Well, tomorrow is finally almost here (that either made complete sense or none at all). Tomorrow, after work, Mark and I leave for home (Oklahoma). I have been trying to work on that - trying to call Michigan home. They say that home is where your heart is. It just hasn't been long enough for my heart to be here yet. I could say that my heart is neither place, but that would make me homeless, and I don't know that I like that.
I'm so excited about going to Oklahoma that I have convinced Mark to let us drive through and not stop in St. Louis. We promise to pull off if we get too tired, but otherwise, it's onward and southward!
I have been trying to make friends, but up here, that's a little harder. People, in general, aren't as open to new people...not at first, anyway. I mean, I had people in Oklahoma who thought I was weird, but can you imagine what they think up here??? lol Actually, everyone at my job has been really nice. Damaris, one of the employees here, even laughs at me being funny, which is nice 'cause no one else does. I told her she was my new best friend up here and that we were gonna do stuff together all the time and not to even worry about giving me directions to her house 'cause I have already mapquested it! She asked if that was considered friend or STALKER??? lol
They also don't disclose much of their personal information up here - very private people. You should see the faces of those unwilling participants who make the mistake of sitting in my chair in my office. After about five minutes of me going on and on and disclosing everything from my bra size to "How to Have a Healthy Bowel Movement" (those of you who I've had this conversation with know who you are), the look on their faces...I can't tell if it's shock or disgust....or just utter amazement that ANYONE would consider talking about so many things at one time. Sometimes I just talk and talk just so I can look at their reaction and laugh when they leave! ha ha ha ha
I also found out today that Anne, the HR Manager, is also a talker. She and I will be getting along really well - she understands my predicament. She is so nice - she's also a hugger. he he he Whodathunk?
Well, Mark and I have a busy night ahead of us - we have to pack and then pack up the car so that when I get home, we can jump in the car and go....I can't wait to see everyone.
Love you all -
Tuesday, August 23, 2005
Monday, August 15, 2005
Wow- I didn't know I had the attention span necessary to write this much....
Well, butter my butt and call me a biscuit! I am so behind (no pun intended) in my Eskimo updates…Wherever should I start? Here goes….
I absolutely love my job! The people here are so nice and I am busier than a one-legged cat trying to bury poo on a frozen pond! Just a little history… My boss is Dr. Stern. He's a new yorker who moved here from pennsylavnia and his assistant came here with him. They have worked together for over 12 years so they had quite a working relationship. The reason she left to go back to PA is that her familywas from back home and she missed her grandbabies. Enter ME. Dr.Stern, I think, has forgotten that I'm just starting. Some mornings, I come in and look at my in box, and I contemplate the idea of being an eye-witness to "what appears to be an electrical fire in the EPMG building. Fortunately, no one was hurt…unfortunately, the entire building burned to the ground." (ahem) *In my very best Oklahoma drawl…"I cain't believe mah ahys! I was jist sittin' here in mah car puttin' ohn mah lipstick when BOOM – I ain't seen nuthin' lahke that in forever! It was jist lahke back when I was a kid and pappy got the cook light on the still too high….poor pappy. Momma had to draw his eyebrows on him after that. Yip, it was jist lahke that. Oh wayt, it sorta remahnded may of the tahme when Uncle Jed was impressin' a female caller and trahd lahtin' one of his 'bouquets of natural gas' as he liked to call 'em. I ain't seen so much fireworks frum one source since...well, since pappy got the cook light on the still too high….poor pappy."
In all seriousness though, I really do love my job. I love being busy– it keeps me out of trouble (pause) (hysterical laughter) That's funny – like anything could keep me out of trouble. I just haven't found my cohorts yet…I don't think anyone around here trusts me enough to be ornery. I'm just a sweet southern girl – how could I ever get anyone in trouble???
Mark and I are doing great. The first few weeks after I got here were tough though. That whole "adjusting to living with royalty." I felt sorry for him – I wouldn't want to have to do it. I think the actual problem resided in the fact that I may have led him to think I didn'treally have that much stuff (which I didn't until you throw all those wonderful wedding gifts in the mix – then there was substantially more). Anyway, I show up on the doorstep with the second largest truck U-haul rents and a car in tow that is also stuffed full. Reality really sank in when we finally got it unloaded and had nowhereto sit and we couldn't really see each other.
