A Fancy Party and An All Nighter

Apparently, (even in my old age) I've still got what it takes to pull an all-nighter.  Barely:)  And no, it wasn't because I out hitting up all the hot night spots in town.  I was working.  Until 4 am.  Yes, I'm crazy.  Let me explain:

The little old Kroger I work at just got an upgrade! We now have a brand new, state of the art, gigantic store!  To think that the little and not very busy pharmacy I first started at has evolved to this is crazy!  I couldn't be more excited. They will be tearing down the old one to make room for additional parking in the next few months.  I've been waiting for this day longer than anyone else back in the pharmacy.  The new store is the "flagship" Kroger for the Memphis area.  Take my word for it- it's a big deal!  I'm so happy to get a new pharmacy that is nice, clean, has it's own air condition, etc.  Our old one was so tiny and OLD!  A teeny tiny part of me is sad to see the old one go but then I think about all the high tech equipment and fancy decor we have now and the moment passes:)

Since this store opening is such a big deal in the community, there have been lots of social events and parties this past week to celebrate.  Tuesday night was the fancy, come get an exclusive preview of the store party.  It was invitation only- important corporate people, department managers, city and county officials, small community business owners, and 100 of our top Kroger customers.  I was so thrilled I got to be there!  It was a lot of fun.  I wore this outfit:

I got a TON of compliments on my shirt!  In case you didn't recognize it, this is the same outfit I wore to Anniston's first birthday party.  I was glad I didn't have to buy anything new plus it gave me another chance to get some wear out of this outfit- which I heart, by the way!

The grand store opening was Wednesday morning so we had to move the pharmacy overnight on Tuesday night.  Of course I volunteered to help since I'm on vacation this week.  Which basically meant I could sleep all day the next day because I didn't have to work!   And, oh yeah, OVERTIME $$$!  Let's not forget the main reason I volunteered- he he:)

We started moving after the party (about 8 pm) and were finished with the drugs and files by 1:30 am. Here is the "drug parade" across the parking lot:

 After that, we had to sit around and wait for IT to finish transferring all the data files from the old pharmacy to the new one. The few of us that were still left at that hour went to sleep on the floor of the pharmacy while we waited.  Around 3:30 we were told to go on home because they were having some problems with the transfer.  I ended up getting home and in bed around 4 am.  I was exhausted!

 Since I'm on vacation this week, I haven't actually gotten to work in the new store- but that makes coming back to work from vacation not look so bad!

A Cake and A Tooth

Yesterday was a great day because:

#1- I've been at my job for 5 years as of yesterday.  In honor of that, my store managers surprised me a cake and a card! When they came back to the pharmacy with the cake I looked around thinking that it was one of my tech's birthdays and I missed it.  I guess I hadn't realized yesterday marked my 5 year anniversary!  It was so nice of them and we all got to enjoy a fabulous cake the rest of the day!

#2- Anniston has gotten her first tooth!  I came home from work last night and asked Brandon if she was as cranky last night as she was yesterday morning.  He said no but that she had really been gnawing on stuff more than usual (our fabulous sitter Kristi alerted him to this.)  I brushed it off as a "teething spell" that we seem to assume she goes through although we had yet to see a tooth!  We changed the subject and then about 30 minutes later Brandon just randomly tells me that she has a tooth.  WHAT???  "Why didn't you tell me that before?" I asked him.  "I wanted you to be surprised in the morning, but I couldn't hold it in any longer" was his response.  How cute.  Since she slept all night (yippee!) I didn't get to check until this morning and she most definitely has a tooth coming in.  I could see it and feel it!

She has been in a GREAT mood this morning.  She actually slept past her usual 5:00 am wake up time.  Of course, I woke up then and was suspicious that everything was okay, but I dozed for a little while longer.  About 6:15 we heard a crash from the nursery and we panicked.  Brandon raced in there only to find her standing up in her crib and her humidifier laying on the floor.  The little stinker had reached over and pushed it off the table where it sits next to her crib!  Thank goodness she was okay.

This week has started off great and I only have 3 more days of work until it's vacation time!

