Wisconsin Cheese!

I forgot one other interesting thing happened at work!  One of our members sent us a Christmas gift- a huge box of Wisconsin cheese including absolutely delicious squeaky cheese curds!

Fireplace

My work week has been busy enough to not be boring but not so busy as to be stressful. It really is a sweet spot. 

The only interesting thing I've done all week is buy and then put up this fireplace decoration. 

Eating well

The last few nights we've continued to have delicious diners. I made carnitas last night and Nate made bourbon brown sugar pork chops and mashed potatoes for dinner tonight. Yum!

11 Year Check-Up

Korra had her annual doctor's appointment this afternoon.  She got FOUR vaccines (poor kid) and biggest news- she's gone up in the percentiles!  3rd percentile for height (up from 2nd last year, and the highest it's been since she was a year old) and 9th percentile in weight (up from 5th last year- also the highest percentile in 10 years)!  

Christmas Decorations

I crocheted snowflake garland and made a couple of pillow covers!

Tiny Updates

I reached an 800 day streak on Duolingo.

I figured out how to sew an envelope pillow case last night and made the first of 3 Christmas pillow covers for the couch.

I made lasagna last night and BBQ pot roast over cheddar ranch grits the night before.

We went to Goodwill on Sunday afternoon and had a little shopping spree.  We all got several items of new clothes and only spent $75.

Visit from Danny

Danny texted us yes that he is in town and asked to meet us. We had him over for a short visit (over fresh from the oven apple crisp) and he seems to be doing well. It's hard to believe he's 26. He's still working all over the country installing and repairing conveyor belts and has been promoted to foreman. 

Snuggles from Alex

Alex is a very social kitty. This week without us while we were at the cabin was hard for him. He's been glued to one of us since we got home this afternoon. 

Thanksgiving with Uncle Nate

Korra and Dixie

The contractor that is working on one of the bathrooms in the cabin brings his dog Dixie with him while he works. Korra has enjoyed playing with Dixie (fetch and soccer) the past two days. 

Shopping Trip

For my Christmas gift from my in-laws, I got to go on a shopping trip with my MIL today. We drove about an hour to a big shopping center where we went to Michael's, Hobby Lobby, Ross, Bealles, and Belk and went out to lunch.  I got some cute new clothes and shoes and some craft supplies and had a lovely time leisurely browsing and chatting. 

Cabin Time!

Yesterday afternoon we packed up the car and got the cats settled and then met the Sniders for a birthday dinner at Emmy Squared Pizza. From there we drove straight to the cabin, arriving at about 9:00. Now we have a full week of relaxing, reading, board games, and good food ahead of us. Sure, I need to work a little on Monday through Wednesday, but I anticipate it'll be light and plus, everything is better at the cabin. 

What does Mrs want?

Last night Mrs Reynolds started meowing at 4:30 am. This is unusual for her so I got up. I checked her food, water, litter box. I carried her to all those things. I followed her around to see if she was hurt or would lead me to something. Nope. She continued meowing until 6am when Nate, who fell asleep on the couch last night, got up and came to the bed. Mrs immediately stopped meowing, hopped onto the bed between us, and started purring loudly. The only logical conclusion is that she just wanted Nate to come to bed. Adorable, but so annoying as I haven't been able to go back to sleep. 

Lottafrutta

Nate and I tried out the sandwiches and smoothies at Lottafrutta today for lunch. They were good (but not amazing), but the walk there and the outdoor seating was especially enjoyable thanks to the 68 degrees and sunny weather we have today.

Planning Ahead

I know it's not even Thanksgiving, but I'm already starting to make summer plans- which week is Korra going to Girl Scout camp, when and where should we do family vacation. 

I know it's hypocritical when I'm judging people who have already put their Christmas decorations up and I'm over here thinking about June. 

So Grown Up

Today after school, Korra and her friend walked to Krog Street Market. They got ice cream and hung out and then Korra came home. It's like the 2023 version of going to the mall with your friends (and without your parents). It feels like a right of passage. I can't believe how grown up she is. 

Visit with GG & PopPop

Nate's parents are visiting for a bit on their way up to the cabin. Last night we took them to Krog Street Market where we had dinner at Fred's Meat and Bread (one of the recent winners of Michelin's Bib Gourmand award). Yum!  

While they're here, Nate and I are sleeping on the bottom bunk in Korra's room. Alex is an extremely annoying roommate. He woke me up a few minutes ago (the third time he's woken me up in the early hours today), by licking the lampshade. He does all sorts of bad and crazy things just to get our attention. 

