Step one of three has been completed! I have officially passed my event coordinator exam and have scheduled my case study paper for next Friday. The case study is 14 questions, but you are given a mock event to work with. You are allotted 3 hours to complete it! I am nervous, but am looking forward to being almost done. My goal is to finish by July 15th. If I can, then I am hoping to take my supervisor certification this summer as well. I think these are great programs that are recognized within the industry. I do believe this will give me an advantage later in life.
U of W continuing ed still has not posted their courses for the fall. I would like to register for at least one course. I have completed 3 of 12, plus I still have to take 6 seminars as well. My goal is to get one seminar and a course done for the fall. Then hopefully I could register for another one for winter or spring.
I have spent a good portion of the week outside of the office which I enjoyed. I attended a Manitoba Best workshop on Tuesday which is a program we offer on customer service. I have taken it before in Steinbach when I was working with Lilac in 1999. The program has made great improvements and I really left with a lot of great information.
I attended my third safety course on Wednesday. It was helpful, but the gentleman teaching was new to the course. I think he was really nervous, but he did ok. He had a senior officer with him to help when he needed, but near the end of the day she took over. I felt like telling her that if she wanted to teach the course, this poor guy could go back to his office and work. He completely humiliated him in front of the class saying one of the points he made was “bullshit”. You could see his embarrassment, especially being new to the material. I really felt she should have waited until the break to bring up the point with him if she disagreed with what he was saying.
I also spent Thursday morning at Tactica which is the company who developed our website. We were able to go through many questions and learn a few tips and tricks. Some of it was repetitive and some was stuff geared for a more inexperienced person, but overall it was helpful. Since I am fairly “tech-y”, I felt like saying “I don’t want your basic training, I want the advanced lesson”. Besides learning as I go, I have always taken advanced computer classes including advanced multimedia (and was awarded highest achievement in), CAD design, ITE, ITF, and computer science. I even took one year of the Cisco programming course. I do not need to be shown how to copy and paste into the text box……
I have a networking workshop tomorrow morning and then we are heading out to Riverton to finally see my sister and Jay’s place. I am excited to see the school where she currently teaches, the community who wrote letters to her during the wedding excitement, and of course their house. I have heard a lot about it, but now it will finally make sense. I cannot wait! We are bringing out the 2 boys, but they will stay outside. We are also dog-sitting my parents dog Meela so she will come out with us too. Joel thinks she will be fine since she is used to being outside at Lilac, but we will see. We are planning on bringing out the tent so we can stay, but have informed Sarah that we may leave Saturday night if the dogs are bad, or the weather changes.
I booked an appointment with a naturopathic doctor which I am nervous and excited for. I am hoping they can “balance” me so I have more energy and feel more like myself. I felt great when I took the natural vitamins from True Star when it was around, but have not been able to find any multivitamins that make me feel the same.
On Monday I actually was able to actually complete 9 holes of golf! I shot a 48 which is terrible but I had fun and considering this was my first game of the season I am happy with that. The women on my team are all very nice. We have a “leader” of the group who took me awhile to warm up to, but I don’t mind her now either. I am excited to improve my game and I enjoy getting out.
I am golfing in a BP tournament on July 8th. I am on a team with Korine (She was the closest to my age when I worked in the office, and who I enjoyed the most), Andrew (my old boss) and Ryan(my cousin). I am looking forward to that tournament since I can finally catch up with my old crew and have a fun day with my cousin that does not involve home improvements. That is the problem when your cousin does plastering and your husband is an electrician.
I have another seminar on Monday for “writing for the web” which should improve our electronic newsletter which I develop every month for MTEC, and quarterly for SAFE. It is a 2 hour class and I think it will be extremely helpful. I also registered for my first “webinar” for “optimizing your site for top search engine ranking” next Thursday. I like the additional education and training I am receiving here. It really does make a difference, and I am learning a lot about many different fields.
