!! On Sunday, two of us walked around Downtown Disney before we had to leave for the airport.... or should I say hobbled around! Very fun..... photos to follow when they are forwarded to me!

One Down, Eleven To Go!

So my first grad class is officially "in the books" as they say (no pun intended!) Actually, we had our last class last weekend, but the professor gave us an extension for our final paper. Truth be told, she gave us TWO extensions! Originally, the final paper was to be due on our last class. Then, on the second weekend of classes (there were only three weekends) she extended it until today, Saturday the 11th. I, of course, fully planned on completing it on the original due date...... NOT..... I am a bog time procrastinator when it comes to stuff like papers! Well, last weekend, at our last class, she gave us until Sunday the 12th at midnight!! I promised myself that I would not use the new extension and I didn't! I turned the paper in at 4:30 today and got my grade an hour later.... Ah, technology!! I got an A for the class!! :) The next class starts on Halloween, with a research paper due November 10...... I am seriously going to get it completed ahead of time........

Nostalgia

So, recently I have been feeling a bit nostalgic. I can't decide why for sure, but I have a few theories. My first thought is that it is fall, my favorite time of the year. As an adult, it is my favoirte because of the season change, the crisp air, the return of my "comfy" clothes! As a teenager and it college it was all about BAND! I was a true band geek, and proud of it. It was my most favoirte activity by far from the time I was in 6th grade until I graduated college on the 5 year plan! Well, now I am back in college..... the same college I did my undergrad at. I feel like I need to be doing competitions on the weekends!! Another theory is that this is my 20th HS reunion year. It just makes one really reflect on life. Did I accompolish all that I thought I would have by this point in my life? Will all of the people from HS forget the "clicks" and just have fun reminissing? The sheer mention of my HS or college or the sound of a marching band always brings great memories (and a few tears for times gone by) flooding back. Tonight, however, was a huge kick in the old reminder pants. My stepdaughter was nominated for homecoming queen at her HS. We went to the football game to see her and cheer her own (she didnt win, but she was one of only 7 senior girls out of over 600 to be nominated, so that is great!). We saw the other schools marching band perform the pregame show and I had tears in my eyes. I need to say, that we were at a rival school from where I went to school, at least the bands were BIG rivals. I ALMOST wished that I could be on the field, performing again. I have my memories...... treasure your memories so they will last a life time. Oh, and the people that I was with thought my tears were from the wind and the chill in the air.......!

Cheap Gas!??!

I am in Cleveland, OH currently. Some people that I work with loveling refer to Cleveland as the "mistake on the lake." While that may be a popular thought, this week I am feeling that Cleveland Rocks! The gas prices here are cheap! I saw a station here selling regular gas for $2.89! What kills me the most is that I am excited about this and that I think that is cheap! While a few months ago I thought that we would never see gas under $3.00, there was a time in history, not too long ago, that we would never have thought that $2.89 was cheap! I remember back 6-7 years ago how we were up in arms when it went over $1.00....... wonder if we will ever see a 1 as the first number again????

Star Struck.....

So, I am a geek. (I have known this for years and plenty of people in HS reminded me of this on a daily basis.) This week I am in NC and one of our schools down here is owned by a former weather person from my area. I got to go to this school the past two days. I have to admit I was a little star struck because I watched this person EVERY NIGHT! I know it was not Tom Cruise, or someone like that, but to me, it was cool. And they were the nicest person. Of course, being the geek I am, I had to tell them about my "star struckness." It was definitely a little surreal.

Comments Please!!

Ok, so I know there are people reading this bolg, my little counter at the bottom tells me so! It says 600 people have logged on. The problem, I DONT KNOW WHO YOU ARE!! I would love you to leave me a comment,let me know you dropped into my little piece of the world wide web!!

Breaking Shoes and a Sweat......

This morning I traveled to Raleigh, NC. The gate was in terminal B, at the end of the terminal. I got to the gate, settled with my coffee. I was sitting right next to the gate agent desk. The conversation was comical to say the least..... they had no power to the desk, therefor no computers, ticket scanner, etc. Finally a maintenance worker came and fixed it, but of course AFTER they had the plane change gates. The new gate, you ask.... (ok, I know you didn't ask, but I am going to tell anyway). The new gate was A26...... a long @$$ walk from where I was..... like 10 minutes!! Oh, they told us about the new gate 15 mintues from boarding!! I did get to see the international terminal, something I may never get to see. In the process I broke the heal on my favorite shoes and I was breaking a sweat at 7:00 in the morning. Gotta love Monday mornings at PHL!!!!

