Days Go By - Keith Urban

“Prison life consists of routine, and then more routine.” – Red, The Shawshank Redemption

I must say, I have learned to appreciate this quote.  My life is currently nothing but routine.  But as I slowly fall into the coma that is white collar employment, all hope seemingly lost, something rushes along and breaks that routine.  And you never realize how dull your routine was until you get out of it and look back on yourself, wondering who that poor sucker was and who did they tick off to get stuck there.  This moment seems to validate your existence.  You are alive, and you are happy about it!  Needless to say, today has been that day.This has happened for a number of reasons.


First, and the most exciting, my brain seems to finally have accepted the fact that one of my best friends is really and truly coming to see me tomorrow.  My mind is now afire, cycling through all the tasks that need to be completed prior to her arrival.  Vacuum the floors, do the dishes, make sure there is actual food in the fridge.  All the important stuff, of course.  Plans have begun to form in my mind, which either focus on shopping or food.  The story of our friendship, haha.  Then, if one friend visiting wasn’t enough to handle, another friend I have missed beyond measure is coming the following weekend.  This means I won’t be alone for the 4^th of July weekend, which is much appreciated.  Also, he’s pretty cool to hang out with, I guess.

Second, I have actually validated my employment here with Tetra Pak.  I answered my first request solo and even caught a mistake in the system.  That’s right.  I added some of my knowledge and awareness to the giant pool of knowledge that is Tetra Pak.  I’m essentially “earning my pay check.”  I have never been so excited to complete a task in my entire life.  I know I am going to love this job. 

Third, I have begun to plan the adventure of a lifetime for my little sister.  She will be making her first journey by air to my humble apartment in Texas.  There is so much that needs to be done.  Plane tickets to be purchased, movie tickets to order, plans to be made.  I have never been so excited to plan a trip in my entire life!  Any connection with my family comes much appreciated and missed.  I wish I could fly everyone down here to see me, but that would be impractical.  Something about “you have no furniture” or “I have to work” or “you’re boring.”  (The last one is from my wonderful brother.  Thanks, jerkface.)

Anyway, praise God for breaking routine and continuing to bless me far above and beyond what I deserve.  Until next time, goodbye from sunny Texas!

“The blessing of the Lord brings wealth, and he adds no trouble to it.” Psalm 10:22

The Show Goes On - Lupe Fiasco

First, let me just comment on the title of this blog.  I've recently purchased Lupe Fiasco's new CD and I must say I'm in love.  It's intelligent, well-written and changes moods too many times for me to count.  Yes, there is some cursing in it, but it's not that big of a deal.  If you haven't heard it yet, you should.  Okay, enough about Lupe.

I just got back from a week-long stay up in Vernon Hills, Illinois.  (It's about 30 min north of Chicago)  I flew up early Monday morning.  Very early.  Like, 4 am early.  Yeah, when the sun isn't up, I shouldn't be either.  Oh well, it wasn't that big of a deal.  Anyways, I was headed up there for training with the guy who did my job before I was hired.  It was intense and there is so much more I need to learn, but I think I've got a great start.  I learned a lot and I think I'll be much better prepared for the job now.  We'll see what happens Monday!

The best part about this week?  Catching up with old friends, for sure.  I was able to catch up with Justin and his awesome wife Megan, which was great.  We reminisced on old accounting times and had some pretty delicious spaghetti.  Then I got home tonight and was greeted by a phone call from one of my best friends, Andy.  We caught up on life, plans, and nonsense.  It was great.  I really made me realize how much I miss my friends, but also how to never take them for granted.  They're a great bunch of people and I'm so fortunate God blessed me with so many.  God also blesses me with special surprises, such as my super awesome friend Donna coming for a quick visit next weekend!  Yes!

