Promotion

Well - I got the news that I have been waiting for. I interviewed last week for a job within Mayo Clinic as a Finance Associate in the department of Research Accounting. I just accepted an offer today and am very excited about it.

I was a little hesitant because I was happy where I was at, but this is a step up for me and will provide a lot of opportunity in the future. Basically, I will be doing all the accounting for research physicians. I will tell them if their grant allows them to purchase that new kajillion dollar electron microscope or if they have enough money in the budget to order up a new research monkey. (That's a lab assistant, silly!!!) I will also be working quite a bit in process improvement as they have just implemented a new accounting system and are working on learning to be more efficient with it. Process improvement is really intriguing to me, so I am excited to dig in and figure it out!

This was a tough decision for me. I was really happy with my current job. It was the kind of job where there was no stress and you walked out the door at 5pm and forgot about it. However, it wasn't terribly stimulating and I was often bored with it. I will miss the people that I work with in Patient Account Services and I hope that our paths will cross again in the world of health care finance.

My official transition date is February 20th, just five short days before I am scheduled for Jury Duty....

Sensational Sunday!

We are all FINALLY healthy! It was a great day here in Southeastern Minnesota and we were all able to enjoy it!

After I hit the gym this morning, Madison and I decided to play outside in the snow. It was a balmy 33 degrees! Madison wanted to make a snowman but the snow wasn't quite sticky enough. So, she decided to eat it instead!

Just don't eat the yellow snow!

We also went to dinner at the Delicious International Buffet. (Okay, International Buffet, we just add the delicious part!) It's like any other Chinese buffet but it also has a fresh Dim Sum Grill (yummy!) and Sushi (not my favorite).

Afterwards I hung a whole bunch of new frames gallery style on the wall highlighting my photography of my favorite subject...Princess Madison. The photos are all in black and white and I am very pleased with how they turned out!

It wasn't the Amoxicillin

that was causing Madison's illness. It was indeed a tertiary infection, probably from Children's R&R.

How do I know?

Because now I have it.

Endless Illnesses

I'm beginning to think that the option to bring my child to Children's R&R (daycare for when she is sick) just creates an endless cycle of illnesses.

It all started with tailgating at the Packer's game a few weeks ago. It was warm and Madison quickly found a nice mud puddle to play in. Despite having boots on, her feet were quickly soked. Before the end of the next day, she had a cold coming on. Two days later she had a low-grade fever and had to go to Children's R&R. For the next two days, she did not have a fever and was able to go to regular daycare, despite the cold. Then she spiked an even higher fever and had to spend last Friday at Children's R&R where she was diagnosed with an ear infection. (UGH!) She was put on Amoxicillin, which did not so nice things to her tummy. It wasn't too bad until Tuesday night when she had a really icky diaper in the middle of the night. She seemed okay on Wednesday morning, so we went to daycare. Soon after, I received a call saying she had already had three really icky diapers and had a really nasty diaper rash. So, I left work and took her to the doctor.

Her ear infection had cleared up, so we stopped the amoxicillin. The doctor does not know if the icky tummy was from the amoxicillin or if it was a separate infection. The rash was definetely from the icky diapers. Poor kid.

So - did the first time at R&R cause a secondary infection that contributed to the ear infection? Did the day at R&R for the ear infection cause a tertiary infection that lead to the upset tummy? I don't know, but I am not taking any chances. I am not prepared for a fourth illness in less than two weeks. I am suffering the consequences of a second occurance of unplanned PTO and staying home today.

Sometimes, you can't win as a working Mom. If I stay home, I feel guilty about work. If I go to work, I feel guilty that my sick child is at R&R with mean, tough nurses.

Dang it's Cold

I'm a true Minnesotan - I actually kind of like our seasons and even winter.

This winter, however, it is getting a little old. I don't mind the snow - if it's going to be cold, we might as well have lots of snow too! I'm sick of the cold. My thermometer at home read -5 this morning, which is a drastic improvement from the -19.6 it said last weekend. However, once the temperature gets below zero - it all feels the same.

It's just stinking COLD.

Add in the windchill - and this morning it felt like -15.

Thank God for warm coats with hats and mittens, cuddle duds under my business suits, and boots. I only wish he would hear my prayers for 18 degrees and sunshine. That would be really nice right now!

At the time of this posting, it is a whopping 1 degree - and we're headed for a high of 2 degrees.

Ok...I'm done whining for the day.

Disappointing Defeat

Well - it was a heartbreaking loss. The Packer's are lucky they didn't lose by more as they simply did not play like the team that I have been cheering for all season.

So - no superbowl for us.

On the bright side, I have two airline tickets that I have to use. Maybe I'll use them to go somewhere warm. With subzero temperatures through this week and 3-6 inches of snow expected today, I'm ready to go somewhere warm!

