HR Training

The other day I took my last "new employee" training.  I've now been trained in professionalism, code of conduct, sexual harassment, and being a super duper employee.  This past class was on professionalism.  As we came back from break, the screen up at the front read "CLASS WILL RESUME IN" with a clock countdown so everyone would know when to take their seats.

However, no one fixed the projector so instead the screen read:

Talk about Unprofessional :)

tropical storm?

The possibility of another tropical storm is looming over us.  The rain started earlier and is expected to come full force tomorrow, which means I get to drive home from work in a torrential downpour.  I'm trying not to overreact because our last tropical storm was pretty pathetic compared to a normal rainstorm down here.  But its hard not to when the weatherman is throwing around sentences like:

"8 inches of rain"

"Life threatening flash floods"

"High winds will slam the east coast of Florida"...yes that's where I live.

 The big red blob near Cuba is heading right towards my house

The highway advisory signs on the highway were already flashing their annoying yellow lights on our way home.  I know they were trying to tell me to "Stay home tomorrow, Kate.  Its going to be a doosie!"

The lovely scenery on the way home.  The clouds were so low you could have reached up and touched them (if you aren't afraid of being struck by lightening)   

I'm hoping for a rain day tomorrow, but I'm sure we will have to suck it up and go into work.  I guess I'll be putting my rain boots to good use.

Big Bird

The birds out in the Everglades are really quite amazing.  So many of them are large and dominating.  The Great Blue Heron, the Great White Egret, the White Ibis, the Ahinga, and Hawks.

I love to watch them, especially the Ibis.  They like to walk around in large groups with their large, orange curved beaks.

Most of the time I only see the Heron and the Egret driving in on Snake road, but last week I saw a White Egret hanging out on our carpool car.  He needed a spot to sit where he could check out what was going on at the THPO.  He let me watch him for awhile and then got annoyed and flew away.  I could hear his wings flap they were so large.

Indian Day

Happy National American Indian Day!!

Today is National American Indian Day...or Indian Day as the reservation calls it.  Council gave us the day off today which is wonderful seeing I have to go into work on Saturday.  But more importantly than my day off, a reason to celebrate the tribes and for us to help the Seminoles celebrate their culture and dedication to survival.  Take that Andrew Jackson!

It makes me realize that we should all have a day dedicated to our own cultures.  I strongly believe that tribes and groups who have gone through such trials such as mass genocide deserve at least a day of recognition.  But I also feel that we should all celebrate our own cultures and traditions!

So today I am going to have spaghetti for lunch (even with my new eating habits!) and pay tribute to my ancestors.  I'll even have a cup of tea and speak a few German words to acknowledge what makes up the rest of me! I admire the tribes for their strong connection to their heritage and to their communities and families.  I think they set a good example of the love we should show ourselves, both past and present.

Have fun celebrating!

 

 

Push Here

There is this button on the wall in the collection storage room.  It is big and it is red.  Every time I sit at the desk the button stares me down.

"Push me"

"Push me!"

Tempting...

Morning Sunrise

The other morning the sun was peeking up over the horizon and turning the clouds a pretty pink.  I heard a morning dove singing its "whoo whoo whooo".  It is one of my favorite birds and I was so thrilled the first time I heard one in Florida.  I love this time of day.

I secretly wished I could climb into that tree and jump up into the clouds to take a nap

Changes

I'm making some changes in my life.  I found it very fitting today at church as the pastor talked about transformation, and how to become the person we need to be.  I'm always wanting to be more...

More Patient
More Kind
More Giving
More Loving
More Understanding

Little changes every day make a big difference.  Just as Bill Murray made "baby steps" in What About Bob, I am also making baby steps.  But hopefully mine will be more productive!

Itchy

My left middle toe is on fire.  It is swollen with two itchy bug bites.  Probably the worst itchy bug bites I've ever had.  I think it happened at work sometime on Wednesday afternoon.  The only thing I can think of is:

1.  An ant crawled into my shoe and stung my toe

2.  A fire ant crawled into my shoe and stung my toe

3.  A spider was in my shoe and bit my toe

Either way, I've woken up every night because I have the strongest urge to scratch my toe off.

