Gotta love wireless internet

As hubs and I were driving back from KY this afternoon, I hooked up the ol’ laptop to the ol’ cell phone and had instant high speed access to the ol’ internet.

I got some emails out to people I haven’t talk to in a while and also updated my Christmas Card list.

It’s always fun to see who we’ve stayed in touch with over the years. This year, our sexy Christmas cards will make a presence in:

Lubbock, TX
Greensboro, NC
Raleigh, NC
Lexington, KY
New Orleans, LA
Southboro, MA
Ellington, CT
Birmingham, AL
Indianapolis, IN
San Antonio, TX
Union, KY
Overland, MO
Aurora, CO
Hebron, KY
Covington, KY
St. Louis, MO
Canton, OH
Washington DC
Ft. Worth, TX
Outside of Baghdad, Iraq
Lincoln, NE
Omaha, NE
Savannah, GA
Cincinnati, OH
Ashburn, VA
Chester, CT
Moosup, CT
Boys Town, NE
Appleton, WI
Louisville, KY
Chicago, IL
Chesapeake, VA
Nashville, TN
Allen, TX

I love sending and receiving Christmas cards. Not including family, we’ll mail out 67 holiday cards to friends we’ve made over the years. I can’t wait to start getting them in the mail. Maybe I’ll send a goodie to the sender of the first card we receive *wink wink*

November 25th, 2007 Posted by Jessica | Life | 3 comments

Help a sista out

I’m updating my Christmas card mailing list and it’s not as easy as it once was.

I remember a few people that have moved, but in reviewing my list, many people have moved in the last 11 months!

Therefore, I’m recruiting you to help me out. If you’ve moved in the last year, please email me with your new address. As much as you’d like to think that I took that email (or “We’ve moved card”) that you sent me and actually used it to update my contact list, then you’re slightly mistaken. While Hubs lived in Omaha, I wasn’t able to be THAT organized :)  (I am now much more organized, pinky promise).
So, after you get over the initial shock that I’m actually updating my list this early in the holiday season, help a sista out and shoot me an email so I can make sure ya’ll get a nice little card from me, Hubs, and Coop.

Peace.

November 25th, 2007 Posted by Jessica | Life | no comments

ReCOOPERating

Coop keeps Aunt WoWo company and helps her recover from a long day yesterday:

November 24th, 2007 Posted by Jessica | Life | one comment

Black Friday

For the first time in several years, I participated in Black Friday. The mother and sister-in-love and I hit the stores at 4:30am and were back home by 8:45am. Here’s how our day unfolded:

4:10am- Woke up, got dressed, brushed teeth, put in contacts. No need to shower, we meant business!

4:21am- Out the door (notice not only the time, but the temp..it was freeeeezing!)

4:30am- Arrived at Wal-Mart:

As this was our first time braving the early morning crowds on Black Friday, I had no idea what to expect. We walked into the store (which was already open, but the sale didn’t start until 5am) and there were huge pallets of goodies wrapped in black saran wrap. Each pallet had a a piece of paper attached to it that indicated what was contained inside the wrapping. We walked around because we were in search of a specific digital camera and finally found what we were looking for.

4:40am- Secured my rightful place at the digital camera pallet. Patiently waited 20 minutes to dooms-day. Standing there with all of these other people was pretty intimidating. The others around me definitely had experienced Black Friday before, so I was a rookie amongst seasoned veterans. Rather than let my fear show, I chose to beef up my chest, pull my shoulders back, and plant a very unfriendly look on my face, as to communicate “I mean business.” I also contemplated uttering phrases like “well, until today, I’ve only kicked one girl’s ass…..” or “Boy, those white castles from last night aren’t sitting too well in the ol’ stomach.” I knew very well I could clear out the aisle in a matter of seconds if I really needed to….

4:59am- Wal-mart intercom announces that “there’s only 1 minute left shoppers!” At that time, the girl next to me noticed that there weren’t any wal-mart employees around, so she started ripping into the saran wrap. I, of course, assisted her in the mission to secure a camera (or two). Here’s my victorious moment caught on tape (I’m on the far left, in front of the blonde with the bun in her hair):

5:00am- SUCCESS! Two digital cameras are now in my possession.

