1. Delicious-smelling lotion on freshly-shaved legs.
2. A coworker’s stapler encased in green Jell-O. With a Kaizen worksheet attached.
3. My fabulous gentleman of a husband taking out the new girl to lunch because so far no one else at his office is treating her with any respect.
4. Being recognized because my face was on a 5S presentation.
5. Dr. Horrible’s Sing-along Blog

9 June 09

1. 10 more days of work before my 4-week long vacation (counting today).  Yeah, so it’s a mostly unpaid vacation and I’m kind of freaking out about money that I won’t be making, but hey!  FOUR WEEKS of vacation.
2. Making good progress on multiples projects at work.
3. An unexpected (to me) check from our state taxes.  Apparently Justin knew about it, but I didn’t think we were getting anything from any of our taxes.  So I’m pleasantly surprised.
4. Clean laundry
5. Sorting out the detritus from my purse

1. Getting back into the office and *not* being totally overwhelmed by mountains upon mountains of work.
2. Oodles of unexpected quality fun-time with my husband, playing games and laughing like a crazy person.
3. Opportunities that could be really fantastic, if they turn out like we hope.
4. Aloe vera spread lovingly across my burnt shoulders.
5. Homemade baking powder biscuits that taste a whole lot like the biscuits you’d buy from a fast food place like KFC.

2 June 09

1. A totally unexpected refund check from our federal taxes.  We were happy to not have to pay anything.  We were astonished to get money returned.
2. Balancing the checkbook and seeing that we’re still coming out ahead, for the most part.  I mean, sure, we were in the red for May, but we spent almost double that amount on airplane tickets and car registration.
3. Yummy pasta for dinner.
4. NCIS
5. Curling up and reading in bed with Justin.

3 June 09

1. I have a beautiful new nephew named Isaac!  Yea!
2. I was 30 minutes early to my doctor’s appointment for blood work, so I sat in my car, windows down, reading a book, enjoying the cool freshness of the early morning air.
3. A fresh box of facial tissues.
4. Apple crisp:  The perfect solution for slightly overripe apples, minimal budget, and minimal preparation time.
5. Laughing at geeky jokes with my husband while curling up to go to sleep.

4 June 09

1. I got a silver award from my boss for my hard work in the 5S program in our area.  It comes with $50 to use at the Walmart across the way from here and another plaque to hang on my wall.  I’m so pleased!
2. Justin haggled our way into a really great birthday/graduation present for his sister, that isn’t going to blow the bank and lets us get her something really, really useful and nice.
3. Cool summer rainstorms with sporadic rain and thunder.
4. Sitting in my favorite chair in Justin’s office reading while he pokes at his computer.
5. And then having him wake me up and put me into bed because I fell asleep while reading.

5 June 09

1. Happy anniversary to Mom and Dad!  I love you both so much!
2. Spending $50 that I got as an award on fun things at Walmart, including an outfit for the graduation coming up.
3. Scattered rain showers in between clear blue skies.
4. Singing along with the car radio as loud as I like.
5. Justin, driving behind me, laughing at me singing in the car.

6 June 09

1. Sleeping in and eating sweet rolls in bed while watching TV (Stargate: Atlantis).  Is there a better way to start the day?
2. A balanced checkbook.
3. Exploring calendar options and other organizing things on my computer.
4. Cheering up my husband by spending time with him making and eating dinner together.
5. Deciding last minute to catch the last showing of the day of the new Terminator movie.

7 June 09

1. Knowing more and more people at church and being able to chat with them.
2. Finding the perfect graduation card for Jessi.
3. Finally hiding the garden hose at the front of the house inside an unused oversized flower pot.  It looks so great!
4. Watching my husband wash off the back of the house because it’s getting more and more green with mold.  Knowing that he’s doing it because he feels the need, now and then, to do chores and activities that improve the house and don’t involve my participation.
5. Getting into discussions with the small group I’m in about the sermon series.

1. Making a lot of progress on projects due this week.
2. Absolutely fantastically delicious Jade and Ivory pasta for dinner.
3. Watching Justin work on a web design and having fun and making beautiful, beautiful stuff.
4. Curling up to read in my “nest” for a while to relax from a very long day.
5. Snuggling up with my handsome man to watch yet another amusing “Castle” episode.

