Happy Birthday, Nova Sophia!

{One year ago: November 26, 2012}

 

One year ago today, my sweet little niece was born. Nova, you are the sweetest, smartest one-year-old I know. So much has happened in the last year, but most importantly, you helped to expand our family and bring us all closer together. We love you so much, Novy-Bear! Happy, happy birthday, Sweet Pea!

 

Some highlights from Nova'a first year with Aunt Mo-Mo (are you ready for picture overload??):

 

{Christmas 2012-just a teeny, tiny babe!}

{Even though Mommy Heather is a Jayhawk,
Auntie M always provides the proper purple apparel.}

{Valentine's Day 2013}







{Six months!}

{Halloweenie 2013}

 

Bama-Rama



{Welcome to Selma, Alabama!}



I am currently getting ready to wrap up my second solo trip. It’s going well! I am truly starting to enjoy the travel and the actual job I have when I arrive on site at a pharmacy. Everyone has been super nice and I haven’t had any major issues yet (cross your fingers and knock on some wood…I have heard horror stories involving dead robots and irate pharmacists). So, yeah! Getting in the groove. This trip sent me to Selma, Alabama. I had never been to Alabama, or really anywhere in the south, and this trip was an eye-opener. So, I have put together a little collaborative list of tidbits I have gained so far from my ventures in Bama.

Southern draaaaawls? They’re real. I love them. I especially love Mr. Alfred, who is like 70 years old and has worked in the pharmacy for 40-something years. And he talks like a true southurn gentleman, all long, drawn-out syllables and soft vowel sounds. The colloquialisms down here are lovely: “How you be this mornin?”; “Now, I’ll see ya’ll real soon”; “I’m fixin to head on ova to the store here in a bit.” It just sounds friendly. And they call everyone “mister” and “miss,” and say “yes sir” and “no m’am.” I LOVE IT.

Alabama has the best drink selection at fast food restaurants I have ever seen. I’m talking purple Fanta in the fountain at McDonalds (“MacDonalds,” really). And one restaurant has the COOLEST drink fountain I have ever seen. It’s touch-screen and there are over 100 drink choices. I had lime ginger ale tonight. Have you ever had lime ginger ale? Didn’t think so.

 

{Umm, yeah. That's a touch screen drink fountain. And yes, I took a pic of it.}

Umm, hello Zaxby’s! You should head on up north and open up a few franchises. (Hmmm…retirement plan…) Zaxby’s is amazing! It’s kind of like a Chik-Fil-A in that there are a lot of chicken choices, but it has way more fried sides to choose from (spicy fried mushrooms? Spicy white cheddar bites? Onion skins? Yes please!) and the afore-mentioned ah-mazing drink fountain. I may or may not have eaten dinner there three nights in a row. But that is also because this little town has nothing but fast food restaurants to choose from. Fast food and churches. There are a LOT of churches. And loan stores…? Like, every other building is a loan place. Speedy Cash, Payday Loans, Speedy Loans, Car Title and Loan, I mean….it goes on and on.



{My poor picture quality does not do this place justice.}

Small town pharmacies have the best candy selection. (Not just in Selma; Kinsley was pretty kick-ass as well.) Who knew there are such thing as cinnamon Mentos? Also, I have discovered I eat a lot of candy when it is readily available. Today, I ate two sleeves of Mentos (rainbow, also delish), a bag of sour gummy bears and a bag of peach rings. And…some Reece’s Pieces. My teeth are currently tingling.

Selma is very historic. I didn’t really realize it when I arrived, but I found out that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.  led several now-historic walks through Selma on the way to Montgomery. I crossed the bridge they marched across several times. (Pic is above.) Many of the buildings in the downtown area are over 100 years old. In fact, the pharmacy I am training at has been around since 1870. The reverence and history are palpable here. In fact, today, my new-favorite pharm staff took me exploring through the floors above the pharmacy, and those pics deserve their own post, because it was SO. DARN. COOL. Check back soon for a full post devoted to the fab pharmacy that is Pilcher-McBryde Drug Company. 

