Busy Week

This week is certainly a busy week. On the work side of life: myself and another co-worker (who started the same day I did) are part of the county's efforts to save money and avoid layoffs and as a result are being redistributed downstairs?. We start Monday, yet we have no idea where, what, for whom and how. So, I'm using this week to tie up any loose ends (make sure files are closed in the system and filed away; organized my open files & in general, cleaning & organizing my desk/office) so that everything is in order come Monday.

On the personal side of life: I finally get my cyst removed tomorrow (on my lunch hour no less!). The doctor better not waste my time tomorrow (last time I had to wait 20 minutes just for him to come in, I could've had it out last time)...Can you feel my frustration?! Poo on specialists!
Bella goes to the vet Friday to find out if her mange has healed or if we have to continue with the needle/suringe routine. My hope is that it hasn't gotten worse....

This weekend = Chicago with Brent. Our flight leaves at 6am Saturday morning for Chicago. We take a turbo plane from Chicago to Champaign (Did you know the University of Illinois has its own airport?!). There's a reception and a basketball game where the school will recognize the players at halftime and then apparently, the party begins! I am really excited, and happy to be apart of this aspect of Brent's life...but I'm NERVOUS! For one thing, I'm the world's worst packer--even for overnight visits + we're flying and there are rules involved. Like, I thought, 'I can pack it all in one suitcase and then I can just take it with me and not have to check it.' Then Brent tells me that the type of plane we take from Chicago, they don't allow luggage in the plane, you only get your purse and coat. Yikes! AND the other thing...I'm meeting his family (parents, brother, sister-in-law, etc.)...I'm nervous! Wish me luck!! :)

P.S. Props to the ECU Baseball team for sweeping Monmouth last weekend on the opening weekend of NCAA Division I play. :) YAY PIRATES!

Valentine's Day

This year was different than others in recent years past because I had a valentine. Brent sent me a beautiful bouquet of flowers (white daisy mums and pink roses--see above) at work. I was the only one to get flowers. :) Bella and I drove up to Hickory Friday night. Brent made a fire and we sat outside, sipping some mixed beverages while Bella had a hayday (haynight?) with the number of logs/sticks/twigs at her disposal; which, also provided us with nonstop laughter. Side story: Bella loves big sticks (ones that are much longer than she is). At one point, she tried to bring her "stick" (really a tree limb) into the house. She was coming in, but had the stick in her mouth so she rammed into the house with the stick. Priceless.

Saturday night, Brent came back from his game around 6:30 and surprised me with 8:30 reservations at Table 220, downtown. He was sneaky...He picked up flowers and took them to the restaurant to be put on the table before we arrived. Very sweet! :) After dinner, we stepped next door to the Tap Room for a couple brews before heading back to the house. Sunday, he had a game & I cleaned up the house a bit (since Bella's shedding like a beast!) before we ate lunch. Unfortunately, I didn't feel too great afterwards. He was very sweet and ran out for ginger ale and 7up. I stayed Sunday night too and got up in the wee hours Monday to drive back to Charlotte for work.

It was a great Valentine's Weekend up until Sunday night...even though Sunday night was still great since I got to spend more time with him. :) Sounds like everyone else had great Vday weekends too!

Next up: Cyst Removal (FINALLY!!) on Wednesday 2/25; NCISAA Basketball Championships @ Charlotte Country Day (Ravenscroft reunion?) 2/26; Bella to Banfield 2/27 to find out if she still has mange (even though she sure does love her drugs!)..& Chicago on Saturday 2/28! :)

NEWS!

Thursday night...

Brent asked me to fly out with him at the end of the month to Champaign, IL for his induction to the Parkland College's Hall of Fame. His team, in 2002, was the NJCAA National Champs and is being inducted that weekend. Even though it is a quick trip, it is a BIG deal because it involves meeting his parents and other members of his family. Eek! But, I am so excited! So, at the end of the month, I'll be on a plane to Chicago! :)

Vacation

Happy 66th Birthday to dear old Dad!

Today/tonight, Brent is coming to Charlotte to hang out with me since his class was cancelled and I won't be around this weekend. I'm thinking of asking Brent to be my valentine. How cheesy but fun! <3

Apparently we both have things to share/ask/say to each other. I'm trying to be patient, but I want to know! ;)

I am taking Friday and Monday off from work for a much needed break. I feel like I'm a short fuse lately at the office and need to get away and relax. So, Bella and I are headed to Raleigh! I'm getting my eyebrows waxed Saturday morning and making a much needed visit to the dentist on Monday. The intent of the visit is also to help my mom with the house and to purge in my room too...and there will probably be some mother-daughter shopping time squeezed in there too. :)

Hope everyone has a great weekend! See you next week!

p.s. Bella graduated from her intermediate class last night! Whoop-whoop! :)

Drawings

Yesterday I submitted my drawings for the ordinance amendments. They are quite similar to the examples from the Harrisburg UDO but I did draw mine by hand. (They are a little skewd because I adjusted the sizes just a tad. And, they are VERY basic but I guess I have to start somewhere with the county, eh?!) What do you think?

Weekend Update

Friday afternoon, I drove to Hickory to eat lunch with Brent. He gave me a quick tour of the LR campus before we hit Panera. That was the extent of the visit. I was there about an hour (I had planned to leave Charlotte earlier..but the morning got away from me). It was short, but definitely sweet. I don't want to jinx myself, but I think there might be some potential with this one.

While I was gone, I think Bella figured out where I was and acted out her jealousy. She pulled my cushion off the keyboard and ripped off the 8 covered buttons (it was a tufted cushion from Anthropologie). I was okay with that..but while I was cleaning (my sister was coming!), I turned around to find she had gnawed on one of my dining chairs. To say she was lucky to already be in her crate, is an understatement because that is most certainly where she would have been..with no toys! It was decided that whenever I went to see Brent, she'd be with me or in her crate.

My sister came into town that night. We got Chinese and watched...? I don't remember. We were both pretty tired and conked out around midnight. Saturday, we went to the Mint Museum to see the Warhol and Couture exhibitions; dinner with Leah at Bourdeaux's in NoDa and then to a theatre on Park to see Slumdog Millionaire. That's the first movie I've gone to see in over a year. But it was a good pick. It was definitely a dramatic comedy..I'd highly recommend it. Paige left about 1:30 on Sunday.

For the rest of my Sunday, I drove back to Hickory because it was their season opener double-header. We didn't get up there til just after the second game began. I took B and she loved it...although she would've loved it more if I'd have let her off her leash. ;) We waited for Brent after the game and then went back to his house to drop off B before going to dinner. I left around 9:45. I woke up to the remains of the baseball Brent had given Bella. While I was sleeping, she was dismantling the ball on the bed, on the floor, under the bed.... ;)

All in all, a pretty great weekend. Hope everyone had a great one too.