Our trip is here! Our trip is here! I'm really looking forward to this weekend away with my husband. I got him a couple of little things for our anniversary, and I know he'll enjoy them.

We leave tomorrow morning and will be home Monday afternoonish. Yay!

OK, so I did go with the Orange County thing. I couldn't help it--the only decent shirt I had that was clean was red, and it matched Jon's Hawaiian shirt so nicely.....


I look like I'm growing out of his back. Where's the rest of my body? :)



I got a 5x7 of this one to put in our wedding album for our 2nd anniversary.

Last night was lovely. My flute student cancelled her lesson (last-minute, which means I still get paid), and Jon had a work event to attend, so I had a free night. I went to the Spectrum, bought a nonfat mocha, and went into Barnes & Noble. I found White Oleander, one of the books I'd been hoping to read, and sat in a comfy couch and read the first 40 or 50 pages. (It was really great.) I really needed some alone time like that; I went home feeling refreshed and relaxed, and woke up feeling the same way this morning! Thank goodness for books.

So my friend C is having "personal problems," but I don't know what they are. I'm not sure how that makes me feel. I mean, she's one of my best friends and I'm one of hers. It isn't that I have anything to do with her problems (and if I did, I think she'd tell me)... I think it has something to do with people at church (which people? I don't know) and so she doesn't want to get me involved in whatever issues there are. She says she's working through them. But... what are they? I just feel like, if we had been hanging out as often as we used to before she got the new job and became so busy, I would know what these things are that are going on, because we'd be talking daily like we used to. Well, whatever the issues are, I do not need to know specifics in order to be praying for her and the others involved. I just wish things could go back like they were with us.

In other news, this week was busier than I had even thought it would be, but it's wrapping up nicely today. I'm looking forward to our pictures on Sunday and want to think about something Orange County-ish for us to wear (you know, matching shirts and jeans, or Hawaiian something or other with surfboards)--not. But I do think we should match better than we did for last year's pictures.

What am I doing not posting for a week?! Wait, I know... I'm busy. One of the other proposal writers is on vacation this week, and I'm her backup, which means I have basically double the workload. I'm plowing through it and getting it done, but it doesn't leave much time for meandering around the internet.

As long as we don't get super sunburned on our day trip outing with friends on Saturday, Jon and I are getting our Sears pictures taken on Sunday after church (a new tradition I started last year--pictures at each wedding anniversary to be put into the album I made). And then next weekend (May 29) is our anniversary trip! Woo hoo!

This site predicts your ideal job from your name. Ha.

Katherine Page Varela, your ideal job is an Insurance Fraudster.

Jonathan Shane Varela, your ideal job is a Human Shield.

Books
I love making lists. And today's list is going to be about books...

Books I've recently read and liked--in order of favorites
Stones from the River by Ursula Hegi. Liked this one so much I'm leaning toward reading it again.
City of Light by Lauren Belfer. Set in Buffalo, NY in the early 1900s. Industrialization vs. nature.
No Great Mischief by Alistair MacLeod. I want to re-read this one too. It's my most recent read, so still sinking in.
The Sweet Hereafter by Russell Banks. Intriguing; about a bus accident and our need to place blame...
Midnight Champagne by A. Manette Ansay. Didn't like this one as much, but I think I would still like to read another by this author.

Books I want to get and/or read
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon. I've never read this author, but the description intrigued me. I'm very into reading new authors right now.
All by Ursula Hegi, including The Vision of Emma Blau, Floating in My Mother's Palm, and Salt Dancers.
White Oleander by Janet Fitch. Didn't see the movie but have heard good things about the novel.

2nd-anniversary trip: 19 days
2nd anniversary: 22 days
1 year of employment at current job: 23 days
Trip to Virginia: 33 days
Jon's birthday: 85 days
Trip to Germany: 116 days
3-day cruise to Baja: 158 days

My husband is so cute.
It's 4:30 and my work phone just rang. "Beech Street. This is Katie," I said. "You have a nice flag outside of your work," he said. I turned to look out the window, and there was my sweet husband in the car, just coming by to say hi. He never gets the chance to do that--he works way more than I do and none of his stores or his office is close by. He's only been to my office once. So there he is, still sitting there, waiting for me to be done with work in 20 minutes or so. I love him.

We're probably going to go out to dinner tonight with Scott and Kim, and I'm looking forward to that. They are our closest friends.

