Last day.....of JANUARY

In a blink of an eye...January is done. Whoa...slow this shit down!

So this last week was another Quarterly ThanksUnlimited at the job.  I do love that they do this monthly, but the quarterly one, for me, is even a bit better. More numbers are discussed, more is revealed and there sure seems to be a lot more people there.

But the best part of this is the unvealing of the Quarterly Star Award winner. This winner is voted on by the people. You may remember back in May I won this award...and this quarter....????

I WON IT AGAIN!

That's right! Me and our IT guy (dah, who wouldn't vote for your IT guy) won this. And again, I was stunned. I mean I know I do a good job. But that's just it...it's my job. I don't see myself as going above and beyond and what not. If I take a step out of my body and look at all that I'm doing, then yah, I'm kinda a big deal.

Truthfully though, I'm pretty happy about this. It does show that they see all my hard work and appreciate it. I'll go for months on this type of recognition.

Last time, they sang a version of California Girls to me. This year they sang a version of "Let's Dance" from David Bowie. Our HR gal is pretty clever when it comes to rewriting lyrics.

So in case you don't know the melody...

Now the lyrics...

Your Vote!
Gave us results we've never seen before

Because
We all pushed hard to make our best Q4

This Star's
IT magic topped the charts

This Star's 
PM smarts set her apart

Thanks Joe & Jenn you've earned our praise
Gave it your all with amazing grace
But what are we to do 
One parking space for two?
You've both been great, and now you rate
That single winning clap



Ok, maybe not her best, but it's pretty amusing. Oh and as to the parking spot? I told Joe I get in way earlier than him. His response was he controls my Internet connection. DOH!

Turns out he has a super secret parking spot so I get the spot.

And with that, bring on February!!! I'm ready for another month of crazy.

All is well on the home front

As I sit here thinking about what to write about, an aroma floats into the room.  I have a roast in the crock pot and it's been cooking for 8 hours. I can barely stand it. It smells so good and reminds me of winter weekends with Mom and Dad growing up. Ahhh how smells take you back.

Work is work. It's an oddly slow week for me and thus allowed me to have a free weekend. I needed it, so it's just fine by me. Next week should get a bit busier, but nothing I can't handle. My colleague and I have been evaluating a PM tool that I absolutely just love. That tool has single-handedly changed how I manage my day. They say it helps you work more efficiently, but I doubted that. Turns out, it sure does. When we started evaluating it, I dedicated myself to working with it wholeheartedly so that I could really improve my work/live balance. We're very close to getting the approval we need to purchase it - which, in and of itself has been a roller coaster.

On the 20th I took, and failed, the CIPP exam. I figured I would fail it first time out, so I wasn't disappointed or upset in any way. It does give me a good idea of what the test is like, and jeez-whiz is it detailed. Its one of the biggest complaints I've had in studying for it. They aren't just asking for you knowing the broad picture of privacy and the law of privacy...no they want you to know the nitty-gritty details. Of which, apparently, I did not.

No worries. I'll take it again. I want this certification, and I just need to really focus and study hard for the next round.

Because I have to wait a month before I can reschedule the exam, I decided to take this weekend off from everything.  I have had a laundry list of things I've wanted to do in the house, and finally got a chance to do just that. I de-furred the place, cleaned the kitchen, mopped, laundry, a bit of scrapbooking, and some reading not related to privacy. It feels good to be slightly free again.

oooo the crock pot buzzer just went off. Guess that means it's time to do some eating...

Today we say farewell...

2016 isn't starting out as great as I had hoped.

Today the MomUnit had to say goodbye to her best friend and co-conspirator, Count Beau of Hershey. 

Beau was one of those dogs that every dog owner would love to have. He was mild in temperament and the best damn dog I've ever met. He loved his tennis ball and would run himself to death chasing it if you didn't stop throwing the darn thing.

He went everywhere with mom and dad. He traveled the US with them when they retired. He went to every appointment with mom, he visited the hospitals in Tucson to make others happy, and he stood by mom's side when she said goodbye to dad.

He was regal, smart, and so full of live that I would often forget he was a dog. Everyone loved him and everyone wanted to take him home. 

It's a sad day for us Wraspir's...we'll miss you Beau. Say hi to the other Wraspir animals on the other side (Sylvester, Toby, Josephine, Jose, Juanito, Babe, Pookie, etc)

In other news, I am back to focusing on my high protein/low carb eating lifestyle. I fell really hard off the wagon over the holidays. I'll weigh myself tomorrow to find out how much I gained back.  But no worries, I'm feeling motivated and have a partner in crime with me who will be eating and exercising just like me starting tomorrow. We'll hold each other accountable and hopefully that'll make us both successful.

Hello 2016!!!

Well here it is.  A new year. A new beginning. A clean slate.

I happen to love new years day. I spend a good chunk of the day thinking what this year will bring to me...the good? The bad? And the ugly? All of it part of life and part of making me who I am.

Will I be prepared for what lies ahead? Probably not. But that's part of the fun.

This year I won't be doing goals as such. I'll still have my general goals like I have for many MANY years. Things like # of books read, scrapbooking, photography, weight, etc. Those were starting to just be my general need goals.

This year I've decided to go with the ever so popular "choose a word" idea. I've had friends who have done this in the past and I've been impressed with how their year blossoms by keeping one word, or a phase in mind.

This year I've chosen the word "PURPOSE".

I really am not 100% sure what this means yet, but as the year progresses I'm sure it' will unfold. The main thing with purpose is I want to really have purpose in everything I do. To think about what I'm doing, what I'm saying, what I'm eating etc...everything with purpose.

Meriam Webster defines purpose as:

• : the reason why something is done or used : the aim or intention of something
• : the feeling of being determined to do or achieve something
• : the aim or goal of a person : what a person is trying to do, become, etc.

So we shall see how this goes. I'm not even sure what I really want to get out of this other than to really be a part of my life.