Remember Me

Two ladies from my work retired yesterday. One has been with the company for over 30 years, and the other for over 10. In 10 or 30 years of working with the same people every day, you begin to learn a lot about them.

Sometimes I really like my coworkers, sometimes I loathe them, and other times I am indifferent. I've said it before though - these are the people with whom you spend the majority of your days, weeks, months, and years, so maybe you should try and get along. You drive to the same place and work and breathe the same thing; you're bound to have a thing or two in common. Being part of a family business even further instills this in me and each time someone is let go, retires, quits or gets fired, it feels like a personal loss to me. (Is it a coincidence that hire, retire and fire all rhyme?)

As part of the retirement gifts, a few of us put together a scrapbook for each of the ladies, complete with memories written by other coworkers. One of the ladies was easier to write about than the other. She was here longer, she reached out to more people, and she had more bounce in her step. This got me thinking. How do I want to be remembered? I think about how I want to be remembered by my family, friends and people I knew through school, but I never really think about how I want my coworkers to remember me once I retire. Probably because I am one billion years away from that part of my life. (This brings up both feelings of "Oh God!" and "Thank God!")

I see my coworkers stressed out (aren't we all?), huffing and puffing and sighing at every turn. It's understandable to feel overwhelmed and despise your day, but all of the time? C'mon. I see others not wanting to talk to their coworkers, scowling at people and inanimate objects. I see the ones who come to work to get their tasks done and nothing more. And frankly, it's draining to be around these people.

And then I see the ones who smile at everyone. The ones who are helpful, even when they have a mountain of crap on their desk. The ones who will go out of their way to solve a problem, without expecting extra praise or reward. The ones who do their job well and aren't devils in the process. (Side note: devils are like people of evil / people d'evil! This is not real etymology, I just like to pretend to speak French). Anyway...

There is such a thing as being happy at work. I am going to try and find that place every day and be positive. When it comes time to remember me, I don't want people (even me) struggling to remember something good.

How do you want to be remembered?

A weekend of celebrations

Hello Monday, hello friends! This week is starting out blustery, rainy and cold. I actually do like rain, but lately it has been coinciding with allergy flare-ups and that makes for a stuffy atmosphere. On the other hand, I wasn’t ready for summer yet, so I’m glad for this change.

Anyway, the weekend weather was glor-i-ous! I spent Friday celebrating my brother-in-law's birthday on a little Northeast Minneapolis pub crawl. Saturday morning was a race to finish some bridal shower bunting with the help of my sister, Nancy.

{I love crafting}

Bridal showers can often be awkward and boring, but I should have known from the beginning that this one would not be like that, as it was hosted by my boyfriend's mother and she is anything but boring. We had delicious food, spiked punch, fun games, and even better company.

{Just one of the decadent desserts}

{Tulips, dice game, prizes}

Afterwards, I headed to a different bride's bachelorette party and had a long dinner at Kikugawa on Main (it was alright), karaoke at Boomtown (way more fun than I expected) and finally, too much embarrassing dancing at Honey Lounge (and consequent facebook barraging).

{Celine Dion at a Norebang place}

{A spiffy cocktail at Honey Lounge}

Sunday was a slow recovery with a trip to see The Hunger Games. I enjoyed the movie, but of course, there are always parts that are left out or skimmed over and you feel like they robbed the book of such great detail. In its defense, it was already 2.5 hours long and if you wanted a 4-hour long movie, then maybe you could have gotten it all. It made me go home and finish the second book and now, as expected, I am severely craving the third and final book. Ahh, the torture! Just so you know, I was purposely avoiding the "finish it in three days" method, because then I would have only had three days of it and not drawn it out as long as I possibly could. I've been told not to rush through it because it will leave you feeling deprived and devastated. Yes, books do this.

The weekend, in le nutshell

Ah, we meet again! The weekend was much too short but filled with lots of happiness and celebration!

On Friday I celebrated my friend's birthday by going to Comedy Sportz and then to William's Peanut Bar. We had a lot of fun playing skee ball and eating peanuts.

Saturday, I stopped in the middle of the road for two wild turkeys and after driving for a bit, decided I needed to turn around and follow them. They waddled pretty slowly to Party City and I snapped some photos of them and watched as people came out of the stores and realized there were two turkeys on the sidewalk. Hehe.

I spent St. Patrick's Day first at Stella's eating oysters and fish tacos, then hopped on my first-ever party bus, aptly named the Busweiser. We drove all around town and I had somuchfun with friends.

{Creative way to litter}

I

{The boyfriend and his best friend}

{Some of my bestest in the Midwestest}

We all donned our green in some shape or form. Mine was on the bottom, so it's hard to tell in photos.