So I thought I would be the wonderful little wifey – I have actually impressed even myself with my mad cooking skills. Everyday for the first few weeks I would find a new recipe on the internet and cook it for my sweet precious. He was impressed. I was impressed. EVERYONE was impressed. Now that I have narrowed the time gap and it's really too late to cancel the wedding (since all his family has purchased/made travel arrangements), we ate out every night last week. Ahhhhhhhh – much better. Actually, I enjoy cooking, if I could just get him to understand that once it's on the table, I'm finished. The cleaning thing is a whole different subject and it's something I just don't do well. He's learning. He'll get there soon enough.
We have started going to church with Mark's twin brother, Matt and his wife and kids. It's Living Word Church of God and we really like it. The praise and worship leader is Mike Mariucci (pronounced mary-oochee for those of you who aren't football fans), Steve Mariucci's brother (head coach for the Detroit Lions). The church isn't so big that you get lost, but is bigger than my church back in Oklahoma, which I miss. Still, it's small enough to get to know each other and kind of know when someone's gone. They currently meet in the high school auditorium as they are working towards a new building. The pastor is from Tennessee, so I enjoy hearing him talk (he's the only around herebesides me that doesn't have an accent!)
One thing that hasn't changed with me is that I still like to take naps, although I don't really have a chance to do that anymore except on the weekends (usually Sundays after church.) Well, Mark likes to nap too, so…I bought ear plugs. I hope Jesus doesn't come back while we're sleeping, 'cause I won't hear it. Mark's snore is something between a large train and a larger vacuum. If he's turned toward me, I can feel a small pull on my body every time he breathes in…and we're across from each other in the living room on separate couches! There's a train that goes by our house – it has NOTHING on Mark. If the train company really wants to let people know their trains are coming, they should strap a sleeping Mark to the front. That's just an idea….but I digress….
The biggest complaint I have would have to be a small thesis I have written addressed to the Michigan Department of Transportation. There's a big joke around here – Michigan has two seasons: Winter and Construction. Well, I beg your pardon, but where I come from, jokes are FUNNY and not one thing about that punchline makes me laugh. While I haven't had the blessed opportunity to experience the winter yet, I have seen the construction. ( ) That's me being speechless. The bad weather requires salt on the roads. Salt on the roads tears up the roads. Torn up roads require a bit of reconstructing. It's a cycle of evil really. Everything is under construction except the city streets. They don't have time – they're always working on the interstates (they call them expressways out here). AND THE TRAFFIC. There should be a mandate that comes down straight from the Governor himself that says NO MORE PROCRIATING! THERE ARE TOO MANY PEOPLE HERE ALREADY!!!! I mean, COME ON~ That's what happens I guess when you have such bad winters and there's nothing else to do. Like I said, a great big cycle of evil.
Fridays after work are the worst because everyone is going up north. Oh wait…silly me, I thought I already WAS up north…since where I came from was 1,000 miles SOUTH of here, this pretty much constitutes UP NORTH, but alas…there is a north north of here. It's called the great lakes area. And every weekend, everyone goes up there. And on Sunday afternoons, everyone comes back. So, the only day worth being on the interstates in Saturday cause nobody is going north OR south.
This past weekend, we took part in a scavenger hunt, more of a wildgoose chase. It was a fundraiser and we made a team of four. We had to drive from one place to the next, gathering clues and solving puzzles, all the while, trying to be first to get back to the finishline. That lacked all the fun that I had hoped because I didn't know where anything was, so I was the "pretty one" – you know, the one who doesn't really make much of a contribution, just sits in the front seat and looks cute for all the pictures we had to take. However, I think Mark had a pretty good time, and I was glad about that. After the hunt was over, it ended up at somebody's property where there was a lot of food and prizes (we came in third – woohooo…it was all because of me, hello??? Without my mug in all the pics, we couldn't have done it….well, my mug and the foot race between us and one other team that pulled up at the same time. We were racing towards the finish line, and our whole team had to be there. I surprisinglywasn't the last person in. Of course, the last person to make it from our team was a JV volleyball coach. She was driving – I'm sure Iwould have beat her anyway, even if she had been closer to the line like I was and didn't have to put the car in park, yadda yadda yadda) Whatever gets me to sleep at night, right? I didn't know anyone there except for Mark and our two teammates. That was fun. Once again, I was the only one there that didn't talk funny – I think that made them all feel really weird and goofy or something, like they were different. I tried my hardest to make them all feel equal. We played volleyball. That was affirming for me. Nothing like doing something you are terribly bad at to make you feel good about yourself. I kept telling them that if the ball had been dry (it had rained earlier so the grass was wet), they would be in trouble. I can't tell if theywere laughing at me or with me. Hmmmmm People here are kind of uptight – they don't think I'm as funny as I do. Oh well, gives me more to laugh at.
