The Cloud Is Lifting

Hi there everyone. I hope that you all had a fantastic day.

I promise to be brief tonight...I promise! Thanks again for the comments and for the EMAILs and the support, everyone. Having the love and support of good friends sure is a wonderful thing. It's amazing what joy and sunshine a tiny EMAIL message can bring. Thank you all again.

Things are going to be OK. I feel rather foolish for feeling the way that I did. I am sure it made me look unbearably selfish. I am thankful for my job, thankful for my life, and thankful for this new opportunity. I'll learn something new and hopefully, will be a better HR Specialist because of it. Even if I don't like it, that's OK. I'll be smarter for the experience and the experience is only temporary. Today I felt differently. Almost giddy-happy. I guess when good people send positive energies and prayers your way, it's hard for the clouds to stay above you and continually rain. :)

Keep your fingers crossed for me. Tomorrow's the big day. I'll be back tomorrow to let you all know how "Jen's first day in the DEU" went.

A Better Day Today...

Hi everyone.

First and absolutely foremost, I want to thank so, so very much those of you who have been so supportive of me these last few days. Thanks for the hugs, the kind words, the prayers, the comments here on my blog...thanks for all of it. It sure does make all the difference when you've got good people in your corner loving and supporting you through rocky times. Thanks, guys.

I feel somewhat stupid being so unhappy. I mean, life is GOOD. My family and friends are healthy and well and live in plenty. Why is this so distressing to me? Why is it that I am not embracing this change? I should be seeing it as an exciting move and a brand new opportunity to continue my professional growth. And I am trying to look at it all more favorably. I'm hoping that by this time next week, my tone'll be 900% different. I'll be endlessly bloviating about how great the DEU world is, how much I love it, and how stupid I was to worry and dread this big move. Tomorrow's my last day upstairs in our main office, and I know it'll be a sad one. But I am going to try, try, and try a little bit more to be positive. Having all of you in my corner sure makes all the difference. Thank you soooo much.

In other news, we've been sitting on pins and needles for the last few weeks or so somewhat dreading the start of the month of March. It's kind of hard to share all of this in a concise, non-bloviating manner (sorry), so I'll try to keep it brief. My husband is an engineer for a l-a-r-g-e international firm, only some of which is union (he's management, so he's non-bargaining). One of the labor agreements is due to expire on March 1st, and the word went out that if a strike ensued, my husband and a handful of his work buddies will have to go out of town for who-knows-how-long. Apparently the word on the corporate street is that talks are going well between the parties, and it's fully expected that a new contract will be signed, everyone will be happy, and Curtis will remain warm and safe with the family unit here in Gardner. I just keep dreading March 1st, though (and, given that it's in less than 48 hours, I'd better buck up and get ready, dontcha think?). I've got a sorority event (Founders' Day) and a baby shower all day Saturday, and am scheduled to go out of town for DEU training later in the month. Yuck. The timing just sucks all around. Please keep your fingers crossed for us that he doesn't have to go, my friends. Just the thought of it hurts. It's funny...we were a long-distance couple for the longest time. We met during my internship and had two amazing months together. Then we got engaged and the two-year long-distance-courtship began. I traveled all over the country for my internship and, without fail, he came to wherever I was every two weeks and stayed with me. He also came to Indianapolis and stayed with my family and I when I had a major surgery (and got very sick afterward) the year after we got engaged. It always hurt when he'd leave to go back home. but I always threw myself into my work and enjoyed our daily talks and e-chats. Now that we're together (and have been since 2001, thankfully!), the whole thought of one of us not being here is just so, so hurtful. It's funny how we become creatures of habit. We get comfortable footing and the second it's shaken, even slightly, we lose our way. Look at me...the changing and soon-to-be-loss of my job is just wrecking havoc on me. I feel like such an idiot. I wish I was better at "rolling with the punches." Everyone tells me I'm stronger than I give myself credit for being. I suppose time will tell. In the meantime, God, I hope he doesn't have to go.