I guess I'll end this post with a humiliating about my trip that my mom and sister found particularly entertaining.  So, when I had parked Monday morning, I had parked at the wrong terminal.  No big deal, right?  I just jumped a ride to the right one.  Well, when I arrived today, I just jumped a ride to that terminal and looked in the parking garage.  I pulled the whole "hold your alarm button until you hear your car" trick.  I made it all around that parking garage.  Not a sound.  I was starting to worry.  As I made a second pass, a man who had obviously recognized me wandering around asked jokingly if I had lost my car.  Oh, how right he was.  Then he informed me that there were actually three parking garages for that particular terminal.  Yeah, that's right.  Three.  So I made my way to the next one.  Nothing.  I searched up and down and no luck.  I then ventured to the third parking garage and, finally, I heard that sweet alarm.  That's right, an hour and fifteen minutes later, I succeeded in finding my car.  Awful, right?  Oh well.  Until next time, farewell from (now dark) Texas!

"I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry." Psalm 40:1

Not Alone - Darren Criss

Well, I have officially been on my own for a week!  Ahh!  I finally received all of my belongings, thank goodness.  I'm not sure how I accumulated so much, especially when I got rid of so much before moving.  I've officially unpacked my room and some of the living room.  My movies were the first to be unpacked, of course.  A girl's got to have her priorities straight.  It's actually kind of sad when you actually look at it.  I definitely have a problem.  Oh well.

Work is going very well.  I've been trying to soak up as much as I can.  It's very intimidating.  I have to know so much, it's not even funny.  Hopefully I'll be able to get the swing of it soon.  They expect it to take about six months to a year for me to get proficient... which is a daunting number.  A good point is that I am getting very used to booking my own travel plans.  I have successfully purchased a plane ticket for Ottawa and Chicago in the past few days.  I'm headed to Chicago for more in-depth training next Monday, which will be entertaining.  I'm hoping to see a friend while I'm up there if he's back in town yet.  I hope so, it would be nice to see a friendly face!

It's awful being a Cardinal's fan down here, let me tell you.  It's so hard to find a game that's on, it's crazy!  Fortunately, I discovered that the game was on yesterday and I got to watch it while on the phone with my Dad back in Missouri.  We got to watch Albert seal the deal in the bottom of the 12th.  I even got the game five seconds ahead of my dad.  He's 60 miles from the game, I'm 600.  Tell me where that makes sense...

Other than that, life's been pretty quiet for me.  I ventured out and did some shopping yesterday, which was nice.  The Old Navy here is phenomenal, and only 10 min from my house.  I'll probably be a little more adventurous next weekend, I spent a lot of time unpacking.  Tonight I'm going to play it safe, get some sleep and be ready to go for my first real day of work.  (I'll actually be doing some hands-on training, it's going to be good!)

Until next time, good night from Texas!

"Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall." - Proverbs 16:18

Day 3: Nah, Nah, Nah Why Don't You Get A Job

First day of work: Complete.  I hate it.  I'm moving back to Missouri.

Haha, just kidding!  (As awesome as moving back to Missouri would be...)  My first day was pretty good.  I didn't get to do much due to the need for training and my overwhelming incompetence in terms of Tetra Pak know-how.  I met some co-workers, went out to lunch, and attended my first ever HR meeting!  It was exactly like you think it would be.  Next week is where the real fun will begin, and I can't wait.  I have a decent sized desk and a laptop docking station.  Yes, I finally have one of those desks where you hook up your laptop and have two screens to maneuver between.  I've hit the big time.

Some fun things I noticed while on the job:

1. A guy who works by me could be the twin of Darryl from The Office... maybe they're related.
2. Everyone still kind of treats me as a college student.  (Young, naive, you know the drill.)  My co-workers seem to be okay, though.  Oh well, just another chance to prove myself.
3. Traffic getting out of that place is going to be a nightmare.  I left at 3:30 today (which is early) and I was stuck for who knows how long!  Ahhh!

So, in terms of overall experience, the kids were nice to me and I think we'll all get along on the Tetra Pak playground.  I then ventured out this evening and completed my first full grocery experience.  My store of choice?  Kroger, of course!  I even picked up a nifty Kroger Plus card.  Now, for my friends in Warrenton, this is not your typical Kroger.  I wish everyone could see it, it's huge!  We're talking Wal-Mart size.  I walked in, the floors were clean and my mind literally exploded.  This is going to be good!

Anyway, I guess that's enough for now.  I'll probably post again after this weekend.  Mission: find a living room set!  Til then, goodbye from sunny Texas!

"Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path." - Psalm 119: 105