Jon Bon Jovi

The last two nights I was stuck at work (and I mean that in a good way) for 12+ hours. The positive side of this? Jon Bon Jovi was involved.

I had never been to a Jovi concert and I never fully understood the screaming and crying women or how he could come to the same city multiple times in a year and sell out venues with seating capacities of over 17,000. After a Tuesday and Wednesday night performance, all I can say is I get it.

PS I've been living on a prayer all week, maybe it's time for some bad medicine? What evs, it's my life anyway. Oh and while I'm on a roll, blogger friends, I'll be there for you....

Note to self: Read this when down

I probably don't say it enough but being 26 and having a job, better yet, a job I really like, makes me feel really happy. Sure I work some weird hours and have to give up long weekends but when pieces of your life all just start to fit together perfectly...you just have to go with it. I mean how many people get to see this on a daily basis? 

Great job, wonderful husband, healthy family, great friends... right now, I'm really happy. That needs to be recorded so the next time I am not, I can at least look back at this and smile.

Random Blackberry Photos Take 2

A few more Randoms to clean up before the new year. (Other's found here)

My daily view on my way to work. Love Chicago!

The 1tt tree we ever had that we didn't cut down. It's also our 1st ever Griswold tree, more here.

Our new house has really bare walls. Our tree was lacking presents since Landon and I decided our house was our Christmas. Most of these presents went to cousin Buddy.

Minne running away from the cold at our old apartment. You can tell my the door that it was ghetto.

My custom jersey that you'll see featured on our Holiday card that should arrive sometime in 2011.

Minne super pissed that I brought my work home with me.

The start of putting together our basement.

REMINDER: Need to update this hallway for work.

Minne making sure Buddy isn't doing anything bad.

"Can we sleep in a few more minutes mom?"

Classic Buddy, waiting for someone to feed him.

Where's the Level for Inappropriate?

Any one see anything inappropriate with this? Or do you think this is just awesome like my husband?

Please keep in mind that the United Center is my place of work.

Princess

I grew up in a family surrounded by little girls, in my family we were all princesses, weren't you? So it should come as no surprise that when the Disney Princess on Ice show comes to the UC, I get really really pumped. Since my department is predominately male, I have to secretly contain all my excitement. Normally I am not shy about these things but I get made fun of enough as it is.

This week I am consumed with all things Princess. It's hard for me to share photos with you but if you want to see some cutie patooties you should for sure check out this link, it may even bring you back to your childhood days.

Happy feel like a princess day!

Busted

Today one of my friends busted me at work...but luckily I was REALLY doing work. Yup I get paid to understand, know and work the social media system. Sometimes, life is awesome to you.

A Yello Tuesday

Not sure why but my office area (AKA the Annex) broke out to a bump bump chicka chicka session just a bit ago. Whatever happened to Yello anyway?



While you're watching that we're still house hunting. Apparently the house sellers haven't read my message to them, found here. When they do answer and we start to get excited, negotiations don't go well and the selling Realtors can be real PITAs.

Blackhawks - One Goal

I just realized I do not have "attending a Stanley Cup Final" game on my 2010 To Do List. What is wrong with me?

Since the Finals start this weekend, bare with me if I am a little slow on postings. Between being a United Center employee and a Blackhawks fan I have some very strict priorities ahead of me.

#LetsGoHawks #LetsGoHawks #LetsGoHawks #LetsGoHawks #LetsGoHawks #OneGoal

Convergence in ATL Take 2

I know, I know. I am finally finishing up my trip to Atlanta (part one featured here)! I will try to let the photos do all the talking in this one.

Along with doing lots of work, there were some fun activities completed in Atlanta. For example, walking through Centennial Olympic Park on a gorgeous day. As the sun was setting, we got to see a photographer using the lighting off one of the glass buildings. It was pretty cool.
A glimpse of the CNN Building:
At night, our partners kept us hydrated by taking us to this awesome place called Stats. The best part? Check out the photo taken live at our table (yes I said table, not bar but table), I'm sure you can figure it out:
One night, we got invited to a Microsoft event at the Georgia Aquarium, which I learned is home to the worlds largest aquarium. Check out some of these awesome photos:

Did you know these guys can get up to 800lbs?!
The aquarium is home to seven different kinds of sharks: whale sharks, great hammerhead sharks, blacktip reef sharks, spotted or tassled wobbegong sharks, zebra sharks, sand tiger sharks and sandbar sharks.
Can you spot them all?
More Sharkies!
Did you know that UPS donated the cost of the shipping of the Whale Shark, which was estimated at over $200,000?! As a daughter of someone who wears brown proudly, I had to share this one:
What do you think of the whale shark?
Did you know the aquarium even has a live webcam of the aquarium? After you glance at that and some of my photos, you may be thinking, this aquarium doesn't look very big. You're right, it doesn't. But look what happens when you add people to the photos!