OK, I've bored you all enough with my "poor little Jennifer" blah blah blah session. Thanks for the support, everyone. Just love me. I'll be OK. Just love and hug me and send me good thoughts and energies. :)

A Bump In The Road...

Hi everyone. Hope that you're all having a great weekend.

It's been a bumpy last few days for me. I've wanted to blog about this all for a while, but in all honesty, I've tried not to really think about it, but now that "the time" is right around the bend, well, I'm forced to think about it a lot more. The "it" is a reassignment action that my senior management is soon to take on me (and has already taken on one of my colleagues) outisde our office. The basic contention for this is that the work has changed significantly in our office (which is true, I can't lie), and yet another part of our agency's HR family (which just happens to be located at the KC office) is drowning and in dire need of help. That's all well and good. This "other HR office" that needs us so badly is our Delegated Examining Unit, or "DEU." I've blogged about DEUs before. In sum, they handle almost all external recruitment actions for our agency as well as the handful of other DoD agencies that have contracted with them. It's a tremendously valuable service...one that our agency (and undoubtedly the others as well) couldn't survive without. The kind of work they do is very different than the kind of HR work I'd like to do. It used to be that I was an "HR Generalist" - I did it all. Staffing, classification, employee relations, training...you name it, I did it. I had a business line that I was responsible for, and anytime they needed anything, I was their girl. Need a new secretary because yours got promoted and left? Great, call me. Oh, you have new work but need position descriptions? I'm your girl. Wait, did you just say that your employee spent the day gambling online? I'm your disciplinary Donna. Then our agency decided to consolidate all of that work in another geographic location. So we became a different kind of HR office. Instead of functional, day-to-day operational work, we had a direct tie to a member of the Senior Executive Service (or "SES") and the business line for which he was responsible. I managed their agency-wide intern program. If they needed to do contingency planning or strategic planning or any kind of mass change (restructure, realignment outside the agency, mass early retirements) we were their folks. And we LOVED it. Loved this SES, loved his staff, loved working for and with them. As is the nature of the beast within the Federal government, things changed AGAIN. And not for the better. Now our office is left without that support assignment, and it's my true and honest belief that our senior HR management (who is not co-located with us) absolutely has no idea what we're doing. It's thought that we're not busy. Nothing could be farther from the truth. We are a BRAC site. We have taken it upon ourselves to get down and dirty with the States of Missouri and Kansas as they find ways to use Federally appropriated funds to minimize the impact on all of us. There's so much to do and never enough time to get it all in. And now there's this DEU reassignment. DEU work is not of interest to me. It's rote. It's continually looking at and analyzing words on paper. There's not a human tie to it. They keep their doors shut, they don't take incoming calls. Gone will be the days of my interns and being called by anyone asking for my help. God, even though it's been several years since the operational work we performed was absorbed from the central sites (i.e., us and a handful of others) to one big "mega center," we STILL get calls from people asking us if we can "just do this one disciplinary letter" or "just help us this once." They love and trust us, and that feeling is more than mutual. That all changes next Wednesday. I am going to be unofficially reassigned to the DEU then. I won't be able to "do" anything until I receive DEU certification training next month, but I believe they'll have me doing lots of preliminary work (i.e., learning the system) until such time as OPM has approved me to do DEU work. Let me stop myself here because I want to make a few points clear before I continue. Yes, this is still "a job." Yes, I am going to be paid at a very handsome salary (GS-12, step 03...if you're so inclined to figure out how much I make, well, have at it) to do intern-level (hell, clerical-level work). Yes, it's a wonderful new opportunity to gain a brand new "hard skill" to put in my "HR toolkit." But it's not the KIND of work I want to be doing. It's not open...not personal. And, quite honestly, I am worried that I will find it boring. I do need to give it a shot, and my colleague who is already down there promises me that it's interesting. But it's just a hard wall right to my face that my professional life as I now know it is dying. This reassignment is the first official step to the end of my time with my agency. This is it for me...well, until I get something else or the BRAC kicks me out the door, whichever happens first. I so, so wanted that intern coordinator position. That ICTAP match really hurts. STILL. I was a wreck at the office Friday, and in all actuality, I am dreading tomorrow. Everyone keeps telling me that this is all going to be OK...that it's part of a bigger plan. And I know they're right. God laid an extraordinary set of circumstances on my path that led me straight to Kansas City, to my GS-12, to my husband, and to this precious life that I love so dearly. He'll take me to where I am supposed to be...where my work and my energies can make other people happy and better their lives. I just hope that it's sooner...MUCH sooner...than later. In the meantime, I just have to try to be open-hearted and open-minded about the DEU. I keep hoping that I'll be pleasantly surprised. We'll see.