Canada, Oh Canada

{Apparently, mine is pointing north.}

I have had a week. You know, one of those weeks that you sit down at the end of each day and just go, “ughhhhhhh.” Nothing catastrophic, per say, but just enough little things that add up and start to wear on you. (Basically, this post falls under the “poor me” category. Get ready for some self-indulgent venting. And yes, I realize that I have a wonderful life and these are not true problems. But again, see the previous self-indulgence disclaimer.)

It started on Monday. I was working in the office (not traveling this week, which is fine, but consequently less hours, which of course equals less paycheck, a headache in and of itself) and talking to a few other trainers who had been with the company for a while. We were talking about the Schedule (the oh-so-important Excel-spreadsheet-trainer-schedule that shows where everyone will be, when; hence, the capitalization) and checking out the upcoming months. Okay, so I’m going to Alabama, Texas, North Carolina (southern states! Hooray for warm climates!) and then….ON. ON? What state is ON? Oh, let me tell you friends. It’s Ontario. As in Canada.

 

Okay, so Canada. I can handle Canada. I have my passport. It will be chilly, but I have lots of cute coats. And then I look at the dates. December 28-31. New Year’s Eve. Okay. My first question (a dumb one, I’ll admit) was, Canada celebrates New Year’s, right? Shouldn’t everyone have New Year’s Eve off? Why is this silly Canadian pharmacy training people on New Year’s Eve? I’m a little bummed at this point; I mean, New Year’s is an overhyped holiday for sure, but I already found a cute dress, which is half the battle right there.

 

So thoughts are racing through my head…I’ll have to pack my dress and shoes and makeup and change as soon as I land, and then just head to the party, wherever that may be….that’s not so awful. I can handle getting ready in an airport bathroom. No biggie. And then I GoogleMap where my actual site is—Ontario, sure, but Ontario is apparently ginormous. It is also a good three or four hours from the international airport in Toronto. (Who can tell the exact time, because why does Canada use kilometers? I HATE CANADA ALREADY.) And we can’t leave a pharmacy site before 2:00pm. And I will have a four hour drive. And there are no international flights out of Toronto at 6:00pm. And I will have to get a hotel room by the airport and leave the next morning. Thus, I will be spending New Year’s Eve in a hotel, by myself, in Canada. By myself. BY MYSELF IN CANADA! It’s sad. It’s a tragedy. I am throwing myself a pity party. My friend Kelly said that we could Facetime with bottles of champagne. To which I replied wailed, “you can’t even get cell reception in Canada. Sniff.”

 

So, I will be all by myself on New Year’s, huddled in a crappy old hotel room (actually, probably a nice Doubletree, but STILL) in another country while the rest of the world rings in 2014 with friends, family, kisses, killer beats, champagne and party poppers. (I think I will miss the poppers the most. Nothing says “celebration” like confetti. Or champagne-induced dance moves.)

 

I’m sure I’ll have more to say on this subject as the time draws closer, but I’m going to end my lamenting on that subject for now. The rest of my week? Let me just share: Rascal killed a baby mouse and brought it in my house on Monday night. He was proud. I gagged. And then I picked it up in a baggie and threw it in the trash. Also, I messed up my timecard for work and got a tersely worded email from my boss. She was also not impressed (read—I got a look) with me when I mentioned that maybe someone else would like to spend New Year’s in Canada. And I forgot to set my DVR for Vanderpump Rules. (I know, I know. It's a trainwreck of a show, but I just can't stop watching.) Sigh. It’s just been one of those weeks.

How Western Kansas Celebrates Halloween

I love Halloween. It’s always been one of my favorite holidays. I think the time of year definitely has something to do with it. It’s no secret that I love fall. Like, X’s and O’s, doodling “I heart fall” on my notebook, day-dreaming about pumpkins and gourds kind of love. And so, I thought that this decoration that I spotted while in Kinsley, Kansas deserved a post on the ol’ bloggity-blog. It really put me in the spirit of all things Halloweeny.

First of all, yes. This?

This is real.

Second of all, I made my training partner drive by this house no less than three times because I could.not.stop.laughing. And I proceeded to giggle every time I looked at the pic on my phone for the entire 40 minute drive home…each of the three days we drove back to Dodge City. (My trainer friend was not as amused as me. Boys.)

I would just like to point out that

A.) this has to be reconstructed roadkill from several different animals (those legs! They look way too big for whatever bird that was. Also, the buzzard-y beak thing kept making me think of a pterodactyl.)

