Promotion/New Job Description

Last Thursday, Sandra got a VM from our sales manager in Phoenix. She was really anxious to talk to Sandra, so Sandra called back right away. The situation is that our 2 web design/e-commerce guys in Phoenix quit. And the person who everyone in Phoenix thought of to replace them was me. So Sandra told me about this, and then our CEO called me to talk about it. At first, I was really hesitant about it, but then I got really excited. I've been toying around with the idea of going back for my Masters, and this is pretty much the same field that I'd be focusing on for my Masters. So I've accepted the postition. The next step is for me to go to Phoenix (I leave tonight and get back on Wednesday night) and train with one of the web guys before he leaves. It's going to be fun (except for the 105 degree weather). I'm really excited for the new position and I think it can only bring great things. I'm also excited because I'm hoping we can hire a friend of mine as a new coordinator/account manager. I'm hoping that my new position keeps me to busy to do my normal work, and we have to hire my friend sooner rather than later. Yay!

So, my new title as I see it: E-Commerce & Web Development Manager

Wahoo!

Weird day

So, I woke up this morning feeling great. I got in bed at about 8:30 last night, and actually went to sleep at 11. My neck was KILLING me, so I spent a long time trying to get comfortable. My headache seems to be based in my neck. It's just so weird...I've never felt like this. So anyway, I woke up this morning feeling good. I was hoping that this was done. At about 1:30 this afternoon (right now, it's 3:00 Denver time), I started to feel weary and my neck started aching. Right now, I feel like I've got a head cold that's situated in my neck and base of my head. My reactions are delayed and I'm freezing. I felt like this last night too, and I took my temperature and was fine. But last night, the pain was more towards the top of my head and in my neck. I'm starting to get a little freaked out. I'm not sure what's going on. This morning I was fine, and now I don't even want to move, and I'm scared to drive home.

Home from vacation, and back to the grind...sort of

We left for Lake Powell on the 31st after work, and got home on Monday night. We had a great trip! Highlights: Swimming under an arch that's 15' under water; lots of kayaking, swimming & hiking; Brian and I cut down a tree that was about 15' under water; jet skiing at 70mph. Pictures are here: http://picasaweb.google.com/Steph635/LakePowell808.

Now that I'm back in town, and back to work, I wanted to get re-focused on my weight loss program. It hasn't been a great week so far; I've been struggling to get back on track. Tuesday was interesting at work... I really just didn't want to work that day. But I can't take anymore unpaid days off! I was really feeling lethargic and exhausted. But I made it through the day, and even went to visit Jennifer in the hospital, then grocery shopping. I got home at 8:00 and wanted to crash. I was so tired.

I woke up on Wednesday morning with a headache. It was not a good nights sleep. It took me a while to get going, and I made it to work on time. Sandra and I kept working on getting things under control in our office, and I tried and tried to "wake up" from vacation mode. I was still feeling lethargic. My headache was still there; it lingered for most of the day. I figured with a good nights sleep, I would be OK.

I was mistaken. I woke up this morning with the headache still there. Sandra is in Phoenix today and tomorrow, so I had the office to myself. It was hard... I struggled to get focused and pay attention. I really didn't want to work. My head hurt and I felt tired. But I made it through the day. I was supposed to go to a MRC meeting tonight, but by 4:30, my head was aching badly. I just came home and layed down.

The headache is based at the base of my neck. When I move around, it spreads to the top and sides of my head, but when I'm laying down, it's in my neck. I can't honestly say I've never been this uncomfortable in my head before. Since this has been going on for 2 days now, I'm not sure if I should call the doctor or not. Tuesday was OK, Wednesday was bad, today (Thursday) was worse, and I'm worried what tomorrow is going to be. I was trying to concentrate on driving, but I kept having this daymare (nightmare in the day) that tomorrow is going to involve me passing out and an ambulance coming to pick me up. Funny, the thing I was most worried about in my daymare was making sure the front door to the office was locked.

Moving on from my health problems, I have decided that I want to go back to school for my Masters. I've been trying to decide whether I want a MBA, or a MS. Right now, I'm leaning towards the MS in Information Systems. There is a MBA with specialization in Information Systems program available, so now I need to decide if I want to focus more on business or Information Systems. That's a surprisingly hard decision!