If you read that entire paragraph, may warm, delicious cookies fall straight from Heaven into your lap.

Have a fantastic rest-of-the-day, everyone.

The "Idol" Bug Has Bitten!

Hello Everyone,

I'm just here for a second...just got home from a dinner date with the gal who will be replacing me as President of our sorority's alumnae chapter. I'm off to watch "Idol" in just a moment, but I wanted to post my predictions beforehand. As you know, I really never cared much for the show until last season. Bo just blew me away. Completely knocked me off my feet. As I watched Bo (and Carrie and Vonzell and the others last season), I felt like I was a witness to dreams as they came to life. I love that sort of thing...love being caught up in the excitement and the joy. It's very tangible and real to me. I feel the excitement their families feel, feel the nerves they themselves feel, and feel the excitement overall. I mean, remember who you're talking to here, people. I'm the girl who goes over the top with excitement whenever one of her favorite singers or actors is nominated for this-or-that-award (be it an Emmy, a Grammy, you name it). And those people are accomplished professionals. These contestants are young, fresh, and new. How exciting for them to get this chance. I hope each of them enjoy every second of the ride.

Now on to my predictions. From the start, my heart went immediately to Taylor Hicks. Through and through, he is a class act. Just a beautiful person and a pure joy to watch. He carries himself so, so well. He loves music, loves to make people happy, and is just all around sensational. He makes my heart leap. Without exception, he is absolutely my top pick for the men. Hands down, my choice for the women is Paris Bennett. Wow, wow, and wow. She's only 17, and she sings with the might and power of someone easily twice her age. She is fantastic. My prediction is that Paris and Taylor will be the two finalists this May. Choosing between them will be a tough task.

Here's my round-up of the first two days of competition. The women first...

It was very obvious that each of these women (well, maybe not Paris or Mandisa, but everyone else) had a huge case of the jitters. Understandably so. I think each of them is amazingly brave and courageous for doing this. That said, I will say that some of them really are in over their heads and don't deserve to be there. My first such person is the lovely Stevie. I understand that she is classically trained as an opera singer, and I think that Simon was right to question why she chose to look to pop versus staying in the opera field. Any beauty in Brenna's voice is immediately overshadowed by her ugly personality. "Let's make good television," she said. I truly believe that she's not in this competition because she loves to sing and wants to perform and rise to "Idol" status. My heart says that she's only in this for the recognition and the fame and to become a household name. Unfortunately for her, the "household name" she's earning isn't very becoming, and she's showing herself to be a very, very ugly person. This competition is "the stuff that dreams are made of." Young people watch this and think to themselves that they, too, could someday do this. Her conduct and temperament just don't fit the mold here. She's not a star. I didn't have much of an opinion of Ayla, Becky, and Heather's performances. They're all talented and lovely young ladies. None of them, however, really reached forward and really had that "shine-like-a-star" quality. Mandisa, on the other hand, completely had the shine. Shine and then some. What a lovely, lovely young woman...inside and out. She's got a voice as big as the hills, and she's not allowing any cruel stereotypes about what a woman "should" look like hold her back. I love her. Absolutely love her. Melissa, I could have lived without. The song choice was horrible, and I honestly felt like, for her sake, the song needed to end as soon as it began. I certainly understand the like-ability factor that Kellie brings to the table and I personally grieve for the sadness in her life, but she's just not amongst my favorites here. Lisa was a tiny, amazing little powerhouse, and Kinnik was wonderful. I think Katharine is beautiful physically and has the voice to match, but I disagree with Simon that her performance was the best of the entire evening. Paris had that, hands down. Mandisa was a close second.

