Daily Affirmation

Some days you just need a little extra. A little extra hug, a little extra smile, a little extra sleep, you know, a little extra. I think yesterday Lawrence and I both needed a little extra- he was crazy busy with work and preparing for our weekend houseguests and I was busy with wrapping things up at work and driving back to Iowa. So last night we both needed a little extra. Imagine my delight when I found this artist on flicker who had not only read our minds, he provided the little extra affirmation that I needed to know we are not going to be banished to the warm place down under for forgoing healthy eating for one night and partaking in a good ol' all American tradition- the cheeseburger. Yum. On certain days, it's the best little extra you could ask for.

What does 288 gallons look like...

If you really want to know what 288 gallons looks like I promise I'll show you in the next day or two. For now you'll have to take a look at the weather radar picture that explains exactly why I had 288 gallons of seepage in my basement yesterday.

If you look really closely you'll see the blue and yellow dot in the eye of the storm...yeh, that's our house. That puts us right in the middle of what was the seasons first real tornado warning, flash flood warning, and severe thunderstorm...ALL AT ONCE!

I think this was Mother Nature's way of saying "Welcome back to Iowa Cunningham's...we've missed you!".

You may ask how I determined that I had 288 gallons. Here's my arithmetic:

16 Gallon Wet Vac filled 18 times = 288 gallons

A couple of additional stats:

1 $37.00 fan

1 pair of "milking boots" from Wallyworld

1 clothesline from Wallyworld

2 borrowed fans

1 borrowed dehumidifier

7 hours of squeegeeing, vacuuming, toweling, unpacking, hanging and cat chasing (through puddles)

One sore Lawrence.

Brandy sure picked the right week to be in DENVER. Sheesh!

Matching Buttprints?

Our office has been talking about getting new office chairs for a while. Staff members have been complaining. Directors have been dropping hints. There have been all around grumblings about the sorry state of disrepair our current chairs are in. Buzz words like ergonomically correct and lumbar support were floating through the air. But up to this point, that's been as far as the conversation has gone.

So, imagine my surprise when today a truckload of chairs arrived this morning and were deposited in the mailroom. Wow, I thought to myself, they (you know, the powers that be) must have really heard us this time. They really went all out! And then I went in for a closer inspection...

And yes, while I'm sure they do have great lumbar support and are in better shape than our current chairs, they are USED chairs.



Apparently, we bought them from a big company down in the Springs. Any excitement about getting new chairs went out the window when I discovered they were hand-me-downs. We have received the office equivalent to garage sale clothes or lunch program meals. And have we not asked ourselves WHY the company is getting rid of them in the first place? They are worn. They are dusty. The fabric is a bit faded. AND they have butt prints. You know what I'm talking about. That little double dip on the seat that just screams someone else's backside has been on me for a long time. What if I get a chair who's butt print doesn't match up to mine??? Are we all going to sit around at the next staff meeting and test them all out? And if they don't fit, how exactly do we bring that up to next person trying it on for size? I'm sorry, this didn't fit me, but I think your A** is bigger than mine so it should work for you? Hmm. Does anyone else see the harassment possibilities here? I think I'd rather keep my non-lumbar supporting chair, thank you very much. At least I know where it's been.

Think-tank Tuesday

I just returned from a trip to Dallas HQ where I joined a group of company leaders who focused on ways to build our company for the future. We spent time holed up in the back room of the office for three days pouring over white boards with things like "digital media touchpoints", "company efficiency models", and "new business revenue strategies". Of course there was the occasional off the wall ideas like "Russian mail order brides division" and "sports-themed kegerator sales".

But, what I found to be most interesting this week was the makeup of the team. We had a quality mix of sales people (like me), marcom strategists, ops managers, hr, and one, as he put it, "recovering Vice President" (who showed up in a happy pair of bright customized retro NIKE's). It was a unique opportunity to truly understand what other areas of our company are doing and to comminicate face to face (which doesn't happen much due to our 50+ office locations).

