of blue moons and crime

i usually try not to post too much about work. i figure, it takes up enough of my life - i don't have to write about it too!! along with that, there's the great confidentiality debate... plus we can't give away all our inside tricks & secrets. :) however... i thought this week's highlight deserved a post.

here it is...




i worked a 40 hour work week. *gasp*




i know... shocking! i consider this surprising enough for a press conference; i consider this to be incredibly newsworthy and consider it equally as sad. i thought of trying to figure out the last time i had a 40-hour week, and - frankly - it almost made me weep. needless to say, there have been only 2-3 since i became an independent (not with a trainer) worker... which was right about 2 years ago.


while i can say (at this point, anyway) that i really like my job, it really hasn't always been the case. the segments of training i've gone through have not been pleasant. the immediate months after said training, where i was deemed a capable employee (i.e. i was responsible to do that job), were full of stress and strife.


has it been worth it? i don't think i'm quite ready to answer that yet. have i grown as a person?? ABSOLUTELY. so maybe it has been worth it, in that regard. but is it worth all the time i've had to spend away from my family, my friends, myself, my life?? that's a definite no.

at what point do the 'absolutely' and 'no' equal out??

time off and... well, that's the important part

so this past weekend i took 3 days vacation from work in order to go up north on an annual trip with friends. except for the part about switching sleeping schedules (which was annoying and tiring), we had a phenomenal time. Matt & Heidi, Jayme & Glen, Molly & I all left on friday afternoon for a cabin on lime lake (near sutton's bay), thanks to jayme's family connections. we packed food, booze, snowboard/ski equipment, movies, & magazines and headed to the great white north.

saturday was a great day of snowboarding for me/skiing for J&G at crystal mountain, and relaxing & shopping for M, H, & M. the weather was unseasonably warm up north too, and while the snow was a bit sticky, it was also great to not have to worry about freezing our fingertips off and were able to enjoy the rides. in the evening, we headed to the casino for a little fun with the slots... and i actually came out a winner! i put in $10... and made it up to $50! i spent $20 more and lost it, so i stopped there.

sunday we slept in, had a great breakfast, then headed out to cherry republic for some wine tasting & shopping. a huge highlight this year is that they started making hard cherry cider - it was fantastic!! we made the brief stop at lake michigan for the annual "we're-freezing-and-it-takes-forever-to-get-the-picture-correct-on-the-timer" snapshot, then we were off to visit the beautiful black star winery where we enjoyed some fantastic wine & cheese, and also sampled some phenomenal chocolate! seriously... you should look at this chocolate. it was fantastically artistic, and was some of the best tasting chocolate i have ever tasted. :)

we headed back on sunday evening. i had taken monday off work as well, so it's been good to relax & not have to rush back to work 3-4 hours after getting back. and i have one night of work before my scheduled weekend, so it's a great week for me!!

25 Random things about me

a crossover from FB...

1. i am a middle child. i have severe case of middle-child syndrome - mostly (I think) due to the fact that i'm a true middle - the middle of 3 girls, all born within 3.5 years of each other.

2. i have a serious sweet tooth and the cavities/fillings to prove it.

3. i drive a stick shift and wouldn't have it any other way.

4. i work all the time. i really like my job... but i really DON'T like all the extra hours i'm required to work - i want my free time back. however, i am also very thankful to have a great job in this economy... so if i complain too much, please remind me.

5. i enjoy cooking & baking, though I don't do either very often (see #4). i tend to do more cooking than baking.

6. i never went to summer camp as a kid. thankfully, i was able to work at a camp in PA for 2 summers when i was in college. i only knew 3 people going into it (my sister, her fiance, and his brother) but i came out of it with many good friends.

7. i love snowboarding! i don't go very much though (see #4). i only have one marginally-fancy trick... a flat spin. i don't do jumps or rails or anything... i'm content to just ride!

8. i am an eternal optimist. i can always point out the good things in a crappy situation, even if i don't really buy into it. (see #4)

9. i hate running. there's simply no purpose for it unless someone's chasing you... or maybe you're chasing someone else.

10. i ran a 5k once. i really, really didn't like it (see #9), much to my sisters' and dad's dismay. someday i may try again, but i really can't see that happening anytime in this life. maybe i'll try again in heaven... it should be easier then.

11. i have over 100 pairs of socks, including only 2-3 pairs of plain white socks (for athletic purposes only). i frequently pick out what socks i want to wear for the day, then plan my outfit around those socks.

12. Oktoberfest (the real one, in Munich), is the best party i've ever been to! (despite the fact that i don't like beer...) I did indeed drink beer there, and even wore a dirndl. :) i would highly recommend going.

13. all 4 of my grandparents are still living. this is very unusual for someone my age - i do not take this for granted! i don't go visit them as much as i should. i regret that.

14. i've played the piano since i was 7 years old, and took lessons for 10 years. i love making music, but it's yet another thing i don't do very often (see #4).

15. my all-time favorite beverage is milk. i'm really hoping this pays off in the long run, as i don't plan on breaking a hip someday.

16. i also really like dr. pepper. and amaretto sours.

17. my favorite way to exercise is swimming. incidentally, one of my first jobs was teaching swimming lessons. i eventually became a lifeguard too.

18. i have a cat named Emmett. he's very loud, and actually announces when he has to poop. he's such a boy.

19. i really enjoy sewing. i do a lot of mending & little projects; when i was in high school (and apparently had free time), i made several quilts.

20. i have bachelor of science degree; i double majored in social work and Bible/Theology.

21. i have had the privilege of traveling to europe 3 times. i enjoy eastern europe more than western europe, but only by a little. i can't wait to go back again!

22. i love wrinkle release spray for clothing. it's 352% better than ironing.

23. i have gone skydiving, and it was incredible! my instructor let us do several flips on the way out of the plane. :) i hope to go several more times in my lifetime.

24. i have inactive tuburculosis. i 'caught' it when i was 3 years old & had to take a 1-year course of drug therapy. i haven't had a skin-test since... because i will always test positive.

25. i LOVE to laugh. it is my favorite activity of all time.