Startin' School Off Right

This past Monday, some 17,000 students started school at SUNY Albany. One of the 4,500 grad students in attendance was none other than Ryan. As a surprise, I did a little running around to start his school year on the right foot.

I knew I wanted to get him pencils and snacks. Which meant, I needed to come up with something cute, so I wrote a poem. 

I ended up including more stuff, like the beer and batteries, to make the poem longer. As a result, I had to use my very little (alone) free time running around like a crazy person. Because if I want to run out and go to the store, Ryan perks up and we end up going together. Completely foiling my plans on secretly buying stuff. 

Thankfully I had a hair appointment and some time between work and that to speed around and search for the elusive .5mm pencils, Reese's peanut butter cups, Walmart's honey roasted peanuts (yes, he's specific), and beer. I ended up getting the beer a different day due to the stars just not aligning. And I think he would break down and cry if I ever bought him not craft. (I mentioned he's specific right?)

I gathered my supplies (I found the prettiest rock candy!) and made cute tags for them. 

Then I put them into this tomato can turned adorable pail thanks to jute, hot glue, and some of my skin that was burnt off. 

On Monday morning he woke up to find this stash, asked why I did it, and then ate eight Reese's. EIGHT. He may have has a problem. 

I think with these goodies, his year is off to a great start. 

What are you doing for your students (kids or adults) heading back to school?

In Real Life

Sometimes it's hard to remember that bloggers have jobs out in the real world. Especially for blogs that focus on crafts, music, food, or fun stuff. But alas, it happens. For me it's pretty much because Ryan's a full-time student and although he brings home a good salary (for a grad student) it's not enough for me to just lounge around and be a full-time stay at home wife. A girl can dream though.

So during that day, I stare at a computer. Looking at spreadsheets. Upon spreadsheets. Upon spreadsheets. It's weird. Sometimes I'll create these huge, magnificent, elaborate spreadsheets and I'd take a step back and think, "Damn, that's sexy." Seriously, I feel like I need my head examined.

I am lucky though. I was fortunate to get my foot in the door at a major company. Even more fortunate to move to a "smaller" although still large global company right down the road. I count my blessings that I moved into a new role in June, just one year after joining the company, and get to work with our plants around the world consolidating the financials for our operations function. 

In my new role, I've been fortunate to experience more of the "what we do" and "if this then this" side versus the controllership side. Yesterday, one of my awesome coworkers took the time to teach a handful of us our process from rock to sticky stuff.

That's random if you don't know where I work. I work at a silicone and advanced material business, where our materials are in everything. Beauty products, car paint, medical tubing? We're in that. Materials in every single manned US space flight? We're in that. The sole of the boot that first graced the moon? We're in that.

we start with this (silicon metal)...

My company doesn't have many direct to consumer products but we do have one very visible one. You've probably even used it. We made caulk. The stuff that goes around pretty much everything. We make it. I've seen it being put into the tubes. THAT is a pretty cool process. Very much like a bottling line at a soda or beer company. 

...and end up with this.

The group of people I get to work with a first class and I can't wait to see how the next few years will turn out for the business. Here's hoping!

Are you ever proud of weird work-related accomplishments? What makes you proud to work where you work?

Heigh Ho, Heigh Ho, Down the Ditch We Go

At the beginning of the summer, Ryan and I set a goal to hit 1,000 miles of cycling by November 1st. We're making good progress, with a little more than 730 miles under our belts, including today's ride. Which ended a little bumpy.

You can see our route here:

You see that climb right around mile 30? I think that's what just about did us in...

Our goal today was to hit 41 miles, which would be our longest ride to date. Ever. We started off really strong with our best pace yet going up the hills in miles 2-3. Most of the pauses in the beginning are due to us getting stuck at lights. Although after the initial hills, we did take a break. 

We took plenty of water and a few snacks. One of which I'll be sharing sometime soon. I can't wait to share it, because lordy is it good. After reaching Route 40, we took a break and had our snack, which may have also been the problem...

Anyway, 40 has rolling hills which are tough after huge hills right before it. And as you can see, we had been riding for nearly three hours already. In reality, we'd been on the road much longer (probably about three and a half hours because of stops and lights. 

Just after mile 36, Ryan was tired and struggling on the last of the hills on 40 until we hit the downhills that led the way home. We were coasting down a hill after going up the other side. Rye turned around to see where I was, because I normally pull up the rear, and he always, ALWAYS, goes right when he does it. Well, he turned right and jumped off the pavement onto the grass just off the road. Trying to over correct, he turned right (like you would do before swinging back left) and his right turn was down a 10' deep ditch. Well, he was about 3' down the hill before he ditched his bike and did a somersault down the rest of it.

Scary? Sure. He get hurt? A little bit. He okay? Thankfully, yes. And I thank the Big Guy, my parents live right down the road (like two miles from where we were) and just happen to have a bike rack. 

My dad graciously picked us up and brought us the five miles home. Ryan's gotten babied since he got home, with multiple concerned calls from my family, quad rubs from me, and icy hot on his shoulder and neck - which got the brunt of the somersault. 

We finished our day with pizza. Because after earning 1,800 calories, why not?

What are you doing this weekend? Is fitness on your to-do list?

In case you were wondering, here's my splits for the ride. Even though I'm really slow on hills, I'm proud of them because I freakin' did thirty-six miles today and didn't give up. 

This is my life?

Sometimes I sit back and wonder when my life changed. Maybe while I was busy sleeping...but right now, it's pretty damn good. 

My mom turned fifty-one today and we're going for pedicures tomorrow.

Ryan and I biked ten and a half miles then "ran" two, the beginning of our training for a duathlon and eventual triathlons. 

And then tonight, standing in the kitchen eating a snack after all that, he randomly bursted into song. I joined in and we sang the entire Spongebob Squarepants theme song. 

Sometimes I can only look back, smile, and feel so incredibly blessed.

And just like that we're back...

This month's printable comes from one of my favorite poets, Tyler Knott Gregson. I like his work so much I pre-ordered his book which comes out September 2^nd in hardcover! Let it be known that this is the first physical book I'm buying in quite the amount of time. The Kindle ruined me. Best present ever though.

Anyway, I follow him on instagram and one night he posted this picture...

...along with the words featured in today's printable. I love them. Even wrote 'em to the hubbs for our anniversary (3 years!). In honor of the brilliant photo and touching words, I had to put it into a printable so I could read them every day.

TKG Vanilla Sky

The printable is formatted to fit an 8.5" x 11" piece of paper and features the following fonts: KG Hard Candy Solid. KG Tangled Up In You 2. KG Two is Better Than One. KG Eyes Wide Open. KG Flavor and Frames.