Sunday, August 29, 2010

Time Flies.......

Another crazy busy week. We hired a new associate. Well, kinda. She has not yet passed the bar exam (just took it for the first time in july), but once she does, she will be an associate with us. For now, she is a law clerk in training to be an attorney at the office. She starts on Sept 9, and her name is Holly. She went to U of Detroit Mercy, and she was an intern for one of our fav judges! :). Glad to be done with that selection process. Called her on Wednesday, and sent letters out to the others to let them know, which I always hate doing. Jessica's last day is Tuesday, which is kinda crazy! She is the first person ever to quit working for us. But, I totally understand why since it's to live with her man. People are more important than jobs, for sure. :).

Had dinner last night with my Grama, two Aunts and Dad, in Westland. We ate at Max and Erma's, then stopped at Value City Furniture to show Grama a dining set. She haas been wanting one. She may be the most indecisive person I know, thank GOD I did not get the indecisive gene. While there, I saw this really kewl wood decorative piece I wanted to buy for the office, so I did. Then grama decided she wanted to buy it for my bday (she had not bought me anything for my bday last May), so she wrote me a check for it. Also, got some kewl bday gifts from my Aunt, one is this kewl scales of justice lady in silver and copper for my office, a pretty glass and cobalt blue bowl, a new necklace, some kitchen stuff in cobalt and a pug ornament. Weird getting bday gifts in May, haha.

We worked all day today. Got so much done, it was kinda crazy. I have a TON of filing to do tomorrow. Prob more than I have ever done in one trip. Will do it between hearings tomorrow.

The Suite across the hall construction started this weekend. The walls are all up, drywall was being done when we left tonight. The place is a mess though, LOL, cannot wait for it all to be done. Hopefully the tenant over there does not throw a fit about the mess if he is in tomorrow although none of the mess is in his office.

Had dinner on Friday night with two of Kurt's friends from high school and their husbands. We ate at Mongilian BBQ in Ann Arbor, then had drinks afterwards at Ann Arbor Brewing Company. It was fun, and I learned all about Kurt's forced marriage in 5th grade to a girl named Tammy on the playground, haha. What a pain Ann Arbor is on Friday night though! Finding parking and everything took forever! Ugh. I am so spoiled by Monroe County where I live. No waits anywhere ever. Gotta love rural farm towns in MI! :).

Still researching December travel, and am still leaning towards India, but I keep looking up other places as well. Have been looking at other countries in Africa. Basically, anywhere I can get a good flight deal to will win, most likely. Which is hard in mid-December.

Still loving all these designer discount sites. Bought my stepDad an awesome gift I cannot disclose for his bday. Whoot. And I bought it EARLY which is rare for me with how busy I am.

Anyway, hope everyone had a really nice weekend. Only four more work days until we leave for Colombia! Cannot wait for a few days off and to use my camera!

Monday, August 23, 2010

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Saturday, August 21, 2010

Crazy Busy

Oh, the things I have done since last blogging on August 9...Or really, what things I have NOT done. My life is pure insanity.

Found out on Monday that Jessica is leaving the firm to move to Chicago and live with her boyfriend. Thus, I need to hire a new associate, which is always a draining process with the reviewing resumes, interviewing, then training. Jessica has now been with us for 1 year, 7 months, so all the experience she has gotten will now need to be taught to someone new. And, she is the one that does primarily what I do, so I will be running for a while covering two jobs really! :). We listed the job in a few different places (free), and have gotten a ton of resumes. Interviewed Friday afternoon and Saturday afternoon, and have some more set for this week. Hopefully, we can make a decision by next weekend or sooner. We have not had a *bad* interview yet, and have had several who would fit in well, so that's promising.

Also hired a new assistant. Kory is going down to part-time with law school and Megan has class two mornings a week, so we need someone to cover their hours. Hired a friend of Megan's, named Alana, who just graduated with an associates in paralegal studies. She has only worked two part days so far, but she seems super positive and drama free, which are the two things I am looking for in employees now. I think she likes it so far too, which is great. Kurt let her sit in on a deposition on her first day.

We decided we are renting the Suite across the hall from ours. Since I finished the main part of my Mediation training, if I start taking Mediations soon, we really don't have room or the right set up in our current Suite, since all offices are occupied by attorneys and staff. So, the Suite across the hall is being redone to meet our needs. We are having a wall built and some doors put in. But, basically, it is going to be a kitchen area (frig, storage, TV, microwave, coffee pot, couch, table and chairs), waiting area (with couch and love seat), conference room (with table and chairs), office (desk and chairs) and storage areas for our supplies and closed filing cabinets. Everything has been delivered now with the exception of the waiting room furniture, which had to be returned since it would not fit thru the front door of the office. We went and picked out smaller stuff and it comes next week. Can't wait until it's done over there. It is already looking fab and it is really quiet and relaxing over there, which I love.