One of the best discussions we had started with the question "What if in two years there is no more advertising"? Since radio broadcasting and sponsorships are the lionshare of our business it took a couple of minutes to really think about what it might mean to our business with the further advent or development of technology that allows the consumer to bypass our placed messaging. (see DVR's, satellite radio and on demand cell phone broadcasting).

Ultimately we touched on some great ideas and plan to sit on them for a few days before we start the upcoming discussions of now whats.

Another thing I realized is that when you are in a room with several other proven leaders and brilliant minds (not referencing myself here) it is sometimes hard to communicate as you might normally do. In this environment you are challenged on any and all ideas you submit and find that immediate acceptance of your idea is not likely without a spirited debate and this is only for the better.

I have long been a proponent of the "think-tank" and this latest experience reminds me of the importance of challenging yourself to think beyond the scope of what you know.

I think participating in this group has recharged me not only from a business standpoint but also in terms of organizations I volnteer with. I am excited to get back in the trenches and start rocking the boat to get operating ouitside of our comfort zone.

Bittersweet

This week I've been in Denver meeting with my collegiate leadership consultants that I supervise as they wrap up their year of travels. After nine months of living out of their suitcases and traveling around the US and Canada visiting our 120 collegiate chapters, they are done. Many of them have described the week as 'bittersweet' in our one-on-one meetings, and I have to say, it's bittersweet for me, too. They are the first group of consultants that I have worked with from start to finish, including interviewing them for the job back in February 08 so we have been through the whole year together and I can't believe it's almost over (although I'm definitely ready for a little break!).

They are a great group of women- amazing, creative, sweet, funny, dedicated and loyal- and for the majority of the year they have a thankless job. I am proud to have supervised them this past year and to call them all my sisters. But now, I am really looking forward to being able to call them my friends.

So, in honor of the CLCs, my newfound old friends, please enjoy this little video I put together.



editor's note: silly youtube confiscated my music for the video. apparently it was too popular or something. silly me. you'll have to enjoy it without the music until I figure out a way to outsmart the system. Any ideas?

Tax Day

Oh, the joys of April 15. Lawrence and I made it just under the wire- we first met with our new accountant on Saturday and finally sent off our check *yes, check!* to the IRS yesterday. Oh the joys of having no kids and renting this past year. We thought briefly over the weekend of having a kid this year to help us out when it comes to tax time next year, but then realized with the timing of it all, it was already too late. So no kids this year. If we get an early enough start on our taxes next year, maybe we'll think about it in time for 2010. That's probably not likely.

On a side note, I truly believe that we should be able to deduct more than only $2500 for student loan payments. Who the heck set that limit? Probably a group of trust fund babies in Washington. What the heck do they know about paying student loans? I think if you pay more than that you should be able to deduct more than that. And we pay A LOT more than that every year. Of course, I also believe dogs should count as dependants, but that's mainly just because mine have been a big pain in the backside lately and there has to be some benefit besides the love and affection they share with us at 6:00am with a big sloppy wet kiss.

On to happier thoughts... my friend Betsy sent me an e-card today (see below) from someecards and it made me laugh. I haven't ever checked out their site before, but it's got some funny stuff. Definitely not Hallmark, so don't say I didn't warn you.

PS- my friend Lindsey went into labor last night so think good thoughts for her and hopefully next year we'll have happier things to associate with April 15 than taxes!

Kibbles and Bits

So as not to look like I'm discrimating among pets, I thought it only fair that I share Harley the cat's latest "accomplishment" - knocking over the newly opened 35lb bag of dog food from the table onto the floor this morning. Quite a feat if you consider she is probably only 10 pounds soaking wet herself.

If you've ever wondered what 35 pounds of kibble looks like sprawled all over your kitchen floor, well, wonder no more.


