A clean desk and a clean office!

Yesterday, I spent the day cleaning out my office and my desk. It was quite a task, let me tell you. Our claims system at work went paperless in December 2002, and I've been amassing these huge stacks of claim documentation ever since in my office. What a mess. Everyone tells me I should just throw it out, but I'd never forgive myself if one of my customers suffered identity theft because I chucked my notes from their claim in my trash receptacle. So, it's all stacked neatly in a U.S. Mail bin (yes, I still have one!) and ready to go up to my office to sit in my cubicle that I never use! Then came the task of cleaning off the top of my desk and my desk drawer. I haven't even been able to open my desk drawer for about a year or so because it was so crammed full of crap, but now, it is neatly organized and opens and shuts easily. My desk is wiped off, everything is in its place, and all my notebooks are stacked neatly beside me. I even have a candle burning!

But this is even more shocking. Are you ready for this realization I came to yesterday? I am on vacation in exactly five days. Count 'em...FIVE. I am taking the week of Thanksgiving off to go to Florida to visit my grandmother and my family. And as of right now, I have everything done with work. I am not crazily behind as I have been for my other two vacations I took this year. The only way things could get really crazy is if a lot of people burned down their houses this weekend. Then, things could be ugly. But right now, I'm in good shape for my vacation!

This week has been pretty busy with work. I haven't had much to report, really. Monday morning my boss informed me that since C has decided to take all three months off for her maternity leave (which I don't blame her...I want to do the same thing!), they have decided that they are just going to rotate in the ten new adjusters starting with me while they wait to go to property school in Los Angeles. Every few weeks, I'll get a new trainee. Right now I have the first one, L, and she's fun to work with. She's 25, has a four-year-old daughter, and is just very enjoyable to have around. And according to Queenie, I get to put these trainees to WORK! They aren't just going to come along and watch! The one big fire I got this week was a garage fire where the customer had probably lost about $20,000 worth of tools and miscellaneous things. I inventoried it with her, and she made the list, but SHE gets to write the estimate for the contents. Thank GOD. We went to a vandalism claim on Thursday, and for practice, I made her measure the entire house. She didn't believe me when I told her manipulating a tape measure is harder than it looks! At the end of the day, she took one home so she could practice this weekend. Anyway, she's going to be fun. I think she's going to ride with me for probably a month. I love working with and training new adjusters, and it's great to have the company instead of being alone all the time, so maybe this winter won't be as icky as I thought it would!

My pregnancy is going fine. So far, I've gained about four pounds, which to me, is distressing, but everyone that I talk to says not to worry at ALL and just concentrate on eating well. I'm still very tired...Friday night I only lasted in front of the tv for about 45 minutes before it was lights out. Yesterday I was nauseous all day. And then early this morning, I woke up at about 5 am with hot feet. What is THAT?! I actually had to rinse them off in the sink to cool them down so I could fall back asleep. Weirdorama.

So, that's all that's going on in my life. My dad's wife's daughter H sent me a care package Friday of baby clothes. (At least, I think it was H...I don't know anyone else in Oklahoma!) It had a bunch of onesies in it and baby socks, and stuff like that. I would have thought that I would have been really excited, but I wasn't. I think I'm just not far enough along yet. P wasn't excited either. We just kind of looked at it, and put it in the baby's bedroom. We agreed over dinner that we'll probably be more excited once we hear the heartbeat, see the sonagram, and most definitely when we find out what we're having. It's only nine weeks away! I can't wait to find out. After we know if we're having a boy or a girl, we're going to start buying furniture and baby stuff then, but we're going to wait until then to start.

Okay, on to the memes! There are a lot of them. First off, I am going to paste some "getting to know you" emails that I got this week into my blog. I usually email these out, but NO ONE responds to them anyway, so I figure I'll post them here, and if anyone wants to copy them for their blog, help yourself.

