Hey, It's Ok

To be incredible proud of myself for the event I organized on December 3. The event not only marked the 50th anniversary of my the organization I work for, and the event went according to plan, but it was broadcast (which I oversaw, planned, and organized) all over Ontario, as well as Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan and Guatemala City, Guatemala. By far the biggest and most important event I have ever worked on.

That I finished my Christmas shopping on the weekend. I have all my gifts purchased, I just need to wrap them. It feels so good to know I don't have to deal with the crowds.

To be so blessed to work for a fantastic organization. The work we do is amazing, the corporate culture is the best I have ever experienced, my colleagues are out of this world, and my supervisor is so supportive, encouraging and a fantastic mentor- and insanely nice to me. 

That I will be doing a Paint Nite with some friends from work in January!! Paint Nite is where you go to a bar, and there is an artist that teaches the group how to paint a specific picture. I'm really looking forward to it!! It should be a ton of fun and a great girls night and I can't wait!!

To have had fantastic weekend!!! My boss encouraged me to leave early on Friday, which I did. I got to spend a ton of time with my sister on Saturday, something I haven't been able to do in months. Also on Saturday, I celebrated a friends birthday- she does these pot luck & Cards Against Humanity parties, which are always a blasted...so much laughter!! Plus I got to see a bunch of friends that I haven't seen in months. Sunday was some family time and than back to my apartment to hang out.

Hey, It's Ok

 

To be hopeful. I have to be. I know this will work out and that my time will come. It's hard not to be disappointed or frustrated. I have hope this is it.

 

That I was woken up by a message sent to my Blackberry, that resulted in a laughter filled convo with some former co-workers. I miss those girls.

To be having some crazy dreams the past few nights... a 12 hour helicopter ride to Iceland, a co-worker being a CSIS (Canadian CIA) agent, living on a tv series set...at least they are entertaining.

That I did not watch the Oscars. Just not interested. I heard that it went past midnight, which is way too long! Even though I didn't watch, I will say that Boyhood should have won.

To be ready to move on.

Suggestion Box

Summer has come and gone, which means the Suggestion Box has also come to an end. This was something that was started for my Summer Students, but since they've gone back to school...there is no one to make suggestions.

 

L finished a week before N, so all of these suggestions came from N:

 

Use your "love" folder whenever & update as needed. When I was on vacation the two of them cleaned my desk and created a file folder 'For When You Need Some Love'. They filled it with funny things I had housed on my desk and added their own items. I haven't gone through the folder entire folder yet.

 

Have Timbits at Monday Meetings. We had weekly team meetings Monday morning and I always brought Timbits (donut holes, for my American friends). With the two of them leaving and me going back to a team of 1, there was no point for weekly meetings or Timbits.

 

Text N & meet up for Thai food or pizza sometimes.  L went a few hours away for school but N still lives in the area. I fully intent on texting her and meeting up once I have a bit more free time.

 

Find another bowling location and plan another outing. Bowling party was suggested weeks earlier. We went and had fun, but the service was horrible.

 

Try to crush less of your own dreams. This is a reference to an earlier suggestion- which was a joke- but this was a sincere reminder. I needed to hear that. I needed to be reminded that my dreams count too and are just as important. It was very sweet.

 

 

 

They both been gone for about a month and I miss them like crazy. I miss the fun and the laughter and the energy they brought to the office. Of course, I also miss all the work they did, which was a HUGE help to me.

 

Interested in previous weeks' suggestions?

Week 1

Week 2

Week 3

Week 4

Week 5

 

 

Suggestion Box Week 1

I am so incredibly lucky to have two really great students working with me this summer. They are both hard workers, super productive and really nice and really funny girls. There is a lot of laughing in our office, they keep me entertained. 

 

Over the years, I have had a few great supervisors and a lot of not great supervisors. I am taking what I learned from all my supervisors- the good and the bad- and applying it to my own role as supervisor. I want the students to have a great experience and enjoy their time working for our organization. I also want them to feel valued, appreciated and heard. The students are aware of this.

Last week, they, jokingly, asked if they could have a suggestion box when they could anonymously leave suggestion on how I can do my job better. Of course, I agreed and told them that we will read the suggestions at our weekly team meeting. 

 

Here are this weeks suggestions:

 

Drip. Drip. Drip. How's the water shut off? The day of our meeting, the City turned our water off due to construction. 

 

More espresso beans. Someone gave me chocolate covered espresso beans as a thank you gift and I left them for the students.

