Wednesday, September 24, 2008

I have a door and a window!

This might sound silly to some, but I'm sure some will understand the excitement of these details - I have a door and a window in my office at work! In all of my jobs that I have had, I have always worked in a cubical. My last job, I had a 3 sided cubical in the corner and that was luxury. BUT NOW, I have my own window and a door to close when I want privacy! This job is going to be VERY busy and require lots of my time and energy. So far, it's a lot of detailed event planning so it's right up my alley. My challenge right now is figuring out exactly where to start on all that I am responsible for! Oh, and also getting used to waking up early again (hehe)!

Thoughtful Gestures

I wanted to brag on some people that did some thoughtful things this week. My in-laws sent me a really pretty plant for my office with a note that said "Knock 'em dead!" to my new office. Also, my HUBBY sent me 2 dozen red roses with a really sweet note to tell me how proud he was of me. They are beautiful and I am loving getting to brag on him to my new co-workers - what a way to get to start a new work week and a new job! Thank you all so much for your thoughtful gestures.

Friday, September 19, 2008

Job Search Mission: COMPLETE!

Well, after 9 months of being an unemployed Army wife (which is a job in itself), my 10 million interviews finally paid off - I got a JOB! I wanted to wait until it was official before I announced anything so as of today, contracts are signed and I start Monday at Austin Peay State University as the Coordinator of Programs and Special Events in the Student Life and Leadership Office (www.apsu.edu/sll)! I think it's going to be a great fit for me. There are some possible opportunities for advancement in the office in the near future so we'll see how it goes. I'm kind of nervous about going back to work - I've been on my own time for so long! I will definitely miss having so much time to do whatever I want, but I'm also excited about this new opportunity. I didn't know I was starting Monday until today, so I'm trying to enjoy my last weekend of freedom before work life begins. I'll keep you posted how it's going - Let's Go Peay! (yes, this is their cheer - I guess they just decided to embrace the name of their school)

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

T-E-NN-E-SS-EE, Tennessee!!!

This past weekend, my best friend Becca called me up Friday night right before I was going to bed to let me know that they had a free extra ticket to the UT v. UA-Birmingham football game in Knoxville. So what does one do in this situation? GO, of course! I immediately went to bed so I could get as much sleep as possible. But, who could sleep well with the excitement of attending the first home game for UT?! I woke up early, drove as fast as I could with the fear of being caught in the back of my mind and what do I encounter? A wreck on I-40...just my luck. It put me back about 20 minutes but I made up for the time afterwards (Sorry, Jesus). I made it to campus with about 20 minutes before the game started and caught up with Becca and Steve. It was so much fun! You can't beat a home game in Neyland Stadium, especially one that UT wins significantly! Our seats were amazing, as you can see from where I am standing. It would have been even better if Jesse had been there with me, but I sent him text messages with updates of the game so he was included in the experience. Thanks, Becca and Steve and GO VOLS!

Thursday, September 11, 2008

A New Perspective on 9/11

On this 7th Anniversary of 9/11, I have a new perspective on the terrorist attack that changed all of our lives. Since my brother is a pilot and was working the day this happened, I was shocked that someone would do something so horrible that could have potentially put my brother in harm's way. Now, with my husband fighting in the war in Iraq, it brings the attack full circle for me and my family. The attack is the reason my husband is over there and I can't help but feel resentment towards the terrorists. Please continue to pray for ALL of our troops and families, as well as for the ones who would do this to us, that they may come to know Christ and His Love for us ALL. This is the only way I know how to deal with the resentment I have towards the people that changed our lives forever.

Monday, September 8, 2008

Only in McLeansboro

There are many things that happen in life, and there are some that only happen in McLeansboro, IL. I went there to visit my Mom and had a fun, but interesting weekend. Mom and I went to a yummy dinner at Billy Bob & Nina's (seriously, there is a restaurant called this) that has AMAZING catfish dinners on Friday nights. Afterwards, mom and I came home and then walked up to the town square to splurge on Blizzards at Dairy Queen for dessert. Interesting fact: my mom worked there the first year it opened in 1964. Anyway, it was so cool that we had to put sweatshirts on for our walk! My visit also was during the annual Fall Festival for the town of 3,000 people and they were ALL there for the event. After we got our blizzards, we stumbled upon one of those "Only in McLeansboro" moments - the Little Miss McLeansboro pageant taking place in front of the only Chinese restaurant in town, Hong Kong Chinese Restaurant. What a site! I had to show the picture of this to prove it.
Saturday, we met up with Uncle Whit and Aunt Cathy at a craft show in Mt. Vernon. We went to King Barbacoa BBQ for lunch, which was really good if you ever go to that part of the country. We came back to McLeansboro and walked up to the square again so Whit and Cathy could check out the Fall Festival. We ended up eating a light dinner there and they left, but mom and I stayed for the 6pm parade. Once again, there were MANY "Only in McLeansboro" moments - a donkey dressed as a card dealer on a float, one of the real "Barney Fife" cars, and all the politicians from the entire county out doing their campaigning. Too bad I didn't have my camera with me for all of this!

Sunday, Mom and I were able to make me a new kitchen window valence and a new UT wreath for my house (here's a picture to show it off). We also went to the Vanity Fair Outlet in West Frankfort, IL and then drove to Carbondale to eat at the famous 17th Street BBQ restaurant (voted best ribs). Overall, we had a crafty, BBQ-filled, interesting but fun weekend in McLeansboro, IL!

Thursday, September 4, 2008

Love me some East TN!

I decided to make a trip back to East TN for Labor Day weekend to see family, friends and shop. It also happened to be my father-in-law's birthday, so that worked out really well for me to be there! I was able to get my hair done by my fabulous hairdresser since college (any locals, I'd be happy to give you her name and number if you need one) - first great event of the weekend. The second great event of the weekend was a dinner date with Jesse's parents and sister, Jamie and one of my favorite restaurants there - Calhoun's! Man, it was yummy. I spent the rest of the evening with the Sr. Cragwall's and Jake (Jesse's little brother - the dog) watching a movie so it was a really fun time. Saturday, I did a few errands in the morning, ending with a lunch from Firehouse Subs (YUMMY again). I met up with Jesse's sisters, Jamie and April and her kids for a trip to the pool for some sun and fun. We had a blast with Parker and Taylor and it was nice to just sit around and have girl talk! That evening, we had Glenn's birthday party (he got to have a Spongebob Squarepants cake, courtesy of the kids) and ended the evening with a chat session on the webcams with Jesse and his family. It was a little irritating with the low wireless connection we had, but they all got to see each other and were able to chat online with Jesse as well. Sadly, I think it made him MORE homesick, but I know he was really excited to see them. Sunday, I was able to go to our church (http://www.providencechurch.com/) and it was so nice to be back in a church where everybody knows us both and I felt so welcomed to be there. Later that afternoon, I met up with my best friend, Becca and we did some shopping at some of the greatest stores ever - TJ Maxx, Homegoods and Ross. We met up with her hubby and boys at Salsaritas (again, YUMMY) for dinner and I had a great time with them. Monday, on my way out of town, I met up with my friends Laura, her hubby Zak, and Tracy who I met through working at UTK for breakfast at Mimi's Cafe (yes, it was YUMMY) and got to catch up with them and the old workplace. I finished off my GREAT weekend by meeting my mom at Opry Mills for some shopping (go figure)!! It was great to be around family again, especially since I was able to visit with Jesse's family and strengthen my relationships with them by myself. It was weird at times to be there without him and I expected him to come through the door at any minute, but I'm really glad I went. Thanks for the hospitality, Cragwall's and Dunn's!

Ellie

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