Work – Page 2 – Blondie Birdie

The cupcakes I made for work today. The fingers- made out of sugar- are edible!

Good Morning, everybody- and Happy Halloween! Despite an unusual past 24 hours- which saw a freak storm roll through Massachusetts and down trees, power lines, and cause major power outages across the state- it’s one of my favorite holidays and I’m already having a great time. We’re having a themed party (complete with costumes, decorations, and snacks!) at work today- and then tonight I’ll be taking my niece Trick-Or-Treating before we sit down to watch some classic horror movies and enjoy a pizza- my favorite tradition when Halloween falls on a weekday.

It goes without saying that October is probably my most adored month out of the whole year- and this past October was definitely one to remember. I spent a lot of time with my friends visiting new (as well as longtime favorite) haunted-and-horror-themed attractions around the New England area- like the Jack-O-Lantern Spectacular at Roger Williams Park Zoo, the annual Rock & Shock Convention in Worcester- and checking out a double-feature screening of Friday the 13th movies ON Friday the 13th! I also got to share some more of my favorite seasonal recipes and show off a couple of treasured, “spooky” pieces from my wardrobe.

This past weekend, I was able to finally unveil one of two Halloween costumes I prepared for this year (I’ll be able to show the second one a little later this week after I get some photos in it today!) at my friend Alyssa’s annual Halloween bash where I got to catch up with some old friends for the first time since the Summer. I went as Georgie from “IT”, including the post-Pennywise-inflicted wound and the S.S. Georgie in my other hand. I didn’t expect it to be as big of a hit as it was- but everyone seemed to really, really love it- which made me happy.

And although I had originally made plans to go camping/”glam”ping as well as visit the real town of Sleepy Hollow this past month- my friends’ schedules, and my own schedule- made actually being able to put those plans into motion a little difficult. I’m not fretting too much about it, though- since there’s always November (or December- weather permitting!)– and I had a lot of impromptu fun regardless!

Why was my schedule a little tricky to maneuver around? Well- the big, work-related news from this past month is that I got promoted at my job! I start with a new team in a new area of the company beginning next week- and I’m so excited to get started! I’ve put everything I have into my career, and it’s so thrilling to see my hard work pay off as I advance myself. I’m truly grateful and appreciative and eager to continue challenging myself as I set new goals to work towards.

So, what do I have planned in November (apart from moving my office?)– well, I’ve got a few Thanksgiving recipes to share, some travel days ahead of me before I get too preoccupied with the impending holidays, some colder-weather ensembles I’ve put together to pose in and some miscellaneous reviews of various products I’m putting together to post up here on Blondie Birdie.

But before I jump into that- it’s time to party!

Have a safe and kick-ass Halloween, everyone! I can’t wait to see all of your costumes!

– Ashley –

This past Saturday marked the five-year anniversary since my father passed away, and while I was content with just spending the weekend by myself where I could reflect and grieve quietly- some of my co-workers had a different idea- and I’m glad I went along with it because it ended up being really, really fun.

I love the people I work with. They’re all intelligent, brilliant at what they do, and are incredibly easy-going and funny on and off the clock. Some of us usually get together once a week or every couple of weeks to have drinks and/or grab food after hours- but this past weekend we all journeyed to a campground in the middle of nowhere, Massachusetts to do something a little different- catch an Eddie Money concert. If you’re not familiar with Eddie Money, the over-the-top persona- then you have definitely heard some of his hits on classic rock radio, at least- like “Two Tickets to Paradise” or “Take Me Home Tonight”.

One of my co-workers picked up tickets for about ten of us to catch the afternoon show at Indian Ranch, a campsite located off of the shores of Lake Chargoggagoggmanchauggagaugchaubunagungamaugg (Yes, that’s the real name. No, I have no idea how to pronounce it.) I hadn’t been there since I was a little kid- and had all but forgotten it was a real place until we arrived on Saturday after grabbing a couple of beers at a little bar down the road.

The venue and outdoor stage area was actually really nice- with impressive sound that carried over the crowd and all the way to the water where we were standing to watch- so we could see/hear pretty much everything with complete clarity. My only complaint was that there wasn’t enough shade- and at 2 p.m. in the middle of July- that can be a problem.

The opening act was Eddie Money’s son, Desmond, and his daughter- Jesse- who ended up joining the “Money Man” when he eventually took the stage for just over an hour. There was a lot of banter between songs, which just got funnier and funnier as the afternoon wore on and people drank more and more. I wish I could describe the scene when Eddie asked where his “eighties ladies” were and every woman over 45 completely lost their minds. It was kind of amazing.

Overall, I had a blast- and it was a nice distraction from the usual sadness that otherwise would have plagued me for the day.

The only downside to the weekend, however- was that one of my friends/co-workers was injured in a pretty serious car crash in the hours following the concert when someone abruptly cut into his lane on the highway and he swerved in an attempt to avoid a collision. He’s lucky to be alive- judging by the pictures of his car I saw- and is expected to make a full recovery per the last conversation I had with him- but it was definitely a scary thing to hear about and all well-wishes/good vibes should be sent in his direction while he’s recuperating.

Outdoor BBQ at work! The sky cleared up! 7/17/18.

I’ve got a lot to do at the office this morning- especially since yesterday was my company’s annual Summer BBQ where we managed to keep the rain at bay long enough to enjoy some freshly grilled cheeseburgers and play some games outside for a couple of hours- but it set me back a bit on my case load and I’ve got to play some catch-up this morning to make sure I don’t fall behind or overlook anything.

Have a great Hump Day, everyone!

– Ashley –

Tag: Work

October 2017: In a Nutshell

“Two Tickets to Paradise…”