I have been going to the Outer Banks now for five years. In all of those five years, I had never once gotten up for sunrise photos. There was always that desire to, but no will power to get up at 5:30am to sit on the beach after being up until 1am. This year, I said to myself, you have to be awake enough to open two doors and walk 50 yards to get to the edge of our walk way. If I was feeling especially energetic, I could walk down the steps onto the beach itself. Thankfully I found some internal motivation and made it to the beach and even out a ways to take some of the following pictures. Beautiful, but I will probably never do this again. :P
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Beach Photos
This year I am trying to take some different pictures at the beach. Here's a few from yesterday.
Sunday, May 17, 2009
The Never Ending Quest
Dear People Who Make Jeans & Shorts,
I hate you.
After yet another frustrating shopping trip, I find myself wondering if maybe clothing designers have no idea there are women out there who have a waist AND a butt and that the two are mutually exclusively different sizes!!! I am so tired of trying on bottoms that create that gap in the back. This leads me to believe that many women have either no definable waist or no butt. It drives me nuts! They fit everywhere else until I turn around and see this 4-5" gap from my waist to the back of the bottom. AWESOME! I could totally create a new fashion trend!
I have tried on god knows how many different brands and different fits and come up empty. I have gone to places like Macy's and Marshalls where there are dozens of different designers and cuts available and still had no luck. Every once in a great while, I strike gold though.
Take for instance trying on shorts at Ann Taylor Loft and Banana Republic. The two places I know I can find dress pants that fit. I figured I would pony up $40-$50 on a pair of khaki shorts because I knew they would fit. In both stores I grabbed one of everything and headed to the dressing room. Wouldn't you know it? THEY DON'T FIT! How can their pants fit but the shorts not in the SAME DAMN CUT?!! Maybe the people who make the pants don't talk to the people who make the shorts. Or maybe they think it's summer, you can wing it. I have no idea. This makes absolutely no sense to me. The good news? I found two pairs on pants in Banana Republic that fit like a glove and I got them on sale! Booya! At least it wasn't a total bust.
So I tried my luck at Old Navy because every now and again their stuff fits, but it's on a weird cycle of like once every 4 years. I have bought jeans from them (and The Gap) that I loved and went back 6 months - a year later to find their either discontinued the style or changed the cut. So the last time I bought stuff from Old Navy that fit was about 3-4 years ago. Today I tried on at least a dozen pairs of shorts and tried on a pair of jeans for shits and giggles. Out of 12 pairs of shorts, I found 1 pair. 1 pair! Of course, they do not have my size in any other color I would be caught dead in (hello - lime green? barf), but I have 1 pair of shorts! Oh and the jeans fit too! This time I really did a dance in the dressing room! I thought, I better go back and get a few different washes in this jean because they will change the cut again before too long. I went back out and grabbed the other three washes and what do you know? NONE OF THEM FIT! Same size, cut, and only the wash was different! ARGH! I took my one pair and made a run for it.
So on my 4th trip out this season to find shorts, I returned home with one pair. I am currently in the process of buying different colors online now so I can have some variety. The jeans were a bonus. Now I am sure to have a dry spell for another year or two. At least this time I know to stock up.
I hate you.
After yet another frustrating shopping trip, I find myself wondering if maybe clothing designers have no idea there are women out there who have a waist AND a butt and that the two are mutually exclusively different sizes!!! I am so tired of trying on bottoms that create that gap in the back. This leads me to believe that many women have either no definable waist or no butt. It drives me nuts! They fit everywhere else until I turn around and see this 4-5" gap from my waist to the back of the bottom. AWESOME! I could totally create a new fashion trend!
I have tried on god knows how many different brands and different fits and come up empty. I have gone to places like Macy's and Marshalls where there are dozens of different designers and cuts available and still had no luck. Every once in a great while, I strike gold though.
Take for instance trying on shorts at Ann Taylor Loft and Banana Republic. The two places I know I can find dress pants that fit. I figured I would pony up $40-$50 on a pair of khaki shorts because I knew they would fit. In both stores I grabbed one of everything and headed to the dressing room. Wouldn't you know it? THEY DON'T FIT! How can their pants fit but the shorts not in the SAME DAMN CUT?!! Maybe the people who make the pants don't talk to the people who make the shorts. Or maybe they think it's summer, you can wing it. I have no idea. This makes absolutely no sense to me. The good news? I found two pairs on pants in Banana Republic that fit like a glove and I got them on sale! Booya! At least it wasn't a total bust.
