Best Week Ever!

Ok, maybe not best week ever, but this past week has been the best week of 2013.  Do you ever have a good feeling on Sunday that the upcoming week will be a really good one?  Typically, I am always optimistic about the upcoming week or just a new day in general.  However, there was a point on Sunday where I just had a really good feeling something big was going to happen.

One of my favorites from the Stella & Dot spring line!

My week began in the early hours of Sunday when the Notre Dame men's basketball team beat Louisville in 5/OT.  I know, very minor, but I love a close game especially when my team wins.  After maybe 5 or so hours of sleep, I met up with some of the #dirtyrunners for a Sunday morning run.  I will admit, my training for the Cleveland Marathon, has been a bit off, but I felt great after finishing my long run despite falling way behind everyone else for the last few group miles and adding a few more to bring me up to where I should be for training.

Cleveland Rocks!!

While warming up from a chilly run, I set up a Facebook page for one of my latest ventures, becoming  a Stella & Dot stylist!  My good friend Julie has been one and after many conversations, and a little convincing, I signed on!  Afterwards, Brad and I headed to the Great Big Home + Garden Show.  Overall, my favorite part was the garden displays which captured U.S Landmarks.  Some really captured every detail such as the one modeled after Augusta.  As a baseball fan, I was slightly disappointed with the interpretation of Wrigley Field.  They missed the ivy covered wall and to me, it looked like any other baseball field.  After admiring the gardens and deciding we one day will be hot tub owners, we headed to Fat Heads for lunch and beer sampling.  Food wise, I recommend the smokey wings, which are whole chicken wings, rubbed, grilled, then sauced just as I like to make them in the summer.

An ivy-less Wrigley

Augusta.  Felt like we were at the Masters

For the most part, the remainder of the week was somewhat normal.  Brad and I had a wonderful Valentine's Day dinner at The Black Pig where I enjoyed roasted duck and he enjoyed the Ohio Beef entree of steak and short rib, or as Ron Swanson would say, "Turf and Turf".  After dinner, we headed to Great Lakes for dessert.  Aside from tapping the Alberta Clipper, they were offering a tasting of Alberta Clipper, Edmund Fitzgerald, Blackout Stout, and Woodtooth Porter along with a red velvet cupcake, Edmund Fitz ice cream in a chocolate shot glass, and a chocolate covered ginger snap.  In other words, a plate of my favorite treats!!

The way to my heart!

While all the above would make for a pretty awesome, yet normal, week for me, what made this the best week of 2013 so far was a phone call I received on Wednesday morning.  I WAS OFFERED AND I ACCEPTED A LABORATORY CONSULTANT POSITION!!!  I finally found a job that will fit my background, personality, and career aspirations.  Here's to new beginnings on March 4th!!

Celebratory bubbles

**Disclaimer: I was given 2 tickets to the Great Big Home + Garden Show.  All opinions are 100% my own.**

Getting rid of the blanket

We all have security blankets in life.  It could be family and friends who you know will be there for you no matter what.  Your daily routine could provide a sense of security.  Perhaps it is a certain outfit that makes you feel you can take on the world.  Most of the time, these security blankets make us feel safe and provide comfort.  However, there can be times when these blankets start to feel uncomfortable.  It's almost as if a porcupine curled up in it and ran through a field of thorns.  You try and try to make it feel good again, but it will not work.  

For me, one of my security blankets has been having a stable job.  I took a chance last summer accepting a position that was different from being in the lab.  I knew there was a chance it would not work.  By early fall I began to realize I was meant to be in the lab and planned on making my current position work.  However, as time went on, it became more difficult to get excited and want to go in.  I told myself I had to make it work until the end of the year.  Unfortunately, I could not take anymore.  When you are on the verge of tears ever morning on your drive in, it is time to throw out the blanket.  Yesterday, I did just that.  I submitted my resignation without a backup plan.  

 

So here's to whatever the future has in store for me career wise!  Also, if anyone is in need of a research scientist, let me know!

What is one security blanket you had to give up?