Monday, March 28, 2011

First Timer

There's a first time for everything, right?

Spring Break 2011 was spent with a lot of "firsts." Like my first business trip. Alone. To Des Moines for a 2-day insurance class. On Wednesday, I packed my suitcase and took off on Highway 20. I made it (without getting lost, thanks to my Garmin) in roughly two hours. I checked into my hotel and went up to Room 213. (I'm apologizing now for the poor pictures.)
After checking things out, calling Mom & Dad to let them know I'd arrived, I quickly became bored. Luckily I was just 1.59 miles from Jordan Creek Town Center. For probably the first time ever, I didn't find much, granted I purposely "missed" a few stores. After a good two hours of shopping, I decided to get some dinner at Champps. Alone. I've never eaten at a sit-down restaurant completely by myself. And you know what? It wasn't bad at all. Except for the slightly confused look I got from the hostess when I replied "just one." I enjoyed sitting at a high-top table, watching the First Four of the NCAA Men's Tournament and sipping a Woodchuck while waiting for my dinner...which was a cheeseburger. Like my Dad said, "imagine that." 
Day 1 of my "vacation" was spent in a meeting room at the hotel studying insurance terms like umbrellas and blankets. Besides an hour lunch break, I sat in the same chair for roughly 8.5 hours, drinking Orange Tea, water, or Pepsi, sucking on peppermints, taking notes and highlighting what Steve focused on, and making small-talk with my fellow classmates. Thursday night (St. Patrick's Day), I got Cheesecake Factory To-Go and relaxed in my room. Sadly, I missed Jersey Shore as the TV didn't have MTV.
I decided on Four-Cheese Pasta and of course, a piece of cheesecake.


I got to sleep in on Friday since I didn't have class until 1:00. Of course, I didn't sleep well Wednesday night when I had to be up by 6am, but I sleep like a rock when I don't need to set my alarm. Luckily, check out wasn't until noon, so after sleeping in I made it down to breakfast for the last ten minutes it was open. I didn't eat too much since I wanted to make sure I had a good lunch - hey, when work is paying for it, why not? :) I went back out to Jordan Creek and ate at Joe's Crab Shack. We ended up getting out of class about 5 minutes early, so I was able to be out and on the road by 5:30. Again, I didn't get lost!



Thursday, March 3, 2011

Baby Clothes and Sick Days

I can't focus on one thing to write about, but I'm determined to write about something, so I guess I'll continue on with My Little Things.

2. Baby Clothes. 

These really are little things, and since my best friend/cousin/roommate has little Taysen in her belly, well, I've had more than an excuse to do some serious shopping.

 

Now, my trips to Target aren't complete without making a stop to the baby section, even though by now I have memorized where everything is located, and what the Cedar Falls Target has that Waterloo doesn't. During my upcoming visit to Des Moines, where I'll be staying just a few blocks from Jordan Creek Mall, I plan to carve out some time to check out Baby Gap...this could be trouble. Expect to see more rambling and photos about this subject. :)


3. Sick Days.

A good, true sick day is spent in bed or on the couch, in your sweats, with your dirty hair in a messy ponytail. A sick day should mostly be spent sleeping, if at all possible. A sick day should not be spent worrying about anything work-related. Forget about your meetings and deadlines, turn off the laptop, and put the BlackBerry on silent. There is a reason it is called a sick day. It means you need to relax. This afternoon is my "sick day." I am laying on the couch in my sweats and my dirty hair is up, but I'm not sleeping...yet. After having a fever at work this morning, which was established by my sweating in the bathroom and five minutes later having goosebumps at my desk, I decided to take a little break from life and go home.

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

Hello, March

Today, there is something different about it being a new month but I can't quite put my finger on it. 100 days left at John Deere. 49 days until Jami's due date. I'm hoping Taysen comes sooner than that...my money is on April 8th. :)

March is a lot of things. A day closer to spring. Daylight Savings - "Spring Ahead." St. Patrick's Day. The month I finally begin my final term of college; this Super Senior is almost there! Spring Break. A trip to Des Moines to spend two days (during Spring Break) in a classroom learning insurance. A trip to Coralville four days later to see how much I learned and hopefully pass my personal lines insurance test. Spring training. March Madness. A lot brighter than February and I am ready.