Fun pictures of the girls around Christmas time.
Thursday, April 26, 2007
Our Dog Casey
So we have a dog and her name is Casey. She is 5 years old and I have a love hate relationship with this animal. When we picked her out, Ben's goal was to get the most aggressive looking female because that would mean she'd become a good hunter. So we excitedly brought her home and played with her, then went to bed for the night. That first night was like having a small infant because she pounded on her kennel and whined all night long. She did this for quite some time and would poop and pee all over, which would make me so ill. Keep in mind I was newly pregnant and throwing up over any little thing. So of course chasing after the dog and cleaning up after her made me a little bit resentful.
She didn't have a name for the first week because we couldn't agree on one. I wanted Casey and he wanted Abby after his dead childhood dog. Well, I thought that was ridiculous and so we finally agreed upon Casey (it came out years later that I too had a horse once named Casey, but I had completely forgotten about it...yes, to this day Ben is a little sore about that fact).
That fall Ben tried to take her hunting, but she ended up being gunshy and afraid of running through tall brush. Casey is a Brittany Spaniel and BRED for hunting, so she has all of this bundled up energy and is soooo hyper! She would jump up on you, sleep on the bed, and yes eat the poopy diapers out of the garbage can. I came home one afternoon to find out the dog had rumaged through the garbage, grabbed a poopy diaper and proceeded to eat it ON MY BED. Oh my God, I was so grossed out and I literally beat the dog, threw her in her kennel and let her cry and wine all day. It was either that or be shot.
I also remember quite well when this dog wrapped duct tape around her ear and practically hung herself. I had come home after work that day and found her standing on her hind legs in the makeshift cardboard fence we created. She chewed through the cardboard to reach the duct tape at the top and wound herself around it. I had to cut her out of it, the stupid dog.
Then my favorite incident is the day I thought she had gone stark raving mad. I was in the bedroom doing laundry when all of a sudden there was this thumping around and running and crashing into things. I was like "what the hell?", stuck my head out of the bedroom and watched the dog run and twist and scrape at her belly like something was attacking her. It scared the shit out of me, so I locked myself in the room, called Ben and freaked out. He made me call the vet, who proceeded to make me go check on her. That dog had lost all bodily control and was laying the middle of the room breathing really hard. It turns out she had a seizure and they have no idea what caused it.
When the end of summer rolls around, our dog also has allergies. These developed when she was three years old and I had never in my life heard of an animal getting allergies. She was getting all rashy and spotty, loosing her hair and looking sick and miserable, plus throwing up all over the fricken place. So $50 bucks in pills later, the dog is fixed. This is EVERY YEAR!
The last straw with this dog came about a month ago when she started to "dig" at the door in the basement and completely ruined it and the molding. I thought Ben was going to kill her, so we had to start kenneling her. Then one day, she did the ultimate and chewed up the bottom step while we were at work. Ben was so mad he started to call around to the humane society to see if we could give her up because we couldn't stand all the damage and problems she was causing us.
Well, as I was at work that day I was so upset about the thought of giving Casey away that I couldn't stop crying and thinking it was our fault for being "bad" parents to her. Ben was equally upset once he calmed down and came to the same realization. So this dog had a lucky break because we decided to keep her, as she is practically family and we are attached to her. We made a committment to find time to play with her, walk her twice a day and basically give her attention.
Ask me a few years ago if I wanted to get rid if her and I would have voted enthusiastically HELL YES! But ask me today and I don't have the heart. Yes, it's a love hate relationship. Stupid dog.
She didn't have a name for the first week because we couldn't agree on one. I wanted Casey and he wanted Abby after his dead childhood dog. Well, I thought that was ridiculous and so we finally agreed upon Casey (it came out years later that I too had a horse once named Casey, but I had completely forgotten about it...yes, to this day Ben is a little sore about that fact).
That fall Ben tried to take her hunting, but she ended up being gunshy and afraid of running through tall brush. Casey is a Brittany Spaniel and BRED for hunting, so she has all of this bundled up energy and is soooo hyper! She would jump up on you, sleep on the bed, and yes eat the poopy diapers out of the garbage can. I came home one afternoon to find out the dog had rumaged through the garbage, grabbed a poopy diaper and proceeded to eat it ON MY BED. Oh my God, I was so grossed out and I literally beat the dog, threw her in her kennel and let her cry and wine all day. It was either that or be shot.
I also remember quite well when this dog wrapped duct tape around her ear and practically hung herself. I had come home after work that day and found her standing on her hind legs in the makeshift cardboard fence we created. She chewed through the cardboard to reach the duct tape at the top and wound herself around it. I had to cut her out of it, the stupid dog.