5 May 09 (Tuesday)

1. Clocking in to work on time even though I accidentally turned off my alarm and didn’t get out of bed until two minutes before I needed to leave the house.  I haven’t showered, but because I had clothes set out the night before and my lunch made and because my loving, wonderful husband gathered up my lunch while I frantically dressed, I was able to get out of the house 5 minutes after I bolted straight up in bed.
2. And then, even though he put my lunch together for me (and threw a Twix bar in my purse that I found a few hours into the morning), he picked me up for lunch and took me to Cancun’s for delicious Mexican food, something he hadn’t done in a really long time.
3. After getting home and exercising, I *finally* got to take a shower and it was absolutely divine.
4. Justin set up email settings for my new, yet-to-be-disclosed website for my business.
5. The evening was filled with lots of fun, quality time with Justin.  I like that guy.  So funny and smart.  And handsome, to boot!

6 May 09 (Wednesday)

1. I showered this morning.  Don’t knock it.  I have a lot of hair and it gets greasy really fast.
2. I’ve received confirmation about the class I’m going to be in all next week.  This is lovely because I couldn’t find anywhere in the system on my end that I was even registered to be in the class.  And it’s secondly lovely because I’ve been given the opportunity to expand my training in an area of the business that I really enjoy and I think I’ll be able to do a lot of great things through it.  I’m going to be a Lean Specialist!
3. Continued progress on several projects that need to be accomplished before the end of the week.
4. It turns out that I have a whole extra month before my next doctor’s appointment.  I thought it was this month.  Maybe I can kick off some of this weight before I have to go step on that scale again!

1. I *love* my Pr!vo shoes from Clark’s.  Best.  Shoes. Ever.
2. Feeling useful by doing things that really help the people in my department but really don’t require a lot of effort on my part.  Like teaching one guy how to print a PDF so it’ll show up the right size on the page.
3. I was called the strongest person in the 5S group by the Lean/Six Sigma leader in our area.  The one that reports directly to the director.  I work my butt off.  It’s nice to see someone sees it because the guy leading the 5S meetings sure doesn’t seem to.  One of the guys at my level in the committee also kept calling me the 5S goddess, which was another nice boost for my ego. 
4. Sexy time!
5. The feeling of accomplishment for rollerblading 5 miles, half of it into the wind.  It really wasn’t the smartest idea, but it sure as heck made me work hard and it feels good to get to the end and know that I can do that.

1 May 09 (Friday)

1. Once again, I love that I spent the money on this WWF calendar because today I flipped to the month of May and there’s adorable pictures of lions and leopards.  Easy, visual place for sticky notes to show deadlines and out of office plans at a glance, with the added “Awwwww” bonus feature!
2. I lost 2.5 pounds last week!  Go me!
3. Justin took me to Applebee’s and Barnes and Noble on a geek date.
4. And then to the beach where we sat reading for a long time and then splashed in the surf.
5. And then back to Applebee’s for dessert and home to curl up in bed reading together.

2 May 09 (Saturday)

1. Fresh cut fruit for breakfast.
2. Visiting the local pool for the first time this season.
3. Getting a lot of small things accomplished (balancing the checkbook, washing most of the laundry) but not feeling like most of the day was spent doing “work” stuff.
4. Easter egg hunting in WoW.
5. Watching the “Dollhouse” episode that we missed on Friday because of our date and *loving* the surprise of it.  Also: Alan!

3 May 09 (Sunday)

1. I sat on the back porch reading for a while and the weather was so beautiful and the sound of my fountain so relaxing that it was tempting to sit out there all afternoon long.
2. We figured out what to do about the website situation for my PO business and started the steps to get that into motion.
3. Playing video games together.
4. Finally not hurting anymore from rollerblading on Thursday.
5. We went to see the Wolverine movie, which had a charming amount of naked Hugh Jackman bottom.  Delightful, really.  Oh!  And the rest of the movie was quite good, too.