B.) these people added feather-boa wings to said reconstructed roadkill (if they had added a bowtie, I would have knocked on their door and asked to shake their hand, because that is just too much. Toooo much.)

and

C.) they took the time to climb up on their roof to proudly display what I can only hope is décor for the Halloween season (and not a permanent fixture on their roof), right in front of their redneck weathervane-slash-cable antenna.

Ohh, Kinsley. Thanks for putting me in the Halloween spirit and adding a little laughter to our trip. (PS—the training went well! I felt much more confident and one of the pharmacy techs told me she couldn’t believe that this was only my second training. She said she would have thought I had done it for years. Next up—Sweet Home, Oregon. Wish me luck!)

It’s Official—I’m Employed (Feel Free To Throw Me A Party!)



An official business card...



+ an official nametag...

= a very, very happy girl

So, it’s been a hot minute since I posted my last blog update. Life has been moving FAST! I feel very fortunate to have been offered a fantastic job at a great company. And, since my business cards and super-duper official nametag have finally come in (note the cheesy visuals above), I guess that makes it officially official. (You know what else makes it official? My paycheck that came last week. Heck yeah! And wow…I now know just how much the government was stealing from my teacher’s salary…I get to keep almost all of my money now! Hooray!!)

 

So here’s what I’m doing, in a nutshell. Basically, I go to pharmacies and hospitals that have purchased robotic prescription dispensing systems, workflow software or pharmacy management systems from my company. I get to spend a few days with the pharmacy, training the pharmacists and techs on how to use the systems. Sounds do-able, right? I mean, I’m thinking, I was a teacher for seven years! I’ve made up lessons on the fly! I’ve taught Shakespeare and books I really actually hated! I’ve dealt with irate kids and parents! I am good at teaching and training!

 

Well. Let me tell you—this job so far has been tough. Like, super stressful and I may have cried during my first week.  To my manager. At the office. (Cringe.) But, before you start thinking I am some poor lil lady who can’t handle a “grown up job”, let me lay it out for you—this is what my first week looked like:

 

Day One: Orientation, where I walked around the huge campus and tried to remember where the twelve buildings were and what they were named (Outlook Building 1? What does that mean?). Okay. Not too tough. And I got a work laptop and an iPhone, so score!

 

Day Two: My manager gave me the training on the robot. This training is two and a half hours long. No breaks. Then, she tells me, “here are the annotated notes over what I just gave.” These notes are 15 pages long.

 

Day Three: I gave the training back to her. The training I just received the day before and had less than 24 hours to look over material. YEEEEAH.

 

Let me interject and say that everyone is so nice and helpful. I love my manager. She is kind and understanding and let me know from the beginning that I wasn’t expected to give everything perfectly. She expects me to make mistakes and to have a rough time during my first presentation.

 

Okay, fine, but do I comprehend this? Do I feel okay that I know I will do poorly? And do I make the executive decision that I am going to be super woman and do amaze-balls on my presentation? (If you know me AT ALL, you know the answers to these questions.)

 

So, day three goes okay. I make it through. I get a lot of feedback. I know what I need to work on for the next presentation. (I do NOT do amaze-balls, by the way.)

 

Day Four: I attempt to give the training presentation again. It goes worse than my first try. This is when I have my super embarrassing mini-breakdown and sob, “I was a teacher! I should be able to da-da-da-dooooo this.” (That’s the sobbing. It was bad.) And my wonderful manager says everything I need to hear, that she knows I can do it, that it will get easier, that this is just how the company does it, etc. However, I’m still freaking out because…

 

Day Five: I went over Site Prep. For my FIRST TRAINING TRIP. AT A REAL LIVE PHARMACY. Yeah. They sent me out on the road, six days in. Granted, I went with an experienced trainer who was very helpful, but I still had to give my two and a half hour spiel to a pharmacy in Andrews, TX. And I’ll admit, it was not great. I stumbled, I read from my notes, I felt like I pretty much looked like an idiot. (The trainer I went with said I didn’t. I think he was just being nice.) It was rough. But, I made it through (even though I wanted to cry afterwards). (Also, side note—unless you’re really into oil wells, or like to check out pick-up trucks that are all blinged out, don’t go to Andrews, Texas. You’ll be super bored.)

