Life is busy

I'm so sad I haven't been blogging more but I frankly just haven't had the energy. Work has been absolutely nuts and I came home three different days last week with a headache but I swear it's not stressing me out I'm just BUSY. Things are so good at work customer wise; we have already hit our numbers for this month and it's only the 10th! It's just little things like not having a CSR (my old position) help; the one we did have just quit. That entire situation was really frustrating but I don't want to bring up any negativity so lets just say things can only get better. So, work has taken up most of my life and the other parts I'm trying to focus on working out and eating well. By the time I accomplish those two things the only other thing I want to do is spend time with my husband who works a completely different schedule that me. I miss him so much! I can't wait until our vacation to LA together on the 21st - only eleven more days!

October was absolutely fabulous as usual. It is my favorite month other than December and it was filled with a lot of friends and events. Here are some snap shots of what my October looked like.

I'll try and post more but no promises. Until life gets a little less crazy somethings gotta give and sadly it's been blogging. I also haven't been practicing my photography or my ukulele. Did I tell you guys we bought a ukulele? Yea... it's just sitting by Chads guitars...taunting me.

The first Halloween party - Debauchery Click that link to go to the partys Facebook page. Basically it's a HUGE annual party that my friend Rae told me about last year. You might remember this post about it. Well, this year it was at a new location and we went again and met up with Rae who in my opinion had the best costume - Spring Breakers. Haha I love seeing all the crazy costumes and you know what I love even more? Being the only Voodoo Doll there! Chad was Rick Grimes and surprisingly he was THE ONLY ONE.

 

 

Went to this really fun Southern Bar Witness in Capitol Hill and drank a Bible Thumper and a Son of a Preacher Man. Both were fantastic. I want to go back on a Saturday night when the owner give impromptu sermons and please go look at their website and check out their food. 

 "Dixie Poutine" - Bacon Gravy, Pimento Cheese, Crispy Fries. Say What?!

Dressed up for Halloween at the office... well 2 out of 3 did. #Halloweird

 

Then my friend Angela came into town and we did quite a few activities together...  

I'm obsessed with my Pomeranian.

We went out on Halloween with those two crazy soccer people.

My mother in law sent us her famous cookies and they were delicious.

 We humbly request more for Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Then my husband posted this on his Instagram for a TBT. Why do I have no memory of ever seeing this? He swears it was in our wedding slide show but I still spent 10 minuets at work trying to figure out if that was a human or a doll. So freaking cute I could just explode. That really is him in a mask! I want little skeleton babies! Well, not right at this moment but one day... that's another thing that's in the water now. Everyone's getting knocked up. Tis the season! Congrats to all your expectant mommies; this will be the best holiday season of your life if you do it right. It really is the perfect time to announce you're eating for two.  

 

November has already started off with a bang and we still have our LA trip and Thanksgiving to make it through. I love this time of year! Christmas will be here before we know it and one thing I do have to post (mostly for my husband) is my Christmas list. I love doing that post and it will be coming out soon!

I've had a lot of jobs...

Day 12: Worst job you've ever had.

 

I've had several questionable jobs... I'm probably about to sound like a stuck up brat but whatever, the question was asked. First off I have to be kinda honest here... I have had a lot of different jobs in my life. I counted one time a few years ago and the number was over 15 different ones. I have no idea why; I just got bored when I was younger and decided to do a lot of different things. Let me count which ones I can remember... let's start at the beginning:

1. Boteler's Decorative Concrete - My families business that I always worked at from the time I was born until they sold it when I was 18.
2. El Dorado Steak House - That one sucked I was a 15 year old bus girl.
3. Mi Casita - A 15 year old waitress at the dumbest Mexican restaurant in town.
4. A Party store I can't remember the name of that lasted 2 days.
5. McAlisters Deli - That was a fun job for a teenager & I met my best friend there.
6. Dominoes Pizza- ONE OF THE WORST I worked there for 1 shift. Couldn't even handle the weird people OR the fact that I would have gained 700lbs from eating all the free pizza. This one was for my health people...I just couldn't do it!
7. Nagoya - A yummy sushi bar that was also pretty fun to work at.
8. USM Dorms - checking in guests at the girls dorm
9. Diffata's market - ONE OF THE WORST. The owner was a train wreck and I remember missing a spring break trip because I had to work and then I ended up quitting 2 weeks later.
10. Bath and Body Works - I loved this one... such a fun place to work. Except the floor sets, I hated doing those AND all the damn boxes. I'd get so many paper cuts.
11. Cracker Barrel- this was a pretty bad one too. The main reason I hated it was due to the uniforms. I felt so damn ugly in a mans button down, khakis, Timberland boots, and a brown apron that all I wanted to do was hide.
12. The Popcorn Place - I helped out one Christmas at Chad's Grandparents place... that was a really fun time and I'm so happy I got to experience it before they closed it down the next year.
13. BancorpSouth- ONE OF THE WORST jobs due to the management I had at my particular spot. The boss was an emotional, jealous, crazy train wreck and I was not dealing with that crap. Also, I was in school full time and just couldn't do the full time working too.
14. The Computer Labs at USM - So fun... loved all my University jobs.
15. Campus Operator at USM - Another really fun/easy school job with an amazing manager.
16. MDES - Unemployment Claims officer... My first post college "big girl" job. It was a great experience and I worked there until I was transferred to a better/different job with another state agency that was closer to my apartment at the time.
17. MDES- WIN JOB CENTER MS Steps coordinator. I loved this job... I would have never left it but I was on a federal temporary program that didn't get extended and there weren't any other openings. I learned so much working there and it was one of the BEST experiences of my life.
18. Southern Beverage - Oh this job... it was fun and I worked with a few really great people. Then there were days I felt like I was in a mental institute dealing with dumb boys that thought just because I was a woman I was stupid. Oh, that place got my blood boiling sometimes.
19. Seattle Sun Tan - This was my first job that I got out of the blue right after we moved to Seattle. It was a lot of fun but it was when I was working there that I realized I'm way to old to be dealing with high school drama/crap. I had to get back into a career job that fed my interests and challenged me mentally.
20. PEI - Hands down the best job I have ever had! I am so happy and fulfilled with my current job that if I have it my way I will never leave. I wish everyone could be as happy with their jobs as I am now. It's out there people you obviously just have to have 19 other jobs before you find it. HA!



 

Bring on the MEAT!

Last night my boss took my 2 coworkers and I out to dinner to celebrate the record month we had in May. I work for a big company that has offices all over the world but our office in Seattle is small, only 5 of us in all so every time something good happens we usually go out for dinner to celebrate. I can't even begin to explain how wonderful and awesome my job is so I won't and we will just get to the point.

the FOOD!

My boss picked Novilhos Brazilian Steakhouse in Factoria (yes, that's really the name of the town) for our dinner and I wasn't excited at first. I had no idea what a Brazilian Steakhouse was, I'm from Mississippi the only steakhouse my daddy took me to was Western Sizzlin if ya know what I mean. Anyways, being the control freak that I am I had to go look at their website to figure out what I was going to eat before we went 2 weeks in advance. Yea, I do that.

I soon realized this was going to be a food EXPERIENCE not just a meal.

They have a total of 14 different meats on skewers that these waiters bring around and shave off the meat per your request. You don't order things here you pay one price (a big one - $50 per person) and it's all you can eat meat and salad bar with several different traditional sides.

Please just go read the website for full details on this experience, I am way to lazy to type that much and I don't want to start losing you people this soon.

So, I'll just shut up and show you pictures!

This was a plate from the "salad" bar. This bar was full of everything under the sun, meats, cheeses, ravioli, asparagus, rice, grilled red potatoes, corn, grilled salmon, mushroom risotto, black beans, etc. etc. etc. They only had 2 small bowls of salad though...my kinda place! I did get a little ceaser salad though and guess what... *gasp* I kinda might be starting to like it. That little biscuit thing on the top left was filled with cheese. I read reviews on these suckers and I was expecting to be wowed. I was not. Red lobster biscuits still beat you. Damn those delicious things. Don't get me wrong though I still ate 2 of them. If they would have been good it would have been more like 6 or 7 so in the end it was for the best.

I managed to snap a photo of one of the guys getting some meat. The sun wasn't exactly behaving but SEE Seattle does have sun...I have proof.

This place trains you quick too. As part of the show everyone gets a token so that the waiters serving the  meat know who wants some more an who doesn't.

If you want meat go green! 

And when the time comes that your pants pop or that your plate is to full go red! 

It was really fantastic and I can't wait to bring our family here when they visit. The only thing is I really don't feel like I eat enough to validate $50. Maybe we will go at lunch it's half price and mostly the same food or I'll just make CK eat enough for the both of us.

The only thing that realllllly drove me nuts was I could constantly hear forks and knives scraping plates. It's like nails on a chalkboard and I wanted to announce to everyone to stop scraping their damn plates but I held myself in only because I work with those people.

Do you have any fun food adventures I should read about?!



It's Friday!!!

Work drives me nuts sometimes.

 I HATE HATE HATE when I am talking and/or asking questions and I feel like I’m being ignored.

I BELIEVE in questions.

