busy, busy, busy!

Well, Brian is gone on his THIRD interview out of state in a WEEK, and I'm just exhausted from all his traveling! I could drive to the airport in my SLEEP!! I've missed him, but it's been nice to have some "alone" time - I've gotten a lot of things done around the house, watched a few movies, read a few books, scrapped a few pages. He'll be back tomorrow, and that's the last far-away interview that's scheduled thus far. He might have another one coming up, but it's not on the calendar yet.

I had a doctor appt. yesterday with my new fabulous doctor, Dr. Bedros. I LOVE him. He is wonderful. He's soft spoken and friendly, and I feel like I could just talk to him forever. He's very positive and has a great outlook about everything health-related. Here's the big proof that he's great: my blood pressure yesterday was 114/80. WOW!!!! That's AMAZINGLY good for me, being at the doctor. My blood pressure is usually WAY up when I'm at the doctor, and totally normal when I'm at Walmart or anywhere else. I guess I just get nervous at the doctor, but this is a great result for my new and beloved physician.

And then I had my book club last night, followed by a mad scurry to get B ready for his trip and get MYSELF ready for the Photo Trade Show I went to today at the Convention Center. More about that in a minute. We had to get up at 5:45!! Insane! But we did it and because of unusual traffic, Brian BARELY made it to the plane on time. He's now safely in "another state," preparing to interview tomorrow. Soon, when we have made a job decision, I will reveal all of these mystery interviews. But I don't want people to freak out or anything, so I'll hold off for now. Anyway, here's the page I did for book club:



And now....on to the Trade Show. Liz, the owner of Memory Lane Orlando, got a call from Scrapbook Retailer Magazine, wanting her to send a few people to their booth to scrapbook! They wanted the photography world to see what scrapbooking was and how their products can be incorporated. The show is basically for companies - it's not like the Scrapbook Expo that's open to the public, where you can buy things. This show has demos of new and upcoming products in the field of photography: cameras, lenses, kiosks, etc. So Liz called Denise and Denise called me, and she and I went and scrapped at the booth! It was SO! FUN! I was bouncing off the walls all day!

We met so many nice people - like the guys from 3M, (you know, the Post-It people!), who came over and admired our pages and demonstrated their tape runners, scrapbook glue, repositionable double-sided tape, etc. They even gave us a bunch of free stuff! Awesome! And there was the marketing director from Karen Foster, who we talked with all day. Karen Foster has teamed with Prism Papers, with Prism matching cardstock to Karen Foster's paper lines. Ultra cool! And they gave us tons of cardstock! :-D And their cardstock is GORGEOUS!!!!

About 4 million people looked through our albums and asked lots of questions about scrapbooking. Denise and I just talked and talked about our favorite subject! It was great! People took our picture, videotaped us (!), and took pictures of our pages. It was crazy fun. AND our booth has this awesome system set up with a printer, and you can just stick your memory card or photo CD in and print pictures till your heart's content! We did just that. You can even add borders and text to your pictures! It even prints digital scrapbook pages, 12x12 pictures, etc., but they only had the 4x6 printer with them. But it was still great! We got to print out our pictures in amazingly vivid color for FREE!

All My Memories was there, right next to our booth, and there was Scrapworks - we got to see all their cool new stuff that's coming out....whew! We talked to the people from McGill for a LONG TIME about their punches. There were too many people and companies to mention! We've just had a blast and we're going back tomorrow!!!! I'm EXHAUSTED! I'm ready for bed, but I've TiVo-ed American Idol, so I'm gonna go watch that and then turn in.

I'll try to post some pics tomorrow after the show.

Edited to add:

My bottom three AI girls tonight, in order with my least favorite first:

1. Brenna Gethers - come on, people. She's horrible, both musically and personally. GOODBYE!
2. Kinnik Sky - she can kinda sing, but she was flat for more than half the song.
3. Heather Cox - should go home next week, not at the caliber needed for this show.