Then my favorite incident is the day I thought she had gone stark raving mad. I was in the bedroom doing laundry when all of a sudden there was this thumping around and running and crashing into things. I was like "what the hell?", stuck my head out of the bedroom and watched the dog run and twist and scrape at her belly like something was attacking her. It scared the shit out of me, so I locked myself in the room, called Ben and freaked out. He made me call the vet, who proceeded to make me go check on her. That dog had lost all bodily control and was laying the middle of the room breathing really hard. It turns out she had a seizure and they have no idea what caused it.
When the end of summer rolls around, our dog also has allergies. These developed when she was three years old and I had never in my life heard of an animal getting allergies. She was getting all rashy and spotty, loosing her hair and looking sick and miserable, plus throwing up all over the fricken place. So $50 bucks in pills later, the dog is fixed. This is EVERY YEAR!
The last straw with this dog came about a month ago when she started to "dig" at the door in the basement and completely ruined it and the molding. I thought Ben was going to kill her, so we had to start kenneling her. Then one day, she did the ultimate and chewed up the bottom step while we were at work. Ben was so mad he started to call around to the humane society to see if we could give her up because we couldn't stand all the damage and problems she was causing us.
Well, as I was at work that day I was so upset about the thought of giving Casey away that I couldn't stop crying and thinking it was our fault for being "bad" parents to her. Ben was equally upset once he calmed down and came to the same realization. So this dog had a lucky break because we decided to keep her, as she is practically family and we are attached to her. We made a committment to find time to play with her, walk her twice a day and basically give her attention.
Ask me a few years ago if I wanted to get rid if her and I would have voted enthusiastically HELL YES! But ask me today and I don't have the heart. Yes, it's a love hate relationship. Stupid dog.
Monday, April 16, 2007
Sweet Aliyah
I haven't written as much as I'd like to about my children, so I'm going to tell you all about the day Aliyah was born. It was kind of an eventful day, with Ben almost missing the birth. She was born June 2nd, 2005 and came very very calmly into the world. My water broke around 7 in the morning and I suggested to Ben we get ready to go to the hospital. He just says...ya, ya, but I have to go into work and do my review first, then I'll drop Alex off and we'll go to the hospital. Hmm...what planet was he on that morning? Obviously thinking about the money he would need to support another child, he wasn't really thinking about my needs. Then all of a sudden it hit him - after he got out of the shower, he came running into the room and told me it was better if we just go to the hospital because he didn't know how long he'd be, blah blah blah. Like it was HIS idea to do it this way. Whatever!
So we got to the hospital where she decided to take her sweet old time. It was around 4 when the doctor decided to give me petocin, and Ben was pacing around completely bored, making me watch some dumb fishing show on TV. His parents were all excited and decided to leave around noon to get to our house. However upon getting there, they discovered they couldn't get in because the screen door was locked and had to come to the hospital to get the garage door opener from us. Well, let's just say the petocin worked very fast and I was ready to push within 45 minutes. Right before the doctor came in to check on me, Ben's parents got to the hospital so he had to run the door opener down to them, not knowing I would have to push shortly.
The doctor came in, checked me and all of a sudden they were flying into action because I was like: Oh my gosh I have to push NOW! So I was pushing while Ben sauntered back into the room and the phone rang, which he actually answered! It was his sister and all I can remember is him yelling - holy crap she's crowning! And the doctor replying - get off the phone and get over here! Whoever it is can wait! So it was three pushes and she was out...all 7lbs. 7 oz of her...but she didn't make a peep and all of a sudden a button was hit on the wall and three nurses came flying in. It was a tense moment and then she started to cry. Apparently she had wrenched her shoulder coming out, which stunned her, so she couldn't breathe. They just needed to check her and make sure she was all right, which everything turned out just fine. The doctor also told me I couldn't have handled a bigger baby because of my size, so I'm thankful of her size.
Then the fun began...she was given to me for about 5 seconds when Ben's parents, sister, and nieces all burst into the room and Ben snatched her from me to give to his mother. To this day, I am so mad about that, but what's done is done and it's silly to be mad. I felt like she was literally being taken from me and I hadn't even barely looked at her! So they stayed in the room for about half an hour and I was getting irritated because I needed to be cleaned up and moved, and all they wanted me to do was open presents. I was exhausted and a little bit ticked off that I didn't have any privacy. So if we ever have any more children, I have made it clear that I need some space after giving birth just so I can bond with my babies.
