I'm Still Standing

Job update:

So we had a meeting with the KU Provost yesterday to find out where all the fine arts staff are being placed once the School of Fine Arts is no more (effective July 1).

Thankfully, I am going to have the same job in the reorganization, so I will be the Director of Communications for the new KU School of Music. I just keep my job but I get to focus on the new School of Music since the fine arts school will no longer exist. I get to keep my office and work with the same faculty and whatnot that I'm used to working with in music. I just won't work with the art and design folks anymore (art is moving into the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and design into the School of Architecture and Urban Planning). I'm excited b/c now I can really focus my energies on one school--the music school--so my marketing plan can be much more strategic. Before this I always felt like my efforts were spread way too thin b/c of all the folks I had to work for and b/c of budgetary limitations. I'm excited for the opportunities this presents, and I'm excited for the music faculty and students b/c they've wanted a separate School of Music for over 30 years now. This will be a fun opportunity for fundraising and marketing, and these two things will go hand in hand.

Some folks were moved into different areas and they did not take this news well. The meeting yesterday was pretty dramatic, so it's been kinda testy here at work. But overall I'm happy with the results and I'm very thankful that the Provost's Office really kept their word and retained everyone's positions. In this market depression that means so much. I wish people would think of that more often/keep things in perspective.

Anyhoodle, just an update on my job. Lots of work to be done!

ek

Baby Curry!

Leah and Dan had their baby boy last night (January 27). He weighed 7 lbs. 13 oz. and his name is Benjamin Hadden Curry. Congrats!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Bea and Ben, I love it!

The Prestige vs. The Illusionist

So we were talking to our friend, Locke, about how much we liked the movie The Illusionist. We love getting recommendations from Locke b/c he is an online movie reviewer for Red Box. Locke said he liked it but highly suggested we watch The Prestige b/c he favored it over The Illusionist (they are both movies about 19th-century magicians). So, we watched The Prestige last night, and the verdict is in. I LOVED IT SO MUCH. So good. It stars Christian Bale (love him) and Hugh Jackman. Andy loved it, too, but, he thinks The Illusionist just barely beats out The Prestige. I disagree...loved both movies, but I think The Prestige wins. Andy wants me to add that the reason he prefers The Illusionist is that it's purely fiction, whereas The Prestige is more science fiction/fantasy. I don't want to give away any of the plot, so that's all I'll say about that.

Any thoughts? Any of you seen one or both? For the record I didn't think I'd like either movie (19th century magicians? Sounded like snoozers to me...and I was scared b/c The Illusionist had Jessica Biel in it b/c I really don't consider her much of an actress, but she wasn't bad), but they were both very good, and the plot twists were fabulous. And, I don't mean to toot my own horn (toot toot!), but I did figure out both plot twists at the very end. I made Andy pause The Prestige while I shouted out the ending...he was amazed at my genius. :) I don't think the movie was predictable at all, though. In fact, it took us a few twists and turns to figure it out.

Quick kids update: Gus is still talking up a storm, and our new favorite phrase is: "Oh my gosh!!!" He just started saying that yesterday and it's really funny. Miss Cleo jumped from 14 lbs. 3 oz. to 15 1/2 lbs. in just 2 weeks! That's what happens when she gets over the flu and starts eating like a champ. She has her 6-month appt. in a week or so, and she's getting over an ear infection now. We all have colds (except Andy, of course!), but nothing too bad.

Our camera is dead on batteries, so no photos as of late.

More later...

25 random things

So a Facebook friend of mine sent me this post and I then filled it out and sent it on to friends of mine. It's 25 random things about me. I thought it was fun (I'm a sucker for these things) so I thought I'd include it here as a post. I love learning random things about friends. I hope other Facebook friends do the same post!

1. I suffer from Ranidaphobia (fear of frogs). No joke.

2. I worked for a summer at the Clinton Parkway Hy-Vee at the meat and cheese "island" while attending KU. Don't eat the ham salad and I highly suggest staying away from the really cheap turkey, as well.

3. I dated a guy in high school (he was from Topeka) who I later found out was a self-proclaimed Satanist and he also stole cars for fun. I was aiming high with that one.

