Four

Photo: Ginger guarding the presents ... and sleeping on the job. All she does is sleep. :)


I woke up this morning around 10am thinking that I'd just take the day off from working out. After 2 hours of morning tv, I headed back to bed for another hour, and then sat in the living room with my mom for a couple more hours until Ryan started recording our old family VHS tapes to cds. Some of those were pretty funny to watch. One of the tapes was entitled "The Bickerstaff Family 1954-1967" ... which featured a dog jumping on my dad when he was a few weeks old. Haha.


After basically just sitting all day I ended up going to the Wellness Center. My mom was going to do the beginner spin class so I told her I'd join her. So, I went around 3:30pm to swim 3000 yards and then lifted weights. After that it was on to the spin room with my mom. As we were finishing the class, my dad came into the room because he was doing the 6pm spin class. Somehow he convinced me to stay for a SECOND spin class -- and spin classes are never easy. After 4 workouts in 4 hours, I have to say that my body was beat. Luckily my mom had made one of my favorite dinners -- homemade hamburgers, baked beans, and waffle fries! and right now I'm extremely stuffed. I'm curious as to how my body will feel in the morning as my recent workouts have had no intensity to them like the spin class does.

Okay ... back to watching Texas defeat Arizona St.

Sarah :)

Merry Christmas!

Technically I still have about half an hour until it's no longer Christmas. I hope everyone had a blessed holiday!!!

My family and I attended Christmas Eve service last night at 7pm ... it's always nice to see all the people at your home church whome you haven't seen in a year. After that the Bickerstaff tradition is to come home and open presents! We also drink wine, egg nog, and this year's snack was cheese ball! I think everyone got some really nice gifts. I know I loved all of mine!! :) I got a lot of swim stuff, a sweater and another shirt for work, a hand held vacuum, and season 3 of The Office! I had decoupaged some wine bottles for my parents that had a bunch of pictures of our family on them. I like to surprise people with stuff they wouldn't expect. I hope my parents enjoy them... I tried really hard to make the present special.

I got Ryan one of my favorite books of all time "Mere Christianity" by C.S. Lewis. I had read it right out of high school and think it's just an amazing book. It's one of those that after each page you literally have to stop and let the words soak in. My old Pastor in Alva got me hooked on his books. He had given me "The Screwtape Letters" my senior year of high school as a Christmas present and I loved it. I would highly recommend both of those books. In fact, I think I'm going to re-read them soon. I just hope Ryan takes the time to read it. It's hard to shop for him. We see each other about once a year and rarely ever talk -- except for birthdays. I really wish we had a better sibling relationship, but I don't know what else to do at times to make him realize that I'm an okay person. I feel like I've tried and tried but each time I feel like I just fail ... then someone told me once that sometimes you just have to accept another person's behavior and thoughts and realize that it might not be anything you did ... just how that person operates. So, perhaps Ryan doesn't hate me ... perhaps we just operate completely different in life and with people that it's hard for us to get along. At least that's what I have to tell myself so that I don't get sad.

On a happier note, though. I'm really thankful for all the calls, texts, messages, etc that I received today from all my friends. It's so nice to hear from everyone -- even if it's just a simple "Merry Christmas" greeting :)

Oh! and I'm really trying to make it back to Penn State for Blue and White weekend. It's sometime in mid-April and I'm hoping that a ton of my old roomies and alumni friends come back that same weekend. In fact, I probably won't be going unless ya'll come back ... so everyone will have to let me know their plans. A lot has to fall nicely into place in order for me to go --- plane ticket prices are outrageous! So, hopefully it'll all work out and I'll be able to spend a couple days in good ole Happy Valley with some amazing people. :)

Remember the reason for the season.
God Bless,
Sarah :)

Scanner

I really wish my family had a scanner at home. I was looking at pictures from 1985-1988 this evening (2-5 years of age) and basically I have discovered I was a pretty awesome toddler. I should probably confirm that with my parents before I post it to the world, but I just love looking at old pictures. Things I've learned today from pictures:

