First week on the job!!

So, this week has been an absolutely crazy week and I am also realizing that I have quite a bit of updating to do on the blog. Agenda for this post- brief job info, Dr's update, finally furniture/house pictures, & maybe that will be it. ;)

This was my first week on the job at Study Island, which is technically now under the umbrella brand of Archipelago Learning. There are three products: Study Island (K-12), Northstar Learning (post-secondary division- where I will be working), & Teachers Web. So, they are trying to have one name that is over the whole company, although everyone still refers to it as "the island" or "Study Island". So, I just thought I'd let you all feel as confused as I have been on what I should actually call my place of employment. :) There are I believe around 250 employees that work within Archipelago Learning and there are so many components that I won't even bore you with the details, but I sure have learned a lot this week. Monday and Tuesday I was in the office getting my cube set up and meeting lots of people as well as starting to learn the system a little bit. Wednesday through Friday we have been at the Annual Sales Conference which was held at the Palomar Hotel in Dallas. Oddly enough it was run very similarly to how my previous sales meetings were with Merck, but the biggest difference of course being there were a little over 100 people in attendance vs. the 3-5,000 that were at the Merck meetings depending on what groups were represented at one time. I have to say my favorite part about the company was how laid back everyone seems to be and how much they joke around with one another. We truly spent a good amount of the meeting laughing through different presentations due to the presenters being funny or the slides they were presenting. There are a few practical jokers as well that I'll have to be sure to stay on their good side so the joke's not on me next time! I got to meet some more people and am starting to finally get a hang of some of the names. I know that will get better with time as well. My boss, Julie, was in town from Michigan since she is the Vice President of Sales and I got some time to get to know her better and learn from her as well. There is still a lot for me to learn, but I am ready to get in there next week and start getting my feet on the ground. For now though, I am thankful for a weekend after a long past few days of meetings all day followed by cocktail hours, and dinners that lasted pretty late into the evening. So, enough on the new job, but more to come in following weeks.

Mike has had a good week at AT&T and carpooled with me the first two days this week which allowed us to take the HOV lane. He also has a rental car this week while his car is currently in the shop to be fixed from his accident. He was very helpful around the house the past few days while I was busy at the sales conference. He busied himself with feeding Toby and getting some house chores done, which I found EXTREMELY helpful. We still have some last minute cleaning and setting up to do before Meg & Derek's shower tomorrow, but in general we are ready.

Last Friday we had another Dr's appointment where the Dr. decided that we were 14 weeks instead of only 12, which puts us at 15 weeks right now. It's crazy how the time can fly on all of this. So, it looks like we are also sticking to our January 21, 2010 due date for the time being. We were also very excited that we were able to schedule our next appointment where they are planning to try to determine the gender. So, ladies & gentlemen mark your calendars because August 24th we should hopefully know if this little one is a boy or girl!!! :) We cannot wait to find out! Either way we will be so excited, but it'll be fun for planning purposes and starting to narrow down a name as well. So, with that said this week we will be adding a voting poll for you to cast your vote for whether you think Baby Campbell is going to be a boy or a girl. I think it will be fun, so be sure to cast your vote!

Coming up: Wedding shower tomorrow, August family birthday party-Sunday, & Next weekend- trip to Ruidoso, NM with Mel and Hahns!

Finally, as promised (especially for you Nanny) here are some photos that those of you who do not have facebook may not have seen of our house with some of the furniture in it. Also, new curtains that my Mom made for our bedroom. Enjoy!!

Formal dining room

Formal living room

Master bedroom- New curtains

New curtains

Our bedroom

Guest bedroom

New living room furniture

New living room furniture

New living room furniture

Last week of "vacation"

Well, it's been busy and it's been fun, but my months of unemployment will officially end Monday morning as I start my new job in Dallas. I am excited to get into a routine again and I know Mike is excited for me to be earning a paycheck as well. It is a little bittersweet knowing I can't just go hang out with family, take random road trips, or shop or sleep in until whenever I want, like I have the past few months. However, I definitely needed the break and I believe I've caught up on all the sleep lost in the past few years, so new job "here I come."

I am also happy to be almost starting my 2nd tri-mester by the time I start the new job. I am 12 weeks this week and this past week I have already started feeling much more energized and haven't felt queasy in quite some time so I am definitely ready for the next few months ahead. I have another Dr's appointment on Friday so you will get an update on that next week.

This weekend I enjoyed a lovely shower for one of my best friends, Mariann Weathers in Fort Worth. It was great to see all the wonderful gifts she got for her son, Logan who is expected in mid-September. It was also the first time I had seen her since she first found out that she was pregnant and hadn't shared the news with us yet. I have been following her pregnancy through her blog, but was very excited to finally see her in person. I am planning a little weekend to visit her at the end of August in Tyler, TX so I am very excited about that!!