4. I pick up on song lyrics very quickly and have a great memory for them. I remember the most obscure lyrics and parts of random songs--it freaks my husband out. It's my gift to the world.

5. I shared a bedroom with my (5 years younger) sister until I was well into high school. That's what happens when you have 3 girls and only 2 bedrooms, and I was the middle child. Boo hoo.

6. I was a lifeguard for three summers in a row. I saved a kid once.

7. I saw a kid die in high school. He was playing basketball and my girls bb team was watching the game before we had to go into the locker room. He fell down and died on the court. I saw the EMS folks do a trachiotomy on him but it didn't work.

8. I LOVE to kareoke and sang "Magic Man" at my bachlorette party.

9. I have always yearned to learn to breakdance but have never had the chance. I would take a class even now.

10. I shoplifted for the first (and last) time from Casey's General Store in my hometown. I stuffed a pack of tan pantyhose down my shirt. I felt so guilty I never did it again. Catholic guilt, I tell ya.

11. I absolutely love squeezing candy bars until they explode in their wrappers. I know this is super weird, but it's really cathartic for me. My favorite one? Probably Reese's P.B. Cups.

12. I was a pretty darn good volleyball and softball player in high school. I hit 3 home runs (one of them a grand slam) in a game against our rival softball team, Osage City. I sucked big time at basketball, though.

13. I was also in four musicals in high school and was lead in two of them (Bye Bye Birdie and Lil' Abner). I loved acting and singing. Now when I think of it I get super embarrassed!

14. I had a senior photo taken with my drill team outfit and poms poms (awesome, I know). My hands were under my chin and the poms poms were next to my face. Oh, I also had a spiral perm at the time. The photo shop had it made into a huge poster to hang in the window and my parents still have it. It's absolute blackmail material.

15. I have no patience for riddles or puzzles. None.

16. When I was younger I wanted to be either a cartoonist or an actor on SNL.

17. My husband and I have a goal to own a second property someday to use as a vacation home. We have our eyes on Michigan (on the lake) or possibly Florida. If we hit bank someday (ha), we'd love to buy a condo in Chicago, too. One can dream.

18. I've never been to California. I have a handful of friends or relatives who live there, so I hope to visit someday soon.

19. I think Christopher Guest and David Sedaris are both gods.

20. I still have a crush on Gary Oldman.

21. I still love Pearl Jam. They were my first and will always be my last. I would love to meet Eddie Vedder someday (under normal circumstances...when I met him at a concert in Wichita and screamed like a child, well, that doesn't count).

22. I own close to 20 pairs of flip flops.

23. I met my husband at KJHK. I was his "boss"--I was Music Director at the time and he was on my music staff. So funny.

24. I quit a babysitting job in college by having a friend call in for me and leave a message on the main voice mail while we were extremely drunk (at 2am on Sunday morning...I was due to babysit that Sunday morning at 9am). My friend's message said that I had "personal issues" that I had to deal with. Then I ran into the coordinator for the church daycare at Dillon's on Mass Street about a week later and she was really concerned for me, so I had to fake having personal issues. Bad Erin.

25. These "getting to know you" lists are absolutely guilty pleasures of mine. Can you tell?

Flight of the Conchords is the bee's knees!

So Andy and I have the first disc of Season I of Flight of the Conchords and OH MY GOD IT'S AMAZING. After about 30 seconds of watching it I told Andy I honestly felt like the two dudes in it had created this show just for me. It's hysterical and I love the two dudes in it...love them. Andy and I were absolutely cracking up throughout, and although I know we would've been able to watch every episode tonight, we've decided to try to pace ourselves. We just watched two episodes tonight and we'll watch a couple more tomorrow. There are six on this disc, and there are a few more discs to complete Season I. I'm pretty sure Season II is just now coming out on HBO, so I'm going to follow this show as closely as I can (without actually having HBO!). Maybe we'll splurge and get HBO...I would honestly think about it just for this show! The songs are just too funny, and it's like a weird musical or something. God, where has this show been all my life? :)

Other than being blown away by the awesomeness that is Flight of the Conchords, I finally got Andy on Facebook! I've been rather smug about it because I knew he would love it once he gave in to the temptation. What's funny is that Dave Dierks (Andy's Dad) also started an account, and we had no idea he was even considering it!