1. I had no hair on my head until I was 2.
2. I went through a phase where I thought it was awesome to close one eye with my finger in pictures.
3. My corrective shoes had a black stripe.
4. I was scared of our own dog.
5. When I was 5 I was taller than our backyard tree. Now I'm 24 and the treet is about 6 times as tall as me.
6. I loved putting glue on construction paper with a q-tip and then putting packing peanuts on the glue.
7. My mom made some pretty fancy birthday cakes.
8. My brother and I had to wear EXTREMELY BRIGHT ORANGE hoodie jackets when we played outside.
9. I surprised my parents when I was 4 by riding a bike with no training wheels ... when they didn't know I could.
10. There's a picture of me looking 25% alive because I was so sick. It's actually pretty cute -- me with a blotchy, over heating puffy cheek face ... an ice pack on my head .. covered with stuffed animals (because they were the cure for everything) ... and of course a sippy cup. Being 2 and a half or being 24... being sick is the story of my life.
11. My mom liked to include the camera case in numerous photos.
12. At the age of 4 I was a space dragon for Halloween. The pictures look like I was wearing aluminum foil.
13. Even back then I acted silly in half of my pictures.
14. 80% of the furniture in my apartment came from the pictures between 1983-1987.
15. In 1987 I got a ginormous wooden house that my dad built for my little tiny doll toys. I can't think of the name of them right now... but I loved those things! That same Christmas I got my good ole stuffed animal Snoopy. It looked much fluffier and angel white 2 decades ago... it's been loved a lot since then.

And ... there's so more. Every time I come home I have to look at basically all the pictures ever taken in our family.

Home is still going okay. Basically I sleep in, workout, eat, take a nap, workout, watch tv, take pictures of my dog, and catch up with as many people as I can. Tomorrow is Christmas Eve, which for my family means gift opening! And with presents comes egg nog! I gave my parents gifts they would never expect this year so I'm excited to see their reactions.

Merry Christmas Eve-Eve! :)

Sarah

Snow and wind

So, I wasn't planning on leaving Omaha until this morning so I didn't bother packing Thursday night. Well, when I got back from work Friday afternoon, I realized that a blizzard was going to be rolling through NE, KS, and OK. This was around 3:30 as we all left early; however, I was sooooo very sleepy so I knew I had to take a nap before I attempted driving 450 miles. I ended up finally leaving (took me FOREVER to pack my car with all the stuff I needed to bring home) around 6:30pm. Which made for a 1:30am arrival with a bit of speeding involved. ;)

But now I'm here in good ole Alva, Oklahoma. It's snowing with 40mph wind gust. Nothing like home. :) I'll be home for a little over a week and hope to relax and stroll around my little town as much as possible. I'll probably make frequent visits to the Wellness center to workout as well... thank goodness for an indoor pool! (Though I will miss my YMCA for awhile ... love that place.)

I finally finished mailing out all my Christmas cards earlier this week and hopefully everyone will receive theirs before Christmas day. Evidently the mail service gets a little slow this time of year. But, I like to keep in touch with lots of people so hopefully everyone will enjoy their little notes ... and adorable cards this year. :)

Well, I better get to that indoor pool I was speaking of... now that my car isn't filled with snow... I must have accidently hit the window handle when I was taking all my stuff out of my car last night. Luckily my Dad saw it when he got up to run at 8am ... so he cleared off the nice layer of snow in my backseat. lol

Oh! and check out this band...
http://www.myspace.com/oxygeno2
I like.

Sarah :)

Nice

I'm overly nice. I admit it. I like to make people smile. I like to make people feel special. So I try my best.
Some people only try to cheer up those that outwardly look sad. But I know others might need it as well.
I know many times I've been a mess inside but outwardly could present myself as I'm the happiest person on Earth -- partly because I giggle at everything.
I do random things for people. Send them little notes in the mail. Give random things.
Try to put a smile on my face as I pass people. But mostly I like to let people know what they mean to me.

I just finished sending out all my Christmas cards. Most of the people I send cards to are the ones I only might see once or twice a year. So when I'm pulling their name from the address book, I get a chance to sit and reflect about shared memories and how that person has helped me grow to who I am today. And so I like to tell people straight up how meaningful they are to me ... and if they are to me, then they are to the world.

Sometimes I think people think I'm crazy for being so upfront. Maybe it's because most people don't share their thoughts every day... I don't know.
It's like the old lady at Barnes and Noble who always has a million magazines or books on her table in the Starbucks Cafe ... I've never told her this, but I appreciate her presence so much. I believe she might be a bit mentally impaired, but I am greatful on the days that we are there at the same time as she reminds me of how simple life can be and how complicated we tend to make our lives.