We're looking for ideas! Post a suggestion for a family friendly place to take a toddler in the comments section!

One down, one to go

The road to the Super Bowl is a bumpy ride indeed. The Cowboys came through for us today tho. Will it be a smooth ride from here?

They may need to make more room in the trophy room at Lambeau Field.

Let's hope so!

Our G-Force is loud and proud.

Let's Go PACK!!!!!!

More pictures to come from our trip to Green Bay. Madison LOVED tailgating for the first time.

Off to Packer Town

Only two wins until the Super Bowl! We're off to Packer Town to cheer on Brett and the boys!

Go Pack! Go!

Is it Christmas already?

It has been like Christmas in our office. Right around Thanksgiving, we were informed that we were getting new computers with dual 21-inch flat screen monitors. Wow! Everyone was so excited - having two monitors is so nice because we have many computer programs running all at once and bop back in forth from one to the other. It takes a little getting used to, but the second monitor has made my job easier and I am more efficient!

Today we learned that we were also getting cordless headsets for our phones. COOL. When you work in a call center you are literally chained to the telephone. The computer determines your schedule and you have a six foot tether on your headset. I always wondered why we didn't have cordless headsets and figured it was because they are expensive and we have a lot of turnover. All new employees get a new headset (it would be gross to get a hand me down!) so I thought it was just a financial thing.

Everyone in our office thinks the new monitors and headsets are a precursor to more job duties.

I disagree.

I work for a non-profit. It was the end of the year. They needed to use up the budget or get less in the future.

My new headset is pretty sweet.

Riley turns 1!

This past weekend we celebrated Riley's first birthday! We spent the weekend at Trevor's house up north and had a blast! Riley is the most easy going kid I have ever met. He rarely cries and is just happy to be around people. He is always smiling and doesn't get upset when his brother takes his toys away....he just smacks Mason and goes back to playing. It's the funniest thing!

Madison went on her first snowmobile ride. She has always been too scared of the snowmobile and would cry. This time, Uncle Trevor grabbed her and and put her on it so fast that she didn't have time to get scared. By the end of her first trip around the yard, she was laughing and having fun. Later, she asked Mommy to take her for a ride!

Riley was a little tired by the time we had cake, but he had a blast opening his presents. Grandma and Grandpa brought him his very own car. I think he will be fighting his older brother for that one quite a bit!

It was a beautiful weekend, even in Northern Minnesota. It was a balmy 35 degrees so we enjoyed a winter campfire. Mason and Madison were all bundled up in snowsuits around the fire but that didn't stop Madison from asking for marshmallows. She knows what a campfire is all about!

I miss my nephews already - wish we all lived closer so we could see each other more!

A fastastic end to 2007

So, my plan was to write a re-cap of the highs and lows of 2007 - and then write up my goals for 2008. I still plan to do both when I get a few minutes.

We had a fantastic end to 2007. As many of my readers know, we are Green Bay Packers season ticket holders. We have owned the tickets for three years after Mike wrote a letter to the Packers saying we would be happy to take single seat tickets as long as we could get two seats in the same section. We share the tickets with Mike's parents. Our seats are actually only four seats apart with one row in between. You could almost share a beer. Sitting alone at a game is not bad at all. I almost always sit next to someone who is enjoying their first game at Lambeau Field and I always make a new friend.

The Green Bay Packers are having their best season in recent memory and Brett Favre is having the best season of his career. We started talking about the chance that the Packers would go to the Super Bowl and the lottery for superbowl tickets that season ticket holders get put into. We thought the odds that we would actually get superbowl tickets were pretty slim.

On New Year's Eve night, I opened a letter from the Green Bay Packers. I thought it was just information regarding our playoff tickets. Much to my surprise, the letter said that we had been randomly drawn from the 75,000 other season ticket holders to receive the option to purchase two superbowl tickets at $700 apiece.

There goes my new year's resolution to spend less and save more!

One simply cannot pass up tickets to go to the Super Bowl.

I won't get to go. Somehow, Mike and his dad get to use the playoff tickets AND the Super Bowl tickets. (I admit that I'm just a little bit bitter....)

However, if the Pack does go on to the Super Bowl, all four of us (Mike, his dad, his mom, and I) will all fly to Phoenix. The guys will go to the game and Sheila and I will find a nice comfy bar with good food to cheer on our beloved Packers. Even if I won't get to go to the game, I'll get a short little vacation to somewhere warm in the dead of winter.

This does give me motivation to focus on my resolution to lose about 10 pounds. I have to work towards that swimsuit body so I can at least enjoy the hot tub at our hotel.

So - good luck Pack. They only need to win two more games for me to enjoy a few days in sunny Arizona.