Not so happy news, Mike was in his first car accident on Friday. Luckily it was fairly minor and he was just fine. His car was pretty sad looking, but it's just a possession and obviously his safety comes first. So, I took the car to Sterling for the Allstate estimate on damage today and looks like it will be around $2,000. Our deductible is typically $500, but because we had good driving/accident forgiveness in our policy and hadn't had an accident, we are only going to have to pay $100 for the damages and the rest is covered. We are very thankful for car insurance!! In fact, they also include a rental car while the car is in the shop being repaired which will start next week and they said to plan it to last 5 business days. Regardless, we are ready for it to get fixed and happy it won't cost an arm and a leg. I really have been so happy with Allstate and our coverage so far. So, if anyone out there doesn't have home or auto insurance or is looking to change I would be happy to refer you to the office our policies are out of. The lady I speak with is named Cathy and she is always so helpful and explains everything to me which is great! Enough of my insurance plug...

This weekend we plan to clean the house and get the yard ready in preparation for a couples shower that we are throwing my friend Meg McLaughlin and her fiance' Derek Kretschmer next weekend on Aug. 1st. We are also going to visit the Campbells in Plano for swimming and dinner on Saturday. Then it's off to work on Monday for me and starting Mike and my carpool to Dallas. Other than that, decorating is still slowly continuing in the house and I finally have the half bathroom almost completed with hand towels, a new rug, soap dispenser, trash can, & Kleenex cover. Now I just need some kind of art work for the walls that will match my chocolate brown and gold/khaki color scheme. Mom has also almost completed the draperies that she is making for our master bedroom. The fabric that we chose is so beautiful and I can't wait to see them hanging up. More pictures soon with the completed projects. Have a great week!!

EMILY GOT A JOB!!!

So, there are lots of things going on in the Campbell household and quite a bit to celebrate as well. First of all, I am happy to report that I recently received a job offer and accepted it! On July 27th, I will be going to work for Study Island in Dallas, TX as an outside sales representative promoting their new Northstar Learning program. This new software is designed specifically to meet the needs of community colleges and I believe trade schools as well, to help students pass necessary exams such as "Developmental Math & Reading", "GED certification", etc. I will find more out about the product once I start working. As it is a new product launch, there are only 4 sales representatives on this side of the business, so I will have responsibility for all of the Northeast Region of the US and will be reporting directly to the Vice President of Sales. While this job is technically "outside" sales, headquarters is in Dallas and I will be doing a majority of my work from there. I may have some opportunity for travel to trade shows, or meeting face to face with customers. I am very pleased to have this new opportunity and hope that I can do as well as I believe the company has faith that I can. I received many flattering compliments from management and just hope their expectations aren't too high to meet.

Next, tomorrow is my last day of my teacher's training at the Arlington Convention Center. Even though I am taking the job with Study Island, I had already paid for my teacher's training so I felt it most beneficial to go ahead and complete it and see what information I could take away possibly for a later time in life. However, I am not going to take my content certification exam because it is my understanding that this would expire and each test is $200 to take. So, I will wait until the time comes when I am more serious about going straight into teaching to complete this portion.

Baby news... not much going on right now (at least on the outside). This week we are entering Week 11. This past week is the first time I have noticed a consistent bump in some of my more fitted dresses/outfits. I've even received some comments from family members about it. At first it was a little weird to see, but I'm getting kind of excited to see something that I can associate with all the "growing" that is taking place inside. By the end of this week the baby will be the size of a lime. (CRAZY!) It has nail buds forming and ears are reaching their final placement. It also says the sex differentiation process is forming and within the next 3 weeks will be complete. I am going to go ahead and put in writing that I have this weird feeling that it is going to be a boy. I always thought that I would have girls, maybe because I grew up with all girls in my household. The Campbells side always has boys and my mother-in-law has always believed we will have boys too. So, I suppose only time will tell if I am right or wrong, but for now that is my gut feeling about the baby's gender. Our next Dr's appointment is July 24th.

This past weekend we didn't have too much going on. Mike worked quite a bit on the yard and pulling the infamous loads of weeds that the former owner left for us. He's done a great job. I believe the beds are ALMOST ready for mulch. Yay!! Sunday we went to church at Crossroads once again and then I spent the afternoon mostly napping. Sunday night we went to Fort Worth for dinner at the Keene's house for the family's to get together and celebrate the babies that are on the way. In case you missed that plural or were confused by it, my older sister also recently found out that she is pregnant and she is 3-4 weeks behind me. 2010 is going to be quite a year!

Coming up this week: Dinner with Matt & Vivian, Dinner with Lane & Erin, Thursday night- Harry Potter movie w/ Mara & Twin, Friday night- Welcome Home party at Mara & Ty's house for the "Twin's Return", and Saturday Mariann's baby shower!! Yay for a busy, but fun week!

Lastly, I have to brag and post some lovely flowers that my husband thoughtfully sent me last week. They are so beautiful and I just love receiving little surprise gifts. He is so sweet!! Thanks sweetheart!! :) :)

Happy Independence Day

I feel so behind on my blog that I'd like to apologize in advance. It is hard to believe that it is already July and its as hot as can be! First off, Happy 30th Birthday to Mike's brother Matt!! He celebrated number 30 on July 2nd. Other July birthday shout-outs, Grandma Gaynor July 10th, Mimi Roberts & JC July 18th, Mariann Weathers July 26th, and Kate Box July 30th. :) We love you all and wish you the happiest birthdays.