Now the men...

I absolutely agreed with Simon that David made a bad decision. He handled that song poorly, he was outside his element in a big way, and he just didn't seem to take himself or the competition very seriously. It's a shame, too, because he can really, really sing. Will is darling, but I can't escape the whole "Peter Brady" thing. Good grief - talk about cut from the same cloth! He was OK vocally. Just OK. I absolutely fail to understand Bucky's appeal. I don't really think he can sing, to be blunt and truthful, and the whole "I-am-a-southern-country-rocker" schtick is pissing me off. Someone else has already done that, Bucky. His name is Bo Bice. Don't even try to emulate him because you (and everyone else who tries to do so) will fail. Miserably. Although I wouldn't say he failed miserably, I will say that Patrick absolutely chose the wrong song. Great song, don't get me wrong, but not for him. Great all the way around was Chris. Great, great, great. So was Gedeon. Elliott was wonderful as well. Ace is delicious. Oh. My. God. Absolutely gorgeous. One of the most fresh-faced and gorgeous young men I've seen in a LONG time. He also has an amazing set of pipes on him. I don't think he stood out vocally last night (although he looked MIIIGHTY fine and I was experiencing a slight inability to breathe!). He's got the potential to be amazing and I think he's solid in this competition. I feel horrible saying this, but I really don't think this is the place for Bobby. He's adorable and a true showman, but his vocals weren't that strong, and I just don't think he belongs here. It's not his niche. "Idol" is about a certain kind of person. And, as dear as I think Bobby is, he's not that person. I feel the same way about Kevin. I admire his courage. Usually people who aren't traditionally attractive shy away from things like this. God knows I would. But, God love him, he's gone out there and given 500% and he's very strong. Sway is also strong, but eeek, the song choice. I get the sentimentality of the song (and you have to admit that his dear old uncoordinated dad was adorable out there in the audience), but to take on Phillip Bailey and that hiiiigh falsetto, zoikes. But he's a ladykiller and he's got the like-ability factor.

My predictions:

The women who will leave tonight: Stevie and Brenna.

The men who will leave tonight: David and Bobby (although it really should be Bucky...for some reason, he's really appealing to the masses...whatever.)

The final six women will be: Paris, Mandisa, Lisa, Kellie, Katharine, and Kinnik (Kinnik SHOULD be one of the final six, but I fear that Ayla or Becky will be there in her stead simply because they are more lovely physically).

The final six men will be: Taylor, Chris, Gedeon, Elliott, Ace, and Sway.

The final two contestants will be Taylor and Paris, and I absolutely cannot guesstimate or predict who will win.

Off to watch the show and see how well I did with my predictions! Thank God for DVR!

Happy Birthday To Me, Part Deux...

Today's my birthday! 34 years ago today, I was born. Thanks so much to all of you for the birthday greetings. It was a good day. My hubby's making me a yummy late birthday dinner, and I had a wonderful birthday lunch with the beautiful women in my office. I am so blessed to be surrounded by love. One of my colleagues made me a homemade-from-scratch red velvet cake, and it was amazing. I'll share the recipe with you here in just a moment. My parents sent me a gorgeous card and a beautiful burgundy purse. I am happy. :)

OK, you HAVE to try this recipe. TRUST me. It's YUMMY!

CAKE

1. ½ cup of butter
2. 1 ½ cups of sugar
3. 2 eggs
4. 2 tablespoons of cocoa
5. 2 ounces of red food coloring
6. ½ teaspoon of salt
7. 1 teaspoon of vanilla
8. 1 cup of buttermilk
9. 2 ½ cups of sifted cake flour
10. 1 ½ teaspoon of baking soda
11. 1 tablespoon of vinegar

Preheat your oven to 350º. Grease and flour your 9 ½” by 11” cake pan.

