The things you learn...

So, my new job has introduced me to the awesome world of work-from-home.  Now, admittedly, this might not be for everyone.  Luckily I work for a company who embraces the "mobile worker" idea entirely.  Sometimes I work from home, sometimes I meet up with co-workers at various co-working locations around the Bay Area, sometimes I work from my dad's office at my parent's house while my mom watches the little man.  I love it.  I have the right personality and work style to be focused and successful working remotely.  However, a home office does bring up a few realizations.

1) I'm not as tidy of a person as I'd like to think.   When no one else ever sees your office, the incentive to make sure all your files are in order and that there's not a plate of leftovers living on your desk for two days is significantly diminished.

Okay, it's not THAT bad.

2) I drink A LOT of soda.  Like, A LOT.  This isn't news to anyone who has ever spent an afternoon with me, but still.  I have an Ikea expedit desk (which I love), but this means there are for cubes that are under my desk and unseen.  I've been storing cans in there for 3 weeks now.  I just brought up a garbage bag to take them down to the recycling.  It's half full.

3) I'm not as lazy as you might think.  I don't ever work in my pajamas or without makeup.  It just doesn't appeal to me and I don't think I'd get nearly as much work done looking like I just rolled out of bed.

Okay, shoes are optional.

4) I need surprisingly little to get my job done.  Co-working at various locations around the Bay Area has made me realize how very little I need to carry around to get in a full day of work.  My MacBook, cell phone, notebook, headset (earbuds with a mic), wallet and travel mouse are really all I need to be really productive.  At home I've got a few more goodies (giant monitor, keyboard, etc...), but it feels good to be streamlined.

5) Food is not my friend.  A fully-stocked kitchen is a dangerous thing.  Especially when the only real excuse to get out of the office is to go down for a snack.  I eat far too many snacks.  I need to find a new break hobby!

If I'm not careful...

Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go take my dishes to the kitchen now...and maybe grab a snack. ;)

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18 Months

I can't believe my little bean is 18 months old.  I know it sounds like a cliche - but the time has just flown by.  I swear, every time that kid wakes up from a nap he's gotten cuter and smarter.  He is learning so fast and is just really a joy to be around.

He still doesn't say too much.  He's yammering all the time, just very little of it comes out in actual words we can understand.  His most common words (that we can understand) include car, doggy, cheese, light, fishy, uh oh, all done, yay!, uh huh, more, thank you, and, of course, mama and dada.  I was just musing today over the fact that he doesn't say the word "no."  He makes it clear to you when he doesn't want something, but doesn't actually say no.  It's kind of nice.  :)

At his 18-month check-up he weighed in at 29 pounds, 9 ounces and 2'11".  That puts him in the 95th percentile for both.  The doctor was very pleased that he is proportionate in height and weight.  I still can't believe that Geoff and I have a kid that is measuring in the 95th percentile.  He must take after his grandpa!

He loves his cars.  He takes one with him almost everywhere he goes.  He also loves actual cars.  Any time he sees one he stops what he's doing, points and says "car!"  He also loves to sing and dance.  At church, any time that a hymn starts, he climbs up onto the pew and grabs a hymn book and thumbs through it while we sing.  

Moving to California has changed this kid's life.  He LOVES going outside.  He "pets" all the plants as he walks by and loves to point out birds, flowers, grass, rocks, and trees.  I try to take him out for a walk or to the park every day after work.  Geoff just built a gate to close in our patio area as well, so he can go out on the patio and play in his new pirate ship sandbox/slide that we bought.  

He can almost do "head, shoulders, knees and toes."  He knows his head and toes and gets his knees about half the time.  He is very pleased with himself when he does it.  :)

He's the most handsome, sweet little 18-month old I know and I'm so excited to watch him continue to grow. 

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A lot can happen...

Well.  Okay.  Hi.

