13 years ago

I had recently moved from Gilbert, AZ to Utah with my family. My dad got a job transfer with his company. It was one of the hardest thing I have ever done to leave all my friends behind-much harder than when I moved in 6th grade from Phoenix to Gilbert.

One of my close friends in Gilbert was Jennifer Duncan. We were both the "new kids" in 6th grade and we lived just around the corner from each other. We walked to school all during Jr High and we were in the same carpool Freshman year. She and I both played the violin and L-O-V-E-D reading. I'd spent a few days a week hanging out at her house and playing in the cul de sac with the neighbor kids, or in her bedroom gossiping about everything.

Well Arizona--I stole her from you, hahaha!! She moved to Austin, TX about 6 months ago. We reconnected on Facebook, found out we live within walking distance of each other (AGAIN!), and finally met for dinner last night at Sushi Zushi. Of course it was EXCELLENT food, but it was also so much fun to catch up with her. We reminisced about old times like tormenting the neighbor boys (who we secretly had crushes on), and caught up on each other's lives over the many years.

After a few hours of chatting I permitted her to leave :o) Even though I felt full and content to veg on the couch I made myself work out and I'm glad I did. A good solid work out and fresh memories of childhood helped me sleep like a baby last night. It was a good "07/07" after all :)

GROSS!

So I was sitting at my desk today at work, just typing when I happened to look down and see this crawling OUT of my keyboard!!!! It was just about to my hand when I noticed and I freaked out pretty hard core. Luckily there weren't any customers in the lobby, lol.

I feel like bugs are stalking me since I moved. My new place is in a more wooded area, and it's been a pretty wet spring here in Austin. I find Millipedes, Snails, and Potato Bugs inside and outside of the house, and I can't seem to go a day without getting a new mosquito bite. Citronella candles melt in a matter of 20 minutes outside, so I've been thinking about trying one of these , at least to help dissuade the mosquitoes from eating me alive. Terminex will be called for the rest of the pests!

I've been having a fun time with some outdoor plants though :) I've got an adorable mix of tiny cactus, a few potted trees, strawberry starters, and a lemon and lime tree. I just hope the Texas heat isn't too brutal to them!

My cute Moose Statue likes to chomp on Cactus :)

Behold the greenery!

La la laaa

I wish you could all join me in La la land. My back has been having these weird spasms lately, so I decided to take some muscle relaxants I had lying around from a car accident months ago. They didn't seem to really do anything this morning, but I took another a little while ago, and let's just say it's working!

Ummm. So I'm sitting at work, listening to Coblie Calliat (thanks for the introduction ages ago Mare!) and trying to make the last 45 minutes of work go by faster. Here's a little insight to the current "Amy state of mind"...

* "This Dancing Waters scent from Bath & Body Works is amazing. Must get more"
* "My address is too long. Why am I always cursed with long addresses"
* "Elephants are adorable'
* "I hope I can find my penguin plate"
* "This painting is ugly, but I can't tell anyone because it belongs to my boss"
* "My insurance company sucks"
* "So does my employer"
* "All my favorite TV shows are over :( "
* "It's hot in Texas"
* "How did I get so freakin' OLD!"
* "I wonder if it was a spider or a mosquito or one of those gross centipedey things that bit me"
* "I should use mousse more often"
* "Oh yeah-I have a $25 gift certificate to B&BW"
* "And $20 to Blockbuster, and $25 to Outback Steakhouse, and $5.99 to Dress Barn. I should really use those up"
* "I wonder if my family will get mad that I'm not going to be able to visit them at least another year."
* "Walking on tile hurts my feet. I'm glad I bought those slippers at Target"
* "Who put this dry erase marker in my pen basket?"
* "Idol sucked this year, but Grey's was awesome"
* "I miss Rose. And all my Utah friends. I need to get me some Texas friends"
* "Two-faced people really suck. Let it go, forgive and forget, and stop being such haters."
* "I wish I had some Junior Mints"

Feelin' the Love

You all probably know that I have a love/hate relationship with my job. I love building relationships with customers and helping them better themselves financially. I hate the busy work, micro-managing, telemarketing, and constant pressure to hit numbers.

I think the main reason I've stayed in banking for this long (nearly 9 years now, wow!) is for the love part. Banks in general are less customer centric and more profit driven than ever, but every now and then I'm able to have that "wow" moment.

My manager came into my office today and shared a thank you letter that one of my customers had written and sent it. She totally made my day and gave me that pick-me-up I really needed :)

Dear Jay,

I wanted to take a moment to commend you on the superior level of service your bank provides. Recently I had the privilege of working with Amy on a crucial matter involving the purchase of a home.

I met with Amy on two different occasions and she was knowledgeable, helpful, and above all extremely pleasant. Because of her willingness to go above and beyond, she saved the day.

In today's times, it seems quality service provides are becoming much more rare. As a society we tend to focus on the negatives. We voice our concerns and file our complains. I wanted to bring to light the positives and acknowledge really good people giving it their best. I am proud to share with you that Miss Blackham is a tremendous asset to your bank.

Regards,

E. Fulton

Stuff

When I work Saturdays, I get a half day off during the week. It's ideal because it gives me a chance to get some things done that I've been procrastinating. Last week, after much nagging from my OBGYN, I finally went in for blood work for my post-op followup that I was supposed to do in December. Whoops?...

Before surgery, my blood platelet counts were at 133. They consider normal levels between 130-401. They said I was most likely low because of anemia because of the issues I was currently having. This time I registered at 301! Woohoo, take that body!

I also went to the dermatologist to have a few skin tags removed, and some moles checked out. They removed one on my shoulder that looked weird, and the biopsy came back as irregular so we'll just keep an eye on it.

In a few weeks I'm going to donate blood for the first time ever. I've never done it before because of my dislike/fear of needles. I have "rolly" veins and usually end up with a few poke marks before they hit the sweet spot. I decided to conquer my fear and give it a try. If I try it once and just can't handle it, at least I'll know I had something to legitimately be scared of. I like to believe I'll be superwoman though, and that I'll be able to share my awesome blood with mankind going forward. :o)

That's all for now! It's beautiful and spring-like here in Austin. Hope you all have a fabulous day!