Outta Tears

I've started writing this post several times and finally feel ok writing it.  Although I've deleted it all twice and started over.

Two weeks ago today John got a call that a good friend of his had died in a car accident.  John was devastated.  He had known Tyson since they were in junior league bowling together in grade school.  I've known Ty since I was a senior in High School and worked with him at Godfather's Pizza in New Ulm.

John and Ty have bowled in lots and lots of tournaments together and on league together for years.  We found pictures from when they had gone to National Tournaments way back before John and I were married.

Tyson with the sign to "his Canyon Ranch" during our trip to Reno in 2001

Recent Picture of Tyson

John and I both grieve for the family left behind.  Yes, we will miss Tyson but we both feel terrible for the loved ones.  Especially when there are kids involved.  They are so young and forever is a difficult concept to understand.  Tyson was a great bowler, Son, Father, brother and Friend.  There were many tears shed at his funeral and he will definitely be missed.

John commented to me after the funeral that he didn't want to bury a friend again for a long time.  I so agree!

On top of this we lost a dear friend at work.  Our CFO, Jim Guldan, passed away after a very short battle with Cancer.  I have reported directly and indirectly to him for the last 5 years.  He was an amazing man.  Caring, compassionate, extremely hard working and very dedicated.  On top of being the CFO, a Husband, Dad and Grandpa he was an ordained Deacon in the Catholic Church.  He was a wonderful example of a strong faith.

Jim

Deacon Jim

On Tuesday I went to his funeral.  It was an amazing celebration of his life.  There were so many nice things said.   It has been a difficult week of changes at work.  Making sure that his replacement has access to all his work files, passwords, etc.  Cleaning out his office, disabling his accounts, etc.  It's so hard and everything is so final.  Jim also left behind family.  A wonderful wife, Brenda, and three daughters and a handful of Grandkids.  I am praying for them all.

We are gone to Nick's Baseball Tournament this weekend.  It feels good to sit and relax while cheering for a great team.  More updates this weekend.  Be sure to check back!!

Blast from the Past

Have you ever thought about somebody you used to work with and wondered how they are?  Maybe even someone you just used to work with over the phone?

I spent about 8 years working at a Post-it Note Factory in Mankato.  I did a lot of my growing up while working there.  Met my husband, bought my house and had both my babies.  I did Customer Service for a good portion of that time and developed a great relationship with lots of my customers.  Some of these people I talked to multiple times during the day.  A few I met in person. 

Today I was thinking about a guy that I used to work with.  Back in the day he used to tell me all about his wife and two grown sons.  The drama with various son's girlfriends and the ones serious health condition.  I busted my chops for him on rush orders that he pushed through and he trusted me with a lot of his business.  A great working relationship.

It's been over 5 years since I've talked to him.  Today I picked up the phone and called.  It was great fun catching up with him.  Hearing about how his wife and boys were doing.  Some of the drama remains and the health conditions have improved.  It was so nice visiting.  So glad I picked up the phone and just called.

Changes at Work

I feel bad being so absent from my blog.  I really enjoy writing the posts but time has been really tight lately.

Last Monday I got a new boss.  I am very excited about what this new boss can do for our department.  She is very intelligent and has a lot of great experience.  Trucking experience.  This is huge for us!  Huge!

Today I went into work and moved my docking station, monitor, personal items, etc to a new desk.  This was hard because I like my old desk.  I like my neighbors.  It's close to the bathroom, water, and coffee pot.  It was centrally located and private.  My new desk is my upstairs, not as private but is near the computer room and bathroom.  It's close to the break room.  I don't really know any of the people I will sit by.    I went in to move my desk so I could do this at my pace without a ton of questions about why I was doing it.  I got settled and turned up the tunes.  I got my reports done and feel comfortable in my new digs.

New Desk and Area

We will see how things progress.  One day at a time, one foot in front of the other.  It will be ok.

WIP Wednesday

It's Wednesday and I would like to start a new weekly topic.  WIP Wednesday.  (Work In Progress)

I want to use this section to keep you up to date on the projects I'm working on and to keep myself in check.  I can use this from week to week to see where I am progressing and what has sat without any forward momentum.

