Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Loss of Connectivity and the New Daily Grind

It has been a good two and a half weeks since I have last posted, and with GOOD REASON. I started my new job on February tenth, and I am unable to connect to the blog world and other favorite websites like I use to have the pleasure of doing. Although my life unconnected seemed like a tragedy at first, I have seemed to adjust well and find other ways to pass my "free moments." One of which is listening to the static in the air because I CANNOT play music. This is still something I am getting use to.

Besides having to adjust to the ins and outs of a new job, I have had a busy few weeks. Not only did I enjoy Valentine's day with E, but I celebrated his birthday just a few days after. We also squeezed in the John Mayer concert between there. E got me tickets for my birthday and it was the BEST concert either of us have been to thus far.

Birthdays are more time consuming that I usually realize, so that in itself took me a good bit of time to be prepared for. Instead of doing the usual go to dinner option, we opted for staying in and having me make a "home cooked favorite." For E's birthday I made him fried Chicken, mashed potatoes and cream corn, all homemade, of course! I also ordered his favorite type of birthday cake, ALMOND, which just so happens to be my favorite too! Needless to say, we both ate very well that day (and the day after.) Other than dinner we didn't do anything big, but I got to celebrate a wonderful day with the person I love. E and I have actually been cooking quite a bit...we have made some AMAZING stuffed peppers as well as some pretty good BBQ Chicken and Spicy Mac. (Maybe not the healthiest, but sure was satisfying!)

Life has been filled with commuting from here to there, there to here, and everywhere you can imagine. It takes me 35 minutes to commute to work each morning so I am adjusting to my new lack of time. I am starting to enjoy the quiet time in the car, and find that sometimes I do a little too much thinking. There have been a few days of stress in the days past. I have taken that drive time to really understand who I am and where I am going. I have realized that sometimes things get tough. That is when I need to remember to relinquish my heart to God, turn to those who love me and do what I know in my heart is right. It won't always be easy, nor will it be fun, but when I come to the end of the journey I will be glad I took the direction I did.
I hope that rings true.

In other news, I received word today that I will be working the SEC Tournament in two weeks. I cannot tell you how excited I am to have such a great opportunity. Be sure to look for updates in the coming weeks.

Finally, thoughts on Bonnaroo. Yes, I am SERIOUSLY considering going this year. Although I really don't think I will survive the whole "camping at a concert thing," I think the sacrifice will be worth seeing Stevie Wonder, Dave, Jay-Z, KOL and many more. If anyone has any feedback regarding camping or Bonnaroo please send it my way. I can use all I can get!

Until next time, may your days be filled with MAGNOLIAS, BOURBON and ENDLESS JOY!

(Pictures Soon to come...BLOGGER won't upload correctly)

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Final Day at MCL

Written on 2-5-10

Well friends, today is my last day on the job at Music City Legal! I have enjoyed a wonderful year and a half here and worked with the absolute best people. I have grown to appreciate the work family I was given and really understand the statement that some people come in to your life for a reason. I could not have had a better boss to help me during my time in grad school and learning about what it means to be on your own. He has been flexible and understanding, humorous and helpful in every single way. I will always consider him my FAVORITE bossman. I was also granted the pleasure of working with the most wonderful coworkers. Suzy Matthews has become the older sister I always wanted. She is a friend that I cannot say enough wonderful things about. All I can say is that anyone that has the opportunity to be a part of this gal's life will be blessed for YEARS to COME!

I guess I forgot to mention the reason I will be leaving. I have been lucky enough to find a new job in the area that I went to graduate school for. As you know, I got my masters in Sport Administration. After graduating in December, I knew I wanted to stay in the Nashville area but was concerned with the jobs that would be available for me to apply for. I got VERY LUCKY and got a job at the Nashville Super Speedway. I will be working in operations and will have a great opportunity to learn a lot! By no means do I intend to have a career working in NASCAR, or even like it for that matter, but I do know that the skills I can gain from this job are invaluable. On another note, I promised to tell you how everything went in Asheville this weekend. E and I made it out of Nashville just in time to avoid the ice/snow. We had a clear drive to North Carolina and enjoyed our detour of winding mountain roads and flowing streams. Half an hour after we got to Asheville the snow caught up to us...Within an hour, we had a "SITUATION," on our hands. As you can see the visibility at the hotel, looking toward the mountains is not good. Our first night there we attended a jazz concert. The next day we enjoyed a full day at the day spa. I wish I had pictures to share from this, but unfortunately, cameras were not allowed. At one point during the day, E and I were enjoying a nice snowy view of the mountains in the outdoor hot tub when the snow returned and began falling while we were enjoying the warm water. We even had a little fun and braved the ice/snow covered lounge chairs and accepted the challenge of laying on them in our swim suits. It really wasn’t as cold as I thought it would be. It definitely got a lot of laughs and comments from the other hot tub guests. After a relaxing day at the spa we got dressed up and had a delicious dinner at the hotel and enjoyed another great Jazz performance by David Sanborn and John and Bucky Pizzarelli.
On our final morning we were able to enjoy a great breakfast with E’s family and take pictures before we came back to Tennessee. One thing I learned while enjoying breakfast at the Grove Park Inn was that Tabasco in omelets is absolutely fantastic. If you have never tried it, I encourage you to do so! This weekend could not have gone better. I really enjoyed getting to know E’s family and take in the amazing sights, sounds and tastes of the Grove Park Inn. After this weekend my heart is full of even more <3 href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF-50DmqKYuibNBLexAq1vfPC56daZSrgU7IIMagtQAatiSKkHn3SNcBviNcc2GNI_nHqvD3t1ZJlRXK3v37VSElj44p4OWaU5Vx5nSqc4aG8wOcqv2rCNnO7e06-mO8RqkgBpdwvrOys/s1600-h/P1310981.JPG">
I would like to take the time to tell LESLIE NOWLIN Happy Birthday! I am excited to celebrate the big 2-5 with her this weekend! I am looking forward to seeing all the gals and get crazy for this special occasion.
Super Bowl is Sunday (obviously) who do you think will win? I am a Colts fan so I will be there decked out in blue. I am going to keep my fingers crossed for a good game, but with Peyton in the house I am not so sure that will be the case! One thing is for sure, the commercials should be good..oh, and Carrie Underwood is singing the Anthem..what better way to start off the game?! Love her.
Well, unitl next time, may your weekend be filled with MAGNOLIAS, BOURBON and ENDLESS JOY!