the best part of waking up - november 2009

11.30.09:  Devouring delicious pulled pork, brisket, smoked chicken, cornbread, jalapeno cornbread, spicy cabbage, stewed tomatoes, okra, greens, pinto beans, coleslaw, potato salad, deviled eggs and cow tongue at Pit to Plate.
11.29.09:  Feeding the ducks with Toby and making friends with the girl who couldn't speak words.
11.28.09:  Decorating my little Christmas tree with my ornaments from all over the world.
11.27.09:  Watching my daddy tear up when my mom was talking about his mom and all the good things about her that he got from her.
11.26.09:  Sitting in the kitchen with my famibly and chatting for the six hours prior to dinner.  And waking up to the first snowfall!
11.25.09:  Seeing Jason so excited to have his very first car.  I'll miss my lil' car car.
11.24.09:  Hearing Steve, my car repairman, say to me, "You are a very nice person."
11.23.09:  Reading the note from Z that began with "You are awesome and so thoughtful."
11.22.09:  Finding such an absolutely beautiful place as my new hiding spot.
11.21.09:  Taking Toby for a walk on a beautiful fall night.
11.20.09:  Agreeing with Griffith that no other Brand in Family Care is as much fun as we are.
11.19.09:  Celebrating the success of Delta with my team.
11.18.09:  Listening to Laura tell the story about how someone told her she needs to get control of her Brand after I pulled the Princess Puffs prank on the Bounty team.
11.17.09:  Making a paper fortune teller with Christine and giggling with Griffith.
11.16.09:  Making the finance manager at VW smile and laugh.  She asked me why everyone couldn't be as nice and friendly as me.
11.15.09:  Watching Dane Cook giggle at his own joke so much that he could barely talk...he truly loves his job.  Susan asked if I am going to be a lifer too...I said yes. =)
11.14.09:  Imagining Bobby riding into his wedding on a toy horse on a stick and decked out in full Indian dress.
11.13.09:  Seeing Laura's reaction to seeing the flowers I gave Lee Ann for her outstanding work on Target Halloween.
11.12.09:  Reading the letter from one of our consumers who loves Puffs and her husband loves Puffs even more, and every day he has an awesome morning and evening blow.  We are clearly touching and improving lives with Puffs.
11.11.09:  Feeling relief when I found out that what I've always believed to be true is not true at all.
11.10.09:  Listening to Brase tell the story of how he threw our singing Puffs box contraption because he was so pissed when the singing princess went off as he picked up the phone and couldn't hear the person on the other end of the line.
11.9.09:  Trying to attach the Happy Birthday singing noisemaker to Brad's chair with Mr. Griffith and Luigi.
11.8.09:  Driving through the countryside on such a beautiful day, topped off with a delicious dinner (particularly the etouffee) at Knotty Pine.
11.7.09:  Reading Bobby's e-mail to Donnell thanking her for introducing him to Kreena.
11.6.09:  Hearing the singing Princess balloon go off for the Bullpen's 12th birthday.
11.5.09:  Celebrating the Target buyer loving and taking Project Delta.
11.4.09:  Laying out my new routine to better take care of myself.

