I'm in shock

Even though Nathan didn't get the promotion, we still got some awesome news this week. The person that did get the new position works on a different client project than Nathan, but is still in his department. Because that person is moving into the promotion, his project is now open. It won't be a promotion or more money for Nathan, but it is very likely he will go to this other project.

Why is this so great? Well, if you recall my major problem with Nathan's job is his schedule. Anywhere from 80%-90% of his schedule is working afternoon into the late evening. Thus me only seeing him Saturday and Sunday. With this new position he would be working mornings into mid afternoon 90% of the time.

This is HUGE for us. I mean, it will totally change our lives. We have been married for almost three years and we have never had similar schedules. I can't totally wrap my mind around the fact that not only we will be waking up together, but we will have all of our evenings. We no longer have to cram all of errands on the weekends. We can make plans to see friends Friday night, or have friends over for dinner on a weeknight. We can eat dinner together. We can take swing dancing classes again.

So thanks everyone for the good vibes, because in a round about way they worked!

The top secret culinary project revealed!

Anyone remember at the end of this post that I made mention of working on a new BIG culinary project? Well I am happy to say that after a couple trips to Whole foods, an Internet special order, and a random grocery store trip...it's done.

Are you on the edge of your seat?

Well, without further delay...my latest creation.....

Say Cheese!!!!! I present to you my first HOMEMADE fresh mozzarella ball!!!! Ok, so maybe if you aren't a foodie you aren't too excited about this, but how many people do you know that make their own cheese!?!

It actually wasn't too difficult...Nathan and I just followed the these instructions....making a few modifications on how we strained off the whey. I expected to mess up on the first batch since there are so many temperature and time specifics and we were just trying to figure it all out, but the first batch came out awesome!

Not only does it taste really good...it was fun to make and it only cost about $3 to make 1 pound. Lower quality fresh mozzarella costs twice this amount, and the higher quality can be closer to $8 to $10 a pound!

Now all I want to do is make more....so any volunteers to take some fresh mozzarella cheese off of my hands? I bet we could work out some kind of trade. ;)

Trying to be positive

Well, Nathan finally heard Thursday that he didn't get the promotion. But he isn't really too upset. The person that he interviewed with said that he knew that Nathan would meet all deadlines and get the job done, but when it came to communicating what the client would want to employees, the hiring commitee was convinced he wasn't going to enough of a jerk to say to the employee, "If you don't do this, I will find someone that will and that's it."

And they are right. Nathan isn't that kind of person. He isn't a hard ass, he believes in coaching people and giving them a positive outlook rather than a negative one. Nathan feels like even if they had offered him the position, once he found out this part of the job, he wouldn't of taken it.

I am glad he isn't upset, and I am proud of him for being so adult about the whole thing, but I am still a little upset. I wouldn't want him to compromise his values, but this job would have been a better schedule. Not all day shifts, but still more than what he has now.

When Nathan is on nights and I have a stressful week, it is REALLY hard for me to deal with it. I am not the world's best stress handler to begin with, and not having someone at home to give me a hug or listen to me vent really takes a toll on me.

But thank you to everyone for the good vibes! I guess it just wasn't the right thing for him!

My Bella Vita review

A couple nights ago I had the pleasure of meeting newlywed Jamie for a drink. We were both somewhat indecisive on where to go, so I suggested we try a wine bar that I knew wasn't too far from either of us. I had secretly wanted to try Bella Vita ever since Claire posted a review about it on her blog.



I think Claire's review is pretty much dead on. And thank God I read it before I went, or else I think I would have driven right by the huge strip mall figuring it could never be home to such a cool little wine bar.



I quickly found out that I was going to get to taste some wines that I were a little on the higher end of what I am used to purchasing (which isn't a whole lot...I usually spend between $15-$20 on a bottle), so I was pleased that I was going to get to taste some new wines. I am a big fan of Italian wines and reds, so I immediately tried the Podre 414 Morelino. It was oh soo good. Jamie and I both tried a few others, and I was able to talk her into trying a couple other yummy Italian reds.

We also ordered the Baked Brie and Pepperoni Pizza (just a coincidence that it was just what Claire ordered!) and they were pretty tasty as well. A tad pricey for what you get, but still yummy.

So I am officially giving Bella Vita two thumbs up. Not a perfect place by any means, but still very nice. I am hoping Jamie and I (and maybe a few more ladies?) can return there in the near future.

If you decide to go in for a drink or a few tastes, just be sure to read Claire's review so you can learn about the cool endoline system and what you can expect to find at Bella Vita.

A little treat

I know that most of you dear readers really enjoy pictures in posts. Since I am usually pretty lacking in that department, I thought I would treat you all to a few pretty pics.

I was seriously stressing last week about these arrangements Boss #1 asked me to do for this event that he was hosting for clients. Now, I don't claim to be a florist or designer by any means, but I had some great finds that turned out some pretty nice arrangements.

Yes, those are real lemons, limes, and oranges.

Everyone was super impressed, which is always a good feeling even though I don't think the arrangements were overly impressive, they were just really pretty fall colors.

What a crappy weekend.

It really was a crappy weekend. I had a ton of family in town from Texas, Alaska, Florida, and Maryland that I was so excited to see, but only got to spend a couple hours seeing.


I was in pain. On Friday, I got home from work and immediately crashed on the couch. I started having chest pains and they were on and off all night and all day Saturday. I made it through our family wedding Saturday afternoon, and a couple hours of snacks and socializing at my mom's, but that was about it. I left my mom promising if I didn't feel better by today I would get to Urgent Care. And I never break a promise to my mom. I firmly believe that anyone that does, will go straight to hell.

Last night she called to gently remind me of this promise last night at about 6:30. After some talk with Nathan we decided that going last night would be much easier than going today. I changed and we had a brief visit to our local Urgent Care.

I was very happy when we arrived because I didn't even have to sign in, I went straight to check in, verified a few things, and then saw the nurse within 10 minutes of my stepping foot in the door. Both times I have been to this Urgent Care they have been fast, but this time the whole thing just MOVED, and it was probably due to the nature of my problem. My mom used to be an ER ward clerk, and she said that if you ever want to get moved quick into the ER, tell them you have chest pains, because short of bleeding out, this symptom is one of the more likely that you die in the waiting room (hello hospital liability!) from versus a simple flu or broken bone.

The verdict? My friendly doc ruled out anything heart or lung related, and says that I am probably just having some inflammation from muscle or something. He then thanked me for being so healthy (as in good oxygen levels= not having chest pains because of my heart) and sent me on my way with a prescription.

Today I still feel some chest pains, but not nearly as bad as they were this weekend. I am taking it easy, because if I am up moving around and lifting even a little bit the pain hits hard. Today should be a pretty boring day of "sitting at my desk" projects.

I'm alive

But just barely.

Raise your hand if you are getting tired of me not actually posting anything but just linking to other blogs? That's what I thought.

I hope to resume more exciting blogs in the near future. But this week has been crammed with work, family, and now I am sick with something other than a cold or the flu. That is, unless now colds or the flu come complete with chest pains, stiff necks and shoulders, a fever, and general exhaustion. I refuse to scary myself by looking at WebMD, so I am going to tough it out through my family wedding today, Sunday errands, and see how I feel on Monday.

On one more note, Nathan got some positive feedback about the interview, but probably won't know anything for awhile. Thanks everyone for your positive thoughts!