Greenville Meet-Up

My brother Brian reminded me that he's less than 2 hours away from Greenville, so they joined us for breakfast and a very chilly walk along the river!  It was so nice to see them!

After a quick stop for a coffee and a hot cookie, we drove back home. I don't know about Korra and Nate, but I had a fantastic time in Greenville!

More Greenville!

After breakfast yesterday morning we had team presentations (for which I got a very nice compliment on my part), we had lunch and then got to go on a 2.5 hour, 20 mile electric bike tour. It was amazing!  Despite a little light rain at the beginning, the temperature was perfect, there was hardly anyone else out on the bike path, the sites were gorgeous, and the electric bikes were so fun. My cheeks hurt from smiling so much by the end of the ride. 

Not long after we got back from the bike ride, Nate and Korra arrived!  We went for a walk down Main Street where we kept an eye out for the little bronze mice that are hidden throughout downtown, caught up with each other about the past week, and did a little shopping. We had a delicious dinner at The Trapp Door, which served Belgian food and beer before heading back to the hotel for bed. 

Greenville

Yesterday I carpooled to Greenville, the site of our staff retreat, with my work friend Maggie. After arriving, we went on a tour of the Proterra electric bus factory, which was not nearly as interesting to me as it was for my nerdy engineer coworkers, but was good all the same. I then went on a very brisk walk through the Falls Park with one of my coworkers from the St Paul office. It was lovely to get to know him better, stretch my legs, and explore beautiful park. We all had dinner at the hotel's very pretty rooftop terrace and I really enjoyed laughing and talking with my coworkers. They are such an incredibly weird, funny, kind, smart group of people. 

This morning I went on another walk through the park with some coworker friends. 

Downtown Greenville really is adorable and fun. 

We had a good, productive DEI session in the morning, lunch, and then some team work before I got to take yet another walk along the river with another coworker friends. The weather has been a perfect 75 degrees and partly sunny. 

For dinner we went to this place called Group Therapy. It's part bar, part mini golf/arcade. I played the most ridiculous and amazingly creative movie themed mini golf, got to throw an axe, and had some delicious cocktails. 

It was so much fun. Once the group headed back to the hotel to play games and talk in the lobby, I decided to head to bed. I'm having a little FOMO about the fun they're having but I'm also people-ed out for the moment. I enjoyed a long shower and now I'm on my nice bed and ready to relax and sleep. 

Fun End to the Evening

Our dinner reception ending up being really wonderful. It was at my favorite neighborhood restaurant, Torched Hop, and then I sat with some amazing coworkers and played Pictionary. Because it was so close to home, I didn't have to wait for a shuttle and I was able to enjoy an evening walk home. A very wonderful end to a long day. 

Annual Member Meeting

Today I'm in a meeting from 8:30-5:30 with a required dinner afterwards. Almost every staff member is presenting on their projects or what the organization has accomplished in the past year. This is mostly for our members, but even those of us who are not presenting are here for support and to learn more about other areas of the organization. I really wish I was interested. My colleagues are so smart and the work they are doing is so important and good. It's just not interesting to me at all. Also not interesting- networking with our members. 

I'm looking forward to tomorrow when the staff retreat brings. Much less boring. 

Busy office

This is a big week at work. Today was our board and policy meeting, tomorrow is our annual member meeting, and Wednesday through Friday is our staff retreat. That means all my coworkers from the other offices (about 30 people) joined our office today. It was really fun to have so many people in and to see people in person I haven't seen in a year. I order lunch for everyone (subs and Little Debbie snack cakes), we finished the office puzzle, and I set up for Happy Hour (though I ducked out before it really got going because I'd like to see Korra a bit this week). 

11 lbs of chocolate

On of my organization's members is from Belgium.  He stopped by the office today and brought us an 11 pound bar of Belgian chocolate. 

Date Night and Sleepover

Korra had a sleepover at a friends' house last night so Nate and I had a double date with our friends Kathryn and Rachel. We ate delicious Italian food in Decatur and had a wonderful time catching up. Korra had so much fun at the sleepover and diabetes walk this morning with her friends. 

Farewell Fiesta

This afternoon we had a farewell party for a colleague who has been with the organization for 19 years. There were some last minute adjustments to the plans (like changing the menu from pizza to tacos after I'd already ordered the pizza) but it all worked out well. In addition to the very delicious tacos, there were daiquiris and beer pong at the request of the guest of honor. I left after 2 hours, but I have a feeling some people will be hanging out much later. They certainly make a fun and cohesive company culture a priority.