NEWS FLASH... I quit my job

That is correct. The Little Mermaid will be gainfully UNemployed one week from today. I was bored. My boss drove me crazy. I was doing work to make it look like others were doing theirs. Basically the pros outweighed the cons, so I decided to move on. I "need a change" as I have been cheerfully telling (former) coworkers who are shocked that I would actually quit!

So... You are probably wondering, "What are you going to do now?!" That is a good question. My godmother is letting me ghostwrite a book for her, which means I'm taking her Bible study workbook and the lectures from her Bible study and her notes, and I'm going to (try to) put it into a book format that can be published! It's a really cool opportunity, and I'm excited about it! I'll be living and breathing the study of Joshua - I currently know nothing about him except that he was before Christ. So... I have a lot to learn! You will all of course get signed copies when it is published... haha... course I won't technically be the author because it's all her stuff just my words... but you gotta start somewhere. And I'm thankful for this chance!

Since that will produce $0 in income, I also plan to substitute teach, tutor, maybe try to freelance a little (which is where you basically find advertisements on internet sites where people offer to pay you to write articles for them - it's legal though that description sounded kinda sketch...). We'll see where it goes. I will also be house-sitting and kid-sitting a lot in my near future, I expect. But I'm looking forward to having more control over my schedule and doing some things that I really enjoy.

That is all the big news on this homefront... others?!?!

Top 5 Things For the week....

For the past week - here are my top five things....

5. It has been a crazy week with work - I flew out last Sunday night to Florida for a meeting, flew home Monday night; Staff Outing (which I was in charge of) Tuesday - bowling and playing games all day at the office; Wednesday a road trip to the University of Alabama for a career fair - then drove to Florida State for another career fair; Thursday drove home after the Florida State career fair and Friday (whew finally) I got to spend 10 hours at the office!! The upcoming week is just as busy - Monday in the office in the AM and heading to the University of Florida in the afternoon; Tuesday at Florida and then driving to the University of South Carolina; Wednesday career fair at USC and then driving home.... WHEW now I'm even more exhausted just thinking about it!!!

4. I killed a GIANT and I mean GIANT cockroach in my bathroom this week!! I hate bugs and I really HATE cockroaches.....EWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW

3. I love fall - I have completely decorated my house with fall decorations and can't wait to add some Halloween touches!! Is anyone dressing up for Halloween?? I know we are a little old - but there is a cute kiddie out there!!!

2. My parents moved into their house in Chapel Hill this week! They are so excited to be out of a one bedroom apartment, and I'm happy for them about that.

1. I AM COMING TO TEXAS IN DECEMBER!!!!!!! I am going to start checking out flights and figuring things out but you can expect a visit from me!!! Anyone else want to join?!?!? :)

Love you girls and miss you like crazy!!!

Surprise... I'm still alive!

You will be happy to know that I have been reading the posts… just not adding anything. We’ve always known I’m the black sheep anyways, so are you really surprised?!? I did see Sleeping Beauty in the airport last week and she yelled at me enough for all three of you! So now I am sitting at my desk, eating my lunch and blogging for the first time in my entire life. Please forgive me if my post is a little scatterbrained… I mean let’s be honest, you would probably worry that it wasn’t me posting if I wasn’t all over the place.

I have been super busy travelling and crazy busy in the office… and my next free weekend is November 8th. I’ll be in beautiful New Hampshire this weekend (I know you’re all jealous). And speaking of travel, I still have Delta $ I need to spend before February… so one of you may be getting a visit from me in December or January! Although I don’t really think I need to involve Delta if I visit Sleeping Beauty. When is Miss F’s dance recital?

By the way… I would pay money to watch Cinderella break it down with 6-8 yr. olds. I bet you have them all singing, “I make good girls go bad.” How much fun are you having? And how is baby #2 coming along? I’m still so excited for you and Prince Charming.

And children’s birthday planner?? Ariel, you would be perfect for that! Don’t worry about the $$, just find a prince who can handle the bills while you have all the fun. What am I talking about? I need one of those too. When I read your post about being single and everyone feeling it is their job to rid you of the “single disease” I about lost it. I too have become a project for many people and I think it’s hilarious. People forget that having more in common than just the lack of a left hand ring is important when starting a relationship. Oh well, one of the beasts has to turn into a prince at some point.

The ex-beast and I are talking again. Dinner every now and then, but nothing major. I have no idea what it means, but at least we’re getting back to a point where we can enjoy each other’s company without wanting to strangle the other person… it’s been a big step. I really don’t see anything coming from it, but I’ll keep you posted.

Aside from being really busy, I am still loving my job. I definitely want to stay in the sport and I think that I’ll look to move to Charlotte within the next year or so. I do hate that my job has become my life… although I’m sure it won’t be this way forever. But while I’m still in it, I would love to get you all out to an event. Texas will be April 18th… I’m not sure if I’m travelling to that one or not, but I’ll let you know (we still have some time).

