Happy Birthday Harry Potter and Neville Longbottom!
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
Dress pictures...
My new dress came! Here are two initial pics:
My face is blurry because I had to race to get into position with iPhoto on my computer. I need to get some jewelry and shoes to go with the outfit. Now that I've SEEN what it looks like on me, I have a better idea of what to get.
Wednesday, July 11, 2012
Awaiting a new dress and why I can't have caffeine.
So I am moving on and moving forward with this new path in my life. I still feel that leaving my teaching position was the right choice and it's weird and different how suddenly everything is new.
Dan's sister, Libby, and her husband David have been really awesome in taking the time to teach me about the advertising business. About every-other-week we get together over dinner and discuss the assignments they've given me. So far I have written (and re-written) pretend ads for:
1.) A bank wanting to advertise a mortgage to newlyweds
2.) A senior assisted-living facility
3.) A new brand of capsaicin-laced coffee
Again, all these topics are invented. Libby and David think that I've developed these "campaigns" enough for them to introduce me to some of their designer friends and start putting together material that looks more like a final project. Hopefully from there, I can start putting together a portfolio and then get a job at an ad agency in the Cedar Valley.
What is REALLY exciting is that I do have two freelance writing jobs from the University of Northern Iowa. Real writing jobs, where I am going to get paid. They come from the industrial technology department, so I am learning a lot about construction management and the department in general. I am doing my best to stay on track and get these completed to the best of my ability. I know these are not like college papers that I can just put off until the night before. Not even the week before!
Dan is working hard at his job at the grocery store. He finished up a successful season in the garden center and is now working inside in the air conditioning. In all of his spare time, he is studying very hard for his next actuarial exam. It is called the MFE (which stands for Models of Financial Economics) and is one half of the 3rd level exam out of 7. The second half of the 3rd exam is called the MLC (Models for Life-Contingencies) and is not until May of 2013. Dan's goal is to pass the MFE, get a job as an actuary, hopefully in the Cedar Valley area, but Des Moines might be a possibility. With an actuarial job, he would also get paid to study for the MLC.
Getting officially engaged with a ring and everything is somewhere in there too. Just sayin'. :-)
Dan and I were able to go down to Grinnell and see my brother Daniel's Iowa Ambassador's of Music farewell concert. It was a phenomenal concert and we both enjoyed it very much. It was interesting to see how the numbers for IAM has changed. The choir was definitely smaller this year compared to when I went in 2004 and when Mary and Matthew went in 2008. It was also good to see my family and Dan got to briefly meet my Dad's parents. It was good to see them too.
June went by really quickly. A lot of it was spent helping Dan pack and move out of his apartment in Iowa City. We also went and saw Brave (which was AWESOME) and went to the first of four weddings that we have this summer.
Our next two weddings are next weekend in Chicago. One is for two college friends of mine, and the other is for a high school friend of Dan's. Somehow we lucked out and both weddings are the same weekend, so we don't have to pick-and-choose or drive a ton. Just one trip to Chicago and back. It took some creative thinking trying to sort out who needs to be where (because Dan is in his friend's wedding, and the rehearsal dinner is during the reception of my friend's wedding) but we got it figured out. Also, while we are there, we are planning to visit the Lincoln Park Zoo, which looks like it will be really fun.
I am also really excited because I bought a new dress to wear to the weddings. It's my first purchase from ModCloth, and I haven't purchased a new dress since I graduated from college.
With all of these measures, I have been doing a lot better than I have before. I've put together that a lot of my depressed emotional crashes that I had in May and June were not only depression-related, but had also occurred after I had consumed a lot of sugar. It has been an adjustment to find non-sugary foods to snack on, because that is what I do while I write. I have found goldfish crackers to be an excellent substitute for munching. Not as messy/salty as pistachios. Just something *there* to keep me busy.
On Monday, Dan was over and I was making a late breakfast. Dan is not on any sort of recommended caffeine restriction, and since we've been together, I've gotten him to be quite the coffee drinker. At the grocery store the other day I saw a new summer-only product for cherry pie-flavored coffee. Since cherry pie is Dan's favorite pie, I picked it up, because I thought he would like it.
Since, I was having the coffee with a meal, I didn't really think through any sort of future consequences. I had a cup and a half of coffee, ate my meal and worked on the stuff I had planned for the day. About noon, I started feeling a little queasy, but I thought maybe I was getting sick, or my stomach just didn't like something I had eaten. I took some Tums and that made me feel a little better, so I kept working.
By 2pm, I started feeling really tired and my stomach had forgotten that I had given it something to make it feel better, so I tried to take a nap before I had to leave for work at 3:15. When I got up at 3pm I still felt ill and now I felt weak to boot. I got myself ready, trying to mentally convince myself that I was going to be fine and that I just needed to decide that I was going to feel better. I ate a little something and kissed Dan good-bye and left for work.
