Brandi's Place

From my desk I can watch the snow fall outside, it is so nice. I'm glad to see the snow has arrived, which means Winter has arrived which means it's Christmas!!! This is the second time in the past week we've gotten snow. Everything was covered this morning, by lunch, all melted. We're supposed to have more this week. This is one of the perks of living in Kansas, we get snow, not ice. I can handle snow, in fact, I love snow.

So, tomorrow is December one. Hard to believe another year has nearly come and gone. I hope all of you have started searching for that perfect gift for me. I'm an easy buy, so don't stress! I have started buying a few gifts, and those that I haven't purchased, I know exactly what I'm after. So in theory, I'm done. GO ME!!

I started my Christmas cards last night. I'm being lazy this year and not searching for missing addresses. So, if I don't currently have an up-to-date mailing address for you, just know that my thoughts and best wishes for the holidays are with you. I think I've got everyone covered though.

Posted by BrandiK at 11/30/2004 02:10:00 PM | Permalink | Comments

One of our clients is Honeysuckle White- the turkey! Well, they were sponsoring an event on Saturday and a lot of the agency came out to help. it was really a lot of fun. Well, as you can see, the event even had a mascot. That is "Wishbone," the live action turkey mascot. Who plays Wishbone? That would be me! Just about 2 or 3 days into my fabulous new job, my office-mate asked me to play the part. What the hell, why not!? I actually had a lot of fun. I took tons of pictures with kids and families. It was pretty cold that day so the temp inside was jusssst right!
There is another event in Las Vegas in a few weeks. I told them that if they needed Wishbone to make an appearance, I could probably arrange that. We'll see what happens.

Posted by BrandiK at 11/22/2004 09:58:00 PM | Permalink | Comments

So, being away from Shelton for this long was really starting to take its toll. I've been sad. It's tough getting adjusted to a new life, but doing it on my own without my trusty companion just hasn't been any fun.
So, I get home from work last night and I'm all excited for an evening of shopping with my aunt. I hit the shower, head down to my basement and get online while my hair dries a little. I hear footsteps on the stairs and can't figure out why they would be coming down (they never come down while I'm home). I look up and I'll be damned, IT'S SHELTON!!!! TWO DAYS EARLY!! He wasn't supposed to come until Saturday. He tells me work went ahead and let him go since everything was squared away and his replacement had arrived.
How excited do you think I was!?!?!? Geeze Louise! I didn't think I was going to stop smiling all night. Now, that's a good day!

Today is Friday and I'm so glad. I love Friday. It means it's the weekend, I get to wear jeans, and everyone is just a little more mouthy than on other days. Tomorrow, I get to prove that the view isn't as good at the bottom of the totum pole- I'm dressing up as the turkey mascot for an event with a client. Yes, I'll have pictures. Enjoy the weekend everybody!!!

Posted by BrandiK at 11/19/2004 08:25:00 AM | Permalink | Comments

My husband is the sweetest most romantic guy ever! Friday afternoon at work, I get this big package from him. Inside was a big helium "Congrats" balloon, like 10 pieces of OU paraphanalia and it was all on top of this huge pile of rose petals. OHHHH!!! I just loved it! It was just a congrats on the job/i miss you package. It's just one of those little things that reminds me why he is so wonderful.

Posted by BrandiK at 11/14/2004 11:33:00 AM | Permalink | Comments

Tonight I headed out to the Wichita Greyhound Park. It's a dog race track. A few years ago, it was quite the happening place. Now, not so much. But, it's great for a cheap night of good entertainment. I went out with my 2 aunts and my grandma and we had the best time. I really had the best time because I was the only one who won any money!!! One race got me $15 and another race got me $9. I went in with the plan to only spend $10 (each bet is $2). So when I won my money, I tucked my $10 back. I left a total of $10 up for the night!!! Yay me!!

The dogs that won for me were something George and the other was Paducah Venus. Way to go lil doggies!!

I made it through my first week with a smile still on my face... I think that is a great sign.

Posted by BrandiK at 11/12/2004 10:19:00 PM | Permalink | Comments

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I was so excited to find that there are a couple of Chipotle's here in Wichita. I've heard rave reviews about this place, so while I was out on a work errand today, I decided to pop in for a quick lunch. Quick it was, in and out of there in like 15 minutes, that included eating.
The menu is so cut and dry, it was unreal. It kind of reminded me of In-N-Out in Cali, very basic. However, the food is far from basic. I got the chicken tacos and they were FANTASTIC!!! The setup is kind of like Subway, you walk along and they fix your food in front of you and you tell them what to put on it. I got 3 huge, very delicious tacos and a drink for $6. For what I got, I thought that was quite a deal.

So, if you get the chance, go check this place out, it is so yummy!

