Lots to update you about and yet so little energy on my part.

Friday Braeden was pretty sick. He had a migraine and actually asked to be placed in a dark room away from the noise of the other children in daycare. Of course I then went to pick him up and upon pulling up in our driveway he threw up all over the car. It was gross. And my Jeep still smells even after being cleaned and aired out. The night before he had slipped off the sofa and the left side of his face slid across the carpet. He had a wicked rug burn which is now fading quickly. Brian thinks he probably had a mild concussion from the fall and that might have contributed to the headache and vomiting. But his pediatrician said he had no signs of a head injury when we took him in to be checked out. Who knows.

Saturday morning Braeden was feeling better and his father picked him up. As you all probably know I ache when Braeden is away, even if only for 24 hours.

Saturday afternoon, Brian and I went to Baltimore for David and Emily's wedding. I took many photos and posted most of them on Flickr which you can peak at using the above link. The wedding was beautiful. Both David and Emily looked elated the entire time. The reception was also lovely and I had a great time observing the crazy dancing of people who had gotten tipsy and the children who were just loving life.

We came back on Sunday after having stayed the night in Baltimore at the Hilton Garden. Neither of us slept very well and naps were needed before Braeden was to arrive back home. Braeden and I played a bit of Monkey Ball on the Wii that night.

Yesterday was Joy Sparks' Memorial Service at Clayton Hall. Carrie and I drove over together along with everyone else here at work. The service lasted about an hour and a half and I think I cried the entire time. I didn't know her as well as others since I have only been working here for a couple years. However, from the time I did get to know her she always lived up to her name. She was a joy in every respect. She will be missed dearly by many.

Today is Brian's 28th birthday. I got him a new home theater system and it's already hooked up since it came early. Braeden woke him up this morning by jumping on the bed and singing Happy Birthday. He also gave him a handmade card and framed painting, both of which he was extremely proud of and I wish I had my camera to snap a picture of his Cheshire grin.

Braeden and I made a vanilla/vanilla cake for tonight. And we'll have something special for dinner though I haven't quite figured that part out yet. Either way it should be a very nice birthday night. And I only wish we all could have spent the day together instead of having to go to work.

And now I must get back to work. And try to stay awake.

P.S. Today is National Pancake Day!

Labels: brae, brian, life, work

I didn't have my camera on me, but hopefully this post will explain just how awesome lunch was today.

Cafe Gelato, in Newark, has delicious food and a decent enough atmosphere now that they have renovated, but their service and prices sometimes bring their ranks down and keep them off the radar for regular lunch visits.

Today, however, the lunch experience for me was wonderful. I explained to our waiter, Jason, that I was craving their red potatoes with the balsamic dressing. Carrie of course then had to tell him to note the pregnant belly, as if an explanation for my weirdness was needed.

Carrie and I ordered their Caprese Panini with pesto which comes with a side of these YUM potatoes. Chris and Katy ordered their own things and then we waited. The wait was long, it normally is and it is frustrating. I wondered how my potatoes were coming along. I wondered if I'd even get them.

**cut back to a couple weeks ago**

When Katy, Jim and I went to Gelato and they ended up giving me white, creamy scalloped potatoes and claimed they were out of the red kind. Me = Not Happy!

**

When our lunches finally came out I was famished and excited. Jason had brought a whole extra plate of the deelish roasted red potatoes! I cannot even tell you how thrilled I was to see all those potatoes. I ate all but one!

My Caprese Panini was also amazing. How can you go wrong with fresh mozzarella, roma tomatoes and pesto on fresh baked homemade focaccia? You can't. It was awesome.

And so said to Jason, "You're awesome!"

"No, you're awesome," was his response.

He also made sure to refill my water. As did another waiter AND the owner of the place while we were there.

To make the entire experience even better, when we received the check at the end I was not charged for the extra potatoes.

When we left the other ladies sampled or bought gelato to go, but I didn't need it. I was filled and happy!

