Football, school, work and travels

Oh blog, how I have neglected you. I’m so sorry. I think with the advent of Facebook it’s just quicker and easier to post updates and photos there. But when this is done, details get left out and creativity is limited. On the other hand, I hate duplicating work, so I think my blog suffers for it.

We’re deep into the throes of football – yesterday was Justin’s 3rd game of the season. I have been collecting photos and videos to do another team video like last year, and hopefully even better. Terry is doing a great job of coaching the offense. It’s hard work – like a part time job. He takes it seriously and it shows in the results – the team is far better than last year at this time. It also helps that many of the players have been playing together for a couple years, and the several inches each player grew doesn’t hurt either. Justin himself grew 3″ from the end of last season to the beginning of this one!

The kids are also about 5 weeks into school. Eric is struggling as usual, but the other night he and I went to a college information presentation at the school and it was encouraging. He decided that he wants to go to a nearby community college for the first 2 years and get his Associates Degree in Aviation Electrical Mechanics or Airplane Mechanics, then continue to a state school for 2 more years and his Bachelor’s. We are thrilled that he has a plan, and also think this is a good one for him.

Justin continues to do well in school, maintaining a 3.3 GPA. He is loving 7th grade/Junior High and the world of “girls” is beginning to open up for him. The other night he went to the mall and got two phone numbers – one was for a girl in high school! Apparently he told her he was in 8th grade. Yes, looks like the fun is just beginning…

I have been very busy at work lately. I hired a new assistant who is doing well, but a lot of my time is spent training – of course I still need to get my own work done which is touch, especially since I’ve been traveling quite a bit. I was in Orlando for a site visit a few weeks ago, then last weekend was in Hollywood for a planning meeting followed immediately by a trip to Las Vegas for a trade show. Next month I will be going to the Caribbean – probably the Bahamas – for another site visit. Yes, it all sounds fun and glamorous – which I guess it kind of is – but it’s work all the same. Long days with clients, lots of walking hotel hallways and meeting space, ending with long fancy dinners, then doing it all again the next day. At least I’m raking in the frequent flyer miles and hopefully will get back to my preferred status soon – flying coach really sucks, especially when you fly as much as I do!

Of course we are very much looking forward to our vacation to Hawaii in December. That will be no work and all play and I’m even considering leaving my computer at home believe it or not. We’ll be spending 5 days on Maui (with a possible day trip to Lana’i) and then 3 days on the Big Island. I can’t wait to share a Hawaiian experience with Terry – as you may remember, when I was there last year (for work) was when he broke his elbow.

Well time to get ready for the football game – GO DAWGS!

An epiphany

Have you ever had one? I did recently and would love to share it with you.

First I’d like to start with a snippet from the motion picture Evan Almighty. Do you remember when Evan’s wife was in the restaurant and God appeared as her waiter? He helped her to understand that prayers aren’t always answered directly, and when she prayed for more family togetherness what God gave her was the opportunity for her family to be together more.

What a powerful message.

I pray for many things, and probably like most people, I have a few long-standing prayer requests dotted with different ones that fade in and out depending on what’s going on with my life at the time. One of these would be a recent prayer to do better at my job. I really love my job, and one of the things I love best about it is its unique challenges. If you have ever worked in a position with a multitude of challenges then you know that one day you can shine and the next day you’re knocked down into the dirt. Sometimes you go through days, weeks or even months when it seems all you’re doing is shuffling your feet in the dust.

Recently I experienced a time like this and it was getting hard. Really hard. So I prayed. I prayed that I could do better at my job. That I could not just meet my goals, but exceed them, impress my boss and rise within the company. And still all I did for a long time was just play catch-up. I would look at the clock at 5 and realize that I couldn’t pinpoint what I’d done all day, but I was sure busy! Why couldn’t I look back on my workday and immediately know the goals I’d accomplished?

So I prayed more. And more, and more. And it seemed like my prayers weren’t being answered. In fact, things were getting worse. The challenges were getting harder and I seemed to have less and less time to accomplish my tasks.

Then the epiphany.

God was indeed answering my prayers – how did I not see it? He was sending me challenges. These challenges were in fact opportunities to shine. So as I prayed harder and harder, he gave me more to do, more difficult tasks and less time to do them in! What better way to excel at my job than to take advantage of these opportunities!

As soon as I realized this (insert V-8 slap-on-the-forehead) I let go and I put my faith in God. I continued to work hard, but didn’t worry about things as much. I continued to do the best I could at my job and trusted that the critical items that needed to be completed would be. And I’ve gotten a lot done – miraculously more than I had during my previous “stressful time” noted above.

Now I don’t have a “happy ending” like how my boss recognized my superhuman project management ability and gave me a huge raise (I wish!). Actually I haven’t had the chance to review all I’ve done with him yet. But you know, just knowing that the Lord is answering me, that He is giving me these wonderful opportunities – that’s enough. And I am thankful.

They won!