I am not scared to ask nor discuss something if I have issues. But you see I have a prankster at the office that does this to me ALL THE TIME because he thinks its cute and funny. Kinda like in 8th grade when you had to deal with the dumb ass that just liked to irritate everyone. No sir, it makes me want to stab you. On the other hand-- TOTAL gratification when they are asking me a question and I give an answer. I am right… I know in my soul that I am right but they doubt me. How DARE they. 

10 minuets later…. I ask, “Well, was a I right?” 

 As he is quickly walking by to head to the bathroom I get a, “Yup.” 

 Thought so.

   In other work related news… Do you know what one of my BIGGEST annoyances is? When I have 10 different screens open on my computer working on 4 different things and I keep clicking the wrong tab or God forbid I pull up the Internet and go to click a link and then something else on the page loads and the link moves RIGHT before I click it. I end up on an advertisement website that freeze my screen for 35 seconds. DO YOU KNOW HOW LONG 35 SECONDS IS WHEN YOU DO THAT?!


 
 Anddddd that enough Rage for today because GUESS WHAT!?!?!:

I can't turn down Free stuff.

This week has been an absolute biatch. 

Work has been crazy but at least I got a bunch of overtime to help compensate. Why so crazy you ask? Our big wigs were in town doing our Quarterly Review and that means that we have working lunches and after work events aka dinners. I totally love/hate this time in my life for the following reasons:

LOVE all the free food that comes with these visits.

HATE the fact that I order things I want but do NOT need because I don’t have to pay for it.

LOVE getting to see the big wigs because they are actually REALLY nice.

HATE working lunches where I feel like everyone is watching me eat and judging what I am eating.

LOVE dressing Way up – usually I’m in jeans but sometimes it’s fun to get all work-fancy

(Once every 3 months)

HATE getting home later than usually and feeling mentally depleted from meetings and trainings all damn day. 

LOVE going out for work dinners and getting tipsy off of Bikini Martini’s.

HATE not working out all week due to the crazy exhausting schedule.

LOVE that magical time on Friday at 5pm after the crazy busy week.

 In conclusion:

I feel disgusting after all the eating out…I never eat out and boy did I just get excited about it. I can’t turn anything down when its free. I have a problem.

Free foods that were consumed:

Olive Garden Soup and Bread sticks

Brown Bag Café Fish and Chips

 (BIG mistake… I Hardly ever eat fried food and this crap was like grease in a box.)

Cheesecake Factory Chicken Di Pana, Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cheesecake & Bikini Martinis!

Images ripped from Google- hey, I couldn't take pictures of my food in front of my coworkers...

(THE BEST Martini EVER!) I didn't get a lime though...

Romios Pepperoni & Feta pizza.

(AMAZING but wayyyy to greasy) 

That’s a bunch of crap. It was mostly yummy but God I feel disgusting.

 Starting back to HEALTHY eating NOW and not going out to dinner for awhile. Eating out 4 times in one week is just TOO MUCH for me.

 I would be 700lbs if I worked at corporate…I hear they eat out a lot.

What does Bill Cosby want for a Snack??

PUDDING!

This is not at my home... I hate pudding.

People seem to get really annoyed with me when they find out I don't like that slimy, gritty, tangy, slop.

I'm sorry but I rather enjoy "real" deserts not this wanna be chocolate skank.

But back to the picture... that is at my office! One of my coworkers is totally random and bought TEN of these because they were on sale for 10 for $10. That's so something my Gran does, needless to say the rest of the day was him calling me a snob because I don't like pudding.

Oh and in case you are confused Yes, that is a doll in our kitchen at work...the same coworker puts the most random statues, posters, and pictures all around our office. The confusion I had when I first started working there was out of this world but now I absolutely love it - funny coworkers are my number 1 reason for enjoying going to work everyday!

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Remember when I said I was going to start tanning and eating smoothies during work!? Well, I'm really doing it!

I had a smoothie everyday for lunch this week (only tanned once) and ran errands every day at lunch. Go me! Worked out twice and in general I feel A LOT better.

MONDAY

Yoplait Berry mixed smoothie - mmm mmm good

TUESDAY

Oatmeal, Peanut Butter, & Banana - Very heavy I won't be eating these often

WEDNESDAY

My First Green Monster! Not very green because I put Strawberries in there

THURSDAY

Green Monster #2

I bet you're wondering where FRIDAY is...well I wasn't hungry today so I didn't make one. Pretty stupid on my part because by 5 I was starving but then I didn't end up eating until 8. Dumb.

My Green Monster Ingredients:

Lots of Spinach (1-2 cups)

Strawberries

Blueberries

Pineapple

1 Cup Milk

Ice

BUT the weather was Awesome today! No Sunshine but do you see that Temp?!

Seattle, I can handle that!

Do you Like Pudding?