So I tried my luck at Old Navy because every now and again their stuff fits, but it's on a weird cycle of like once every 4 years. I have bought jeans from them (and The Gap) that I loved and went back 6 months - a year later to find their either discontinued the style or changed the cut. So the last time I bought stuff from Old Navy that fit was about 3-4 years ago. Today I tried on at least a dozen pairs of shorts and tried on a pair of jeans for shits and giggles. Out of 12 pairs of shorts, I found 1 pair. 1 pair! Of course, they do not have my size in any other color I would be caught dead in (hello - lime green? barf), but I have 1 pair of shorts! Oh and the jeans fit too! This time I really did a dance in the dressing room! I thought, I better go back and get a few different washes in this jean because they will change the cut again before too long. I went back out and grabbed the other three washes and what do you know? NONE OF THEM FIT! Same size, cut, and only the wash was different! ARGH! I took my one pair and made a run for it.
So on my 4th trip out this season to find shorts, I returned home with one pair. I am currently in the process of buying different colors online now so I can have some variety. The jeans were a bonus. Now I am sure to have a dry spell for another year or two. At least this time I know to stock up.
Friday, May 15, 2009
Missing Rob
Rob is currently on his way to Las Vegas, but has been on the road for about a week now. He started his adventure from here with his brother in his brother's car. They left early last Saturday heading west. First stop was Molly and Erik's house in Houston. Then the hopped across the lower US over the past week with their most recent stop being the Grand Canyon. Yes, I am totally jealous, but more so, I miss Rob. :(
I have gotten used to having another person in the house and it seems really empty without him here. Me and my cats have been hanging out pretty good, but I don't have anyone to talk to. And for those that know me, this is a problem.
His absence follows my absence from the week before while I was away at my company boon doogle in DC. We briefly saw each other Friday night when I got in, but in less than 12 hours of my arrival home, they were heading out the door. All I can say is, thank goodness for modern technology and the cell phone. It's been out main form of communication over these past few weeks.
He is expected home late on Tuesday night (basically Wed morning) which means he will have enough time to do laundry and pack before we head to the beach on Friday. So until then, I am going to hang out with the cats and watch chick flicks amidst the giant pile of homework I have to do. Beach week can NOT get here fast enough.
For those who want to follow Rob's meanderings, check out his tweets on twitter.
http://twitter.com/rjs6u
I have gotten used to having another person in the house and it seems really empty without him here. Me and my cats have been hanging out pretty good, but I don't have anyone to talk to. And for those that know me, this is a problem.
His absence follows my absence from the week before while I was away at my company boon doogle in DC. We briefly saw each other Friday night when I got in, but in less than 12 hours of my arrival home, they were heading out the door. All I can say is, thank goodness for modern technology and the cell phone. It's been out main form of communication over these past few weeks.
He is expected home late on Tuesday night (basically Wed morning) which means he will have enough time to do laundry and pack before we head to the beach on Friday. So until then, I am going to hang out with the cats and watch chick flicks amidst the giant pile of homework I have to do. Beach week can NOT get here fast enough.
For those who want to follow Rob's meanderings, check out his tweets on twitter.
http://twitter.com/rjs6u
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Graduation Gifts
Rob has officially graduated from Georgia Tech with a 4.0. Yup he is pretty darn smart. :) In honor of his graduation, I bought him (us) a gift. For the past three years there has been quite a few sleepless nights, a lot of hard work (hello, 4.0!), long stretches of not seeing each other (even though we lived down the road from one another), and much support from me. I don't mean to toot my own horn, but I think his diet would have been non-existent had I not provided him means to eat. :)
So what did I buy? A Wii!!!!!! Rob has had this on his list of things his has wanted for a while and I have come to really like this system for it's games. Rob also wanted a game that we could play together and I think it's more likely to happen on the Wii than the Xbox. Gears of War isn't my speed. Besides, I am more the, "I have 30 minutes to play" kind of person. I don't want something I have to really track progress and story lines on.
We have purchased only a few games so far, but I think they have been good ones. Rayman's Raving Rabbids TV Party was among the first purchases. We played this at my co-workers house and had a blast playing it. It's silly and a great party game. Dumb bunnies! Our most rececnt purchase was Mariokart because that's a classic fun game. Other than that we have the Wii Sports and My Fitness Coach. I am sure we will get more games as we go along. We have more than plenty to keep ourselves entertained for now. :)
So what did I buy? A Wii!!!!!! Rob has had this on his list of things his has wanted for a while and I have come to really like this system for it's games. Rob also wanted a game that we could play together and I think it's more likely to happen on the Wii than the Xbox. Gears of War isn't my speed. Besides, I am more the, "I have 30 minutes to play" kind of person. I don't want something I have to really track progress and story lines on.