I Got an A!

Ok, so I am a little excited. I did my first paper in over 15 years this weekend. I wrote it very sporadically on Saturday. I felt like I had a hard time concentrating and organizing my thoughts. The paper only had to be 3-5 pages, but it took me about 7 hours to write!! (ok, so I kept taking 20 minute breaks b/c I could not concentrate!). I wrote it and then only read it once and sent it off. My saving grace, I thought, was that if we don't like our grade, we can revise it and turn it in again. Well, this morning I got an email from the professor.... I got an A!!! The only thing that was wrong was some of the formatting. It needs to be in APA format. I have a program to help me do this, but still didn't follow it perfectly. My 4.0 is still in reach!! :)

I Left My Heart In San Francisco

San Francisco is beautiful! The city has so much character and charm. From streets lined with old victorian houses, to the modern city buildings, from the bay to the ocean, beauty is all around! I took MANY photos. Unfortunatley, as you will see, both days that I was there were foggy in places. All of my Golden Gate Bridge photos have fog in them. Here are a few of the best photos.

The Golden Gate Bridge


My "Artsy" Bridge Shot


Flowers in Golden Gate Park




Lombard Street


A City View From Coit Tower


A Redwood Forest Park




Alcatraz


Sea Lions Hanging at the Pier

From Tease to Reality

On Sunday I flew to San Francisco for work. Ok, a little work and a little personal time with my favorite Uncle. (Side note-both of my uncles are cool, just this one was the favorite b/c he was who I was going to see!) Anyway..... Since I travel for work almost every week I have racked up the frequent flyer points and status. I have Gold status with USAir. Since I have gold status, I get upgraded to first class when ever available. On Sunday, the first class cabin was sold out, so I was resigned to a 6 hour flight cramped in a three person row of seats. After it seemed like everyone was on board, the gate agent came to my seat and asked me if I wanted to sit in first class. Of course, I said yes. I gather the stuff out of the seat pocket in front of me, got my purse off the floor, made the two guys sitting next to me move, got my bag down from over head and took one step toward first class. That's when the agent came back and said, "I am sorry, it isn't available." ARE YOU KIDDING!!! WHAT A TEASE!!!
Thursday was a whole different ball game!! I had been checking the availability of first class seats all week. Tuesday there were 7 available. Wednesday there were none! I was bummed, but again resigned to my coach seat. Much to my surprise and delight, when I checked in for the flight I discovered that I had ALREADY BEEN UPGRADED!! That's right.... first class on the way home!! Cozy, comfy, free food and beverages, blankets..... I could get used to this! Membership has its privileges!

Back to School!

Well, tomorrow is the BIG day! I am going back to school. I am soooo excited and just a tad bit nervous~ OK, A LOT NERVOUS! I was not a particularly studious student the first time around. It wasn't that I was a partier, I just did not "apply myself" as my mom would say. I was too busy with friends, activities and work. The temptation to sleep in was very hard to resist as well..... sleep is my favorite activity! All of this was when school was my only job (well, kinda, if you count being an RA a job!). NOW not only do I have a full time job, but it requires traveling A LOT! Some how I need to pull some discipline out and "apply myself!" Seriously, though, I am sure that I will do fine.....can you say looking for a 4.0??? I have a lot to live up to, as my mom worked full time, raised two kids on her own AND got a 4.0!! I have friends in my class that I work with, so that will be encouraging as well... I am so excited to start that I had my bag backed with my books three days ago! :) WCU here I come!

GO RAMS!!!!

Elvis Duckley!

Meet my new man..... isn't he dreamy! He is so considerate and sweet. He even swam all the way to Chicago and surprised me in my hotel! :)

We Are The Champions!

Last Sunday my softball team won the Championship! We played during the thunder and lightening, watching lightening all around us, but it never getting close enough to stop the game. We finished the season 14-2!!! This was our third year playing and our second championship. We won the first year out, but honestly, only by shear luck! We had a losing season the first year, but all is fair in the playoffs and we won when it counted! This year, however, we had the best record out of any team in all three divisions. It was a fantastic season, capped off by a CHAMPIONSHIP! For this, we get rewared by moving up to the "A" division next year.......GO TITANS!!