{Most of the kids}

I guess some of you might know that I like to creAture watch. This means I make fun of people who wear, do or say things in public that they shouldn't. I know this is mean, but, honestly:

{Her shirt was slashed horizontally all down the chest}

{The end}

And one more thing before I go...

{Same same but different}

Happy Birthday to Mr. Nathan!

Nathan is my brother-in-law whom I have known since I was in elementary school. We share a love for baseball, brew, espresso (although mine is heavily sugared), sarcasm, travel, TV shows, and music. Many years ago, I was in a really low place in my life and ended up basically living at Nancy and Nathan's house. It took a lot for me to get out of bed and finally, Nathan had had enough of my self-pity and made me go to yoga with him. Yoga healed me mentally and emotionally and I am a completely different person because of it. And it all started with Nathan (and that wife of his). Happy Birthday Mr. Nathan!

A birthday tribute

I keep going through this cycle: work all week hoping to get to a relaxing weekend, fly through the weekend, feel icky on Monday because it’s the week again, work all week hoping to get to a relaxing weekend… I mean it makes sense that everything is a cycle. It just feels so robotic and routine, even when my activities are always changing. So now, we are at the part where I’m excited for the weekend! 

This weekend has an improv comedy show in store, along with spring cleaning, crafting, celebrating St. Patrick’s Day, and more crafting. 

{Me and the birthday girl, dressed as Christmas presents}

Happy Birthday to Ms. Ashley! 
Ashley is the one of the nicest people you will ever meet. I was lucky enough to meet her my freshman year of college at the U of M in our Bailey Hall dorms. Being in Bailey Hall meant a few things, one of which was that you often stayed in and hung out with your hall mates rather than deal with the stupid connector bus that took you to all the fun in Minneapolis. Soon, Ashley and I found out that we had two lectures and two discussion sections together. So naturally we studied together, then ate meals, exercised, went to concerts, watched tv, and spent every waking moment day together. Since then, we have been best friends and shared many nefarious adventures. We share a love for so many things and I'm lucky to have such a sweet friend who listens to my (and everyone else’s for that matter) ramblings. Happy birthday Ro! May this be the beginning of an even better year for you.

The weekend, in le nutshell

Hi again. This is supposed to be my post to recap the weekend, but somehow I've already made it halfway between last weekend and next. That time, it sure do fly!

Last weekend was so ridiculously beautiful - I'm sure you are well aware of that. On Friday, I bowled (and did pretty well!) with friends I hadn't seen in over a month. It still baffles me how fast a month can pass by without seeing good friends. Ish. 

Saturday, the boyfrannn and I played basketball and I worked on my shot. Then, it was off to a bridal shower, a shopping spree, and a concert. 

{Sister and nephew}

{Macarons courtesy of Carrie}

Sunday was quite lazy. I headed back to the basketball court but my arms were sore so the attempt was futile. After that, we had lunch at Longfellow Grill (try the mango chicken salad!), and I enjoyed a Boulevard Wheat, which instantly brought me back to last summer when I had lots of Boulevard in Kansas City. It's funny how taste, and especially smell, can bring you back to the good ol' days. I spent the rest of the day with my boyfran at his parents' house. We read the paper, watched tv, took the dog for a walk, and shot a couple of videos for Indeed. 

{Mashed berries on angel food cake}

Then the week happened, but since we're staying positive here,  I won't talk about that. Harhar, just kidding, kind of.

Merry Monday

Hello you guys. It’s been a while since I’ve had something to write, and mostly because life is carrying on as usual and it’s harder to find inspiration in things when you’re busy keeping up with everything else. Last week I got sick and it has permeated into this week, so my head has been a little cloudy too. One thing is for sure, I’ve definitely been feeling the Mondays for the past few weeks and they are no fun. So, back to the Merry Monday side of things, where I drum up things that make my day happier and less like the programmed-ick-day that Monday can often be. 


We’ll make it through somehow: 
1. Today is the first day of ½ Marathon training for me. I like beginnings and challenges, so this is good motivation to kick myself into gear. I’ve been admittedly lazy these past two weeks. 
2. Fleurs. Last Friday, my manfriend brought flowers to my work as a surprise. They are in full bloom now and smell so beautiful! 
3. The Hunger Games. I get to read Catching Fire today and I cannot wait because I’ve had to wait a whole DAY between Book 1 and 2! 

{My favorite kind of flower}

{The boyfriend made a Jennifer-friendly light pulley}

{My puppy and her cutie feets}

So I have all of those things waiting for me when the day at work ends. A workout, some flowers, and a book that will keep me awake too long. What are you looking forward to today?