5:00:15am- I grab a third box, thinking I could sell it to someone outside the store for more than I paid for it

5:00:30am- All of the cameras are taken. I’m the proud possessor of three of them. I walk past disappointed patrons who were hoping to get their hands on a camera. Sorry kids. You snooze you lose. Proceeded to the check out line, where I then made a lady very happy when I passed one of my three cameras onto her (she looked desperate and well, I’m a nice person).
5:20am- On our way to Kohls.

5:29am- Arrived at Kohls, which has already been open for an hour and a half. When we entered the store, the Mothership headed straight for the check out line, while Laurie and I made our way to housewares. After finding the couple items we came for, Laurie and I joined the mothership in line. About 15 minutes later, I headed back out into the store for some browsing, which proved successful when I found these $65 boots for $19!

I also found this beautifully colored shirt for Hubs:

5:45am- Still in line at Kohl’s. Poor mothership, she didn’t even get to browse. She, Laurie, and I wait patiently in line.

6:15am- Still in line at Kohl’s.

6:25am- Still in line at Kohl’s. By this time, the mothership has made friends with the lady in front of us, whose son is currently in school at the Air Force Academy. AF mom is carrying a griddle, a skillet, a heavy jacket, and a few smaller items. She continued to carry them for the next 20 minutes until she checked out. She carried her load for the entire hour and a half we waited in line. Bless her heart!
6:45am- Mothership and Laurie make it to the register.

6:50am- I make it to the register. I was $2 short of spending enough money to earn any Kohl’s cash. Ah well.

6:55am- Macy’s…here we come!

7:10am- Arrive at Macy’s where Laurie finds a perfect parking spot and backs in.

7:20am- We find the charging valets I wanted and we get in line.

7:21am- The lady ahead of us in line argues with the Macy’s employee about the $10 coupon not working on her order.

7:22am- The gentleman in front of us argues with the Macy’s employee about the $10 coupon not working on his order.

7:25am- The two ladies in front of us argue with the Macy’s employee about the $10 coupon not working on their order.

7:30am- I argue with the Macy’s employee about the $10 coupon not working on my order. I wasn’t buying anything name brand (so the paragraph of exclusions listed on the coupon didn’t apply to me) and there was no reason it shouldn’t have worked.

7:31am- Macy’s employee gives me $10 off my order.

7:40am- Off to the other mall to hit JCPennys!

7:50am- Arrive at Mall St. Matthews and hit up a few stores, including New York & Co, my all-time favorite store! I got 3 pairs of pants, a top, and two pairs of earrings. Purchased $210 worth of clothing for $79! The mothership had a coupon she saved for me which saved me $40 in addition to the sales they already had ongoing. I racked up!

8:15am- Hit up Ann Taylor Loft and got a STEAL on some fabulous shoes ($70 shoes for….$18.19 including tax!):

Laurie picked up a pair of the same shoes, so I know they must be hot.

8:35am- Left the mall and headed home.

Great deals; great company; a good time was had by all!

November 24th, 2007 Posted by Jessica | Life | 4 comments

Life is good

Life is good.

The conversion at work went well. Really well (thus far).

And, we hired another administrator! YEA! I’m really excited. She’s a great addition to our team and she’s picking up on training really quickly, so I’m able to give her more, sooner. Which I LOVE!

This weekend was hectic with the upgrade and we put in long hours, but this is a short week, so its all good.

Even though I worked this weekend, Hubs and I were still productive at home. He got laundry done, he got bills paid, he set up Skype, I went shopping, and Coop christened our really nice, really expensive bedspread.

Wed afternoon we head to the big KY for Thanksgiving with the family. I’m hoping to go shopping on Friday, if my family will brave it with me. I usually work the day after Thanksgiving so I haven’t been able to take part in the Black Friday sales in several years. I’d like to try and take advantage of some of the holiday sales…we’ll see how it goes.

My quest for a personal assistant has been held up at the highest level. Apparently Hubs doesn’t feel she’s a necessity. I’m still working on him, though. I hope to have her hired by the first of the new year

Time to catch up on shows and continue enjoying life.

November 19th, 2007 Posted by Jessica | Life | 2 comments

Lo Siento Opie

I failed in my mission to watch Oprah this season. I got excited when thinking about it, but maybe subconsciously I really wasn’t too excited because I never set up the season pass on the ol’ TiVo.
Therefore, I haven’t seen any Oprahs. None. Lo Siento Opie.
Maybe if she does a show on “How to cope with memory problems,” ya’ll can give me a heads up so I can record it.

