The last two weeks

So I thought for my benefit I would write out the last two weeks of my life. It's been horrible and for a brief moment a feeling of success, which ended faster than I would have wished. I thought if I wrote out the whole process I could find out where I went wrong. So the president of my company emailed me back in the beginning of February asking if I'd move from Sales Administration to Marketing. I took on the challenge. I've been working on mini projects for the last three months. Mid February I was given our 2009 wholesale catalog copy with edits done by the director of sales and vp of development. I typed up the corrections and sent them off to the graphics guy to change. I found a lot of errors that the other two missed, so I typed up my own edits and sent them off. The graphics guy then printed out another copy and I kept finding more errors. I went through this process about 4 times. By the end of all those changes the print out went to the vp of engineering to get his final edits. It's now April 10th and the vp of engineering’s edits are going to the graphics guy to update. April 23rd the president is yelling at my boss the vp of development. The catalog is still not printed and it's almost May. He is furious, so he calls me in yelling at me because I should have taken this project from my boss a long time ago. After 20 minutes of yelling he finally said, "Melissa you're taking this on, give me a date by the end of the day when it will be completed". So I ran all over the place to all the vendors to get a delivery date and the best quote. The end of the day I committed to May 8th. My president was happy. The next week I went through the printout once more. The graphics guy did not do some of the edits I gave him. I call in my vp and we go over the things he must change. I sat next to him the whole time. He is told to make more changes before I leave that next Thursday. All day Friday I'm at the printers getting things together. We are waiting for updates from the graphics guy and he sent them over and some of them are wrong. Shouldn't a graphics guy know how to send hi-def images? By Monday, May 4th I'm going through the catalog finding changes the graphics guy never made. I'm so angry and I have the printing company's graphics guy do the changes. The last 40 images took so much time to update at the printers and the kid at my company didn't make the changes. Then I find out that the printing company is charging us for 22 hours for changes we've had their graphics guy do. My vp is angry because they didn't tell us we'd charge them. So now all changes are stop per my vp. There are a few changes I wish I still could have made, but we live without them. I deliver the catalog on May 8th. My president is not there. Monday morning he comes in angry. Why are these images wrong, why is this application wrong? I don't know. So I go get the changes the graphics guy made from the vp of engineering and there is like 30 corrections he did not make. It doesn't matter, it's all my fault. I am paid well and the graphics guy only makes $10 an hour. I should have checked all the corrections he has made from the vp of engineering even though it was done before I was in charge of the catalog. If he sends me back to customer service I will quit. I'm so angry. I worked so hard on this catalog. I cried over it, I sweat over it, I lost so much family time over it and now it's worthless. I go back to work on Thursday so see where I'll end up.

My computer is now fixed

Well it took almost 8 months, but my computer is now up and running. It's been a great 8 months in the Harstad house. We've watched our little girl grow up and had our ups and downs. It took almost 6 months for us to rent out our other house. It was such a stressful time, but the Lord knew what he was doing and we got through it. We have a great renter who wants to be there for many years so that is such a blessing. I've changed positions at my job. I'm now the Marketing Coordinator hoping to move up to the Marketing Manager. It works out perfectly because I only work part time. I love my time home with Emma-Kate. My goal is to take a lot of pictures of my daughter and continually update my blog. :) Here is a picture of Miss Emma-Kate at her good friend Samantha's 1st birthday party.

It's been awhile!

I don't know why I haven't posted in such a long time. I'm always so busy with work, church or Emma-Kate. It feels like I never have time to just sit. If Emma-Kate is sleeping I'm either working or cleaning up the house. Oh well, such is life. Now that I actually have a free minute, I hear Emma-Kate crying in her crib. I'll check everyone up soon. I promise.

Emma-Kate is walking

I can't believe it, but Emma-Kate has taken six steps all by herself this week; and four steps and five steps, two steps and many falls. She is only 10 months old and is ready to give up crawling. I don't know if I would consider her a walker just yet, but close enough. By next week I'm sure she'll be done with crawling. She loves to walk and wants us to clap for her every time she does it. She's so proud of herself. As soon as I get my camera back from my friends house I will post some pictures.

Emma-Kate's first trip to the LA County Fair

I love the fair! Every year I go and have a great time. This year was no exception. I think Emma-Kate enjoyed it too.

Us at the race track. Emma loved the horses.

Emma-Kate endorsing Coke. Aunt Heather would be so proud.

Joel and Emma-Kate at the Dog Park.

This truck was so big, Emma-Kate fit in the tire.

All tired out. Too much fun at the fair.

My crazy toddler that's only 10 months old

I have to go and buy gates tonight so Emma-Kate does not go into the kitchen and push down the trash can or climb up the stairs again. I want my 10 month old sweet pea back. The one who loves to play and stay out of trouble. I'm not ready for the terrible two's yet and it seems she's already there. I smack her hand and her leg and she just stares at me. Crap!!! She's a little me. I think my mom and dad prayed this would happen to me one day. I think every parent prays that their kids gets a little them when they grow up. Thanks for praying mom!! Oh the joys of motherhood.

Steven Curtis Chapman

Driving in the car going here and there I can always count on listening to a Steven Curtis Chapman song. I love his songs. Lately I've been getting teary eyed every time I hear him. What a tragic year he has had. To loose your 5 year old daughter in a horrible car accident. Having my own daughter now it has really hit me personally. Emma-Kate does not belong to me. She belongs to my savior Jesus Christ and for now He has allowed me to borrow her. For how long? I don't know. I just have to thank the Lord every day for allowing Joel and I to be in charge of her for as long as He permits. I pray for the Chapman family because they only got to borrow their daughter for 5 years. The family is devastated, but they love the Lord and trust in Him even through this hard time. Their faith and hope has increased and what a testimony they have. I pray that Joel and I would have the same faith and hope in a time of tragedy.