We have purchased only a few games so far, but I think they have been good ones. Rayman's Raving Rabbids TV Party was among the first purchases. We played this at my co-workers house and had a blast playing it. It's silly and a great party game. Dumb bunnies! Our most rececnt purchase was Mariokart because that's a classic fun game. Other than that we have the Wii Sports and My Fitness Coach. I am sure we will get more games as we go along. We have more than plenty to keep ourselves entertained for now. :)
Saturday, May 9, 2009
Conference Overview
This past week I attended the Operations Leadership Workshop (OLW) Conference in Silver Spring/Bethesda, MD. This is the second of three conferences that I attend while I am in the Operations Leadership Development Program (OLDP). Conferences can bring fun and excitement, but they equally bring mixed feelings of dread, tiredness, and anxiety.
This conference was different from the last in that it was just OLDPs this time. Last time it was ALL of the leadership programs and some 600 people. We were at a not to shabby 157 for this one. The week kicked off on Sunday night with a welcome message, team meetings, pictures, and dinner. This started the week long barrage of classes, forced socializing, and of course networking. If none of you have every been to a week long conference, it can be the most draining experience. By 9pm each night I was so tired, I thought I would just pass out from exhaustion. The constant interaction with other people while most of the time fun, can just plain wear you out. I am not just talking about my peers, but the rest of the people that were there. As they said, every interaction in an interview. I believe this is 100% true. They were for me so I can't imagine the other person wasn't paying attention. I did manage to make it out for the final night, but was so full from dinner and so tired from the long week, I walked back to the hotel at midnight. I don't know what it says when your team lead is partying harder than you are, but oh well.
I did walk away with more skills and a few interesting prospectives I didn't have before, which I guess is the whole point of these things. The highlight of the entire schedule was listening to our CEO, Bob Stevens, talk for an hour. Well, he talked for about 10 minutes and then took questions from the crowd for another 50 minutes. I know why he is the CEO, he has a LOT of charisma and is amazing to listen to. The best lecture we sat in on was one entitled, Micro Inequities. Absolutely fascinating subject and terrific speaker.
I also met my current class work group so I have names and faces. I got to mingle with the O's from Syracuse which is good so I know a few faces when I get there. :) For the most part, everyone was cool, but there are some that just make a plain old bad lasting impression. Thankfully, there are not many of this kind.
So, will I just be plain brilliant when I go back to work on Monday? Probably not, but my depth of knowledge has been expanded and I can only hope this will help as I move along. Now to just catch up on some sleep. :)
This conference was different from the last in that it was just OLDPs this time. Last time it was ALL of the leadership programs and some 600 people. We were at a not to shabby 157 for this one. The week kicked off on Sunday night with a welcome message, team meetings, pictures, and dinner. This started the week long barrage of classes, forced socializing, and of course networking. If none of you have every been to a week long conference, it can be the most draining experience. By 9pm each night I was so tired, I thought I would just pass out from exhaustion. The constant interaction with other people while most of the time fun, can just plain wear you out. I am not just talking about my peers, but the rest of the people that were there. As they said, every interaction in an interview. I believe this is 100% true. They were for me so I can't imagine the other person wasn't paying attention. I did manage to make it out for the final night, but was so full from dinner and so tired from the long week, I walked back to the hotel at midnight. I don't know what it says when your team lead is partying harder than you are, but oh well.
I did walk away with more skills and a few interesting prospectives I didn't have before, which I guess is the whole point of these things. The highlight of the entire schedule was listening to our CEO, Bob Stevens, talk for an hour. Well, he talked for about 10 minutes and then took questions from the crowd for another 50 minutes. I know why he is the CEO, he has a LOT of charisma and is amazing to listen to. The best lecture we sat in on was one entitled, Micro Inequities. Absolutely fascinating subject and terrific speaker.
I also met my current class work group so I have names and faces. I got to mingle with the O's from Syracuse which is good so I know a few faces when I get there. :) For the most part, everyone was cool, but there are some that just make a plain old bad lasting impression. Thankfully, there are not many of this kind.
So, will I just be plain brilliant when I go back to work on Monday? Probably not, but my depth of knowledge has been expanded and I can only hope this will help as I move along. Now to just catch up on some sleep. :)
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