I spent a wonderful evening yesterday with my friend Dana on the patio of GG Gelati. We spent time catching up, discussing life, future plans, and our previous life at BH. Dana and I went to school together since grade one, although she was in a different class. We spent most of junior school together and became even closer when we started to play sports together in middle and senior school. (in private school we are not called elementary, junior high and high school although it is the same thing) Actually the reason I ever tried out for sports is because of Dana. I was never “the jock” prior to grade 7, but because it was something she was interested in, I decided to give it a try. I played volleyball competitively until grade 10, basketball until grade 12, doubles badminton, and almost any other sport the school offered. (with the exception of soccer, rugby and curling)
Well I am off for lunch, enjoy ~
Peanut & Lady "Bug"
Friday, June 19, 2009
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Everybody's Workin' For The Weekend......
It seems lately I have been swamped with post work commitments and activities. I always have this ideal weekend planned of really doing nothing except reading, playing on the computer and watching movies. Joel and I have been extremely busy the past few weeks, and there is no clear end in sight! Although for the most part I enjoy these activities, or have signed myself up for them, I am starting to miss my introvert ways.
This weekend we hosted Martin’s birthday (Joel’s dad), which was a huge success! I was pleasantly surprised with how the food turned out, especially because it was my first attempt. I was thankful to have the help of my mom and dad as I don’t think I could have done it myself. Joel was extremely sweet on the Saturday too, running out to get all of my last minute forgotten items.
I have yet to golf a full round from the women’s golf league I joined; however I did have a good clinic on Sunday. I actually missed Joel’s cousin’s wedding shower to attend the clinic. The clinic focused on driving, which although I am not terrible at, I would like to improve. I do not drive far, but usually straight. This clinic taught me that it is not necessarily how hard you hit the ball that leads to the distance it travels, but also how you follow through. I admit fully that I am nowhere close to a perfect swing, as it just feels slightly unnatural to me. I would like to go to the driving range more, and Joel has offered to join me. Luckily, there is one just down the street from us, so we hope to make it out soon.
I donated blood last week which was rewarding in itself. It seems silly to me that I am always looking for ways to donate and this simple one always seemed like a chore. I have thought about it for a while now, but thought it would be inconvenient or time consuming. Really, it wasn’t that bad at all! It took about 1 hour door to door. There was free parking, really friendly volunteers and nurses who answered all my questions, and a little café to eat after your donation. I even arrived one hour early to my appointment and they accommodated me. The prescreening takes the longest where they are a bunch of “high risk” questions. They even have a section you can decline your donation of blood without anyone knowing in case you are just hoping for a HIV test. That seems silly to me, but at the same time you know they have a rule for a reason. There is a time limit between donations, so I cannot give again until the end of July. I will be happy to donate again though.
I have signed myself up for the event coordinator certificate at work through a program we administer called emerit. emerit is a nationally recognized program, and kind of like university for the tourism industry. I take my test on Friday, needing a 75% to pass. Once I pass that exam, I will have an interview and case study to complete and then I will need a letter from Boston Pizza to make me an official event coordinator.
I am also taking multiple SAFE Work course from Workplace Safety and Health. I have attended one last week, and have scheduled one a week until the end of June. They are great to get me out of the office for a day, but also to help build my safety knowledge so I am a better resource to Christine.
Next week I am also attending a one day workshop called Manitoba Best. It is a customer service workshop which I took when employed with Lilac Resort. It was helpful, but that was years ago and I am sure the program has changed.
This weekend composters go on sale from the city of Winnipeg, and I plan to be a proud owner by Saturday morning. Although I will be going in my sweats, I am happy to invest $30. Joel and I do not currently have a garborator, although I have been whining about one since we moved in, and I feel this is a fair compromise. At least it is worth trying at any rate. I have read a bit about it, and plan to compost with success. Joel says he is slowly turning me into a hippie, and I think he might be right. I am proud to say I ride my bike to work on occasion, however will be more proud when I can say often. I am a vegetarian, and try to buy organic when possible. I plan to attend the St. Norbert market to purchase locally grown vegetables this year, and although we are not the greenest family out there, each of our little steps are helping.