My Little Cheerio Eating Puller-Upper

Forget crawling- all Anniston wants to do these days is pull up- on everything.  She is going to give me a heart attack one of these days and I have a feeling this is just the beginning!  I can't leave her side for one minute when she is down on the floor because she will find something, anything, to pull up on.  She is still very unstable and cannot last long standing up so I have to be right beside her for fear of her falling and hurting herself.  She has already had one little bruise on her forehead but so far hasn't cried or gotten upset any of the times she has fallen or bumped her head.  She's one tough little girl.

This weekend is the St. Jude Classic golf tournament in Memphis.  This is a really big deal for the city because #1- tons of famous pro golfers are in the city and #2- it supports St. Jude!  Brandon has a friend that works the tournament so he came in town for the weekend.  Brandon's been busy hanging out at the golf course with him and taking him to some great BBQ restaurants.  I'm not at all into golf but it is scary how much I know about the sport and most of the popular players- I blame it on having to hear Brandon talk about it all the time!  I will say that my favorite player is Rory McIlroy- Brandon and I both love him! I also love saying his name- it's just fun! I'm so jealous that Brandon got to watch him play in person this weekend!

My mom and grandmom were nice enough to come into town Friday night to pick up Anniston and keep her while I worked and Brandon went to the tournament.  They had a lot of fun keeping her and seeing her pull up on everything.

Anniston is now a Cheerio addict!  So far she hasn't been all too interested in real people food.  She makes a horrible face with everything I've tried to give her.  I decided to try some Cheerios the other day and she LOVED them!  She even really "chews" on them.  We went to dinner with a friend Saturday night and I gave her some while at dinner.  She would fuss and fuss if I stopped giving them to her.  She was chewing on them so much my friend asked, "Does she have any teeth?"  "Nope," I said.  "She's just gummin' them!"  I think she likes to think she's being a big girl by eating and chewing like Mommy and Daddy do!  Ha ha.

Weekend Rewind

It's Monday!  It's a happy Monday for me because it's my day off!  I worked this past weekend so I don't have much to talk about but I do have a few random things I'd like to share.  I'm going to do this in bullet form because I'm lazy and because I really meant it when I said this post would be random:)

- This was my very first Mother's Day!  I did have to work but I still had a great day!  Brandon gave me a pair of Nike running sunglasses that I've been wanting forever and surprised me with some Dinstuhl's chocolate truffles Saturday night when I got off work.  Brandon and Anniston went out to Aunt Tara's for a Mother's Day get together while I was at work. Brandon is such a good Daddy to take such good care of Anniston on the weekends I work.  He said they had a great time and she was so good. I think he really enjoys the father/daughter time.

- Our painters have finished painting the outside of our house.  I'm going to post some before and after pictures, but we still have to get shutters and we want to replace our front porch posts too.  We are also going to get some new landscaping but that might not be until later on.

- Our house getting painted has inspired me to update some of the inside decor a little.  I have a list of a couple of things I want to re-do so I'm going to start with one project at a time.  All this will hopefully transfer nicely when we move (which will not be before next summer).  I'll show some before and afters of what I redecorate as well!

- Brandon and I had a nice little dinner out Friday night at Old Venice.  Anniston sat up in her highchair, tried to grab everything on the table, and loved looking around at all the people.  It was fun!

-Brandon and I also got caught up on a lot of DVR this weekend after Anniston went to bed.  House Hunters, SNL (Will Ferrell was on!), and Shark Tank.  By the way- if you don't watch Shark Tank you totally should.  It's our new favorite show.

- We are planning a trip to the zoo next weekend and I'm so excited!

That's about all I have- I told you it was a boring weekend.  I have today off and next weekend off so it's going to be a great week!  Hopefully I will have more to report next Monday!

Thankful

Today I am feeling especially thankful for so many things.  It's going to be such a pretty day outside and I have the next two days off work to spend time with Anniston!

I am so thankful for my job.  I really do have a great job that I love and my schedule suits us pretty well right now.  It's uncommon for a retail pharmacist to have an 8-5 job and up until I had Anniston, I would work 12 hour shifts and every other weekend.  Everything just fell into place when I returned back to work after having her.  I work 8-5 some days, others I work 10-8, or 12-8, and.........I only work every THIRD weekend!  I really, really like my schedule.  It keeps every week a little different, and I do enjoy the weeks I work the weekends.  I may have to work on Saturday and Sunday, but I get 2 days off together during the week to spend quality time with Anniston, run errands, etc.  I'm very thankful that I have a job I love.