(I didn't get any pictures taken this week so bare with me.  Pictures next week I promise!!)

Knitting:

I have lots of WIP's there.  Some of them I only take to work on while Amanda is at Dance class and I'm sitting waiting for her to get done.  My favorite current project for that is a Shawl.  It's got a great lace pattern with an easy repeat. I took it with me tonight and got 6 or 7 rows completed.  It is getting longer and longer so the rows take a little longer also.  I think it will be stunning when it is done.  It has an easy 10 row repeat and is easy to memorize. 

The mittens I am making for my Mom are so close to done.  So close it's painful.  I need to sit down and finish these.  I only have 1 thumb to do.  I picked up and cast on for it but didn't get any farther.  I knit a good portion of these while watching Grey's Anatomy on Hulu Plus.  I just finished the 5th Season and look forward to starting the 6th season tonight.  I watch on my iPad while knitting on our bed.  I also watch on the Wii in the living room while sewing.

Sewing:

I have 2 doll clothes for Amanda's doll Charlotte that need Velcro sewed on.  I've been putting this off but need to bite the bullet and do it.  I've never done it before.  I picked up Velcro when I was at the fabric store on Monday night so no more excuses.  Get it done!

I have several projects worth of material that I purchased the last two weeks.  I have a pattern picked out for PJ's for Amanda.  I have prewashed the material but haven't even cut the pattern out yet.  I'm really looking forward to getting these done.

House:

John and I hung some new curtains in the living room and I love them!!  I have material purchased to make curtains for the other 3 windows.  I am looking forward to getting them finished also.

The kitchen and main floor bath needs new curtains badly.  The current ones are badly faded from the sun and too short.

I also want to clean out my upstairs hallway closet and the entry way closet.  These are big projects that I might attempt to tackle this next Sunday.

Usborne:

I am finishing up the bookfair for Madelia.  I just received their list of books they want and need to submit the order replenishing my inventory and the books of Tracey's that were sold.  That should go in tonight and will be put to bed.

On Friday night and Saturday I will be attending Mega Regionals in the Twin Cities.  I am really looking forward to it.  I promise to take lots of pictures.  It promises to be a good time!!  I will get to see all my Uzzie Buddies and will get excited about the new titles and Usborne all over again.  This recharge is so good for me.  Get's me going and excited again!!  Convention isn't until June and this is a great way to get the boost I need.  Additional Training is vital to your business.  Be sure to take advantage to local and Home Office supplied training.

I also am getting things together for Ladies Night Out.  This is the 3rd Annual Ladies Night Out.  We hold it at Kegel Klub in the party room.  Last year we had about 60 women through.  I'd love to see that number closer to 90 this year. I am currently at have 5 vendors involved and anticipate another 5-7 to join in the fun.

Work:

We are currently completing a Refresh and replacing 5 computers each month.  I have 3 from December to finish deploying and 5 from January!  I am so close to finished on one of the December ones.  Hope to finish tomorrow!!  Then on to the next one.  It's a never ending battle!

I am eager to see where I am with these projects next week Wednesday.  Watch for updates!!  What are your aspirations?  I tend to set enormous goals for myself and then am disappointed when they don't happen.

Snow Day TGIF

TGIF Babe!  It's finally Friday.  I am so excited.  I'm kind of in a kick-butt-take-names kind of mood.  I have accomplished some great things at work already this morning.  I also call it Eating Frogs. Feels so good to check things off the list.  There are 5 new computers sitting next to my desk.  I'll be tackling one or two of them next. 


Last week John and I went out to Shells Brewery to pick up a few Christmas Gifts.  It is beautifully decorated for the holidays.  I had never been in the store before.  It is very nice and more reasonably priced than I anticipated.

The Famous Peacocks!

