NSM Day 1

I got up this morning and was ready to go WAY earlier than we had to be anywhere. I ended up sitting in my room talking to the internal tech people because, while they had sent me my new work laptop to the hotel, it hadn't been setup to be ready for me. But, the tech was kind enough to help me get a temporary login so I wasn't without the internet for long. :)

The day kicked off with lunch outside around noon - a beautiful day in Orlando. Everyone was getting checked in, and there was definitely a buzz in the air! It was then that it hit me that I wasn't at Dell anymore. I guess it hadn't really sunk in yet because the office in Austin was all former Dell people, and we were still in Round Rock...practically right across the street from the old campus. But, once the folks started showing up, people that I didn't know, and had no idea what they did....I had no idea what I do yet for that matter....it hit me that I wasn't in Round Rock anymore. It was kind of neat, but also kind of scary at the same time.

All 268 of us sat in the main ballroom for the opening remarks from the CEO, VP of Sales, as well as several others. It was really pretty amazing....the marketing team that put together the event did a fantastic job!! After some pretty significant achievement awards were handed out, the sales teams broke out to meet with their regions. This was when my new boss took me, as well as 2 other newbies, around to meet everyone. We went from room to room, and he did the intros.....wow, here were all the people that I would be working with from now on - so neat!!!

Oh.....in case you want to know what I'm doing.....my title is "National Practice Manager - HP IPG & Supplies". What does that mean? Well, I'm essentially the "Print Lady" at the company. I'll be working with all the field and insides sales teams on everything that has to do with HP Printers, and it'll be my responsibility to run programs, manage field engagement, among other things, to grow that overall business within the company. YES, this is quite a change from what I've been doing. I have a LOT to learn, but I'm so excited and ready to jump right in. :)

After all the introductions.....we had a few minutes to get changed and ready for the Olympics. We were put on teams ahead of time, and provided with a shirt that was our team color for the event. I thought about it before I came, and decided to bring my kickball tube socks to spice up my attire for the night. So....I put on my socks, my hair in pigtails, and headed to the Olympics with the spirit to win! We were the yellow team.....the Bumblebees, Hornets, or Daisies, depending on which team was trying to taunt us. I could spend a lot of time going through the details of the night...but bottom line is that we didn't win. We had a blast, and despite our referee trying to help us out, we didn't make it to the final four teams. Oh well.....I think that our team definitely won in the most drinks consumed during the activities - that's gotta count for something.



After the final showdown....the dark green team took the grand prize....we headed over to Croc's...the outdoor pool bar area, and mingled some more. I met a LOT of people....I think it was mostly because of my socks......but I was talking to everyone I met about selling some printers! :)

Went to bed entirely too late, but had a great first day to the NSM. :)

Orlando....here we come!!

Yesterday was my first day at the new job. Today I was picked up at noon by KB, JD and JMart and we headed to the airport....our final destination: Orlando for our National Sales Meeting. There are 14 of us from the Austin office....10 sales, 2 pre-sales engineers, the sales manager....and ME. It's all of our first time ever to be part of something like this, and we are all excited!

The trip was pretty uneventful, however I got a good laugh when the boys showed up to get me. I used my big suitcase because A. I knew I'd be bringing more back with me than I went there with, and B. I knew that everyone else was checking their bags, so I figured I would too. After I was finished packing, I had SO much room left, so I threw in a few extra tees just in case of emergency, but the bag was still half empty. When I got to the truck, I had my one suitcase, and my purse. Much to my surprise, I had the least amount of luggage out of the 4 of us! When I got to the airport, my bag weighed in at 35 pounds - I think that is a record for me!!