 

Fast forward a week and a half, and here I am, prepping for my second trip. I’ll admit, my first training was a doozy. But, I’ve been preparing this week and already feel much more confident about Kinsley, Kansas. I mean, I have color-coded. I have streamlined my notes. I have practiced to Rascal about six billion times. Get ready, Kinsley. You’re gonna learn about the CRS and let me tell you, you’re about to have your socks blown clean off.

 

Oh, and if anyone has two and a half hours and is interested in hearing about robotic prescription dispensing systems that hold the pharmacy’s fastest moving tablets and capsules, and that fill and label vials using information sent from the pharmacy’s host system, let me know…I'm sure Rascal could use the break.

Little Letters

Dear Crystal,

Thank you for making such a delicious dinner! You inspire me to cook more. Loved the food, the conversation, and love you. (Yes, she made all that from scratch! Fresh tomatoes from her garden, pesto, feta, parm and arugula, drizzled with a balsamic reduction, over pasta. And yes, I ate three bowls.)

 

Dear Fall,

Thank you for coming this week. I needed your brisk breeze, your rain followed by sunshine, and your cooler temps. Just in time for the Plaza Art Fair this weekend. Well done, Fall. Well done.

 

Hey Royals & Chiefs,

Keep it up. You're actually making KC look good.

 

Dear Nova,

Congratulations big girl! Steps!!!! You’re almost completely mobile. Drew and Heather, can’t wait to see how the new house looks when that happens. Ha!

 

Dear Kitty Cats,

I'm sorry I doubted you. I should have known Bill had it under control. Kick some Texas ass tomorrow!

 

To all my fam and friends,

Thank you, thank you for all of your support for the past few months. I know some of you probably think I was nuts to leave a perfectly good job that paid my bills, but I appreciate you keeping that to yourself and always encouraging me. Because...

 

Dear ScriptPro,

Hey new best friend. You are kind of awesome. Thanks for offering me a JOB!

 

(Duh, I promptly accepted. More to come next week… Happy weekend!!!)

Tour De Little Apple

Last weekend, my bestie Megan and I made a sacred trip, two hours west of Kansas City. For her thirtieth, I told her we were going on an epic roadtrip-adventure. Where did we journey to, you ask? Oh, just the happiest place on earth.

Manhattan, Kansas. (Duh!!)

We had a ball. We did everything we wanted to do, and then some. Mostly, we ate and drank. Because that’s what you do in Manhattan. You eat at the best restaurants ever, you drink at the most fun bars ever, and you go to football games  for the best team ever (but we were a day late on that). 

Commencing with picture overload of the BEST TOWN EVER (you were warned):

So, all of this started about a month ago when Megs and I had an in-depth discussion about So Long Saloon and their food. We used to head to da ‘Ville after our Environmental Geography lab once a week and eat grilled cheeses and their queso dip. Or, she would pick me up from campus, convince me to skip my 2:00 Shakespeare class (it took practically nothing to convince me, by the way), and we’d have a few afternoon Bloodies. On a Wednesday. Because, you know, college.

Obviously, our first stop on our trip into town? So Long. Didn’t even stop at the hotel.

{Raspberry Chipotle Black Bean dip. Oh. My. Gosh.}

Next, we walked through Aggieville to check out our old haunts (Varneys, Rusty’s) and dipped into the new stores (Threads is so cool and I wish we had an Acme gifts in KC!). Then, we completed our tour of Manhattan by driving through campus (noting all the buildings we had classes in) and around town. We drove by our old houses and all of our favs (what’s up, DU??).

{My house on Laramie. It looked waaaay nicer than when we lived there.
Loved the purple door!}

{Chi Omega. Looks pretty much the same.}

Sunday night, we had dinner at a new Mexican spot, Taco Lucha. It’s owned by the same people as So Long and Rock-a-belly, so you know it was delish. Then, we had started our “Tour De Aggieville,” hitting all the old spots. (At least the ones that were open on a Sunday night.)

 

First up, Salty Rim. We made sure to tell the bartender that I had designed the original menus for the bar when it opened. He was not that impressed. In fact, I recall him mentioning that he "wasn't that old," so he didn't know what we were talking about. Cool.