1) If you could move and build a house anywhere, where would it be? On the coast of Oregon.
2) What’s your favorite article of clothing? A zip-up sweatshirt.
3) What’s the last CD you bought? Prince’s Greatest Hits.
4) What time do you wake up in the morning? Usually around 8 am during the week, 11 am on weekends.
5) What is your favorite kitchen appliance? My Kitchen Aid mixer. If you don’t have one, get one.
6) If you could play an instrument, what would it be? I know how to play the clarinet and the piano, but I always thought it would be neat to learn to play the flute.
7) Which do you prefer, sports car or SUV? Sports car.
8) Do you believe in the afterlife? Yes.
9) What is your favorite children’s book? The Littlest Angel
10) What is your favorite season? Spring.
11) If you could have one super power, what would it be? To fly.
12) If you have a tattoo, what is it? I have three…a dolphin, a black cat and a lily/butterfly design.
13) Can you juggle? No.
14) Is there one person from your past you wish you could go back and talk to? My grandmother who died when I was thirteen.
15) What is in the trunk of your car? Two ladders, my printer, jumper cables, and my toolbox with extra tape measures, my screwdriver set and a hammer.
16) Which do you prefer, sushi or hamburger? Sushi.
17) From the people you will email this to, who’s the most likely to respond first? I’m not even going to bother emailing it out because no one will respond to it. That’s why it’s going in my blog!
18) Who is least likely to respond? See above.
19) Who did you receive this from? Kristy.

1) What is your first name? Erica.
2) Were you named after anyone? When my mom was pregnant with me, Susan Lucci’s character, Erica, was married to a person on the show with my maiden name, and my mom thought the combination sounded good.
3) Do you wish on stars? No.
4) When did you last cry? The day I broke down after getting in a fight with the nurse at my former doctor’s office.
5) Do you like your handwriting? Yes, although it’s getting messier as time goes on because I rarely ever use my handwriting anymore. Even my computer signs my name when I send out work letters!
6) What is your favorite lunch meat? Rare roast beef.
7) What is your birth date? May 7.
8) What is your most embarrassing CD? I also own a copy of the Nelson CD. (Erin, you are not alone!)
9) If you were another person, would YOU be friends with you? Yes, I think I would.
10) Are you a daredevil? Uh, NO. I climb two-story roofs at work, and that makes me a daredevil in that way, but otherwise, I am not.
11) Do looks matter? No, but I think the way a person presents themselves shows that they care about the people around them.
12) How do you release anger? I cry.
13) Where is your second home? My inlaws’ home in south Dallas.
14) Do you trust others easily? Yes, but once the trust is gone, it’s near impossible to get it back.
15) What was your favorite toy as a child? I had a stuffed pink and white patchwork rabbit named Peter.
16) What class in high school was totally useless? Physics.
17) Do you have a journal? You’re reading it! I also have a pregnancy journal on a pregnancy website.
18) Do you use sarcasm a lot? Yes.
19) What are your nicknames? My competitor friends used to call me Princess and my sister used to call me Turtle.
20) Would you bungee jump? No.
21) Do you untie your shoes when you take them off? No.
22) Do you think that you are strong? Yes.
23) What is your favorite ice cream flavor? Ben and Jerry’s Coffee Heath Bar Crunch.
24) Bush or Kerry? Bush.
25) Pen or pencil? Pencil.
26) Football or basketball? Basketball. In fact, I’m going to the Mavericks/Suns game on Tuesday! I have free tickets!
27) Shoe size? A nice solid 10.
28) Red or pink? Pink.
29) What is your least favorite thing about yourself? That I always want things to be perfect.
30) Who do you miss most? Two people…my best friends Erina (she lives in Florida) and Shannon (she lives in North Carolina)
31) Do you want everyone to whom you send this to send it back? Same as above…not emailing it out. I’m pasting it in my blog instead.
32) What color pants are you wearing? Gray yoga pants.
33) What are you listening to right now? My dog barking to go outside.
34) What was the last thing you ate? Wendy’s last night on the way home from a friend’s house…I was SO hungry!
35) If you were a crayon, what color would you be? Cornflower.
36) What is the weather like right now? Gray, cool and cloudy.
37) Who is the last person you talked to on the phone? My husband on the way home from a friend’s house to check in.
38) The first thing you notice about the opposite sex? Their eyes.
39) Do you like the person who sent this to you? Yes.
40) Who was it? Erin.
41) What is your favorite drink? Diet Coke with lime.
42) Favorite sport? Snow skiing.
43) Would you rather sing or dance in public? Sing.
44) What will you be on Halloween? A mother of a three-month-old baby and probably more of a nutjob than I am now.
45) Do you wear contacts? Yes.
46) Pet peeve? People who question my integrity.
47) Goal in life? To balance the demands of work and motherhood and not lose my sanity in the meantime.
48) Last movie you watched? The Horse Whisperer.
49) Favorite day of the year? Christmas Eve.
50) Scary movies or happy endings? Happy endings.
51) Summer or winter? Summer.
52) Hugs or kisses? Hugs.
53) Mountains or the beach? The beach.
54) What is your favorite dessert? Crème brulee.
55) Who is most likely to respond? No one.
56) Who is the least likely to respond? No one.
57) Living arrangements? Single-family three-bedroom house with my husband, two dogs, three cats, and my peanut in my tummy!
58) What books are you reading? What to Expect When You’re Expecting, The Pregnancy Journal, Perfectly Pregnant, and The Very Best Baby Name Book.
59) What’s on your mouse pad? Formerly UNC, but I tossed it yesterday because it’s so raggedly; I have a track ball mouse, so I don’t need a mouse pad anyway.
60) Who was your first true love? My high school sweetheart, T.
61) What did you watch last night on tv? The Horse Whisperer.
62) Favorite smells? Coconut, evergreen, leaves and wood burning, and bleach.
63) Rolling Stones or the Beatles? The Stones!
64) Do you believe in evolution or creation? Evolution.
65) What’s the furthest you’ve been from home? Nassau in the Bahamas.

