Living in Fast Forward...

Is it just me, or did it seem like yesterday we were celebrating the new year? Can someone please tell me what's happened to the first half of 2010?

My, my, my...my Key Lime Pie

I can hardly contain myself...in 10 days Jessica, David & I will be on our way to Orlando...in 11 days, the 3 of us, along with Allyson and Dave will FINALLY be on our way to KEY WEST!

I'm actually looking forward to this view

Key West has been on my "vacation" list for quite some time...I can't believe it's taken me this long to make the trip, but I have a feeling it will be awesome. We've all been working a lot lately...I know I'm ready to tell the daily grind where to stick it!!

We booked an afternoon snorkel adventure the second day of the trip. I'm normally not a big fish person, but it's named "Reef & Rita's". Come on, how can you go wrong with something like that?

Wonder how much key lime pie I can stuff in my suitcase on my return trip?

Just one of those days...

Ever have one of those "what in the heck" kind of days? Apparently that's the kind of day I had today. We were having a breakfast meeting this morning...all of our "office" business had been discussed, so we were just chatting about a bunch of random stuff. Then out of no where one of my team member's said, "So and so on the other team was mad at you last week...they told me they could never work for you..."

Hello, what? Are we in the 1st grade? #1 my buddy was out of town last week, so I not only had to manage my team, but his as well. #2 both individuals are older than I am...why the need for a grade school comment?

I'm not going to lie, it took me by surprise and hurt my feelings. I've always tried to be fair and provide equal attention to my buddy's team when he's out.

Here's the kicker...the reason that person was upset with me...apparently he was trying to turn in his time sheet and instead of me taking it from him, I just pointed to my inbox, where the rest of the time sheets were sitting...waiting for me to approve and sign.

Was I supposed to stop what I was doing and check and approve his right then and there?

Don't get me wrong, I work with good people, but I don't think all of them realize what it's like to be in my or my buddy's shoes. We each have 7 individuals to manage, and all have very different personalities. At times I don't think they understand there's only one team leader to help the 7 of them.

I know there are individuals on both teams that would like to take on more of a leadership role, but we're hampered on the kind of tasks we can hand off. Hopefully we can change some of that, but until then, I guess I need to develop a thicker skin and let some of those silly comments roll off my back.

Not too bad...

...my vision, that is.

I hate going to the doctor...of any kind. The eye doctor is no different, but I'm in need of some new glasses & I haven't had an eye exam is what seems like forever.

Luckily, Clancy Optical is two blocks from my office and several of my co-workers were pleased with their visits, so I decided I'd give it a shot.

Let me tell you, this was the best exam ever...I got everything done on my lunch break, in less than 45 minutes. My small accomplishment of the day was surviving the eye drops that were splashed in my eyeballs. And my vision hasn't gotten any worse over the last several years.

The doctor & staff were super cool & nice...it reminded me of a little Mom & Pop shop & I would recommend them to any one who needed an exam or new glasses or contacts.

The new glasses should arrive before I head to the Keys...

I want to cut my hair...

...but I don't want to waste it.

Did I lose you? Let me explain...my hair is extremely thick & heavy...not to mention a very, very dark brown. It basically traps the heat in the summer and likes to make my life miserable.

When I was in college, I donated 14 inches of my hair to Locks of Love. A non-profit organization that works to provide hairpieces to financially disadvantaged children who suffer from long-term medical hair loss.

Cancer has touched my family more times than I'd like to remember, but the one thing I remember about my aunt and my cousin during their battle was the wigs they bought. It made them feel good about themselves and give them a sense of normalcy. It's the little things we take for granted that can make all the difference in the world to someone else.

Locks of Love not only provides hairpieces to children who suffer from cancer, but alopecia, an auto-immune disease that causes hair follicles to shut down, as well.

The last time I donated my hair was November of 2008. I think it was 12 inches long at the time. If I had to guess, I'd say I have a few more inches to go before I can donate again. I made a promise to myself a long time ago...as long as I had the hair to donate, I'd do it. Guess I should stop complaining about how hot or heavy it is and think how happy and confident it could make someone else.

So, if you hear me complaining about its weight....please remind me to think about the "big picture"...

Pre-donation in 2008

Happy Father's Day!!

My home, away from home...

Two words...Las Vegas...

OK, maybe I need to find another place to vacation...a co-worker always insists I have too much PTO time...or that I go to Vegas to shop like most people go to Five Oaks to shop. But there is a reason behind the madness. The reason I go so often is so I can see my grandparents. No, they don't live in Vegas...they still live in Hawaii. But it's cheaper for us to meet half way. Besides, they still like going to Vegas or "go Vegas" as they say back home.

I can't even tell you why I like going out there so much...it just feels comfortable. Have I thought about moving, heck yes. Could I do it....no way. The novelty would wear off real quick.

But my most recent trip had nothing to do with my grandparents...it had everything to do with Kenny Chesney. Yes, East Tennessee native, Kenny Chesney who hasn't played a real concert in Knoxville in forever. And yes, I'm still bitter that I missed his show in Neyland Stadium a few years ago....and yes, I missed it because I was in Vegas. Argh!!

This past May, my Mom and I flew out to Sin City for his show at The Joint at the Hard Rock. I'm so lucky my Mom's so cool & that we get along so well. When I found out he doing a mini-tour and Vegas was a stop...there was no hesitation. I had to be there. So I called my Mom and asked if she wanted to see him too. Well, that was a no brainer...I only had 2 requests for her, "#1 can you stand up for an extended period of time & #2 can you not complain when we have to stand for an extended period of time..." Luckily, she answered "yes" to both questions...so it was a done deal...we were heading half way across the county to see Kenny.

he following photos are a little fuzzy, but I couldn't help it...he kept moving!!

Now, this wasn't the first time we thought about flying to Vegas to see Kenny. We actually had a hotel booked a few years ago, but I think it was in the middle of football season and I couldn't bring myself to miss a Vols home game. While I love my Kenny...my love of football is a little stronger.

The Gardens at the Bellagio always make me smile...they change the theme every season...the following photos were from my April trip

I freaked out when I found this hanging high above Fremont Street

And no trip to Sin City is complete without a stop or two here

In-N-Out Burger really is heaven on a bun

That's probably enough ramblings for now...until next time....