We arrived at MCO, got our bags, found the driver for our shuttle, and made our way out to the "middle of no where" Orlando to the Omni Resort. I think they put us out there so even if we thought about leaving the grounds, there would be nowhere for us to go - good thinking! :)

Dinner was yummy at David's Club, and we got to meet a few of the folks that got into town early for the conference. We were all happy to get to meet Phil, the CEO, too. He, along with everyone else, was awesome and is so excited that all of us are on board. It's kind of strange to go from such a large company, to where you don't even get to meet the Directors in your own division, to where you get to chat it up with the founder and CEO on day 1, AND he cares that you're there. Very cool.

Here's to a great start at the new company and hopes that it all goes well this week! :)

Jardin....one last time!!!

So, you know that Mel is leaving. I've had a few '"last nights" with Mel, but get lucky when I get to have one more. Tonight was the last real night that I would get to see her before I left for Florida, so we decided to take the opportunity and go to Jardin....one last time. :)

We shared a pitcher of the yummy margs and some more laughs. I am really going to miss Melissa....BUT, we are already in the planning phases of figuring out when we can go visit!! So, watch out Minni!!!!

Day ONE on the NEW job - done!

Today was my first day at the new job. I went into the office bright and early - which was something that I hadn't done in a LONG time. I wasn't sure really what to do, but I got on a call with my new boss and had an introduction call with HR to go over a bunch of paperwork in the morning.

I had a VERY yummy sushi lunch with KB, JD and Keith at Origami (I am on a sushi KICK these days).

Then I spent the rest of the afternoon filling out paperwork and getting myself ready for tomorrow. Overall, a great first day, and I'm looking forward to the travel day tomorrow to Orlando for the National Sales Meeting - way to get started!! :)



Yes.....FOUR people ate ALL of that sushi!!! KB really knows how to order it up! :)

Happy Birthday GRACE!!!!

Grace turned 1 on the 24th, but her party was this afternoon!! She is the most adorable little girl, and was a perfect angel for her big celebration! Kara did a fantastic job getting the house decorated for the party, and had all the right people there to help Grace celebrate her turning ONE!!!

Toni and I stopped by for the fun, and I brought my camera. It's hard to take a bad photo of Kara's little girls....the hard part is trying to keep up with them, they are FAST. I did manage to get a few cute ones though!

Kara did a great job too of letting little Gracie get a little messy with her cake...but took it away before it got out of control! :) Hee hee. I love it!!

Happy Anniversary to Kara & Terry!!!

First let me note....I got my hair done this morning. I went in for my normal trim, update to the color and then I had Tara cut me some bangs. She did EXACTLY what I asked her to do, she always does a great job.....but, I don't like them. I am NOT a bangs person it turns out.....so just forgive me for a while, while they grow out. Luckily my hair grows pretty fast, so I won't have to deal with them for long, but I know they are not for me.

Ok, now on the real story here. Kara and Terry stopped by tonight to see my new place......and then they were going out for their anniversary dinner. They mentioned a week or so ago that they were thinking of eating sushi downtown, but then I told them about Kenobi. That is where Toni and I were going to be dining that same evening. Well, then K&T insisted that if we were going to the same place, then we would eat together. Toni and I both celebrated with them on the wedding day 5 years ago, so, we celebrated with them again tonight.

Hanging out with K&T is always a blast.....they are some of the funniest people I know, so we are always laughing. The food was awesome....the TWO celebration desserts were yummy....and we got some cute pictures. What could make the night any better!!!

Friday Night Letter

Dear Mr Anheuser Busch,

Please allow me to tell you a story - I promise it has a happy ending.

I left a happy hour this afternoon, after having a great time with some friends, and decided to forego any other late night activities and make a quick trip to my old place, grab some to-go, and then head home to my new cozy condo to unpack and get a little more settled.

I ordered my favorite #1 with a coke at Whataburger, and made a quick stop at a gas station to pick up a 12 pack of Bud Light. I knew my new place was missing something, and it turns out that this was what it was.

