Drilling It Up!

Yesterday and today I was in a special class that was pulled together for the OLDP group in Marietta. It was like the fastest overview of a day in the life of a mechanic with real live power tools and a project to do at the end of class.

The first part of the class was learning how to read blueprints. They are tricky! I guess if you use them everyday, you are probably more familiar with where everything is on them. We had quizzes that were like playing Where's Waldo on the blueprints which was fun. Our instructor had told us to remember how we got to our answer (mark it down) so we could share it with the class. As we were going around the room sharing answers, it suddenly occurred to me that I had not done this, but I did in fact have the right answer. "Sarah, what's the answer for number 12?", "0.978", "And where how did you get that?" "Ok, Ok, I will admit, I was not paying attention and can not follow directions so I don't have that information, but I am pretty sure I looked it up somewhere which told me to go to another page and find it there." :P I think I got points on creativity.

Today started off learning about PPE and that you should not drink the chemicals. However, after lunch was when the fun really started! Drilling, riveting, hammering, and putting things together. There were so many steps we had to take to make what looked like a relatively simple project with two plates riveted together. To drill 10 holes, countersink 5, chamfer 5, and rivet all 10 took almost 3.5 hours. Not what I would call standard assembly line speed, but it was a lot of fun getting to test everything out and give it a try. At least all of my holes were straight!

I will say, it's not as easy as the mechanics make it look. I have a new found respect for their abilities and how they do their jobs. I mean hell, it took my about 2 dozen tries before I was able to put my pneumatic power tool on the air hose! I finally did get it though which was my biggest accomplishment of this class. :)

So next time you need a some plates drilled or riveted together, I would probably still go with someone else. :)

And no "Joyce", you can't come drilling with me. Sorry.

Swinging Rackets

In our recent re-doubled effort to live a healthier, more active lifestyle, Rob and I played tennis yesterday. Played is probably too generous of a term, but hey we were out there in the heat and swinging our rackets.

Conveniently, our apartment complex has a court that we can use. It's opposite the gym on the main apartment office building. We had our options of going to the gym to get on machines or stay in the fresh air and do something different. We opted for different.

Neither of us has played in.... well, it's been a while. Thankfully through an odd series of events, we had a fresh, unopened can of balls (thanks Bill!) and both knew were our rackets were. Our first few serves were pretty silly, but we started to get into it. I don't think there was any way anyone could have kept score, but what matters is the ball moved from one side of the court to the other. Most of the time this was done with a racket. I am also proud to say we only had to fetch the ball from the woods twice, and from the parking lot three times. :)

As an added bonus, we were able to watch people hop into our very uncleaned nasty pool. Yeah, I think if I were in oh say, hell, it might start to look appealing. These are the same people who are going to wonder why they have a weird growth on their toes in a few days. Oh well.

Let's here it for getting out there and getting that heart rate up!

And The Award Goes To...

While I was out of the office, some things happened. Mostly, business as usual, but there was one out of the ordinary thing that happened.

When I got back to the office on Tuesday I had a FedEx envelope sitting on my desk. I thought, who left their mail on my desk? I NEVER get outside mail. I am too far down on the list. I picked it up and looked it over and I was like, oh huh, well, my name is on the envelope, I guess it is for me. So I opened it up and took out the contents. I kind of glanced them and was like ok, yeah, uh huh, that's nice. At first glance it looked like I just got a certificate for completing my last grad class. I thought whopp-dee-doo! So I kind of set it aside and started to log onto my computer.

Since this was at 6am following a vacation of 4 days at the beach, my brain was a little more slow on the uptake than usual. I am not saying I am ever really with at that hour, but it was more apparent that morning. I started to put two and two together. I thought, I didn't get one of this for the last class I took. That's weird, maybe this isn't what I thought it was. So I picked it up again and this time actually read the letter that was included with the certificate.

Dear Sarah:
Congratulations! You are the recipient of the OLDP GCP Certificate of Student Commitment to Excellence. You were nominated by your peers in the FIN 601: Corporate and Financial Management for the academic term ending in March 2009.

It goes on to explain the award criteria such as having the highest level of academic integrity, dedication, and focus, exemplified stellar leadership skills, and demonstrated a thorough understanding of the material.

So after finally processing that and I am a little more awake, I am just dumbfounded. Only one person from each cohort of about 120 people is given this award for each class we take (total of 4). And for the finance class (one I was initially not looking forward to, but actually really enjoyed), it was given to me. Wow.

The lesson here; good things CAN happen when you are out of the office. :P I am sure there's one in there about how hard work pays off, but I like the former better. :)

A New Place To Call Home... Sort Of

I was going to write a blog a few weeks ago entitled, "Indecision 2009" because of all the things that were in the air about my future. The good news is now some of those puzzle pieces have found their way of coming together. Funny how life works out.

This July I had intended on moving to another business unit and out of Georgia. Georgia's been an experience, but it's taking a toll on us and we are too far from everyone. My two requirements I had were 1 - to be north (preferably VA and up) and 2 - doing something other than Aeronautics. I started my efforts to secure a location back in December to seek out my options. I emailed people, talked to them, networked with other OLDP's, and researched a lot about the sites. While all well and good, it became a smattering of dead ends, incorrect information, and countless disappointing emails. Needless to say I was pretty frustrated and annoyed. After much search, I did however find a location that fit the only two requirements I had made for myself The only thing was it was not my first, second, or even third choice. Syracuse was wide open and eager to offer me any spot that was open (about 6) my choice. After much deliberation, I accepted the offer and I am set to start in mid-July.