 

Don't crush dreams. This is actually something that was said jokingly and with laughter. And I'm the one who wrote it down and put it in the suggestion box.  

Keep a list of funny things that are said in the office.  The students say hilarious things on an hourly basis (ex Student 1 to Student 2: I feel like we're complete opposites. Everything I like, you don't. Everything you like, I've never heard of). Plus, after the summer I can read the list and remember how funny they were. 

Bowling party. No idea why this was suggested, but we are now going bowling after work in August. 

Co-worker should be the supervisor because she brings cupcakes and folds brochures. A co-worker brought in the most amazing cupcakes for the office one day. I only bring Timbits and store bought cookies. Plus she helped them fold brochures while I was in a meeting.

Love the way we have to fold the suggestions to submit. Suggestions are written on the back of a post it note and folded so the sticky part attached to the other end. With everyone submitting suggestions the same way, it helps them stay anonymous.

Paper beside the suggestion box to help with anonymity. Everyone was writing on different kinds of paper, which would help me figure out who suggested what. If we use the same paper, it helps conceal the identity of the suggestion maker. I put a pad of yellow post it notes beside the suggestion box to address this.

Espresso beans. Yup, suggest twice. They REALLY want more espresso beans.

More opportunities for "gold stars". I give out stickers to people who earn them...from doing a good job with a task to surviving a rough morning. There are no set 'rules' for earning stickers but they would like more stickers.

Respond efficiently and effectively in a timely manner. I often have over 100 unread emails- it's a combination of reading select emails from the day before and people just emailing me a lot. It does take me a couple of days to respond to stuff. I'm sure this was a semi-serious suggestion, but the students are in my office and usually say "I'm emailing you a draft of a poster, can you look at it and let me know what you think?" so I look at it and give them verbal feedback. It's not like I'm ignoring them.

Co-workers in our office, but not on our team, were surprised (as was I) that no one suggested I clean my desk/workspace, which is a disaster. Both students love to organize and have been counting down the days until I was on vacation so that they can organize my desk, workspace (the floor around my desk), my filing cabinets and my business cards.

The suggestion box was a really fun activity and a great way to start our meeting.I can't wait to see what suggestions they have next week!!

Baby Shower Part I- Theme & Invite

I have mentioned a handful of times that I was planning a baby shower for a friend/co-worker, Social Worker. I have been waiting to share details and it's been hard not to give anything away- both on the blog and to her! Since today is her baby shower, I am now free to share the details!!

Basically, as soon as she announced that she was pregnant, I just knew I wanted to host a baby shower for her. Another co-worker, Finance, had the same idea and emailed me right away saying 'we get to throw a baby shower.' We approached Boss with our idea and she ok'd it.

Finance...is finance, and I am an event planner. So, we didn't see eye to eye on a lot of things. I wanted to do an outside of work shower. She wanted to do it over lunch. I wanted to have a traditional shower with a theme, decorations and games. She wanted to order in lunch, have a cake, give her a group gift and call it a day. And, she insisted that it be a surprise.

In the end, we kind of compromised. It was held during lunch and the first half hour of our staff meeting, we ordered cupcakes, everyone brought their own lunch and it was a surprise. Over the next couple of weeks, I will share specific details.

While Finance didn't think we had time for a theme, I insisted that there is ALWAYS time for a theme! 

Social Worker was one of the very first friends I made when I moved here and she has been an amazing friend and co-worker over the past 15-ish months. I wanted her to have the BEST baby shower and a shower that I thought she would love. 

I know that she is a big reader, she said that she wants her kids to be readers and she told a sweet story how her little cousin read a book to her baby. So, based on all of this, I thought it would be cute to have a 'Bed Time Story' themed shower for her. 

Boss loved it, Finance didn't...because she felt we didn't have time for a theme...but I insisted. 

After a couple of attempts at putting together an invitation, I contacted my dear, sweet friend Chelsea from Olive & Ivy and asked her to create an invitation. I sent her the wording, and told her the theme and that the baby was a girl. This what she came up with:

How cute (and perfect) is this?!?!?!? I plan on having this printed and framed for Social Worker.

Inspiration for the theme came from here and here, while a portion of the invite wording was taken from this pin (I was unable to find the original source and it looks like the website the pin links to is under construction. If you know the source, please let me know so I can link to it and give them credit). The rest of the invitation wording was created by me.

