As my life goes...

Work Family

2009-11-13T13:39:00.000-05:00

You see the people you work with more than your family. I have been TOTALY blessed that while at LLS I have found some great family members. Sure, there were a lot of people I hated and didn't get along with but the friends / family I have made waaaay make up for that. I have come to love the people I've worked with at LLS for several years now.... They are awesome and I am totally going to miss them. I sincerely love them like family.

Very Fitting

2009-11-11T13:30:00.000-05:00

As I was cleaning out my office and desk I found this poem which I found fitting for many reasons...

A Definition of Success:
To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty; to find the best in others; to leave the world a little better place than we found it, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or redeemed social condition; to know even one life breathed easier because you lived, This is to have succeeded.

2009-11-09T10:40:00.000-05:00

So... the reason I have been MIA for awhile is this. I'm getting a new job. The process started back in September. I had been applying for jobs at random at OSU just to see what would happen. It's hard to get in and so I figured I would just try and apply and after awhile hope something would stick. Well, it did. Right around the time of our Zanesville & Columbus LTN Walks I went a met with a woman at the OSU Vet Med School. Over the next few weeks of waiting and going back a few times to talk to other faculty and folks, I finally got the news that I got the job. In the mean time I had a ton going on at my LLS job and the stress of it all about killed me. I wasn't sure if I got the job, when I would hear, and had to keep going at LLS as if nothing was going on. It sucked, big time.

Finally I went in one last time and at the end of our conversation was offered the job. Totally unexpeted and not the way I was told the process would go or end. I was shocked. Then came the hard part of telling folks at LLS and starting to say goodbye. It has been so hard. Eight years of memories and people to say bye to? While I really hope I keep in touch with folks I also realize that life has a way of getting in the way of your best intentions. It's happened with so many friends from HS and college already....:(

I start at OSU on Monday the 16th. I will be raising money for the Vet School. I'm pumped but so scared. It's been awhile since I've had to learn new stuff. I like learning new things but right now it is overwhelming. I'm going from a fish bowl to the ocean but I think it will be great. I know it's the next step logically in my career but at the same time saying goodbye to your first job out of school, the job that gave you so much is very hard....

I'll try not to be as MIA. I'm sorry.

Higher Power

2009-09-02T13:54:00.001-04:00

Regardless of your religious beliefs, all I can say about this month is "God give me strength." Between work just getting INSANE and life outside of work, if I make it till October 3 it is going to be a freaking miracle. I may end up in the nut house.....

A Complaint

2009-08-27T14:12:00.002-04:00

So as totally irrational as this is going to sound I am totally fed up with the weather. I also understand that I have no control over it but nevertheless it ANNOYS me!!!! We had no summer (I like hot) it was crappy on the weekends and no even before summer is over fall is here. Winter seemed longer last year and then summer was a dissapointment. While I understanding complaining about this does really no good, I feel better doing so. I am a total creature of the weather. Happy when the sun is out, depressed when it is gray and cold. Maybe I should move to a Carribbean island......

Still Alive

2009-08-25T11:31:00.003-04:00

Hello! Yes another month has gone by and I have neglected this thing. I always feel like I have nothing really to share that anyone will care about.....

Work is going to get really busy beacuse fall is when our Light The Night Walks are. On top of that we're trying to get a new campaign off the ground so that makes life even harder. I guess I should be happy I have a job and quit bitching that it's a lot of work right now and I have a lot to do.....

I cannot believe OSU football season is only a few weeks away. I have tickets to several of the games because I bought them from my Dad who teaches there. I'm pumped. I went to Buckeye Corner the other week and spent $100, most of which was on a red jersey. Now I have a red and white one. (No comments please.) I think I'm most pumped about the USC game weekend. Lot going on with Kyle and Ash being here and their shower. Should be an awesome weekend.

Last weekend I helped my friend Autumn and her husband move. Yet again another thrilling weekend in my life. Don't be jealous. I went and saw GI Joe with a few friends, it was pretty good. The weather has sucked on the weekends so no pool time. Sad me. Before I know it the weather will be cold all the time. In the event I haven't mentioned it, I hate cold weather and being cold.

I guess that's it for now, I hope you've been enlightened. :)

Oops....

2009-07-23T15:07:00.003-04:00

So I missed the whole month of June..... I guess I've been more into Facebook since it's easier to update folks there and it's more people.... No excuses though.

What have I been up to? Work. Still too much to do, stuff I don't want to be in charge of anymore and supervising folks I wish could be more independent. Would like something new but given the state of the world - not likely.

Mom and I went on another vacation (that's the end of two vacations a year with her) to Colorado. Here are the 500+ pictures on Shutterfly. When you're bored look at them, they ain't half bad.

This weekend I am off to see Kyle and Ashley. They got a black lab puppy a few weeks ago. Her name is Moose. She is now eight weeks old. Half of my suitcase is full of stuff for the dog..... The pictures I've seen are priceless. I will be sure to post the ones I take from the weekend. I'm going because Wednesday was Kyle's birthday. Oh and guess what?! Mom is coming with. ARRRRRGGHH! For a teacher who has all summer off there were only like two weekends she could go down. I AM SO SURE!! (Don't even get me started on my teacher kick......)

After that I'm not going anywhere until October when I go to Texas again for the Notre Dame vs. San Antonio football game. Ash is a HUGE ND fan, we forgive her. Last month I booked three, count them three tickets to Texas. I never thought I would say that....

I wish it was more summer like here. Before I know it summer will be over and it hasn't even really been that warm or nice. Lots of cloudy and cool weekends. Why can't it be crappy during the week when I am forced inside all day?!

Reading

2009-05-19T13:54:00.002-04:00

I wish I had more time to read. I just finished Angels & Demons by Dan Brown and loved it more than the DaVinci Code. Both books were really great and I was up way too late reading them because I had to see what happened. The same thing occured when I read the Harry Potter books. I love to read and learn new things. I have no time..... well it seems like I don't. I can go into a book store and easily come out with a few new books to sit on the shelf with the others. I think I'm going to try and start reading for 30 minutes or so before I go to bed rather than watching the news or TV. Maybe I need to start reading during my lunch hour now that it is nicer out. Better yet, maybe I should stop working and read instead! Ok, nevermind......

Lesson Needed

2009-05-11T11:45:00.002-04:00

So I decided yesterday I need a lesson in tolerance. Tolerating my mother. While I know this sounds completely horrid, it's the truth. I find that ever since Kyle left that I am even more obligated to do stuff with her. Yes, this makes me a horrible person to even be thinking this. I'm the only one she has stuff to do things with. So when she asks me to do something I feel like I HAVE to. Otherwise she will do nothing. She sucks at asking her few friends to do anything, feels like they have their own families and friends to do things with. (Mom if you never ask they won't do anything with you) Yesterday was Mother's Day and I felt like I needed to be with her all day. Sure, I really had nothing else to do, but it was the fact that I am the only child in town and it's a day to be with your mother, who does / has done so much for you, and here I am feeling irritated. Yes I love my mother but being with her for prolonged periods of time can be too much. She always seems to be upset or down and after awhile it takes a toll on me.

I feel like an ungrateful horrible child to be thinking / feeling this way. Any advice or suggestions? After all it's my mother we're talking about and she's the one who put me here.....

My blog problem

2009-04-29T09:12:00.002-04:00

So once again it has been about a month since I posted to my blog. I'm sorry, honestly. I guess for the few of you who arein't on Facebook (my new way of keeping in touch with everyone, even those I don't really want to) I should be better at this. I simply forget that I have it and in all reality feel like I don't have anything to share. I work, workout, do random stuff and all of a sudden the day, weeks, months are gone.

For those of you not on Facebook here is a life update:
1. Going to Kyle's and Ashley's this weekend to see the Dave Matthews Band concert and have a Kentucky Derby party. I bought a hat and Autumn, my best friend, helped me to decorate it. It rocks and is going to kick Ashley's hats ass!

2. Work blows. We lost a member of our staff and I have taken on all his roles in addition to my own. Why can't people take care of their own stuff and not have someone constantly remind them what to do or how?! I don't recall anyone EVER babying me, how come I now have to? We're also going to be adding another fundraising campaign and somehow yours truly got nominated without even being asked. AWESOME! I've been trying to look but I might as well be looking for a needle in a haystack.

3. Mom and I are going to Colorado in June. Yes, I said I was done always traveling with her and people get on me about it but I really have no one else. All my friends are either married or engaged, travel on their own, don't have the same interests, don't have enough vacation, or some other random weird thing. I really feel on my own when it comes to wanting to travel and having people to travel with. So while I will bitch about going with Mom and we'll get into a huge fight like we always do I feel no other option.

So I hope that was as thrilling to read as it was to type. Now you see why I have issues updating this on a regular basis.....

Cruise

2009-03-30T14:42:00.003-04:00

So.... I'm back. I have to admit I about cired when it came time to come home. More than ususal coming home was depressing. Work is more stressful than ever and more uneasy, the weather still hasn't turned and I dreaded the idea of getting re-connected via phone, TV and Internet.