Cream together the butter, sugar, and eggs. Make a paste with the cocoa and food coloring, and add it to the creamed mixture. Mix the salt and vanilla with the buttermilk and add it to the mixture, alternating it with the flour. Mix the baking soda and vinegar together and fold this mixture in to the main mixture.

FROSTING

1. 5 tablespoons of flour
2. 1 cup of milk
3. 1 cup of granulated sugar
4. 1 cup of butter
5. 1 teaspoon of vanilla

Cook the flour and milk together over a low flame until it turns thick, stirring constantly. Cool. Cream together the sugar, butter, and vanilla until it’s light and fluffy. Add the cooled flour mix and beat until the frosting is of spreading consistency.

Enjoy!

Will You Skate With Me?

Remember the 80s? Bright neon clothing and leg-warmers? The cute Duran Duran and Wham! boys? MTV when it actually played music videos? I had such a flashback to that time tonight. Erin's school had a skating party tonight. Yes, my friends, a skating party. God, I remember skating parties! Once a month at the horrible (another story for another day) Catholic school I attended, we were allowed to wear jeans and leave school early for a skating party. And it was all the rage. Who skated with whom? Did they play your favorite song? It was such a big, big deal. I also went every weekend with my friends to skate for a few hours and ogle at any cute boys who happened to be there that day. It's funny...looking back on that now. Tonight, the kids seemed all about just movingmovingmoving (or, rather, trying reaaaaallly hard not to fall down!) And the parents...the other children of the 80s...were out there too! Falling and laughing and consoling little injured ones. It was just so surreal. And they even played 80s' music! Wow. Miss Erin did pretty well for her first time out. She was pretty fearless at first! We had those kiddy, strappy-skate shoes on her, and she literally took off! Those didn't go as fast as she wanted, so we switched her over to the "big girl skates." Those, we found out, did go fast. VERY fast. And it scared the hell out of her! (Me too!) We switched her back to the kiddy skates and I shot some awesome video of her and her father out on the floor shaking their stuff. It was adorable to watch. Wow, was the music always that loud? And were the lights always so flashy? I am getting old, my friends. :)

It's funny that this little skating party should happen today. Don't ask me why, but the Myspace bug bit me and I started my own site there. (Now don't holler - I promise I will not abandon this blog!!!!) I just love that so many different people, to include my Bo Bice, are there. That's a rather nifty little site there. Anyhoo, I did some searches and found some of the people that I went to that horrible Catholic school with. My time at that school was probably the most unpleasant time in my life, and seeing those names (and photos!) on Myspace bubbled up some old memories. It's funny how things stick with you. I will be 34 tomorrow. I "graduated from eighth grade" (yes, we actually had eighth grade graduations - don't ask) in 1985. That's over 20 years ago. And yet a lot of the bitter taste that experience and some of those people left in me still resonates. You know, I see myself bloviating here and boring you all to tears with this retched story of pre-teen angst and misery, so I'll shut up before I go any further. Sorry, everyone. Oh, and please stop by and check out my Myspace site. If you're there, please "Friend" me. My poor little "Friends" section is bare!

OK, I am off to watch tonight's "American Idol" episode that I DVR'd. Sorry for the "peppy downward turn" to my blog entry tonight! Hope that you all have a great night.

Happy Birthday To Me, Part Une...

Hi everyone. Hope that you're all doing well and that you've had a great last several days. Lots been goin' on 'round here. Have a seat...this promises to be a l-o-o-o-o-o-o-n-g blog post.

Let's talk happy stuff first.



Saturday night, Curt's parents threw a very exclusive "family only" birthday party for us (Curt's birthday was the 7th and mine's coming up this week). My M-I-L is an AMAZING cook, and she made us a scrumptious homemade spaghetti casserole (YUM). It was a good time on a very COLD night. Yikes, it's been cold here. I am NOT cut out for this kind of weather, and given the fact that I've lived in the midwest for all but three years of my life, you'd think I'd be used to it by now. Ah, that's another blog post for another day. Back to the birthday. We had a wonderful time. Of course, no birthday would be complete without a homemade card, so that's exactly what I made for my sweetie. SU products used include the soon-to-be-retired (and very adorable) "Alphabet Soup" stamp set, Real Red ink, cardstock in Handsome Hunter and Barely Banana, The Tearing Edge, Stampin' Dimensionals, and one of each of the Rich Regals buttons (Handsome Hunter, Night of Navy, Bravo Burgundy, and Ballet Blue). The white cardstock is from Michaels.