1. I clocked in on time even though I got stuck behind a slow truck and my computer kept giving me funky errors when I was trying to log in.
2. Even though I forgot my tea in the car, I remembered my mugs this morning so I could make myself another cup when I got inside and settled.
3. The other side of the group that’s going to be using the document I created with all the macros thinks it’s going to work great and help resolve a lot of issues we’ve been having.
4. Justin and I went for a bike ride and it was really, really great.  We didn’t come back over-exhausted.  I was able to keep pace much better.  The whole thing was so much better than the last time we went out.
5. I had a lovely conversation with my sister.

29 April 09

1. I’m buried under projects at work, but it serves as a solid reminder that I have a steady job and reliable income and that’s a rare thing these days.
2. I logged my food for the 3rd day in a row.  Exercised for the 7th day in a row.  And exceeded my water consumption goal.
3. My mid-week cheating weigh-check (I’m only supposed to look on Friday) shows that I’m finally going *down* in weight instead of up.
4. Justin made my lunch for me when evening plans ran later than expected.  I was able to get my clothes set for the morning and get ready for bed while he took care of everything downstairs, even tidying up the mess from dinner.

1. I am kicking major macro butt!  I figured out how to do some of the more complicated things I’m trying to make this thing do!
2. People come to me for my opinion on 5S stuff!
3. I managed to get all that sticky, awful stuff off the empty desk in my area.
4. I went roller blading when got home from work and I didn’t fall and I made it nearly twice as far as I was thinking I would go.

24 April 09 (Friday)

1. More fun with Excel macros!
2. Leaving work at 11:30!
3. Gorgeous weather in the afternoon!
4. Dollhouse!
5. Really yummy stir fry!

25 April 09 (Saturday)

1. Sleeping in later than any other day in the week.
2. The feeling of accomplishment at having biked 10.5 miles.
3. Aloe vera to soothe sunburned arms.
4. Cuddles and comfort from my loving husband after overtaxing myself.
5. Curling up to watch a movie in bed.

26 April 09 (Sunday)

1. The sermon at church was really interesting.
2. Treating ourselves to Chinese buffet for lunch.
3. Beautiful, lazy Sunday afternoon.
4. Lovely, stretching yoga to work out those sore muscles from yesterday.
5. Long, hot soaking bath with pink champagne

27 April 09 (Monday)

1. I rolled out my Excel project to the guys and I really think it’s going to be helpful and useful and informative and help everybody work better and more effectively and all sort of lovely things.
2. I’m feeling brave enough to log my food on MFD and I’m very proud of myself.
3. Even though I had a really rough day, I went out and exercised instead of curling up on the bed and reading my book.
4. Meatloaf, potatoes, and broccoli:  very probably my favorite comfort-food meal.
5. Justin played with my hair and rubbed my head until I calmed down enough to sleep.

1. Hearing word that there are as yet no plans for anyone to be cut from my group at work.  It’s a big relief to believe that I might still get to keep my job past the middle of May.
2. I love this green cardigan.  $3 from the thrift store, sold with a matching sleeveless shirt that I haven’t worn yet.  But the cardi is a fantastic addition to my collection.
3. I’m still feeling the ache in my quads from the work-outs on Monday and Tuesday.
4. I’m starting to understand macros a little better in Excel.
5. Enjoying my Cirque de Sol DVD from Netflix.

Enjoy!

15 April 2009 (Wednesday)

1. Luke’s birthday!  I’m rather fond of the fellow, so I hope his birthday was really wonderful.
2. Unbelievably beautiful weather.  Why can’t it be like this all the time?  It’s perfect!  Blue skies, slight breezes, flowers in bloom.  It’s absolutely breathtaking.
3. Taking pictures with my camera.  I don’t know why I don’t do this more often because I love doing it.  My neighbors probably think I’m a little crazy when I’m down on my stomach taking pictures of grass, but I love it.
4. Homemade bread brought to work by a coworker.  Delicious and moist and mmmmmmmmm.
5. Daydreaming about a business possibility that might not ever happen, but it’s really delightful to consider.

16 April 2009 (Thursday)

1. Muffins!
2. Riding bikes all the way down to the movie theatre and home again, picking up Sunchips and romaine on the way home past the grocery store.
3. Watching last week’s Dollhouse episode.  This show gets better and better.

