BrianandLibby.com

If you didn’t guess from the title of this post…I got food poisoning! It was my first time and, I can only hope, the last…since I vowed in the middle of it never to eat food again (I wasn’t completely rational at that point). We had lunch at Cheesecake Factory around 2 Sunday, walked around the mall, and came home for a quick pit stop before heading out for some Memorial Day Festivities. I am SO, SO glad that it hit when it did, b/c if I had been anywhere but the comfort (although little comfort was to be found) of my own home, I think the experience would have been just that much more miserable! So I was putting together dessert in the kitchen and I started to feel dizzy all of a sudden. The feeling intensified…kind of like I was in one of those fairground rides where you spin around really fast and then you can defy/manipulte gravity and stick to the walls…except the pull of gravity was intensified, along with the dizziness.

After a few minutes the nausea hit and just moments later it was overwhelmingly clear what was wrong! I spent about 4 hours hugging the toilet in our downstairs bathroom, which, the day before, we had begun remodeling, and resembled a construction site (at best). How pleasant. Brian spent the majority of the time rubbing cold cloths on my back when I was hot, bringing me blankets when I was cold, talking to the manager at the Cheesecake Factory and calling both of our moms to make sure he was doing all the right things (he was). Oh, and reminding me to keep restoring my electrolytes. Haha, that was cute.

Anyways, a few hours in I became the most prayerful I ever had in my life, decided that I wanted to die (don’t call me dramatic, I have heard that many others who undergo similar experiences also wish death on themselves), vowed to boycott the Cheesecake Factory (and food in general) and decided that I should try to move from my position sleeping with my head on the toilet seat to the “bed” Brian had set up on the ground a few feet away. After 3 tries and a lot more “detoxifying” I was able to rest down there and fell asleep for about an hour…in my construction site bathroom with 8 blankets. I probably would have killed him if he had, but I kind of wish Brian had taken a picture b/c I think it was probably comical at that point.

I can’t remember the last time I threw up…I think it must have been in grade school. Either way, I think this is worse than it ever was and I don’t wish it on anyone…or myself ever again. I am still psychologically recovering…eating mostly cheerios, white rice, and plain hamburger buns with ginger ale. I am going to research the long term effects of eating only these 4 foods…I think I might be on to something here.

Today begins the 1 week countdown of when I will join the real, working world as an employee. June 1st is next Friday and I am set on squeezing every moment out of the next 7 days! It should be fine though, since I’ll have a nice long transition period (training, home study, etc) before I am really into my daily grind.

I just realized I never did post a link to our pictures from vacation. Check them out here.

I have to give a shout out to my baby sister Caroline. Tomorrow she is moving to the city for the summer for an internship in fashion/beauty PR. I’m so proud of her! She is taking the steps needed to realize her goals and dreams and this internship is one of them! Good luck Care, and sorry that I can’t help you move in! We will take good care of your car muhahahaha.

In other news, if you can believe it, I’m kind of painting the kitchen…again. After we painted it the neutral color, we identified one wall that would look nice accented with the same green that’s in our family room. And that wall looks so good now, that we’re painting another wall (and possibly the rest of them) that same green. This is kind of comical at this point. Oh well. If nothing else it’s taken away my anxiety about painting. It’s not hard, it doesn’t take that long, and I rather enjoy it. I’m off to paint now!

Yesterday I finally (re)painted my kitchen. When we moved in I wanted it that terra cotta orange-ish color and we landed on “Chai Latte” by Benjamin Moore. But when it actually went up on the wall it was more “Nauseating Orange” than Chai Latte. I endured it for a while but I couldn’t take any more! Now it’s the same neutral (Wheeling Neutral to be exact) we use in the foyer and I’m much happer with it. The cabinet color no longer nauseates me, and it’s a lot brighter and even looks bigger. Paint is truly an amazing thing. I vow never to paint that room again.