So far my toe is still attached, but I'm not sure how much longer I can take the itch!

Fall is in the air

I am missing my favorite season terribly.  Although the weather is now 85 instead of 90, it doesn't quite feel like the fall weather I am used to.  I am burning my Yankee Candle (Pumpkin Spice) for hours every night and pretending the night is cool and crisp.  I've even been caught secretly sniffing the candle...better than glue!

The other day Bobby and I were talking about our patio.  I said, "It will be nice when winter comes so we can finally eat dinner outside".  And then we both started laughing at such an absurd statement.  But secretly I am looking forward to the low 70's and sunshine, even if I will miss the falling leaves and snow. 

I took a walk on the boardwalk last week (my first in a long time because its just too hot!) and saw this. 

It must been blown by the wind from somewhere up north!

If you want to see an even prettier picture of a fall leaf look at my sister's blog HERE

New Purchase

I bought my new piece of furniture and Bobby and I put it together Sunday evening while watching Aladdin (we like to sing the harmonies).

I had spent the WHOLE afternoon rearranging furniture upstairs to make space for my desk in the bedroom.  I love the new layout.

I even found a cute 9 dollar lamp.  It's still a work in progress and I put some things in the cubbyholes, but that will be my project over the next few months or so to find cute and colorful things to go inside.

After a year, its really beginning to feel like home.  A grown-up home!

           Before--cluttered and not cute

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Much Better

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            A perfect home for my Yoga Frog

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New Lamp

Cleaning Day and Shopping

Today I have a huge list of things to do.

1.  Clean
2.  Go to Lowes
3.  Grocery Shopping
4.  Go to IKEA
5.  Get ready for the week

It's a busy weekend!  Bobby and I are busy doing some Fall cleaning.  We just spoke to my landlord and we are re-signing our lease for another year and he would like to do a walk through (to make sure we haven't destroyed the place like the last tenants!)  I really love our place so I'm glad we can stay awhile longer.  We also convinced him to drop our rent a little bit so an even better reason to stay! 

My friend Jessica got a job at the museum on the reservation.  I am so excited for her and its been so great to have someone to hang out with on the weekends!  I've been helping her unpack and go to our favorites like Bed Bath and Beyond.  I even found a 9 dollar rug to make my entrance way look more homey.

There is also a bookcase at IKEA I would love to have.  I've been looking at it for about 4 months now.  I always have a hard to buying things so I like to think about it for a long time and if I still like it after a few months I finally will get it!

I'm planning on replacing my desk in my living room with this.  The great thing about it is that it can be put on its side to be used as a sideboard (which is my plan).  Add a lamp and some picture frames and hopefully it will make our living room feel more like a living room instead of an office! 

Update with pictures coming soon!

A Day in the Lab

The other day the field crew brought in a bunch of broken glass from a site.  My lab manager did some research and found out that:

1.  It was a bottle

2.  All the pieces fit back together

3.  It was a really old bottle...late 1800s

I decided we should try to put it back together.  I started on the base, carefully gluing (don't worry not Elmer's glue!) the pieces back together.  My lab manager is in the process of finishing it up.  Its fun to see the puzzle pieces fit back together and to see what the bottle once looked like in all its former glory. 

I like to wonder who the person was who used this bottle over a 100 years ago.

Marty

Today is my brother-in-laws 26th Birthday--HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Having an air-guitar party, 2004

I have known Martin since my junior year of high school.  9 years.

We have been the best of friends, sharing tons of memories, an occasional brother/sister fight.  I've watched him date my twin sister for 6 years, marry her, and start a life with her. 

I've watched him meander through high school classes, not believing in the institution of "Time" so he could argue that it was more important to buy his junior mints then get to orchestra on time. 

I saw him succeed through college, test his patience while searching for a job through terrible economic times, and come out just fine. 

