Run Run Run

Well...it's been awhile. :)

This weekend was pretty good! Friday during my lunch break I went to the community college I will be attending and bought my books:

(yes I have matching notebooks...even though one class is online. And pens to coordinate with the color of the notebook. I'm just that anal.)

Notice the books are all USED and 3 of the 4 are small paperback novel-sized books. Doesn't matter, I tell you because:

Yep. $182. Yowza!

And I got a map of the campus and tried to figure out where I will be parking and what building I'll be in.
Classes don't start for a week, but I'm just that psycho...er...prepared.

Friday night we didn't get to hang out much and we were SUPER tired from long days, so we made it a remarkably short night. We're old. (not really)



Saturday Jason had made plans to help out at his friend's parents house so I got some crafty time (WHAT?!?!?! that never happens!) :)



So remember that flower Jason gave me for Valentines Day? Evidently part of the gift was an activity in that he wanted me to paint it. So I started that this weekend. I give you the before and after:


Oooh...I still need to do some major touch-ups as I can't outline the petals straight to save my life and the paint must have had bubbles or something for that weird uneven color but ...yay.

I also did some scrapbookimicating. (that's a technical term.) I totally jacked the title/idea for this page from THIS GIRL (you can click the link, but you may lose all respect for me as a scrapper as this is a blatent "scrapjack" or "scraplift" whichever you prefer to call it. And our styles are different, yes, so you aren't supposed to compare but we all do anyway and I lose. I'm okay with it.) and made this:

If you can't read the list it is:
*being the only person over 3 feet tall playing in the kids room at the Museum of Flight *"popping" my yawns by sticking his finger in my open mouth *calling me "toast" *wandering around each aisle at Sam's Club every time we go there *fluttering his eyelashes to get to play "just one more game" of pinball *convincing me that it really is urgent to stop for wiper fluid at 3am when it's raining outside *watching the Dirty Jobs marathon every time it's on *making silly faces in pictures that I don't see until later *listening to Sir Mix a Lot...and only Sir Mix a Lot *Pretending he isn't watching the MTV reality shows right along with me.

Yay for Scrappy Saturday.


I met back up with Jason and we went to dinner at Torero's - aww...cute. That was where we had our first date. :) I felt like having a margarita and told Jason that and he ordered me the large. Little did we know how big large was:

It was enormous!! But let me tell you...it was good. :) Yum Yum Yum.

Oh, and a boy at work was trying to tell me that his dog was cuter than Jason's dog, Dixie and I had to prove him wrong. Aren't we cute? I want to someday get a picture of me, Jason's neice and Dixie and frame it for Jason in one of those frames that says something like "my girls". I'm funny. :)

And then there was Sunday.
Sunday was the big day.
Sunday was my first 5k.

I didn't sleep very well Saturday night because I'm a dork and was having strange dreams about the 5k. Like I dreamt that I started, and then realized I never checked in so I had to run back to the starting line and check in then start over. Or that I got really lost running the race and ended up finding my way back only to be told that the route I ran wasn't a 5k and so I was never allowed to participate in one ever again.

It was weird. So I was tired Sunday but was all ready to do this thing.


I was running with Jenn and Emily so was glad to have people there that I knew but I was counting on doing the race by myself.

First of all, before I signed up I checked out the course. You would think since the run was in the downtown area of where I work (including running past my work) I would be familliar with it. I recongnized all the streets and decided I could do it.

I read the map wrong. (no joke)

This stupid race was incredibly hilly!! Everywhere we turned - hills. So running up the hill took SO much energy that I tried to pace myself and take the hills slow but since every corner had another hill, I went really slow. It was hard. It was pouring down rain. It was not fun.
But I beat all my training times by over 2 minutes.

I will never do another run without driving the course first, but I don't think I'll do another run at all for quite a while. And I'm okay with that.

Jenn and I finished at the same time:


And Emily beat us by about 7 minutes.

I was so grateful that Jason and Jenn and Emily's husbands went. It was SO much better knowing Jason would be at the finish line and that someone was cheering me on to do well. He's wonderful. And he took pictures. Because he loves me. :)

So...yeah. I look stupid in the pictures but that's okay. :) Cause I did my first 5k. :)

Guess who's back...back again..