First time in 2 seasons they won – first time they even got a touchdown! Justin played a really good game, but the whole team was able to come together to get the “big W”. They worked hard and it payed off. At the end the score was 13-6 and the parents ran on the field – you’d think they won the Super Bowl from the level of excitement! Pics from the game will be uploaded to the Flickr album shortly – you can click on the link on the right sidebar to see my albums at any time. I also got their first TD on video but I’m not sure it will work on Flickr but I’ll see if I can embed a video on a future blog post. Next week’s game is at 8am so it will be an early one!

In other news I got back from Minneapolis on Thursday where I worked a conference. It was a week of long days on my feet, which I haven’t done in a while, but it was nice to get back to doing “what I do.” After the conference I went with some of the other girls to the Mall of America. It was like any other mall really, but huge! There was also a big amusement park in the center which had some really sick rides including a roller coaster whose cars spun like the teacup ride. No, I didn’t go on, but only because I couldn’t get any of the girls to do it with me!

Terry was in Vegas last week for a day, setting up their ad campaign that will take place during the Barrett Jackson auction at Mandalay Bay in a few weeks. It was great exposure for him, and he’s really enjoying what he’s doing with it. It’s great too, because he’s put in his time with the company and now it seems it’s really starting to pay off.

This weekend was homecoming for Eric’s high school and he went to his dance last night with his girlfriend – pics are up!

Busy, busy!

More exciting happenings in the land of the Drivel. Hubby is away on a trip and boy I really miss him! The kids are using it as an excuse to leave their crap all over the house but I think I was able to put an end to that. He will be home tomorrow though and things will be back to normal.

Eric thought he broke his thumb (punching a friend in the arm), but after an even-more-painful-than-normal wait at Urgent Care they said it was just a sprain. That boy goes for more drama than… well, a teenage girl!

The boys pooled their money together and bought Rock Band for the Wii. It’s a really cool game, better than Guitar Hero because not only do you play the guitar, there’s also a drum set and microphone for vocals. You can play in “band” mode or solo on the instrument of your choice. If I could only get them to put the darned drums away when they were done…. I have yet to make my debut but I think it will have to wait a few weeks til things calm down at work.

I’m super stressed because I have a big conference coming up. I’m going to be the registration person on-site and I don’t have any trust in my web vendor that the database I’m working with is correct. Well at least my badges will be shipping out tomorrow. Once those are on their way to the meeting, I always feel better. I wish I could bring the stress level down a few notches for my client – she’s really having a time with it.

Yesterday Justin had his second football game (though it was the first one I was able to go to). He played very well and was in for almost all the plays – offense and defense. Unfortunately the team lost 14-0 but they did a good job and put up a good fight. Their defense is strong, but their offense needs some work. I will post some pictures on Flickr as soon as I can dig out my USB cable for my camera. Now where is that thing, anyway?

Yet another weekend whizzes by

I think the older I get, the faster time passes. It seems like just yesterday I was up in the UP of Michigan for my grandmother’s funeral – though actually 2 weeks ago. The trip was actually nice - other than the obvious reason for it. My sisters and I got to spend a lot of QT together and it was nice to see lots of relatives I hadn’t seen in over a decade. I am glad we were there for my mom, even though we didn’t spend much time with her – I know she appreciated our effort. And it was an effort – a 3-1/2 hour flight followed by a 5 hour drive! Nothing up there ever seems to change – but that’s really mostly a good thing.

At home, we’ve been watching the Olympics. Michael Phelps is just a swimming machine – amazing! When the relay team beat France it was awesome! Last week I was disappointed that the gymnastics judges gave Shawn Johnson such low scores, but at least she still got the silver medal. I truly think there is a lot of bias against US athletes at the Olympics from international judges and it’s unfortunate.

One thing I really love about the Olympics is that you see sports that you wouldn’t normally see on television. We watched the equestrian jumping this morning, and have also seen men’s field hockey, trampoline, handball, table tennis, badminton and more. Last weekend when water polo was on I used it as a learning opportunity. Justin and I went to Wikipedia and found out that it was first introduced as an Olympic sport in 1900 (men’s). It wasn’t until the 2000 Sydney Olympics that women were allowed to compete.

We are spending a lot of our summer weekends the same way we did last year – in the pool hanging with the neighbors. Last night we were at Todd & Barb’s for a barbecue and it was a lot of fun. Todd’s grandmother was visiting – she’s 82 and sweet as pie. When she met our kids she insisted on giving them hugs! Next Saturday my friend Kathy is having a girls’ night in which I’m looking forward to!

Tomorrow at work I have to give one of the girls a poor review and I’m not looking forward to it. I hate being the bad guy but I guess it’s just part of being a manager. It will make for a very awkward day since she and I sit right next to each other. I have a big meeting coming up in about a month and I’m starting to get nervous about some things. The company that built our registration site is terrible and I’ve had nothing but headaches from them. My biggest fear will be that there will be tons of people who registered, but aren’t accounted for. Oh well, what can one do but just cross fingers and pray that all goes well. I guess time will tell!

Family update

It’s been a while since I’ve posted the traditional update on our lives, so I thought I’d get that in before tomorrow’s edition of Idol Recap.

