Explanation of Teej Countdown

Wow. So the last time I posted here was back in February. Nuts.

Anyway, we are expecting our first baby come March, and I was bored enough to create one of those countdown tickers through the bump.... Then I needed somewhere to put it, and so voila. Teej is due March 24, 2009. Teej? You may ask.... well, when we went in for our first ultrasound at nine weeks, there wasn't much to see but a big head, oval body and four tiny buds that have since developed into arms and legs. Our doctor said that at the nine-week point, the baby pretty much looks like a teddy graham. From there, my friend Stacy nicknamed the baby "T.G." for Teddy Graham, and then this was streamlined into Teej. So that's what we go with now until we know for 100% sure if it's a boy or a girl.

So that's a brief explanation of the Teej Countdown.

My husband built a desk...

It all started one winter morning in the middle of a blizzard. My husband put on his long johns, flannel stockings and shirt, suspenders and knit cap, and forged his way into the cold- his only connection to the house a piece of rope he had tied to himself in hopes of finding his back through the fierce storm- to cut down a tree to build me the desk of my dreams... ... ... Okay. It wasn't nearly that dramatic, but every girl likes to dream up her hero. Back in the real world, Josh went to a hardware superstore and bought pre-cut wood. He did not brave a blizzard just in the name of desk supplies, but it was pretty cold outside. And kind of cloudy.

To be honest, it actually started with my need for a desk built for two. I wanted two work stations that would be the most efficient use of office space while creating ample work zones for both of us. Before this desk, Josh had a desk and I had a square end-table butted up against our futon. It is with this end-table that I created all of our wedding invitations and other wedding-related projects. Now it's two years later, and I still have a pile of wedding photos waiting to be put into a nice scrapbook/album. And to undertake this feat, I said "no" to the end-table. Call me spoiled, but I wanted actual desk space.

Now, with the selection of office organizers out there, you'd think I could find a dual desk. No such luck. It was at this point that I turned to Josh- my desk hero. He built us a bookshelf/entertainment center last summer for the living room, so I knew he was up to the challenge. With the help of a few friends, he worked up a plan and set out to construct the pieces. Several nights he spent in the garage, cutting out shelves and leg stands. He even drug me to the hardware store a few times for more supplies, a gleam in his eye as he excitedly selected between hooks and eye-hooks, poly-stain or poly and stain, 2x3 boards or 2x4 boards... you get the picture.

He would come home from work, and while I would head straight for my comfy clothes and fixings for dinner, he would put on what I consider to be his work outfit (wrangler jeans and a long-sleeved t-shirt) and head to the garage to get on a couple coats of stain before The Daily Show came on at 10. His energy and enthusiasm made me exhausted.

So. Six weeks of planning, staging and assembly have created this:



And I love it. He did an awesome job. And, if I do say so myself, I did an awesome job picking out the color of stain and the wall color behind the desk in the pictures on the right. Thanks, Josh, for building not only a functional piece of furniture, but a work of art.

More to come soon as design of the loft progresses...

First week down; enter week two

So, I started a new job last week. As many of you have experienced, this can be extremely nerve-wracking. My biggest concern on day one was the photograph taken on my first day for my security badge. Apparently, this photo will live with you forever; it is one of the few things in this life that will constantly stay the same: you get older, succumbing to grey hair and wrinkles, and the photo stays the same. I can only hope that I am fortunate enough that in thirty years I can look back at my security badge and realize that I haven't changed that much. Wishful thinking.

Second task was taking a tour of the facilities. The campus is amazingly huge to a gal used to an office equipped for three full-time staffers. It's a ten-minute walk from my husband's office to my own. I've decided that this has to be around half a mile, perhaps even more, as I walk at a speedy clip. One of these days I'll remember to nerd-up and wear my pedometer from one end of the hallway chain to the other. High Point: the guaranteed one-mile round-trip definitely slices down the guilt that consumes me at my 3:00 PM snack time (which often enough consists of a huge cookie). 

From that point, it was a series of orientation meetings and web-based training courses. These can be extremely handy: I had no idea that you should disengage your air-bag or get pedal extenders if you have to sit closer than ten inches from your steering wheel. Considering I'm pushing 5'2" on a good day, this is a helpful tidbit to keep nestled in the back of my mind. 

I don't know when I was so happy to leave work on a Friday-- not because I loathe the new job, but because it meant the first week was over. I had at least one week under my belt, and with any luck, orientation was over and it would be time to get down to business.

Monday, February 4, marked the start of week two. I was able to confidently navigate my way to my office, already a step up from last Monday. A glorious thing happened yesterday: tasks were assigned to me and I began working on projects. What a monumental moment! All of a sudden, my comfort level increased as my direction became stronger. 

Today was a continuation of yesterday, and even though I can only tout seven business days with the company, I feel like I marginally know what I'm doing. This is a great feeling.

Starting my own blog

It seems as if all of my friends have joined something these days- many are on Facebook or MySpace. My brother, who is much more of the outdoors type and has never been very interested in such sedentary pursuits as typing at a computer, checks his own Facebook page several times a day. I have never been one to Facebook. I finally decided to sign up today because my friend Stacy asked me to. She wanted to vote me most creative on Facebook, but alas, there was no B to vote for. So, I've set one of those pages up, which I plan to thoroughly avoid. But a blog! I can definitely blog! Even if I'm about two years behind the rest of the population.