As I drove, I kept feeling hotte
Dan's sister, Libby, and her husband David have been really awesome in taking the time to teach me about the advertising business. About every-other-week we get together over dinner and discuss the assignments they've given me. So far I have written (and re-written) pretend ads for:
1.) A bank wanting to advertise a mortgage to newlyweds
2.) A senior assisted-living facility
3.) A new brand of capsaicin-laced coffee
Again, all these topics are invented. Libby and David think that I've developed these "campaigns" enough for them to introduce me to some of their designer friends and start putting together material that looks more like a final project. Hopefully from there, I can start putting together a portfolio and then get a job at an ad agency in the Cedar Valley.
What is REALLY exciting is that I do have two freelance writing jobs from the University of Northern Iowa. Real writing jobs, where I am going to get paid. They come from the industrial technology department, so I am learning a lot about construction management and the department in general. I am doing my best to stay on track and get these completed to the best of my ability. I know these are not like college papers that I can just put off until the night before. Not even the week before!
Dan is working hard at his job at the grocery store. He finished up a successful season in the garden center and is now working inside in the air conditioning. In all of his spare time, he is studying very hard for his next actuarial exam. It is called the MFE (which stands for Models of Financial Economics) and is one half of the 3rd level exam out of 7. The second half of the 3rd exam is called the MLC (Models for Life-Contingencies) and is not until May of 2013. Dan's goal is to pass the MFE, get a job as an actuary, hopefully in the Cedar Valley area, but Des Moines might be a possibility. With an actuarial job, he would also get paid to study for the MLC.
Getting officially engaged with a ring and everything is somewhere in there too. Just sayin'. :-)
Dan and I were able to go down to Grinnell and see my brother Daniel's Iowa Ambassador's of Music farewell concert. It was a phenomenal concert and we both enjoyed it very much. It was interesting to see how the numbers for IAM has changed. The choir was definitely smaller this year compared to when I went in 2004 and when Mary and Matthew went in 2008. It was also good to see my family and Dan got to briefly meet my Dad's parents. It was good to see them too.
June went by really quickly. A lot of it was spent helping Dan pack and move out of his apartment in Iowa City. We also went and saw Brave (which was AWESOME) and went to the first of four weddings that we have this summer.
Our next two weddings are next weekend in Chicago. One is for two college friends of mine, and the other is for a high school friend of Dan's. Somehow we lucked out and both weddings are the same weekend, so we don't have to pick-and-choose or drive a ton. Just one trip to Chicago and back. It took some creative thinking trying to sort out who needs to be where (because Dan is in his friend's wedding, and the rehearsal dinner is during the reception of my friend's wedding) but we got it figured out. Also, while we are there, we are planning to visit the Lincoln Park Zoo, which looks like it will be really fun.
I am also really excited because I bought a new dress to wear to the weddings. It's my first purchase from ModCloth, and I haven't purchased a new dress since I graduated from college.
It kind of looks plain on the mannequin, but the pictures and reviews are really great. It hugs your curves and has this great 1940s look. I am excited to accessorize it with some fun ballet flats and maybe a cuff bracelet and/or a belt.
I actually love a lot of ModCloth's clothes. I've been lurking through their website for a couple years now, and finally bought a dress.
_____
I am getting back into the exercise routine. After finishing my Zombie 5K at the beginning of June I took a little bit of a break, and now it has gotten to the point where I miss running, so I'm starting back up again. I want something I can work at and be good at. Among other things in my life, I can work at running and it is something that doesn't require a lot of "stuff" to do, I can work at it at my own pace and get fit. (Also, I have pictures from the 5K... I need to post those.)
The caffeine bit is the important part though. Which might sound like a surprise to some people reading this who knew how much coffee I drank in college and when I was teaching. I have been seriously limiting any sort of caffeine intake since I first met with my doctor. I've been drinking green tea a lot as well as things like those Sobe sports drinks. It's been about 2.5 weeks since I've had a serious cup of coffee or any significant amount of caffeine.
With all of these measures, I have been doing a lot better than I have before. I've put together that a lot of my depressed emotional crashes that I had in May and June were not only depression-related, but had also occurred after I had consumed a lot of sugar. It has been an adjustment to find non-sugary foods to snack on, because that is what I do while I write. I have found goldfish crackers to be an excellent substitute for munching. Not as messy/salty as pistachios. Just something *there* to keep me busy.
On Monday, Dan was over and I was making a late breakfast. Dan is not on any sort of recommended caffeine restriction, and since we've been together, I've gotten him to be quite the coffee drinker. At the grocery store the other day I saw a new summer-only product for cherry pie-flavored coffee. Since cherry pie is Dan's favorite pie, I picked it up, because I thought he would like it.
Since, I was having the coffee with a meal, I didn't really think through any sort of future consequences. I had a cup and a half of coffee, ate my meal and worked on the stuff I had planned for the day. About noon, I started feeling a little queasy, but I thought maybe I was getting sick, or my stomach just didn't like something I had eaten. I took some Tums and that made me feel a little better, so I kept working.
By 2pm, I started feeling really tired and my stomach had forgotten that I had given it something to make it feel better, so I tried to take a nap before I had to leave for work at 3:15. When I got up at 3pm I still felt ill and now I felt weak to boot. I got myself ready, trying to mentally convince myself that I was going to be fine and that I just needed to decide that I was going to feel better. I ate a little something and kissed Dan good-bye and left for work.
As I drove, I kept feeling hotte
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