I'm thankful for Kristi, Anniston's babysitter.  We really lucked up with finding her.  We have a mutual friend that recommended her, and at the time she didn't have any availability.  Funny how things work out, because she called me back a few weeks after I had contacted her saying she was going to have an opening starting 3 weeks before I went back to work!  I could not be happier with her.  She loves Anniston so much and takes such good care of her.  She texts me during the day if Anniston does something funny or cute.  She buys Anniston clothes if she sees something cute she just can't pass up. I should probably mention that the mutual friend we have in common is our hairdresser and friend, Laura.  Yesterday afternoon when I went to get Anniston, Kristi and I decided to go get our hair done together.  She already had made plans to head over to Laura's house, and I was in the process of trying to see if Laura could fit me in during the next couple of days.  Kristi suggested we both go last night, and she would watch and play with Anniston while I got my hair done.  After a quick call to Laura, that's what we did.  We all had so much fun hanging out at Laura's house and playing with all the kids (Laura has 2 of her own, both watched by Kristi when they were younger!)  I am so thankful for Kristi and all she does for us!

I am thankful for my wonderful husband who is around more these days.  Since starting his new job a couple of months ago, he has not had to travel near as much as he did before (with the exception of the 2 week training in Tulsa.)  I'm so happy he is in town more!

And because I want to post some pics along with this post- here are some randoms that I took last week while playing around with my camera settings!

Supermom

I don't think I've quite made it to "supermom" status yet, but I've sure been giving it a go.  This past week has been busy, hectic, fun, and crazy all at the same time.  Seriously- I don't know how single moms who work full time do it.  I've been a "single working mom" for a week now- and I've still got one more week to go!  It's possible I will be a zombie by next Friday.  That's when my husband comes home from his two week training course in Tulsa, OK.  In all seriousness, it hasn't been that bad.  Anniston and I have a lot of mommy-daughter time and I love it.  Here's a run down of how this week has gone:

Brandon left late afternoon on Easter Sunday.  A and I spent the afternoon hanging out with Brandon's dad, stepmom, and cousins.  We did reasonably well on sleep Sunday night (aside from the fact that 4 am was her wake-up time.)  I got 6 hours of sleep anyways and felt pretty chipper all day at work.  After picking A up from Kristi's we went on our first real jog!  She's able to sit up in the jogging stroller now and she absolutely loved riding in it.  She squealed and talked and enjoyed all the scenery.  We made it 1.5 miles without stopping.  I was pretty proud of myself- pushing my chunky monkey for 1.5 miles was hard- especially uphill!

Tuesday night after work we took it easy just playing around the house and relaxing.  I've had to be creative on ways to keep her entertained while I get things done around the house.  I was in the kitchen that night trying to make pasta salad to carry to work the next day and I had put her in her exersaucer so she could watch me.  She was starting to get fussy and squirmy and the only thing that made her stop fussing was for me to sing "I'm A Little Teapot" and "Itsy Bitsy Spider" while dancing around the kitchen.  So here I was trying to cook, clean bottles, and pack her bag for the next day all while singing and dancing around the kitchen.  Who needs to run for a workout- I was exhausted after all that!

Wednesday night my mom came in town to pick her up for me and hang out with us that night so I could have a little break.  I went for a nice, relaxing 3 mile run. I honestly don't know how I mustered up the energy but it felt so good afterwards!  That night Mom played with Anniston while I folded laundry, did dishes, and cleaned up around the house.  I was so thankful she came down so I could get a few things done!

Thursday night I worked the late shift, so my mom picked A up and kept her until I got off work.  I really like working different shifts throughout the week- it gives variety to my week.  I had switched around with the other pharmacists so that I would mostly open these two weeks since Brandon was out of town.

This past week was my three day weekend- my favorite week!  I had promised Allie I would be her assistant on a photo shoot for one of my technician's little girl.  I took A on in to Kristi's that morning so I could actually help her without having to worry about Anniston.  The photo shoot went so well and was a lot of fun.  Afterwards, I took a bit of "Kelly" time before picking Anniston up.  Allie and I ate brunch together, shopped a bit, and scoped out the Botanic Gardens for some photo shoot ideas.  I was missing my baby girl and was looking forward to girls night in when I went to pick her up.