This Sunday marks the annual JDRF walk at Assiniboine Park. As some of you know, I volunteer with them periodically. I have created a media release for distribution after the event, and tried to help increase the awareness of the event. It is tough though since they spend no money on advertising. They are competing against a lot of other great causes, who although are also not for profit, do account for advertising dollars in their budget. A lot of marketing is based on previous purchasing, and potential for future purchasing. A space that would normally sell, cannot just be donated to each and every charity. This leads to my dilemma – how can we get great media coverage without being willing to pay for it? I have added the event to every online resource I can find, but ultimately that only reaches a certain target market. I need to start getting creative, but between school, work, school at work, golf, family, and being home, I just really am having a hard time fitting this in.
Joel and I have decided against a winter vacation this year. Instead we will be finishing our basement renovations. Joel has actually changed the basement plan altogether and I couldn’t be happier! He is removing our basement stairs, extending our kitchen and dining room upstairs, and increasing our storage and laundry room downstairs. This will make our house have more usable space. Currently our kitchen is not set up ideally for a family. One person can cook in there, however with limited counter and cupboard space; it can make for a hectic dinner. We also have built in appliances right now which I have wanted to replace with ordinary oven/stove combo. Our stove is a white ceramic top, but I would much prefer a black top. (Even if the oven itself is white.) Now these kitchen renovations are a long way away, but just knowing there is something practical that we can do to make this space more appealing is great news!
For now, the laundry room will be bigger and have some decorating down to it. I hate our laundry room. It is dingy and dirty and I wanted it to be more welcoming. I am down there a lot it seems, and as time passes, it will only become more a station for our home. Joel and I have agreed to put down linoleum, even though the floor will still be uneven, this will make it easier to mop. We will put a proper door with a handle so it can actually shut and we will be putting curtains along one side of the room to block the furnace, water tank, etc. Originally I thought a wall, but Joel says we cannot do that so close to the appliances so again this is how we can make it work. This will block the “yucky” side of the room. Joel is also dry walling the other side and adding lots of shelves for me. Our house seems like it has a lot of storage space, but really it has a lot of useless storage space. Things like Christmas decorations are easily stored as you only need them once a year, but for everyday storage items, extra cans of soup, etc. we have little room. We also plan to remove one of our freezers, to gain additional space too.
I am excited for all the changes coming, but I am also feeling a little overwhelmed right now too. I am hoping things slow down for the summer so Joel and I can both enjoy being married and spending time together. That’s all for now – Enjoy!
This weekend we hosted Martin’s birthday (Joel’s dad), which was a huge success! I was pleasantly surprised with how the food turned out, especially because it was my first attempt. I was thankful to have the help of my mom and dad as I don’t think I could have done it myself. Joel was extremely sweet on the Saturday too, running out to get all of my last minute forgotten items.
I have yet to golf a full round from the women’s golf league I joined; however I did have a good clinic on Sunday. I actually missed Joel’s cousin’s wedding shower to attend the clinic. The clinic focused on driving, which although I am not terrible at, I would like to improve. I do not drive far, but usually straight. This clinic taught me that it is not necessarily how hard you hit the ball that leads to the distance it travels, but also how you follow through. I admit fully that I am nowhere close to a perfect swing, as it just feels slightly unnatural to me. I would like to go to the driving range more, and Joel has offered to join me. Luckily, there is one just down the street from us, so we hope to make it out soon.
I donated blood last week which was rewarding in itself. It seems silly to me that I am always looking for ways to donate and this simple one always seemed like a chore. I have thought about it for a while now, but thought it would be inconvenient or time consuming. Really, it wasn’t that bad at all! It took about 1 hour door to door. There was free parking, really friendly volunteers and nurses who answered all my questions, and a little café to eat after your donation. I even arrived one hour early to my appointment and they accommodated me. The prescreening takes the longest where they are a bunch of “high risk” questions. They even have a section you can decline your donation of blood without anyone knowing in case you are just hoping for a HIV test. That seems silly to me, but at the same time you know they have a rule for a reason. There is a time limit between donations, so I cannot give again until the end of July. I will be happy to donate again though.
