2/26/2010

Office Etiquette 101

About a month or so ago, I was reading an assigned chapter in my Intro to Business book. Off to the side was a little blurb on office etiquette. I've been meaning to elaborate on this for some time now.



1. Respect others privacy - This is pretty self-explanatory. Don't be nosy.

2. Check your drama at the door - This kinda goes along with #1. If you are not asked about your drama, don't tell your drama. Unless you hang out with the people you work with outside of work, keep it to yourself. Better yet, discuss it outside of work.

3. Don't clip your fingernails at work - Quite simply it could drive someone nuts (most likely me).

4. Turn your cell phone on vibrate - It may drive me nuts disturb others if your phone is beeping every two minutes because you have a text. Or if you phone is playing some 80's sitcom theme song every time it rings. Most people who work in office's have phones at their desk.... use them.

5. Brush your teeth - or back the hell up when you talk to people.

6. Do not gossip - unless you know the person you are gossiping about will not find out. Pay attention to the people who know all the gossip, they are probably not the one you want to tell anything you wouldn't want everyone knowing to.

7. Keep you music at a reasonable level - especially if it sucks.

8. If you have to #2 do it in the bathroom closest to your office - Don't go to the back of the office to do it by others (mine). Turn the vent on when you are done. But first and foremost, do that shit at home. No pun intended.

9. Talk at a level to where not everyone in the office can hear you - This means business and personal calls.

10. If you drink the last of the coffee make more - Shouldn't be that hard to do. If you drink coffee at work, you might have to make a pot every once in awhile.

11. If you are talking to someone and they get a phone call go away - Don't stand and wait for them to finish. Also, don't try to talk to anyone while they are on the phone, be it hand gestures or lip reading.

12. When possible, email. - This is will leave no room for breaking #11. Oh and do not send forwards to people at work. It could annoy them if they are working on something and see they have an email and then check it only to find out it is some stupid forward.

13. If you jam up the copier fix it - or find someone who can.

Feel free to leave any more rules you can think of.

Happy Friday!

2/23/2010

Happy Birthday to my Hubby!

Today is Matt's 19 29th Birthday! We thought it was going to be just a regular Tuesday for us. (Me: Work, school, work, school, home, eat, sleep - Matt: work, eat, work, eat, nap, snack, sleep) But this morning, while I was in class I got a text that my evening class has been canceled. I don't know why and I don't care why. So this evening, we are going to go out to eat and then spending the rest of the evening together.

This is the first year that we have been able to spend both Valentine's Day and his birthday together since we've been together. I'm happy just to be able to be together for these occasions and I don't take this for granted.

Matt,

I love you more than I could ever begin to tell you. I appreciate everything you have done for us and for me. You truly do make me whole and I would be lost without you. Happy Birthday!

Steph

2/22/2010

Awards!

In the last week I have been given four awards! I've been slacking on posting them.

First off, this award comes from Rose @ Desert Rose Moments. Every time I read her blogs, I smile. She's hilarious.



The rules are:
Name 6 things I am master of. And then pass it on to 6 bloggers that are master of friendship and making blogging so awesome.

1. Annoying Matt - He is OCD about the toliet paper being hung the "right way". Anytime I put a new roll on I make sure to hang it "wrong". He also can't stand the sun visor in his truck or my car not being latched. I always make sure to unlatch it whenever I get out of his truck. :)

2. Making List - I make lists at work, at home, for school, and most likely in my sleep. However, I'm not the master of remember to bring my lists with me.

3. Flipping Eggs - I was the GM at Denny's when I was 22 and I flipped more eggs there in 4 years than anyone should in their whole life. I do not need a spatula to flip eggs. It's all in the wrist.

4. Taking Naps - I love naps.

5. Keeping the house neat - I wouldn't say that our house is always spotless but it is usually always neat and tidy.

6. Drill weekend - After this weekend, I consider myself the master of drill weekend. I got all kinds of stuff done and stayed positive about my husband being gone.

A Lady in Waiting @ A True Long Distance Relationship
Dawn @ Must Love Tots
Random Musings Of My Life
Christina @ Sugar Sweet Thoughts

Next is an this award from Katie @ The Adventures of Katie and Josh. Katie is awesome! She's been a loyal follower of mine for awhile.



No rules with this one except to pass it along to five other blogs.