The cruise was great. I love the idea of a floating hotel. The weather was wonderful. Bright sunny days and awesome islands. It was cloudy one day but I was getting over sunburn so it actually worked out nicely. I loved being out in the middle of the ocean, the waves putting me to sleep. The food was great although maybe if I was more of a "foodie" I would have enjoyed it more. We took the late seating which wasn't until 8:30 so it was 10 or later when we were done. The formal nights were even longer with more silverwear and courses than I could handle. Don't get me wrong, it was all great food, but I guess I am just more of a simple person.

Our room was great. We had a balcony that we often left the door open to at night to hear the waves. It was nice to be able to sit there and look out. It got kinda small at times as the closet was right by the door to the room and the bathroom. You had to make sure you weren't going to hit the other person a lot of the time.

My favorite island is Grenada. Why? - basically for how it looked. It looked to me how the "typical" caribbean island should look. All of the islands were beautiful in their own way. I'm glad we took an excusion at every port because we got to at least see part of the island. I wish I could have taken more excurisions and that we had more time in each port. At least I feel like I got to see a lot of different places.

Here are some pictures. I would type more but to be honest I'm not feeling that great and don't want to depress myself more by talking about it. More to come later....

The Economy Hits Home...

2009-03-19T11:04:00.002-04:00

The Economy has come knocking on my front door. Sure, hearing about companies loosing employees, the stock market tanking and corrupt executives effects me to an extent. The economy was effecting me but not personally, that is until Monday. Monday was the day of layoffs at LLS. I knew it was coming as raising money when the economy sucks is well, really hard. As an organization we are down from budget this year because some of our programs just didn't deliver. I was lucky in that I had a heads up that layoffs were on the way. We lost one member of our team. Overall the organization had a 10% decrease in staff.

While this is going to sound horrible, I'm not really that upset about the loss. I wasn't always sure the person who was laid off was into his job or did as much as he could. Don't get me wrong, I feel bad for the guy as I don't wish him any illwill and know he is going to have it rough. What keeps running through my mind is that the position is gone. The rest of the staff is going to have to pick up the pieces. How we are going to be able to 1 - figure out what he had going on, 2 - add more to what we all have going on and 3 - coordinate our efforts so we don't go batty, is on my mind. Unfortunatley I think a lot of it will come to me to figure out and coordinate. Sure, I needed more to do!

I suppose I should be grateful I have a job. For now. Of course no more layoffs are planned, but isn't that what they always say? I'm not really hurting for money and have a pretty good life. Work just got 100 times harder and more complicated but I'll survive that also. I suppose I am wondering I should be doing to ensure my career future isn't thrown off track.

Oh well. I'm off on my cruise next week so I'm sure once I get back I'll have it all out of my system. :)

Time

2009-03-09T15:11:00.002-04:00

Has anyone else noticed that time seems to go by at warp speed these days? Sure, everyone older than myself tells me that as you get older time goes by even faster. So does this mean 30 is old? Does it mean life is going to go by even faster now? It just seems like every second of the day is taken. Granted some of the stuff I choose to do, workout, be a lazy butt and watch tv, nap, but it always seems like there is more I want to do and no time. I wish I had more time to read, visit with friends, talk on the phone to friends. I'm sure I could do more multi-tasking to get some of this accomplished but then again I think I may end up feeling more exhaused. I guess time does go by faster as you have more to do. I suppose I wish at times I could simply slow it down.

Simply Waiting....

2009-03-04T11:40:00.002-05:00

For the end of March. I will get on a large ship and criuse away to the Southern Caribbean. I cannot wait. Warm sun, ocean, waves.... wonderful. It has been WAYYY too long since I've been on vacation. It was last March when I went to England. Not going someone this past summer sucked. I'm just a vacation junkie and love going places. Sure I go to visit Kyle and stuff but that's not going somewhere new. So I am simply waiting to leave. The weeks are going bye pretty fast and I'll leave before I realize it. Then I'll have to deal with coming back..... boo...

The News....

2009-02-19T16:47:00.003-05:00

I have stopped watching the news. I am tired of hearing that things are so bad. Why can't anyone report on good stuff going on in the world? No one does anything nice or good anymore? People just steal money, kill one another, do bad things I guess. No one is good anymore I suppose. I am simply tired of it. Tired of hearing about the economy, how bad it is going to get, how no one has a plan, how the plan created and voted on sucks, how it's going to get worse..... blah, blah blah! I'm done with the news. Sooner or later people are going to have to suck it up and get over it. Start re-investing and having confidence, confidence in anything at this point will be a step in the right direction. Just because there are a few screw ups out there doesn't mean everyone is bad or that people have to freak out. Everyone just calm down, breathe and move forward. The news can kiss it as far as I am concerned. I think all they do is freak people out and make things worse. I'm sticking with my DVR'd shows when I watch TV.

Spring can you hear me?

2009-02-09T10:42:00.003-05:00

It's sad when 40+ degrees feels like a heat wave and everyone gets a little goofy. All of a sudden coats are optional and people are acting like it is hot. But then winter comes back and smacks us in the face. Personally I am waiting for real warm weather and Spring. I get a dose of it (hopefully) this weekend as I am going to visit Ashley and Kyle. Come on Spring, I know you can do it!

S.N.O.W

2009-01-30T09:56:00.003-05:00

I'm done with it. Sure it is better than gloomy regular winter but only when you don't have to drive in it. I am tired of people thinking they have invincible cars when they drive in snow. I would not have issues with snow if my car could stay clean and I did not have to drive it in while worring about all the other morons on the road.

I need a vacation away. I'm not sure the cruise in March will come fast enough.....

A New America

2009-01-20T21:00:00.002-05:00

I'm not really sure what to say about today. Remarkable, fascinating, amazing, historical... the adjectives could go on. For so many reasons today was beyond words. To watch an African American elected President means so much not only for this country but for the world. Never in my life have I been so attached to a presidential candidate or excited about who gets elected. I have hope again for not only this country but for the world. Obama is a man who seems to always know what to say how to inspire people and how to bring people together. He is the answer to what we need.

I'm pumped that Obama can; speak un-scripted and not sound like a monkey, bring people together, inspire people, give us hope, loves his wife and kids, is a minority, his background can hopefully help in areas of the world who aren't too fond of us, wants to try to talk to enemies before fighting them and the list goes on.

I also have to say that I was so excited to see Bush go. What that man did to this country and to our reputation in the world is unbelievable. I am thrilled to see him go and see the end of the Bush's in the White House.

Brrrrrr.....

2009-01-15T14:20:00.002-05:00

So I hate the sound snow makes when it is so freaking cold (as it is now). It kinda has the same effect as nails on a chalk board for me. You probably know the sound I am talking about - it's like a squeeking noise. I feel like the snow is even trying to tell me that it is way too cold. Negative numbers as lows and highs are totally unacceptable. Places have closed beacuse it is so cold. Last time I checked we were in Ohio, not the Artic. It is too cold but I do like the snow.

PS - As a side note I also hate having to spray cleaning stuff on my windshield every .2 seconds when driving because of how dirty it gets. Totally annoying.

2009 Re-do?

2009-01-07T11:07:00.002-05:00

I would officially like to request a re-start to 2009. It has not been good so far. One of my co-workers had a family member commit suicide, another one's wife lost a baby three months into the pregnancy. I've had my own relationship issues.... it's just been way too much already.

So how do you think I could go about starting 2009 over again?

Ok I've Been Lazy....

2009-01-06T15:47:00.002-05:00

So my last post was in Novmeber. It's now 2009 - I've been a little lax. What I've been up to? Not a whole lot.

Went to Kyle and Ashley's for Thanksgiving. Met her family, played a LOT of Guitar Hero World Tour, the weather was warm, it was nice.

Went to Philly for work. Sucked. :-)

I got sick the Monday and Tuesday before Christmas. Lost about 5 pounds because of not eating, but I felt horrible. I would not recommend this type of diet.

Kyle and Ashley came home for Christmas. Ash missed her connecting flight by 10 minutes, I reamed a few folks at American Airlines, she got a flight through Chicago to Cincy and Kyle had to go get her. They were here for about a day and a half then Kyle drove her home to South Bend, IN. On his way home he got caught in an ice storm and had to stay in a hotel, getting back Christmas Eve morning. Again we play a lot of Guitar Hero, we have a problem.

Went to a cabin in Hocking Hills with Autumn, Dan, Aaron and two dogs. It was a good time. We lucked out on nice weather to go hiking. I'd go back.

New Year's Eve Aaron and I went to Autumn & Dan's. We played Guitar Hero World Tour(seeing a pattern here?). We had a good time.

Came to work yesterday exhaused. Two weeks off was great but I was up way too late, slept in too much and was overall REALLY lazy. Don't get me wrong it was a great break but getting back into the grove of working isn't going well.

So there you go, now you're caught up. I promise I'll be better at posting.

Oh yea - and I'm counting down the days till January 20th! :-D

"Simply The Best"

2008-11-21T20:57:00.003-05:00

I took Thursday and Friday off this week. Why? Autumn, her mom and I drove to Michigan, right outside of Detroit, to see TINA TURNER! Man, it was TOTALLY worth it. She is turning 70 on the 26th of this month and I can only hope I look half as good as she does. It may be a challenge considering she looks better than I do currently.... hmmm. She danced around and wore great outfits. Half of what she wore I wouldn't be caught dead in now let alone when I am 70! It was a great concert, she sang her old stuff. I about had a fit when she sang "Proud Mary" and yes she still can do the dance. While not as good as it once was in her younger years, man she can still shake it and look great. We had a great time and I am so happy we decided to go. It was totally worth the two vacation days!