I don't have a lot of specific plans for the weekend.  I am hoping to get a few projects done around the house.  John and I are working on some organizing in the basement.  The kids have so many toys and are big enough now to play down there without supervision.  We're hoping to have it somewhat set up by the end of the weekend.  I might have to go shopping for an area rug or carpet remnant.  Maybe some bean bag chairs.  Something to make it nice and cozy and inviting. 

Thankful

I started out this post writing about my mixed feelings about the holidays.  About how I hate the mess of the tree and all the wrapping paper.  About how much work it is.  About how much I want to put everything back to "normal".  Then I started to write about Connecticut and how sad I am for these children and their families, for the survivors and the witnesses. 

The grief that these people have gone through make my little grumbles and day to day things seem so petty and whiney.

Today I am thankful for my little life in New Ulm, MN. With my crazy Geek day job and Crazy Book Night/Weekend job. With my beautiful family and friends.  Please God keep them all safe.  

Getting them excited!!

This Crazy Book Lady has been very busy the last week.  I haven't had a chance to update you all on my progress so I hope to have a few posts over the next couple days!  So many great pictures to share with you.

Last week Thursday I participated in a cook exchange so I had my Crazy Cookie Maker hat on and it was quite the production.  Everybody helped out.  There were 14 women involved in the event so we made 13 dozen of my famous cookies.  I will be sure to share the recipe soon!  It's a good one!  We all brought an appetizer and had a great time eating and visiting.  Then we loaded up all our cookies and headed home.  What a fun night with great conversation!

My Cookies!!

 On Friday I made a quick trip to Madelia on my lunch hour.  I am doing a book fair there next week and I made up packets for the Elementary Teachers.  Letter telling the teachers about the book fair and how it would work.  A catalog and a wishlist for them to fill out.  For the 5th and 6th grade teachers I included a copy of Conspiracy 365 January!  I know the kids are going to LOVE IT!!  I can't wait to see which books the teachers selected!!

Teacher Packets!  look at them all! Even printed a Google map so I knew exactly where to go!  How's that for organization!!

Driving over the Cottonwood River headed south!!

Madelia, Minnesota!! Population 2,308 nestled on the scenic Watonwan River.

Madelia Elementary School!!!

It's going to be a busy week next week.  Thankfully I have an amazing BHH!! (Book Hauling Husband)  Tuesday night we set up the bookfair.  Wednesday John will run the book fair for a short time while the kids make wishlists.  Thursday Sara and I will run the book fair before and after the band concerts.  Friday the book fair runs from 1-3 and then BHH will be packing it up and hauling it home for me.

Working a full time job (45 hours a week) and being the Crazy Book Lady is definitely a challenge.  I am blessed to have an amazing support system at home. 

Geek Stuff

I haven't told you much about me (other than my love of my family and books).  I am a computer geek.  I spend my day fixing problems and helping to maintain the computers at a trucking company.  Things are so time sensitive.  Sometimes things fall apart.  Completely apart.  Some days are really hectic.  Some days you just try to maintain a sense of calm. 

I really do love helping people.  Especially when it's something I can fix quickly and the "users" can get back to work without much problem.  I have been a computer geek of sorts since I was little.  I learned DOS at a very young age.  When you live in the country and you want to play computer games on an old computer you learn how.  Dad talk me what I needed to know to get around the folder structure and away I went.  Trial and error.  It's how I learn best. 

Here are some pictures of my insanity.  Or hoarding as my neighbor, Michelle, at work calls it.  I have Christmas music playing today so imagine that mixed in with cords and computers and yellow sheets of post-it notes.  (I know a crazy amount about Post-it but that is a lifetime ago and a story for another day.)

Extra cables and phones

Did I mention I handle a Centrex Phone system also?  It's a crazy punch board of red/white wires and numbered slots.  Somehow it all makes sense in my head. It is quite old technology and we hope to upgrade some day soon.

Old computers to be cleaned up, wiped of data, OS re-installed and sold.

My work area. A sea of cables.  Power, monitors, keyboard, mouse and network.

My desk.

New computers, still in the box.  Need to be unpacked, an image pushed to them, configurations made and installed at the users desks.  Windows 7.  I love these new machines.