They look bigger don't they?

We wrapped up the work trip by embracing one of Atlanta's most prized beverage company, Coca-Cola. We figured before we headed out of town, we had to see what Coke World was all about.
We got to see some of the most prized Coke possessions, apparently this is one of the world's largest bottle openers.
The hubs wants to take beer caps and make a sign like this one, had to share this photo with him for research obviously
I was a huge fan of some of the art work, can you tell?

And how could I forget the baseball sponsorship? Coke + Braves, well I guess it just makes sense.
So this photo is terrible...but the Polar Bear was leaving and my grandma loves this guy and all his commercials (maybe that's why I have such a fondness for the polar bear campaign). Regardless, this one is for you grandma!
We walked through the halls of history in advertising and the other exhibits but nothing was as cool as the last one. It was here that you can taste all of the specialty coke products drank every day around the world. By the way, please remind me never to drink the Beverly again if I am in Italy.
The Exotica Fanta was my favorite, I wonder how much it would cost to ship it to the States?
You can hardly see it here, but this next one was one of my boss's favorites. It's called Ice and really tastes like Ice. Not quite like sprite but really ice. It was cool.
But at the end of the day, all I wanted for myself was a yummy Diet Coke!

We stopped at the gift shop and headed on our way back to Chicago. We did notice that one of the first things you see when you exit Coke World was the Coca-Cola Building. I am guessing they planned it that way :)
And that was my Atlanta Trip!

My babies!

While I am away in Atlanta for work, I figured I would be missing my babies. So here's just some random photos of 2 very important people in my life!

This one is from Minne's first parade! What a proud pappa!


I took Minne to watch the hubs run his first 5K race. It was cold and she was exhausted, but she wouldn't want to miss any time with her pops.


Getting ready to ring in the new year 2009 style


While away from these 2 I usually miss their personalities a lot. I mean how could you not miss this, right?

But what I usually miss the most is just relaxing with these 2.


As great as this conference is, there's still nothing like coming home to these two. I cannot wait to get home tomorrow!

XOXO

Happy Middle of the Week

Today couldn’t start out any better. About to hit the gym for an early morning yoga class with 2 of my favorite ladies, my mom and lil sis, photographed here:



After that, I’ll be heading to work anxiously waiting for the hubs to get home from his work trip. That is if he wants to come back to this cold snowy weather. He’s been sending me photos from his “work trip” that I talked about here.

Photo One From San Diego

Photo Two From San Diego

Photo Three From San Diego

I can't wait to go to work so that when I get home, Minne and I can spend some time with him.

A Case of the Manic Mondays

Last night the hubs and I made it home from our crazy trip to small town Indiana. After working for a few hours the hubs took me to dinner and a movie. It was a great way to end a nutty weekend and an even better way to start the week, for him anyway.

Once we got home from the movie, he "had to pack" for a work trip to San Diego. This meant lots of laundry for me as the hubs mentally prepared for his work trip. Sounds like a work trip huh? Actually, the only thing that seemed like work to me was watching him pack 3 days of clothes in a carry on bag. Apparently, if girls from work can do it, he's certain he can too.

Bag with one day of clothes and work out attire, notice the items that aren't in the suit case yet

Meanwhile, Minne spent her time working really hard to tear apart her Birthday gift, Rant the Ant. Toys that have a 1 year warranty usually take Minne about a half hour to eat through. Once she gets to the insides we have to throw them away before she eats them. This wouldn't be an issue but her small belly gets sick after eating to much stuffing, strings, thread, squeekers, plastic...the list goes on.

She spent about an hour with Rant, before we had to take him away from her.

After a very productive night, I'm off to my first day at my new job and the hubs is on his way to sunny San Diego.