So, with all that said, behind all the joking is a 30 year old woman who misses her friends and family more than she ever thought possible. I have learned the true value of the people in my life the hardest way possible. What I have at the end of each day is a deep appreciation for the people who know me the very best and love me inspite of myself - The people who hold a piece, if even only an ounce, of my past and thus have made their mark on my life forever, helping me become the person I am today, one precious moment at a time – the people that I can call at any time, day or night, and they will meet me for a "coke and a smile". I promise to never again take for granted the people who know and understand me. Those are some of most valuable people you can have in your life.
I love you all and I cannot wait to see you at the wedding (you better be there – I would hate to have to go running up and down I-35 in my dress to gather you all up. Too much activity will make me sweat and sweat does not help masking tape hold well…the tape gives, the dress will come down – not so pretty, I can assure…)
I will try to keep up more often – sorry this is so long. So, who's coming up to visit????? I hear that winter is a great time to come up– just something I heard though….
Love to you all~
Proud to be a Southern Princess
I absolutely love my job! The people here are so nice and I am busier than a one-legged cat trying to bury poo on a frozen pond! Just a little history… My boss is Dr. Stern. He's a new yorker who moved here from pennsylavnia and his assistant came here with him. They have worked together for over 12 years so they had quite a working relationship. The reason she left to go back to PA is that her familywas from back home and she missed her grandbabies. Enter ME. Dr.Stern, I think, has forgotten that I'm just starting. Some mornings, I come in and look at my in box, and I contemplate the idea of being an eye-witness to "what appears to be an electrical fire in the EPMG building. Fortunately, no one was hurt…unfortunately, the entire building burned to the ground." (ahem) *In my very best Oklahoma drawl…"I cain't believe mah ahys! I was jist sittin' here in mah car puttin' ohn mah lipstick when BOOM – I ain't seen nuthin' lahke that in forever! It was jist lahke back when I was a kid and pappy got the cook light on the still too high….poor pappy. Momma had to draw his eyebrows on him after that. Yip, it was jist lahke that. Oh wayt, it sorta remahnded may of the tahme when Uncle Jed was impressin' a female caller and trahd lahtin' one of his 'bouquets of natural gas' as he liked to call 'em. I ain't seen so much fireworks frum one source since...well, since pappy got the cook light on the still too high….poor pappy."
In all seriousness though, I really do love my job. I love being busy– it keeps me out of trouble (pause) (hysterical laughter) That's funny – like anything could keep me out of trouble. I just haven't found my cohorts yet…I don't think anyone around here trusts me enough to be ornery. I'm just a sweet southern girl – how could I ever get anyone in trouble???
Mark and I are doing great. The first few weeks after I got here were tough though. That whole "adjusting to living with royalty." I felt sorry for him – I wouldn't want to have to do it. I think the actual problem resided in the fact that I may have led him to think I didn'treally have that much stuff (which I didn't until you throw all those wonderful wedding gifts in the mix – then there was substantially more). Anyway, I show up on the doorstep with the second largest truck U-haul rents and a car in tow that is also stuffed full. Reality really sank in when we finally got it unloaded and had nowhereto sit and we couldn't really see each other.
So I thought I would be the wonderful little wifey – I have actually impressed even myself with my mad cooking skills. Everyday for the first few weeks I would find a new recipe on the internet and cook it for my sweet precious. He was impressed. I was impressed. EVERYONE was impressed. Now that I have narrowed the time gap and it's really too late to cancel the wedding (since all his family has purchased/made travel arrangements), we ate out every night last week. Ahhhhhhhh – much better. Actually, I enjoy cooking, if I could just get him to understand that once it's on the table, I'm finished. The cleaning thing is a whole different subject and it's something I just don't do well. He's learning. He'll get there soon enough.
We have started going to church with Mark's twin brother, Matt and his wife and kids. It's Living Word Church of God and we really like it. The praise and worship leader is Mike Mariucci (pronounced mary-oochee for those of you who aren't football fans), Steve Mariucci's brother (head coach for the Detroit Lions). The church isn't so big that you get lost, but is bigger than my church back in Oklahoma, which I miss. Still, it's small enough to get to know each other and kind of know when someone's gone. They currently meet in the high school auditorium as they are working towards a new building. The pastor is from Tennessee, so I enjoy hearing him talk (he's the only around herebesides me that doesn't have an accent!)