Just my (not so humble) opinion! :-P

enormous airheads

This is just one of the many acronyms that I have come up with for EA.

In the last 24 hours, Brian has received THREE calls from three different recruiters, all looking to hire him for EA. WHAT THE HECK!!!! All the jobs are in California, but still - what are they doing over there? They just laid off 5% of their work force. The layoffs took place mostly in CA, but included FL and Vancouver, Canada. (I know that around 38 people were laid off from B's office.) So they lay off a bunch of people in CA, and in a few weeks, give the recruiters the go-ahead to actively pursue hiring for jobs in CA??!!

How about Expertise Absent....? Or - Executives Arrested!

more judgement

It was boys' night on American Idol tonight, and what an interesting show it was. I have lots of things to say, LOL! (as usual) The poor Copa Cabana guy. Love his heart, he's like 50 years old! I think he's going home tomorrow. The first guy who sang, Patrick, was so full of himself. I don't like him at all. And I couldn't stand the guy named Bucky. He was awful!

I thought Simon was right on the entire night, even though Paula and Randy gave him a hard time.

Here are my top three guys:

Taylor Hicks (love him)
Elliott Yamin (but he's GOT to get those teeth fixed!)
Tie between Chris Daughtry and Ace Young

OK, I guess that's four. :-) I also like Kevin Covais, but I know he won't win. He can sing, though! There are some really good singers this year. And some pretty horrible ones - I can't believe some of them made it to the top 24! Let's hope the good ones make the finals.

PS - Jenni, I think our rendition of "Heavenly Love" would win AI. Ah, the memories! :-P We were definitely the Plaza Idols!!

ai critique

OK, I've got to give my opinion on American Idol. Not that anyone cares, but it IS my blog! :-D After watching over the last few weeks, there were 3 girls that stood out to me. And they were definitely my top three tonight! They are, in no particular order:

Mandisa
Paris Bennett
Katharine McPhee

They all kicked some major butt tonight. I voted for all three of them. I'm making an early prediction that these three girls will be the top three girls. If they're not, I'll be disappointed. Lisa Tucker is a pretty good singer too, and though the judges loved her tonight, I thought her performance was lacking. At the climax of the song, I didn't think she brought it. I do like her, but I like these other 3 better.

Brenna, the girl who's totally full of herself from NY, is on my LAST nerve! I hope she goes home FIRST!!!! (Plus, she really can't sing....)

I can't wait for tomorrow night - simply because I want to hear Taylor Hicks sing! I think he's fab. Even if he does have gray hair!

Brian's interview went well today. He really liked the people and the place. He'll be back tomorrow afternoon, and leave again on Thursday. After that interview, we should have 3 offers to compare. One here and two others in two different states. Please keep us in your prayers!

Oh, yeah - I wanted to say that yesterday, I watched the movie "De-Lovely" about the life of songwriter Cole Porter. It was great, and the music was awesome! My favorite performance was "Love for Sale" by Vivian Green. I've never heard of her, but she was amazing. There were also great performances by Cheryl Crow, Robbie Williams, Diana Krall, Natalie Cole, and Elvis Costello. And what I thought was a horrible performance by Alanis Morissette. I like some of her songs, but she just didn't fit the era of this movie. She turns her diphthongs WAY too much for my taste. ANYWAY! Rent it. Even if only for the music!

up all night

All in all, it's been a pretty crappy week. Mainly because while searching on Monster to see if there were any new and interesting jobs for Brian, I found yet another job posting by EA. This time, it's Brian's EXACT job, posted only nine days after he was laid off. I can't even explain how livid this makes me. Brian has moved on, but I can't seem to get over it. Why would a company do something like this? They said they were eliminating the positions of the level 3 software engineers.

Here is the posting. Notice that in the second line of the job description they state that revenues exceed $3.1 billion. But they don't have enough money to pay Brian's salary.