 

Next, O’Malley’s. We couldn’t find our dollars on the wall (an O’Malley’s tradition), so we signed a couple of new ones and made sure to stick them somewhere where we would remember. (Right by the dartboard, if anyone is in town and wants to check.)

{Megan's says, "Morgan and Megan were IDed here!!!"
because we got excited when the bartender asked to see our IDs.
Yes, that is a sign you are old.}

 

Final stop (our fav), Porter’s. Megan worked there for several years in college, and oh man, it was  the same as we remembered.

 

We ran into several old faces (this is why I love Manhattan), and the bartender was pretty much amazing and played every song we requested (mostly rap, circa 2004-2006). Then this happened:

 

Annnnnnnd we decided to call it a night. (I’m confident that the 22 year old bartender will always remember the night when two “older” ladies came in, requested Nelly and R.Kelly, and then got up on the bar. Yikes.)

 

Monday, we attempted to recover with lunch and Bloody Marys at CocoBolo’s, another one of our old favs. We ran into our friend Bri, who was waitressing. To quote her, “it’s like it’s 2004 again!”

 

Then, on our way out of town, we headed out to check out the new stadium. Wowzers! “The Bill” is amazing. It made us love K-State football even more.

 

 

I particularly loved the bronzed statue of Coach Snyder himself, complete with pleated pants and that 1980’s windbreaker. Oh, Bill. We love you!

 

Until next time, Manhappiness. (I hope it’s very, very soon!)

Celebrations, Labor Day Style

Hello! Happy officially-end-of-summer. I’m ready for fall…I’m ready for cool, crisp weather; I’m ready for jeans and scarves and riding boots; I’m ready for pumpkins and bittersweet wreathes; I’m READY for some new happenings. Ya know? New season, new start. (Oh, I’ll just be honest and cut to the chase—I’m ready for a JOB!)

Anywho, my holiday weekend celebrating the end of pool season was slam-packed with birthday celebrations for my besties. Brooke celebrated her last year of her twenties on Thursday night. (She was always the baby of our grade at school.) This was her golden birthday—she turned 29 on August 29!

{This one happened first...I think it's a pretty accurate representation of our many years of friendship. Lots of laughs, lots of...primping...}

{With Brooke and Erica. Loved these girls since elementary and high school!}

On Friday, it was a doubly-big day. First game for the Kitty Cats (and we aren’t going to speak of it…wow. North Dakota State? Really? I spent the entire second half of the game sobbing, “I miss Collin Klein” to anyone who would listen) AND a SURPRISE birthday for my best pal Megan. She turned the big 3-0 and wanted really nothing to do with it…but her friend Jamie and boyfriend Bryan concocted a plan to get her to Maloney’s to “watch the game.” Her reaction was priceless! She was shocked, truly had no idea, and I think she cried a little bit. (Megs is a crier.) We had a fabulous time celebrating her (her sister brought an album entitled “30 Years of Megan,” and it was such a sweet, fun gift) and then of course, watching the Cats embarrass themselves. (North. Dakota. State. D2 school?!? COME ON!)

{It's kinda blurry, but look at her face--so surprised!}

{I think she's crying in this one.}

{With her sister, Carrie}

{I may or may not have submitted some college photos of Megan for her album. This was the infamous "Laundry Night," one of my most favorite memories from K-State and with Megs. It's a story for another day.}

{Happy Birthday to my Soulmate!}

Saturday and Sunday provided more time with friends and many more cocktails to consume. (I need a job so I quit thinking I can booze like I’m in college.) Overall, a fantastic holiday weekend.  Now, if anyone is in need or is looking for someone who has seven years of teaching experience (but has A LOT of transferable skills) to do something other than teach, hit me up, won’t you? This girl is ready to get back to work.

Feelings of Weirdness Today

{Sigh.}

So. It’s August 15. Just about every kid in the Kansas City area is heading back to school this week. The teachers have been prepping their rooms, going to Professional Development meetings, getting ready for another year.

 

It’s weird.

 

I’ve been trying to figure out how I feel about it. I met with some teacher pals earlier this week, and got the scoop on how their “back to school” is going. It didn’t make me sad. I just feel…weird.