Thank you to Jason at Cafe Gelato and to your lovely chefs!

Labels: carrie, work

I think it's important that everyone know the oddities of my office life.

Since I was booted out of my own private office and into an office space with three other women, we all knew we'd need to make adjustments. But I'm the only full-time member of this communications/design team and therefore I'm here by myself adjusting most of the time.

And so I relay the things which happen while the other gals are away.

And this week we have had a possessed water cooler.

When it was first delivered Carrie was here and we were so excited. I believe she cheered or maybe even danced. She even called Danielle and drank water on the phone and gulped extra loudly so Danielle could hear.

The rest of the afternoon the water cooler kept gurgling and bubbling and really being rather loud. But we didn't care, we had our own water cooler and that was awesome.

The next morning I came into work, just me, no one else was there for the day. The water cooler was still bubbling. But this time I noticed it was also filled with moisture or steam up at the top of the bottle. Upon further inspection I realized the water was boiling.

BOILING!

So I called Jim, he's one of our IT guys, but he's also a good friend of mine. He came down and he agreed the water was boiling and the water cooler was too hot too touch. He unplugged it and we called the vendor.

The next day they brought a new water cooler. But they put the old bottle of water back on. And floating in it were black particles. So we removed that bottle and put a brand new bottle on it. Still...black particles.

So we called the vendor.

They told us black particles are magnesium. It wouldn't hurt us. But that they'd bring us new water bottles and another new water cooler.

So this morning a new water cooler and two new bottles were delivered. The water cooler gurgled and bubbled for several hours. But now, just now, 40 minutes before I am to leave the office before the weekend the water cooler is at peace with itself.

And my friends, I am drinking a nice glass of cold, clean water.

Next in office stories I think I'll tell you about our photography database which restarts itself 30 times a day and blinks Windows icons at me.

And maybe it's really not important that you know about these oddities, but it's still kind of interesting, right?

Labels: carrie, chicken, work

You may or may not know I work for the University of Delaware. My title is Web Developer for the College of Agriculture & Natural Resources.

Work in Townsend Hall on campus means being VERY near the farm. When I walk in from my car in the morning I hear the wind tunnels in the greenhouse and I smell the sometimes freshly churned manure. The botanic gardens are right outside the door and on the other side of the building their are in the process of building a marsh land area.

The newest addition to the farm has been the UD Creamery. Ice cream is made with milk from the cows on the UD Dairy Farm and is processed with the help of Kilby Cream. This is a huge thing! This means ice cream on the premise all the time and there is talk of building an ice cream stand/shop in the future. Aw man am I in trouble.

This afternoon there was a special luncheon for Alumni and left over food was brought to the break room. I sniffed my way there but when I got there I saw lunch meet and salads which I opted not to dig into. Why? Because I'm a paranoid pregnant woman and that stuff had been sitting out. So what did I grab? A slice of bread.

Walking back to my office with my slice of bread the Associate Dean saw me nibbling. He laughed. He asked if I had any of the new (first batch) of UD ice cream.

I said I had not and he said, "Follow me." To which I responded pregnant women will follow persons promising ice cream without much arm twisting.

Moments later I'm back in my office after having two scoops of Minty Moo ice cream scooped for me. I must say, it is quite Moolicious!

Labels: ice cream, work

It's not that I haven't been woken up at 3 a.m. in the morning before, I mean it happens all the time. Maybe I can blame the fog on the fact that the Olympics had me up late and 3 a.m. was really only a few hours into my slumber. Whatever the reason, I now have a contusion on my forehead. Between trying to get Braeden to stop crying and also trying to get him a tissue (which ended up being toilet paper since we didn't have tissues in the bathroom) I somehow pivoted in such a way that I ran straight into the corner of the wall. The goose egg knot formed almost immediately, but it has gone down since. I just have a pounding headache and the start of an odd line-shaped bruise near my hairline on my forehead. Oh the joys of motherhood and clumsiness.