I slowly unloaded the few things that I picked up from the old place, my yummy dinner, and headed upstairs.....anxious to enjoy my supper right as the evening storms blew in - I really do love a good thunderstorm. I got all settled, and opened up the bag....and saw a yellow wrapper holding my burger. Now, I've eaten enough times at Whataburger to know what a yellow wrapper means. It means that whatever is in that wrapper.....has cheese on it. So, I love cheese....but one place that I don't like cheese, is on my burgers......especially American cheese on a burger - ugh. So, I opened the wrapper, and sure enough, there was cheese. BUT.....that wasn't the worst part. It was two patties, two pieces of cheese, and nothing else. YUCK! The only reason I eat hamburgers is for all the veggies that come with it! I love the lettuce, pickles, tomatoes and especially the onions - awwww, the crunchy bites of a yummy burger......none of which were on this burger. I almost started to cry, but then I realized that there was still Fancy Ketchup to eat with the few fries left that I hadn't devoured on the drive, and maybe that could save the night. I opened one of the ketchups, and.............OMG!!!! It slipped out of my hand and flew across the floor! Right to under my couch!! But not before it squirted ALL over the carpet AND my couch. ARE.YOU.KIDDING.ME??? Ugh, now it's time to cry. This really blows.

So....the point of my story to you, Mister Anheuser Busch Man.....is that, after all of that disappointment, I still have your Bud Light invention to save my evening. I'm going to get in my PJs, pop some popcorn, sit on the couch, enjoy the storm and watch some terrible Friday night television and have a cold Bud Light.

If that bottle has been shaken and spills all over my new place, I might just lose it...so let's just hope that doesn't happen.

Your friend,
AP

My last day......

Today was my last day at Dell. I will start my new job on Monday, and while I'm real excited...it's a little surreal. I turned in my badge, computer and credit card to Ed today right before lunch....walked out the building, put my boxes in the truck, and said goodbye.

I went and had lunch with Renae, and then ran over to Sears and dropped a few hundred on a new washer and dryer....as well as some clothes (of course!!). Who knew that Sears had some cute clothes??? :)

After everyone else got off work, a few folks gathered at Water Tank Too for a little happy hour fun. It was good to see a few people that I hadn't in quite some time, and just to be outside in the beautiful Austin weather!!!

My First Delivery!!

I love to check the mail. Not sure why, because most of it is junk or magazines that I never read (I should give them to Toni)....BUT....I have a tendency to order things online without much thought sometimes (it's not such a great thing to have your CC # memorized), so I love when I get deliveries. It's even better when I forget what it was that I ordered....that way it's a total surprise when I get the package from UPS, FedEx or some other delivery guy. :)

Well, I got my first delivery today at the new place. My parents sent me some BEAUTIFUL Gerbera Daises (my favorite) and I love them! Thank you Mom & Dad! :)

Just thought I'd share with all of you how pretty they are - enjoy and have a great weekend!!

Tag....I'm IT!!!

Julie tagged me with this tag game - I am to list seven random things about me and then tag seven other people. Here are the rules:

1. Link to the person that tagged you and leave a comment on their blog, so that their readers can visit yours. Her name is linked above.
2. Post the rules on your blog (I follow the rules, I can't help it, so I'm posting the rules).
3. Share 7 Random facts about yourself on your blog.
4. Tag 7 random people at the bottom of your post, linking to their blog. Let each person know by leaving a comment on their blog. (if you don't know 7 bloggers, just tag who you know)

I'm definitely not as funny, or interesting as Mimi (man, that girl really cracks me up), but here goes nothing.

1. I love the number 7. I love that this game has us listing 7 things. I probably would not have played along if it has been 4, 5, or 6. But since it's 7, I'll go along with the fun. I also love 11, but that is because it's an odd number, and also happens to be prime. I don't know where my obsession with odd numbers came from, but I do love them. For instance, I cannot have my car temperature on anything but an odd number. If someone is in my car and adjusts the dial to, let's say, 68, then I have to move it to either 67 or 69. People that know this about me, try to mess with me, but I prevail....it is my car after all.

