July Vacation Wrap-Up

This week I have been off of work and I have LOVED every minute of it! I've slept in almost every day and have spent the week pretty much doing whatever the hell I felt like, nice!
Vacation started off with my cousin's wedding July 2nd and reception July 3rd. So we were very busy with that. So busy that by the time the 4th rolled around I felt like crap and my leg was killing me. So I spent the 4th in bed and rolled out just in time to take a drive down to Selfridge Air Base and see some fireworks while snuggled up to my hubby.

Monday Fred had also taken the day off of work so we took the boat to Stony Creek- I love Stony Creek. We did some swimming (wadding really) and fishing...which I am also finding I love...and got a ton of sun!

Tuesday my mom and I spent the day together, beginning with massages and a hair cut for me (I think I found a new hairstylist) followed by lunch, shopping and meeting up with some friends to see the new Twilight movie. It was decent. I'm not a hardcore fan, but I think the movies are entertaining.

Wednesday I had a ton of house-work to do (ok not exactly what I wanted to do, but it needed to be done) then in the evening my aunt, her boyfriend and my adorable new nephew (cousin) came over for dinner and drinks.

Thursday my mom (who also had this week off) and I headed to Metro Beach and hung out for a few hours, later in the day Fred and I went out to eat and then began watching the Showtime series Dexter, which we are now totally addicted to!

Friday, we went back out on the boat on Lake St. Clair and did some shopping. Now, sadly it is the weekend again and Monday is looming. Today was nice though- I had lunch and went shopping with my friend Court and am now settling in to watch more Dexter. Tomorrow I have two photos shoots and then its back to the day job.

The only shitty part of my vacation was that most of it I did not have a car, and I still don't. Luckily Fred's co-worker lives two streets away and they car-pooled so I had Fred's truck most days. I swear not one hour after starting my vacation July 1st my car lost power on the freeway. It should be fixed Monday- it better be, or I'm going to be having some words with that mechanic!

Next vacations coming up are a four day camping weekend in August and then in September a girls weekend in Chicago with Brit- super stoked for that! I'll also get to see my newest baby cousin, William.
But having a whole week off was really nice...I think I'll do that again some time : )

We pulled it off!!!

So this past weekend some friends and I managed to pull off a surprise birthday party for one of my close friends Lori.

Lori, for the past few years, had been mentioning how she's never had a surprise party and she wants one etc. Well last year (thinking it was her 30th-opps) I e-mailed her husband Jim to say he better be planning a surprise party...but of course it was her 29th birthday so it wasn't happening.

So this year when 30 really was coming around I thought to myself- well this would be the perfect year to throw her that surprise party. And not two weeks after I had that thought I got an e-mail from my friends' friend, and now my friend : ) - Jill. Jill said her and Jim wanted to throw Lori a surprise party and asked if I would help plan it. I had plans to go camping that weekend with five other families but there was no way I was missing out on this! So by the grace of all of those families, we got the camping trip moved and I e-mailed Jill as soon as I found out and said "hell yes I'll help!"

Jill, Jim and I kept the secret for about a month and then slowly started to bring other people in to help. My friend Brit offered to help in any way she could- so we put her on cake duty. Jill rounded up many mutual friends from where she works and many people pitched in to help...even Lori's parents and brother were in on the surprise!

When I sent the e-vites out in late May I was happy at how many people wanted to come and pitch in to help - it was clear we were going to have a great turn out...but I was sure with that many people invited someone would slip up...

The day of the party as I headed to Jills to help Jim and Jill's boyfriend and sister set-up early, my stomach was in knots. I was so worried something would blow the surprise, or that people would get to the party late or that something would happen!! But Jill did a great job of keeping the birthday girl busy, and stalling, and the surprise was perfect! She had no idea! Awesome.

Those months of planning were well worth it to see the happy look on her face. Here she is minutes after the big surprise.

Happy Birthday Lori!

New Lens

I got my new lens in about a week ago and I am loving it!!! There hasn't been too much to take photos of since it came in (and I certainly was not taking it camping)- but the flowers in my yard have started to bloom bigger and bigger...so here are some of my red and pink rose impatiens.

FB and WTF!!!!

So, I took a two month break from Facebook and would you believe it...I survived!!! LOL!!! Got back on mainly to see photos of the babies I was missing out on and to say hi to a few peeps I only talk to on FB...I've decided to just hide the annoying people and set some FB limits for myself...sometimes it nice just to see what everyone is up to- but I am SO OVER the bullshit that comes with some social networking...people really need to think twice about what they put on those sites...me included...

