Last Day

It's my last day. I am all packed up and ready to go. I know I am going to cry as I say goodbye to everyone. 5 years is a long time. A lot of big things happened in my life while I worked here. My coworkers have become like family since I see them more than some of my actual family members. Looking back there have been so many good memories. Here are a few of my favorite:

• The YES polybag and apples. The YES polybag had been sitting on Elizabeth's desk for weeks. When Patrina brought in apples from her mom's tree and I wanted to take some home, I grabbed it from her desk to use. I thought it was a genius solution! A few days later Elizabeth was going crazy wanting to know who stole it from her desk and she was blaming everyone in the office - except me ofcourse.  Patrina and I watched, didn't say a thing, and laughed at her. After a few months, we finally told her who took it.
• Ladies Lunches. All the times I had lunch with MB, Lori, Patrina, Elizabeth, and Jen. We are one crazy group. No tomatoes. Dressing on the side. Veggies instead of french fries. Extra lemons. Crispy bacon. No ranch, add mayo. I'm sure the lady at Chili's hates us. We will have to plan a ladies dinner now since we are all spread out.
• My Surprise Bridal Shower. It was a week before my wedding. Another coworker was pregnant and due the same month. She met me at the back door with a huge smile on her face and rushed me into the office. She was like look - the only thing I saw was a sign for a baby shower. I thought, how nice of everyone to give her a baby shower. She then informed me it was a bridal shower too. Somehow I didn't see the other sign hanging right next to the baby sign. The office planned a potluck and got us both gift cards to celebrate our special day.
• The Rooster. When the editorial staff was moved from the Gilbert office to Mesa before us, we found a big ceramic rooster left in one of the pods. When it was our turn to leave, we packed our boxes and I thought we said goodbye to the rooster forever. On my first day in Mesa, I came to my desk and found that darn rooster sitting at my desk. Patrina had slapped one of my stickers on it.
• My Goodbye Lunch. I was so touched by all those who made it to my lunch to say goodbye.  

Things I'll Miss

• The Everything Bagel - not really but had to include that on here somehow.
• Dot & her need to find out who printed on her printer. Gotta love Dot!
• Annette and all her funny stories. She is probably one of the funniest people I know. I remember the advice she gave me when I got married. You'll never love anymore more than your husband, but sometimes you'll just want to take a hammer and beat him with it. Classic.
• 3 weeks vacation, 1 week personal, and 2 weeks of sick time : (
• Chatting with Lori everyday
• The monthly birthday celebrations with cake
• Newspapers at my disposal

Farewell!

Sick

This is the face of a very unhappy boy.

Zander has been sick since Sunday. You can tell he isn't feeling well. The smiles and laughs have been replaced with lots of tears and a runny nose. He spent the day yesterday in his jammies watching movies and cuddling on the couch with his Aunty Kylie. He didn't want to play at all.



When he got home, he took a short nap and didn't want to eat dinner. The only thing that made him happy was watching Baby Signing Time.

He hasn't been sleeping well either. He falls asleep for 20 minutes or so and then wakes up crying. He is so restless. Needless to say, the past few nights have been hard on us since he has been sleeping through the night for the past 4 months. I normally have him for half the night and then give him over to Devin to take care of for the remainder of the night. Get better little guy!

A Boy & His Daddy

The Park

Zander and I have a favorite new activity - we take walks together to the park. It is so nice to get out of the house and enjoy the beautiful winter weather we have been having. Zander enjoys exploring the neighborhood in his stroller and loves when I push him in the swing. I love seeing his sweet smile and hearing him laugh.

Ready, Set, Go

We now have a crawler in the house. Boy oh boy. Watch out!

For the past few weeks Zander has been moving himself around with his hands. He couldn't go far, but managed to turn himself around, move backwards, and get everything within arms reach. In the past few days he has been pulling his legs up into the crawling position and moving his feet. He hasn't quite figured out that you have to continue to move your arms and legs at the same time. It's so funny to watch his little face. You can tell he is concentrating so hard to get it. Sometimes it's magic and he is moving. Mostly with some bribing. He loves the tv remote. Sometimes he kicks his feet a little too hard and he is face first into the carpet. I know he will get it in no time and then Devin and I will be in for a new world of fun! It's time to start baby proofing the house. 

A Walk to the Park

New Job

I have been looking for a new job for awhile, hoping and wishing for the day when I could finally leave the Republic. I started there as Lisette Sorensen - 22 years old, fresh out of college, and single. Now 5 years later, I am leave as Lisette Merrrill - 27 years old, wife, mom, and with all the knowledge and skill I could take from the positions I have held. I am definitely ready for a change and to challenge myself with this new position.

