Jimmy Eat World

Last night we went to see Jimmy Eat World. The last time I saw them in concert, it was the summer of 2002, I was 18 years old and about to go to college. TWENTY-ONE years later…

Mom’s Birthday!

We're up at my parents' house for a concert AND for my mom's birthday!

Speed scrabble, a breakfast at a local cafe, and lots of chatting on the couch. 

Pedicures

Today we did our annual back-to-school pedicures. Nate joined us this year!

Helper

Korra helped me take out the recycling. And then caught a ride back on the cart. 

Waiting

I'm waiting for the guy to come pick up the karaoke equipment.  I'm waiting for the guy to come repair the dishwasher (it leaked all over the floor last night).  I feel like I can't leave my desk or my phone because they're both supposed to call/come any time between 10:00 and 1:00. 

Work Buddy

Korra came to work with me today. 

Karaoke and Teriyaki

For this month's office celebration, I rented a karaoke matching and ordered dinner from Teriyaki Madness.  

The food was good. The karaoke was a little rough because even though this was something that was suggested, no one wanted to sing. 

Oh well. 

Final Booking

With 44 days left until we head on our big trip, I completed our final task and booked our rental car for Belgium.  So excited!

Pool with School Friends

I invited a couple of Korra's friends from 5th grade (and their siblings) over to swim last night. They had a fun couple of hours enjoying the last bit of summer vacation. 6th grade starts in a week!

Family Photos

 

82%

Just took the Unit 3 practice test for my HR exam.  It was the unit on Training and Development, so I'm not surprised (though I am pleased) that I finished 50 multiple choice questions in less than 20 minutes and made an 82%.  AND I didn't have to study the flash cards! 3 units down, 2 more to go!

Family Time

Yesterday we went into Waynesville for pizza at Doughboy's and then we had surprise cake to celebrate Mom's upcoming birthday. Nate set off fireworks near sunset and Alabama really outdid itself because the show was impressive for $50 we spent on fireworks. 

This morning we met a photographer for family photos. The lighting/weather was great, the location was lovely, and all the kids were in agreeable moods so I'm hopeful we'll have some amazing photographs soon. 

Laura, Chris, Nate, and I went into Asheville after lunch (pinball museum and 2 cideries) while the kids played on the slip and slide, shot sling shots, and flew little airplanes. We played Kube in the yard after dinner and when it got dark Brian put a movie in the projector for the kids. 

Matching hairstyles

I braided Korra's hair and her cousins wanted theirs done too. 

Family Weekend

We're currently on our way to my parents' house for a long weekend. About an hour into our drive, Nate said, "Is that your brother?" 

And it was!  Unfortunately, we were so focused on waving and trying to get his attention that Nate and I missed our exit and are now 5 minutes behind them. Definitely made me laugh, though! 

Mrs Reynolds Update

I took Mrs to the vet for her annual exam. Poor old girl has lost 2 pounds in the last year. At her biggest, she was 12 lbs. Last year she was down to 9.5 and today she was 7.5 lbs. The vet said that's not unusual for cats her age (16!) and that she seems otherwise pretty healthy. We'll know better how she's faring after her bloodwork comes back. 

Still Not Registered?!

Even after all the headache of trying to get Korra registered for her middle school in March, when I went into the Parent Portal today to check for school supply lists, they STILL had her registered for her old school.  I spent 20 minutes on the phone with the district registrations office just now and supposedly it's fixed.  I really hope this doesn't impact Korra's class schedule (especially her electives and advanced math class).  It's really stressing me out.

On a related note, she had a good time at the orientation today. She made a new friend. played some games, and successfully biked home by herself.  

6th Grade Orientation

This morning, I biked with Korra to her new middle school.  It's about half a mile.  Today and tomorrow morning she has 6th grade orientation.  She was so nervous- being in a new place with a bunch of people she doesn't know. I have to admit, I was feeling really nervous, too.  Those sort of situations are so hard no matter what your age.  I am also so incredibly proud of her.  She's come such a long way and overcome so much anxiety and fear.  I can't wait to hear all about it in a few hours.  

Bob’s 90th

After a couple of rounds of family photos in the yard, all 60 of Grandpa Bob's descendants (that number includes the spouses) had a BBQ lunch. Rain didn't stop the great-grandkids from swimming for over an hour. Then Korra and her first cousins found the den and spent a few hours playing together. Felt a little anti-social to not spend time with the greater family, but we all preferred the relative quiet and smaller crowd. 

Uncle Chuck’s

 We arrived in Canal Winchester at lunchtime and headed over to Nate’s aunt and uncle’s house where Nate’s parents and nephew were already. Korra and Jude are in heaven because not only is there a pool with a water slide, but there’s a huge pirate ship play house and big tricycles. 

Atlanta to Knoxville to Lexington

This afternoon we left Atlanta with the final destination of Canal Winchester, Ohio for Nate's grandfather's 90th birthday celebration. We stopped in Knoxville for dinner (The Stock and Barrel for burgers and bourbon) and then made it to Lexington a bit before 10. We're staying the night here before taking the final 3 hour leg of the trip tomorrow morning. 

New Refrigerator!

As part of our new lease, we also got a new fridge!

It's a huge upgrade from our 1998 model. 

Aquarium

Today I took a couple hours of PTO and went to the aquarium with Korra, my friend Lindsay and her kids. We had a really great time!

Resume File Names

We're hiring a staff accountant.  I'm saving all the resumes for the recruiting team.  Y'all.  The file names people save their resumes as.  I just downloaded "My Resume," "NewNewResume," and "Theresume." These are people applying for a full time position as a CPA.  The lack of wherewithal and effort astounds me.