Rose @ Desert Rose Moments
Yummy Mummy on a Pink Park Bench
Kate @ Sometimes Life is Messy
Jessie @ What You Wish For


The third award I received is from Kate @ Sometimes Life is Messy. Kate is a fellow military wife who is in Japan. I love reading about all her adventures.



5 Things that add sunshine to my life:
When my husband tells me that I'm beautiful
Good music
Snuggling with Ozzy
Long weekends
Doing well in school

5 Blogs that bring sunshine to my day:

Nuke Girl @ Everything But the Kitchen Sink
Jessica @ Learning as We Go
Marsie @ Quite Contrary
Bridget @ Always an Adventure

And last but not least I recieved this award from A Lady in Waiting @ A True Long Distance Relationship. Her heart is over playing in the sand right now and I love her blog.



For this one I have to state 7 things about myself.

1. I just set my blog to not allow anonymous comments. I had my first anonymous a-hole this weekend.

2. I can't wait for summer!

3. I have a test tonight.

4. I wouldn't trade my hubby or my dog for anything.

5. My family is nuts, but in a good way.

6. My sister is my BFF.

7. Matt's birthday is tomorrow.


Kristen @ Behold the Metatron
Jennifer @ Crazy Shenanigans
Mrs B. @ From Our Place To Yours
Katie @ The Adventures of Katie and Josh

Thank you all and Happy Monday!

2/18/2010

Dear Someone

Today I'm linking up with Short Mama at Family of Shorts and participating and Dear Someone letter.

Dear Matt,

I'm sorry you've been sick. I did everything I could to make you feel better. I even made homemade chicken noodle soup for you per your request. I'm even more sorry that you have to sleep in a tent this weekend. Yes, I will miss you while you are at drill but let's try to remember the alternative here. I'd much rather be without you for 4 nights and 5 days than 428 days again. Have fun and shoot some cardboard terrorists for me. I'll have your favorite dinner cooked when you get home.

Your loving wife
Steph

Dear Ozzy,

Yes, I know daddy is gone. He will be back soon. I miss him too, but you don't have to whine all night long. You don't have to bark when a car drives by. And when it's time to leave to go to Grandma's in the morning, get your tail out of bed. Do you know how bad I feel when I have to drag you out from under the covers to leave? I know mommy's car isn't as cool as daddy's big truck, but we have to get moving in the mornings.

I still love you,
Mommy

Dear Car,

What is your definition of "soon" as in, "Service Engine Soon"? Why must you wait to turn that light on until 12 hours after my hubby leaves? He warned me it came on the other day but never for me until this morning. You dirty rat !#@$!@#. I will take you to Autozone and see why the light is on, but you are going to have to hold out until Monday.

Signed,
Silver Bullet owner

Dear College Algebra,

You are lucky I'm not totally lost yet and still getting an A. No one cares about linear equations or graphing parabolas except for maybe engineers or architectures. I'm going to be neither. Please don't get too much harder or I'll be done for.

Yours Truly,
The girl who leaves class every Monday and Wednesday with a headache.

2/17/2010

Life is good!

Yesterday after Matt and I got off work we went to get our taxes done. We bought a home in 2009. (Fat Deduction) We paid for all my school cash. (Deduction) We are getting a hefty return this year. It has to be mailed off because of the house purchase so, we will get the money in about two months.

Here's what we are going to do with the money:

1. Build Matt a man garage. It's going to be a 24' x 24' garage with one over sized overhead garage door. Matt needs a place to go outside to play and keep his toys and his truck. Our house has a one car garage right now. And a pile of crap shed behind the house. The pile of crap is getting torn down, destroyed, burned, hauled off. I really don't care what happens to it but it is going. We are building the garage were the pile of crap is now. Matt believes that himself, some of his buddies, and some relatives can build the garage so, we should just have to have concrete poured.

Our house:




2. Going to buy a new refrigerator for the house and move the one from the house to the new man garage. We both want a stainless steel one. Does anyone have one with the freezer drawer at the bottom? What do you think about that? I was thinking I might like that. It's gotta have an ice and water dispenser. That's a must.

3. We are going to have to get some rocks to go from the road to the new man garage. We already got the city to put in a culvert this past fall. (We told them we needed it to move the piece of crap shed out and that we wanted to do that ASAP. But we really needed it so that my mom and dad could park their camper in the back yard during our house warming party weekend.)