I started playing the John Deere computer game last night. I enjoy the time management/strategic games you can get from sites like Playfirst.com and BigFish.com and this is one of their newer games. It is frustrating me. Much like Sim City, I am finding I do not know how to start something from scratch and profit without having all the helpers quit on me. I also am not good with keeping an eye on the calendar and many times my entire field of corn dies because I try to plant it in February.

Yesterday, I left work early because Braeden is sick again. He has an ear infection, only the 308th infection of his little life. I feel bad for him. If only he could stay healthy for longer periods of time. I think it may have begun as allergy symptoms, he did after all claim he is now allergic to carpet, but then those symptoms became more severe and the runny nose turned into a stopped up mess of gunk which in turn became an infection. Poor kid.

My boss stopped working for the College of Ag and moved to another area on campus. Right now I'm not 100% sure who my boss is, but it's okay because I work with good people. It's just really hard not to have Chris here, she was undoubtedly the best boss I have ever had.

Carrie went out on maternity leave last week as well. She'll be back in January. The baby is due this weekend and already weighs approximately 8 lbs. 11 oz. I have been sewing and getting things together for Baby Finnie and can't wait to meet her!

Brian starts class again soon. I believe this course is in Life Span Development, after which he will need to take Biology before he starts towards his P.A. degree.

My brother is concerned about aliens talking on his cell phone and the fact that Mom doesn't know anything about Darfur. These are the things he discusses with me when he calls. It might have something to do with Jada having been in Israel for the last two weeks. Fortunately she returns home tonight and hopefully he'll unwind a bit. Lol.

And so that's the update from the personal realm of this lovely blog. I'll be getting back to work now, forehead throbbing and all. Tata.

Labels: brae, brian, carrie, Gregory, life, work

Usually I get to work early; before everyone else. I unlock the admin suite and let myself in to begin the day. It's best this way. I get a lot done before the chaos begins.

This morning the head of Cooperative Extension, Jan, came in shortly after me. She just stopped by my office and told me she hears wonderful things about me. She said extension officers are constantly telling her how sweet and smart I am.

I have to tell you friends, this is a much better start to a morning than yesterday. And I feel so good about myself right now. Work has been quite strenuous and to hear someone say such kind things really has made my day. Passing along words of kindness is something people need to do more often. How blessed I am to work in an environment where even the higher ups will go out of their way to pass along kind words. =o)

Labels: work

When work overwhelms me, or really when anything does, I get this shooting pain down the back of my head, neck and through my right shoulder. I've seen a doctor, I know it is stress related. Working on a computer all day long I have carpal tunnel going on and that also causes more tension in my arms anyway. The combination ends up being quite painful at times, enough so that it will wake me up and then I can't fall back asleep. Sure they gave me muscle relaxers and such but I really don't like using them because they make me so groggy.

Any tips friends? Claudia gave me great tips on allergy suffering so I know y'all have remedies. Dish 'em out. The allergies are still being wicked, but I'm coping. I think more than anything I'm just exhausted from them. I mean even without taking medicine there is something about having bad allergies that makes you tired. Refer to the scene in the Wizard of Oz with the poppies. "Something with poison in it, but attractive to the eye, and soothing to the smell. Poppies..." Oh you know.

Also I'd like to announce that Braeden has been eating a wider variety of foods over the last couple weeks. My friend Barb sort of drilled it into me that I need to be firmer and most importantly utterly consistent. Brae knows me too well, he'll push all the right buttons and break me down. You have seen how cute he is so I know you understand.

We have grilled dinner two nights recently. One night turkey burgers and the other night lemon pepper chicken. Both nights Braeden ate the entire portion he was given. AND he ate his vegetables! He has been surprising the heck out of me. Brian has enjoyed grilling and I'm enjoying eating the meals. They are healthier and so delicious! Plus I love the smell of food grilling. Yum-o!

