I love my neighbors.

I ordered my mom a fairly valuable Christmas gift online - something that Sis, Dad, and I are all getting her and I am very excited about it - but I worried a lot about it being delivered at the normal mid-afternoon FedEx time. We have a great street of neighbors but lots of neighborhood wanderers that make me nervous to leave valuables on the front porch for hours. As it turns out, my suspicions were partially justified. The gift was delivered today and our awesome neighbors spotted someone prowling about looking to see if it was worth taking. They never actually made it into the yard - just walked past scoping things out multiple times - so the neighbors scooted over and grabbed it off the front porch. They literally stopped me when I pulled in the driveway to tell me they had it so...thanks neighbors for saving Christmas. More confirmation that we are where we are supposed to be.

Coincidentally, they also said to look for a regular USPS box because the mailman had gone up on the porch to leave something. It must have come early enough for Chad to bring it in because it was a Mom's Majik Mox full of the ingredients for a chicken and pasta casserole, minus fresh chicken. I have gotten a kick out of wishing they HAD stolen the box full of casserole ingredients because it would have taught them a hilarious lesson - or maybe they needed it? Either way, the Christmas gift is safe and so is the casserole. And a word to the wise (or maybe not-so-wise?) - the two paranoid, awesome, retired dudes that live across the street? They are watching out for us.

Change + Technology

I am change resistant. By nature. Completely reluctant to do things that create major change. I know. Hard to imagine for the girl who moved to India for 3 months after college or married a guy from a different state or settled on one house to purchase. I guess I don't entirely DISlike change - I just don't like it sneaking up on me. And little changes I can take - just the big stuff that gets to me. Changes that effect my daily work or life and make me alter my plans - those are the worst.

So, come about oh....18 months ago-ish, our office went to an entirely Google based system for everything. Email, saving documents, calendars, etc. - all based on Google. We use Google hangouts for meetings, share documents and work collaboratively on Google Drive, and chat on Google+ - we went in hook, line, and sinker.

Except this girl (and a few other brave hold outs).

I refused to switch over to an entirely Google based world so I stuck with Outlook for email and I use a paper calendar (I know - mind blowing.). I copied everything in both the paper version and the electronic Google version so people could use that to see where I was and schedule meetings with me but I always rely on the paper version the most. I save documents on my personal hard drive which is saved to our internal server and backed up daily in two places. I create documents in Microsoft and then upload them to Google so I have the originals.

Yesterday - our Google crashed. I mean completely bit the dust. I am not sure how everything works in the technology world but apparently all that stuff we had saved - documents, calendars, email contacts, email history, etc. - its all gone. Apparently to never return.

And this girl - not freaking out. Lots of folks are and I understand because MANY MONTHS worth of work - important, time consuming, valuable work - has been lost. There are a few documents that I had been working on that were saved on Google so that my entire team or project team could work on them that I have lost and are irreplaceable. One huge spreadsheet of research for my project team - which can't really be replicated because the info came from emails which are also now lost - is gone and that is probably what I am the most bummed out about.

But, my paper calendar and Outlook are still around. And still fine. So, here's my lesson to myself: be you and know you. If something doesn't make you happy or help you work more efficiently, don't use it. If it doesn't appeal to the way you know your brain works best, use something else - something that works for you. Don't change because everyone else is doing something - whether it is using Gmail or jumping off bridges as the old adage says or trying to keep up with the Joneses. Just be you. Paper calendars and all.

FitBit

Over a year ago, my first Fitbit went through the washing machine and met an untimely demise. (FYI: a Fitbit is a fitness tracker that measures steps taken like a pedometer, calories burned, flights of stairs climbed, etc.) Fitbits apparently don't like swimming so I was just out until I could buy another one. It has been on my wish list for a while - I was busy doing other things with my moola - so I hadn't had one in a while. My sweet friend K got me the newest version for my birthday back in October - one that you wear on your wrist instead of your pocket.

I was super excited about it - this one was water resistant! - until the very next day (literally) when I got an email that the even NEWER version was coming out soon. This one also had a watch function (the other did not so I was wearing it in addition to my usual watch and my wrist was getting a little crowded). So, K and I chatted about it and I ended up taking it back and waiting on the newer one to come out. It finally did this past week and I picked up the Fitbit Force at Target.

I've really been enjoying it...on the small screen you can tell time, see how many steps you have taken and what that equates to in mileage, see how many calories you've burned, how many flights of stairs you have gone up (you get one for every 10feet in altitude you gain so you can climb a mountain or a skyscraper), and how many minutes you were "very active" during the day. It sort of helps you challenge yourself to park a little farther from the door, make an extra lap around the building during your lunch hour, etc. One of my favorite parts about this version is that it also vibrates to let you know when you have reached one of your daily goals...a fun reminder that you go there! You can also set multiple alarms on it and it will vibrate on your arm to wake you in the morning so your alarm doesn't wake your sleeping buddy. For this first shift wife with a second shift husband, this is extra nice!

Fun gift and helping me try to be a little more healthy!

Been elfing...

I know it has been a few weeks since I've posted and there really isn't any one excuse for that. I've been busy with work, etc. but also been busy just trying to love on the people that matter. Spent some good time with family on Thanksgiving, Chad and I got out all the Christmas decorations on Friday, and my mom made an appearance this weekend to attend the annual Vince Gill concert. I've been busy working on craft projects for Christmas presents and making my house look festive for the season. I'm not sorry that I've been missing around these parts. But I still love all 7 of you.