Here are the gifts from my husband and parents-in-law:



To go with the Sizzix machine he bought me for Christmas, Curtis bought me an organizer for my dies, which was very needed. You'd collapse in horror if you saw how unorganized my craft desk is. He also got me season five of my beloved "Sex And The City." He told me that he wanted me to have the entire show before it became unavailable commercially. I really, really loved that show, so that's a special gift to me. My wonderful parents-in-law bought us a yummy waffle iron (which makes FANTASTIC waffles...we indulged yesterday morning!). Saturday was a nice night. Sure feels good to be loved by such amazing people.

In the middle of my little photo shoot (taking the above photos), Miss Maggy decided to crash the set. :) Here she is in all her scene-stealing glory:



"What? You don't really think I care if you're taking photos, do you? I want to come over and say hi!"

Now, on to the not-so-good. As you faithful readers know, my agency is scheduled for closure in 2008 via the BRAC (Base Realignment and Closure) process. It's not been a pleasant experience for me...and that's "me the human" and "me the management official." I'm trying so hard to balance fear with hope and apprehension with faith. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. For a few weeks, I was one of a handful of HR folks working our agency's BRAC website and researching and posting questions and answers about the BRAC and every possible contingency known to man (moving with your work, keeping retirement post-BRAC, etc. ad nauseum). I approached all of this very clincally...very managerially. I recited rote managerial dictates about the BRAC and the agency's position on what we will and won't do and when. I was a management mouthpiece. I thought like a "management official" and not a "BRAC-impacted employee." That all worked fine, and then last Thursday happened.

(Before I tell you about last Thursday, I need to give you non-Feddy sorts a quick once-over about ICTAP. Some folks call it "I-SEE-TAP," and others, like me, call it "ICK-TAP." It's the Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan. How do I sum up ICTAP in less than a jillion words? Basically, if you've lost your job via a BRAC or a reduction-in-force, you can play the ICTAP card when applying for a new Federal job. Basically, if you're well-qualified and, in most cases, two years hasn't elapsed since your involuntary separation, the agency HAS to give you the job, period. It doesn't matter how many other folks are out there. It doesn't matter that some poor schmuck is better qualified for the position. If you're deemed "well qualified" for the job and are an ICTAP-eligible candidate, you get the job. End of discussion.)

I've been putting in for jobs here and there, almost all Federal, and really didn't see any one that just stuck out as a "JEN JOB." At first, I thought I'd be more conservative about my job hunting. Sure, I'd look, but I didn't think I should leap and take the veryfirstjobIsaw just to escape the BRAC. Rather, I wanted to wait until "that perfect job" came open...the one that had "Jen written all over it." Well, that job opened last January. And I applied. And everyone in my work and personal lives thought "Ohmygoodness - if ever there was a job that screamed your name, THIS IS IT!" It was an intern coordinator position, GS-0301-12 (so I'd keep my grade and pay), and the position solely focused on working with interns and students. That's been a HUGE chunk of what I've done in the past six years with my agency. Hell, even some of my current and former interns were ALLLLL about contacting this new potential job and telling them how wonderful I am. I thought I had it in the bag.

And then Thursday happened. They had an ICTAP match.

An ICTAP match. Can you believe it?

