Finals - UGH!

Why didn't someone remind me when I decided to go back to school that I would have to take finals?  I somehow didn't think about that.  I have been working on my finals for the semester all week.  I felt cramped working at my desk at home so I moved to the kitchen table.  Those of you that know me well know that I don't like a messy house.  My kitchen table has looked like this for days and it is driving me crazy.  Two finals done.. two to go!!  I am so excited to be done!!

Crossing the Chasm: Marketing and Selling High-Tech Products to Mainstream Customers by Geoffrey A. Moore

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was assigned to read this book in my Strategic Decision Making class for my MBA.  It is a good book.  I thought I would be bored to tears but I wasn't.  The opening chapter of the book is "If Bill Gates can be a billionare, why can't I?"  Well, why can't I?  This book will help you learn how to strategically market your business and helps you understand why some businesses work and why others do not.  The book actually contains some pretty unique and understandable theories. 



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Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays.  Maybe all of the holidays are my favorite but I particularly love this one.  I love making and enjoying amazing food.  This year I made Cranberry Sauce, Lion House Rolls, and Seven Layer Salad. I love spending time with my family.  This year at my sister Colette's house, with my parents, my sister Monica and many of my nieces and nephews. I love wearing stretchy pants, laying on the couch and watching football.  This year we watched Texas vs. Texas A&M, LSU vs. Arkansas and Florida vs. Florida State. And I love thinking and reminiscing about all of the things that make me thankful.  My life, my health, my family, my home, my education, my Charlie, my work, my testimony of a loving Heavenly Father. I hope all of you had a grateful, blessed Thanksgiving Day.  I hope that all of us remaining thankful for all of our bounteous blessings and the gifts we have been given.  HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Breaking Dawn

I saw Breaking Dawn part I with my sister Monica while we were in Portland trying to find a house for her to rent.  It was okay.  It felt more like a cheesy vampire movie to me than the other Twilight movies that I loved. They spent a lot of time setting up the story so, I felt like it was slow in a lot of parts.  I am looking forward to part II.  I have to admit I'm quite excited to see Bella as a vampire.

Who's Counting??

I recently started working on my master's degree.  I wasn't sure what to expect.  I thought it would take some extra time and was prepared to spend a decent amount of time studying.  Ya, well, I spend a lot of time studying.  More than I expected.  Which, is okay because I am learning and want to push myself to do good.  The bad thing about all the studying is that my social life is suffering.  A friend called me on a Friday night to see if I wanted to go to a movie.  I love going to movies and a few months ago I would have said, yes, absolutely but this time I said, "Um, call me again in 19 months and we'll be friends and go to a movie?"  He laughed in my face and said, "Are you serious?" I said, "Ya, I am. Sorry, I have so much to do for school."  In lieu of this story, I decided to make a paper chain to count down when I finish my degree.  My darling neices colored all the papers for me.  Eighteen of them, one for each month until I finish.  But, who's counting???

Before and After

Before

 After

I had been growing out my hair for over a year.  A few months ago I decided to cut it.  I generally have short hair so I didn't think it would be a big deal and was looking forward to a change.  I miss having longer hair.  So, it's back to growing it out again...

Go Gators!!

I have been watching the Florida Gators for about 5 years.  I started watching the Gators when Tim Tebow as a sophomore and won the Heisman Trophy.  I was hooked!  I have wanted to go to a game every since.  I had to be in Baton Rouge for work at the beginning of October.  It was the same weekend the Gators played LSU!  A group of us from work went to the game.  It was so much fun!  Although we were in Baton Rouge and the stadium was filled with purple and yellow, I loved being at the game! My goal now is to go to a home game in the SWAMP!  Go Gators!!

Happy Harvest

I feel very proud of the fruit my back yard produced this year.  I am still having issues with my cherries and them getting worms.  Although, I had them sprayed this year they were still infected.  I was worried about the other fruit in my yard as well but everything else did wonderfully. 

My parents came down a few weeks ago.  We picked grapes, plums and pears.  I got the biggest bushel of grapes I've ever had.  I feel like they would win the at the state fair.  I was very proud.  My mom, bless her soul has spent countless canning it all.  Juice, jams, jellies, syrup and more.  She is amazing.  I'm so grateful for the happy harvest I had this year.  Yummy!!!

Agua?

I have kind of a big crush on the REAL soccer defender Jamison Olave.  He is from Columbia and I think he is a tremendous athlete and very good looking. (Wink!)  When I heard about the REAL meet the team day set for the end of August I got so excited because I knew I would have an opportunity to meet my crush.... Olave.

It was the first time I had gone to meet the team day for the REAL.  I was excited an anticipated a great exchange with my favorite player.  I have met famous people before and to be honest I get kind of dumb when that happens.  I get a little star struck and mix up my words and say not the most intelligent things.

I had prepared myself all day for the big meeting of Olave.  I felt like the meeting was going to go well.  As my turn came to get my poster sign and talk to my favorite player, he turned to his teammate, Javier Morales and started talking to him in Spanish about water.  Although I don't speak Spanish well I do understand it because of the Portuguese I know.  Olave was asking Morales for some water or vice versa I don't remember but the boys were talking about water.  After their conversation was over Olave turned to me and smiled and I said, "Agua?" ....  That's it.  That is all I said.  Nothing else not even anything like do you want water or do you need a drink of agua, do you like agua, nope just plan old one word Agua.  Haha!  He just looked at me and kind of grinned and said uh, ya.  I turned away I was so embarrassed, there was nothing else I could do.