 As an English teacher person, I know that “weird” is a terrible adjective to describe how I’m feeling. But I can’t quite put my finger on these emotions. I’m not sad; I’m not disappointed or dejected; I’m not even really longing to be back. I still feel like I made the best decision for me. It just doesn’t quite feel right to hit the middle of August and not be back at school. I mean, I’ve been back in a classroom every August for the past 24 years. (How crazy is that?)

Anyway, I wish all of my former colleagues a great first day back with kiddos today. It’s exciting, it’s a little nerve-wracking, and it’s a LOT of work. I know you guys will have a spectacular year!

On a side note, I received my last paycheck from the school district today. YIKES. The anxiety levels are creepin’ up, day by day… Also, did you know that I can spend twenty freaking dollars at CVS and only come out with a package of razors and a pack of gum? Daylight robbery, Gillette Venus razors. Daylight robbery.

Weekly Recap (Don't Worry, I Made A List)

{Well, hello}

Happy Friday! Does anyone else love (like, love love lurrrrve) making lists? I am a fanatical list-maker. I make grocery/Target lists, I make “TO DO” lists, I make lists of things I’m thinking. There is something satisfying about writing things down and then crossing those tasks off the list. It’s a visual accomplishment, you know, for buying Diet Coke. (Also, does anyone else group their grocery lists by either food group or store aisle? No? Just me, being all OCD? Okay, then.)

In honor of the end of the week, I thought I’d make a list of what I accomplished. (Some of these, I would cross off with gusto, with a metaphorical fist pump and a “YESSSSS!”. Some, not so much.) So, in no particular order (because I’m trying to relax and let some of that ODC go), here we go:

I got a much-needed pedicure. However, it was not as relaxing as I had hoped. The girl pummeled my calves, arches and toes while grinning at me and nodding, like, “you’re okay that I am beating your legs to a pulp?” And I just sat there, kind of tensing the rest of my body, unsure of how to reply. So I smiled uncomfortably and braced myself on the chair, thinking, “she knows what she is doing, right?” And then I limped on outta there. My toes look spectacular though.

 

I ate cereal for dinner three nights in a row. (I’ve rediscovered Apple Cinnamon Cheerios.)

 

I ate a box of Dots.

 

I ate a pint (yeah, not a scoop…a pint) of Daiquiri Ice sherbet from BR. (My teeth throbbed.)

*Sidenote—I ate both the Dots and sherbet on the same day. Not my proudest moment, but it was pretty delish. #worthit

I discovered that the word “sherbet” only has one “r” in it. (Am I the only one who has been pronouncing it “sher-BERT” for the past 29 years?! Is that wrong? What the heck.)

 

I bought my first pair of Converse. I love them. (I’m such a hipstery-hipster  now. My brother is probably groaning as he reads this and immediately throwing his pairs away.)

 

I applied for three jobs. (THREE!)

 

I obsessively wrote notes and made lists about these three jobs.

 

I researched how teaching relates to marketing (and I made more lists).

 

I worried a lot about the job sitch.

 

I went to the pool. (It helps ease my worries.)

 

I did NOT have my weekly tennis lesson. Kinda bummed on that one.

 

I celebrated my friend’s birthday with cocktails last night. Happy bday, Sarah! You know it was a good one because, holy hangover today.

 

I discovered The Vineyard on ABC Family. It’s pretty terrible and really hard to watch. (Yet after watching the second awful episode, I went back and watched the equally horrible premier episode as well…hmmm…what does this say about my level of television intelligence?)

 

I read my second David Sedaris book, Me Talk Pretty Someday. I read Dress Your Family In Corduroy and Denim earlier this summer. I like him. He's entertaining. (I’ve been on a memoir kick this summer. I reread The Glass Castle and decided that real life can be just as entertaining as fiction, but mostly only if your parents are NUTS.)

 

I vacuumed my house three times. (Holy cat hair, Rascal. Quit shedding.)

 

I did MULTIPLE posts on the ol’ bloggy-blog. Yee-haw!

 

 

Not a terrible week. Here’s hoping the weekend is even better, and I get a few interviews in the near future—any crossed fingers or positive thinking you care to mentally shoot through the atmosphere (or blogishphere?) and send my way are much appreciated!