Flip Flop Meltdown

I may have a had mini meltdown this week and it may have involved a pair of flip flops. Yes, I realize this is utterly ridiculous. But I LOVE my flip flops...I even wrote about it.

On Wednesday, I had a meeting at one of our out of town offices- about 30 minutes away- and flip flops are easier to drive in than stilettos. Plus, I knew I had to work at a community picnic later that day, so another reason to wear my beloved flip flops.

When I got to the office, I went into Finance' office, sat at an extra desk and changed from flip flops to work shoes. Had a brief chat and went into the meeting. As I was driving back, I thought 'I don't think I have my flip flops'. 

Panic set in. If I wasn't driving on the highway, I would've pulled over and started going through my bags to see if I had them. I thought about turning around and going back to the office. I told myself that was crazy...I was half way back to my office. Besides, if I had left them, two people from that office would be in my office the next day for a meeting and one of them could bring them to me then.

When I got to my office building, I parked my car and went through my bags. No flip flops. I BBM'd Finance asking if she had seen my flip flops. I went up to my office and proceed to pull everything out of my bags, panic attack in full swing. No flip flops. Finance had yet to BBM me back, so I semi-calmly called the other office. Finance was busy so I asked Reception to go look in Finance's office. My flip flops weren't there. 

More panic and anxiety set it. Volunteer and Counsellor looked on as I frantically searched my bags again. They both tried to keep me calm and reassure me my flip flops would show up. I searched my car...nothing. I tried to keep calm.

Throughout the afternoon I called the other office a few more times. I made people go and look for my flip flops while I was on the phone. Having them retrace my steps- including the parking lot-, describing them to everyone who would listen (pink, with gold straps and a peacock feather design...you can't miss them!), requesting they spread the word about my flip flops to the rest of the office, in case someone else stumbled upon them. 

I spent the day, evening and night praying to St Anthony (the Saint of Lost Things).

Thursday, we had another meeting but at my office. Boss was there and she asked me why she was being asked if she had seen my flip flops. I had to tell her the story, trying to keep my panic under control. During our meeting (4 of the 5 people had been at yesterdays meeting), I asked if anyone had seen my flip flops, described them and tried very hard to hide my anxiety. Boss suggested getting Reception to send an email blast to all staff about my flip flops. I thought that was a great idea and something I was near requesting myself...but didn't want to request because I didn't want people to think I was a overly ridiculous- which, clearly, I am. 

Late in the afternoon, Finance called me. My flip flops had been found- THANK GOODNESS!! They were under a desk, right where I thought I had left them...a place that a couple of people checked several times and had previously not seen them. Finance, who had looked the day before, said that she was standing in a different place and just happened to see my flip flops from that angle. (Thank you St Anthony.)

All is right in the world...almost. While my flip flops have been found...they are not yet in my possession. 

I hope I get them back soon.

In the meantime, I'm back to wearing Old Navy flip flops, which I used to love before switching over to Havianas. Old Navy flip flops are fine...but nowhere near as good as my Havianas! Can't wait to have them back!

And if anyone asks, I will deny/attempt to downplay how much I over reacted.

Hey! It's Ok

Idea taken from Amber at Airing My Dirty Laundry One Sock At A Time.

To think that  Will Ferrell and Kristen Wiig were hilarious and a highlight of the Golden Globes!

To be reminded how lucky I am to work in a building with great community partners. We all work for different organizations, but we're willing to help each other out. These ladies were my lifesavers yesterday.

To be thankful to have the most amazing co-worker and friend. It's nice to know that there's someone who's got your back and that no matter how hectic things are, she's right there with me.

To want nothing more than to go home, put on your comfiest clothes, crawl into bed and sleep and/or cry. Sometimes you just need to do this because you know it will make you feel better. It won't make things better, but it'll make you feel better.

To be counting down the days to the start of the NHL season, which is Saturday (Jan 19)! I can't freakin' wait! I've missed hockey so much and I can't wait to watch my New York Rangers again!

Favourite Thing- Co-Workers Turned Friends

Anyone who knows me, know that I am a social person. When I lived in midwestern, rural Ontario, my social life left something to be desired- I was making one friend a year who was only in town for a short time.

I switched to my second job in the area, meet some wonderful, amazing and fun ladies, who have turned out to be some of the best friends a girl could ask for.

When we were co-workers/friends, we would go out for dinner about once a month. It was just a time for us to socialize in a non-worker environment. I left that job in May and later moved to southern Ontario. Facebook and texting has kept me touch with these ladies, but I haven't seen them since June!