One thing that hasn't changed with me is that I still like to take naps, although I don't really have a chance to do that anymore except on the weekends (usually Sundays after church.) Well, Mark likes to nap too, so…I bought ear plugs. I hope Jesus doesn't come back while we're sleeping, 'cause I won't hear it. Mark's snore is something between a large train and a larger vacuum. If he's turned toward me, I can feel a small pull on my body every time he breathes in…and we're across from each other in the living room on separate couches! There's a train that goes by our house – it has NOTHING on Mark. If the train company really wants to let people know their trains are coming, they should strap a sleeping Mark to the front. That's just an idea….but I digress….
The biggest complaint I have would have to be a small thesis I have written addressed to the Michigan Department of Transportation. There's a big joke around here – Michigan has two seasons: Winter and Construction. Well, I beg your pardon, but where I come from, jokes are FUNNY and not one thing about that punchline makes me laugh. While I haven't had the blessed opportunity to experience the winter yet, I have seen the construction. ( ) That's me being speechless. The bad weather requires salt on the roads. Salt on the roads tears up the roads. Torn up roads require a bit of reconstructing. It's a cycle of evil really. Everything is under construction except the city streets. They don't have time – they're always working on the interstates (they call them expressways out here). AND THE TRAFFIC. There should be a mandate that comes down straight from the Governor himself that says NO MORE PROCRIATING! THERE ARE TOO MANY PEOPLE HERE ALREADY!!!! I mean, COME ON~ That's what happens I guess when you have such bad winters and there's nothing else to do. Like I said, a great big cycle of evil.
Fridays after work are the worst because everyone is going up north. Oh wait…silly me, I thought I already WAS up north…since where I came from was 1,000 miles SOUTH of here, this pretty much constitutes UP NORTH, but alas…there is a north north of here. It's called the great lakes area. And every weekend, everyone goes up there. And on Sunday afternoons, everyone comes back. So, the only day worth being on the interstates in Saturday cause nobody is going north OR south.
This past weekend, we took part in a scavenger hunt, more of a wildgoose chase. It was a fundraiser and we made a team of four. We had to drive from one place to the next, gathering clues and solving puzzles, all the while, trying to be first to get back to the finishline. That lacked all the fun that I had hoped because I didn't know where anything was, so I was the "pretty one" – you know, the one who doesn't really make much of a contribution, just sits in the front seat and looks cute for all the pictures we had to take. However, I think Mark had a pretty good time, and I was glad about that. After the hunt was over, it ended up at somebody's property where there was a lot of food and prizes (we came in third – woohooo…it was all because of me, hello??? Without my mug in all the pics, we couldn't have done it….well, my mug and the foot race between us and one other team that pulled up at the same time. We were racing towards the finish line, and our whole team had to be there. I surprisinglywasn't the last person in. Of course, the last person to make it from our team was a JV volleyball coach. She was driving – I'm sure Iwould have beat her anyway, even if she had been closer to the line like I was and didn't have to put the car in park, yadda yadda yadda) Whatever gets me to sleep at night, right? I didn't know anyone there except for Mark and our two teammates. That was fun. Once again, I was the only one there that didn't talk funny – I think that made them all feel really weird and goofy or something, like they were different. I tried my hardest to make them all feel equal. We played volleyball. That was affirming for me. Nothing like doing something you are terribly bad at to make you feel good about yourself. I kept telling them that if the ball had been dry (it had rained earlier so the grass was wet), they would be in trouble. I can't tell if theywere laughing at me or with me. Hmmmmm People here are kind of uptight – they don't think I'm as funny as I do. Oh well, gives me more to laugh at.
So, with all that said, behind all the joking is a 30 year old woman who misses her friends and family more than she ever thought possible. I have learned the true value of the people in my life the hardest way possible. What I have at the end of each day is a deep appreciation for the people who know me the very best and love me inspite of myself - The people who hold a piece, if even only an ounce, of my past and thus have made their mark on my life forever, helping me become the person I am today, one precious moment at a time – the people that I can call at any time, day or night, and they will meet me for a "coke and a smile". I promise to never again take for granted the people who know and understand me. Those are some of most valuable people you can have in your life.
I love you all and I cannot wait to see you at the wedding (you better be there – I would hate to have to go running up and down I-35 in my dress to gather you all up. Too much activity will make me sweat and sweat does not help masking tape hold well…the tape gives, the dress will come down – not so pretty, I can assure…)
I will try to keep up more often – sorry this is so long. So, who's coming up to visit????? I hear that winter is a great time to come up– just something I heard though….
Love to you all~
Proud to be a Southern Princess
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