For those of you who follow me on Facebook or Instagram, you know that a lot has happened in the Parker household in the last few weeks.  In all the hoopla and craziness, I haven't really had a chance to sit down and document it all into a cohesive, comprehensible story. 

So, while I have a moment, I'll fill you in. 

In mid-January, Geoff and I made the decision that we felt it was important that we start looking for employment outside of North Dakota.  The San Francisco Bay Area, to be specific.  This is where I grew up and where my family is located.  We felt strongly that this is where we wanted to be and what would be best for Will and our family going forward. 

So, we started looking for jobs.  We determined it would be kind of a "first come, first serve" situation job-wise.  If I got a good offer, we'd go and  Geoff would keep looking and vice versa.  So, after a somewhat long interview process, I was offered a job as Manager, Customer Support with LiquidSpace, Inc the final weekend of March.  LiquidSpace is an exciting start-up based out of San Francisco and I'm thrilled be on board with such a great team. 

I put in my (short) notice with Allegiance on the 1st that my last day would be the 8th (so I could attend a quarterly conference with my new company that next week).  Geoff and I, foolishly, undertook the task of moving in 7 days.  We sold nearly everything we owned and gave away most of the rest because we opted not to bring a moving truck.  This was a good and bad idea as I really didn't care about most of my stuff enough to carry it across the country - but it's also really hard to prioritize your stuff in that way.  I flew out to California on the 9th with Will and we left Fargo.  Geoff stayed behind to finish emptying our apartment and load up the car with the belongings that were coming with us.  He then drove the 24 hours to California (with a pit stop in Utah) and joined us in California on the 12th.

We went apartment hunting that weekend and didn't find anything we could settle on.  But, I had to travel the following week for training (back to Minneapolis where winter was refusing to let go!).  So, I left while Geoff continued house-hunting and selected a three-bedroom townhouse for us in the town that I grew up in.

I came back on the 19th and we moved into our new place on the 23rd (less than a week ago!).  The place is perfect!  It's a large three bedroom that gives me room for a dedicated office (I work from home, primarily), lots of room for Will to play, and a two-car attached garage.  We are pretty much settled in now and really happy to be in such a cute town by the water (and about 20 minutes from my parents).

It's a little surreal to me to be back in the town that I grew up in (although my parents moved the year I went to college, so it's really been about 9 years since I've been back).  It's a wonderful, beautiful, safe, and happy place to be, however, and I'm very happy to be back.  

I've got lots more to share about our adventures and, especially, Mr. Will as he hits his 18-month mark.  He's a hilarious little man and the absolute light of our lives.  Here are a few pictures to catch you up, and I hope to be much more present on here going forward! 

The garage sale.  I'll miss my cute pumpkins and decorations.

Naptime at IKEA.

The sunset from a park nearby our new house.

Daddy and son being silly while out to dinner with the Gam Fam

Exploring the park nearby our house.

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Day Twenty-One: Something You're Proud Of

Something I'm Proud Of

Once upon a time, the Christmas after Mr. Will was born, Geoff bought me an acrylic paint set.  As a bit of a left-brained individual who struggles cutting a straight line with scissors, a gift centered on artistic creativity was unexpected. 

However, I'm always up for a challenge and to learn something new, so I embraced it and rolled up my sleeves.  I'm not one to be able to do abstract (impressionistic, perhaps), I had to find a photo that I could paint.  I decided on a newborn photo of the little man's feet. 

Below is the result.  I was really proud of this - and I really enjoyed doing it. I know the proportions are a bit out of whack, but it still far exceeded my expectations. I'll admit, I haven't done much since, but mostly because I'm unwilling to take on people, and I don't have a lot of photos of landscapes or other pant-able items.  But, I'm hoping to do more in the future!

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Day Twenty: Something You Wonder "What If.." About

Something I Wonder "What If.." About

Graduating high school and going to college is a bit of a crazy time.  Not only are you bidding most of your friends adieu and moving into a dorm with strangers, you are faced with what feels like the weightiest decision of your life - what are you going to major in (and subsequently DO for the rest of your life!). 