Ok… I really have to get back to work, but I promise I will do better about contributing!

By the way, I LOVED what Ariel wrote. I couldn’t agree more! I have friends here, but it’s not the same. You girls are the ones I want to have dinner with, laugh with and share everything with. Maybe it will happen one day, but until then I am thankful for the friendship that we have all been able to maintain despite the distance!

LOVE YOU ALL!!

I love you girls...

I couldn't agree more!! I feel the same, the post said everything I always think!!! I miss the days when we were all together where we would crawl on the purple couch and laugh and talk or just watch tv together. No one knows me as well as the three of you do!

After spending the weekend with my family in Connecticut reminiscing about the past, I have spent the entire morning looking at old photos... life passes by so quickly! So I make the plea that we NEVER give up on communicating with each other, no matter how hard it can be at times.

I did run into our little Belle at the airport Friday and yelled at her for not blogging...hopefully it will come soon! :)

I LOVE YOU ALL!!!

i agree....

Ariel, Little Mermaid, you know who you are, anyway, thank you for that post. I could not agree with you more. I love you girls and you are the first I would call and fill in on my life. You are the ones I want my little ones to know and trust and love, too.So thank you for writing what I have been thinking all this time.

Also, why can't we all be your maid's (matron-if married) of honor... I mean let's face it, who says you have to have 1 :) Miss you all lots.

Cinderella

Belle... Don't make me come up there!

You'd better log on and post something! (just realized that if you're not logging on, you're not getting this threat, so I'm also sending you a text...)

Friendships...

Some days I wish that we all lived closer. I want to be able to call you to go shopping, or to meet for lunch, or to go on a walk, or just to come over after work and have some wine and hang out. I think how fun it would be if the four of us could actually DO things together rather than just "keep in touch" and plan yearly reunions. I wonder what it would really be like. Would we call each other? Or would we slowly drift apart, taking for granted each others' presence and forgetting to stay friends?

The other day I met these two women who have been "best friends forever" and who call each other sisters. They only lived in the same town for 15 months. My mom, who has never really had friends who don't live nearby, didn't get it at all. She was astounded that it would be possible to keep in touch so well that you are able to be so close and yet so far apart. But I get it. You may all be scattered across the country, but you're still the ones that I want to call when I have really good or really bad news; you're still the ones that I want to stand up there with me when (and if!) I get married, even if you're all 30 by then - sorry had to remind everyone that I am still the youngest; you're still the ones that I want my children to know and love. You're just my friends, and it doesn't matter where you are.

Okay, I think that's enough sentimentality for now! On a completely different note, I'm going back to NC tomorrow for former roommate's wedding shower and bachelorette party. You all are officially in charge of my bachelorette party! Former roommate #2 and the matron of honor have been at odds about what to do for the party because they are both worried about what they want to do. Anyway, yall have permission to trump my future maid of honor (BF from high school who doesn't really drink.. yeah not a good plan!) and plan the bachelorette party. In fact, you have my orders :) I want it to be fun. And yall know fun!

Miss you lots but love you more!

Oh Life...

Well I don't have anything too interesting to post, but just wanted to give a little update...

I am spending my Labor Day weekend at an event at Furman University. It has been a lot of fun to be in Greenville, an area I actually know! Would be cool if my parents still lived in Spartanburg, but it is okay. Lots of shopping and going out have been the popular theme of the event this week - most likely because there are 10 girls here!

So a thought to ponder..... When we were at Wild Wings Cafe last night there was a girl that was just dancing all alone to the live band up front - and she was getting her groove on!! It was funny to watch, but my thought was would you ever be gutsy enough to do it yourself?!?! I don't know if I could...

Okay not the greatest blog...but thought we needed something!!! :)

Last week, this week and then some...

Phew... okay so I am thinking I better get on this thing, but with all the house cleaning, school prepping, choreographing (yes, I will get to that one), baby growing, toddler chasing I beginning to think I fit this character a little more and more, but doesn't Cinderella get a maid when she marries the prince? hmmm, I will have to talk to him about this.

Well girls, Little Miss starts school this week!!!! yay - 3 hours, 2x/wk just for me, I am thinking a nice nap will do, nah, more like cleaning/sorting/scrapbooking time. She is so excited and has her new backpack(thank you Sleeping Beauty) and we are doing last minute clothes/uniform shopping today... I will post pictures where you can all find them for sure!

Prince Charming has been off doing work and loving it which means we are all happy because he is not crabby :) We actually get to steal away to downtown D this weekend for a parent's ONLY night at the W hotel .... thank goodness we were in desperate need of some 'us' time... no details on that one, sorry girls

I am teaching hip hop. pause for reaction. yes, hip hop to 6-14 year olds for 4 hrs on Tuesday nights.... I never knew i would LOVE *wink*wink* Disney music so much. My 6-8 yr old class is going to officially age me. I thought 2/3 was rough, um no, I am scared to have a 6 year old girl. they are crazy! cute, but crazy. Thank goodness they aren't real ghetto dancers, so my jazzy-hip hop is perfect and apparently they all like me enough to not quit yet. Nevertheless, it is a little odd with my belly but lots of fun.