2. When I was little, I really wanted to be a musical actress. I would go see musicals and come home and think how fantastic it would be to play the young Collette in Les Miserables. I would get the piano book, and sit there for hours playing and singing the music on my piano. I cannot sing that great, nor dance in the musical style...but little girls have dreams.....dreams that never come true. Even big girls....big girls that go to see RENT....have dreams that won't ever come true. I still see musicals, then come home and think of what it would be like to play Maureen. It's not really my "dream" anymore......but I do perform the entire show in my car on roadtrips....when I'm alone, thank you very much. Makes that 2.5 hour drive to Houston a breeze! "Five Hundred Twenty-Five Thousand, Six Hundred Minutes.....How Do You Measure,
A Year In The Life......How about LOOOOOOVVVVEEEEE?".

3. I am trying to find something that will scare me - that sounds weird, but I'll explain. In the last year or so, I've pushed myself to do things that I might not have normally done. Well, maybe I just didn't put myself in the situations to where I get to do fun things, but still. From as little (and silly) as trying sushi for the first time - I've been to plenty of sushi restaurants before and always ordered the chicken teriyaki....BUT, when I was in Santa Barbara - I said "Why not?", and finally tried it. What do you know, it wasn't half bad! I've now had it 3 times and cannot wait to go back. I love trying new things. I've gone white water rafting, ziplining, 4 wheeling, snowboarding, snowmobiling, trapezing......and while they were ALL a BLAST, none of them were scary to me. I want to find something that will give me that feeling that the people do on The Amazing Race when they get to a really hard task. Now, I don't want to eat bugs or anything....but just find something that will challenge me and make me a little fearful. Is there anywhere to bungee jump (over water - I'm not stupid) in Austin??? :)

4. I kind of want to get another animal, but I am really happy with the relationship (yes, I said it, my RELATIONSHIP) that I have with Molly and don't want to screw that up. She is so much fun, she talks to me, keeps me company to where it doesn't feel like I live alone, she sits in my lap when I'm at the computer and keeps my legs warm, she lays next to, or on top of, me when I watch TV, etc. Seriously, she's wonderful. I would LOVE to have a dog, but I'm not home that much, and it's so much responsibility to train a dog. I would also LOVE to have another cat, but I think Molly would hate that, and I really don't want to piss her off. So, looks like it's just me and Molly. Phew - glad I made that decision.

5. Bad water pressure can put me in a bad mood. Seriously, there is nothing worse than taking a shower and having to run around in it to try to get wet! And have you SEEN how much hair I have? It takes me 7 minutes in a good shower to wash and condition......it really blows when the water pressure sucks. Oh, and on that same note....I love hard water.....and when water is too soft, that isn't very fun either. (For those of you that are wondering - I took my first shower at the new place - and it passed the test. It will be even better once I get my own shower head uninstalled from my apt and bring it here!)

6. There is a really weird noise happening at my condo, and I have NO idea what it is. It's like when you are in the car, and you hear a noise, and you're not sure if it's coming from the glove box, or the tires, or your dangling keys - but it drives you crazy. Well, I have one of those. It sounds like it is coming from the microwave, or the ice maker in the freezer. I'm sure I'll figure it out soon, and hope that it doesn't keep me up at night.

7. I have 7 pillows on my bed when I sleep at night....and 2 on the floor. I have a large body pillow that has one pillow case on it that is across the top, and on the bottom of the pile. Then I have 2 regular sized ones on the next layer......2 more goose ones on the 3rd layer....and then 2 king sized pillows that lay on either side of me when I sleep. I toss and turn a lot during the night, and I like to keep a pillow between my legs. So, instead of tossing so violently that I bring the pillow with me, I just turn over....and there is one waiting for me. :) The 2 on the floor are those weird European square ones that I just can't seem to figure out what to do with, so they just kind of always stay on the floor.