Anyways... I just finished my cards and wonder what people feel when they receive that little note. I'll end with one of my favorite quotes of all time:

"I do honestly believe that people enter our lives for a reason. That everyone who we meet, who forms an impression, has something to teach us. Everything that happens to us is an experience, and because of that it can never be bad. An experience can only be good because it all serves to shape the person that we are, the person that we become."

And that is precisely why I'm so very greatful for so many people ... no matter how short their stint in my life might have been.

A big thanks... to everyone.
Sarah

Oh December

Photo: Always in my heart.

Dear December ... you have been a tough one.

I attended my Grandma's burial and then memorial service last week in Kansas. Saddest 2 days of my life. However, I don't think I'm as much sad for her as she is no longer here as I am for all the people she had blessed throughout her life. My Grandpa gave me her wedding band that was built into a necklace. I'm going to wear it with pride. Being in her house was very hard as well ... none of her praying to wake up to, or questions about my life, or her crazy casserole dishes, or her ever so distinctive voice. As I look at her picture on my desk though, I can only be happy that she is up in heaven in perfect peace.

I finished up my Christmas present shopping this past weekend and I only have one or two more Christmas card to send out. My list isn't nearly as long as my Grandma's was (152 people! ... with hand written notes in each one!) but I must admit that I tend to go on and on in my letters and so my hand is kinda getting sore.

My eyes have opened up a bit in life lately and it's hard to take it all in. Some days I can think I have a wonderful life and other days I feel like I'm messing up somewhere. Those of you who know me well know about my struggles ... and somedays are good and some are bad. I guess all I can do is pray about it. There are so many good things in this life on Earth to let certain things get to you.

Anyway, it's been a crazy learning month for me and I guess those come around every once in a while to put us back up on our feet. Check out "Silver Lining" by Rilo Kiley. Pretty sweet song.

Trying to smile ...

Sarah

Rest in Peace Grandma... You're up in Heaven Now

I miss you.

Rachel Bickerstaff

December 11, 1921 - December 7, 2007

Update

Received a card from my Grandpa and Aunt Connie (who is staying with them to help my Grandpa out). My Aunt wrote "... your Grandma wanted to make sure that her Christmas cards got out. I am so glad she keeps good records. Otherwise I'd be in trouble. Now that she is in her own room she made sure the picture you drew [for her] that says "Jesus Loves You" is taped to the wall so she can see it. So between Grandpa and I we're getting her cards out. Wow she knows so many people."

Guess I just wanted to fortify the fact that my Grandma kept in touch with so many people her entire life no matter how little she saw them and no matter if they ever wrote back. I want to be like her.

I need a HUG.

Picture: Christmas Break 2006. Grandma and I were practicing goofy faces for the camera.

Well, a week ago I wrote and was as happy as could be. But then life just started going downhill... I was having high hopes but my Dad called me yesterday to inform me that my Grandma only has a few days left. Below there's a post from my Thanksgiving visit with Grandma.... She was doing much better the next couple of days in ICU and got her breathing tubes out. She even got OUT of ICU. Right now she has an oxygen mask and they inserted the feeding tube again to give her some energy.

My family sent her some balloons on Tuesday and my Grandpa and Aunt said that she smiled and faintly acknowledged the gift, but that she's barely grasping their hands any more when they hold her hand. Carbon dioxide is building up in her lungs and she seems to be slowly slipping away. Today she had a slightly better report which was good to hear but it's hard to accept that when it seems it's just a matter of time. If she continues to fade my Dad will have to make the decision to pull her off life support and let her die a natural death.

I've never really had anyone close to me pass away, especially someone so holy as my Grandma. She was the type of Grandma that when I would visit I would wake up to the sound of her unforgettable voice praying aloud to God to be with her loved ones and ones she didn't know. She gave me my first Bible. When I didn't want to play pinnocle with the rest of the family she would sit and play cribbage with me. She made the best watermelon rolls which I still have yet to attempt to make. She wrote to me every single month once I left home to let me know she loved me and that I was always in her prayers. She would make me crochetted everything. Once she made me a green hat (see pic below) that evidently I wore every night for a summer waking up with a pool of sweat on my head. She seemed more connected to her extended relatives than anyone I've ever known. I gave her a penn state t-shirt my freshman year for Christmas and even though I accidently bought an XL... she still wore it when I would visit to show me she appreciated it. Every time I would visit in college she would always ask if I had a "special friend" which would make me smile because of her curiosity.