What a busy week this has been. I mean, well, I guess it hasn't been that busy, but yesterday it was and so is today. Since I was doing OK workload-wise yesterday, I offered to help another proposal writer by taking over one of his proposals since he has a bunch right now. I maybe should have kept my mouth shut, because I came in this morning to find two new short turnaround requests for me from my own salespeople. So instead of working on the big project I have to have finished in 2 weeks, I have to work on these little things due Monday. It's frustrating that the big work has to be pushed aside for the littler work that someone somewhere along the line just "forgot" to send on time. At least it's mostly enjoyable work. And it's always satisfying to send that finished project out the door.

Weekend recap
Friday - My dear husband took me to California Pizza Kitchen, my favorite lower-cost sit-down restaurant. We went over to Chris and Sabrina's house after that and watched Cheaper by the Dozen (very cute).
Saturday - I attended the annual Women's Luncheon for church. It was scorchingly hot, so I'm very glad they had umbrellas over the tables. I wasn't really in the mood to go to the luncheon, but I did get to wear one of my favorite dresses that I haven't worn in a very long time because 1) it's for warm weather and too fancy/cute for church and 2) at the last appropriate function for it, I was too fat. But Saturday it fit me like the day I bought it (probably in 1999 or 2000). Later that day, Jon and I used our remaining free movie tickets to see Jennifer Garner in 13 Going on 30. I really enjoyed it and liked seeing her in a completely different acting format. We also went to dinner and coffee that night with Neil and Casey.
Sunday - We heard a good message on discipleship and "running the race." I sang backup for the special music selection. A bunch of us went to lunch at the mall food court, and then Jon wanted to get home to catch the rest of the Laker's game. I took that opportunity to go to Robinsons May to find some shoes on sale! I had been needing some shoes to wear to work, and I found some great stuff. I should probably get rid of a couple pairs now, since I am a shoe fiend and have too many for our closet. At 6:00, we drove back down to church for a "young families" meeting with the pastor. We made it home just in time for our favorite show, Alias. Jon says the ratings are bad on the show, though, so it probably won't make it after next season.

The weekend is here!
Thank goodness. I had a semi-annoying day with semi-annoying salesperson (I say semi because things have been better since we had our little "talk"), but it's now coming to a close. And my favorite time of week is here--Friday evening, with 2 days full of possibility ahead of me. And the promise of a good message on Sunday to reenergize me for the next week.

I was reading the blog of a friend of a friend of a friend, and one of the authors (bloggers? posters?) posted how annoying it is that people think they're cool when they link to "other i-want-to-be-cool-and-emerging-altenative-christian bloggers that they have never met or had any kind of ongoing conversation with." And, well, I don't link to other blogs, but I have been reading these people's blog for the past couple of weeks even though I have no idea who they are. I don't know...they just interest me. But I wouldn't say I know them. And anyway, this blog (mine) is not meant to be a forum to show how cool I am. I mean, sometimes I wish no one had the URL to my blog because it's just for me to keep an account of what's been going on, how I've been feeling. A place to rant if needed. (And well, I might as well say it, I think you're the only one who reads this blog, Ashley, but I don't mind that you do at all. Heck, I created it because you asked.) So I guess I'm saying that I don't think I'm one of those i-want-to-be-cool-and-emerging-alternative-christian bloggers. I think I'm one of those i-hope-you're-only-reading-my-blog-if-you-know-me-but-don't-judge-me-by-this-because-I-don't-write-anything-philosophical bloggers.

Things I'm looking forward to: (Things to which I'm looking forward...)

2nd-anniversary trip: 32 days
1 year of employment at current job: 36 days
Trip to Virginia: 46 days
Jon's birthday: 98 days
Katrina's bridal shower: 116 days
Trip to Germany: 129 days
3-day cruise: 171 days

I read this post today on a blog belonging to someone I don't know. It has put a whole new perspective on things going on in my life and how I treat those close to me. It also makes me miss my family, though they're only a phone call away. But even more immediate, it has made me think about how I'm thinking about (not even talking to or treating--that stuff on the outside has been OK) the people I see every day (morning and night) right now. I would have to live with a lot of guilt if something happened to one of them and I had to remember the bad things I thought about them. I love them, but do I show them that? Or do I just show them the absolute minimum amount of courtesy that is necessary for the situation? I could definitely be doing better at being Christ-like right now!

We had a nice weekend here full of glorious weather! The weather prompted me to get some plants at Home Depot on Sunday (though I went to the Silvercreek Nursery close to our house first; it was the second time I've been there and the second time they've had cruddy customer service, so I left). I spent a couple of hours pulling out some old, overgrown stuff in the bed at our back patio (up against the house, in between the sliding glass door and the door into the garage) and planting the new cyclamen and begonia. It all looks so pretty now! I'm no green thumb, but it was still fun.