Nothing really

2008-11-14T15:22:00.002-05:00

Not a whole lot going on these days. Next weekend my friend Autumn, her mom and I are going to Michigan to see Tina Turner. Then going to Kyle's for Thanksgiving. I bought a new iPod Nano yesterday, purple if you care, as my old one died. The weather is gray and it makes me sad. That's about all I got for ya.... Thrilling I know. You just wasted a few minutes of your life that you now can't get back. :)

Pictures

2008-11-05T12:06:00.002-05:00

Chicago Pics and others - now all in once place. Enjoy!

http://daniellefordspictures1.shutterfly.com

OBAMA 2008!

2008-11-05T08:22:00.002-05:00

I have never been more excited about an election. Watching what happened last night as American's chose a new direction and a new leader for the United States. The election of Obama is exciting on so many levels. I am excited to see what he can do both here and abroad. I have faith again that we can become greater than before under his leadership. I'm thankful that the majority of Americans realize that we needed a major shift in this country. Now the count down begins to get rid of Bush, I just hope he doesn't screw too much more up before Obama gets in.

Yo!

2008-10-31T10:00:00.002-04:00

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

Not going to any halloween party or doing anything exciting. I'm actually looking forward to doing nothing for a weekend. At my one workout class on Weds we all dressed up and worked out. It didn't last long because people got hot and took off their outfits.

Pictures of Chicago are coming. It was a good weekend. Weather was great on Sunday, rained a little on Saturday morning but overall the weather held up. Flying in and out was an adventure due to the wind. Mom didn't like it too much. We went to a play on Saturday night and we had a good time. It was a one woman show called "Put The Nuns In Charge." We all got called out by the woman who was the nun, it was pretty funny. We walked a TON. My legs were soooo sore on Monday. It was great to get away and see Kyle and Ashley.

Have a safe and happy halloween weekend! Holy cow... it's November tomorrow.....

I'm Off!

2008-10-23T13:50:00.002-04:00

To Chicago this weekend for my birthday! Figured you only turn 30 once so I should do something fun. Kyle and Ashley are meeting Mom and I there. Should be fun!

Side note - Facebook has taken over my email inbox with notifcations. I had no idea people would find me so fast.... The whole thing is kinda weird and a few people are obsessed with sending me flair and writing to me.

Peer Pressure

2008-10-21T10:30:00.002-04:00

Apparently I don't do well with peer presure. As you may recall, it was my friend Micah who told me I needed to have a blog. After all, it was the way I kept track of him and his brother Adrian. So I did a blog.

Now I have friends telling me to do Facebook. So I finally did. I really have no clue what I am doing or how the thing works, but I have it. So now you can find me there. So do it! :)

I think I need to stop listening to the peer pressure I'm getting!

Today...

2008-10-17T13:38:00.001-04:00

I turn 30.

How I really feel about it? Not sure. Hasn't really hit me beacuse this weekend is our Columbus Light The Night walk and so work has been really busy.

Will I really think or act differently like some people say?
Will I become more focused on my future?
Will I still act like a goofy 12-year-old?
Will I have different priorities?

My vote is for the third one.... Who knows what this year of 30 will bring or what the next 30 will bring. I'm up for just about anything.

Oh Man.... 30.....

2008-10-13T16:40:00.004-04:00

So my friend Autumn decided to start the week of my 30th birthday off with quite a bang. She convinced me we were going bowling for her birthday (Oct 7th). About half way through the one game she left to take a phone call on her cell phone which I thought was really odd. A few minutes later she came in with....... wait for it.......a SINGING ELVIS. He had balloons and sang. I was laughing so hard I was crying. Totally embarassing, let me tell you. I could hardly hear what he was saying because we were all laughing so hard. He sang Happy Birthday and You Are My Sunshine, I think. The whole thing was priceless and I have never laughed so hard in my life. The best is going to be getting her back....

Exciting News!

2008-10-12T16:29:00.002-04:00

Fatty & Ashley are officially engaged! He proposed yesterday morning before they went away for the weekend to San Antonio. The best part is she was totally taken off guard. Even that morning Kyle had lied to get her out of the house to run errands. When she came back she got mad at him because she had stuff in her hands and he wouldn't open the front door for her. Ha! As soon as she got in the house, saw the flowers she dropped it all anyway and went looking for Kyle who was out in the backyard waiting. :)

A few months ago, maybe August, I helped Kyle pick out a ring over the internet. We talked for a few hours about it and later that weekend when he was at the store he called me again to talk about buying it. Originally he wasn't looking to buy one but a few things fell into place and it just made sense. When I went down over the summer we went and got it, Ash was out of town at the time. We, mostly Kyle, had her totally convinced that he did not have the money with the down economy, Hurricane Ike and other stuff. We really laid it on the weekend I was there. Kyle had even brought the ring home to show mom and dad and took it to her parents the weekend they went to the Notre Dame game. She had no idea.

I'm happy Kyle has found someone he can click so well with. Ashley is great and I get along really well with her. She makes Fatty happy and they fit so it's a great thing. Poor Ashley, now she's stuck forever. :)

So It's October....

2008-10-03T13:01:00.003-04:00

That means on the 17th I turn 30. I'm not sure how I feel about it or how I should feel. It's not that I have a problem hitting this milestone, I guess I'm just wondering what it should mean if anything and how my life should, will or won't change. 30...... hm......

I have seen the light!

2008-09-22T16:09:00.002-04:00

Yes folks, over a week later the rumor is that I finally have power. I was getting tired of going from mom's to my apartment to see what the deal was. I felt really bad for the few folks who were there all week. I called a board member at AEP this morning as I had about had it. It checked into it for me and said they were sending folks to look into it. I'm just happy it's over and I can be in once place again. Of course this week is the Zanesville Walk so I'm out of town most of the rest of this week, but it is the principle behind the whole thing.

Interesting

2008-09-19T16:42:00.001-04:00

Kyle & Ashley went through a Hurricane that about took a direct hit on Houston. They got power and water back after 5 days. Danielle gets winds from a hurricane that hit no where near Dublin, is now going on 6 days without power and has been staying at Hotel Mom's House.

Anyone else find this interesting?

Hurricane Update

2008-09-16T18:32:00.004-04:00

So.... the reason it has taken awhile for me to post any updates is that Ike came and hit Ohio with Category One Hurricane Force winds. I have had no power myself since Sunday afternoon. Thank goodness mom has as I have been camping out there. :) Here is an email from Kyle. He and Ashley are fine given what could have happened and now it's just more of a pain in the butt. Locally they are saying it may be Sunday before everyone here in Ohio gets power. Nice thing is I haven't had to go to work, just check email from home. It has been a totall bizzare few days.....

"I'm emailing from ashley's cousins house because we still do not have power or water. We are both fine, the house is essentially fine also. We lost power before the storm on Friday because they wanted to bring down the power in an orderly manner because they knew they were going to lose power. We lost the entire fence, part of it hit the house and smashed up the gutter. Lost a few shingles but not too bad of damage of the roof. We basically had all of our landscaping uprooted a little but I think we can replant it decently enough. We got a generator from a coworker of mine that evacuated to Arkansas and he brought one back for us. We have enough water for
probably 3-4 more days and have turned into the neighborhood refrigerator freezer because we have the generator. The storm itself was incredibly loud. People say it sounds like a freight train but I think they say that because they don't know what else to say. It basically was the loudest thing i've ever heard. The wind would gust and you could feel the house shift and creak, I was convinced the roof was gone but the house was rated for a Cat 3 so it held together nicely. We boarded up all the windows but the storm ripped one of them off even though we fastened them with 2" woodscrews. We're both going to work tomorrow and the plant is still shutdown because a nitrogen plant was damaged and none of the plants around here can come up fully without the nitrogen supply. Cell service is terrible and comes in and out. Even though we have the generator our e-mail isn't working. They say we should have water this week but power could be 3-4 weeks but I can't believe that. We have a lot of gas for the generator and we're more or less just camping in the house which really isn't too bad. It sounds like a lot of you ha more damage than we did. A lot of our neighbors lost roofs and the coast line is essentially gone as I'm sure you've seen on tv. I appreciate all the phone calls and e-mails but I just couldn't respond to any of them, and some of them I answered with incredibly brief txt messages to try to get them out. Pretty nuts but the bottom line is we are fine and our lifestyle is
fine too. Just kinda a hassle at this point. I'll try to call and keep touch with everyone but I can't make any promises."

Hurricanes

2008-09-11T11:08:00.001-04:00

ARE NOT MY FRIEND. I HATE THEM. As Ike gets closer I am more and more worried about Kyle and Ashley. Talking to them about their plans and what they are doing to get ready make me a nervous wreck. I don't live there, it's not my house or stuff but I am so worried and stressed for them. I told Ashley I needed them to move to South Dakota.

Please pray for the best.......

Random Thoughts...

2008-09-10T14:57:00.003-04:00

(Yes I should be working. I had a 7:30 morning meeting and rather than falling asleep right now I thought I would look like I am working - cut me a break)

I'm worried about Hurricane Ike hitting Kyle this weekend. This time he's definately getting it. They are on the wrong side of the hurricane also. It's just going to be a matter of how close the eye is to Houston. I would rather it hit further down in Mexico myself. I hate this Hurricane season thing.