For those that don't know, Syracuse is 15 minutes from my hometown. This is one of the reasons why it was not the first, second, or even third choice on my list. For one, parental proximity is at dangerous levels. There's close and there's too close. Especially with a wedding being planned. Speaking of which, we will also be slightly farther from the Outer Banks (about an hour) than we are now. I also wanted to be out and see the world and I felt like moving back home means I failed in some way.

But then I think about all the things I will be able to do and I forget about the negatives. Apple picking this fall in the orchard, going to see an SU football game, experiencing real fall weather, skiing, shoveling snow (I am sure that novelty will wear off soon), hanging out with my sister and eating all the yummy things from her kitchen, WEGMANS, being close to friends, going to alumni weekend at RIT, and much more.

When I stop and think about I think maybe fate had plans for me and anything else I tried was just not going to work. I think it will be a positive move in many ways and I am looking forward to it. So, I am homeward bound to Syracuse, NY this July for another chapter in my journey through this life.

Back in Atlanta

This weekend was too short. Of course spending 20+ hours in a car in 4 days may have something to do with that. You know you have made that length of a trip often when you start to think at hour 7, man, time is flying by today. We had a pretty smooth ride until we got back to Atlanta tonight, but really, can't complain. We have had much worse.

Overall it was a great weekend. The weather held out and we were able to picnic for lunch on the way up and on the way back. Rob and I are pretty much over stopping at Burger King or other such establishment on these trips. Picnics work out better for wallets and stomachs alike. :)

We stopped into the jewelry store that we bought my engagement ring setting at and we think we have our wedding bands pretty much picked out. They were just as nice as when we went to get my ring set last May. They even recognized us and we dealt with the owners directly. They shinned up my ring (OMG - HUGE difference) and fixed Rob's necklace for free. Yes, they are definitely going to get more business from us.

We talked with a few tentative vendor-ish people. We know were are early on these things, but well, we know what kind of time lines to work within now for them. We also got to talk with quite a few housing people and I have to say, the people at Outer Banks Blue and the people at Village Realty were the most helpful. I felt like they were the most honest and listened to what we were looking for.

One of the things we were looking to do on this trip is see what the tempurature is like at the time of our ceremony. It varied a bit, but the sand was comfortable to stand on. The wind is really my only concern for my bridesmaids. I think it will work out ok though. And because we were there, we decided to stick our feet in the ocean. Now, considering that it's normally in the 55 degree range when we go in May, April is going to be colder. MUCH colder. In fact, I would say that going anywhere near the water this time of year is just plain stupid. There were people in the water of course, but they had on wetsuits. I still think they are nuts.

While we were there, Rob got his birthday gift early. He now has his very own body board so he doesn't have to borrow mine this year. :) We had a hand-me down, but still working fine all foam one we shared two years ago and last year I bought my own and he used the other. Well, kind of, he used mine too. :) So now he has his very own to play on too.

Another Beach Trip (Yes, it's a rough life)

This weekend Rob and I are making another trek to the beach. We are pre-gaming for the beach week trip next month for sure, but we are really there for our pre-wedding anniversary which is tomorrow. In fact, I just went and wished Rob and "Happy pre-rehersal dinner anniversary or some such thing." I am sure this year is going to fly by.

We are making this trip now rather than combining a trip in May for a couple of reasons. One - we want vacation to be vacation, and two - we want to check out how things are there in April. Can we stand on the beach barefoot without our toes going numb? That kind of thing.

We are also doing a lot of research and meeting with a bunch of different people. Photographers and floral people and checking out housing and hotels. We will probably even stop in to where I got my ring set and see what they have for wedding bands. They were super friendly and reasonably priced. Can't go wrong there. :)

All in all, it's going to be a good productive weekend. It will be short, but we will be at the beach and that makes it all right.

Fitness Challenge

In February I decided to cancel my gym membership. It was money I was spending on a service I wasn't using. Besides, our complex has the few machines that I would use if I decided I was motivated enough to go. That motivation is hard to come by especially with a jam packed schedule of full time work, a work business project done on my own time (hooray leadership programs!), school work, wedding planning, upcoming vacations, conferences, and a move on the horizon. Sometimes I just want to curl up and take a nap instead of spending more time away from everything else that seems to be calling for my attention these days. (As a side note - this also explains blog absenteeism)

Rob and I are trying to live the healthier life style. A lot of our meals come from Cooking Light and we rarely have "bad for you stuff" in the house. Even our diet soda spurt was short lived. This also means trying to stay active. Rob has done great with playing racquetball with a classmate of his twice a week. I have been keeping up with yoga and now seem to be walking a few miles a day it seems based on where I park, where I work and all the meetings I attend during the day. But we have decided a few times a week to go to the complex gym together. This serves as my motivation; having someone prodding me along.

I always liked being active and exercising. It's just clearing the hurdle of getting myself there in the first place. We both want to set up healthy habits now so they are easier to stick with later on. With his family history and health problems and me fighting my mother's genes, we will both be better off for it.