Speed Puzzle Fail

We went to Round Trip to do speed puzzling tonight with the Sniders. While we really enjoyed it the last 2 times we went, the puzzle tonight was HARD and not very fun (too much of too few colors and the unclear when pieces fit together). We actually gave up before finishing. On the plus side, the kids had a great time playing together on the playground. 

New Glasses

Korra got new glasses!

YouTube Subscription

Today at work, I suspended a bunch of former employees' email accounts. One guy had the audacity to call and be angry with me because he used his work account for his YouTube premium. 

No, I would not reactivate his account or give him the password. He quit 6 months ago.

What did you do at work today?

I assembled 3 office chairs, read 25 pages in my HR study book, answered 5 spam phone calls, MCed our weekly staff meeting, created a handful of memes and gifs to post for upcoming staff birthdays, checked the mail, processed a couple of checks and invoices, updated the staff roster, scheduled 4 meetings, reserved a karaoke machine, ordered a catered dinner, confirmed the top level executives at 19 of bus companies, and restocked the chips and crackers in the snack cabinet. 

Audiobook Fears

I listen to a lot of audiobooks at work.  A good portion of my work is tedious, so I enjoy a little entertainment while getting it done.  I synch my bluetooth earbuds and unload the dishwasher or do data entry to my heart's content.  Sometimes I really worry that I will THINK my earbuds are synched and I'll press play on my audiobook only to have it blast out of my phone for all the office to hear.  This fear is increased since about 50% of the time (ok, maybe 75...), I'm listening to a romance novel.  

Pool Party

This afternoon was our neighborhood's annual summer pool and ice cream party. This year, they brought in an ice cream truck that made "fully loaded" snow cones. 

(Excuse Nate's face in this picture- he was mid bite) 

This snow cone has cotton candy, a lollipop, fresh fruit, a mini cupcake, and several gummy candies!  

In addition to the yummy treats, we thoroughly enjoyed the time hanging out with our neighbors- chatting, swimming, and playing volleyball. This really is a great community. 

Korra Returned

We drove about 2 hours each way to meet my parents to get Korra back. She had a great time but was ready to be home. 

Hopefully we'll all sleep well tonight (Alex is insufferable at night when she's not home). 

Filling Done

Got my filing done. It wasn't painful or traumatic but it was definitely not a pleasant way to spend an hour. 

New HVAC

Today they're installing a new HVAC system in our apartment. This is great because the current unit is 34 years old and was bound to die on the hottest day of the year so we're thankful our landlord is preemptively replacing it. Unfortunately, that means the AC will be turned off for the next 4 hours, on the day Nate  and I work from home, so we're off to a coffee shop for expensive iced lattes but free wifi. 

Korra + Grandparents

Korra is having a great time with my parents- water fights while washing the car, eating her weight in California rolls, fireworks, running errands. I'm so thankful for the time she has with them and the memories they're making. 

Matinee Traffic

There was TERRIBLE traffic when I left work today- even for cyclists and pedestrians. I left work at exactly the same time that the matinee of Wicket finished at the Fox Theater right next door to my office. I got quite irritated with theater-goers stopping in the middle of the sidewalk on big clumps to wait for a friend or take a selfie while others stopped their cars in the middle of the street to do the same. I'll need to time leaving work a little better next time there's a weekday matinee. 

64

It's July.  Nate and I leave for our European Adventure in September.  I counted.  We leave for London in 64 days! 

Experiments in Studying

For Unit 1 of my HR certification exam preparation, I read the book, underlined and took a few notes, and studied the flash cards for a couple hours.  I made an 80% on the practice test.

For Unit 2, I decided to only read/underline/take notes and skip the flash cards to see if I really need to spend the time on them.  I made a 72%. 

Today I learned that for Unit 3 through 5, I'll need to study the dang flash cards.  

Lunch Surprise

My friend from high school Kyle texted me today to say he was in town and free for lunch. We were able to meet up at this great food hall about a block away from where I work and catch up. It was a really nice surprise!

Chimichurri

Tonight Nate grilled steaks and I made chimichurri and mashed potatoes. Delicious!

Time with Momo and Grandad

Today my parents came to the cabin to pick Korra up so she can spend the rest of the week with them. She was sad to say goodbye to her cousins, but she'll see them again in 10 days AND she's really excited to spend some time with my parents (who will undoubtedly spoil her rotten). 

Fireworks

Concerts

Korra and her cousins performed multiple concerts for us today- singing pop songs, YouTube songs, and songs where they changed a couple of words to make them about poop or cats. Korra had a fantastic time. The adults suffered through it. 

Tubing

We went tubing today. It was cloudy at times but thankfully didn't pour on us like last year. Unfortunately, we forgot sunscreen and ended up a little pink. 

Shower Interrupted

The power went out this evening during diner. We have plenty of candles and flashlights so didn't seem like a big  deal. I decided to take a candle-lit shower only to have the water go out- right after I had finished fully soaping and shampooing up. After waiting a few minutes to see if it would come back on, I used a cup of water and my damp wash cloth to rub as much of the soap as possible from my body. I considered standing in the rain to rinse off, but by that point the rain had pretty much stopped. Gail helped me use 2 bottles of water to rinse the shampoo out of my hair on the porch. 

The power (and water) came back on about 3 hours later so I was finally able to rinse off thoroughly. Certainly a memorable experience. 

Dark Sky Trip

Korra has been interested in the night sky for years but she's been asking to go somewhere we can see the stars better for a few months. I checked and there is only one Dark Sky Certified place in the southeastern US- 5 hours south of us in the Okefenokee Swamp. I checked the lunar calendar and it looks like the next weekend new moon is in October (during Korra's fall break), so I booked us 2 nights in a cabin in the state park there. I am not interested in tent camping in a swamp filled with alligators but I am interested in seeing so many stars!  Hopefully it will be really amazing- we'll do some astronomy research before we go!