First blog

Well, I have contemplated having a blog for a while but then I think my life is so not that exciting that it would boring.. but then I think.. I've moved 3 times in 3 years so it can't be that boring, right?!  What finally pushed me over the edge in making a blog was one of my good gal pals has one that is awesome!  I suppose Brittany started one a while back but I didn't know until earlier this week when I noticed she had referenced posting how Marcus proposed to her on it... so, I mosed over to it and got sucked in!  I couldn't stop reading because it was just LIKE talking to Brit during class, after class, over some wine, on the phone, during class some more :-).  I think it's a GREAT idea to just have somewhere to catch up, share pictures, keep in touch and everything else. 


Plus, this is as good as time as ever to start a blog!  I'm starting a new chapter in my life and what a great way to document it.  So what's the new chapter?  Well, since you ask....


I just bought and moved into my 3rd house since 2008.  Yep, that's right.. that's where the 3 times in 3 years thing comes from.  Let's take a little trip back into time...


So, in 2004, I graduated high school and went away to college at West Virginia University.  I moved into the lovely dorm - Arnold Hall.  Say hello, Arnold!

I really didn't mind living in the dorm, minus the 4th floor part and no elevator and skank of a roommate that I had, which is a whole other story that is best left in the past.  I ended up only living in the dorm from August thru December.  In January, I was fortunate enough to be able to move into a beautiful 1-bedroom spacious apartment within walking distance of the football stadium!! (Priorities people!)  See how cute my apartment building was??? I LOVED my apartment! (and yes, it was a steep parking lot, but hey, it's Morgantown)

I lived in my lovely apartment from January 2005, through undergrad and grad school and moved out in June 2008.  It was a very sad day and very emotional for me.  Grad school was def. my favorite year of college and the year I made some of the best friends I will cherish forever.  (Sorry Lauren, it's your fault you weren't there for this picture, but I'm sure I will cover you later)

So, after graduating with my master's degree it wasn't all work and no play... before I started working full time with Olin, I had the trip of a lifetime.  I took my last 2 classes as part of a study abroad program in Italy.  Studying abroad was something I had wanted to do my whole school career and when it finally worked out at the very end I knew it was an opportunity I had to take advantage of.  We spent almost 6 weeks overseas and saw Milan, Asolo, Cinque Terre, Florence, Pisa, Lucca, Venice, Murano, Burano, Rome, Pompeii, Paris and Dublin.  Here's a few of my favorite pictures from our time in Europe...

This will forever be a favorite picture - this was in the

 town where we studied.

Lauren - a true friend and wonderful travel buddy!

 



Venice, enjoying the beautiful day and city




Sadly, after a wonderful summer, we had to come back to realty.  However, big changes had happened with my small family while I was away - I became an Aunt!  Miss Abbie BreAnn Kidd joined the family just a few days before I flew back to the US.  I was SO excited to meet my neice and of course, see the family. 

A few days after arriving back home, it was up to Morgantown for graduation and the hooding ceremony - my education had officially come to a close.  It was a very bittersweet time and saying goodbye to a city I had fallen in love with and made so many wonderful memories in was not easy.  The following week it was south to Cleveland, TN where I started my career as a Human Resources Generalist with Olin Chlor Alkali Products.  At first, I didn't think I would EVER learn to say that or understand what the heck the company did - now I can speak the lingo with the rest of 'em - I know my KPIs, DCS systems, up times, down times, run times, evaporators, MSDS, ORC, PPE, and so on ... what has happened to me.... I used to be so cool.. hah.  So what does Olin do?  We make Chlorine, Caustic and Bleach.. and several other byproducts but those are the biggies.. so here I am off to work for my first day as a big girl!

Oh, I guess I forgot the other BIG thing that happened in Cleveland.. I bought my first HOUSE!  I was so excited to be a homeowner and I fell in love with this house before I even saw it.  You know me, always researching everything and of course, I LOVE real estate so I knew this was MY house before I even saw it.  It was in a great location and close to everything.  Even though I only got to live in my adorable house for 8 short months I made a lot of great memories and got to experience some of the joys of home ownership... pipes freezing, small leak and weed pulling!  

Pin Oaks Circle, Cleveland, TN

Trixie and Mason

One of the best things about living in TN was getting my two baby kittens - Mason and Trixie!  They were born August 4, 2008, and I got them at the beginning of October.  They were SUCH a handfull when they were babies, oh heck, who am I kidding - they still are.  But when they were babies and had claws they used to literally climb my legs... painful.  I wouldn't trade them for anything though, they are such sweet cats with adorable personalities.   

In the Spring of 2009, I was approached with an opportunity to head down to our St. Gabriel/Baton Rouge, LA plant to help out with some HR projects for a short-term assignment.  I thought it sounded like a good opportunity and a fun way to spend the summer.  Plus, I knew a certain someone was also assigned to an engineering project down there and felt better knowing I'd at least know someone else SO far away.  So, the cats and I packed up and made our way down to Cajun Country.  To make a long story short, the short-term assignment turned into a permament gig and a promotion to HR Supervisor.  I sold my house in TN and purchased my 2nd home in Baton Rouge. 

Springtree Avenue, Baton Rouge, LA

Baton Rouge was an experience I will never forget.  It had it's ups and downs and trials and triumps.  I left Baton Rouge with about 7 years of HR crammed into a year and a half, a best friend and wonderful man in my life and... without a gallbladder (ouch!)! 


Well, that's pretty much 7 years in a nutshell.  I promise my next posts will be nowhere near this long but just wanted to throw some background in there for those of you who just know I seem to move a lot!  Last Friday, I made what I hope to be my last move for a while!!  I finally got to move back to TN for a role with the Division HR group once again.  This time I bought a house in Ooltewah, TN.  I literally saw between 100-150 houses in this area and Cleveland and just couldn't find the "one".  I looked at the one I ended up buying a few times and ended up realizing it had everything I wanted just not in the area I really wanted to be.  But, I have to admit, I'm really enjoying the area and everything it has to offer.  The 30-minute commute one-way isn't even that bad.  Gives me time to listen to Michael Buble sing to me before and after work.  So, without further ado... Meet house #3!

Peppertree Drive, Ooltewah, TN