Saturday my mom and grandmom came in town to hang out with us for the day.  Anniston was in such a great mood!  She laughed and squealed at my grandmother and I had so much fun showing her all of Anniston's new tricks.  She took a good, long nap in grandmom's arms and I was able to clean out and organize her nursery.  I also made a trip to Target and Carter's that afternoon while they watched her for me.

Although Anniston and I have had fun spending some one-on-one time with each other, I ready for my husband to be home!  I had formulated a list of things to do once Anniston went to bed each night this week- things like organizing my pictures, ordering a collage of the Easter pics, blogging, etc.  But by the time she goes to bed my brain is mush and I'm useless.  I have only had enough energy to catch up with my mom and sister on the phone or lie in bed and watch tv.  Most nights I have been in bed by 9 pm.  Next week is going to be just as crazy- we have some play dates planned, A's 6 month shots, and a check-up with her ear doctor.  Whew!  Sorry for the long post- I'm making up for my lack of posts this week!

Monday Ramblings

-We had a great weekend despite the fact that everyone in our family has been so sick lately!  I blame it on this crazy and unpredictable Memphis weather.  Brandon and I have both been battling a cough, stuffy nose, and aching body.  We haven't really felt terrible, it's just been slowing us down.

-Brandon had his first trade show this weekend with his new job.  He really likes it and I'm so thankful that it's going well so far.  I'm looking forward to having him home more.  He will have to do some training in Tulsa and will be gone for 2 weeks.  That will most definitely be a very long 2 weeks for us all.

-Anniston has decided that 5:30 am is her new wake up time in the mornings.  I haven't been able to sleep past then in over 2 weeks!  I hope this is a stage she is going through and that it won't last forever.  If I could just sleep past 6 on some mornings that would be great.  But for now we've been going to bed around 9 or 9:30 so we can get enough sleep in, especially since we are a little under the weather.

-I ordered A an Easter basket from Pottery Barn Kids this week and I bought her an Easter dress from a local boutique here in Memphis.  I can't wait for all the cute pictures!

-I did so good on working out this week up until Friday when I started getting sick again.  I ran last Sunday, rode the stationary bike for 30 min on Monday, did a workout from Pinterest on Wednesday, and ran again on Thursday.  I also made my lunch every day this week to take to work and Brandon and I ate off a casserole I made for dinner most nights.

-This week is going to be a long work week.  I only have 1 day off in 7 days because I traded shifts with my partner.  Next week is going to rock though- I only work 3 days out of 7!

And because I feel the need to post a picture with this post, here are some from this weekend:

Happy Monday!

Is It Really Monday?

It doesn't really feel like Monday to me.  Normally, when it's my weekend to work, I get Monday off.  This week, I swapped shifts with one of the other pharmacists so now I have to work 12-8pm today and have tomorrow off instead.  Not so bad, considering I have all morning to spend with my baby girl and get a little "break" in the week tomorrow.

We had some exciting news come about towards the beginning of the weekend.  Brandon got a new job!  He has officially quit his job with his old company and will start his new job in about a week or so.  We are both really excited about this new opportunity.  The biggest perk (at least in my opinion):  less travel!  It's going to be so great to have him home more often.  He will still have to travel overnight some, but it will be considerably less than what he was doing at his old job.

We had a fun weekend even though I spent the majority of it at work.  I got off at 4pm on Friday, so I was really excited to be able to spend a little extra time with the family Friday night.  We had a great night at home.  Brandon and I played with Anniston and sang countless songs to her so she would laugh and smile.  When we would run out of songs to sing, we did resort to singing along with commercials that came on TV.  Oddly enough, those were the ones she liked the best.  I think she likes us singing together too.  It was fun.  And cheesy.

On Saturday, my parents came in town to spend the day with Anniston while I was at work and Brandon was catching up on some stuff around the house.  After work, Brandon and I went about our normal bedtime routine with A and then laid around catching up on DVR.  I even got a foot massage while we were watching TV!  Oh my..