Yesterday we went to the local park after I picked him up from day care. He rode his bike, I walked next to him with Mya. Brae still has training wheels and man does he fly. We ended up going 1.2 miles maybe a bit more. And so he ended up sleeping through the night!

My Etsy store has sold a few more things since my last post about the online shop. I feel I have hit a plateau though. Ah well, I enjoy sewing, it feels good to complete a project and be proud.

Back to rubbing my shoulder. Happy Wednesday!

Labels: brae, brian, diet, satan aka pollen, work

Yes, this interactive map is finally complete!

I know I don't normally talk about my "real" work on this site, but this map was a pain in my arse. Just because when working with faculty there is a lot of down time. They have hundreds of other things to do and so communicating is difficult. Plus, I don't know enough about the gardens to really do this without instructions on positioning. But now it's finished until more flowers begin to bloom!

Woohoo!

Labels: work

9:05 a.m. on a Thursday morning.

Yesterday it was 60 degrees in the morning...today it was 34 degrees.

There is a lot of work to be done so I made it to work early. The server crashed. We still cannot get to our files or e-mail and I have not been able to get any work done.

Underneath my office a new audio system is being installed. It requires new wiring. They have been drilling into the ceiling (my floor) for the last 35 minutes. The entire office is shaking.

And now they are hammering.

Did I mention I went to bed and woke up with a sinus headache?

Labels: life, work

Today is December 20, 2007 and you can still get two-day free shipping if you are an Amazon Prime customer. =o) Or over-night shipping for $1.99 what a steal. For me that means still wanting to get more little things for my family. When it comes the holidays the best thing for me is giving gifts. I put a lot of thought into gifts and always get excited because I can't wait to see how the receiver likes them...or in some cases, doesn't like them. Usually I'm pretty good at being on par with their tastes though.

This is our first Christmas in our own home, our first Christmas as husband and wife and our first Christmas as a family. We have had our decorations up for nearly a month and it still hasn't gotten old. Every time I drive up the street and see all the lights it makes me smile. And I love sitting in the family room just to be near the lit Christmas tree.

In other news, I have such a wicked headache today. I'm not sure why. The weather isn't rainy and I have eaten. Perhaps it is just because we're nearing the end of the work week and this old pup is tired. (Yes, I'm just a pup, but even pups can feel old).

Chris bought me an Emily the Strange calendar for Christmas. I love it! She apparently bought it off my wish list and I had no idea! Tomorrow is her birthday and she is taking off so I won't see her again until the new year. This will definitely become posters for my office. My Tinkerbell calendar is already hanging, I cut out each of the months and they border the top of the wall to the left of my desk. I also have an "Of Montreal" poster, a "Cat Power" poster and a Strangeling poster....and of course my Emily the Strange poster. I think the only reason I can pull off such crazy decor is because I am a designer. ;oP

Well now back to work. Happy Thursday!

Labels: christmas, emily strange, work

We work at the College of Agriculture & Natural Resources.

Carrie wanted to have a picnic for lunch.

Christy: dials Carrie's number

Carrie: Carrie Finnie.

Christy: You're going to need to vacate the premises.

Carrie: Where are you?

Christy: At a red light outside the field house.

Carrie: To the shit pile? (she claims she didn't say the "s" word)

Christy: laughing Yes.

Carrie: I'll see you there.

The picnic table is under a tree. To our right is a parking lot. To our left is a man whi HUGE hair driving a fertilizer machine, shooting little green pellets out of the back. Carrie exclaims "He better not pellet me."

Behind us are trees. In front of us is the manure pile at the dairy farm.

Perfect place to picnic!

Labels: carrie, work

For the upteenth time this season, I missed Big Brother. Now it wouldn't upset me had last night not been the last show. Evil Dick ended up winning and I didn't get to see it.

Ah well, I suppose there are worst things.

I ended up falling asleep on Braeden's floor. I woke up at 2:30 a.m., took some Sudafed and was going to play WoW since I was awake, but then I heard the pitter patter of Braeden feet. He won't stay in his room. It's like something sets of a response in his body as soon as I leave the room. How does he even know I have left? Must be some sort of spidey sense. I don't know.