A week and a half ago we had a Dr's appt with our new OB/GYN, Dr. Linda Prentice and I think she is just great. We are very happy that we won't have to do anymore hunting to find a new one. We will plan to deliver at Harris HEB (under the new Texas Health group). We were also able to get our first sonogram and see the baby's heartbeat for the first time. It was really amazing to be able to see him/her already and also incredible to read about all the changes that are happening with this little one in the next few weeks. Isn't God's creation just amazing?!? We sure think so!! I haven't scanned the sonogram picture in just yet, but I will try to do that soon. I do have a few photos to share this week so we can remember what my tummy looked like "pre-baby". I took pictures of my stomach at 6 weeks (the day we found out) and also at about 10 weeks. Not much going on just yet on the outside, but I'm sure it won't be long. We have been getting several questions about whether or not we will be finding out the baby's gender or keeping it a secret. My answer is a resounding "YES!!" We can't wait to find out and will certainly share the information. I'm not too sure at this point when we can find out, but I think around early September perhaps? Other than that I've been feeling pretty well, tired many days, but not always and occasionally a little queasy really just in the morning. (imagine that!) I am very thankful that I've not been sick thus far, but ready for the boost of energy I've been hearing about in week 14!! :)

On the job front, I had a face to face interview at Study Island for open positions of either Inside Sales Associate or Account Manager. I was informed by the manager that I should hear something back early this week. I did get an email from the Vice President of Sales this evening wanting to schedule an appointment to speak with me Thursday about a possibility of a post-secondary position available that would report directly to her in their new division called Northstar Learning. I still have some questions about what this new sector will look like and if it would be a good fit for me.

Additionally, this week I started my training sessions for the Texas Teachers Alternative Certification Program. There are 7 sessions from 9am-4pm held at the Arlington Convention Center. I was surprised by the number of attendants today and would guess that there were probably between 400-500, which was much larger than I expected. Today's speaker was really great and talked primarily around classroom experiences, best teacher and worst teacher traits, our goals for teaching, what to expect in an interview, and best practices to get hired, etc. Tuesday and Wednesday will be four sessions around Classroom Management. Next week we conclude with Lesson Designs/Planning & other assessments. I have to admit that I am torn by the possibilities that these two career paths could present for me and the uncertainty of in what capacity I will want to work after having this baby. Take an extended leave? Go back part-time? Take the normal maternity leave and then straight back to work? I have to admit I never pictured myself working after starting a family and now that I'm at this point I'm just not sure how I will feel and whether or not it is fair to myself or my future employer to start something that could possibly end or be different in 6-7 months. Please say a prayer for wisdom and clarity for me around the whole job situation.

Last, but certainly not least, Happy 4th of July!! We celebrated this past weekend with our great friends, John & Kristy Wood, who came up to visit us from San Antonio. They arrived Thursday evening and we relaxed at the house and had a movie night. Then on Friday we took them on a tour around Fort Worth, since Kristy had never seen it and John had only seen the hospitals. We took them all around the TCU campus and showed them our old dormitories and all of the new things that had been built since we graduated. We also went by the sporting fields, the Greek, and the business buildings. Then we took them down to the Historic Stockyards and toured the old Main Street and even got to see a longhorn up close and on the street! We were hoping to catch the routine cattle drive, but were about an hour late. We drove past Billy Bobs, but unfortunately didn't take the opportunity to go inside. (Maybe next visit we'll see a concert or something) For lunch we thought it was only appropriate to go to Joe T's, not necessarily for the food, but the atmosphere and since it's a Fort Worth original. After lunch we went to my parents home to swim for the afternoon followed by some wonderful ribs, potatoes, and squash casserole prepared by Mom & Dad. It was a busy day, but a fun day. Saturday we woke up and drove to Southlake to Mike's sister-in-law's parents' for a day of swimming, brats, and for the guys (and non-pregnant ladies) floating beer pong. Rather entertaining on the water if I may say so myself. We had a wonderful time and it was nice to spend the day relaxing in the sun and water. I know I definitely needed that. In the evening we drove back to Grand Prairie and enjoyed a WONDERFUL fireworks show just down the street overlooking Joe Pool Lake. Sunday, we went to a different church than we have gone the past two weeks, called Crossroads Bible Church. I think we will plan to visit again next week and maybe even attend one of the adult Bible classes to see if we think this church would be a good one for us to get involved.

I think this concludes the events of the past two weeks. I'm sure there are things that I have left out, but I can always fill in the gaps in the next post. I wish everyone a happy and productive week and here are the pictures I promised! :)

The test the day we found out for sure- June 9th

Belly (or lack thereof @ 6 weeks)

6 weeks

Approximately 10 weeks

Approximately 10 weeks