The kids are good. Both have colds, but nothing too bad. Cleo is suffering from some weird face rash right now. I think it could be a "post viral rash." I remember Gus had one of these right after he had been sick, and it went away after a week or so. Cleo's rash resembles what Gus had, so I'm hopeful it will pass soon. She is truly so happy when she's in her Johnny Jump Up. She bounces around so much it almost scares me a bit even though I know it's safe. Gus is just talking so much these days. He's been pretty defiant, too, so that's been interesting to deal with. He makes us laugh so much. He looks out for Cleo, too. If she's unhappy gets very worried about her and runs to get one of us. He will give her kisses (on her head) pretty frequently, so that's fun. I think it will be super fun when they are old enough and big enough to actually play together.

That's it for now. Hope everyone is well!

That's what he said

I have to capture some funny things Gus is saying these days, so here goes:

• If we ask him to do something that he agrees with he says, "Oh, okaaaayyy." It's funnier when you hear him say it in his little chipmunk voice.
• If he thinks something is funny he says "That's too punnny" (funny) and if he thinks something is neat he'll say "That's too coooool."
  
• He likes to point things out to Cleo quite often. He'll say things like, "Keee-o, look at my choo choo!" or "See, Keee-o?" She isn't always paying attention, but I'm sure a time will come when she will.
  
• Right before Christmas Gus was taking his daily poop. He was using the wall as leverage for the deed (holding on to the wall while he pooped...hilarious) and Andy asked him if he wanted to go poop in the potty. To this Gus answered, "No! I want to go poop on the wall." Andy and I tried our best not to crumble in fits of laughter. I realize what he meant, but it came out sounding so gross. And someday he'll hate me for telling everyone about this.
• We're slowly but surely trying to potty train Gus. We don't want to rush him, so we're taking it slow. Basically we ask him quite often if he wants to use the potty. He usually says, "Oh, okaaaaay" but then when he realizes he has to actually use the potty, he backs out. Now he knows that he'll get an M&M if he uses the potty, so we often here this: "Mommy (or Daddy), I want a piece of candy." To which we reply, "Well, if you use the potty, you can get a piece of candy." To which he replies, "No, I don't want to use the potty! NO!!!!!!! But I want a piece of candy!" It's fun.
• The other day he was reading a Curious George book. There was a page where George was holding a bunch of balloons. He pointed to each balloon and said, "I want to be that balloon, that balloon, that balloon, that balloon and THAT balloon. Alright." Then he closed the book and moved on to the next thing.
• He calls our cats by name now. Ruby is "Rudy," Charlie is "Karlie" and Funny Face is "Punny Pace." He often chases Funny Face around the house b/c she is the nice cat and will often put up with his overbearing affection (he literally lays on her sometimes b/c he's trying to hug her...we have to tell him to be gentle). Needless to say, Funny Face runs away from Gus because of this and I often hear Gus walking through the house calling, "Punny Pace, where are you? Punny Pace!!!!!!!!!!!!" He will stand by the stairs leading to our basement and shout down the stairs "Punny Pace!!!!!!" It cracks me up.
  

Cleo is such a mover and shaker these days. She rolls all over the place. The other day she literally rolled over like 3 times in a row, and basically rolled across the rug. I can tell she really wants to crawl, which scares me. She's cutting teeth, too. We're trying to break her of the swaddle at night b/c she's moving around so much. It's harder on us, I think, b/c I know we're going to have some rough nights ahead trying to break her of it. She loves the baby jumper and the Exersaucer right now. She also loves her Bumbo seat. We started feeding her baby food just this week and so far so good. She has tried peas, squash and peaches mixed with her rice cereal. I'm still nursing her but I've decided to stop pumping at work, so I'm sure my supply will dwindle soon. I will miss elements of nursing, I know. But she is so distracted these days and has a hard time focusing on the task at hand so it takes forever. :)

Andy's company just went through another round of layoffs. No fun. He still has a job, thank God. But his position has changed and he'll have new accounts, probably mostly on the West coast. We'll see how it goes. It's so scary these days. I am supposed to find out later this month or early next what my new position will be with the restructuring of the School of Fine Arts. Considering all the craziness going on right now I'm happy that I'll at least have a job after all this.