I've been a bad blogger. I think I just don't know what to say and when I have stuff to say, I don't have time to write. Sad.
~So...update. I'm walking a 5k on Sunday. Interesting. In "practice" I've been walking 3.1 miles ...it's been okay. I'm not too proud of myself for my time yet, just the fact I've actually been doing it.
~I had my 2nd phone interview with Amazon.com - we'll have to wait and see how it goes on that one. The recruiter I've been working with is out of town this week so I'm not expecting any news until she's back.
~Work has been good...for work. I've gotten a lot done, but now I'm just unmotivated. :)
~I'm trying to register for classes for Spring Quarter (running late now) and the one person that deals with the type of scholarship I have is the most impossible person to get in touch with. That's annoying.
~I actually did some scrapbooking on Sunday. I worked mostly on my "Deck of 2007":


This is one of my favorite pages - Jason and I went to one of our favorite restaurants Jimmy Mac's for dinner and I got some pictures. Then later I found some patterned paper of peanuts on a wood floor (they do that). Fun. :)


This is a sample of what the rest of the weeks look like - simple paper, pictures on the bottom half and a description of what the pictures are at the top. Simple.
And I did this picture of Jason as an experiment - trying to stretch myself to do a layout with a BIG picture - I like the concept and the words I picked, but I don't like the overall layout. I think it's the cursive rub-ons. Hmm. Anyway. Well..that's all for now. :)