This weekend should prove interesting with the OSU vs. USC game. Last weekend OSU played OU (I went!) and man did OSU look like crap. If they play that bad they are going to be EATEN! I hope for Kyle's sake (mostly his blood pressure) they don't tank, but OSU is NOTORIOUS for that.

I miss Grandmom. She would have been beside herself last weekend not knowing what football team to root for. (Incidentally Mom was pretty much rooting for OSU, I see how it is.....) Grandmom used to love to watch the OSU games and would yell at the TV and get so stressed because she knew how much it would mean to Kyle. There have been many times when I've wanted to call her to tell her something or simply hear her tell me she loved me and it would be ok. She was the one person, regardless of what I called to talk to her about would try and make it better. I miss that. I miss that love of a grandparent and I miss telling her stuff and making her happy.

Those are my random thoughts for today. Now back to work, hopefully I won't fall asleep!

Workout Advice Needed

2008-09-02T20:20:00.002-04:00

So I need your suggestions. I have A.D.D when it comes to music during my workout. When I listen to something on my computer I think, "Hey this would be a good song to put on my iPod to have when I workout." Then when I'm working out I seem to flip through songs all the time, listen to only part of them or skip them all together.

So what songs do you listen to when you workout? I need some new ones because I'm starting to falter during workouts due to crappy or old music.

Last Summer Harrah

2008-09-01T16:41:00.002-04:00

Kyle was home for the weekend although for shorter than planned due to Hurricane Gustav. (Stupid hurricanes....) We went to the OSU game on Saturday and it was fun. My friend Amy and I got to sit with the "token" grandparents in President Club seats so we actually sat in a seat and they were good ones. We weren't in the blazing sun which come to find out was really nice. When we got home we, Mom, Kyle and I went over the High School to stand in line to go to an Obama rally. It was neat and an experience. John Glenn spoke, what an amazing man. Some of the people were a little scary and some of the speakers were playing right to the crowd, not shocking. It was neat to see / hear him. We also got to see his motorcade leave and he waved from his bus. This is probably the closest I will ever get to a president. Other than that I've been to the pool to relax and grab the last few seconds of summer and amazing weather. The weather here is awesome although no rain due for another week which is not so good. I need it to rain for my allergies and I know the plants and grass need it too.

I hope everyone had nice long weekends. I'm glad Kyle's pretty much out of the picture for the hurricane other than getting some rain and wind. Earlier in the week the picture for him looked much worse. Enjoy the last days of summer!

The Olympics

2008-08-24T21:06:00.002-04:00

I have to admit, I am torn with emotion about the Olympics being over. On one hand, I am glad that I will actually get to bed at a reasonable time this week compared to the last two weeks. I don't know about you, but I would get to watching them on the couch, move into my room and watch them in bed until WAY too late. I couldn't turn them off. They were addicting and there was always something else I just had to see.

On the other hand I am sad. For two weeks I only watched good things on TV. The negative portion of the news seemed to be overshadowed which was a great thing. Watching these athletes was totally amazing. What they have accomplished, regardless of how they finished or competed is unbelievable. It is inspiring and jaw dropping. I mean come on, Michael Phelps? Holy crap. What is even more exciting is realizing how amazing the Olympics are for everyone participating. It is one venue where people come from all countries and actually get along and appreciate one another. Shocking concept eh? It makes me very proud and grateful to live in a country like the US. It makes it even better when you win the most medals. :)

So who knows what I'll do this week for TV, I'm sure it won't compare.

Greatest Story Ever

2008-08-20T20:40:00.002-04:00

So take a moment to think about this one....

Autumn teaches at The Ohio School for the Deaf. Today at a meeting with staff, she was told that on their deaf football team there would be a blind kid from The Ohio School for the Blind as they don't have a football team. (Duh?) So this is going to interesting, a blind kid on a football team where they communicate with their hands and sight. In addition, Autumn said there is a marching band from The Ohio School for the Blind.

I'm just saying.... think about this one....

We're totally going to a game.

Whew!

2008-08-14T20:36:00.002-04:00

So I'm off to visit Kyle and Ashley this weekend. Then I've got nothing! Kyle will be home Labor Day weekend, but the next trip I have isn't till October. No, I take that back, I'm going to visit friends at the end of September. I'm glad. I'm looking forward to being at home on the weekends and more importantly, OSU football! It will be nice to be a home body for awhile. I just wish I had been able to do it more during the summer when it was so amazing out.

My Weekend

2008-08-11T11:14:00.003-04:00

(Yes, I should be working... but it is a Monday morning, it is really nice outside and motivation did not come with me to work today...)

So Cedar Point was great. We had awesome weather, nice and sunny with a breeze, I would say upper 70's lower 80's. We went up Friday night and stayed in a hotel. Got up Saturday morning, went to Bob's for breakfast and then got to the park around 11. Let me just share with you that there is no easy way in or out of the park. We walked right on the Magnum and then did some other little rides. The longest we waited was for Maverick and Top Thrill Dragster @ 2 hours. WELL WORTH IT. Maverick actually drops you down about a 95 degree angle and it a great ride. Fast take off and a surprise in the middle, all due to the magic of magnets. Great ride. Top Thrill Dragster about gave me a heart attack. I was really nervous waiting in line for it. We had to wait even longer due to rain coming in and wind - that made it even more nerve racking. The height of 400+ feet didn't bother me, it was the 120 mph that they shoot you off at that did. (From anywhere in the park you can hear the magnets for the ride.) My friends were making fun of me saying I could go skydiving but not go on a ride where I was stapped in on a track that was anchored to the ground. (I'm not saying it was logical to be as scared as I was.) When we got on the ride I was shaking. I made my friends nervous. The worst part was waiting as they counted down and then the inital jolt of the 0-120 in no time flat. The ride was amazing, I LOVED it and would do it again in a second. :)

The only thing that was a bummer is Millinium Force was closed until the end of the day. We were waiting in line when the sky decided to open up and POUR on us. We figured forget it and ran to the car. We were on the other side of the park so we were drenched when we finally got there. It took forever to get out of the park, we had been directed to park in the back and I would say it was an hour before we were finally out. I'm not sure they are the best at directing traffic out of that place. We went to a Wendy's to change and the manager was a WITCH. She wouldn't let us back in after we went to the car to put our wet clothes and bags back into the trunk. We left and went to a Taco Bell. Best food I have ever had. It was like 10pm at this point and the last time we ate had been 2pm.

Overall the weekend was great, we're going to go back next year and maybe stay longer or go during the week. I haven't been to Cedar Point in awhile so all and all it was a great weekend, weather and bitcy Wendy's lady included.

Cedar Point

2008-08-08T07:46:00.002-04:00

This weekend I am going to Cedar Point with three friends from OU. I'm excited. The weather is supposed to be great and I haven't seen these friends in awhile. It's also been years since I have been to Cedar Point. Should be a good weekend but I imagine I'll be tired once I get home. Oh well! :)

The First One

2008-08-05T08:56:00.003-04:00

So today the first tropical storm hit Houston, or close to it. We'll see how mom ends up reacting, I think she is totally freaked for Kyle. Personally Kyle would be one of the first people I would want to go through a storm / hurricane with as he has all the camping supplies and stuff needed. All I care about is that his house isn't really damanged.

He put up boards over his windows and such, he had bought it a long time ago so he wouldn't have to worry. Ashley wasn't home to help him put it up (I'm not going there) so I hope he got his neighbor to help.

Anyway, we'll see what happens.

Harsh Words

2008-08-03T16:50:00.003-04:00

While it is going to sound harsh, you may end up agreeing with me in the end. I hate people, the general public. Why? People are rude and live in their own little worlds with no compassion or consideration for those around them. You've been effected by it a zillion times. Just think about it.... The person in front of you at the store who takes forever to unpack their cart because they are on their cell phone, the person at the coffee shop who orders things for 8 people separately and then has three coupons, people who are walking in the middle of an isle or mall and stop to pull something out of their purse, someone who cuts in front of a huge line of traffic because they decided to stay in the closed lane till the last second, someone who comes and stands right in front of you when you are trying to watch a band at the Irish Festival.... I could go on. People often have no recollection of how what they do impacts others. I'm not saying people do stuff on purpose, and I'm not saying I'm perfect. What I am saying is I am appalled at how people really think they have no impact on those around them. Regardless of what you are doing, going or saying, you have an impact on others. No one seems to be awake anymore, just going about life as if they are the only ones in it. I realize no one is perfect, we all have our days, not everyone fits into this generality but more and more it seems to me that people are only worried about themselves and could care less who it impacts. I just wish at times that people would wake up a little bit and realize we're all here together and should try and take that into consideration. I'm done. My ranting and raving are over for now....

Irish Festival Time

2008-07-31T15:55:00.002-04:00

This time last year Lizzie & Micah were here visiting and we all went to the Irish Festival on Friday night. This year, no Lizzie & Micah. :( I'm still going to the Irish Festival though. I am volunteering Friday night which means I get in free all weekend. They give you a ticket for volunteering and if you go to one of the Sunday masses you get in free. (Yes, I am a nerd). So I plan on going Saturday and Sunday to see some of the entertainment, mostly Gaelic Storm the band. It is going to be hot which will make the whole place stank and be super sticky. Awesome.