Brian called his old manager, who stated he was "unaware" that they were hiring for this position. Brian also called the director of human resources, who was also "unaware" of the hiring. I think it's very interesting that the director of human resources, whose job is to hire, doesn't know that EA is hiring. What in the world is going on?? You might try to imagine how upset I am about this. You just might try. But even if you tried really really hard, you would only be able to comprehend a fraction of the anger I'm feeling.

Meanwhile, Brian is still on the job hunt, and is being hunted. He's flying to two different places for interviews next week. I don't want to tell you where just yet, but I'll keep you updated. Please continue to keep us in your prayers and thoughts - mainly me, since I can't seem to let go of the EA situation.

And that brings me to the title of my post. It's normal for Brian and I to go to bed really late, like around 2:00 or so. Last night was no exception, even though B had to take my car into the shop for an A/C recharge and an oil change at 8:00 this morning. At 3:30, I was doing a Sudoku puzzle online (B says I'm a junkie) and Brian was snoring. By 4:00, I had turned on my book on CD and was listening intently. By 5:30, I still hadn't closed my eyes, but began to have a horrible stomach ache. At 6:00, I got up to stay and watched the sun rise. I did my daily chores (cleaning, etc.) and woke Brian up at 7:15. I had pancakes for breakfast and continued to clean and wander around the house for another few hours.

Our house looks great. :-)

{I did manage to squeeze in a nap from 10:00 to about 12:30, though.}

I've been having trouble sleeping for awhile now, and I'm sure it has to do with the job situation. It would probably help if I was on some kind of schedule, and I'm REALLY ready to start teaching piano, but I can't begin anything until we know if we are going to stay in Orlando. It's all a big vicious cycle that I can't break out of.

In other news, Brian's childhood friend Glenn and his wife Lorie are here visiting us for the weekend. They live in Jacksonville. Glenn was the best man in our wedding, and it's really great to see them again! We've spent today just relaxing, talking and watching movies. We went out to Bubbalou's BBQ for dinner and it was delicious!

Donald Miller, author of Blue Like Jazz, is going to be speaking at Discovery Church in Orlando tomorrow night. I'm hoping to go. I think he's a great writer, and I'm sure I'd benefit from hearing him speak.

brian's fashion sense & book talk

I just have to say that my husband is a nut! He's been putting together some very interesting outfits since he's out of work. The other day, I noticed that he was wearing a polo shirt, pajama pants, and dress shoes. What in the world??!! Today, he's wearing his bathrobe and tennis shoes with no socks. I do not know where he gets these ideas!! :-P

A few of you have been suggesting other book series since Mitford and Southern Sisters have ended for me. Thanks for your input! While I'm sad that those have ended, I am still involved in several other series, and there are even more on my book list. I'll name a few:

The Stephanie Plum Series by Janet Evanovich. I've read all of them and am waiting on the next one to be published. I just checked, and Twelve Sharp will be released on June 20. Yay!

The Food Mysteries by Diane Mott Davidson. I don't think this is the actual title of the series, but they all have to do with food: Chopping Spree, Sticks & Scones, etc. I haven't read any of these yet, but they were recommended to me by my wonderful friend Jennifer a few years ago. They are on my list!

The Princess Diaries Series by Meg Cabot. So they're supposed to be for teens, but so what?! I've read most of them and they are hilarious.

The Traveling Pants Series by Ann Brashares. Also for teens, I've read them all and I love them. Great stories about friendship.

The Miss Julia Series by Ann B. Ross. I haven't read these yet, but they have been on my list for awhile. Thanks, Nancy, for reminding me!

The Bridget Jones Books by Helen Fielding. I've read them both and they are fabulous! Very funny. I hope she's going to write another.

The Shopaholic Series by Sophie Kinsella. These are wildly funny! I've read all four and they do not disappoint. You can't believe what Becky, the main character, gets herself into!

The Alex Cross Series by James Patterson. Full of mystery, action, and shocking plot twists, Brian and I cannot put these down! We've read them all but the latest one and it's reserved at the library for us.

The Women's Murder Club Series by James Patterson. Again, these are so exciting! I've read them all. The first one, 1st to Die, is my favorite.