My parents stopped in Junction City to visit my dad's parents on their way up to visit me in September. I was surprised to see a sad looking dog my brother and I had named Samuel in my parents' car. It was the stuffed animal Ryan and I would always fight over. Every time I would visit in college my Grandma would always ask me what I wanted of hers (she always had this negative view of how her life seemed to becoming closer to its end that all of us would just chuckle about because she was fine and healthy). I never really wanted anything of hers ... like the china she gave me and other things like that. So I mentioned to her once, that the ONE thing that will forever remind me of her is SAMUEL. She gave Samuel to my parents in September to give to me because (in her negative view) she might not be alive to give it to me. I went down to see her and my Grandpa towards the end of October while my parents were there for my Dad's 35th high school reunion. That was the last time I saw her as a whole... as the Grandma I grew to know...

Her and I watching TV while my parents were at the reunion stuff. Her asking me about my job and me asking her stories from when she was younger. Her putting her little boombox to her ear so she could hear the football game on the radio and all of a sudden hearing "YES!!!" when her team scored. I love that memory. It truely makes me smile.

So when my Dad called yesterday I felt like I should go down there immediately so I could see her one last time. After talking to him awhile though and contemplating it I realized that I don't want that atmosphere to be my last memory of her. I did see her twice over Thanksgiving, with the first time me being a crying mess, but the 2nd time with all of us showing smiles because she looked so much better. So as much as I want to go see her, she might not even know I'm there and I don't know if I can handle that feeling. She knows I love her and that we're all praying for her. I just wonder what she's thinking right now... like if she's wanting all of us there but just can't communicate that. She doesn't have enough energy to talk, yet I know she wants to talk and I just don't want her to go. I only saw her a couple times a year but I like to think it made each visit that much more special.

I feel so sad for Grandma but then I almost feel worse for my Dad who has to make the power of attorney decision, my uncle who is unable to see his own mother, and my Grandpa who calls her "B" and has been married for 62 years to her.

She's alive right now and I am praying for a miracle, but I guess I'm writing all of this now because in a few days I might not ever feel like writing it, and I want the world to know that Rachel Bickerstaff was a pretty damn good and loving Grandma.

So, right now I just need a friend to hug. This is one of those moments when it sucks to live by yourself. A shoulder to cry on or a friendly hug is quite comforting. And right now that's all I want.

Picture: THE green hat that my Grandma made and that I would wear ALL the time.

The Title of My Blog

It says "Always Smiling" ... and that's just what I did for the past 5 hours. So, I thought the world should know...

I think life just got a big tad bit better ... :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mMycfdNdlKA

My life this week started off in the most unwanted way ... and ... well, as my Dad says...
YOU have to MAKE it a good day.

Smile.
Sarah

Make It a Good Day.

The title says it. So does Samuel. That face is to die for. lol :)

The Past Week

Picture: My Grandpa and Grandma Bickerstaff ... with Samuel :)

Well, a lot of things both good and bad have happened over the past week or so. I won't get into all of them but let's just say it's been a bumpy road and I'm glad I can pray about it...

Thanksgiving was really nice. It was great to actually be with my family for Thanksgiving in Kansas City... the first time since 2001! I wasn't able to do the Thanksgiving Day 5K that I had been training for because I was still recovering from my stress fracture, but I was able to stop wearing my walking boot! Ryan got 6th overall I think and my Dad ran a lot faster than he thought he would. Go Family Go! :) While Ryan and Dad were running, my Mom and I walked Ginger around... and accidently let her pee on someone's sweatshirt...Oops! Ginger was quite popular at the race though. She's basically the best dog ever.

My other Grandma -- my Dad's Mom -- got really sick the week of Thanksgiving and had to go to the ICU in Topeka, KS. It was really hard to see my 85 year old Grandma with a breathing tube and being so sedated. There was a bucket of stuff they were draining from her lungs -- they think she has non-infectious tuberculosis. It was sad. I cried lots the first visit but had better spirits for the 2nd. I've been praying a lot and I ask you to do the same. She's the type of Grandma who writes every month to every person in her extended family, no matter if you ever write back, because she wants you to know she loves you. A couple months ago she gave me her stuffed animal named Samuel that my brother and I used to fight over each time we visited her. I love that dog. It really means a lot to me.