Yes, my friends, someone in the Kansas City commuting area was either BRAC'd or RIF'd within the last two years and took this job right out from beneath me. I never had a chance. I'll spare you the long story about how both my boss and I intervened here to try to find out what the hell happened. She and I both kept replaying in our minds over and over that there couldn't possibly be an ICTAP-eligible candidate in this area. There've not been any BRACs until this last one, and none of the two KC agencies affected by this round of BRAC have closed yet. That'd mean that either someone worked for another Federal agency here in town and was RIF'd (which is a strong possibility) or someone was RIF'd from another Federal job outside the KC commuting area and moved here. I believe it was the latter, and to say that I am beyond heartbroken about it doesn't even scratch the surface. I spent most of Thursday either in complete shell-shock or crying. And yes, before you tell me that the job was never mine to have, I know that. But it was such a perfect fit for me. And in the same damned building I am working in now! (Different agency, but still.) It just really hurt my pride. My boss and a dear friend/colleague both said to me separately, "You know Jen, look at it another way. You never had a chance here. There's nothing you or anyone could have done to have gotten you this job. At least you didn't interview for the job and THEN not get it. You were never even in the running." And they're right. But that doesn't mean it doesn't hurt. Oh well. God brought me here, so He has to have a greater plan here. This all makes sense to Him. Hopefully soon, it will make sense to me, too.

Adding insult to injury here is that I myself am a BRAC-impacted employee. Not YET. I mean, I've not been separated yet. But the separation is coming. The BRAC is law now, and there's no going back. However, my agency (and understandably so) has a mission to perform. And work needs to continue in order for our site (and ultimately, our agency) to continue. To that end, the decision has been made not to give ICTAP eligibility letters to us until 120 days prior to closure. Had I had this wonderful "Notice Of Expected Separation" letter, I too would have been an ICTAP match for that job. And I probably would have gotten it, too. And that makes something already painful hurt that much more.

So there you have it. Back to the job hunt board goeth I. Pray for me, folks...please. I need to find a new job and start this new chapter of my life before the BRAC starts it for me.

I'm off. Gonna go shopping and enjoy my day off. Be well everyone!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day, everyone! I hope that you and your snuggle partner of choice have had a romantic and wonderful day!

My Valentine and I had a wonderful evening. He made me a yummy dinner of sherried pork and long grain rice (ask me for the recipe - you won't be sorry!) and spoiled me with beautiful gifts:





Peach roses hold a very special significance in our relationship. They were a pre-Valentine's Day gift, arriving in our home on February 12th. :) The other gifts were actual Valentine's gifts. A little romance, a little chocolate, a little Idol (hi Bo!), and Jen's a happy girl. Check out the MINT Pirouette cookies and the adorable little fondue-for-two set. :)

In addition to the roses, another surprise "early Valentine" made it's way to me yesterday via the United States Postal Service. I have been "Secret Pal'ing" a wonderful woman on the west coast, and I've had a ball chatting with her and spoling her. Imagine my surprise when she turned the tables on me and sent ME a gift! :) It was just her way of thanking me for being so kind. Made my heart leap. Wow. What a wonderful thing to do - care for the sake of caring! Check out what she sent to me:



And, of course, no Valentine's Day could be complete without a homemade Valentine!



This was one of my Valentine gifts for my Valentine. :) Of course, I used my new Sizzix machine (LOVE that thing!) and lots of Stampin' Up products. Those SU products included the new "Alphabet Soup" stamp set, "Real Red" ink, cardstock in "Real Red" and "Pretty In Pink," and Stampin' Dimensionals. The curvy scissors and cream-colored cardstock are from Michaels.

And with that, I am off to snuggle with my Valentine! Happy Heart Day, friends!

A Proud Mommy

Well, today was Erin's first-ever parent-teacher conference. Let it be known that I am officially the mother of the world's smartest and most amazing four-year-old! Her teacher told us over and over that she was thrilled with Erin...that she was "very smart for her age" and that she was an "absolute joy" to have in class. She also repeated more than once that Erin "cracked them up" (meaning her and her assistant teachers) with all of her funny little stories. Her teacher gave us a sheet that detailed all of the essential skills for little ones of that age (i.e., self-maintenance, recognition of letters/numbers, ability to understand and replicate simple patterns, etc.) and Erin passed each with flying colors. She excelled in social interactions (and anyone who knows me will say "Gee Jen, I wonder where she got THAT from!"). It wasn't halfway into the meeting that I broke down and just cried. Cries of pride and joy. I am so proud of her. The whole conference (and seeing their huge classroom and knowing that this is where Erin spends her days) just overwhelmed me. It did my heart good. I am all gooey inside.