I like the entertainment and that is about it. After being in Ireland I am now a snot. (Well more than I was before). The only thing that even comes close is the entertainment and some of the Irish clothing and crafts. Food sucks and some of it is really Americanized. The only thing I found last year that was worth it was Irish baked goods. I guess I will just got back to Ireland so I can get the real thing.

Responsible Adult?!

2008-07-23T11:00:00.002-04:00

Me?! Yes, I suppose so.

I had tickets with Aaron and two people from work to go to the Dave Matthews Band concert on the 29th. Well, I'm not going now. I have a meeting with a group of folks I directly work with that evening and while my boss didn't care if I wasn't there I felt it was not the responsible thing to go to the concert. I missed the first meeting because of Grandmom's funeral and that can be understood. Missing the second for a concert, maybe not. If I am supposed to be helping with Donor Development and getting a plan together along with my boss and this group of folks, I think it is only right that I go.

A guy at work is buying them from me so I'm not out all the money. He's been seeing Dave for 11 summers now (jealous). Makes me sad though because the last time I went to DMB was with Kyle and I haven't been since. I am going to be sad to miss the concert, but I would have really missed Kyle. I guess at some point you have to be a responsible adult. Let me tell you, it blows.....

Finally....

2008-07-14T21:40:00.001-04:00

Pictures from Memorial Day trip to Zion & Bryce. Because I am too lazy and there are too many I simply have you going to the WalMart site where I ordered them from. Can you view them?

Grandmom

2008-07-13T21:18:00.002-04:00

I know everyone told me she would be with me, but this weekend was hard. Mom and I went to Lakeside up on Lake Erie. I cannot tell you the number of times I wanted to call Grandmom to tell her something, laugh with her about something we saw or to have her hear something. The feeling of not being able to do so completely and totally sucks. A LOT.

Side note - if I'm not careful I'm going to end up like her. I still have bronchitis. I went to Urgent Care today and they said it was viral so the two doses of antibiotic that lasted me all of June did nothing other than kill a whole lot of stuff. I was given a cough syrup and an inhaler like they give for people with asthma. I guess I should watch it. Mom is really worried about me. I am too but there is only so much I can do. I can't lay in bed for weeks on end. I'm trying. I'm almost 30 and don't want this to go on for a long time or be a recurring trend. That would make Grandmom and I a little too close.....

Wii Suggestions?

2008-07-09T13:48:00.002-04:00

If you own a Wii or have ever played one, I want to know what games you liked and why. Some games are better if you have more people to play, which in my case happens once in awhile. Most of the games that take a few people I wait for my friend Autumn and her husband to get and we play them. We, meaning they, have Super Mario Party (or whatever it is called) and guitar hero (love it!). They also have Super Mario Paperboy, which I could get but haven't tried out yet.

So what do you suggest I get and why? And if you haven't played Wii, you SO need to.

PS - Yes I am a loser. No I have nothing else special to tell you about. Life is borning. Sorry...

When It Rains.....

2008-06-24T14:45:00.002-04:00

It Pours...

So it started with Grandmom passing away. Then I get back from Houston and Autumn tells me Dan had been in the ER with what they thought was viral meningitis (it's just vertigo). I get to work on Monday and my boss's father passed away. Later that day I learn of another co-worker who's sister has had cancer is not doing well and will probably pass away soon.

I've about had it... So if you have bad news I really don't want to hear it as I'm not sure I can handle it at this point.

HOT

2008-06-19T10:01:00.002-04:00

Dad, Grandma and I are going this weekend to visit Kyle in Texas. I'm sure it will be 1,000 degrees. Today and tomorrow Kyle is learning to fight fires in the event he ever needs to.... I'm not sure about that.... Sure it is controlled but hey it's chemicals on fire and it's already a zillion degrees out.... I think I am going to buy him a badge.

It will be good for all of us to be together. If anything, I've learned how short life is and I may not have many more times of all four of us together....

Thanks

2008-06-13T10:29:00.002-04:00

I just wanted to thank everyone for their kind words and thoughs since my last post. What I always find amazing is that you may hardly ever talk to someone or see them but when you need friends they are there. It is one of the coolest things in life I think. Thank you for being there even if I hardly ever talk to you or see you. I apprecaite you being there for me when I need people the most.

Side note - I am sick again. Too much stress and stuff going on these past two weeks with family, work and personal life. My plan for the weekend is nothing. I am tired of getting sick. I need to get back into eating better and working out.

Friday, May 30, 2008

2008-06-05T21:19:00.004-04:00

Is the day my grandmother died. From this day forward this weekend will be one of remembering the memories and all the fun and laughs we had together. I loved this woman more than any of you or she will ever know. She was so much a part of my life and I have realized this even more after her passing. I have a huge hole in my life now, one I know will heal with time but to be honest that doesn't matter to me right now...

To back up.... My mom went to see my grandmother, her mother, in Maryland over Memorial Day weekend. Kyle, Ashley, Aaron and I went to Zion and Bryce. Mom called us on Monday very upset saying Grandmom was dying. We thought it was going to be that day or the next. She had congestive heart failure and her kidneys were also failing. Mom had just seen her Sunday and she was doing ok. The weekend had been fine. The nursing home called her early Monday morning to tell her things were going downhill. Grandmom lasted until Friday, but not long enough for me to see her one last time. Mom said it was better off as she was really swollen due to the fluid and breathing really weird. From Tuesday afternoon on she was mostly out of it because she was given morphine and an anti-anxiety medicine to help her out. One of the last times Grandmom was coherent, Mom told her that Kyle and I loved her. She took her oxygen mask off and said to her, "I know, I know". (Typing this makes me cry) I had planned to go earlier but there had appeared to be no change really from day to day. I was arriving at 4pm on Friday and Grandmom didn't wait. I guess God knows what he is doing and had it planned. Kyle arrived on Saturday so at least we all got to spend time together. He figures Grandmom planned this because otherwise Mom wasn't going to see him until July and hadn't seen him for a few months. It was so hard being in her house. I was waiting for her to walk around the corner or call my name. All I wanted is to see her and hear her voice.

Monday was the viewing and I finally got to see her and touch her. I've been lucky and I have never had anyone in my family pass away and have to go to the funeral. I was worried about being around a dead body and if it would creep me out. I walked into the room and went right up to her. I was crying so hard I'm not sure really how I made it. I simply laid my head by her and hugged her while crying and talking to her. I was ok. I could see her and be with her. The whole viewing I simply stood by her with my hand on her arm. She was there, I was there, it was ok. We put a ton of stuff in with her I can't tell you what we put in it's just too hard right now.... I met a lot of cousins and family I haven't seen in a long time or ever so that was a plus. I'm sure Grandmom loved everyone being together and talking about funny things and laughing.

Tuesday was the hardest day of my life. The funeral went so fast and everything was a blur. Saying goodbye to her before they closed the coffin was one of the most difficult things I have ever done. It was just so final. Up to that point I had been ok as I mentioned before, I could see her and touch her so it wasn't as final. I helped carry her coffin despite all the protests from family members. There was no way I wasn't going to be there for her until the end. I made sure the people carrying the coffin knew her so strangers weren't carrying her. I said my final good bye to her and cried my eyes out.

I miss her. So much. She was so key in getting me through my MBA. She's going to be mad at me that I got so upset and that I put pictures out of her when she was in a bathing suit. She's also going to be mad Kyle and I laid on her pink pillows on the couch. I know she will always be with me, I asked her to somehow let me know she was. I miss talking to her and hearing her voice. I want her to tell me to be careful driving like she did every time I talked to her. I want to talk to her during award shows and make fun of dresses and people. I want to hear her laugh and see her smile. I want her here.

I know she is better off, not in pain, not worrying about Grandad, can walk easier and is with family but I am selfish. Life was too short. She had a great one but I only knew her for 29 years, not long enough. In time I know things will get better and that God had / has a plan. Right now I simply can't handle all the logic that people have to share. I know they have good intentions but I just want to be sad, cry when I want and miss her. She was an amazing lady, funny, everyone loved her and so many people I met said I was like her. To me that is the best thing anyone could ever tell me.

I love you Grandmom and I promise I will be careful driving.

Zion & Bryce

2008-05-27T15:59:00.003-04:00

So this past weekend I went to Zion and Bryce with one purpose in mind. Do the Angel's Landing hike at Zion. It is a hike that the last .5 miles is on the top of a cliff fin. You pull yourself up and along with chains and at times there is a drop off on both sides of you. The height part was scary for Kyle, but I loved it and so did Ashley. Aaron really didn't seem to mind the height, at least he didn't say so. I felt bad for him and Kyle as they were the ones who had to carry the day packs. The views were amazing! When we got to the top we ate lunch (it was like 11am) and just hung out. Coming back down was more interesting to say the least as at many time we had to pass other people coming up. There were other parts that were switchbacks at at least a 30% angle. That was before the famous Walter's Wiggles switchbacks that we all commented on. Needless to say I hate Walter.

Let me tell you we also witnessed the best of people. One girl was doing the hike with no shoes, several people had their children on their back, were carrying them or had them in a carrier on the front, others had no water, some were way too out of shape. I don't mean to sound evil but at times we were on all fours going up or down to make sure we kept our balance and didn't slide off. We had gloves to handle the chains and they ended up being totally cluch. At the top there were also people going over to the edge to act as if they were falling off or to get a picture. Would have been real funny when they actually started falling eh? No one did.