Off to finish a set up on a new computer.  The user has been having lots of problems and hopefully this will solve all of them.... just like batman. :)  or the Crazy Book Lady!

Go West Young Lady!

On Monday I worked a half day as a Geek and then transformed into Crazy Book Lady.  I had an appointment with Katy at the New Ulm Public Library.  It was so much fun! 

When two people that both love books come together with 3 boxes of great books it's..... MAGIC!  I had a great time introducing her to our wonderful Usborne Books.  She oohed and aahhed over all the titles.  Commented that when she thinks of Usborne Books she thinks of Bright colorful illustrations!  I love that and she's right!!  She told me that she orders her books monthly and would be checking to see where her collection needs additions.  She was very excited about all the chapter books.  Me too!  I love them.

After my appointment in New Ulm I.... headed west to Tracy, Minnesota. I love driving the highways during this season. Watching all the harvesting going on. Makes me thankful for the abundant harvests and reminds me of my Grandpa Krohn. I loved harvest time at their farm. All my aunts and uncles helped out. I remember riding in the tractor with my Mom driving. I bet my kids and neices and nephew would never imagine their Grandma driving a tractor but she did!! Grandma Krohn always made a big supper for everyone when they came out of the field. I remember how loud and lively the conversation was around the table. If you know any of these Krohn's you know how loud it can get. I always say you have to speak up if you want your opinion heard! :)

It's about an hour and 10 minute drive from New Ulm to Tracy.  It goes through Walnut Grove.  You know.... Laura Ingles Wilder = Walnut Grove.  Jacob is reading on the Banks of Plum Creek now.  He's really enjoying it.  His class just went on a field trip to the sod house.  He loved it!

My visit with Laurie in Tracy went very well.  She's looking for library bound books to add to her collection there.  They have a beautiful school with a wide open library.  She has a great sense of humor and loves all the Kane Miller Picture books.  I am going to be in contact with the PTC group to see about a bookfair in the spring.  Fingers Crossed.

Take care and happy reading!!

Eating Frogs

Today I'm eating frogs.  You know... Frogs... Those big ugly things that you put off doing.  Maybe you don't know how to do it. Maybe you think you don't know how to accomplish the task so... you just don't do it.  Maybe you think it will be painful or hard.  It's procrastinating and I'm pretty good at it.  I work great under pressure and I know I can usually accomplish things when it comes down to the last minute.  BUT boy does that stress me out.

 

Today I got up early and I went into work at 6:15.  I got some work done without the users there.  It was great.  I felt ahead of the game and enjoyed working without someone asking me "what are you doing?", "Why are you doing that?", "While you're here... Can you look at this?"  It was great!  I got so much more accomplished than I normally do in the morning.  By the time the users came in I was done with my two projects and was caught up on my emails.

 

That momentum carried me through the day.  I was happy and pleased with my progress.  After lunch I continued with the progress and got more done.  Probably more done for the whole day than I've been able to accomplish in a long while.  What an amazing feeling.

 

Last year I lost 43 pounds. Slowly they have been creeping back. Only 13 so far but it's bothering me. My new clothes are fitting a little more snuggly than they were and I'm feeling more self conscious. Mind you... I've still lost 30 pounds. BUT God that 13 pounds is bothering me. So... I ate another FROG! After supper I walked 5 blocks to the gym and worked out. Then walked 5 blocks back home. It felt great! I burned about 300 calories and I'm so happy I did it. I told John that I want to go to the gym 3 times per week and get these 13 pounds back off. I know that if I am going to the gym and dedicating that time to it, that my eating habbits will be better. I know I'll think before eating empty calories and wasting my time at the gym.





 

Michele - Before Weight Loss





Michele - After Weight Loss

I'm working hard to find a delicate balance between my kids, husband, work, Usborne, 4H and working out.  The TV hasn't been on since I got home fromt he gym and the homework is all done.  Both kids are bathed and one is in bed.  I call today a success.  Watch out Tomorrow!! I have big plans for you too!!