In other news, today I went to the brand new Stewarts on the corner (the only major intersection) in Milton. About a week before we left Mechanicville, they built this beautiful brand new Stewarts. It was so glorious that we actually attended their grand opening (yes, at a gas station) and we were sad to go. Now we have our own! It really spruces up that intersection, AND today I discovered that it truly is the best Stewarts ever b/c they have a deli! Along with my loaf of bread, I picked up turkey and provolone cheese today for the same price I would have paid at Hannaford. Thank you, Stewarts, and welcome to the neighborhood.

Lastly, I would like to welcome our soon to be newlyweds and new neighbors, Jeremy and Shelley, to “tha hood” here in Deer Run. We are SOOOO glad that they found a place close to us…but not the one across the street b/c we love them but that would just be wierd.
It is noon and I am still in my pajamas. I was going to run errands today but all I really want to do is paint something else. I am running out of walls…and paint. And now I have wasted half the day putting off this decision. Oh bother. I choose…shopping. See you later!

Jet Blue is incredible….umm no they are more then incredible they are incredibly incredible. We flew from Syracuse to Ft.Lauderdale and then back to the ‘Cuse from Ft.Myers and I have never enjoyed two flights more!Here’s why…

1. Snack Choice - what more can I say, you had your choice of anything form a biscotti, to chips, to a dorito snack mix! Obviously Libby got the Doritos. I chose the Blue Chips - seemed like the “when in rome” thing to do. Although I only took one bag, other more seasoned JB traverlers asked for one of each…and they got them!

2. Pain Free Full can of soda - Every time I fly I always want the whole can of soda, not just the half a can they put in that very small cup full of ice. JB gives you the can and the cup of ice with no questions asked!

3.Hello my name is- The Captain came out and introduced himself and he looked like the kind of guy that I would want to hang out with.

4.Coach but not really - All passengers are treated as first class…there is no segregation. All leather seats - a ton of leg room and polite flight attendants.

5. DIRECT TV in every seat - Our flight was delayed almost an hour and a half. We sat on the runway for 45 minutes but guess what, I could care less. I was watching the NBA Playoffs.

God Bless you Jet Blue and please come to Albany!

This is what patchy looks like. I cannot lie…this picture was taken on the fuller side. Oh well. Check out this album for less flattering pictures of what’s come up so far, as well as my flower beds and the budding lilacs. I know…you can’t wait.

As you may have guessed from this blog’s title, we are, indeed, HOME! I love vacation but I’m a nerd and a homebody and, especially considering that my most recent memories of home have been completely enjoyable and stress-free, I must say I was very happy to walk through my door today (and will be happy to wake up in my own bed). Of course, much of my time on vacation was spent dreaming (literally, multiple dreams) about my lawn. Would I have one when I got home?

Yes, my dreams consisted of my coming home to a perfectly manicured, full, emerald green backyard. Alas, I came home to something much patchier. To be honest, I’m kind of impressed that anything grew at all, and I would say that the result is, so far, on par with my expectations. Grass grew, that’s a good sign. If some grew, that means it can grow, and more can grow. By patchy I mean something like 50% coverage (Brian looks at me with a sympathetic smile when I say that…with eyes that scream “30% coverage” but I still stand strong by the 50%). So I’m sure there’s a way to seed the spotty sections. I’m just glad that when I look out now it’s more green than brown (even if partially from the fertilizer) and that I made something grow. Not so shabby for a first try.

So I really need to get back on a schedule. I ate and slept entirely too much on vacation and I need to get back down to three meals and a maximum of 8 hours per 24 hour period (both figures were significantly larger on vacation).

And for those of you who were concerned for our well-being, we did not have serious problems with weather or fire. We did have to take a 2 hour detour on our drive from Ft. Lauderdale to Marco Island b/c the road that goes directly betweent the two (Alligator Alley) was closed b/c of smoke, and we were forced indoors around 3pm daily for a 1 hour period during which it would storm, but it was all good, and it gave us an excuse to pull the twins out of the pool and make them take naps. All in all, it was a great, very relaxing vacation. Brian gets the gold star for living with 6 women (three generations of Masseys at that) all alone. His testosterone levels were threatened continuously throughout the week (as was his patience, I can only assume) but he lived to tell, and I’m SURE he will be writing about it soon. I can’t imagine…(come on, some people would call him lucky, right?)