The Harry Potter Series by J. K. Rowling. These are awesome! Their popularity speaks for itself. Brian and I have read them all.

The Bailey Weggins Series by Kate White. Not the name of the series, but all of her books have the same main character, Bailey Weggins. They are mysteries with a touch of romance every now and then, and I have really enjoyed all four of these books.

The Rosato & Associates Series by Lisa Scottoline. This is not the name of the series. In fact, there is no name for the series that I can find. But a lot of her books deal with the lawyers (who are all women) at Rosato & Associates and these books are great. They are filled with mystery and suspense.

I just finished my newest favorite snack: a Starbucks Frappucino ice cream bar. They're low-fat and DELICIOUS! Mocha is my fave. :-)

Brian has been on the phone non-stop all day, and now he's taking YET ANOTHER programming test. We think he's working harder now than when he was actually working! LOL

Happy Valentine's Day!

all good things must come to an end

First, here is my latest scrapbook page I just finished tonight. (You can click on it for a bigger picture.)
In other news, a sad thing has happened for me this week. I have finished the last books of two different series that I love. The first was my beloved "Mitford" series by Jan Karon. Even as I approached the final chapters, I had a feeling of dread knowing that this was the last book of the series. I just LOVE those books! When we lived in GA, they were such a comfort to me. I continued reading them when we moved to NY, and at that point, I would be literally WAITING for the latest book to be released. How sad that this relationship is over! :-( I'll definitely have to re-read them.

Also, I'm at the very end of the last book of the "Southern Sisters Mysteries" by Anne George. I don't think this was supposed to be the last book of the series, but Ms. George died just before the publication of the eighth, and thus final, book. A heartfelt goodbye to a wonderful author who created familiar and memorable characters.

Both of these series bring humor and southern charm, and I would encourage you to read them for that, if not for a little escapism. That's what I did!

emotions

So many companies have called Brian by now, we've lost count. He's had many, many phone interviews, screenings, and programming tests; he's had 3 face-to-face interviews, and he has another one tomorrow. We never dreamed that we would have this many options! It sure is hard to decide!

Of course, I may be jumping the gun a little because there are no offers on the table yet, but as I've said before, things are looking extremely positive. Brian has done well on all the tests and has had great feedback & communication from all the interviews and screenings. We have a lot of decisions ahead of us!

I've been scrapbooking a lot lately and making cards. Well, I should say I've been THINKING a lot about scrapping - and then I come and sit in my scraproom and work on a page and it takes me forever! LOL! I guess I have gotten a good bit done lately, though. Tonight I was looking at some of my NY friends' pages on Lifetime Moments. When I saw some of the pages, I remembered being right there when they were being made. A lot of them were made at my house in NY. Some of them had some of my borrowed supplies on them. Some of them had pictures of me on them. Most of the pages brought back really fun memories. Tonight I'm OVERWHELMED with emotion, missing my NY friends. I'm working on a page right now of our "bye-bye bash" in NY. I'll post it here when I'm done.

Brad is coming on Sunday and I'm SO EXCITED! I talked to him today and he shared some disturbing news with me: he got laid off yesterday. It must be contagious. Our family has many burdens right now, so please keep us in your prayers!

I went shopping with Denise today. We went to Kohl's and then to the mall, and we had a great time! We had lunch at Sweet Tomatoes and it was yummy! I really like hanging out with Denise! She's a lot of fun. We're going to their house tomorrow night for dinner and some down time by the pool and fire pit. I'm making my famous hundred hole cake! Yay! (Right, Sera?!) Oh, and Denise and I discovered today that we are just about exactly the same size! And our feet are only 1/2 size apart too! :-D

I'll leave you with an adorable pic of my babies. This rarely happens, and when I saw it going on yesterday, I had to grab the camera!



AMERICAN IDOL RULES!!!!

interviews, emails, and calls, oh my!