My hopes and dreams of a spectacular meeting where destroyed in the moment when I got dumb and said, "agua" to the soccer player of my dreams.  What is a girl to do?  I get dumb when I meet famous people.  No more famous people meeting for me its way to embarrassing and I can't take feeling dumb when I meet them.   Hahah!  Agua, anyone?

Project Baby Jonas

The company I work for has an affiliated charity that helps children with illnesses.  The name of the charity is Reliance Foundation.  A particular family contacted the Foundation about helping them purchase a head stone for their 3 year old son, Jonas, who died of Spinal Muscular Atrophy.  The disease is a condition that weaknesses the muscles in a persons body.  Some of the first muscles to atrophy are the neck muscles.  This makes it so the baby can't swallow so they have to get a feeding tube.  This also makes it so they can't hold up their own head.  Eventually everything just shuts down.  The life expectancy, I believe is supposed to be two years.  I'm not 100 % sure about that.

As I heard the story of Baby Jonas I was so sad.  I was talking with the executive director of the Foundation one day and she was explaining the need to help raise the money for a headstone for Baby Jonas.  I told her I would love to help and offered to have a yard sale at my place.  The executive director's kids were so great to help organize, advertise and work at the yard sale.  We made all of the money we needed plus a little extra.

We asked people to make donations of items for the sale.  My garage was full of things people brought to donate.  People were also very generous with the cash they gave.  It was a great day to remember the words of the hymn... "Because I have been given much I too must give." I hope to have many more opportunities to help special people like sweet little Baby Jonas.

The Conspirator

This movie was released on April 15th.  It is true story about the involvement of several people in the assassination of president Abraham Lincoln.  The story is fascinating.  I had know idea these people were every involved.  Not wanting to spoil the movie if you don't know the story, I am not going to tell you more. It is a good movie.  Intense, interesting and emotion provoking.  I liked it very much.

A 13.1 mile party in the Street

In January, my sister, Colette and I talked each other into running a half-marathon.  The half-marathon we choose was the inaugural Morgan Valley Marathon.  We both thought it would be great to run in our home town.  A place we know and love.

The race was scheduled for July 31st.  I started training in mid-April for the run.  I ran sprints, did running intervals, went for some longer runners, worked out hard with my trainer, pushed my self to do many things I never thought I could do.

I don't consider myself to be a runner and I don't really like it very much either, but I have always wanted to say I ran a race that was more than a 5k.  As I the day of the was approaching Colette and I both realized the race course was going to be a bit of a challenge.  Within the first 1/4 mile of the race you go up a hill.  The course continues to wind through the foothills of Morgan, climbing for the next 7 miles.  I was scared.  I hate hills.  I live in the hills and I run on as many parallel roads as I can find.

Rather than getting my self nervous and full of anxiety I decided to mentally prepare myself for the hills and the course.  I told myself that if I had to walk up the hills it would be okay.  There is no shame in walking.  I learned that if I let myself have a good time.. what I like to call "a party in the street" while running I will be fine.

I broke the course out into 4 sections in my mind.  I would focus on making it to the Morgan Cemetary.  That is where the really hilly part would start.  The end of the hills would be a the Porterville Church so my next goal was to make it there.  After the Porterville church I would start to go down hill and made my next focus point the Y at Young Street.  After I made it to Young Street all I had to do was make it home.

During my training I kept telling myself, I am going to run a half-marathon.  I can do hard things.  I will accomplish my goal.  I will be energized and have fun and enjoy every moment. I learned to run with Quench Gum and my own water.  Before I started the race I had chocolate PowerBar energy blasts. At about mile 9 I would refuel with a PowerBar and some Gatorade.  I also packed some Raspberry Gummy Energy Chews.  The most important thing for my party in the street was my 4 hours and 11 minutes worth of music.  I would start it out loud and strong and keep it pumping.

I was very excited the day of the race and was ready to get started.  I had all of my plans intact and ready.  The gun was fired and I started to run.. my music was really loud.  I made it to the Morgan Cemetary in no time and felt great.  I was surprised I felt so energized.  The next thing I knew I was at the Porterville Church.  I felt like I was cruising.  I seriously still felt really great!

About a mile after the church my iPod started freezing.  That put a little damper on my excitement and good feeling but I just kept running.  When a song with a good beat would come on I would pump my arms and sing along.  I am sure some of the other runners thought I was crazy.  By about mile number 11 I started to get tired and wanted to be done.  I didn't look over the end of the course very well so I was surprised that we had to run behind the high school on a river side trail.  At this point my legs really started hurting.  After I made it off the trail I knew I only had a mile left to run and knew I could do it.  The last mile wasn't bad.  By the time I could see the finish line I felt energized again.

As I came across the finish line it was so fun to have most of my family there.  They were all cheering Go Annie! Go Annie! and pumping their arms like I did while I was running in the street.  It was an amazing experience to be done.  I hugged my sister Colette and said we just ran a half-marathon.  Remember how we did that.  I was great!  I will do it again.  Maybe?  Someday? Who knows?  I have some other things I  am trying to concentrate on right now but what I do know form my 13.1 mile party in the street is that I can do hard things!!!