And if you're worried that I'm getting all the *fun* from being with our pets since I'm the one working from home all day, worry no more. This mess can wait until the master of the house gets home tonight since he was the one who left the opened bag on the table to begin with. Just sharing the love!

The gift that keeps on giving...

Dear Grandma Kelly,
thanks for the Easter chocolate in my Easter basket yesterday, especially the little chicks!

Mom said they weren't for dogs, but I knew you got them especially for me seeing as how much I like birds so when she left for lunch today I jumped up on the counter and decided to feast on my special Easter treat. Mmm, yum! I knew mom and dad thought the package was really cute so I left them a little reminder of it on the floor.

Can't wait for Halloween!

xoxo,

your favorite granddog Bailey

Happy

Now, that's happy!

I found this card on etsy yesterday. If I was good blogger, I'd be able to tell you where, but I didn't write it down and since I don't know how to link things yet anyway, it'd be a lost cause. But it was so cute, I saved a picture of it on my desktop and now I'm sharing it with you. Enjoy.

Next time I get fries with something, I'm going to share them with the birds. Might as well make them happy, too.

Snow day?

I swear, Bailey spends every moment she can in front of the window now that we have windows low enough for her to look out of. Last weekend we got a lovely snowstorm through Des Moines and she spend the whole day looking outside longingly at the snow. I was excited for the excuse to stay indoors but she thought it was just another reason to go outside and play. Typical kid.

SPAM-Tastic

So now that we are back in Iowa we've fallen in step with some of our old traditions. The latest: American Idol White Trash Potluck Extravaganza.


The gist of it is we invade one lucky friends home and everyone comes armed with a dish who's primary ingredient consists of the nights secret product. Previously we've done Velveeta, Pop (Coke OR Mt. Dew), and Tator Tots.

The secret ingredient this time around was...SPAM!


After spending several hours scouring the Internet for the "tastiest" Spam recipes known to man we settled on a Hawaiian-style Spam and pineapple pizza and some bite-sized Spam BLT sandwiches. This was in fact our first foray into puff pastries...be impressed!

Here are a couple of snapshots from our crazy evening of indigestible madness.

What's more appetizing...Easy Cheese and Bacon flavored Spam...

...or Pabst Blue Ribbon with a bendy straw?!

And...for those of you who were wondering what types of decorations were in place here is a little taste of the creativity of our hosts!

One room at a time...

We've had a lot of requests for pictures of our new house and while it's not quite "unveil" worthy yet, the living room is finally *almost* done, with the exception of the lovely light fixture circa 1952 hanging from the middle of the room that needs replacing.

Here's a few pics of our living room/dining room - Enjoy!



Note: I'm trying out the slideshow method in Picasa, so I sure hope it works! If you click on a photo above it should take you to the whole album.

If a tree falls in the front yard...

...And there's no one there to pick it up, is it still there?

Answer: Yes, but at least there something there to cover the dirt, right?

Okay, technically the tree didn't fall. We had it "trimmed." And despite the alarming amount of tree we have on the ground, there's still plenty of "tree" left on the tree, or so they tell me.

We finally caved this morning and gave the poor guy who came to our door looking for tree work a job and $300 later, we now have three pruned trees and A LOT of debris to clean up (that was extra- hey folks, we're on a budget!). On a sidenote, aparently this was well needed, because this is the third guy in as many weeks to stop by our house looking for tree work!

Oh baby!

Well, you heard from Lawrence that we got some quality Braxton time in recently so here's a few updated photos of the little guy- he's getting big! And smiley!

The Great Coffee Debacle

Well, this morning started out okay, or so I thought despite the headache that I woke up with (which I will blame on monthly hormones rather than the extra glass of wine last night). I got ready and went downstairs to the office and checked my email when I decided that I would definitely need a cup of coffee to kick start my productivity for the day. So I headed to the kitchen to put on a pot of coffee, a seemingly mindless task. Well, what proceeded was definitely without a mind...