Went to a training this week which was the last in class thing I have to do for my Mediation stuff, which this was for Domestic Violence Protocol in Mediation. It was all day in Lansing, so I spent the night there on Wednesday night. Class was really good and I learned a lot of helpful things. Stopped on my way there at the outlet mall in Howell and bought some new jeans at the Gap, as well as some green carpenter pants for Kurt.

Also, a lot of work is finally getting done at our house as well. The drywall has been up for ages in the basement, but Kurt finally hired someone to mud, tape and paint the walls. Also, we got the roof tiles fixed where they were coming off and the ceiling fixed in my gym. Kurt's brother, Scott, is coming up soon to finish the tile in our bathrooms in the basement, which are about half done by Kurt, and, he is going to put in a tile floor in our basement, which is a HUGE project. cannot wait until all of that is done.

Have continued to research India for our December trip, and I really think that is where I am leaning at going to. It would kinda be like the Uganda safari, but different animals and scenery. About half the flight cost that it is to Malaysia, which is another place I really was looking into.

Anyway, gotta run, just wanted to post while I was thinking about it. I will prob do a secret blog about some other stuff, but will post here if I do so ya'll know! Happy Weekend!

Monday, August 09, 2010

So Little Time.........

I have so many little things that need to be done, and seem to have so little time to get it all done! Ugh.

We literally need work done on ALL our cars.

Just took the Saab in. Can't recall if I posted about this or not, but when Rebecca and I drove to Manistee a few weekends back, two deer jumped in front of my car, my car that was going 75 MPH. Yep, I did not even have time to swerve. Hit one and did some damage to the front of the car, but was thankful that Rebecca and I were OK and the car was driveable. It was pretty incredible there was not more damage, really. I was pretty sad about it though, I felt horrible that I killed an innocent creature. So, Saab is being fixed. Should be done by the end of the week and most of it covered by insurance (except part of the deductible, the shop covered some of that too).

Kurt's Porsche's top will not go back up, it is stuck down. Which is OK if it never rains, LOL. We are going to try and take that in tomorrow morning to the guy we use in Monroe. Jeep's AC is not working. And the poor Saturn is on it's last legs. Kurt thinks the transmission is going, and if he is correct, we will prob donate it to charity or trade it in for something new if I can get anything for it. Have had that car for almost 10 years, how crazy is that. I will be kinda sad to see it go though, it was a GREAT reliable car. And, my Grampa helped me with it getting me the GM discount and the loan since I had no established credit at that time. My Grampa has since passed away, so it reminds me of him. :(. I think I may need to replace it with another GM to honor him! :).

I am getting a much needed pedicure tomorrow night. Yay.

We are hiring people to finish up some projects in the house, which thrills me. kurt loves working on the house and is great at it, but he just does not have the time to finish stuff. Our house is huge, so each project takes 10 times longer than it would have at our old house. He hired my friend Hollie's husband (who has his own contracting business) to finish the drywall and paint the basement, as well as fix some tiles on the roof that have fallen, and fix the drop ceiling in my gym. Someone is coming tomorrow night to look at the tile work that Kurt started in the two bathrooms in the basement. He got about half way on both and did not finish because of time. So, that will be nice to have that done.

I need to make the pugs a vet appointment, all three are due for some shots. Bad Mom.

OK, all this talk about things I need to do is exhausting me.........Off to do some laundry.

You are an Animated Director

Took this really interesting quiz on a site, click here to take it, below are my results. Also, they have a fun feature where we can assess each other! Click here to assess me, then leave me yours on your blog on in my comments and I will assess you. Super fun to see if others assess us the same way we see ourselves.

You are a Director

As a DIRECTOR, you combine an unusual openness and passion for beauty and style with confidence and a down-to-earth sensibility that allow you to realize your vision.

You are practical and pay attention to the details that others tend to miss.

By focusing on what is real and concrete, you achieve more than those who always have their heads in the clouds.

When it comes to what really matters in your life, you are confident in your ability to succeed.

Having beautiful things in your life gives you pleasure and satisfaction - you have a keen eye for style.

Even when problems present themselves, deep down you know you will overcome these challenges.

