Wow, and we are on

Wow...After a lot more research and talking with a loan officer, I found out on Thursday night that I do in fact qualify for a loan, and my credit score was not near as bad as I thought it might be. I was only scared, because I have more debt than I'd like to have, but I don't ever pay late, so didn't expect problems there.

I filled out an application online and had a response back to me in less than 2 hours, that I was approved (pre-qualified) for a loan up to a certain amount. I wanted this before I searched for a Realtor, cause I didn't want to find something and not be able to get it, and I wanted to know my price range and how far to go, and how to not stretch myself to far.

I had begun my search for Realtor's earlier this week, but since I waited till I heard back from the loan officer, I didn't start contacting people till friday. I called someone and also sent an e-mail to another person. Didn't hear back from them. So after a drive by some houses I found on my own on friday night...I drove by the realtor office and found out they were open on saturday's. Saturday afternoon I headed up there and just asked to speak to someone. They had someone working for a few hours to be available and she began to help me. Her name is Joy, and she knows her stuff. After her shift was over at 2pm, we went right on out and started looking at houses. We looked at 5 yesterday and then another 3 today (2 new and one again). I found one I really like, and it has an unfinished basement, but there is already a contract drawn up on it...I'll keep looking, I don't want to get into a bidding war. The next step is to wait until mid week when more houses come on the market. It's hard being patient, but I know if it's meant to be, it will be. More later

Love

Should I?

So I was talking the other day with my mom about my future in Wichita. I have decided that I've become quite picky with where I want to move next for my job and I also want to be apart of some neat things going on in Wichita. I get a lot of great opportunities here in Wichita, and am involved in some fun projects. After some talking, I decided that I should maybe start looking for a house.

This was a totally new revalation for me, I hadn't ever thought I'd be looking to buy a house this year. In fact I would have said, I don't have the money or ability to do such a thing. Moving with my job was going to be the perfect time, but now with my new revalation...maybe it's time to forge on ahead and look at homes. I'm very worried about my credit score and if I'll even be able to get a FHA loan, so we'll wait and see. I'll start digging into it this week. Research, Research, Research!

Love

June!

It's June, I've been waiting for this month to arrive for a while. Not only had the weather not cooperated with what month it is "supposed" to be, but it's the month in which SUMMER exists! I might have some other reasons, but that's ok.

My parents came down over memorial day weekend, I worked the actual weekend, but had mon/tues off. We planted flowers, and boy does my deck look good! My mom worked on a quilt when I was busy, she needed to get it done. I also did help, we had quite the little system working. We went to dinner at one of my favorite newer places....Genghis Grill which is a mongolian grill. I love it! So much food, I can have a meal and lunch then next day! Great! I did seem like I was gone most of the time they were here though, which made me sad, because I do have a great time with them. Maybe they'll come back in a couple weeks. Who knows.

On Tuesday after memorial day, the in home service repair guy called from Dell and came to set up my computer. I basically have a new computer inside the old shell. I have a new screen, hard drive, memory, fan, heat sink, ac adapter, ac cord, video card. Hopefully it will finally work like I want it TO! So far so good, but I've spent the majority of the time on it this last week setting it back up, reinstalling all the programs I had. Today I succeeded in redownloading LYX and the SSH and Xwindow's so that I can work on my journal, which is of utmost importance. I have a deadline and I need to alot time for problems and everything. No I don't have a timeline imposed by anyone that is part of the project...just that in order for me to access NC State computers I have to be a non-pay employee which I can only do for 2 years, I have till may 1st next year until they pull the plug on my access to the computers, so I need to have it done by then...So I need to alot time for it to be edited, reworked, edited and back and forth till it's submitted and then back again to please the reviewers and make a better paper...and submit officially by may 1st...If Adam can do it! I can too! So that's my thing right now. It's back up and working, now to edit figures. Oh there is a slight problem there too I guess...(I forgot this not so small problem) I have a student version of Adobe creative suite, and since my computer's crashed twice and I've put in new hardware...I haven't been able to deactivate the licenses of the software before the hard drive got scrubbed. Now I had 2 licenses and they are used and I now have 30 days to get it figured out or buy it again or something. NOT OK! I have a case # with Adobe, so hopefully they will get back to me soon, or else I'll be on the phone with them sometime soon! I have the receipts and serial number, but cannot activate it. Not fair. I need Illustrator! Oh well, life goes on and it will work out.

Well I'm off to do some more things around the apt, before I have to go to work early in the morning, it's no 6am...but 8 will be early too.

love

A 3 day weekend in May?

What to do when you don't have to work for 3 days and there isn't any weather to keep any possibility of overtime an option...well you catch up on the 60+ hours of TV shows on your DVR!!! I spent the better majority in front of the TV this week...which was honestly very nice. I know many people think I'm way lazy...but I'm sorry, it's just fine for me. I did a walk...played some Wii DDR...and even did some other things around the house and some meetings, but all in all, it was a relaxing "weekend" by the tv. I got to watch the American Idol finale LIVE...or almost live as I don't like commericials and I avoid them at all costs! I got to see Kris win...not the screecher Adam. He can sing, but the screeching is just not fun to listen to. AND!!!! I didn't watch LOST the entire season...but a week past the finale and I'm just about to finish it up. That's the plan tonight, the finale. I like it better when it's not a suspense of what's going on, I just have to quickly turn it to the next episode. I've made great waves in cleaning off my DVR.

