Potpourri

Ok, so I have lots to say...I'll get the awkward stuff out of the way first.
I received my long awaited job end date. My last day at work will be August 20. Whew, right around the corner. I can't define my emotions 'cause they are all over the place...one moment I'm excited, one moment I'm sad, one moment I'm anxiety ridden, and one moment I'm relieved to finally have a date. I'm the last of my group to go (they're keeping me a few days past conversion in case anything unexpected happens). Can't say what I will do either. I've had multiple requests for me to attend company overviews for financial advisor positions, but I'm not sure I want to go back into investments. My heart says one thing, my parents are saying another thing (eww Fed's *shiver* *shiver* *shiver*), but I hope to pursue what is on my heart...at least until my checkbook screams another. I guess I just have to sit back and listen and wait. The company I work for always provided a 30 day sabbatical on each employee's 10 year anniversary...I planned to go to London. Well, I've been there 10 years, and since the company divestiture, my sabbatical never happened; however, I'm going to London anyway. Paris is in the works...there is a ministry there that works with teens through art and I would love to help out. Anyway, I will miss work...here's some of the things I'll miss:






Allow me to explain: We had a mickey mouse (he even had the real Mickey plastered all over his office with a stuffed Mickey staring you in the face during meetings...creepy) of a supervisor come in and since he always wanted to know when people were at lunch, we all had to put up lunch signs (which we all gladly posted 100% of the time). We were a quirky group, and somewhat obedient. Anyway, the last picture is a team effort tack art (this was the friendliest of them). We all got bored at the scanner because it was soooo slow, so we took advantage of our down time...I loved this one especially because our temp Joe (aka cupcake-his staple food) bent up a paperclip for smoke coming out of the chimney...clever kid. So...that is what I'll miss.

On to what I've been up to lately:

In June I went on a women's retreat. There is a place in Colorado Springs called The Hideaway...oh it is sooo awesome! It's just that...hidden away in a bit of forest mountain area. It's so much fun. Well, as retreats go...oh wait, let me rephrase that...as retreats typically are when I am invited, this one was entertaining. I created a couple aliens out of handiwrap and aluminum foil and placed on of them in the retreat leaders bed...hee hee...it was the size of an 8 yr old.




The other alien was doing his thing on the throne when they found him.




It was the best...I watched Neddra walk into her room...heading to the balcony, do a quick shudder of fear, grab her heart and say VERY LOUDLY "stupid Kathryn." To that I (and a few others) all but fell out on the floor laughing. My punishment:



I was dismissed! I cried "why ya gotta lock a sister out" to no avail. I was banned; however, the intruding aliens got special attention...even their very own names! I just don't get it.

July is my birthday month, and my ski bud's birthday is just a few days before me, so we headed up to the cabin together up by Gunnison with her son and a friend of his. My folks have a resort package at Blue Mesa that I get perks from, so every so often I enjoy the free cabin. It was such a beautiful drive. I wish my camera could have caught the true splendor of it all, but here are a couple of my favorite views:

I suppose I could tell you it was raining, but I wont...those are bugs on my windsheild....lol...but if you look past that you can see snow (in July) up by Monarch Pass.




This one (below) was one of my fav's...that white stuff is not snow though...it's clouds hovering over the little valleys. It was so much more awesome than this picture.


We went to Lake City one day...I love the drive there too! I was a bit overly excited about the beauty of everything...it's so hard to clap and cheer God on when one is driving, so Cindy asked to take over...lol. I don't know...she said something about safety and such...lol.

So, while she was driving:



I got to see:















I just screamed "stop...stop." hee hee hee. Isn't it beautiful!

Last but not least, last Sunday was Bab's 1st birthday. So we went to the zoo:

Here's granny and Bab's looking at the fish. They were about the only thing...well, other than the rather large kitties she saw, that she really enjoyed.










She also started walking:

Did I mention she also adores her Great Auntie. Her mom says it's because she can get away with stuff with me, but I just think there's no reason at all for her to be unhappy, so we have a mutual agreement. ;) Besides...great niece, great auntie...maybe there's just too much greatness for one room to contain. ;-) Yeah, that's it!!!!