Posted by BrandiK at 11/11/2004 10:53:00 PM | Permalink | Comments

They say the first day is always the hardest. Well, if that is true, it's only going to get easier from here. No, I think yesterday is something that months from now I'll look back on and go, "Man, why can't it just be like that first day?" It was pretty easy folks.

I have a huge work area, not so much a cubicle- but still now walls, that I share with a lovely girl named Sarah. She is probably a year older than I am and a KU grad. (this place is swarming w/ Jayhawks)

Yesterday was full of the usual paperwork, learning where we store paper clips, setting up email, voicemail and my cell phone account. I went to visit a few Intrust branches to see get a feel for the place. I got my key to the building and security code. I also got an Associated ballcap, apparently they are hard to come by so I'm pretty psyched.

This place is fantastic!! I'm so excited to be here. The people are great, like 20 people stopped by my desk to introduce themselves throughout the day. My immediate boss, David, is my AE on the Intrust account. He is one of the nicest guys I've ever met. I can already tell we're going to get along famously because we're both kind of anal, he likes Harry Potter and he hates math with all the fire of his soul.

There was also rum cake, straight from the Caymans. One of the other AE's, Terri, told me, "all we do around here is eat and drink, and with the rum cake, we can get both done at the same time!!!"

So, it's morning day 2. I'm feeling pretty good. I brought in some OU paraphanalia for my office and a pic of Shelton and I. It's starting to feel like home.

Posted by BrandiK at 11/09/2004 07:57:00 AM | Permalink | Comments

I arrived in Wichita yesterday afternoon and quickly headed over to my Aunt Jeannie's for some lunch/dinner whatever. We went by the store to pick up crackers and cheese and I totally bought Barb's Cornbread crackers!!!! So, I ate my chili, which was more like tortilla soup, but delicious. I thought of Barb and the Blue Group the whole time. It was a good moment.

I'm sitting at my new desk right now. I'll make sure there is a first day update tonight.

Jim, thanks for calling to wish me good luck last night!!!

Posted by BrandiK at 11/08/2004 08:21:00 AM | Permalink | Comments

Most people see getting their first job in the real world with a real salary as a step-up. Most don't become instantly homeless like Shelton and I. As Alanis put it so well- A little too ironic.
Jim was homeless for a minute. I'm on an undefined length of homelessness. We moved the last pieces of our precious belongings into the bastard third car garage at my in-laws tonight. (I swear to all things good and holy, I FREAKING HATE MOVING!!!). I think the mice are really excited that we are here. I mean, it's just starting to get cold and we've just created the Ritz-Carlton of mice winter retreats. I'm going to have the world's biggest case of epedemic proportion Heeby-Jeebies if I open a box in my new Wichita home and find dead mice and other winter inhabitants. OOO, GROSS, SHIVER!

So the actual move takes place Sunday morning. Shelton and I are packing of the "Wichita pile" of boxes and belongings to take with us to live in my "rent-a-parents'" basement. We're keeping the wireless hub, a tv, my Christmas box, scrapbooking supplies and the clothes and toiletries. Everything else stays- Including Shelton temporarily. After turning in his two weeks notice, they asked him to stay an extra week. So he won't be joining me in Wichita until the 20th... bummer.

I start my fabulous ad job on Monday morning. 8am, you're a bitch! I'm not looking forward to seeing you.

You can all expect fun-filled updates on the selling of our house, life in the basement at the Braces, my new job and the search for a new dwelling. I think it's also going to be interesting re-adjusting to the fact that all my relatives, excl. my parents and siblings, are in Wichita. We left there when I was 8, so these people were just part of my summers and holidays. AROUND ALL THE TIME!??!! I'll let you know how that goes too.

Posted by BrandiK at 11/05/2004 11:45:00 PM | Permalink | Comments

In case you can't tell, I fully intend to vote for John Kerry in the morning. I know that Bush is going to win the electoral votes for Oklahoma; but if popular vote counted- that's who I'd choose.

I'm not an incredibly political person. I try to avoid the topic whenever possible. However, It's come up a lot in my conversations. I can proudly say I think I've paid more attention to this election than most people our age (I know this b/c of conversations I've had with our fellow 20-somethings). I feel that I've educated myself reasonably so that I can make a decision I'm comfortable with. That's all I ask of myself and other voters, just know what's going on.

I wish you all happy voting tomorrow.... no matter who you may choose.

I'd also like to say that I couldn't be more thrilled that all those Carson/Coburn ads will finally cease! I can't take any more of the "I delivered babies" and dancing puppett cartoons and and who let immigrants in and who didn't and who drives and old truck and who doesn't... RAR!! If it lasted any longer I'd have to pull one of those road side political signs out of the ground and drive the wooden stake through my eye. Ahhh, but it's over tomorrow.

Posted by BrandiK at 11/02/2004 01:24:00 AM | Permalink | Comments