On January 31, I will start as an Account Manager with FetchBack.  I know it will be a lot to learn, but I am so excited for this new opportunity and the growth possibilities with this new company. Plus I get to hang out with Jen Field again! : ) Thanks to Jen, who used to work at The Republic, I was able to get my foot in the door and my resume in HRs hands. After two interviews, I was offered the job today. 

My last day will be in two weeks and I plan to take my rooster and this picture with me. This picture has been hanging in my cubicle for the last year. It was taken over 2 1/2 years ago at a goodbye lunch for Renee who was leaving the company. It has most of the former Gilbert office people - except for Patrina and Lori. Not sure where they were that day, but I drew them into the picture one day when I was bored. One by one everyone has left and Elizabeth even came back to the company. I started checking people off and kept this at my desk for the chance to check myself off when I gave notice to leave. Finally, I can check myself off! I am sure the cleaning lady probably thinks I'm some crazy person for having this picture in my cubicle. 

What the heck?

This is Zander's new noise. A little freaky huh? He started doing it on Sunday when we were at church. There we were sitting in Relief Society trying to pay attention to the lesson when he pulls out this beautiful noise. I had never heard it before and have no clue where he got it from. It makes my throat hurt hearing it. 

A Smelly Situation

Today I was pooped on. I'm not talking solid pebbles. I'm talking runny, shoot right out of the bottom poop. I knew this day would come and I honestly thought I would freak out. The smell. The mess. Yuck! I was surprisingly calm. I just laughed, picked up some wipes and started cleaning it up. How could I be mad at this sweet face? I truly am a MOM.

7 Months Old

Weighs approx 16 lbs. * Sitting up by himself. * Likes to touch and eat his toes. * Has two teeth. * His hair is getting thicker. Papa says it looks like Zander is wearing a toupee. * Hates getting his nose and face wiped. * When sitting down, he moves his feet in a circular motion. * He still cuddles with us. * He is eating 3 meals a day. Tried meat for the first time and likes it. He is starting to hate vegetables so I have to sneak it in when I feed him. * Celebrated his first Christmas and got a ton of new books and toys. * Isn't crawling yet and gets really frustrated that he can't move over to you or grab that toy just out of reach. He can move left, right, and backwards so essentially can move himself in a big circle. 

Goodbye 2010. Hello 2011

2010 has come and gone and this was a great year for us! Here are some highlights that I will never forget. 

- Every little second of Zander Reed. He came into the world with a bang and has forever changed our lives. I can't imagine life without him now.  

- Becoming a mom. The greatest & most rewarding job ever. 

- Getting my braces off. 

- Showlow trip with our friends for the weekend. The most relaxing & fun vacation.

- Devin passing his Comp TIA Network+ exam.

- Celebrating our 3rd wedding anniversary.

- Starting this blog. 

- Going on a road trip to San Diego with our besties Jason and Charlotte. 

- Zander's blessing. 

- Being pregnant & loving it. Can't wait until the next time. A bonus was being pregnant at the same time with 3 of my best friends - Jamie, Charlotte, and Kassidy - and my sister in law Megan.

- Spending time with family - 4th of July in Pinetop, Easter & Thanksgiving in Showlow, Family Reunion in Sedona, Christmas with everyone

- Camping trip at the lake with Merinos & Clawsons
- Cutting my hand with a knife and getting 3 stitches in my hand. My first stitches and trip to the ER.

- Cake concert

It will be hard to beat 2010, but I am excited to see what this year has in store for us. Here are my resolutions for this year. 

- Stop sleeping away the weekend 

- Find fun things we can do as a family

- Attend the temple more frequently

- Be more patient 

- Cook dinner more often & find new recipes to add to my normal routine

- Declutter & reorganize the house

- Find a new job

- Be more active & workout

- Be on time for church. We go at 8am now!

New Years Eve 2010

For New Years Eve we had a party at our house with some of Devin's siblings and cousins & their spouses - Kiley & Ryan, Olivia & Jarron, Sheree & Rob, Megan & Eddie, Lauren & Jason, and Tyler. It was a lot of fun hanging out with everyone since we normally are only all together at the family reunion. We played some games, ate some yummy treats, played Rock Band, talked, burned the Christmas tree, and counted down to the New Year together. Here is to a great 2011!