I changed my major 5 times.  I started school as a pre-music major (with plans to major in Media Music or Vocal Performance).  I quickly changed to pre-nursing.  Then, after doing poorly in organic chemistry and feeling like I'd never qualify for the nursing program, I changed to a major in dietetics.  Shortly after that I realized that Public Relations would be a really great fit for me.  So, I changed to a pre-communications major and started the pre-reqs to PR.  At this point, however, I was a junior in college looking at another 3 years to get my degree.  Upon further review of my credits, I realized I could get my sociology degree in a couple semesters.  So, I changed to a sociology major and kept a minor in communications. 

If I'm being honest, I LOVE sociology.  It was a natural science for me.  I did great in my sociology classes and wrote some research papers I am still proud of to this day.  I often think about going back and getting a masters in sociology and going into research.  I also think that a thorough understanding of sociological principles has had practical applications in my work life (although I am very glad I did keep my minor - as that has been very helpful as well). 

However, I regularly wonder what would have happened if I'd pushed myself harder to get into the music program, or if I'd stuck it out in nursing or, even, if I'd invested the additional couple of years into a PR degree.  I'm quite happy with my current career path and have no doubt I'll be successful wherever I end up.  But, one thing I do know, I'm not going to be a nurse or a dietitian - and I would have been good at that, too, I'm sure. 

So, I wonder "what if I'd majored in..."

If it weren't so expensive, I might consider getting some additional degrees.  But, it's just not realistic. 

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Day Nineteen: Things You Want to Say to an Ex

Things I Want to Say to an Ex

I feel like this prompt is meant for someone younger than myself.  Someone who hasn't been happily married for going-on 6 years.  Someone who is still pining over some love lost.  Someone who is still bitter of a bad breakup or bad treatment by a  boyfriend.

I am none of those things.  To be honest, I'm a girl who was pretty lucky in love.  The relationships that I had leading up to Geoff were all mostly positive.  I was treated pretty darn well (for the most part - I mean, teenagers are still teenagers) and the cases where I wasn't, well, it was a long time ago.  I'm not still sitting around wishing I could "let him have it" or "wondering what things might have been like if" because I'm with the one I want to be with. 

Geoff makes me feel beautiful and funny and smart.  He accepts me for my [many] faults and loves and supports me in all my kooky endeavors (heck, he moved to Fargo for me - that's LOVE).  He is the one and, although I wouldn't have admitted it all those years ago (8 now!), he was different from the minute I met him. 

So, sorry to disappoint, but I don't have a list of things I want to say to an ex.  Except for, I suppose, thank you for treating me well and loving me while I was growing up and learning about love and waiting to meet my man. 

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Day Eighteen: Something You Miss

Something I Miss

For those of you how have only known the Amanda that has existed for the past few years, it may come as a surprise to know that just a few years ago I was very fit.  I went to the gym 6 days a week (for over a year straight) and could keep up with the best of them. 

I miss that.  I really do love to exercise. I miss feeling like I can move with ease and run and jump and be active without difficulty.  I think probably the biggest trial when trying to get back into shape is how clunky and uncoordinated and simply not fit that you feel. 

Okay - so I wasn't quite THAT fit. ;) But, admit it, Jake (a college friend and roommate of my bro) and I look pretty convincing.  Cougar tailgating - something else I miss!

Last night, as a matter of fact, I signed up for a 30 day trial with a local gym and have the goal to get there 5 days a week (I did make it to my first day yesterday).  I did day one of this 4 Week Beginners Running Program (thanks, Pinterest!).  It was hard.  Embarrassingly so.  But, I'm going to stick with it because I know the results are worth it!

If I can make it through the four weeks, I'm considering signing up for the Fargo Marathon 5k or 10k.  We'll see. 

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