Like you wanted to know anyway

I've seen the posts people have done with lists of information about themselves and have found them interesting, but didn't know if I could come up with enough "interesting" information about myself. Yesterday I thought of a few (lets hope I remember them!) and thought "I'll just go for it" so here are facts about me: (I'll start with basics just for fun and to get warmed up.) Here goes nothing!
1. My name is Becky Noel.
2. I am six feet tall
3. I never played basketball after 7th grade (and barely played then.)
4. I have been dating my boyfriend Jason for almost a year and a half.
5. This is by far my longest relationship.
6. I am the youngest of three children, but the tallest.
7. Both my siblings are presently in California - my sister's visiting my brother who lives there. 8. My parents have been married for over 30 years.
9. At my parents wedding, 3 of the couples that walked with each other in the bridal party ended up getting married.
10. I work as an administrative assistant in the relocation department of a large real estate company.
11. I despise being an assistant - I've been one for a long time so that it's all I feel qualified for, and I know I am good at it, but I want very badly for something else.
12. I have been a scrapbooker for 11 years (since 8th grade.)
13. I was Senior Class President.
14. I used to be excited that I'd have to plan the class reunion, now I don't really want to go.
15. I run into more people from high school on a weekly basis than I'd really like to as it is.
16. I have a hole in the front of my car from an accident last year. I have the parts to replace it but I have to have them painted and I'm dragging my feet on spending that much on stupid paint.
17. I am addicted to Diet Coke even though sometimes it makes me sick.
18. I belong to a gym.
19. I actually work out there (3 times last week).
20. I am probably gonna walk a 5k later this month.
21. I have never owned my own bike. I think we shared 2 bikes amongst the 3 of us.
22. Due to this, I'm just not used to riding it.
23. I want to try because Jason likes to ride and I like to spend time with him. :)
24. Jason's favorite number is 24.
25. He has a tattoo of it.
26. I like to go bowling, but usually only do 2 games (sometimes 3 if I'm feeling crazy) cause it starts to hurt my hand.
27. We went bowling Friday night. I broke 100!! :)
28. I am addicted to all things that are strategy games. Tetris, Bejewelled, Bust-a-Move, Super Collapse - all of it.
29. Some friends tease me because I was tired and a little intoxicated one night and sat and played word games. Who plays word games when they're tipsy?
30. My mom was an English teacher and we had to speak properly.
31. Catch phrases around our house were things like "Cakes are done, people are finished." Weird.
32. I really hate it when people misspell words, use improper grammar and make typos. I'm weird.
33. I love watching MTV reality TV. 34. Other favorite shows - Greys Anatomy, Prison Break, One Tree Hill, Saved by the Bell, King of Queens, Last Comic Standing.
35. I adore Jerry Seinfeld's stand-up comedy. Never was a fan of the TV show.
36. I really like stand-up comedy in general!!
37. I abhor the sound of whistling. It's like sharp pain stabbing my ear drums.
38. My boss (who sits right next to me at work) whistles all day long.
39. I got my laptop in November on Black Friday. Totally worth it.
40. I take my cell phone everywhere. I would rather be late getting somewhere than get there and not have my phone.
41. I hate it when I can't get a hold of people just because they don't have their phone with them.
42. In 2002, I lived in a house of 7 girls. We joked that it was The Real World-Bellingham.
43. I would never live with that many girls ever again.
44. Most of my friends live far away from me. My best friend is in Alaska, and other close friends live in Dallas, Phoenix, North Dakota, Alabama and Kansas. It's sad. I miss them.
45. Jason had never had a bowl of Captain Crunch before last week. We almost broke up. (okay, just kidding.) He has now.
46. I found out yesterday he has never had Apple Jacks either. My poor deprived boyfriend.
47. I love chewy candy - Skittles, Mike and Ikes, Charleston Chew, Laffy Taffy, Sour Patch, Licorice, etc.
48. Other than Charleston Chew, I rarely eat chocolate.
49. I am terrible at pool but I like to play it. :)
50. I am extremely competitive. It's more a flaw than a fun-fact.
51. I love to go see movies. If no one is readily available to go with me, I am totally fine going by myself.
52. I saw Dreamgirls by myself on Saturday - LOVED LOVED LOVED it.
53. McDonalds has a new commercial for their iced coffees - "I had a goat named Becky. It's a great name...for a goat."
54. Becky is also the name of Barbie's friend that is in a wheelchair.
55. I did not like my name BEFORE I discovered these things. All the more reason not to like it.
56. When my sister was 7 or 8, she decided she wanted to go by Michelle instead of Shelly. So she changed. I would love to do that. It's a little harder at 24 than 8.
57. I have no idea what I would go by instead. Maybe just Rebecca. Maybe Noël (it's different).
58. Jason's sister-in-law is pregnant. I asked his niece (who is 2) what the new baby's name will be and she said "Toast". Maybe I'll go by that.
59. My favorite day out of the whole year is October 4th. I don't know why, but I love walking around saying "Ten-four good buddy!" I actually want to get married that day.
60. I love the fall. It's my favorite season (this being another reason for a wedding on 10-4. Not just cause I'm a weirdo)
61. I adore Mexican food. Actually, I adore chips and salsa, tacos with no lettuce (including chicken enchiladas) and rice and beans.
62. I really like Philly Cheese steaks, but only with Meat and Cheese. No peppers, onions or anything. Jason and his friends tease me because evidently that's not a "real" Philly cheese steak. Oh well.
63. My favorite office supply is the Label Maker. I label everything. And I color-code things. Like AP/AR is in green file folders (green like money) and anything with a deadline is in a red folder. Employee folders are teal. I'm crazy like that.
64. My favorite board games are Scattegories (which I am definitely the champion at), Taboo or Catch Phrase (as long as I'm playing with my sister, Karissa or Joanna) and Compatibility. If you have not played Compatibility, you need to. It's only available at Barnes and Noble.