It was really hard to be alone when I came back to Omaha on Saturday. Being around so many loved ones and then going back to being by yourself is quite hard. It kind of put me in a "I don't care about anything" mood. Not so good.

I started to feel sick Sunday night -- probably from the lack of sleep over Thanksgiving -- and now it has turned into the full Bickerstaffiosis (as Dr. Jeff calls it). It's my usual sore throat that turns into a nonstop runny nose that will then subside to just draining down my throat and then I'll develop a cough. I've been through this a couple times a year from since I was little so I feel like I'm quite used to it. :)

Other than that, I made a new friend this week which is great, it's Christmas season which is AMAZING!, and I'm going ice skating this weekend outside downtown.

Looking forward to getting a better life...

Sarah

Joe and Lou

Spring 2004 collegiate cycling season:
Basically every weekend for 8 weeks I spent with these 2 guys and Lou's girlfriend in a car driving to cycling races all over the northeast. They had made a cd entitled "Madonna's Like a Prayer x 17" ... yes, 17 repeats. EVERYTIME I hear this song it's all I can think about.

Sometimes... they even danced...

Bar Drink Run Pizza Run

Tracey just reminded me that when ever she's out in downtown State College it reminds her of me running. Because I would ALWAYS run. Everywhere. At night. It was always cold. And I would always end up at Canyon Pizza. And then run home. Sometimes I would ride my bike to the bar and run with my bike home. Probably because it wasn't safe for me to be riding my bike at that time. Always running... and LAUGHING! I always had to laugh when I ran because for some reason I would find it hilarious that I was running and everyone else was walking and that I could potentially beat them home and be warm again sooner. But I would end up stopping, cracking up laughing and trying to catch my breath, run back to my friends and then just repeat. You laughing yet? Just picture it. This is why I miss Penn State and my many friends I made there.

Jimmy Stewart

I have made a goal for myself. To watch every Jimmy Stewart movie...

He's like one of my favorite actors ever. And I love his voice.

Here are some photos of him.So far I've seen:

- It's a Wonderful Life

- Rear Window

- Mr. Smith Goes to Washington

- Harvey

- The Greatest Show on Earth

Evidently the Omaha Public Library has a handful of them ... so yay!

Okay, that's it. Short post. It's my goal.

People

I have 2 friends back at Penn State -- Tracey and Kelly -- who I keep in touch with quite often because somehow we all seem to lead parallel lives -- especially Kelly and I. Kelly and I became great friends last February after we shared our heartache stories that of course were happening at the same time (the whole parallelness thing). We always seemed to make our way to Barnes and Noble (hence why I LOVE that place so much ... so many memories ... both good and bad actually) to "study", which actually usually ended in us talking about life situations and how to deal with them. Awesome friend she is.

Photo: Kelly and I.

Photo: Tracey and I at a "P is for Party Party" i.e. dress up as something that starts with a P (hence me being a penguin and tracey in pajamas).

Well, both of these women have some pretty amazing and enlightening words. I was corresponding with Tracey last weekend about how I hate how people leave our lives when we don't want them to and we have no control over it. She then told me this quote (which actually comes from some poem, but it's still good and made me think):

"People come into our lives for a season, a reason, or a lifetime."

So this really got me thinking and helped to ease my mind of those I may never talk to again. I'm sure whoever is reading this can put people they have met in life in each of these categories.

For me there are people like some past roommates who I probably won't keep in touch with much, but taught me valuable lessons of how to deal with uncooperative people. Or someone in a semester class that always had something interesting and new to say and taught you little bits of information that made you think, but more than likely I'll never see or talk to that person again. Those are the reason people.

I think the reason and season people go kinda together. I have an ex-bf that was in my life for a "season" and 6 months post-ending the relationship (on my accord) he decided that me in his life was over. Of course, I have a problem with this as I never like it when people leave my life. But I can think of it as he was in my life for a set amount of time to teach me a set amount of things and that was his sole purpose for me. Being in contact now would probably do us both no good at all ... so I guess that's where contact ends ... when your need for each other ends for both people. I also had a person come into my life this past spring... just somewhat of a friend who I met in a class. After my above said "heartache" I needed to be around a completely new set of people and this person provided that. Over time I'm sure our contact will fade, but I'm the type of person who will feel forever indebt and forever thankful for this type of person because they came in just when I needed them -- without them even knowing how they were helping me.