These pictures are not mine but ones from Google. I thought some of them were good showing the chains and the trail. I was not allowed to have my camera out during the chain portion until we came to a place where we could easily rest. I will post highlights of my pictures in a few days. My camera dropped, in the case on the last day and the view screen broke. Irritating, but at least the pictures are fine. More from the trip later.

Boring Post

2008-05-14T09:12:00.002-04:00

So I know I haven't updated this in awhile but the reason is there isn't really anything to share. I'm tired of rain. All it seems to do here recently is rain. Better yet, it rains on the weekends. Sure during the week when I have to go to work it is awesome outside. Go figure. Other than that I have found a new favoirte Wii game, well two of them. Mario Cart and Guitar Hero. My friend Autumn and her husband Dan have it and I go over unnaounced all the time to play. I'm not that great but man is it fun. I already beat one round on Mario Cart in the event you are wondering. Life is pretty normal I suppose, nothing fun going on. Going to my grandmothers in Kentucky this weekend and next is Zion and Bryce! :-) I know, this post was the most informative, thrilling thing you have ever read, no need to tell me. Basically I wanted to let you know I'm still alive and nothing really new is going on. Aren't you glad you know?

Travel Freak

2008-04-27T16:06:00.001-04:00

Many of you know that for the past several years I have been obsessed with traveling. School put a damper on it a little, but now I'm free again! You probably know the song "Superfreak" just insert Travel for Super and it's me.

So I only have a trip planned to Zion and Bryce in May and that's it. So I need your help. Where have you been that you have loved? Tell me about it! I'm looking to plan more trips!

Finally Sun!

2008-04-25T07:42:00.003-04:00

I just wanted to share that these past few weeks while the sun has been out, life has been 10,000 times better. I do so much better with longer days and sun. I work out outside, feel better and simply have more energy. I cannot wait for full blown summer to arrive. The hotter the better. I'm just a happier person when the sun is out. I know, you're thrilled to know this.

Reflection

2008-04-18T10:11:00.003-04:00

At the risk of sounding like my friend Amanda's blog (which I do love), I'm having a reflective type of day. My high school is doing Fiddler on the Roof this weekend. My mom asked me if I wanted to go and I told her I couldn't. The memories and emotions I have tied to that show from when I did it in HS were just too much. It got me to thinking....

What happened to all those friends you swore you would keep in touch with? Regardless of it was in HS or college, there were people who you were always with that are no longer in your life. What are they doing now? Would you still be friends if you had done ___ or tried ___? If you reconnected would you still want to be their friend or just let it go? Who's fault was it that you are not in contact anymore? Sure, everyone gets busy, life happens and people go their own ways.

In addition, what decisions have you made or wish you would have made if you could do it over again? What did you do right? What did you wish you could have done or should have done? There are many things I regret doing or not doing. They all make me think what if? I know you can't live that way, but don't you have those days when you just wonder what could have be different? Wonder why things ended up the way they did? Well, I'm having one of those days....

England

2008-04-13T14:27:00.002-04:00

Finally I will tell you about our trip to England. Of course the flights over and back sucked, no matter what you did. Virgin Atlantic has little TV's in the back of the seat in front of you and you can choose what movie, tv show or video game you can play. On the 8 hour flight back, none of that mattered. I just wanted to be done traveling.

So I LOVED ENGLAND!!! The best thing we did was take a personal tour of Westminster Abbey. It was amazing. The history, the graves, the massiveness.... Unbelievable! Overall the history, pomp and circumstance and extravagance of it all was amazing. It was awesome to see stuff that the monarchy has used for centuries and will continue to do so. It's hard to imagine you are standing and looking at things that some of the most influential people in England's history were a part of. I could go on for ever about the trip but here are some of the highlights...

Seeing the Tower of London where so many people were imprisoned, beheaded and lived. Beefeaters still live there today with their families.
Seeing the Royal Mews with the coaches used for coronations, Princess Di's wedding, state affairs and other occasions. One of the coaches and some of the cars we saw were used a few days before for the state visit of the French President.
Westminster Abbey graves of kings and queens that were the size of an entire room. Only the informational book that I got can really show you.
Shakespeare's house and Globe Theater.
Going into watch the House of Commons and House of Lords. The elaborate interiors cannot be described.
Oxford University. Their colleges (what we call dorms) are about 1000 times more impressive. I should have studied abroad....
Stonehenge. I personally do not care who or how it got there, it is intriguing.
Going to the castles and seeing how people live. Personally I'm not too sure they are that warm and inviting.... I don't know how I would feel about living in one.
Seeing Les Mis and Jersey Boys.

Honestly the trip was amazing. There was nothing I would have changed. If anything I wanted more time to be in Bath and Oxford. It was humbling to be there in many ways. I am so happy we went. I would be more than happy to share more with you if you wish, but I will not continue to bore you here.... I would HIGHLY suggest you go if you get a chance. After all, it's where we came from.....

HUGE Dork!

2008-04-07T21:17:00.004-04:00

So I will be the first to admit that I can be a total dork. Example you ask? Well, last night on TV I ran into a dilemma. Star Wars Revenge of the Sith and the Lord of the Rings Return of the King were on. Had you added Harry Potter to the mix and I may have gone batty. Needless to say it was a very hard decision to decide what movie to watch. I flipped back and forth, finally staying on Return of the King.

So here is my question to you? How would you rank the following (that is if they are your type of movies)?
Lord of the Rings Trilogy
Harry Potter Movies
Star Wars IV, V and VI
Star Wars I, II and III

Here's my ranking:
LOTR
Star Wars IV, V and VI (Darth Vader rocks)
Harry Potter
Star Wars I, II and III (Aniken was TOO whiny, but (computer) Yoda kicks butt.....)

PS - I have not forgotten about England. Still processing it all and getting pictures organized. They'll be up by the weekend, in case you are just dying to see them. :-)

Boo... I'm Back

2008-04-02T09:50:00.002-04:00

So give me a day or two and I will give you my thoughts on England and post pictures. It's been a hard adjustment back with getting back to work and getting my body back on this time zone. I love big cities and I ADORED London! The pictures are awesome and the trip was amazing. I'll have more up by the weekend.

We're Off!

2008-03-19T07:36:00.002-04:00

Tomorrow Mom and I leave for England! Hope you all have wonderful Easter's, we'll be in London for ours. :-) I'm pumped and cannot wait to go. I love that you totally disconnect and that no one can reach you. You really get a chance to go live in another world for awhile. I'm sure there will be a zillion pictures once we get back. You know you'll want to see them.....

As a side note - I'm worried about future trips, even if just here in the states with the cost of airline tickets going up. Boo....

Anyway, I'll see ya in a little over a week!

Going Over The Pond

2008-03-13T19:16:00.002-04:00

One week from today, at precisely this hour, Mom and I will be at JFK airport waiting to leave for ENGLAND! Everything seems to be set although we had a flight scare last night. In the event you cared, here is what we gots going on!

Friday 21^st: Arrive @ 9:30 - Westminster Bridge - The London Eye
Saturday 22^nd: Magic of London Tour = Tower of London - Changing of the guard - Thames River cruise & pub lunch - Westminster Abbey - Afternoon tea at Harrods
Sunday 23^rd: Hop On / Hop Off Tour – Original Tour = Buckingham Palace - Piccadilly Circus - National Gallery - Downing Street - Big Ben - London Bridge - St. Paul’s Cathedral - Tower Bridge
Monday 24^th: Houses of Lords & Commons (hopefully!) - Kensington Palace
Tuesday 25^th: Tour to Winchester, Stonehenge & Bath
Wednesday 26^th: Tour to Oxford, Stratford Upon Avon & Warwick Castle
Thursday 27^th: British Museum - Royal Mews - Les Miserables @ Queen’s Theatre
Friday 28^th: Tour to Windsor, Runnymeade & Hampton Court Palace
Saturday 29^th: Leave @ 11am

I am totally pumped and ready to go! I'm going to delay thinking about an overnight flight as long as possible. I love traveling!

Blizzard of '08!

2008-03-08T10:36:00.005-05:00

To qualify as a blizzard we have to have winds of 35 mph and 1/4 mile visibility for three hours or more. I'm not sure we'll get that but here are some pictures of what we have so far.... Now I realize there may be some drifting and blowing, but I would say my porch is protected from the wind in some regards.

Plants out front Friday afternoon / evening...

Plants out front Saturday morning...

Plants out front Saturday evening...
????

Update - around 5 on Saturday it finally stopped snowing. Took me an hour to dig my car out Saturday. I would say there is anywhere from 15-20 inches outside. I had to create a path to get to my car because the snow was so deep.

White Death

2008-03-07T08:12:00.002-05:00

IS COMING! Again..... Grrrr..... More snow. Who really knows how much but they are acting like it is going to be the end of the world. So, in the event that is it, been nice knowing ya! :-P

Irritating

2008-03-05T15:03:00.002-05:00

So today I'm irritated and I just thought I should share. I'm tired of winter, get it over with already. Snow coming in little bits over and over is annoying now. I'm also currently embarrassed to be a voting person in the state of Ohio. For some reason we can't EVER get our acts together to make the voting process easy or accurate. I'm also irritated at the results but won't get into that here. I'm also tired of always being the one in my department at work to know what to do even when I really don't. Why can't others figure it our or make it up? Why do I need to be asked every freaking question even the most basic?