65. I like doing laundry, just not folding it or putting it away. I like the part about putting dirty clothes into the washer and then having clean clothes, just not the parts in between.
66. I have taken at least one picture per week since the beginning of the year. I am making a scrapbook of "52 weeks of memories" and so far have not had to cheat on any of them. That's nice.
67. I like to wear pointy-toed dress shoes. I feel they make my legs look longer and slimmer. I'm already tall, so who cares if I LOOK tall?
68. I have (almost) decided that I will be taking Macroeconomics and Sociology spring quarter. (one in class, one online. Probably Soc online)
69. Croissants make me laugh. They are so light and flakey it's just funny! :)
70. I am obsessed with photo booths. I love them. Mostly black and white, but I love the color too. Crazy!
71. I really like the song "Now we are Man and Wife" by Michelle Featherstone, but I really don't like the title! The chorus is really pretty, then at the end she kinda off-handedly says "Now we are man and wife" and then named the song that! Sucks. Would have loved it without that.
72. I like to write with medium point blue pens.
73. My brother, sister and I used to all share the room I currently have to myself.
74. My mom forgot about #73. I had to remind her of many of the circumstances surrounding that for her to remember. Suppressed? :)
75. The walls of my room are decorated with pictures of Seattle. I adore it.
76. I really don't like to decorate. I don't have a natural talent for it, but I know what I don't like.
77.I hate picking what to eat when going out. I don't really care about food at all - I would rather have an IV set up and get fuel from that then sit and take the time to eat a meal. And it's hard picking somewhere when I don't care cause I worry that the other person/people might. Jason hates this.
78. I cough after having dairy products and my throat swells up when I have bread. Usually both can be solved by drinking some sort of liquid.
79. I went to Alaska 6 days after I was born for my dad's step-dad's funeral.
80. I'm very nervous to have children. I think I might be one of those selfish people that is just not meant to have kids. Either that, or I will lose control of myself and be one of those nasty moms that just let herself go. Lose-lose.
81. I have 4 different aspects to my "look": 1) curly hair and contacts 2) curly hair and glasses 3) straight hair and glasses 4) straight hair and contacts. Today is an Option 4.
82. I love my camera. I love that it is small, I love that it has an AMAZING zoom. I love that Jason got it for me because he knew I would love it.
83. I like to read magazines in restaurants while eating by myself.
84. I have enough air miles to fly anywhere in the contiguous US for free, only on the weird schedules like Thursday at 11:58pm and coming back Tuesday at 3am. But it's free. Where should I go?
85. My favorite color right now is khaki. So versatile! After that it would be either pastel purple or pastel green. Coincidently, my bed is purple sheets with green pillows and a khaki bedspread. Wow.
86. I get "haunted" by visual images. I'm worse than a 6 year old. Like the preview for Planet of the Apes? The visual stuck with me for months. Because of this, I don't watch any scary movies. At all. This includes Sixth Sense and The Ring. Don't tell me they aren't scary, cause you don't know what scares me. :-p
87. My favorite class in high school was English. Next would be DECA.
88. My friend and I placed Nationally for DECA doing a team event. I can't remember which one. :)
89. I saw someone get a ticket today for blocking an intersection. As happy as I thought I would be to finally see that, I felt bad, cause they were only blocking a little bit.
90.I love to see movies, but have missed some big ones: Matrix 2 and 3, Lord of the Rings (any), Jurassic Park (any) Indiana Jones (any), and Harry Potter (any).
91. I have, however, seen all 5 versions of The Parent Trap. (Haley Mills original, the 3 sequels with the triplets, and the newer one with the red heads.)
92. I randomly quote things all the time (movies, songs, etc). This wouldn't be so bad if I was quoting things other people knew!
93. My family used to record tv shows and movies so we could watch them over and over (and so my parents could screen them) so my brother, sister and I know more random commercials than you could ever imagine. Seriously.
94. I went to a private school (The same one) from preschool-8th grade. I thought public school would be just like Saved by the Bell. It wasn't. I was shocked. (I'm not kidding)
95. I have what appears to be a Magic Scale. I stepped on it and saw xx5. (the x's were real numbers, I'm just not going to tell you which ones) I waited a minute and stepped on again and saw xx4. Whoa! Then I stepped on for a third time and saw xx3. They aren't kidding when they say the weight just falls off!! However, I think it's working fine because today I weighed myself and it says I lost 4 pounds since last Thursday. That must be right! :)
96. I have a scar on my right eyebrow from taking an ice skate to the head at a New Years Eve party in Jr. High.
97. I am participating in a 20-hour benefit crop at the end of April. 20 hours of scrap booking. GEEZ!!
98. I love eating ice cream. My favorite kind is chocolate and vanilla mixed together. :)
99. I actually lived on a road called "Licorice Lane" (in North Carolina)
100. I have worked for both Cingular Wireless and Verizon Wireless. I had Verizon for about 7 months, but other than that have been a faithful T-Mobile customer. :)

The end. WHEW!! That took a lot out of me. :)

Fuming

I am furious. And I don't use that word lightly.

Today is payday. What should be a happy day is very irritating.

My boss has not sent in the paperwork for my raise.

And the 10 hours of overtime I worked last week? Only 2 count. Because of the f*****g holiday. (Overtime is only paid on hours over 40 *working* hours) So I got screwed out of an extra $150. Yeah, it's not much, but when I gave up a job that would have paid more out of the gate, have been patiently waiting for this paycheck to reflect my raise and have turned down 2 interviews with both Amazon & Expedia because of what my boss told me my current job has to offer, I'm not happy. It's the friggin principle.

I want so badly to walk out.

I think I should stay in my seat for awhile to avoid doing so.