And then there are the lifetime people ... like Tracey and Kelly. They are in my life for many seasons and for many reasons but there's also a bond there that will keep them in my life forever. These are the people I treasure the most. You are constantly learning from them and can always depend on them to be there for you ... no matter how far the distance. Like my best buddy from college -- Jeff --- who I've known since the 2nd week of my freshman year of college. He was always there for me at Penn State and even after he graduated he still let me come home to his family for Thanksgiving in Baltimore when I couldn't be with mine. I know I can call good ole Dr. Jeff up for anything (and usually medicial stuff ... cause he will be a doctor eventually ;) ). I like to think I'm just giving him extra practice with all of my injuries and illnesses. So I'm extra thankful for the lifetime people. I know they'll never leave, and even if we are out of contact for awhile, I know in time we'll be back in contact like no time had ever past.

I love these people. :)

So to the reason, season, and especially the lifetime people... thanks for being in my life -- no matter how you affected it ... you were in it for a purpose. And for that, I can only treasure you.

Chocolate and Bananas

I have an addiction to slim fast chocolate shakes. They are delicious. You mix it with milk and ice and you have one heck of a healthy treat! Sometimes I even put in a banana and get even MORE healthiness going on. I also like rum on occasion. So last night I didn't have anything to mix my rum in ... and then I thought, "If I can put bananas in my slim fast shakes, then why can't I replace the bananas with Banana Rum?"

So I did. About 2-3 shots of rum + filling the rest of the 8 ounces with milk + about half a scoop of shake mix + 2 handfuls of ice = AWESOME.

End of Rum Banana Slim Fast story.

The Weekend

My weekend wasn't very eventful ... productive, but not eventful. I like to get lots of stuff done on the weekends which I've been pretty good at lately. I pay all my bills, clean, swim, go to church, watch football, sleep in, and basically organize everything that became unorganized over the week. Yeah, real world is cool like that. This weekend I spent lots of time at my second home -- Barnes and Noble -- LOVE that place! Saturday I got a Peppermint Mocha around 4pm before church, and I was completely wired until about 1am. It had 2 espressos mixed in it... not such a good idea. I had really wanted to go out and do something Saturday because I had so much caffeinated energy but everyone seemed to be out of town or busy. Bummer.

I've decided that weekends are a bit weird in the real world when you're living by yourself. You have to make your own structure to the day and make a huge effort to socialize with the rest of society. I was wondering this weekend how my other friends are handling it after graduation... then I realized that I'm kinda singled out when it comes to my situation. That is, all my friends went to grad school, or living with their parents while working, or followed their significant other, or live so close back to Penn State that they have mini reunions with their college friends a couple times a month. As for me, I seem to be on a completely different road. Moved to a place where I didn't know a single person, living by myself, home is 450 miles away, penn state is 1000 miles away, and I'm not constantly surrounded by 40,000 other people my age. I'm surrounded by engaged friends and women who are married with children. I love these people, of course, but when it comes to finding someone in your same situation... that's where life becomes hard. I really do like Omaha, though... I think it just takes a little longer to adjust to a life where you feel like you're by yourself. Life isn't as much handed to me now ... I have to create it.

But anyways, this weekend was one of those when I wish I had a roommate. Nothing too much to look forward to this week ... I'm hoping for lots of good stories from work though. There's always something crazy going on there.

Smile at the next person you see -- no matter who they are. You just might make a person's day.

Fun Day at ConAgra

Photo: Atul giving his acceptance speech in front of the turkey plastered door of Al Bolles.

Photo: Al presenting the turkey to Atul. (Notice the turkey in Al's hand.)

Once a month the Refrigerated Group (egg beaters, reddi-wip, snack pack pudding, swiss miss pudding, and swiss miss cocoa) has a Fun Day. Jen and I are in charge of organizing each month's fun day and this month's was awesome. Well, as awesome as it can get for a Fun Day with coworkers ...some of which we are FORCED to have fun with.