I have signed myself up for the event coordinator certificate at work through a program we administer called emerit. emerit is a nationally recognized program, and kind of like university for the tourism industry. I take my test on Friday, needing a 75% to pass. Once I pass that exam, I will have an interview and case study to complete and then I will need a letter from Boston Pizza to make me an official event coordinator.
I am also taking multiple SAFE Work course from Workplace Safety and Health. I have attended one last week, and have scheduled one a week until the end of June. They are great to get me out of the office for a day, but also to help build my safety knowledge so I am a better resource to Christine.
Next week I am also attending a one day workshop called Manitoba Best. It is a customer service workshop which I took when employed with Lilac Resort. It was helpful, but that was years ago and I am sure the program has changed.
This weekend composters go on sale from the city of Winnipeg, and I plan to be a proud owner by Saturday morning. Although I will be going in my sweats, I am happy to invest $30. Joel and I do not currently have a garborator, although I have been whining about one since we moved in, and I feel this is a fair compromise. At least it is worth trying at any rate. I have read a bit about it, and plan to compost with success. Joel says he is slowly turning me into a hippie, and I think he might be right. I am proud to say I ride my bike to work on occasion, however will be more proud when I can say often. I am a vegetarian, and try to buy organic when possible. I plan to attend the St. Norbert market to purchase locally grown vegetables this year, and although we are not the greenest family out there, each of our little steps are helping.
This Sunday marks the annual JDRF walk at Assiniboine Park. As some of you know, I volunteer with them periodically. I have created a media release for distribution after the event, and tried to help increase the awareness of the event. It is tough though since they spend no money on advertising. They are competing against a lot of other great causes, who although are also not for profit, do account for advertising dollars in their budget. A lot of marketing is based on previous purchasing, and potential for future purchasing. A space that would normally sell, cannot just be donated to each and every charity. This leads to my dilemma – how can we get great media coverage without being willing to pay for it? I have added the event to every online resource I can find, but ultimately that only reaches a certain target market. I need to start getting creative, but between school, work, school at work, golf, family, and being home, I just really am having a hard time fitting this in.
Joel and I have decided against a winter vacation this year. Instead we will be finishing our basement renovations. Joel has actually changed the basement plan altogether and I couldn’t be happier! He is removing our basement stairs, extending our kitchen and dining room upstairs, and increasing our storage and laundry room downstairs. This will make our house have more usable space. Currently our kitchen is not set up ideally for a family. One person can cook in there, however with limited counter and cupboard space; it can make for a hectic dinner. We also have built in appliances right now which I have wanted to replace with ordinary oven/stove combo. Our stove is a white ceramic top, but I would much prefer a black top. (Even if the oven itself is white.) Now these kitchen renovations are a long way away, but just knowing there is something practical that we can do to make this space more appealing is great news!
For now, the laundry room will be bigger and have some decorating down to it. I hate our laundry room. It is dingy and dirty and I wanted it to be more welcoming. I am down there a lot it seems, and as time passes, it will only become more a station for our home. Joel and I have agreed to put down linoleum, even though the floor will still be uneven, this will make it easier to mop. We will put a proper door with a handle so it can actually shut and we will be putting curtains along one side of the room to block the furnace, water tank, etc. Originally I thought a wall, but Joel says we cannot do that so close to the appliances so again this is how we can make it work. This will block the “yucky” side of the room. Joel is also dry walling the other side and adding lots of shelves for me. Our house seems like it has a lot of storage space, but really it has a lot of useless storage space. Things like Christmas decorations are easily stored as you only need them once a year, but for everyday storage items, extra cans of soup, etc. we have little room. We also plan to remove one of our freezers, to gain additional space too.
I am excited for all the changes coming, but I am also feeling a little overwhelmed right now too. I am hoping things slow down for the summer so Joel and I can both enjoy being married and spending time together. That’s all for now – Enjoy!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)