There is still so much to do at the house. By the beginning of October we should have furniture in each room, but who knows, the stores keep messing up our delivery dates. I would NEVER buy from Rooms Today again, I'll tell you that much.

Work is pretty busy, there are a lot of projects on my plate and they all seem to be pretty programming intensive. It's okay, but it takes me a while to work out the kinks. You know?

Planning for the wedding is going well. The girls are all measured and their dresses will be ordered soon. The color I wanted is available, so they will be wearing chocolate and I think they will all look smashing. My Mom and I went to see a photographer on Sunday and a contract was signed. That is a relief. We all went to the Chesapeake Inn and picked out cake flavors, colors, tiers, etc. Invitations went out and people are receiving them already, the mail seems to be quick when there is a wedding invitation involved. I don't know when the guys plan on getting measured and picking out a tux, but I just might take Braeden myself and make sure he is all set. One less thing for me to have on my mind that way.

My health has been suffering due to lack of sleep I think. And plus I'm having some trouble with a cyst. Bah! It's very painful. I'm not sure if you know it or not, but think about a sensitve place on or in your body and imagine someone sticking it in a vice and squeezing it. Yep.

The weather is getting cooler. I love this time of year. I painted my nails black yesterday. They look great if I do say so myself. If I hadn't been in a rush I would have put my red hair clip in...I'm feeling the need to be a little bit goth lately. Maybe not a need, but a desire. Perhaps it reflects my current state of mind. I wish I could find more

Carrie, Danielle and I went to Borders yesterday. I bought Braeden two new Halloween books. Very exicitng. Brae and I love this time of year and I can't wait to decorate. But I will wait, at least until the first week of October. People might end up thinking we're freaks, but we're not. We're just strange and not afraid to be different.

Okay with all that said I should probably just get back to PHP.

Labels: brae, house, life, work

I just found out that before Toby left for Portland today he was able to stop in Newark and have lunch with the crew. However, they apparently decided NOT to invite me! Danielle, Carrie, Chris and Keane all went without me.

WHY!

Why would they do that? I feel like a spoiled blubbering brat right now, but I am so upset.

Labels: work

I have to tell you, I think I might like the day before Friday more than Friday itself. Thursdays are the promise for your Friday. Thursdays are your hope day. The day you know you're gonna make it. =o)

Anywho. I'm reading that China is finally letting the US FDA Food inspectors come over to see why so much dog food has been tainted. At first the refused admittance, but now they are saying the FDA is welcome to come and "exchange ideas." Sounds to me like they needed time to cover up the scandal and clean up their mess. Figures.

Ag Day is this weekend. It's a huge deal, a big event for the College of Agriculture & Natural Resources. I'm hoping to attend with Brae and hopefully Brian, but I'm really concerned about how I'll feel since my allergies are so wicked bad and the CANR is a pollen haven.

I've decided I want to adopt all the orphans in South Africa. Yep. All 50,000 of them. I can't stand knowing the condition that exist over there. Even contributing to the charities, I still feel like I should be doing so much more.

Braeden is doing alright. I'm pleased by this because two of the children in his daycare have been sick this week. So for him to be holding his own is absolutely wonderful!

Labels: brae, life, news, work

UD is going to now have a user group just for web developers. Brand spanking new and I'm on the committee. Our first meeting was this morning. You should have heard all of us talking about different styles and code. It was so much fun!

The group is going to be called Delaware Web Developers and the acronym is DEWD.
Haha, oh dear. Just think, I'm actually excited about this!

At first I was nervous because I had to go up to main campus and venture into Smith Hall. I knew I wouldn't know anyone and I figured I would be the youngest. I was right on both accounts. Once I finally sucked it up and started responding and giving to the conversation it ended up being a nerd blast!

Yay!

Labels: work