Brian had his first official interview today - a mere 3 working days after he was laid off. He cleans up pretty well, I might add! I don't want to say exactly what/where the interview was, but it lasted for an hour and 45 minutes and went VERY well. He had to take a programming test (again! he's taken about 4 million of them) and he passed it with flying colors, of course! (I can brag - I'm his wife!) Anyway, the guy who interviewed him said he's been looking for a long time for someone for this job and Brian seemed like the perfect candidate. Another interview with the same company will take place later in the week.

Then we went out to lunch to celebrate. Mexican, yum! I brought home some cilantro for the cats and Max went wild and ate it all. Sam barely had a chance to sniff it! =^..^=

While Brian was gone, 2 other people called him for interviews. One is here in Orlando and one is elsewhere. Also, he's gotten a few more emails. He already has two other phone interviews set up for this week. Who knows what will happen! We have no idea where we will be in a few weeks, but we're excited about the possibilities.

Thanks, everyone, for your support, and don't stop praying yet! We really want to make the right decision, and we're just at the beginning right now.

the phone is ringing!!!!

And the emails are coming in!!!! This is crazy - I'm just taking a quick break from my job as "helper" to blog a little and share some joy. We are praising God right now, for what is happening around here and for whatever He has in store for us.

Brian is getting calls and emails from all over the country. I know he has a very specific skill set, but I did not realize just how marketable he is! Thank you all for your prayers and thoughts. I'm not saying that he has any actual offers just yet, but things are definitely looking up.

Continue to keep us in your prayers. We want to make the right decision and I want Brian to be happy in his work. More later!

And finally, here is the pic of Julie and Rob that I've been promising:

keeping a positive outlook

Many of you have called or emailed us, and for that we are grateful. True friends always prove themselves in a crisis. We love you all and we appreciate your positive thoughts and prayers, and in some cases, job leads!

I am still pretty bitter towards EA. Brian is much better about not holding grudges than I am. He had a meeting on Friday with a job placement group that EA paid for - they help him perfect his resume and put him in touch with hiring companies. They haven't done much for us yet, though. But Brian and I have been hard at work!

He spent Thursday working on his resume and networking a bit. We both fielded several calls and emails from friends, family, and co-workers. Brian's friends at EA were as stunned as we were. Craig called to say that he knew a few people in Orlando and would pass on Brian's info. Jason & Alicia called to say that they could hardly sleep after they found out! (They weren't alone, believe me! I've been a total insomniac!) They are wonderful friends and we miss them so much! Brian's dad called and gave us the name of a friend who works here in Orlando. Everyone has been so supportive. Thank you!

We are trying to continue with "life as usual." Brian's job now is to FIND a job, and my job is to help. I've been organizing all the calls, emails, websites, etc. My favorite part of this week was when I was on Monster.com and noticed some jobs listed with EA. (I was LIVID, to say the least. EA SUCKS!!!!) I'm sure they're old posts, but still. Here, check it out for yourself.

A lot of you have asked what we are going to do. Well, we're going to try to find a good job here in Orlando. I know, you want us to move to Nashville, Ohio, back to Albany, etc. But we JUST MOVED and we want to find something here if we can. We miss you all, but we do like it here. There are lots of companies who appear to be hiring (judging from monster and careerbuilder.com). A headhunter called Brian less than an hour after he posted his resume on monster, and he wants to pitch Brian to several game companies. B doesn't know if he wants to stay in the game industry or not, because of the crazy work schedules and hours.

So, we have some leads and things are looking up. We are staying positive. Of course, my first thought was, "We never should have moved," and then, "We're going straight back to New York!" And we may still move back. But that is not our first plan.

Please continue to keep us in your thoughts and prayers, and if you know anyone looking for an experienced software engineer who is a C++ whiz, give us a call!!!!

PS - Pics of Julie and Rob still to come!

big, bad, shocking news

Here it is. Brian got laid off today. We were both completely shocked, especially since they paid a very large amount of money to move us down here only 6 months ago. We've spent the day discussing it and we have a game plan. But we are still worrying and grieving. Please keep us in your prayers.