As a disclaimer, I should tell you that although I love a daily cup of coffee, I am not that proficient in making coffee. Although Lawrence doesn't drink coffee, for the past two years he has been the main coffee-maker of the household. He used to send me out the door with a travel mug full of the fabulous liquid and even one to share with my carpool friend. Oh, those were the days. Add that to the fact that we just got a new coffee pot, and I feel that the situation was not completely my fault.


Well, it started out easy enough and I filled the new stainless steel carafe with water and filled the filter with coffee (probably more than I should have but I didn't know how much and I erred on the side of strong) and the poured the water into the tank. Well, everything was going fine- or so I thought- when the coffee maker finished and I pulled the pot out to take a look. I peered down inside the open pot and thought with disdain that it didn't make nearly as much coffee as I thought that it would AND there was coffee grounds floating in it. Only then did I realize that the interesting thing about the whole picture was that I could in fact look down into the pot immediately after pulling it away from the machine because I had neglected to screw the lid back on the pot before putting it under the machine. Whoops. This is where the fun began. I then decided that the best course of action would be to dump out what was in the pot and then put the lid on and put it back on the burner so the rest of the coffee could go into the pot. Hmm. Seems like a good idea, right? Okay, in my defense, in my coffee-less mind it seemed like a good idea at the time. So that's what I did. Well, of course as soon as my lid hit the dripper (all technical words, I'm sure) the entire vat of coffee that was floating around inside the filter came flooding out into the pot lid which didn't allow for that fast of flow so the coffee doth runneth over ALL OVER MY COUNTER. Well, here comes brainchild number two- I pulled the pot away. Of course it was too late and then I just proceeded with getting wet coffee and grounds all over the burner along with my counter and when I peered inside the tank I realized that the water had overflown from the filter basket and had gone into the holding basket that holds the filter and then into the holder for the holding basket which is screwed onto the rest of the machine. So now my filter, holding basket and holder all had coffee grounds caked onto them- LOTS of them, as remember, I erred on the side of strong. And did I mention I still have coffee all over my counter and now dripping down my white cabinets onto the floor. AND I still haven't had a cup of coffee at this point.


So, I cleaned it all up and started it all over again, this time with a watchful eye and the coffee was good, and definitely needed at this point more than ever before, but it wasn't great and I felt defeated for the day before 9am. And the moral of my story, if you haven't guessed, is Lawrence should just continue to make the coffee every day. It's better for everyone. And the counter.

Springtime, we're ready...

Despite the *lovely* weather we have experienced lately, the Cunningham house is fully embracing springtime and the upcoming Easter holiday. I'm hoping that the wreath on the door will encourage the warm weather to visit soon and stay for a while.

We raided my grandma's old holiday ornaments to put together our very first Easter tree! (Sidenote: L didn't even know what an Easter tree was! What kind of a Catholic is he?!? I'm pretty sure even baby J had an Easter tree... well, I guess it wasn't Easter at that point... I'm sure he had a springtime tree, then, at least...) We got the branch from a fallen limb in our front yard. I suppose that's one advantage to having trees that look like they haven't been trimmed since the Eisenhower administration- plenty of fallen limbs to go around! More on that in another post...

Happy Easter, happy spring!

Baby Noises

So last night we had the pleasure of our first overnight house guests. Bab's sister and husband had an early appointment in Des Moines today so they crashed at Casa de Cunningham.

In an effort to create the best environment for a sleeping baby we decided to pop up the pack-n-play in our bedroom for the night so the sleepy-eyed parents wouldn't wake up baby B.

