Anyone who knows me, knows that I come from a big family. I am the second oldest of six children and there are four of us girls. My two brothers, the poor saps, learned at a very young age to look at the floor and walk swiftly out of the room the second one of our neatly-plucked eyebrows raised at one another.  
Don't get me wrong, my sisters and I love each other very much. I'd do anything for any one of my siblings but there is something to be said about sharing the same DNA with someone - specifically a female - and how they can really get your undies...er...in our case, VS panties in a bunch.
I'm not going to try to generalize this topic because I think my situation is extremely interesting only because my sisters and I are so close in age, we practically do everything together and we have several similarities.
A couple of years ago we issued this "No Sister Left Behind Act" which means if one of us decided to make plans, we had to invite all of the sisters and, of course, our mom - she's the ring leader and the one that keeps us in line when she can. The point of this act is to ensure we spend time together and that no one gets left out. 
There are, however, some unspoken/unwritten rules about this act that still come back to bite us if we don't abide:
1.) Mom is always invited.
2.) Even if we know one of us can't make it, you still have to call that person and tell them about the outing in the event they want to change plans.
3.) If more than half of us are crabby, the remaining have to stay happy to show us how ridiculous we are being.
4.) If #3 doesn't work and we're all bitches: "Houston, we have a problem. Abort mission. I repeat, Abort mission!"
5.) Movie dates and pedicures are always stand-by outings.

So, if you're rolling your eyes and thinking my family is crazy, don't despair (I didn't think you would actually despair about this). We're not always this extreme with our rules nor are we always PMS-ing She-Hulks ready to bust out of our City Pants to wreak havoc on unsuspecting victims.  Half the time we're joking with each other about the "No Sister Left Behind Act" but it is something we do to make sure the girls in our family are spending time together. It's really nice having a built-in network of girlfriends that you don't have to be afraid to be a bitch to every once in a while.

The bigger point here is that I am very lucky to have my mom and my sisters(and my bros and dad for that matter). I know we drive our brothers, dad and husbands absolutely insane but we understand each other and support each other when the need is there.
I pray that my daughters experience this kind of relationship with each other and don't forget about me when they plan their girly trips!
Below are some pictures of my family.
Picture #1 from left: Patti, Me, Mom, Vicki and Liz
Picture #2 from left: Patti, Me, Vicki and Liz
Picture #3 clockwise: Dad, bro Zach, my husband Rob, bro Alex and Liz's husband Steve. My other brother-in-law (Vicki's husband) was not here that summer as he was serving in Iraq.

Today started out fairly difficult. I had to bring Claire into the doctor so instead of bringing Samantha to my sister's house in Fond du Lac (that's where she goes for daycare) and coming back to Oshkosh to the doctor and going back to Fondy to drop Claire off, I decided to bring both the girls into the office for a few hours before our 10:30 a.m. appointment. Not the best idea.
Let's be real, the office is not a place for a two-year-old and a six-month-old. I came prepared with the necessary tools: rattles, DVD's, crayons and snacks but that didn't help me when Samantha (my two-year-old) was afraid to go to the potty in the public bathroom. There's nothing like negotiating with your child in front of your co-workers.
Soon we were on our way to the hospital to have Claire checked out and upon our arrival, Sam decided she was "weally, weally scared of the elegator (elevator)". It just seemed like everything was a challenge today. A double ear infection and one bottle of amoxacyllin later, we were on our way to Fond du Lac to drop off the girls and for me to head back to work.

I was thankful to be back in my office by 12:30 p.m. and plugging away at my To Do list. I had much to do today and was supposed to meet some girls from work at 5:30 p.m. for dinner in Appleton. A week or so ago a couple of girls in the office planned a girls night out for a bunch of us and tonight was the night. It was amazing! Great ambiance, half-off martinis and a three course fondue meal for $18/person! Everything was so delicious and the company was fantastic. We chatted about relationships, our love for cheese and chocolate, graduation and how we're spending our Furlough Day tomorrow. It was so nice to get out and talk with adults and have no interruptions.

I'm fully expecting another Reeve Union Ladies night in April and am completely looking forward to it. Next time Lisa, I'll drive. :)

Cat-napping on a beach, bonding with buddy on a road trip, volunteering at a homeless shelter, or just enjoying the deviation of the norm. Spring break can mean different things to many people.

To me, it means empty hallways, cleaning my office and a guaranteed parking spot in the lot across from Reeve Union. One of the many things I love about my job is the fact that you can never get too comfortable before the environment decides to change. Working on a college campus is both unpredictable and rewarding at the same time. I walk around Reeve and campus with my little notebook and constantly update my To Do list because my day-to-day duties are contstantly changing. 

My work life is segmented into four separate chunks of time: fall semester, winter break, spring semester and summer vacation - which is extremely nostalgic of elementary school because you are always looking to the next thing coming up hmmm.....sound familiar?.  Since my job largely rotates around my student employees and their projects, my projects often fall to the wayside until I can pick them up again when I have time - like spring break.

So regardless if you are reading this from your Cabana in Mexico or on your blackberry in your car (which you shouldn't be - it's dangerous!) I hope you think of me this spring break as I attempt to organize myself again before all the students come back.

Hopefully they will be well-rested and refreshed to get stuff done!

Life is chaotic, hectic and unpredictable. When I was in college I used to think, "I can't wait until I graduate. My schedule will be straightforward and I won't have to deal with homework. I can just go to work and come home."
Well, that only lasted for about a year or two. As a non-traditional student I was already married while I was in school so by the time I graduated, I was already thinking about buying a house and having a family.
Do you ever catch yourself forgetting about the moment you're living in and only concentrate on the future? If you do, you're not alone. Although some may not categorize "future planning" as a weakness, I often take it to the next level by antagonizing over the details of what I want to accomplish versus celebrating my accomplishments.
 When I sit down with my student employees and the conversation turns to their future, my goal in the discussion is for them to realize what they are doing now and make the best of it. Work harder, go above and beyond and make the most of their experience in Reeve Marketing. This is the only time in their lives where it is excuseable to make mistakes that won't cost them a boatload of money. Once they get to the real world, it's time and money and no one has sympathy when either one of those are wasted.
With that being said, I'm making a manifesto to continue to be a planner but not go overboard. I'd like to enjoy what my life has to offer right here, right now: a wonderful husband, two amazing little girls, a rewarding and challenging career, family, friends and, of course, shoes. 
Speaking of which, I cannot wait to see Sex and the City 2 coming out this year! Stay tuned on that. In honor of my accomplishments in life, both personal and professional, I posted a few pictures to share - my wedding day, graduation day and the living room of our first home. Enjoy!

 This week has been absolutely crazy at work! We have our official grand opening of the B&G Grill (stands for Black & Gold Grill) and Taste of Nations: Africa next week so planning is in full swing.
It's been so much fun to work with the Office of International Education and meet students from various countries who have chosen to study at UW Oshkosh. Over the last several weeks I've been working with students from Nigeria and Ghana: Promise, Nana, Kingsley, John and Jonpaul have donated their time to provide some cultural awareness on their native countries.
In addition to the presentation, Nana will be showing off her skills and getting the crowd involved with an African dance. She tried to teach me some of the moves the other day but instead of a dancing queen I felt a little more like Patrick Dempsey in Can't Buy Me Love.
Although I won't be gracing the stage with my sweet dancing, you will find me at the event taking pictures, video and getting feedback. I'm looking forward to seeing it all come together. If you're on campus that day, check it out! Anyone can come!