So Jen and I collaborated on some ideas and settled on eating pizza from Zio's, playing Cranium (teams of which Jen and I cleverly picked. haha), and making turkeys! Originally, we were to make turkeys out of our hands and feet (see example). For the people not from the U.S.A., who may not have made one of these in grade school, I quickly made one as an example because at the beginning of the Fun Day Jen and I had to run to go get the pizza. So, we left the group with the instructions and left them all of the supplies. To our surprise, when we came back everyone had pretty much made their own spin on the craft. My fav was David's turkey feathers made of circles which ended up looking like the turkey had a bunch of balloons onto it and was floating away -- he called it "abstract art". Jen's was also pretty awesome and had a country kick to it. :)

We then announced that there would be a special award (homemade turkey craft by Jen made from aluminum foil, packing peanuts, toothpicks, and reddi-wip caps) ... and inspired by The Office. After everyone was nearly finished we then informed the group that the Official Judge would be Al Bolles (Executive VP of RQI who reports directly to the CEO of ConAgra). Al wasn't aware he was going to be judging the turkeys, but we talked to his administrative assistant (Karen) and she said we had about 10 minutes to hang all the turkeys on the door before Al came back from a meeting. We watched him walk into his office without even noticing all of the turkeys on his door (haha). He then came out once he looked up from his desk. We then informed him that we would NOT be taking down the turkeys until he chose the winner. He picked Atul's turkey so Jen and I quickly decided that Al should officially present the homemade turkey prize to Atul in front of the group. So, we gathered everyone up, into Al Bolles' office and had the presentation.

Okay, so after writing all of this out, it doesn't seem like all that great of a story, but I guess you had to be there and being in charge of all of the craziness was quite the accomplishment. haha. I guess it also helps to understand the type of personality of the people in our group... and the hilariousness of trying to play board games with them. haha. Anyways, the pictures above give a glimpse of the fun.

Enjoy ... it's the weekend!

Flu Shots with the CEO of ConAgra

We didn't have too many comments on Mr. P.C. today, but Kerstin (see previous post) did dress rather nicely with a skirt and high boots for Hump Day. Haha. Jen and I got lost going to Corporate storage for my shelf life testing of some pudding. We missed the turn and ended up in the worst part of town. When I started noticing street signs that I had hear on the local news, I knew we should probably find the road we needed to be on.

Today I was also in charge of arranging our monthly Fun Day, which happens to be this Friday. It more or less becomes "forced fun day" as it's hard to have your regular type of fun (the fun we have each day in the lab) when people who aren't so much fun are also celebrating "fun day" with you. But for this Friday for 2 hours at work, we're playing Cranium, eating pizza, and making hand/foot turkeys out of construction paper. Yeah, ConAgra's Dairy group is cool like that. I'm excited that I actually get paid for making turkeys and playing games. Cool job, eh?

The past three weeks I've been pretty good at waking up and swimming at the Y before work. In order to do this, though, I basically need to be asleep around 1opm and that just hasn't been happening this week. Otherwise I'll probably just get sick from a lack of sleep, so this week I've been going straight to the pool after work. Today there was a college lady getting into the pool who wasn't very nice to me ... she also jumped into the lane that I was JUST about to put my stuff down in. Argh! But, I don't like that lane anyway (yes, I do have a favorite lane even though it's all in the same water), so I brushed it off my shoulder pretty quickly. I did descending sets today -- 500, 400, 300, 300, 100 in 7:32, 6:00, 4:25, 2:55, and 1:24 ...all with 30sec inbetween. For only my 4th week of swimming I was pleased with those times AND I swam the furthest this season (3400 yards :)).

My arm still hurts from my flu shot yesterday. Everyone with insurance at ConAgra gets a free flu shot, and out of the 1500 people who work downtown, I just happened to be getting my shot at the same time as Gary Rodkin -- aka CEO of ConAgra. We're close buddies now. First a pool party at the COO's house and now flu shots with the CEO. I'm moving up rather quickly. HAHA

I was bummed that the CMT awards were on tonight ... took away my fav Wednesday night shows. Haha. Tomorrow should be a fun evening -- typical Thursday evening with Jen watching The Office. Best show ever, no doubt.

On a completely different note, I read an article today about some school taking away the game "Tag" from schools because kids could get hurt playing. Geezums!!! No wonder the little kids these days are obese. They are taught that the only safe place is sitting on a chair doing nothing. Well, I'm full proof that you can get hurt doing absolutely anything. I've never been hurt playing tag, but I'm pretty good at smashing my fingers in my guitar case and falling going upstairs at work ... anyways, I just thought that was crazy.

Smile like you mean it. :)