We leave tomorrow for our Marriage Encounter weekend, and we're really excited. Erin's godparents (a devout Catholic man who works with Curtis and his even-more-so devout and lovely wife) bought the weekend as a gift for us last year after they went on an Encounter weekend themselves. We are really excited.

Sissie received my square and included it in her beautiful comfortghan for her friend with breast cancer. I am so honored to be a part of this blanket. Rose remains in my heart and prayers, and I hope this beautiful afghan warms her, body and soul, and that she returns to health soon.

Thanks for leaving me comments, everyone. I love comments, so keep 'em comin'! Have a great weekend, everyone!

Happy, Happy Day!

Two wonderful people in my life are celebrating the anniversaries of their births today. How blessed am I to have these amazing people in my life!

Happy birthday to my beautiful, kind, selfless, warm, and incredibly loving husband. I am so blessed and thrilled to have shared these last six years with you. My prayer is that we share many more years of health and love and life together. I am so honored to be your lady. I love you forever, Curtis.

And happy birthday too to one of my oldest and dearest friends, Lynda. Although there are many miles between us, she is never far from my thoughts and will always and forever be "the sister God never gave me."

I love you guys! Happy, happy, happy birthday!

First February Friday!

Hi everyone! It's hard to believe that it's February already! Hope that you and yours are all doing well.

All is going well on our end of the planet. Work's slowed down a bit for me (now that our implementation of the new DoD personnel system is on hold, thank GOD). I didn't get the GS-0201-12 position that I'd applied for. Like an idiot, I only applied externally (via their DEU) and not internally as well. I have it on good authority (namely from one of the HR Specialists staffing the job) that they were hammered with veterans. Vets block non-vets on DEU certs, and, well, that means Jen doesn't get the job. I should have known better than that. Next time, I'll definitely apply externally AND internally. On well, a close friend today summed it up perfectly - "it just wasn't meant to be, Jen." She's right. There's a new job out there for me someplace. I hope. I really want to beat this BRAC before it beats me. This has been a horrendous experience for all of us. I hope and pray that I'll never have to go through this again.

I learned this week that one of my dearest and oldest friends recently suffered a miscarriage. I ask that you, my friends, please keep her in your thoughts and prayers. As potential parents go, it most certainly doesn't get any better than her. My prayer is that she, soon, will become a mother to a very blessed and lucky little one. Please join me in that prayer.

I'm off for a late dinner with my family unit, but before I go, here are some photos to share....

Remember around Christmas-time when I said that I'd soon be taking another stab at Beth's Little Star Afghan? Well, I took my stab, and it actually came out quite well. I am really proud of it.



This time, I stuck to Beth's pattern exactly and didn't do any of the modifications that were posted over at Crochetville. Maybe that was my downfall before. Anyway, it wasn't anywhere near as difficult as I remembered it being, and I'll make one again in a heartbeat the next time I need a special baby gift. I used Red Heart's Super Saver yarns in "Royal" and "Bright Yellow" and, I believe, a "K" hook.

Today, I got my first gift from my new Secret Pal! Check it out!



She made me two gorgeous homemade cards (which are wonderful to get...I'm usually the giver of homemade cards, so it's a nice switch!). She also sent me a gorgeous purple journal and a cute "to do" pad (which I'll put to good use at the office!). And of course, yarn! Two skeins of Lion Brand's Lion Boucle in "Denim" and two skeins of Lion Brand's "Fun Fur Prints" in "Tropical." I am a happy girl who loves her new SP! Thank you, SP! :)

Finally, check out this neat little "wordsmith" I found at my friend Keri's blog:



And that's all, folks! Hope that you have a great Friday night and a wonderful weekend. I've got sorority stuff tomorrow afternoon (and Miss Maggy's got an early vet visit scheduled for the morning), and we're headed off to a little Super Bowl party on Sunday. Be well and healthy, friends.