Well, that was a lot easier than I thought. I know I'm kind of long winded, but for those of you that made it to the end.....I am tagging Lora, Camille, Kara, Toni, Nikki, Brett and Melissa.

Just one last thing that I thought I'd point out...I now have 60 blogs in my Google Reader (which I LOVE btw) and only about 10 of them are people I know in real life. I'm such a dork. Most of them are photographers that I would totally stop if I ever saw them in person, but unless they'd ever clicked on my name in any of their comments, and checked out my blog, they have NO idea who I am. Yeah, I'm a dork.....but that's OK. I like me. :)

In.....

Well, almost. I'm half way there anyways. The movers left a little bit
ago. I have a ton of boxes to unpack and Molly is exploring. ;)

Girl's Night IN at Laura's!

We get together from time to time for a fun night IN. We eat lots of goodies, drink a glass of wine, catch up and just have good old fashioned girl time.

Laura and Ava hosted us this last time, and we let in ONE boy.....Caleb. He's not old enough yet to go tell anyone our secrets....so he's still allowed. :)

Zip, zip, zooray!!!

Danielle, Laura and I did something fun, exciting, and different today - we zipped through the cypress trees in Spicewood, Texas with the good people at Cypress Valley Canopy Tours.


For those of you that haven't zip-lined before, let me set up the scenario. You are put into this nifty little contraption that is oh so comfortable, it goes right between your legs, straddles your backside, and is cinched REAL tight around your waist. You then get a pulley device, gloves, and straps with the hooks that will keep you attached to the zips.

We were in Cypress Valley....hence the Cypress trees. They were huge, and SOOOOO green, the view was so pretty. We had to go over a few bridges throughout the course too, but the zips were the most fun. You're latched onto the wire, and then you hold on and ZIP away! Our guides, Meagan and Brooke took great care of us, and made sure that we had a fantastic afternoon.


We did the Canopy Tour first - it consisted of 6 zip lines and a few bridges. Once that was complete, and we were good and professionals, we opted to stick around for the Canopy Challenge.


We weren't allowed to bring cameras on this part, but it was AWESOME. We zipped to the challenge part, and came across the fun part. There were 3 paths to choose from: Hard, HardER and HardEST. They all looked like fun, but I opted for the HardEST path.

The first part of my path had me running across a log bridge, that didn't have any handrails. Well, it was HARD and my balance isn't as great as I thought it was, so I kind of cheated and held onto my harness ropes when I crossed. What was waiting for me on the other side wasn't any easier. It was a metal tightrope that had some ropes to use as an option to hold onto, and it was NOT simple. It wasn't scary, just a challenge!! It is NOT easy to walk a tightrope between trees holding onto ropes that are also hanging from trees....but it WAS fun. I kind of teetered a few times, thank goodness I had a harness or I would have been in big trouble!!! Once I made it to the end, I had to JUMP to catch the Tarzan rope to get to the next platform, where I was going to try the HardER route to get to the end.

After watching a few people do the HardER route, I thought that the HardEST looked easier, so I Tarzan-ed BACK to where I'd come from, and then I did the next part...oh what did they call it....I can't remember....but basically, there were 3 ropes that I used to get from the middle tree stand to the last one. That one was easier than the tightrope to me, but just as much fun. It doesn't seem like it, but I KNOW that I'm going to be sore tomorrow. :) (I just found it online, it was called the "Hourglass").

The last thing that we got to do was called the "Superman" zipline! The pulley that had been attached to our stomachs, was moved to our back, and another one was attached to our tailbone. We then were hooked to the zipline with the two pulleys and we FLEW through the air, head first, to the last tree stand. It was amazing!

It was a fantastic day, and such a great time. I love to do these kinds of things, and will be looking for our next adventure - whatever that may be!!


Click here to see all the pictures from our adventure!

Girl's Night Out with Melissa!