I had to make the trip back up here to pick up some clothes for a wedding this weekend and I thought I should have dinner with these ladies while I'm in town. They were nice enough to clear their schedules and join me for dinner at Boston Pizza. 

I had to drive an hour and half to get here, I burnt the rough of my mouth on goat cheese & spinach dip, ate so much food that I was uncomfortably full and will have to get up at the crack of dawn to make it into work on time...being with amazing friends, getting caught up and the laughter was more than worth it.

While I think about and miss them on a daily basis, I didn't realize how much I missed them until we were all together again.

Our dinners are one of my favourite things and I hope we can still do them often.

"Chance made us co-workers. Choice made us friends."

Make With Me- Fruit Smootie

Fruit Smootie

Ingredients:

• 1.5 cups of fruit juice
• 1/3 cup of yogurt
• 1/3 cup fruit
• 1 banana, sliced
• Please see notes (below)

To Make:

• Add all ingredients into a blender
• Blend until smooth (roughly 1 minute)
• Pour into a glass
• Enjoy! 

Notes:

1. A co-worker shared this recipe with me.
2. You can use the juice, yogurt and fruit of your choice. My co-worker used orange-mango juice, strawberry yogurt and frozen blueberries.
3. Do not use apple juice (the acid separates the yogurt) .
4. Makes two servings.

Hey! It's Ok

Idea taken from Amber at Airing My Dirty Laundry One Sock At A Time


To be sad that Desperate Housewives is over. I loved the last episode and felt that they did a great job wrapping up the series. The only thing I didn't like, was Jennifer (was that her name?) who moved into Susan's house having a secret. This was right at the end of the episode and I want to know what she's hiding!

That I missed the last episode of Celebrity Apprentice because I was watching the Desperate Housewives finale. Why did these two shows have to be on at the exact same time?!?!?!? Luckily, in Canada, the episodes air on a Canadian station the Saturday after the show airs on NBC.

To not have any plans for the long weekend coming up. So many options. I just need to decide what I want to do. Seeing how the long weekend is THIS weekend, I need to get my act together and figure out what I want to do!

That MTV's Undressed is my guilty pleasure. I loved that show when it aired and I discovered yesterday by chance that you can view the episodes online at undressedtv.com. I know...I know...the show isn't quality programing...and I shouldn't waste my time watching it...but have you seen the show? Addicting. And please don't judge me for watching it.

That I have friends (who are now ex-coworkers) here who care about me so much that they will stalk/track down my dad and e-mail him to make sure I'm ok, because they haven't heard from me since the morning and I deleted my Facebook account. And I didn't answer when they called my house and cell phones and I wasn't replying to their texts. Ok, typing that out seems pretty bad and if I were them, I guess I would have worried too. Bottom line, incredibly lucky and blessed to have the friends that I do.

Hey! It's Ok

This idea was taken from Whispering Writer.

It's ok...

To have been super lazy all weekend because I spent my days at the beach. I believe the 20's (or 70's) weather was not to be wasted.

That I played along online on Sunday with Canada's Smartest Person. Compared to the rest of the Nation, I did pretty well.

That one of my co-workers said "Reading a book is just like drinking beer". At first I thought this was funny. But once she explained herself, it totally made sense. Explanation: They are both so simple to do and both be done in one step- crack open a beer, crack open a book.

That, for the past 2 months, I have been eating the same thing for lunch every day. If I like avocado and hummus sandwiches...and I don't mind eating them...why wouldn't I have the same thing for lunch?

To read books that are not exactly quality reading. it is not my fault that chick lit is sooo good. Or addicting.

LOL

On Friday, a co-worker posted this on Facebook and tagged me in it.

I am one of those people, that when I type 'LOL' I am actually laughing- I laugh easily and a lot too. A different co-worker (who is right next door to my office), had two clients in her office with the door open, so when I saw this (while at work), it was a bit of a struggle to suppress my laughter.

Hope everyone had a great weekend!

Hey! It's Ok

This idea was taken from Whispering Writer.

It's ok...

To not have seen any of the movies that were nominated for Best Movie at the Oscars this past weekend. It's also ok that I didn't watch the Oscars and had no desire to. I'm just not into award shows, I guess. Also, with the exception of The Help, I have no desire to see any of the nominated movies. And I only want to see The Help because I read and liked the book.

To be thankful that Glen Sather (GM for the New York Rangers) barely did anything before the NHL trade deadline yesterday. He traded for a defenseman that will barely play for a draft pick. It could have been so much worse.