i want to thank you for giving me the best day of my life - november 2009

11.30.09:  Loving to eat - I can't imagine what my life would be like if I didn't enjoy eating as much as I do.
11.29.09:  Randall - My very first manager when I started full time.  He is one of the most passionate people I've ever met.
11.28.09:  Jon - My big brother, who cares so much about me.  We made it through a lot together.
11.27.09:  Silliness - Life would not be the same without silliness.  My famibly thrives on silliness.  Tonight I watched my dad hide a gallon of ice cream in Kate's purse and pretend like he didn't know how it got there.
11.26.09:  Family dinners - We sat down every night as a family for dinner while we were growing up, and it was always delicious.
11.25.09:  Margie and Peter - They raised six amazing children and truly created the best family and home in the world.  I am who I am because of Margie and Peter.
11.24.09:  Being thankful - I am so thankful for everyone and everything in my life, and I'm so glad that I am.  I know many who are not particularly thankful, and I feel that my life would not be as fulfilling if I were not as thankful as I am.
11.23.09:  Alexa - She can always bring a smile to my face with her ridiculousness.
11.22.09:  The writers of Grey's Anatomy - This show makes me laugh and cry with my entire body, it brings out more emotion than I can often let out on my own.  I've never watched a show or movie that I identify with like I do with the story of Grey's.
11.21.09:  Michigan - My 3.5 years there taught me about passion, tradition, leadership, love, friendship, loyalty, learning and of course, football.
11.20.09:  Tonia and Adam - Babysitting Caden and Gavin has become one of the best things in my life.
11.19.09:  Kevin - Living with him makes me want to have a life...or at least make time for somewhat of one.
11.18.09:  Christine - I am going to miss her when she doesn't sit in the bullpen anymore, and I know that the culture will not be the same without her.
11.17.09:  Alexa - My best friend, who I miss incredibly, and need to see soon!  Talking to her today reminds me of how lucky I am.
11.16.09:  People who go above and beyond - Linda at the bank in Family Care stayed two hours late to close my loan so I could pick up my new car today.
11.15.09:  Good friends - Leslie, Ethan, Susan, and Amanda came out tonight to see Dane Cook even though I feel like a terrible friend since I haven't seen them in over a month.  What an incredibly fun night full of peeing in our pants laughing...so what if the person sitting next to you at a show actually peed in their pants, then sat in your lap?
11.14.09:  Kreena - For making the van bearable.  Tonight was like having a girls' sleepover.
11.13.09:  Laura - As my manager, she always has supported me.  She's the best manager I could have ever asked for in my first Marketing assignment.
11.12.09:  Mr. Griffith - The combination of his humor and intelligence makes my day everyday.  Hope he gets an awesome next assignment, he definitely deserves it.
11.11.09:  Navin - People come in and out of our lives for a reason.  His was to help me understand that I don't have to be scared anymore.
11.10.09:  Kevin - The best friend I could have ever asked for in a roommate.  I think we get along so well because he's slightly crazy, and well, you all know I am too.
11.9.09:  Frugality - Okay, I'm not a particularly frugal person, but I'm fairly conscious about my spending habits.  I'm thankful that although I want an iPhone, I'm rational enough to refrain from spending an extra ~$400 per year in a plan plus $200 for the phone itself.  I admire people who are frugal, and hope that I continue to become more so.
11.8.09:  Kevin - Today he taught me patience, and simplicity, and to drive manual.  And I'm most thankful for him because he gave me a mini-vacation today.
11.7.09:  Kellogg - With many sleepless nights, and day after day of exhaustion, it's so easy to forget how lucky I am to be going to school here.  But when I'm sitting in class, it's amazingly easy to remember that this is definitely the best thing I could be doing with my life right now.
11.6.09:  P&G - What an incredible place to be part of.  Jessica will be coming back this June, and it was fun talking to her about why I don't think I ever want to leave.
11.5.09:  Kevin - He has such a genuinely good Hart.  I don't think I really believed people like him existed in real life.
11.4.09:  The extraordinary people I work with everyday - Christine (Financial Analyst), Jerry (Packaging Manager), Brad (Sales Manager), Matt (Assistant Brand Manager), Laura (Brand Manager), Jill (Design Agency), Sarah (Advertising Agency).

learn something new everyday - november 2009

11.30.09:  Over 50% of public companies in the U.S. are incorporated in Delaware because the state charges no income tax on corporations that do not operate within the state.

11.29.09:  September is the end of monsoon season in India, and the average temperature in Delhi is 85-90 F.

11.28.09:  Saffron comes from the stamen of a crocus.

11.27.09:  The only letters that my mom has kept from a boy are from my daddy.

11.26.09:  Estate tax laws are written more to benefit the government than the beneficiaries.  Problem?

11.25.09:  The hardest part of a marriage is when the kids leave the house, and it's just the two of you.  There's no one else there every day to make you feel important, to need you, to love you...just the two of you, so you need to work that much harder on your relationship to fill that void.

11.24.09:  Car manufacturers in the Detroit used to demand retroactive pay from their suppliers.

11.23.09:  Most people are only willing to do what's only good for them even if their intentions are better than that.

11.22.09:  "The joy supposedly is in the giving, so when the joy is gone, when the giving starts to feel more like a burden, that’s when you stop.  But if you’re like most people I know, you give 'til it hurts, and then you give some more."

11.21.09:  Method hand fills their product.

11.20.09:  When you're a number two, your consumers and customers will make most of your decisions for you.

11.19.09:  Attitude is the number one driver for success.

11.18.09:  Riding the clutch will wear it down, so you need to fully release the clutch after shifting.  Also, at a stop, shift into neutral, put on your break and release the clutch.

11.17.09:  Hallucinations at night are a sign of narcolepsy and occur when your body falls asleep before your mind does, whereas dreaming typically occurs after your mind has gone through sleep periods before REM.

11.16.09:  Monkeys peel bananas by the bottom end.

11.15.09:  A smile goes a long way.

11.14.09:  Home insurance does not cover damages due to combat in a time of war.

11.13.09:  With strong commercial and innovation support, a brand should be able to gain approximately +4 pts on each equity scale.

11.12.09:  There are some people who will always throw you under the bus even when you think they've changed.

11.11.09:  Schizophrenia is not genetic.

11.10.09:  Cooking en Papillote helps keep anything moist and flavorful.

11.9.09:  By dropping a sugar cube in bitters, you can prevent it from overly fizzing when adding it to a carbonated drink.

11.8.09:  When you downshift on a manual transmission, you need to give a little gas to prevent the car from jumping because you add about 1,000 rpms for each gear.

11.7.09:  In Japan, commercial banks act as both debt and equity holders so that banks as both lenders and shareholders have more accountability, whereas banks are only debt holders in the U.S., Western Europe, and most other developed countries.

11.6.09:  Ford has a similar working culture to P&G's.

11.5.09:  Celebrating is only truly celebrating when it's with people who helped make it happen.

11.4.09:  The PSF (Persuasive Selling Format) - 1) Background; 2) Idea; 3) How it works; 4) Key benefits; 5) Next steps.