Speaking of dance Miss F is hilarious and if you all are anywhere near these parts for her recital I may strongly suggest you watch, she thinks she owns the place!

Speaking of belly's, #2 is doing well and we will be back around the 25th for another ultrasound, the one where we could find out if it is a he or a she ,but we won't unless God wants baby2 to spread eagle for us :) and make it obvious.

I MISS YOU ALL A LOT and wish we could all be closer, just for the occasional drink or laugh. I can't wait to keep up and see you all, Belle, get on it girl, crazy Beasts are no excuse! lots of love

Sleeping Beauty

I am fixed...now everyone should know who I am .... I had to also think for a minute who Aurora was! Hahaha...It was funny because I just spent the last week in Aurora, Illinois.

Too many names...

I changed my name from "Ariel" to "Little Mermaid" - I can't keep all these first names straight. Can everyone just be their princess name? I had to do research to figure out who Aurora was (though all the golf comments did give me a clue!)

My 5 Things

Whew... after I got over my blonde moment I was able to finally figure this out! So let's see....

1. I'll start with the sad news... I talked to my mom and my grandmother is failing even faster. Apparently they thought she was going to go this past weekend, but she made it through, so now it is just a matter of time. I'm not a fan of growing old or breast cancer from all of this!

2. I spent the last 10 days in Chicago at the PING Junior Solheim Cup and PING Solheim Cup - 2 really big golf events. The Solheim Cup happens every two years and rotates back and forth between the US and Europe. It is a match-play competition between 12 girls from the US and Europe. The AJGA hosts it's own version of it for the juniors during the same week the big Solheim Cup is going on. Even though you girls aren't big golfers...I got to see some legends including spending all 10 days with Nancy Lopez! It was a great week and the US won both competitions.

3. My work life is super busy this week as I leave to go help at an event at Furman next week for Labor Day. All my information for recruiting interns for 2010 starts officially on the 1st, so it just makes for a lot of work this week! Stay tuned in feature blogs and you can see where my recruiting travels take me throughout the month of September....

4. I joined a kickball league with some people I work with which will start hopefully soon!

5. I love my church and my little kids in Sunday school! This week's lesson was on Jonah and it is so funny to talk to kids about the "big fish"!

LOVE YOU ALL!

My First 5 Things

1. I finally set up this blog! It took a ridiculously long time to create our "secret email addresses" and set this thing up, so we better use it for at least a month.

2. I almost quit my job - really, like, almost quit - not just I considered it. You know, "the seaweed is always greener..." [sorry, couldn't resist]. I was going to become a children's birthday party coordinator, but I realized I'd have to host 15 parties a month and charge at least $1000 a party for that to really work.

3. I have decided, now, not to even consider quitting until July. When I took this job, I accepted it with the understanding that I could see myself working here for at least two years, and I think I need to stick to it, even if my boss is a crazy man (which he is). I love the other people I work with, and I actually really enjoy the tasks I get to do and my job, if I remove my boss from the equation. So I'm just not going to worry about him. We had a long meeting today with our supervisor (who is over my boss) and we worked out some of the issues, and now I think there is hope at least for learning to cope with bossman, so that's a positive development.

4. No developments in the love life department. But in work and life in general, I am surrounded by people over the age of 45, and I think my future and hypothetical marriage is everyone's new project. So far, this week, one lady at work has tried to set me up with the man who fixes the copy machine; one has tried to set me up with a guy I dated in high school; and my trainer tried to set me up with another client's son-in-law's brother (yes, that is about 6 degrees of separation). Oh, and it's MONDAY! Being single is entertaining if nothing else!

5. I'm taking golf lessons.

we're really not crazy

I don't really fully understand blogging, but I feel like if I'm going to create a blog and contribute to it under the code name "Little Mermaid," I owe some kind of an explanation. I don't really know to whom I owe the explanation, but I'm just gonna put this out there:

We're really not crazy! We don't actually think we are princesses or that Disney is going to pick us up and make a special documentary. We just needed a way to keep in touch, so we thought - a blog! That's kind of trendy, right? And rather than make our blog private, we thought, why not expose ourselves to the world with code names?! Because clearly that is more fun!

So that's what this is. It's just a way to keep in touch. We are four friends from college no living four very different lives in two different states. But we are friends [sisters really if you're into the whole Greek thing, which we are], and we want to share those separate lives with each other. And, I guess, with the unsuspecting blog-searcher (is there a word for you?) that stumbles across our ramblings...