Thank goodness I leave for England on the 20th. Peace out all, disconnecting from the world for a week is gonna be AWESOME!

SPRING?!

2008-02-22T20:06:00.002-05:00

Where is it?! How many days?! I am so tired of snow, single digit temps and ice. Then comes a day that hints of Spring. Of course it's only a tease and then Winter comes flying back. I'm tired of my car being white from salt and dirty from the weather. I ran out of windshield wiper fluid for the first time for crying out loud! I've had it. Either get it out of your system Winter all at once or be done. This in between nonsense is annoying.

I'm waiting for Spring and hot weather.... I cannot wait!!!!

Getting Old

2008-02-18T11:52:00.002-05:00

I just got back from a weekend visit to my grandparents in Maryland. It wasn't fun. My grandfather has Parkinson's and is now a permanent resident of a nursing home. He really has no idea of what is going on. You can't tell if an answer you get from him just happens to be the right one, or if he understands. He has good days and bad days. It sucks to see him like this. At least he is safe, but the process of him going down hill is unbelievably hard to see.

My grandmother just got out of the hospital on Friday after being there for a month. She had to go to rehab (the same place my grandfather is) because she was so weak she could hardly walk 20 feet. She was upset about going, saying the people there would wonder what was wrong with her and she was embarrassed to have to go back. Somehow I convinced her it was what she needed to do so she could eventually go home.

So I spent my whole weekend in a hospital or nursing home. It was completely depressing and not a good advertisement for what is to come. At times the things my grandmother said to me made my heart break. "I never wanted to be alone", "I'm tired of doing this", "I don't want to be a burden", "I missed out on so much of your and Kyle's life"... and the list goes on. At no point could I tell her it was her fault she ended up like this as we tried many times to get them to move to Ohio but she didn't want to leave her family and friends, most of whom are now dead. I wish there could have been something more I could have done earlier to convince them to make different decisions so the situation now would not be as bad as it is. Going to visit is hard and unpleasant, something I never thought would happen when I referred to my grandparents.

Getting old looks like it sucks. You also do not realize the burden and stress you put on those around you. More and more I realize my step mom is right in that you need to plan to take care of yourself when you are old so you don't have to deal with what my mom has had to. Whoever came up with the body not going with the mind and money at the same time wasn't really thinking.... Trust me I just got a good picture of old age this weekend and it's not pretty.

Wii !!!!!

2008-02-05T20:55:00.000-05:00

So right after I said nothing exciting going on, I change that. I bought a Nintendo Wii today!! Ever since Kyle had his home at Christmas and I played it I have been looking for one. Every time a Wii commercial came on and they said "Wii would like to play" I yelled at the TV, "I want to play Wii!". Finally I called a WalMart today and they had six! I was shocked. It seems like Nintendo would rather produce a total of ten for the entire country and only send one per store rather than making them easy to get, but I suppose I need to quit bitching since I have one. I am thrilled and cannot wait to play it! Wanna play?!

Nothing Thrilling

2008-02-04T21:37:00.000-05:00

So I hate to tell you, but I've got nothing fun to share. Life consists of work, which is crazy busy and travel. I have been trying to work out more and eat better. Really nothing exciting going on, sorry for the unbelievably thrilling post. I'm still alive and life is good so that's a plus right!?

Texas...

2008-01-28T14:45:00.000-05:00

So I had to come to San Antonio for work and figured I could go early and have Kyle and Ashley come from Houston. It is only about a 3 hour drive. So Texas is interesting. A lot of cowboy hats, Texan flags and Mexican "stuff". Our hotel was on the Riverwalk. We spent Saturday walking about on Riverwalk and took a boat tour. The day started with longhorn cattle walking down the street in front of our hotel. The rodeo is in town this week I guess and they had them walking down the street, who knows why. It's Texas, I really didn't ask questions..... We walked to the mall and went in a lot of stores. It was easier to figure out where we were by being down on the Riverwalk, not up on the streets. We also went to the Alamo. Personally, I don't get it, maybe that makes me insensitive, who knows. Sunday we went to a Mexican market and went in a bunch of stores. We had breakfast of Mexican Pastries, I think the three of us got 3 things each. We then went on what they call the Mission Trail and saw four old missions. All of them still had services, most of the people looked like they were locals and were Mexican. One of the services we heard was all in Spanish.

My verdict on Texas, when I am with Kyle and Ashely, it appears normal. As soon as I talk to someone local, go into a store, or turn on the TV, I realize I am in a different world. Texans are very proud of themselves, their "hillbillyness" and state pride. I have no real idea why, my only conclusion is that it is Texas. No real reason is needed for the absurd pride and "hickness" it's Texas and it is what they do. I've done San Antonio, it was nice and pretty, but Texas is still, well interesting.....

Finally Adjusting?

2008-01-21T11:23:00.000-05:00

So this weekend was the first weekend I had free and nothing to do for school. Since school got out, things were crazy with the Holidays and then Antigua. Finally this weekend, nothing planned and an extra day! (Thanks MLK!) So yesterday I was in bed watching TV till noon and it was awesome. Today I plan on watching a movie and doing some reading. I saw some friends in Cincy on Saturday and it was great. I haven't seen them in forever. I'm also getting used to being able to work out at night. Last week I even took a few work out classes one after the other. Sure, nothing that thrilling I will admit, but exciting anyway since the past two years were so structured and set. Now comes the traveling and I'm ready. So maybe after all I will start to get used to this thing called life outside of school!

Antigua!!!

2008-01-13T10:20:00.000-05:00

Was totally amazing and wonderful. I just got back last night from a week long trip to Antigua in the Caribbean with my friend Autumn. She was getting married there and I went along so her Mom could go and we were both witnesses for their ceremony. They got married on the beach and it was wonderful. I have never been to the Caribbean and am now hooked. It was amazing. Pictures will follow. Now, back in Ohio with the cold and no sun is a little hard. I am used to being on the beach by 9am in the bright sun and looking at amazing colored waters. Living in your bathing suit is awesome and the week was full of memories, laughs and fun. Together we probably have 800 pictures. I have almost 300 myself. I'll post a few once I get them together.

Best of 2007

2007-12-31T10:55:00.000-05:00

So here are the highlights for me for the year 2007.
HAPPY NEW YEAR AND HAPPY 2008! I hope it's a great one!

Kyle graduating with his Masters
Me graduating with my MBA
Ireland
Yellowstone & Grand Tetons
Going to NY to get my haircut by Nick Arrojo (From the TLC show "What Not To Wear")
Chicago with my Mom
Disney World

Update

2007-12-29T23:21:00.000-05:00

I am sure you are all dying to know what I have been doing since I have been off work from the 24th. Spending time with Kyle and Mom. Kyle leaves tomorrow morning so I have tried to do as much as I can with him. He brought his Wii and we played it a ton. My arms hurt we have played it so much and with such intensity. We had a good Christmas, I got what I asked for (a vacuum, some towels & PJ's, a card for my digital camera, Pirates 3 - thrilling eh?) and it was nice. Played a lot of Wii, in fact I am going to buy one with the help of Dad and Laurie as a graduation gift. Well, when I can find one I'll get one. Mom, Kyle and I went to see Charlie Wilson's War (never realized the impact he had) and got tickets to the Trans-Siberian Orchestra. They were neat. More than I expected. Nothing really else other than I have gotten the chance to read books that I want to and for no real reason other than to enjoy them. Odd concept. In all honesty, I am waiting for next Saturday when I board a plane to go to Antigua for a friend's wedding. Sun, beaches and nothing to worry about... sounds about perfect after graduating with an MBA. What a way to celebrate two milestones!

Before It's Too Late!

2007-12-23T09:35:00.000-05:00

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!!! I hope your Holiday season has been wonderful and that you get to spend Christmas with family and friends. Safe travels and enjoy the time you have to spend with family. Kyle's back home from taking his girlfriend to South Bend, IN today. He brought his Nintendo Wii with him so we'll be busy!

Announcing....

2007-12-16T14:33:00.001-05:00

Danielle Ford, MBA!!! Yes, as of yesterday, you can all now call me Master Danielle. I have diploma in hand and therefore I am much smarter than yesterday. The best part was Kyle came home and I didn't know. I guess everyone else did. Saturday morning mom called to say she had something to drop off before graduation. I opened the door and it was Kyle. It was awesome. It was the best gift ever. I had a graduation party and the weather did not cooperate, but it was fine. My closest friends were there and so was Kyle so that is all that matters!!

Me, Darren & Porscha

I Love Warm Weather

2007-12-10T22:13:00.001-05:00

So leaving Florida yesterday to come home to wonderful Ohio weather leaves a little to be desired. I left warm, sunny 80 degrees for gray. Neat....

Disney was great. We went to MGM studios on Friday afternoon and the Magic Kingdom all day on Saturday. Crowds were not that bad and we only had to wait 40 minutes for a few rides. Overall it was a good day. I don't care how old you are, when you see that castle it makes you feel like a little kid all over again.
In the event you cared, I still remember the park layout like I was just there a week ago (yes I am a nerd). It was great to go back and for the most part we got everything done that the Magic Kingdom had other than the lame or really little kid stuff. I got to see the parade at night too which I totally remember from when I was a kid. I love Disney World and probably always will... Hard to believe I graduate on Saturday considering just a few days ago I felt like a little kid in a play land where everything is just fine and life is good.....