So, I have goals for the week. Sharon at MRC helped me come up with these weight loss goals. (BTW, my goal for vacation was to maintain, but I actually lost 0.2lbs. Wahoo!) My goals for this week are to start keeping a regular food diary, and take my vitamins and minerals regularly. So far, honestly, it's not going well. I'm glad I did start a food diary, but I've been bad about my vitamins.

Keep your fingers crossed that my headache will go away soon! I can't handle much more of this!

Taking it One Day at a Time

Learning to take life one day at a time has always been a struggle for me. But, I really think that I understand the concept now. Last Friday was hard for me- I had to go through my finances and I got really stressed out. I had been stressed out all week due to my hours getting cut, and freelance work cutting down. But, I decided to not stress out about it anymore. The only person that gets hurt by over-stressing the situation is me. So my resolution to this problem is to focus on my weight loss. I'm not acting like I'm in "control" because I've been in "control" my whole life, and this is where it's gotten me. So, I'm focusing on the plan. I had a near perfect weekend, and I went in today and lost a pound. Yay! Talk about MOTIVATION! And I really just feel better!

Here's to a killer week!

Update Update Update!

So, I've never blogged before. But after reading my friend Jennifer's, I realized how much fun it can be!

I'm at a turning point in life right now. There are all kinds of things going on, and things keep changing. Here's where I'm at:

JOB I was laid off from Qube Visual in December. I took 4 weeks off and didn't do much of anything. I visited a cousin in NYC, and had a blast over Christmas and New Years. I started my job at Image Craft on January 9, 2008. Our corporate office is in Phoenix, so I spent a week there training on the systems and procedures. It was a fun trip. I really loved my new job, but I was getting paid less than what I was getting paid at Qube...and that was a problem. I was working weekends with a tech support company doing weekend server rollouts. He was paying me a lot more than Image Craft was. Chris, who owns the tech support company, offered me a full time position. So I put in my notice at Image Craft after being there for less than 3 months, and prepared to switch industries. We had been searching for my replacement at Image Craft, and had no luck. The day before my last day, Image Craft offered to give me a raise. I told them I needed to think about it and couldn't bail on Chris the day before I started. I started with Chris on Monday, and I hated it. It was terrible... it was not a good fit for me. I had a meeting scheduled Monday after work with Image Craft's CEO who flew in to town to do a couple things...one was to meet with me and try to bring me back. Well, it worked. I was gone from Image Craft for 1 week. I'm getting paid more, and love my job so much. It's great! So on the job front, things are great.

Living Situation I'm still in my one bedroom apartment. I've been here for 2 years. I just re-signed my lease for 9 months and received 2 free upgrades... a new kitchen faucet, thermostat, and I got my carpets shampooed for free. I'm hoping to buy a townhouse and rent a room in April, or move in with a roommate. Living on my own has been wonderful, but it's too expensive to pay for everything by myself. But we'll see what happens with the market.

Family Family is all good. My brother got a full time job with Cherry Creek State Park doing maintenance. He loves it! He has this ATV:




And he also drives this truck around:


He really likes his job so far...which I'm so glad about! He's going to get so tan... and I'm going to be so jealous. My mom is good- still working for the Chotin Group and striking deals every day. She and Alan are great - they're such a cute couple :) The Virlee's (mom's family) are good- everyone was here a month ago for my grandpa's 90th birthday. It was good to see Dustin- I haven't seen him in a few years. The Molk's are good too- it's Lake Powell season, so they're on trip 1 now, and I'll be going on trip 2 from August 1 - 12. Yay!

Harder stuff... I'm still working on losing weight. I lost 60+ lbs last year, but got laid off and gained it all back. I had looked into Gastric Bypass Surgery, and I was actually scheduled for surgery on June 9, but I was having major hesitations and decided that at this point and time, it's not the best option for me. I started back at the center where I lost 60lbs last year, and I've been struggling with it a little bit. I've been super stressed out for the past couple weeks, so that's putting a damper on my progress. I'm starting to get re-motivated now, and I'm looking forward to weighing in next week to see my progress. Good timing to really get motivated again... it'll be nice to shave off a few pounds before we leave for the lake.

I'm pretty sure that's all I've got to update for the moment. Hopefully, I'll get in the habit of writing once a week or more. Writing is a good outlet for me, so I need to get in the habit of doing it.