On Sunday, Brandon's mom, nana, sister, and her two girls came to visit and see Anniston while I was at work.  I was sad that I missed out on all the fun but it was nice getting her all to myself when I got off work:)

I'm looking so forward to Tuesday this week.  It's my day off and Brandon will be off as well.  We're trying to think of something fun to do since it's not often we both have a weekday off together.  I think we may go eat at a local taco shop for an early dinner.  It will be the first time we've gone out to dinner just us and Anniston.

I think this is going to be a good week!  Here are some pics I snapped from this weekend.  Happy Monday!

Photo Challenge- Days 6,8, & 9

Been pretty busy this week, so it's time to play catch-up on my February Photo Challenge!

Day 6:  Dinner
Yummy pasta casserole I took with me to work Monday night.  I crumble tortilla chips on top and it is soooo good!

I'm going to skip day 7's "Button" because I couldn't think of anything...

Day 8:  Sun

It wasn't very sunny here in Memphis on Wednesday.  It has been pretty cold compared to the last few weeks.  I shot this out my car window as I was on my way to pick up some lunch for all my co-workers.

Day 9:  Front Door

Here we are on our front doorstep this morning about to leave for work (that explains the scrubs.)

Update & Big Girl Food

This week has been pretty crazy and busy.  I got up bright and early Monday morning to take Anniston to the pediatrician because I felt she was being a little "off" on Sunday.  She was fussy at times when she normally isn't and because of past experiences with this- I could feel an ear infection brewing.  I wasn't due to be at work until 10 am so we hightailed it to the pediatrician's office when they opened.  I was right- both ears were infected.  Here we go again.  Another round of antibiotics.  I did mention to my doctor that she has pretty much been on antibiotics since Christmas (minus a few weeks in between rounds of it.)  Thankfully, she said we needed to sit down and talk about our options for getting tubes put in if this is going to continue.  Anniston was really pretty good even though she felt bad.  Even when she's sick and I know her ears must be hurting, she is still a very good baby.  Bless her heart.  I raced to get her prescription filled after leaving the doctor's.  Luckily, one of my friends was filling in as pharmacist at the nearby pharmacy so I was able to pull some strings to get it filled and ready before we got there.  Then it was off to the babysitter's to drop her off, give her a dose of antibiotics before I left, and race in to work.  Whew.  I was worn out by the time I got therek.  I worried all day about how she was doing.  Thankfully, the lady who keeps her is awesome and sent me a couple of emails throughout the day to update me.

The pediatrician did say that I could start her on some solid foods at any time.  We discussed if she was actually ready to start and pretty much concluded that since she looooves to eat- all the time, anytime, anywhere- she was most definitely ready to try some solids.  This put me in a very good mood.  I've been so excited about getting to feed her solids and was so anxious to see how she would do.  We gave her her first taste of rice cereal Tuesday night.  She absolutely loved it!  She would get cranky in between bites and start flailing her arms and legs and then gobble it up when I offered her another bite.  It was so much fun to watch her.

Apparently the rice filled her tummy up because she took a very long nap soon afterwards.  I actually had to go wake her up to take her last bottle and change her into pajamas before bed.  I don't know if the rice had something to do with this or not- but she worked up a really good (and really, really smelly) poopy before bedtime.  I had to do the work myself to change her diaper and clean her up because B was about to be sick from the smell.  You would think he would be used to it by now.....ha ha.  I just had to snap this pic because it was too funny!

February Photo A Day Challenge

Ok- so I'm definitely not a photographer but I saw this challenge on Fat Mum Slim's blog and thought it looked cool.  It might be kind of fun to post some random and creative pictures that I wouldn't normally take and have them to look back on over the years.  So, I'm going to try to do my best to keep up!  I am a day late so I'm going to do days 1 & 2 together.  I might have to post some days together a few times because some days there is just no time to blog- work and Anniston keep me pretty busy these days!  

Day 1:  Your view today

Because of HIPPA laws (aka privacy issues) I'm not able to post any pictures of my workstation inside the pharmacy.  But here is my view when I look out into the store!  We will soon be getting a top of the line BRAND NEW store soon.  It's going to be a "Kroger Marketplace."  I've heard that it's going to be two stories.  I cannot wait!

Day 2:  Words
I saw this on Pinterest and had to repin it.  It is so sweet and expresses exactly how I feel about my little girl:)

Source: shopquickquotes.com via Kelly on Pinterest