4. I want some bushes for the landscaping.

5. We need to make the fenced in area of our yard bigger. Once the man garage is build, we can put the fence from the house to the man garage and then out and then back to the house or something. Right now Ozzy only has about a 10' x 20' area to do his business in. Poor little fella.

We aren't going to blow the money or be flat broke one everything is done. And plus we will be building some equity in our home. Also, I will have somewhere to send Matt if he is driving me nuts. It's a win-win situation.

2/15/2010

What's on my iPod?

It's been awhile since I've done a "What's on my iPod?" so I though what the hey. Last weekend, Matt and I went to a Micky and the Motorcars concert. I would be floored if any of you have heard of them before.

I have seen them twice before. Once was in Nashville, TN when my sister and I went to see Cross Canadian Ragweed. The other time was about a year ago when I went to visit Matt in Seattle. They opened for Reckless Kelly.

They are another Texas Country band. It is basically rocking country music. Check them out. You won't be disappointed.








This is how close I was. Pretty awesome. Matt said we were too old to be that close to the stage.



The bar where the show was at is in the town we live in about 7 blocks from our house. We hate this bar. I drink good ole Red Bull and Vodka and they were $6 each. Not to mention that the cup held about two healthy drinks. They didn't just jack up their prices for the show either. It's always like that. And folks, this isn't the city. I can get the same drink but twice as big for $4 down the street. The bartenders are also somewhat rude. And one actually tried to steal my favorite can cooler. I called the little jerk out on it and one of my friends that works there got it back for me.

Needless to say, after the show we left and went to "our" bar. But it was an awesome concert and we had a great time.

2/10/2010

Honesty Scrap Award

Yay, another award! I received this award from Jessie @ What You Wish For and I'm pretty excited. Jessie's blog is one of my favorites to read and if you don't read her blog you should definitely check it out. Not only is this cool but it gives me something to blog about.

"The Honest Scrap award comes with a caveat or two. First, you have to tell your readers ten things about you they may not know, but that are true. Second, you have to tag 10 people with the award. Third, let all the people you've given the award to know that they've gotten it (comment on their blogs or something). And finally, make sure you link back to the person who awarded you."

1. When the roads are bad, I drive like a 80 years old woman. Then I get mad when people follow me too closely. Seriously, you won't get where you are going any faster if you end up in the ditch.

2. I'm not sure why but white eyelashes freak me out. If I was a dude and had white eyelashes I would were mascara.

3. Most of my good friends are guys.

4. My BFF is my seester.

5. I have never had a permanent address that was more than 20 miles from my parents house.

6. My favorite shows are all reality shows. Currently I'm loving some Hoarders and Intervention and can't wait for Survivor to start again.

7. I'm very opinionated. Once I form an opinion, its highly unlikely that I will change it.

8. I can't stand styrofoam or cardboard. If I can, I will empty the contents out of a cardboard box in my cabinets. For example, breakfast bars go in a basket and the box is thrown away.

9. It is impossible for me to do homework or study if the house isn't up to my standards. (OCD?)

10. Matt and I have been trying to get pregnant since September. It hasn't happened and it's starting to bum me out.

And on to tagging 10 people.....

Honestly, I started trying to find 10 people who haven't received this award but that's too much work. If you haven't received this award, consider yourself tagged. I wouldn't read your blog if I didn't like it and think you were honest.

2/02/2010

Party Bus!

This past weekend, my husband and I went on our first party bus trip. They are basically old school buses with the seats turned sideways with stripper poles and a stereo system. The idea is to get in the bus with your 30 closest friends and hit up as many bars as you can.

The reason for the celebration was that it was one of our good friend's 30th birthday. I have mentioned before that Matt and I have been friends since the 90's so we pretty much have the same friends. The friend whose birthday it was is also Matt's best friend's brother.

About half of everyone on the bus was a good friend of ours. People that we've been friends with forever. People that we invite to our festivities. People that came to our wedding. It was great to be able hang out with so many of our good friends at once.

It was mostly a bus full of guys with Pantera and System of Down playing. It reminded me of the old days, when none of had responsibilities or kids or mortgages.

We made it to 6 bars and road tripped in the country for awhile. At the end of the night the bus dropped us off at my parent's house. Kinda like when I was little and got off the bus there, except I was drunk and carrying a beer in my hand.

My good friend Al, myself, and the hubs.