And now...some memes...

My Sunday Brunch first...which I am proud to say is still going strong!

1) What is your favorite flavor of M&Ms? Plain.
2) Is there a special edition of candy that you wish they would make a permanent item on the shelves? There is this chocolate truffle York Peppermint Patty which is just amazing...I wish that would be a permanent item.
3) What is your favorite flavor of Hershey’s Kisses? The ones with toffee in them, which I haven't been able to find.
4) What is your favorite candy bar? Usually it's Almond Joy, but my pregnancy has been making me crave Yorks for some reason.
5) Do you prefer milk chocolate, dark chocolate or white chocolate? Milk.

Chick Chat...

1. How Old Were You When You Met Hubby? I was 21.
2. How Long Did You Date? We dated for about four months before he moved in with me.
3. How Old Were You When You Married? 24.
4. How Long Did You Wait To Have Kids? Five years.
5. How Many Years Have You Been Married? Five years.

Tuesday Twosome...

1. Name two things you love about the city/town you live in: I love that it never sleeps and I love that you can get anything here. We have the best shopping.
2. Name two things you dislike about the city/town you live in: The traffic is AWFUL and we have more than our fair share of pretentious people.
3. Name two cities/towns you would live in if you couldn't live where you are now: Portland, Oregon, and Asheville, North Carolina.
4. Are you a "true local" (born and raised) or a transplant of the city/town you live in? I'm a transplant. P is a local.
5. Do you like to leave your city/town when you have a long weekend or do you like to stay home? I like to stay home.

Theater Thursday...

1) Which war movie is your favorite? (Nothing about war could be considered a 'favorite', but ya get my meaning.) Braveheart.
2) What movie about war do you consider to be 'unwatchable', poorly done, or of poor taste? I had to watch Green Berets in high school for a class project, and I thought it was awful.
3) Which actor/actress gave the best performance as a soldier? What movie? Mel Gibson in either Braveheart or The Patriot.
BONUS) If there was a movie to be made about the current war in Iraq, who would you most like to see as the leading man/woman? Colin Farrell.

The Friday Feast...

Appetizer Name 3 cosmetics/toiletries that you use on a daily basis. Toothpaste, lip gloss and Bath and Body Works shower gel.
Soup Approximately how much exercise do you get per week, and what type of exercise is it (walking, running, swimming, etc.)? Well, pre-pregnancy I worked out 3-4 times a week with cardio and weights, but since I've been pregnant, I've been too tired to make it to the gym, something I hope changes when I start my second trimester. I walk my dogs once a day, and when I get a fire, that's usually 4-5 hours of walking, so I feel like I stay active.
Salad Write a sentence including your favorite color and your favorite food. It's not good to eat blue steak.
Main Course What famous person/celebrity do you think you look like? I think that I resemble Charlize Theron the most.
Dessert Name 2 simple things that never fail to make you happy. A quiet day of stitching and getting a goal accomplished.

That's it for today. I'm going to see how much laundry I can get done today! It's piling up and I'm running out of stuff to wear!