Melissa is moving to Minni.....Minneapolis that is!!! She'll be driving up there with Renae next week and we're going to miss her terribly!!!

We went out to a nice dinner at Cantina Laredo and then went out for a little bit after to do what we do best.....DANCE! We just wanna dance! :)

Do you have YOUR gold purse?

I am headed out for a day of shopping with Laura. This is what I saw
when I got in the car. Ava is definitely ready for our day. She also
brought her stroller, which doubles very nicely as a shopping bag
carrier. ;)

Wish us all luck! Hope we aren't TOO successful. :)

EDITED TO ADD:

We had a great day of shopping - Ava was a trooper! Here are two adorable pictures that I snapped of her during our adventure.

Here she is trying on the bracelets at the checkout counter at Banana Republic - oh, Laura is in TROUBLE......she's such a girlie girl - ribbons, bows, and jewelry - oh my!!!

Babystyle was having a going out of business sale, so Laura spent some time going through what they had left in the place, while I hung out with Ava in the front window of the shop. It was so cute, and from the outside looking in, it looked like there were babies for sale in the place. I would have definitely come in to get one that looked as cute as Ava did! :)

Friday Night Excitement

Hold your horses ladies and gentlemen. My Friday night plans ROCK. Man, this is SOOOO much fun. I LOVE packing. If there was one thing that I could do for the rest of my life.....every day.....every hour....this would be IT!!



Anyone want to come help? :)

I think Molly is ready for the BIG MOVE!

I haven't really announced it yet to my (small, yet existent nonetheless) blog world....BUT, I bought a condo. So, for the 2nd time in less than 6 months, I'm packing up all my stuff and moving again.

I am SO excited about my new place. I kind of move fast on certain things in my life once I know what I want. I decided on a Thursday that I was ready to buy. I called a friend who is an agent, found some places online that I wanted to see, and went to see them with her the following Thursday. I liked the one that I found online, and put an offer in the very next day. It's been a whirlwind to get all of this complete in 3 weeks, but I close on Monday at noon. Woohoo!!

So, I've started to put things in boxes, and it's slowly turning into a wreck around here, but it will only be until the movers come on Thursday next week. I can live in CHAOS for one week.....I'll keep telling myself that anyways. :)

I was walking through the apartment today, and laughed out loud when I saw Molly. She had packed herself into an empty box. I would say that she's ready.

Kickball!!

So, to try something new....which I am all about these days, I jumped on it when Dana sent out an email asking who wanted to join a co-ed Kickball league. I don't think I ever played it when I was younger, so I have no business playing as an adult - but I thought, what the heck!!

Tonight was our team's, the "Blueballas", first game. Let me first say that we play in a group of fields that are WAY out by, even PAST, the airport, so it's about a 30 minute drive for me. How's that for dedication?

There were 16 of us there tonight....I am pretty sure that I remember everyone's name....but just in case my memory fails me, we are getting them put on the back of our shirts for next week - phew. Mine will say "AP"....so much for being creative, huh?

None of us really knew what we were doing, but didn't really care either - we were there to have fun. Of course, it didn't help that we were set to play against the team that has been playing for the last 5 seasons....and won the whole thing last year - nice!!! They were warming up while we were still trying to get dressed. :)

So...we didn't do very good. BUT, one thing that I did notice and have to mention....the girls on their team, well, despite their outfits being very cute with the little white skirts, they were annoying. Every time they got up to kick, they barely tapped the ball, and 9 out of 1o times would end up fouling because it wouldn't even reach the play line. Their guys were really good though, and yeah, they stomped us. I didn't really do very much. I was in the out field when I was playing defense, and I got to kick once.....straight into the arms of the pitcher. Oh well, at least I made contact and kicked it harder than any of the opposing team's girls did. Ha!

The final score was.....wait for it.....12 to 0. We didn't really care, and were still smiling at the end. The best part about it was that there was a pink team that had just finished playing, that pretty much despised the brown team that we were up against, and so they heckled them and rooted us on the entire time. It was hysterical.