The rest of the weekend was mostly spent hanging out with Scott and Kim. Kim and Sierra had been gone for over a month (to Ohio to visit Kim's sister, who had her first baby). Overall, it was a nice, relaxing weekend.

Oh, and Jon told me what we're doing for our 2-year anniversary! On Saturday, May 30, we'll drive up to Solvang and stay there Saturday night and Sunday night (I have Monday off work since it's Memorial Day). It's going to be so wonderful--I'm really looking forward to spending the whole weekend together.

Which Strong Bad Character Are You? Strong Bad You are so....Strong Bad-ish.

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OK so I've been reading through other blogs of random people I don't know (linked from blogs belonging to friends of friends, etc.), and I'm noticing how dull I am! At least how many dull things I have to say...nothing witty, nothing enlightening. No cool title of my blog. But, well, nothing out of the ordinary or exciting really happens in my life (I'm not in college or Scotland or living on my own or having poop fill up my garage). Well, that's it for today. ~K

Which poem are you? Sonnet 17 by Pablo Neruda Aw, you're a romantic. You believe in true love and all that sort of stuff. How cute are you? To you, love is incredible and amazing.

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Well, things have calmed down at work, and I have much more time now to post. And I have a personal/work victory to report: last week, I scheduled a meeting with annoying salesperson Kate for this past Monday. In the meeting request, I wrote that we should meet to discuss "some ways we can improve how we work together"--so she expected something. I wrote out the 3 main issues I needed to discuss (I have to write these things out or else I become flustered and usually start crying), and off I went on Monday morning! Things went VERY well! Here's what I came away with (these are the notes I brought over to Kate's office but now with post-meeting additions; Kate asked that I send her a copy of this so that she could remember):

Multiple drafts
▪ Sending multiple proposal drafts back and forth is not the most efficient use of our time. When you send me a draft that is not as updated as the one I’m working on, I have to go back and forth between documents and try to update from one to the other.
▪ Solution: one draft. That is, we have an initial meeting to go over what needs to be done on the proposal, including reports to request, people in other departments to go to, etc. (I will schedule this meeting on our calendars within 1-2 days of receipt of the proposal.) Then I work on the proposal (with input from you as necessary question-by-question) and send you my final draft when I’m done—with plenty of lead time for you. Then you work on your input/changes and get your final draft, including executive summary, cover letter, etc. to me at least one day before the proposal needs to be mailed. No more changes should be made after this. This will give me time to make edits, ensure that the proposal follows our department style guide, add in formatting and page breaks, and print and bind the proposal.
- The edits are very important to me. Proposal writers get audited each month on at least one RFP each, and the last RFP of mine that got audited was one you and I did together; because of all the typos and small errors (which, for the most part, were entered last minute), I got docked enough points that my proposal fell below the department standard. This reflects poorly on both of us.
- We will consider our “due date” of the proposal one day before mailing, so that we can work with that as our deadline.

Telephone & time management
▪ It’s a waste of both your time and mine for you to be typing on your computer/doing other things while I’m on the phone with you.
- I could be working on things I still need to get done for you or other salespeople.
▪ It is not necessary to call immediately after you send me an e-mail. I will read the e-mail immediately. Say anything you need to tell me in the text of the e-mail. Calling me just wastes more time.
- You are concerned that I will make assumptions or inferences. Solution: I will always reply to those e-mails and reword what it is I think you want me to do. If I’m wrong, then we should talk on the phone.

Duties that are not the proposal writer’s
▪ Making copies, printing non-proposal documents, training on computer programs
- While I am happy to help, the proposal writer is not the one who should be doing these things. It wastes my time and takes time away from proposals for other salespeople or from your own proposals.
- Solution: Tiffany. From now on, I will copy Tiff on the proposal files we send out, so that she can keep the files on her computer. I will help her if necessary when she needs to print/bind extra copies of things.

Things I (Katie Varela) will keep in mind and work on:
▪ Not making assumptions
- I will think outside the box and not assume that, just because we don’t have data “available,” I can’t get it somewhere. I will identify data that doesn’t seem to “fit” exactly what we want and either find out if we can get the right data or get a good explanation about why we can’t.
▪ Being proactive
- I will be more proactive at the beginning of the proposal process about going to outside departments and subject matter experts (SMEs) to get data reports and answers to other questions.


So I will report back here on whatever progress is made! :)

Sorry for the no blogs this last week. LOTS has been happening! This was a busy week at work and home too. But we're doing well!