To be relieved  that when I went to visit my friend/co-worker and her baby yesterday, he didn't cry when 1. she said that he liked me and 2. when she left me to look after him for 2 minutes while she changed.

To think after all of these new recipes that I've been trying and successful making that I am all of the sudden qualified to write/edit a best selling cookbook. I seriously think I can now write/edit a cookbook and that people will buy it. I really do.

To be confused regarding my wardrobe thanks to Mother Nature. Last week, the sunny somewhat warm weather made me want to pull out and start wearing all my spring clothes. The tons of snow we had over the weekend forced me to dress in winter clothes. But with most of the snow melted today and the sunny weather, I'm thinking it's time for Spring clothes again. Which is it?!?!?!?

Hey! It's Ok

This idea was taken from Whispering Writer.

It's ok...

To hope that the New York Rangers don't do anything prior to the trade deadline on Monday. I love the team the way it is and don't want them to trade any of the current players for anything or anyone- including for Rick Nash, which I love.

To be excited to be participating in my first blog swap! I can't wait to mail my package tomorrow and hope my partner likes what I picked out for her!

To be looking forward to seeing my co-worker and her baby on Thursday! I'm not a baby fan, but he is legit cute and I haven't seen her in almost a month! It'll be weird to see her not pregnant.

To love the fact that because my parents were here this weekend, I'll be eating leftovers for the rest of the week. And it's food that I don't make myself, so it's pretty awesome.

To hate the fact that my house currently smells like burnt popcorn. On Sunday, when my dad was here, he made popcorn which burnt. No amount of air freshener or leaving the windows and doors open is helping.

To be amazed that this is my 100th blog post on here! I can't believe it's been over 3 months and 100 posts already!

Hey! It's Ok

This idea was taken from Whispering Writer.

It's ok...

To think Chelsea Handler is funny. Chelsea Lately, After Lately, her books and even her new show on NBC ('Are You There Chelsea?')...it's ok to enjoy all of these things and laugh.

To be sad that this week is my co-workers last week at work before her mat leave. I really am going to miss her. I realize how lucky I've been to be able to go to work and see (and work with) one of my best friends. It's also ok to be a little bit scared that once her baby is born, she'll be too busy being a hot mama to worry about her friends, thus leaving me with one less best friend. Sad.

To spend the night looking at your high school yearbook. Sometimes you just need to be reminded of things; like your youth, Friday night Ski Club trips, or the cute guy who sat next to you in English. If you realize you graduated 10 years ago and instantly feel old, that's ok too.

To spend time browsing the ads on Craigslist as a source of entertainment. You never know what you might find...like a once used yoga mat for sale.

To not know whether or not you like something you've just tried, like a food or drink. Sometimes you need to try things a few times before making up your mind.

Favourite Thing- Pregnant Co-Workers

I have to admit, I've recently discovered that one of my favourite things is pregnant women, very specifically my co-worker!

My co-worker is a friend of mine so she's always been a 'favourite' but her pregnant is phenomenal.

It's been fun watching her belly grow and for weeks, I'd get a weekly update letting me know the size of her baby as compared to food items. It's entertaining to hear her talk about pregnancy issues- such as her possibly having a liver disease because she was itchy. I've liked hearing about how her and her husband are preparing for this baby, their first, from prenatal classes to nursery decorating and possible baby names. Ohhh...the baby names. It was weird and cool seeing her ultrasound pictures. There really is a baby in there and not just beer, or in her case, McDonald's.

It was fun going with another co-worker last weekend to pick out baby stuff to surprise the pregnant co-worker with at our last staff meeting. And months ago when I saw a book, The Hot Mom's Handbook, I just HAD to buy it for her. Trust me, she will be one hot mama, even without the handbook.

But one of the best parts of her being pregnant?

Someone in our office is going to make some money! Yup, we have a baby pool going. We've been thinking about your guesses for weeks and they have been closely guarded secrets. This is kind of a serious deal in our office and we are all oddly competitive about it.

It hasn't been all fun and games...I could have done without the baby bumping and belly jiggling.

But all kidding aside, I've really enjoyed this little pregnancy journey that she's been on and feel honoured and blessed to have been part of it. Even though I am going to miss her terribly while she's on mat leave, I'm excited for her and her husband and can't wait to meet the baby, who is hopefully an 8lbs 4oz girl born February 14 at 2:50am...