MICKEY!!!!

2007-12-02T09:22:00.000-05:00

Yes I am a 29-year-old little kid. Does anyone have a problem with that?

I leave Tuesday for Orlando for training for Light The Night. (I wouldn't be going if I didn't have to. Give me a break, I have been doing this for six years now.) Anyway my two staff people and I have plans to stay the weekend and go to Disney World. It has been years since I have been and yes, I love it, I can't help it. We are only going to MGM Studios and The Magic Kingdom, but it is enough for me. The weather also looks like it is going to be nice so that will only add to the trip. I'm pumped, did I mention I I love it and yes I am 5.

I Have No Idea

2007-11-29T19:40:00.000-05:00

I really have no idea what to say or how.... Tonight was my last presentation in my MBA program. I don't know what to do, what to say or how to feel. It's 100 emotions all at once... It's going to take me awhile to enter the "real" world again. I don't think it has really hit me what I have just accomplished or what it means, it may take awhile.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart to everyone. Regardless of how much I talked to you or you were around everyone in my life played a part in supporting me through this. You have no idea what it means to me and how much this has taught me. Thank you for understanding, yelling at me when needed, being there to listen and faith in me I could do it and do it well.

What in the world am I going to do and how am I going to handle this??

Houston

2007-11-25T14:58:00.000-05:00

Was great the first day as it was nice, sunny and warm. We went to the Houston NASA Space Center for the day on Wednesday and it was pretty interesting. Different than the one at the Cape, not sure if it was better or not. After that it got cold. It seems as if we brought Ohio weather with us.

Thanksgiving was good. No instant mashed potatoes or StoveTop for those of you who know what I am talking about. We made dinner in Kyle's little apartment and it was fine. Ashely made a great Apple Pie and things were fine. Kyle crashed for a nap and the three of us planned our shopping outing. None of us had ever gotten up to do the after Thanksgiving morning shopping but we did this year. We planned on getting up to be at Kohl's at 4am when they opened.

We got up around 2:30 and were at Kohl's by 3:30. The thing about Texas is you can carry a weapon (neat). Kyle about threatened me with death if I made any smart comments. He and I crammed in the doors and got carts and then for added flair went running down the isles screaming. It was hilarious. We went because I got a 7 piece luggage set for $50 (originally $200) and my current set looks like it has been beaten several times. We also went because Kyle is building a house and we wanted to get him some stuff on sale. We were done with Kohl's by 4:45. Went home, ate breakfast and went to Target. Not a whole lot there but I did get more stuff for Kyle's extra bathroom. (I told him I would buy all the stuff for the spare bathroom for him - decorating is not really up his alley) Finally home at 7 and back to bed till around 10. I'm not sure I would do it again unless there were some things I really wanted. There is no way I would ever go to a mall.

The rest of the trip was good. We saw Kyle's lot of dirt and the model of the house he is building. It rained a ton, I have never seen storms like that. We went to a Texas Two-Step bar on Friday night and I have never laughed so hard in my life. We all sucked, badly. It was hilarious. We saw where he works and basically hung out. Played some games, had a fire and watched football. It was a good weekend. I hate being home and having him so far away. At least he will be home in a few weeks for Christmas. Here are some pictures of the house and the space center.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2007-11-20T09:01:00.000-05:00

Just wanted to wish everyone a happy Thanksgiving. We are off today to Houston to see Kyle. Never been to Texas, not a huge fan, but I will have to get over it. I am crossing my fingers that our flights will be ok and this won't be too much of a hassle. I'm taking my camera, we'll see what I come back with.

Oh yea - in the event you are also counting - I only have three more classes. As of last night there will be no more classes of learning. I am all learn-ed. Only presentations left. YIPPIE!!!!

No Matter What

2007-11-15T20:44:00.000-05:00

No matter what happens this weekend in football, Michigan still sucks. Regardless of how either team plays or who wins, Michigan still sucks. I plan on wearing my Appalachian State shirt tomorrow and again on Saturday under my OSU jersey. Moral of the story - Michigan still/always sucks.

Tuesday we leave for Houston for Thanksgiving. While it may be warmer as of now it looks like it is going to rain. Never been to Houston so we shall see. I'll report when I get back with my thoughts. The worst thing is no leftovers and usually I eat Thanksgiving dinner for weeks after. I guess mom will have to make it again.

Travel Pics

2007-11-13T07:10:00.000-05:00

So you can see I like to travel. Here are some pictures from two recent trips for you to look at!

Ireland - June 2007
Yellowstone & Grand Tetons - August 2007

What To Do After School?

2007-11-09T07:47:00.000-05:00

While having extra time on a daily and weekly basis that I am going to have to find something to fill, I am excited that I am starting my monthly trips to the airport as I did before school started. (Ah, what memories....) Anyway I am going to the airport at least once a month through May. In the event you care where I'm going:

November - Thanksgiving at Kyle's in Houston
December - Orlando for training for work.
January - Antigua with a friend for her wedding! (WARM & SUN!)
January - San Antonio for training for work.
February - Houston to visit Kyle.
February - Maryland to visit Grandparents.
March - England with Mom!
May - Zion & Bryce National Parks in Utah with Kyle, Ashley and Aaron.

If you want to be my visit in April, or are close enough for a weekend visit let me know! Might as well make up for lost time! Who hoo!

Ladies & Gentlemen

2007-11-08T15:05:00.000-05:00

Yes, I'm at work but I just realized this. I have SIX, count them SIX more classes until my MBA program and school is over for good! Holy cow..... Am I dreaming? This is unreal. Now the big question is.... what do I want to be when I grow up now that I have this degree?!

Motivation

2007-11-04T13:19:00.000-05:00

Is currently a HUGE issue for me. The fact that the end is so close for school does not make it any easier to do the work I need to do. This week I have a lot of stuff due and would rather do anything, include clean my apartment from top to bottom and then some, before do it. I have a lack of motivation and any ideas you can give to help me get my butt in gear for these next few weeks would be appreciated. I already have a countdown to the number of weeks I have left and thought that would help, maybe not. Also, Kyle was here this weekend and I couldn't spend all the time I wanted with him because of stuff for school Boo.

On a high note, OSU won and we saw the team and coaches walk into the stadium. We have a picture on our phones, but I have no idea how to get that on here. Mom and I had awesome seats in C deck. They were actual seats, not hard, cold cram 800 people into one row seats. Nice!

Who!

2007-11-01T21:13:00.000-04:00

Fatty (or Kyle) is coming home from Houston this weekend! He is coming home for the OSU vs. Wisconsin game and a family friend got mom and I tickets! The game is at noon and Kyle is so excited he wants to get down there at 9am. Wow.... Oh well, spending the day with him and mom won't be bad and at least it's not a night game. We're gonna freeze but not too badly. GO BUCKS!

It's Almost Over!

2007-10-30T20:29:00.000-04:00

Today I got my cap, gown and hood for graduation. I cannot believe that on December 15th I will graduate. Let me tell you, I am TOTALLY READY!!!! Two and a half years later and I will have accomplished one of the hardest things in my life. I have learned so much both from my classes and those in them. I have no idea what I am going to do with myself as I am so used to always having something to do for school and it always being on my mind. Overall it has been a good experience and I wouldn't change it for the world. It has taught me more than I even probably realize. I've been counting down since this semester started and now I can really see the light!!!

BOO!

2007-10-27T21:47:00.000-04:00

I love pumpkin carving. I think it is great to do stuff like you did when you were a kid. Here are our pumpkins. Aaron had to have an easy pattern to do so his is the smiley face.

My pumpkin. It was a little hard to get all the details but I like it. Maybe if I wasn't a perfectionsist it would be easier. I like mine the best.

I Just Have To Tell You...

2007-10-24T21:30:00.000-04:00

That after six years, although hard to believe, I still love my job. I love the people I work with, why I do what I do and the impact it makes on the lives of others. I had to tell the top teams I work with in Zanesville tonight that I was going to be handing the Walk over to the other two people in my department. I's sad because they are friends, they have personal connections and because of the relationships I formed with them. I loved every minute of the past two years working and building the Zanesville Walk from nothing to $85,000 this year. It's my baby and the people are wonderful. I will miss them deeply and won't fully be able to disconnect from them because of who they are and what they mean to me. Say whatever you will, it's just how I feel...

After being convinced.....

2007-10-23T17:21:00.000-04:00

So I am finally in this weird world of blogging.... why I'm not really sure. One reason is so Micah can now not bug me about doing it. I guess once I really think about it it could be a way for me to keep in touch with friends I hardly see or talk to. (I'm really good at that). I guess I was afraid of creating a blog because I really don't do a whole lot other than work and school. Maybe I will find my life is more exciting, or more dull than I realize. Since mostly friends are going to ready it at least I can let them know what is going on in my life. I'm constantly checking the blogs of friends I know about and probably know more about their lives than they want me to. It gives me a chance to stay connected. OK... for now I'm done, I have to think of something creative to write or post next I suppose. Maybe it will so thrilling you won't know what to do! Doubtful....