At least we have room for improvement. Overall, it was fun, and I didn't even break a sweat. :) Can't wait for next week.

Got ACL Tix???

The lineup for ACL was announced today and I'm pumped!!! I got my ticket over a month ago when they first went on sale so I'm all set. Not sure if I saved any $$ by getting it early, but I wanted to put it on my calendar. I plan ahead, that's how I roll, deal with it.



There are so many great bands that are coming, as per usual, but there are already a few that I'm uber excited about!! I also love to find new artists to obsess about, so I'm going to be scoping out the ones that are new to me over the next few months so that I can take full advantage of having all this great talent at my fingertips in September!

Let's go listen to some awesome tunes in sweltering Texas weather! Who's with me??? :)

Bittersweet Goodbyes and New Beginnings

Today I put in my two weeks at work. I've accepted a position at a new company, working with some former colleagues, and I'm very excited about the opportunity of taking on something totally new, challenging, and hopefully fun at the same time.

My excitement, however, did NOT make it any easier...at all....to leave my current job. Yes, there have been times when I wanted to just toss my badge and run out the doors screaming, but the people that I've worked with over the last two years made this a very difficult decision. They've been absolutely amazing to work with, and been more than just coworkers, they have become friends. I can't tell you how hard it was to tell them that I was leaving.

It wasn't too terrible to tell my boss, and the folks at MY company that I work with....it's become increasingly harder to work there for everyone just due to growing pains and bureaucracy, and be happy, and I am not the only one. Even my own boss, right before I told him I was leaving, was telling me how much he was dreading being at the office that day.

So, after I left the meeting with my manager, I started to make the phone calls that made my stomach turn. I wanted to call them and tell them myself, instead of it coming across in an unsuspecting email. I called Mickey first. She was floored and really sad to hear the news.....not any more sad than I was to share it though. I was outside in the grassy area behind my building, on my cell phone, which turned out to be a good thing because I started getting all emotional and boo-hoo-ey when talking to her. I swear, it was like I was breaking up with them....the hardest thing I've done in a long time. It's not like I'm not going to still be friends with them (well, at least I hope not), but it is very sad to be not be working with the greatest people anymore. It was so sweet to hear the same sentiments from everyone I called....they were all happy for me, and wished me the best, but were really sad to see me go, hope that they find a replacement that can fill my shoes, is as fun to work with and still get things done, etc. I know these might be things that are always said when someone leaves, but I took it to heart, and I am really going to miss them all. Even Rex had some really sweet things to say, and not once did he refer to me as the PITA that he loved to call me. It didn't make it any easier to leave, hearing all those nice things, but I know that I'm making the right decision.

I am super excited about my new job. It has nothing to do with what I've done over the last 9 years in technology, and I'm looking forward to being a sponge again, and soaking up all the new stuff that I get to learn.

I finish up my two weeks, my last day is next Friday, then I start my new gig on Monday. I head to Florida for the National Sales Meeting on Tuesday for the week.....nothing like jumping right in, getting to meet all the players on day 2 - love it! :) Wish me luck!!

Kara & Terry - Celebrating 5 Years!!!

What a FUN morning I had today!! Kara and Terry are a great couple, awesome parents to two of my favorite little girls, and always up for a laugh, which makes them hysterical friends. They are about to come upon their 5 year anniversary and were up for a fun photo shoot to celebrate! We'd scoped out and had a few locations around downtown Austin in mind, but also stumbled across some other gems while we were out and about.

Kara is a natural in front of the camera....her eyes POP, they are so beautiful. She's also got that sexy pout mastered! She did a great job getting Terry to relax and have a good time with it too. It was hard to pick my favs because there were so many, but here are my top 20.






















Thanks for being such great friends, and for such a fun time today!! Hope you like the pics! :)