Aliyah is such a sweet little girl and she's so funny and smart. When we brought her home from the hospital, Alex was proud to be a big sister and could hardly wait to hold and kiss her. I can barely believe she was only 2-1/2 at the time Aliyah was born because she seemed like such a big girl.
So now June 2nd is approaching and it's her GOLDEN birthday, which I find exciting. Some people may ask: What is the big deal about a golden b-day, but I think it's something fun to celebrate just for the sake of celebrating. We are having a big b-b-q that day and a few Mich GOLDEN'S to pass the time. Some day I get to tell her about her fun day with pictures and scrapbooking, and also the day she was born, with her dad almost missing it.
So we got to the hospital where she decided to take her sweet old time. It was around 4 when the doctor decided to give me petocin, and Ben was pacing around completely bored, making me watch some dumb fishing show on TV. His parents were all excited and decided to leave around noon to get to our house. However upon getting there, they discovered they couldn't get in because the screen door was locked and had to come to the hospital to get the garage door opener from us. Well, let's just say the petocin worked very fast and I was ready to push within 45 minutes. Right before the doctor came in to check on me, Ben's parents got to the hospital so he had to run the door opener down to them, not knowing I would have to push shortly.
The doctor came in, checked me and all of a sudden they were flying into action because I was like: Oh my gosh I have to push NOW! So I was pushing while Ben sauntered back into the room and the phone rang, which he actually answered! It was his sister and all I can remember is him yelling - holy crap she's crowning! And the doctor replying - get off the phone and get over here! Whoever it is can wait! So it was three pushes and she was out...all 7lbs. 7 oz of her...but she didn't make a peep and all of a sudden a button was hit on the wall and three nurses came flying in. It was a tense moment and then she started to cry. Apparently she had wrenched her shoulder coming out, which stunned her, so she couldn't breathe. They just needed to check her and make sure she was all right, which everything turned out just fine. The doctor also told me I couldn't have handled a bigger baby because of my size, so I'm thankful of her size.
Then the fun began...she was given to me for about 5 seconds when Ben's parents, sister, and nieces all burst into the room and Ben snatched her from me to give to his mother. To this day, I am so mad about that, but what's done is done and it's silly to be mad. I felt like she was literally being taken from me and I hadn't even barely looked at her! So they stayed in the room for about half an hour and I was getting irritated because I needed to be cleaned up and moved, and all they wanted me to do was open presents. I was exhausted and a little bit ticked off that I didn't have any privacy. So if we ever have any more children, I have made it clear that I need some space after giving birth just so I can bond with my babies.
Aliyah is such a sweet little girl and she's so funny and smart. When we brought her home from the hospital, Alex was proud to be a big sister and could hardly wait to hold and kiss her. I can barely believe she was only 2-1/2 at the time Aliyah was born because she seemed like such a big girl.
So now June 2nd is approaching and it's her GOLDEN birthday, which I find exciting. Some people may ask: What is the big deal about a golden b-day, but I think it's something fun to celebrate just for the sake of celebrating. We are having a big b-b-q that day and a few Mich GOLDEN'S to pass the time. Some day I get to tell her about her fun day with pictures and scrapbooking, and also the day she was born, with her dad almost missing it.
Wednesday, April 4, 2007
My Job
A lot has been going on at work lately and I just wanted to share a few things. First of all I am going to describe my job a little bit better. I am a graphic designer for a company called Star Exhibits & Environments, and my 7 yr. anniversary with this company is coming up in August. Our company custom designs/builds exhibits for tradeshows, retail environments and event planning. My job as a graphic designer is to brand the exhibit or retail space with graphics and materials. These designs need to clearly communicate the clients brand and strategic messaging, as it relates to the specific show/space they are at. I design all sorts of things, such as banners, walls, towers, floorplans, posters, invites, collaterals, ect. I pick out a lot of materials and substrates for the space (such as laminates, flooring, carpet, specific paper, spec banner material, paint colors, wall color, ect.) I am a 2D designer (working in flat dimension) and do a lot of research, hand sketching, computer concepts, and presentations to the client. I have certain accounts that I am dedicated to and have worked with since I've been here.
When I first started at Star, I didn't really want to work for a tradeshow company, but they had a good reputation, were growing and I got the salary and benefits I asked for. I only wanted to work here for a year to gather some experience and then move on to something different, like work for an ad agency. And good God seven years have passed and I am STILL here! I ask myself why all the time, especially when I get mad at my boss or a certain person and I put it down to two things: I really like the people and culture, and I'm too scared to start something new. It's definitely not the money keeping me here because Star is not paying well for what I bring to the company. Professionally I have grown in leaps and bounds and am currently moving toward a Senior position.