Moving on...went to the doctors today to get a second opinion about the benign lesion in my head...yeah and the doctor (after I waited two hours to see him)- said he couldn't read my MRI films, wanted another MRI and I had to reschedule another appointment (and take another half day off work to boot)- W.T.F!!! If you wouldn't accept my old MRI why the hell wouldn't you had me get another MRI prior to my appointment. I swear I am so over doctors- I'm in a damn doctors office every other week, literally- for one issue or another. Here's a tip to all the doctors out there...if you can't bother to be good at your job, or at least fake giving a crap, then maybe you need to seek another profession...I hear Chrysler is calling people back...

On a happier note- I got my new lens in, and i LOVE it!!! Very exciting!!! Work is going as good as can be expected and I am looking forward to my vacation coming soon!!! Can't beat 6 weeks off a year...thank you higher education : )

Rewarded

This week the School of Social Work at WSU held its 75th anniversary celebration. I was contracted by the school to help put together and design a commemorative book for the event. 38 pages of historical facts, old photos put into collages and pictures of faculty etc...
While the job ended up being way more than I bargained for, in the end it was well worth it. The book will now be a part of the school's history for years to come, how cool is that!

Yesterday at the festivities I was acknowledged in front of 200 alumni, Deans, faculty and supporters for my contribution with a lovely and heart felt statement from the Dean that brought tears to my eyes. I received accolades from so many very important and prominent people, not just for my work on the book, but my work for the school in general. Its not every day that you feel valued, respected and appreciated at work- and yesterday's event, and those words from the Dean, I will never forget. Our Dean is now the Acting Provost for Wayne State University. Its not every day the second highest ranking officer of a University points to you in the middle of an event and thanks you for all of your efforts. I was floored.

To top things off my boss offered to purchase a new lens for my camera as a thank you gift for all I've done! How awesome is that!

As Fred and I drove home from the Detroit Golf Club I thought to myself how all of those years of struggling while I was in school- to make ends meet, to study while sitting next to my father's hospital bed, of wondering if I am ever going to land a decent job, wondering if I even chose the right profession and wondering if I will end up hating what I'm doing- it has all paid off.

Sure, my job isn't perfect and not everyone I work with is so gracious, and yes I would like to make more money...but I can honestly say at the end of the work week that I like what I do and I feel like my work matters. I feel like I matter to the school and to the people I work with.

I received a letter from the Special Assistant to the Dean indicating a career ladder he wants to support me in climbing...and while most are pushing me into the PhD program, I don't think I'm ready for that yet and I'm not even sure its what I want. I love the level of research I am engaged in now because I get a taste of all of it- Teen Dating Violence, Maternal/Infant Health, Domestic Violence, Prisoner Re-entry and Palliative Care...such amazing research is happening all the time and I have a part in that!

I feel like everything is happening like it is supposed to. I am where I belong in an environment of learning and above all I am in an environment of helping others...that's all I've ever really cared about.

As Fred and I were leaving the event my boss, the Director of Research, leaned over her husband and said to Fred, "I knew when I had that girl in my class that she was something special...I knew she'd be going places...she sat in the back of the room looking at me, challenging me to be a better instructor and I knew then..."

It was an amazing night.

I was one of the best nights of my life.

Deck

Our deck - 24' X20' and wonderful for entertaining in the warmer months. However, like much of the house and yard, it had been neglected for years. In the winter Fred removed the improperly installed railing, fixed the steps and recently filled a large hole in the deck where a tree was growing up through the deck. This week, in preparation for our housewarming party, we finally re-stained the deck and added a bench.

Before-


After-


Fred built the 20' bench to run along the deck side. He plans to build a full-length step-down for the back and a walk up ramp on the side eventually.

My mother and I re-stained the deck in Padre Brown. The deck will eventually need to be stripped completely and re-stained- but for now, this will do.

New dining table

My husband is truly a gifted guy. When I told him I wanted a table where we could have friends and family over without having to piece multiple folding tables together to all sit comfortably. And as I stood in our very large dining room I said, "we need a table to fit this space!"

Well now we have one.

Fred started bringing home some pine lumber each day after work one week. Then he spent a very long time thinking, and drawing and measuring. And then boom! I think he put this table together is about six hours. It took longer to stain it then to build it. Once he had the design in his head it all just came together.



Fred plans to build matching benches for the other side of the table, originally we thought we wanted chairs along with the benches. But, we love the benches so we're going with those instead.