So I’m home now and there are about fifty blogs in my head (none of which I can think of right now) so you’ll be hearing from me this week. Oh, you’ll be seeing me too…pictures to come shortly. And yes, I am still officially unemployed for 9 more business days. Life is good.

Yes, I have discovered my life’s true passion…farming. Well, not so much farming, as gardening…even gardening is a stretch. Really just yard work. I never really did yard work growing up, and obviously not in our apartment. Last summer when we moved in we did some work in the front but that consisted mostly of removing what was there, saving a few of the nicer trees and bushes, and putting mulch down. Hard work, yes, but not as creative and rewarding.

Friday I set out to plant some flowers in the back and tackle my biggest project yet…the dirt in our backyard. We have no grass - at all. Hopefully by the end of this year, we will have some (I have low expectations). This project required me getting the ground ready, which did make me feel like a farmer. I was out there with my metal rake tearing up the dirt. Brian came out and asked if I was almost done “working the land.” It was a pretty humorous sight. Hopefully some grass will grow and it will all be worth it.

Either way, the flower beds (I can’t keep calling them gardens, or surely someone will find me out and put me in my place) look nice and add a lot in the back. It’s nice to plant something and then see it grow. It sounds dumb, but it is kind of amazing. Last fall, a good friend gave me a bunch of plants from her house. At that point they were pretty much “dead” or at least looked like it, but she labeled them and wrote out instructions for me. I planted them per her instructions and whaddya know…those sticks and dirt came up as beautiful green plants this spring! I’m 4 for 6, not bad for my first try. I’ll post pictures soon, so you can all see my “gardens.”

Although I’ve technically been unemployed for 2 weeks now, it seems like it just started. The first week I was busy with interviews, and then at the beginning of this week, I went out to Syracuse to visit my family. When I got back Wednesday night, I went right to church and while I was there, I realized…”I don’t know what I’m doing tomorrow.” It was a glorious thought.

So what did I do? Well, I got up early Thursday, ran three miles, cleaned my house, did the laundry, took a shower…and then when I looked at the clock it was only 9am. Hmmm…I ran some errands, had lunch with my work homies, drove down to Albany to pick something up from Caroline…which brought me to 2:30pm. Still a lot of day left. So I started weeding the front “yard” and getting that cleaned up. Then I made dinner and went to practice. I got home at 8 and got to watch TV. I was in bed by 10. I don’t think I’m very good at this but I don’t care because I love it! AND I slept in until 7:30 today, oh yeah, I’m a rebel.

Today I think I will go to a nursery and ask them a thousand questions about planting grass, which from my rudimentary research this morning I’ve learned is an arduous, time-consuming process. Perfect! I’ll let you know how it goes!

Yes, this is the reason for my silence. Well, being unplugged is one of the reasons. Ever since I left Thomson I have not had a computer! I am limited to Internet access when Brian has his laptop at home and isn’t using it…a rare occurrence! The second reason for my silence is, oddly enough, AGAIN I found myself in a situation where the only thing I wanted to blog about, I could not yet make public. So alas, I was confined to my silence, and you to your bored anticipation….yyyyyeah right. Anyways, this is a good story, so have a seat.

So as you know, on Thursday April 5th, I accepted a new job and submitted my resignation to Thomson, my home sweet home for the last 4 years. Then on Monday, I got a phone call from a friend of mine who I spoken to a few weeks before about Pharmaceutical Sales. She is a rep and she was determined that I could break in without sales experience. Although I wanted the job badly, I was not as determined as she (obviously, since I’d accepted the other job). I had taken my new job as a stepping stone, to get some experience and hopeful get into Pharmaceutical Sales later.