At the moment I am really frustrated and irritated because of the fact I get more responsibility, but no compensation. I met with my boss to go over my Personal Development Plan and Growth Plan last week and I am doing everything right but now I have to "prove" myself and the fact that I am working toward becoming a Senior designer. He told me I am doing almost everything a senior designer does, but I need to work on my managerial skills and record my measurements of success. He believes I need to take more ownership of projects and prove I can handle them on my own.
Well, if he would open his eyes, he would realize I have been "taking ownership" for a few years now. He's just so busy playing politics and taking credit for the work his team does that he doesn't want to admit it. He is also a ladder climber and now that he's on the Leadership team in our company, he's really changed. So when I asked for that 20% raise, he laughs at me and gives me a canned answer on why the company can't afford to pay me that.
He has also told me that I am the most efficient organized person on his team and if he lost me, he'd be screwed. I can apparently get about 5-7G more if I went somewhere else, but he believes I am loyal and would never leave. Hmmmm...this gets me thinking that I am most definitely going to play hardball with him in June at raise time and ask him - can you afford to "Replace" me. Seven years of knowledge is a powerful thing, especially in this industry where companies are scared of losing their reliable designers to other firms. But sometimes the reality about my job is that there are only a few out there and you have to have so much "experience" to be considered for them. It's extremely hard to find anything in my field and not many make it or even find a job as a designer right out of college. I consider myself fortunate that Star decided to take a risk on me at all. And of course, they have taken advantage of this, especially since there have been two layoffs in my time here and I've been spared.
So while I have a lot of thinking to do about my job and where I want to be in the next few years, I am currently "proving" myself, which I have been recording in the past few months as proof of my success and ownership of projects. In the coming months, I'll let you all know the battles and triumphs of my job.
So I'll end on a good note: Starting with today, I had a very good meeting with a client on concepts I had developed and actually got a compliment from my boss. And getting a compliment of any kind is like pulling teeth around here, so I'll consider it a MAJOR success!
When I first started at Star, I didn't really want to work for a tradeshow company, but they had a good reputation, were growing and I got the salary and benefits I asked for. I only wanted to work here for a year to gather some experience and then move on to something different, like work for an ad agency. And good God seven years have passed and I am STILL here! I ask myself why all the time, especially when I get mad at my boss or a certain person and I put it down to two things: I really like the people and culture, and I'm too scared to start something new. It's definitely not the money keeping me here because Star is not paying well for what I bring to the company. Professionally I have grown in leaps and bounds and am currently moving toward a Senior position.
At the moment I am really frustrated and irritated because of the fact I get more responsibility, but no compensation. I met with my boss to go over my Personal Development Plan and Growth Plan last week and I am doing everything right but now I have to "prove" myself and the fact that I am working toward becoming a Senior designer. He told me I am doing almost everything a senior designer does, but I need to work on my managerial skills and record my measurements of success. He believes I need to take more ownership of projects and prove I can handle them on my own.
Well, if he would open his eyes, he would realize I have been "taking ownership" for a few years now. He's just so busy playing politics and taking credit for the work his team does that he doesn't want to admit it. He is also a ladder climber and now that he's on the Leadership team in our company, he's really changed. So when I asked for that 20% raise, he laughs at me and gives me a canned answer on why the company can't afford to pay me that.
He has also told me that I am the most efficient organized person on his team and if he lost me, he'd be screwed. I can apparently get about 5-7G more if I went somewhere else, but he believes I am loyal and would never leave. Hmmmm...this gets me thinking that I am most definitely going to play hardball with him in June at raise time and ask him - can you afford to "Replace" me. Seven years of knowledge is a powerful thing, especially in this industry where companies are scared of losing their reliable designers to other firms. But sometimes the reality about my job is that there are only a few out there and you have to have so much "experience" to be considered for them. It's extremely hard to find anything in my field and not many make it or even find a job as a designer right out of college. I consider myself fortunate that Star decided to take a risk on me at all. And of course, they have taken advantage of this, especially since there have been two layoffs in my time here and I've been spared.
So while I have a lot of thinking to do about my job and where I want to be in the next few years, I am currently "proving" myself, which I have been recording in the past few months as proof of my success and ownership of projects. In the coming months, I'll let you all know the battles and triumphs of my job.
So I'll end on a good note: Starting with today, I had a very good meeting with a client on concepts I had developed and actually got a compliment from my boss. And getting a compliment of any kind is like pulling teeth around here, so I'll consider it a MAJOR success!
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