When routines get too familiar, you become bored and start looking for ways to spice things up.

You are open to new types of experiences – you are not afraid to take a risk on something new.

You have a highly developed sense of taste – you know what looks good on you, in your home, and in the world at large.

Your independent streak allows you to make decisions efficiently and to trust your instincts

The control you feel over your life is empowering to you-- you believe in your abilities and acknowledge your shortcomings. Explanations of the world that focus on destiny or fate don't really interest you. You take responsibility for what goes wrong in your life, and also for what goes well.

If you want to be different:

Occasionally let yourself dream a little more, even if it doesn't seem practical or efficient.

You are Animated

You are outgoing, comfortable with others, and up for anything, which makes you ANIMATED.

Some people find crowds and parties exhausting, but not you! You are able to be yourself in many situations.

Sometimes it is hard for you to understand why others feel the way they do, but that doesn't stop you from trusting them or having faith that they are good people.

You know the world is complicated and that there is often more than one side to a story, so you are careful not to make judgments about others too hastily.

You would rather experience the world than sit back and observe it—you are not one to sit on the sidelines.

You are an independent thinker and don't get too worried about how others might perceive you—you are not self-conscious about being the active, engaged person that you are.

Although you have a keen understanding of different people's life circumstances, you occasionally have trouble seeing why people get so upset and emotional about things—they should just lighten up and have fun!

In addition to having faith in the world, you have faith in the people around you—you trust others to do the right thing and to be honest.

If you want to be different:

Remember that time alone can be just as fulfilling as time spent with others—take some time for yourself and you might find that there are many things in your inner world that are just as compelling as the world outside your window.

Your open-mindedness about the ways of world gives you an understanding of people's differences, but that knowledge doesn't always translate into sympathy. Don't be afraid to let your trust and understanding influence your feelings.

Sunday, August 08, 2010

Where to Start, Where to Start.....

Oh, my blogging is just horrendous these days. There are so not enough hours in the day to accomplish everything I need to do. It feels like I am running around endlessly these days. So, when I am feeling that way, what do I do?

Book a flight to someplace far, far away! That's right, folks, the Haskell Labor Day trip is starting to be planned! Kurt has been bugging me for at least a month to make a decision, and like a ton of places have been looked up and put on the list, such as Bermuda (shot down as it looks like the only stuff to do these is snorkel, boat, etc. and since Kurt is not a huge water person, it would be much more fun for me....hey, that might be OK? haha), Costa Rica (Tortugero area to see the nesting sea turtles and it's an area we have not been to yet), Glacier National Park in Montana (I have always wanted to go here, but it looks slightly chilly in September), Alaska (like flying to one town and exploring, but the flight is kinda long for a short trip), Panama (just to explore again since we loved it there), Honduras (not the islands, but the area where there is jungle), and Colombia. Narrowed it down to Honduras and Colombia. Looked up flights, and VOILA, the price I found on a flight to Colombia made the decision easy for me....$242.50 roundtrip (which includes taxes and everything). That is SO insanely cheap. Cheaper than flying to most US prices. Whoot. We will be flying to Bogata, but I have no set plans yet. It looks like there is enough just in Bogata to keep us busy for the 5 nights we will be there, but I will have to research more. Speaking of research, I am so freaking behind on the December trip. It is normally booked likes months before now. Ugh. Cannot wait for Colombia though. Have to buy a ton of coffee though, I have already had three requests!

This weekend was busy. Shocker there. Friday night, had dinner out for fish tacos with Kurty. It's pretty funny when we are seated at the restaurant and the hostess tells our server "the people who get the fish tacos just got seated in your section". Saturday, we did a ton.......worked part of the morning, went and bought two travel books, had lunch, went back to the office to work some more, went to Art Van and finally found furniture for the living room, AND it was in the clearance center, which thrills me. We really wanted to get something that was easier to clean, since the dogs are allowed on the couches in the Haskell household and keeping it clean is near impossible with fabric. Also, we do not want to buy leather, so we have limited selections. The stuff we ended up buying looks like leather, but is not. So, we killed zero animals, and have furniture that is easier to keep clean keeping in mind the animals in my house! :). AND, they delivered it today, one day later, on the weekend. Score. The guys were super nice, took our old stuff out to the curb (for extra $$ of course, LOL). Also cleaned this weekend, and had dinner with Larry, Val and Dan, and Val brought Lucky to play with the pugs. They all love one another.

Anyway, off to bed. Will post more soon, I promise, and pinky swear! :).