So Monday, she tells me there is a position open on her team and she’s going to submit my resume. I was very confused…I KNEW the Pharma interview process was long and there was no way I would complete it before starting my new job. Of course my anxiety immediately overwhelmed me and I started to plan and worry, in typical Libby fashion. Fortunately I have a very good God who looks after me and my new prayer (and my new mantra) became “one day at a time.” I decided that this had the potential to be a huge mess if I took my new job but was still interviewing for the Pharma job (which I COULD NOT pass up).

The days go on and when I’m in California on the Thursday before my last week at work, the hiring manager calls me, while I’m on the show floor working at the noisy convention, and I go through what may be the absolute worst phone screen of all time. It was like all of my intelligence had left me when I crossed the California state line. By some miracle, she still wanted to interview me…the next day in fact, but I was all the way across the country. I hadn’t told her my job “situation” at this point and she said that she would probably not have time for the interview until the week after next…also known as my first week on the new job? Now call me crazy but I think it’s pretty hard to interview for jobs your first week on a new job. So I just kept praying…”one day at a time” (secretly telling God that I REALLY hoped he had a plan b/c I was lost at this point).

So the next week brought with it Thursday April 19th, my last day at Thomson. At this point I had all but lost hope in the new job, since I wasn’t sure I had it in me to sneak around at my new job and keep interviewing for a different one (even though it was SO MUCH BETTER). The night before my last day, I got a call at 6pm that there was an interview open the next morning at 8:45 am. Woo hoo! Nothing like the last minute, right? So I went home and studied like crazy (oddly enough, harder than I think I ever studied in college) and I had the interview on my last day. But my dilemma continued…even if they did like me (which I was doubtful of based on the interview) I knew I had at least 2 more interviews to go.

Enter God, by way of my friend Melissa. She calls Friday morning after talking with the hiring manager and tells me they did love me and want to move me on to the next phase(s) of the interview process, which would take up a minimum of 2 full days the following week. Now if God via Melissa hadn’t called me that day I wouldn’t have known until Monday (after starting the new job) that they were even interested. See how this is working out? Well, the wisdom of my husband and other trusted advisors persuaded me that it would be a good idea to postpone my start date by a week with the new company. So I made the call, and they were, surprisingly, okay with it. The manager there anded the call with “I’m just relieved you didn’t call to say you’d gotten a better offer.” Ouch.

Anyways, my one day of unemployment turned into 7 days, as my new start date was May 1st. I had 6 business days to finish all of my interviews for the Pharmaceutical sales job. I was on a mission. And there was absolutely nothing I could do to rush the process along. At this point, I added a second chant to my mantra “not my will, but your will, God.” At this point I was home and all I could think about was how much I wanted the “new, new” job, but I had to keep it in check and keep reminding myself that: 1. I shouldn’t get worked up or I may just be disappointed, 2. God worked this out in the first place, and 3. I wanted what He wanted for me. The third one was the hardest. I knew the Pharma job would be more stressful but I was okay with that. I didn’t know if God was okay with it, so I had to remind myself daily (and sometimes hourly) that I truly wanted what He wanted for me. Easier said than done.

Well, long story short (haha, this isn’t short at all!) I DID get the job, not until the last day before I was supposed to start the other job. There are a million other ways that God came through at the last minute, but I’ll leave that out for now. Let’s just say that His plans are definitely better than mine and I’m glad He worked it out this way. Why, you may ask? Well, first and foremost, this is how God works with me. He knows I’m a spasz and I tend to worry and freak out and try to plan everything, so He does these things to show me that I’m NOT in control, but fortunately He is. And second, God worked it out that I have not one day, not one week, but 6 GLORIOUS weeks of unemployment, at the middle of which falls my family vacation. Ummm, does it get any better? I basically get what I always wanted which is a college break all over again.

Now, should I worry about not contributing any income to the Howe fam for 6 weeks? Hello, have you not been listening? As my dad would say “Jehovah Jireh” or “God is our Provider.” I think I’ve learned my lesson! I will be thoroughly enjoying my time off until I start on my new adventure on June 1st, and NOT worrying about the details that are out of my control. Thanks to everyone for your prayers, advice, and encouragement!