I'm not sure I've ever had the experience that I had last night... It went something like this:

11:24pm - Head to bed
11:26pm - Decide to move the pack-n-play thingy [more on that some other time] from the guest room to the "master suite"
11:29pm - Figure out the "pnp" is to big to fit through the guestroom door
11:37pm - Figure out how to close the "pnp" just enough to slide it through the door and into the hall
11:38pm - Pop the "pnp" back up and realize it also doesn't fit through our bedroom door
11:44pm - Figure out how to close the "pnp just enough to slide it through our bedroom door
11:48pm - Head downstairs to get an extra blanket for baby B
11:52pm - Head downstairs to make sure the heat is notched up two degrees so baby B is comfy
11:54pm - Move Docker's bed by the door so he'll wake me up if anyone tries to come in and bother baby B
11:56pm - Have a short chat with Bailey and Docker about leaving baby B alone so he can sleep
11:58pm - Confirm the pups understand the severity of the situation if they bother said baby
11:59pm - Lights out
12:01am - Ask Babs if it's really okay to let baby B sleep on his back
12:03am - Ask Babs if baby B is supposed to make that sound
12:06am - Ask Babs if baby B can have his pacifier
12:07am - Doze off...
12:13am - Ask Babs if baby B is supposed make that sound
12:45am - Sit up to make sure baby B is breathing correctly as the intervals between baby sounds have lengthened
12:59am - Doze off...
1:37am - Sit straight up to make sure that I haven't done anything to interfear with baby B's breathing
1:38am - Realize I have not
1:41am - Doze off...
2:16am - Poke Babs and ask if she thinks I should check on baby B to make sure he's breathing alright
2:17am - Poke Babs to make sure she isn't ignoring me
2:18am - Hear a slight grumble from Babs
2:26am - Ask Babs "What?"
2:29am - Check to see if Babs is breathing
2:30am - Realize she is
2:31am - Check to see if baby B is breathing
2:32am - Realize he is
2:46am - Doze off...
3:53am - Sit straight up to determine if the dogs are doing anything to interfear with baby B's sleep
3:54am - Realize my swift movement just scared the hell out of Bailey and Docker
3:55am - Try to calm down Bailey and Docker
4:11am - Realize Bailey and Docker still think it's time to get up
4:13am - Take Bailey and Docker down to go to the bathroom in hopes they will then go back to bed
4:16am - Watch Docker poop
4:17am - Watch Bailey stalk a bunny, a squirrel, and the neighbor leaving for his FedEx job
4:19am - Head up to bed
4:20am - Notice it's 4:20am and giggle to myself
4:21am - Wonder when the last time I was up at 4:20am for that reason
4:22am - Doze off in slightly more than mild amuzement at myself
4:36am - Realize that I forgot to check on baby B before I went to sleep
4:38am - Confirm that baby B is still sleeping
5:12am - Hear baby B's parents stirring
5:13am - Make sure baby B is still breathing
5:15am - Realize he is
5:28am - Feign sleeping when baby B's momma checks on him and says goodbye to Babs
5:37am - Realize I am now on the wrong side of the bed and contemplate how the heck that happened
5:48am - Poke Brandy and inquire why I am on the other side of the bed
5:49am - Receive a sharp elbow and some choice words of "advice" from her
5:53am - Writhe in pain from the sharp throbbing shooting out between my third and fourth rib
5:57am - Wonder if the pain will subside sometime soon
6:04am - Realize I should get some sleep before I have to get up
6:09am - Doze off...
6:10am - Listen to the alarm twittering it's morning theme song and wonder if I should start a Twitter account
6:11am - Feign sleeping to see if Babs will shut it off and listen to her grumble
6:12am - Hear a much more audible grumble and then see her reach for the snooze button
6:13am - Peak over the kinda-sleeping Babs to see if baby B is breathing alright
6:14am - Doze off...
6:20am - Alarm wakes me up and Bailey and Docker determine it is time to stalk the bunnies or something
6:22am - Decide if I stay really still Bailey and Docker won't know I'm really awake
6:24am - Decide to see if baby B is breathing alright
6:25am - Realize he is
6:28am - Doze off...
6:40am - Hear the chirp of the alarm for the last time and hop out of bed with a spring in my step. Think to myself that watching baby B is no big deal.