Oh! I almost forgot to mention that Tom and Marisa announced they are expecting baby #2 sometime in August. Yahoo!

New Year's Resolutions

I'm taking a page out of Cherie's book and listing my resolutions for 2009 so I can put them on "paper" and keep track of them. Otherwise, I just have fleeting memories of them every once in awhile and I end up feeling terribly guilty for not applying myself! Here we go...

1) Exercise 2-3 times a week. I've love to do more, but this is realistic with two small kids.
2) Lose the remaining 10 lbs. of baby weight. This will basically put me back at my pre-Gus weight.
3) Go on more dates with Andy and work on not taking each other for granted.
4) Learn how to sew. I will enroll my Mother to teach me...she doesn't know this yet.
5) Take a knitting class. Try really hard not to give up like I did with my crochet class.
6) To quote Wayne Simien from a recent story in the Lawrence Journal World, Andy and I want to "increase our level of giving, not our level of living." Be more philanthropic.
7) Stop cussing...I've cut back quite a bit since having kids (listen to me, I sound like a smoker or something), but when I get mad, the profanity is my cartharsis. I can do it.

Happy 2009!

What a great holiday

Our holiday was really awesome. We had an early celebration the wknd before Christmas with my parents and sisters. Then we spent Christmas morning at home opening gifts with the kids and later drove down to Burlingame to spend the rest of the day with Mom and Dad. It was so relaxing and mellow. We loved it. We were also able to visit with some extended family Christmas night.

We left for Iowa City on Saturday, December 27, and made it there with no issues (the ice and snow was pretty bad in Iowa that day). We stayed in Iowa through January 1 and spent some great time with Dave and Sally, Lindsey and Anthony and Jenny, Aaron and Eli. The boys, Eli and Gus, absolutely had a blast with each other. I didn't realize how much fun they would have. When they weren't together they were looking for each other. Gus really misses Eli and has asked about him numerous times today. It makes me sad, b/c they really bonded. But hopefully we'll get to see them again sometime this summer. It was so great to spend some time with Aaron and Jenny, especially since we hadn't seen Aaron in a couple of years (he had been in Iraq for his second deployment and returned in August). We drove into Chicago for a day during our visit and visited with Grandma Benseman and Great Aunt Sue. We were also able to drive into the city to meet a friend for lunch in Wicker Park. I miss the city, but I realized that I am really happy living in Lawrence. It would be really hard to have two kids in the city, and I think pretty lonely. But it was awesome to visit again.

We all got some amazing gifts. Our families were so generous. Our main gift to each other this year was a flat screen tv to replace the box tv we have downstairs. It's not huge or fancy, but it's nicer than what we had. That's good enough for me! I also received a purse from Andy (he designed it with Kerry at the Plaza Lille store). It's awesome. Andy and I both got some Marc Jacobs perfume/cologne, so we'll smell yummy. :) It was pretty funny that we got Eli the same gift that Jenny and Aaron got Gus...band in a box. We started the open the gift to Gus and realized it sounded very similar to the gift we had just wrapped for Eli.

We also went on a double date with Jenny and Aaron on New Year's Eve. We went to an Italian restaurant in downtown Iowa City and had such a nice time. It was so nice to just get away without the kids and spend some quality time with Jenny and Aaron. I really wish they lived closer to us. Alabama is so far away, but it was so great to hang with them over the holiday.

The only bummer about our trip was New Year's day when Cleo suddenly started puking. We ended up taking her to the emergency room at the Iowa City hospital b/c she was puking, was super pale and pretty listless, although we also knew she was exhausted. I'm glad we went in, b/c she was pretty dehydrated and after guzzling some Pedialite, she seemed to rebound. They think it was either a weird fluke virus or a weird reaction to soy formula. So we're off the soy formula just in case that was the issue.

Here are some photos of the trip. Many more posted at our flickr account. Happy New Year! We are so thankful for a wonderful 2008 and are very hopeful for a fantastic 2009. It will be a fantastic 2009 if I can get my sweets-lovin' bottom back to the gym (and off the chocolate...).