I've seen him through losses and gains and I hope he knows that he will always have the support of his lovely sister-in-law.  I've been a witness to his amazing kindness and generosity, always putting others first (except when Jessica and I make him listen to Cher on repeat).

Here's to another 26 years Marty McFly! 

Make up your mind

The weather here is a constant thorn in my side.  But my anxiety has gone down a little and I don't worry as much when lightening strikes in my back yard. 

The other day on the way home from work I looked out the window to my left and saw this:

Notice the giant rain column in the middle and the deathly black color of the sky

Then I looked out the right window and saw this:

What a peaceful summers day

It reminded me of this story my older sister tells of when she went to visit my Grandparents in Michigan.  They were driving in the car and all of a sudden my Grandma says, "Look Jack! Its only raining on one side of the car!!"  My Grandpa pointed out that it wasn't a strange and miraculous weather pattern, but just the sprinklers hitting the side of the car.

D.C. Part 3

My last day in D.C. was spent having a wonderful brunch (despite our grumpy waiter) in this quaint old house that had been turned into a restaurant.  We did some window shopping in Laura's neighborhood and then sadly said good-bye to Jodi who had to get back to Virginia.  I left a little bit later to get back to Tropical Tamarac.

I always hate saying good-bye.  We talked a lot about how lucky the three of us were to meet each other half way around the world.  Its been so great to see how our lives have changed and were life has taken each one of us.  I look forward to the next reunion.  We are thinking about the coast of northern California! 

D.C. Part 2

My second day in D.C. was just as wonderful filled with sleeping in, eating breakfast in Du Pont Circle, taking a stroll down Embassy Row, picking up Jodi at the metro (who I hadn't seen in a year!), eating Chipotle, going to the zoo, going out to for Mexican, and seeing the movie Eat Pray Love (to remind us of our time in Italy).  I am sad to say I have no pictures of the three of us...how did this happen!!?  My camera skills are dwindling.

But here we are in Italy a few years back...

Rome= dirty feet, random old lady who gave us a room to stay, finding my luggage, Colosseum.

Jodi, Laura, and Me
On our street in Perugia.  Our last night.

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Du Pont Circle

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 Embassy House: Greece

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Another Embassy Chateau

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A poet 

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 On our way to the Zoo

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National Zoo

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We heard him roar!

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The Tiger did not want to be outside anymore

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Sleepy Panda

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Baby Guerrilla- so adorable!

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Somebody didn't read the sign...

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The day was great! And my feet were tired! 

D.C.

This past weekend was spent in our nation's beautiful capital-D.C.  I went for a little get away to visit my dear friends Laura and Jodi, both who I became instant best friends with when I lived in Italy.  They are both beautiful and talented and my time spent with them is always wonderful.  We are all three so different but over the past 5 years we have gown close and enjoyed catching up on each others lives. 

DAY 1:

Arrive at 9:30 am.  Only after a few minor annoyances with the airline...

I became a city girl and took the metro to Laura's apartment situated in lovely Du Pont Circle

Laura met me, we dropped my bag off at her cute apartment and then headed down town.   We spent the afternoon walking all over, first to the National Museum of the American Indian, then to the Capital for a private tour from one of her friends, then to see her roof top balcony at her office building on 101 Congress Ave., and then to a jazz concert in the National Gallery of Art's Sculpture Garden.  Phew.

 NMAI

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Capital

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Congressman Young's office.  (He's from Florida)

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On our private tour! The new visitor center at the capital.

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Where the Judicial branch used to do business

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My new chandelier to go above my kitchen table from Pier 1.

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I could live here.

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Being Patriotic

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The Lobby Firm where Laura works...Primo real estate

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View from her roof top

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Slightly different from my view at lunch...

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Enjoying the view!

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Jazz in the Sculpture Garden.  Watching the sunset to Van Morrison's Moondance

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Sculpture in the park

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We had such a wonderful day!  I will write about Day 2 tomorrow because it is passed my bed time and Friday morning is sure to come early!