The big news with me is that I finally landed a job. Not just any job, but a really good one. It has tremendous potential and I’m very excited about it. I’ll be working for a meeting planning company here in Phoenix, planning meetings and incentive trips but also managing the business. The owner is going to spend more time looking for acquisition possibilities and I’ll be his right hand. Eventually this will lead to big things since they have an aggressive growth plan. It will be nice to get back into the swing of things. I start tomorrow!

Terry has been doing well at work and his boss is grooming him for a well-deserved promotion. We went out to celebrate his birthday last week at Buffalo Wild Wings and won the trivia contest for the 2nd week in a row.

Eric has a job as a host at a local bar/restaurant. He’s happy to have his own money, and gets tipped out so he usually comes home with cash every night, on top of his weekly paycheck.

Justin is doing very well in school and we are really proud of him. He is looking forward to the school year ending which is only about two weeks from now. He will be going to football day camp for a few weeks this summer but other than that, there’s not much going on for him.

Our weekends are filling up with activities like birthday parties, baseball games (the Dbacks are hot this year!) and getting together with friends. The weather is heating up but our pool is still too cold to swim in. It looks really inviting, especially today since the pool guy came and cleaned it. It’s only a matter of time before we are using the a/c 24/7 and spending the nights soaking in the pool with our neighbors. Good times!

Here are a few pics from Terry’s birthday dinner at Buffalo Wild Wings:

Post-holiday melancholy

Putting the Christmas decorations away gets me down each year. First of all, the thought of having about two hours of work in front of me isn’t so appealing. Putting away the ornaments, folding up the tree, carefully wrapping and packing the holiday bits and bobs spattered around the house, leaving no trace that Christmas even happened is downright depressing. Maybe it won’t be so bad this year because the holiday wasn’t the same for me, being jobless and all. It’s hard to be joyful and cheery when you’re wondering where your next paycheck is coming from. Still, I’d better hop to it before I leave for my trip or they will still be around when I get back.

Speaking of paychecks, I had a job interview Friday. It went well. It’s a very small company (only five people including this new hire and an intern) and I interviewed directly with the owner. I think she liked me, and she’s only meeting with two other candidates so I have a real shot at the position. I was also reassured when I learned that the pay I’m looking for is right in line with what they’re offering, so there is hope. Please say prayers, cross fingers, and send some good juju my way. I should find out the week after next.

Hey, I found a new blog I’m really enjoying. This woman named Ree used to be a working girl like me, in California. She traded in her “high heels for tractor wheels” and is now living the ranch life in Colorado with her hubby nicknamed “Marlboro Man”, their kids and other animals. I’m having fun living vicariously through her writing – it’s satisfying my country girl side without the need to actually experience what she deems the ”Pioneer Life”. Check it out at www.thepioneerwoman.com and if you like down home cooking, her recipes are fantastic www.thepioneerwomancooks.com. I’m also jealous of her photography skills, though the subjects I shoot aren’t typically as romantic as mustangs feeding at dawn on a Colorado mountain ranch.

Days of excess

Here it is, the day after Christmas, and I’m still stuffed! I guess when you grow up, Christmas isn’t so much about getting your favorite toys, but instead eating your favorite foods! Between a Christmas Eve dinner of lasagne and “real” Italian meatballs at Jim & Kathy’s, Christmas brunch of an egg casserole and apple danish, and a Christmas dinner of turkey and all (and I mean all) the trimmings – it’s a wonder I haven’t gained 50 pounds! I didn’t think I was going to have to worry about a big weight loss resolution this year, but this season has been really brutal on me. Last year at this time I was at my thinnest, this year I’m ten pounds over that. At least it’s still 20 pounds less than my worst, but still…. Time to get back on the elliptical and also train for that 5k coming up in a couple weeks! Maybe I shouldn’t have a weight loss resolution per se, but instead a fitness resolution. We got the fitness DVD catalog in the mail today, what a coincidence!

I won’t bore you with a list of the gifts we all received this year, but my big ticket items were a new and upgraded digital camera and a scanner/printer that I’ve been wanting for a while (these from Terry & the kids). Of course the big hit with the boys was the Wii. I think they really do appreciate all the trouble I went through to get it and Guitar Hero III. It’s really a cool system – at first I loved the bowling, but now I can’t decide whether I like the tennis or the baseball better. The kids also got a street racing game, Tiger Woods Golf, Showtime Boxing and a few others. Plus, they’ve already spent their Target gift cards on new games. I also like that they can use their old GameCube games on the Wii, something I didn’t know until recently. I had a blast playing with Justin this afternoon and both boys have really been enjoying GH3, though we’re going to have to curtail it soon so they don’t pull a Joel Zumaya!

It was really chilly here today and it’s causing the leaves to fall off the trees behind our house, giving us a full view of the retirement facility they’re building across the street. They sure are loud during the day – and distracting! I hope the exterior work is done soon so it quiets down a bit over there, and once the landscaping is complete then we can finally get our house painted.

On Friday morning I have an interview with a company in Scottsdale so cross your fingers. It would be a good job, but I’m not sure if it would pay what I’m looking for. But I suppose if it pays more than unemployment I’m ahead of the game!