In other news...my computer is once again dead. It's very sad, but makes me very very happy I bought the extended warranty. They are sending me yet another hard drive and memory. I replaced those in Oct '07. So we'll see what happens now, but of course it's a holiday weekend...and the part is backordered, although I'm not quite sure how a hard drive is backordered. Then a technician is coming to install and reinstall my operating system, so who knows when I'll actually have my computer back up and working. It's very sad...but I do have my old laptop whose hinge is broken...and doesn't have any up-to-date antivirus on it...and is very slow. So it works...and I keep it unplugged from the internet unless i'm on it at the time, but it's not quite the same as my other computer. It's also very sad, because I had high hopes of working on my journal article this week. I had the time, and the motivation...and didn't get it going because I had no computer. I NEED to get it done, and I have one year...so I best be getting a move. Plus I want to just get it out of my hair...and have it done with.

Well it's memorial day weekend, I'm working all weekend, but have memorial day off. Last year, I had fri-sun off and worked memorial day...so this is just my turn. Good times.

Love

A couple days off

I Welcome the next couple of days...as they are days off. I have worked or traveled a lot of the past 6 weeks and I'm ready to just relax some. I have been able to relax a little bit when not working over the past week or so, but not having to go to work will be nice. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE my job...it's just that everyone needs their down time. Because I've allowed myself some time to relax in the last week...I'm even rejuvenated enough to think about being productive on my days off. I hope to get some stuff done around the house...work on my journal article...and maybe even work on some fun things. Oh plus, gotta keep trying to clean off that DVR...it's probably 80-90% full, but I'm having better luck keeping up with it.
I will be back on some morning shifts friday and saturday, but that's ok...I'll have some nights free. It's kinda a toss up...well kind of. I LOVE being able to sleep in when working evenings, but you do that every day and it's just hard sometimes to accept that you are never free during the evenings. So sometimes I am pulled in different directions, sleep in, or have a free evening. I guess when Stephanie gets here, I'll have a better balance between the two, but then again..that means more mornings. The 3 I had in a row this last weekend were killer. How do I survive? They really are my midnight shifts!
Love

Quick Trip to Oklahoma

I got to go to Oklahoma Saturday afternoon for a quick trip. Sarah graduated with her Master's Degree Friday night and had a celebration Saturday afternoon. On top of accomplishment of a Master's Degree she got engaged Wednesday. I'm so excited for her!

I drove down after working 4 hours of work and got to Chickasha around 2pm. I not only got to see Sarah, but I got to see Amy, Margaret, Tiffany and a lot of other old friends. I didn't get a lot of time with them, but it was nice to see them. Sarah is moving up to Wisconsin early this next week and she might stop by Wichita on her way. I will be sad to see her leave Oklahoma, but happy for her and her new life.

I was also fortunate enough to meet up with the NCSU crew down in Norman to start up Vortex 2. Adam, Casey, David and Kate, whom I just met, met me for dinner at Applebee's. It was so nice to see them and catch up. It'd been a year and a half almost since I'd seen them. It's been a long time, but not so long ago in my life. Grad school was my life for 2 years...and it doesn't seem like that long ago. I'm excited for them, for the Vortex 2 adventure! Maybe I'll get to see them again.

I finished up a stretch of 3 morning shifts this morning and it reminded me of how much I hate morning shifts...especially when we are opposite with evenings. When our schedule is only days, I get use to the morning time frame..but now when I can go to bed at 3-4am...getting up at 3-5am is not fun! I'll be happy for our new Intern to arrive, but sad because that will mean I'll be back to the normal schedule. Not necessarily my idea of a fun time. But with the bad comes the good. I will have a lot more evenings free, which while I like working evenings better, I miss having some free.

I have a couple more evenings before a couple days off and I look forward to what I might accomplish this week. I don't have any big plans and that in and of itself right there is a blessing. I should be able to accomplish quite a bit, even if some of it is only watching TV and cleaning off the DVR some more.

Happy Mother's Day!

Love

Warnings

So life's moved on and I've been crazy busy! In the past 4 weeks I've worked almost 25 hours of overtime, but am happy to have done it. I gotten lots of good experience with severe weather.

2 and 3 weeks ago now were my first two experiences "working the radar" as we call it. Basically it means that I was the one issuing warnings. Neither of those days were those "classic" days that you train with, but then again, the majority of days are not the classic days. However, these days didn't come without issues.

My very first Severe Thunderstorm Warning didn't even make it out to the TV or Weather Radio. It was on AWIPS and printed out, but a 1 got in the code that disseminates it to the tv stations and weather radio etc. Everyone in the office was calm about it which was nice...didn't make me feel to stupid. I'm not quite sure how it happened, but it did. Oh well...life goes on.

My very first Tornado Warning was the 25th of April...and I was called in later that evening. The tornado warning was verified with a weak tornado that was on the ground for about 5 minutes.

Each day was pretty intense and puts a day of work in a whole other column. There's a lot riding on your abilities...and that can be nerving. However, not so much that I can't handle it. Just is a different feeling. It is fun though and I'm excited to work more events as May/June move on.

Life is finally calming down a little bit right now, which is VERY nice! I hope you are all doing well!

Love