This brain ain’t what it used to be.

Which brings me to my next point. I think I need a personal assistant. Is that sad?

Not a full time assistant, just maybe 15 hours/week. Someone to remind me to do things, and in some cases, do them for me.

Warren Buffet advises this: If you don’t enjoy doing something or you’re not good at it, then don’t do it. Life is too short to spend time doing things you don’t enjoy (or in his case, he didn’t do things that didn’t make him money).

I know it doesn’t take but 2 minutes to start a load of laundry, but keeping up with the laundry takes time. Remembering to move the one load over to the dryer takes time. Then, taking the clothes out while they’re still warm so they don’t wrinkle takes time. Then ironing the clothes if you forget to take them out in time takes time. Then folding the clothes takes time. Then putting them away takes time. Then, what seemed like a 2 minute task has now consumed my entire evening. Where does the time go?

Our friend Matt has a cleaning lady. He’s a single guy, with a reasonably sized house with a good amount of personal time, and HE has a housekeeper. Debbie comes and cleans his house every other week. One day, he leaves for work in the morning and comes home that night to a clean house. A house that smells like Mr. Clean and Windex. A house that has been vacuumed and dusted. Matt is not extravagant by any means, so if he can justify a housekeeper, so can I.

I’d love to come home to a clean house. To a house thats been recently vacuumed and that smells like all-natural cleaning solution.

I remember the day we had cabinets installed in our laundry room. I left for work in the morning to a bland, relatively inefficient laundry room and came home to a brand new, totally space efficient laundry room! And, it all happened while I was at work! I LOVED IT!

I know, I’m whining.

The reality is, we don’t even have kids. It’s just Hubs and I. Can you imagine how whiny I’ll be when we have more work because of kiddos?

I’m come to the realization that I just need a personal assistant.

Or I guess the more accurate realization is that I’m getting lazy. And slow.

Definitely getting lazy and slow.

November 13th, 2007 Posted by Jessica | Life | 5 comments

Petyon,

Peyton,

I’m embarrassed. Seriously, kick it up a notch.

Like NOW.

Thanks,

me

P.S. If you’re waiting until the 4th quarter to really shine, I understand. You’re great in the 4th. However, until then, please give me something. Anything. I’m dying here.

UPDATE: It’s the beginning of the 4th Quarter and Colts just fell on the ball in their end zone after a fumble by Rivers! Too bad about the two point conversion. Only down by two, though. Fourteen minutes left. Let’s go boys.

UPDATE: Vinatieri doesn’t know how to kick a field goal. He shanked it.

UPDATE: Colts lost. Can’t entirely blame Vinaitieri, though. Peyton threw a record 5 interceptions. FIVE! One word describes the game perfect: Britney.

UPDATE: Six interceptions. SIX. Thanks to the Hubs and the BFF for reminding me.

SIX!

November 11th, 2007 Posted by Jessica | Life | 3 comments

Adopt a soldier

Christmas is fast approaching! If you’re someone that uses this time of year to do something special for others, please consider adopting a soldier for the holidays.

Hubs and I did this a few years ago and this year, we’re adopting….My brother

If you’d like to adopt a soldier and help make their Christmas more memorable as they serve overseas, visit this website to register. You’ll receive the name and mailing address of a soldier. There is also a list of items that are frequently requested by those camping out in the Middle East.

Packages take anywhere from 2-4 weeks to arrive, so starting now is the key.

The Holidays are a time to give and make memories you’ll remember forever. Help make this season one to remember for a soldier who’s spending time away from his/her family!

November 9th, 2007 Posted by Jessica | Life | one comment

A little fixin’ up

Apparently I suck at blog design! The layout looks PERFECT in my browser and screen resolution (Firefox and 1280×800 widescreen). Every few changes, I’d change my screen resolution to 800×600 b/c thats what good web developers do- they make sure it looks OK on the 800×600 resolution.

Turns out I coded it totally wrong for Internet Explorer, so anyone who uses IE has a totally jacked up view when they view my site. Just goes to show, better use Firefox or Safari

So, if you want to see the total beauty-ness that is my site, then adjust your screen resolution to at least 1024×768.

And, maybe some day after I kick this cold that’s got me down, I’ll work on fixing the design so it loads properly on most browers and resolutions.

Until then, my apologies.

Alright, back to dying.

November 8th, 2007 Posted by Jessica | Life | 2 comments