17 April 2009 (Friday)

1. Riding bikes all the way down to the movie theatre again and stopping at a café for bagel sandwiches before going home, stopping at the grocery store for massive amounts of on-sale jellybeans.
2. Setting down a business card design and putting in a request for a domain name and I really feel like I’m getting somewhere with this thing.
3. Ordering massively inexpensive printer ink in absurd quantities online.  I’m not sure why this tickles me so much, but I’m so excited to get all this ink in the mail.
4. Enjoying a very relaxing day with Justin.

18 April 2009 (Saturday)

1. Waking up to the sound of my husband doing yard work, trying to surprise me.
2. Donuts for breakfast.
3. Washing off layer after layer of dust and pollen and grime from the cars so they gleam so happy in the sunlight.
4. Relaxing, freshly showered, during the hottest part of the afternoon, in rooms getting lots of cross-ventilation from open windows.
5. Peanut butter on French toast.

19 April 2009 (Sunday)

1. Day-old donuts for breakfast.
2. Delightful conversation with Mom.
3. Small victories in CSS.
4. Great successes in cooking and baking (just not candy making).
5. Reading magazines in bed next to Justin before falling asleep.

20 April 2009 (Monday)

1. That awful clunk and clatter wasn’t anything falling off from my car.
2. The car behind me didn’t run into me when I braked suddenly, thinking that I’d lost something big and important.
3. Justin and I went for a jog!  And it hurt a lot and wasn’t a whole lot of fun at all, but it felt really good afterwards knowing that we’d gone out and done it.
4. Really awesomely delicious chicken quesadillas.  Leftover chicken from the night before, bacon, salsa, onion, cheese, spices . . . .  Really, really good.
5. “Castle” fun-ness!

21 April 2009 (Tuesday)

1. A very involving formatting project made the morning pass very quickly.  It’s a little crazy how much I enjoy taking documents and making them look pretty and all official-like.
2. Justin went running by himself and I don’t understand why on earth he would feel guilty about it because I was so tickled that he decided to go exercising.
3. Lack of milk in the fridge lead to scavenging through the cupboards for dinner and resulted in an amusingly hodgepodge but delicious and not that unhealthy dinner.
4. I went for a 3-mile walk and it felt really, really good.  Except for the part where the blister on the back of my ankle bled all over my sock and shoe.  But the rest of me felt great!
5. Fresh, cool breezes coming in through my bedroom window as I’m falling asleep.

1. Snuggles from my fantastic husband.
2. Chatting with my mom for a while. It was a lovely conversation and I really enjoyed it.
3. Watching NCIS while working on a project I’ve put off for too long.
4. Dinner with my husband while watching interesting television.

16 March 09

1. Receiving my 5S award and a $25 gift card for a restaurant. (A Savannah restaurant, but that just means we’ll have to find an excuse to drive into town.)
2. I finally finished pulling the stitches from the hem of the pants I’m trying to fix.
3. Justin made dinner and cleaned the kitchen at the same time—putting away the dishes from the dishwasher and washing the dishes as he made the meal. And then he surprised me with delicious waffles and a spotless kitchen.
4. I have an organizing job on Friday!!!
5. Castle: Once again, highly entertaining television.
6. Laughing and cuddling while going to sleep, talking about slumber parties as children.

17 March 09

1. Wearing my green and white stripped socks to work and getting away with it because it’s a popular local holiday.
2. Getting more compliments on my green and white stripped socks than anything else I have ever worn.
3. Pulling my hair back into a clip and having it look great and feel comfortable and *stay* that way for several hours.
4. Yoga! Strength, balance, focus, and fabulousness.
5. Reading in bed next to my husband.

1. I was named the 5S employee of the month by unanimous uncontested vote. I’m so touched!
2. Justin tidied the house and started laundry before going to work in the morning.
3. I love my new giraffe lunch bag.
4. Making dinner with Justin with perfect synchronization.
5. Curling up to watch Bones together.

3 Mar 09

1. Tea!  Lots and lots of tea.
2. Justin and I are registered to run in the Gulfstream 5K in three weeks.
3. Justin bought me flowers and a card to congratulate for being the 5S employee of the month.
4. Updating my header image for the month of March just because I CAN.
5. The absolute adorableness of the children of my siblings.