Rain, rain go away... BECAUSE I NEED A FREAKIN VACATION!

Most people don't realize this, but building a pipeline is a lot of work. A LOT OF WORK. Yes, the pipe is in the ground. Yes, the pipe is transporting oil. So why are we still here? Well, when the pipeline goes through someone's property we make a commitment to restore that persons property. Either we leave it how we found it or we make it better. Sometimes that is easier said then done. We have had an abnormal amount of rain this year which makes it difficult to "clean up" or "restore" (as we call it) the pipeline ROW. Because of the rain, progress is slow and things are taking a lot longer then they should. 

[This nice big "red spot" over Valparaiso dropped so much rain that I got trapped inside a Walmart and the parking lot got flooded. Turns out these storms are nasty and pretty common]

 

OR sometimes we get lucky and get a few nice dry days so we can get things done and then a HUGE storm comes in and floods everything and washes all the seed away AND THEN we have to do it all over again! Ugh!

[All done and beautifully seeded]

 

[Flash floods rip up the ROW]

[Flash flood washing away seed and curlex]

So, yea, we are still here. Things are moving along and we should be done here in the next few months... but we will see...

Anyways, as of today (September 8, 2014) I have officially been on this project for a year. A SOLID year. A whole year of working 6 (usually 7) days a week with only a few days off: one day for Thanksgiving, 10 days off for Christmas, 7 days off for our wedding, and three days off for Luke and Andie's wedding, plus the occasional Sunday or holiday. I have gotten 35 days off in the last year (yep, I counted). I have woken up between 3:00 AM and 4:00 AM and been at work everyday between 4:45 AM and 6:00 AM. I work, on average, 12 hours a day and I don't usually have time to take a lunch break.

I guess what I am trying to tell you is that I AM TIRED!

I am. I really am. My temper is getting shorter and shorter by the day and my body is hurting from sitting in my desk chair all day. I try to keep my sanity by reading the news, jumping on Facebook, reading blogs, reading my book, or standing on my BOSU ball. I've been doing my arm work outs while standing on it and then I try to stand on it for 10 minutes every hour while at work. I have been doing this for about 3 weeks now and I can already tell a difference. My balance is getting better (I can stand on it with one leg) and my legs are getting toner (that could also be from going to Spinning class four times a week but who really knows?).

[Me standing on the BOSU ball. I don't work out in my sandals. I usually just stand there and read a book or talk to someone if anyone happens to be in the office.]

[When not in use, the BOSU sits under my desk and I use it as a foot rest]

Gotta keep things interesting around here!

Oh and here's my adorable office:

Anyways, I am grateful that I have a job and I try really hard not to complain about it or let it get to me but I need a vacation! :-) Once this project is done Josh and I are heading out on an adventure! We will either be going Down-Under to Australia, New Zealand, and Fiji OR to South America. It all depends on WHEN we are finished here.

Alright. Now that we have all of that out of the way... Here are some picture from the last couple of months:

Once a week all of the "Higher Ups" on the project gather at the office to discuss the progress. I get the doughnuts and coffee and the guys chat.

[The guys looking at the map of the project]

 [Doughnuts from a local bakery and pastries and coffee from Panera]

I had a birthday! That was fun. I let myself go home after an 11 hour day, got some great presents (including this Star Wars sun shade from Luke and Andie and a Coach purse and wallet from Josh), talked to family and friends, and then went out to a nice steak dinner with my husband!

Josh and I go out every Saturday night for dinner but it's usually short and sweet because we have to work the next day. However, a few weekends ago, we knew we didn't have to work on Sunday so we went to a winery. We tasted a bunch of different wines before dinner and then got a bottle of Pinot Noir delivered to our table during dinner. It was a lot of fun!

Dinner one day last week. I had a rough day.

 During our last Facetime, Brodee told us about school and the animals he has been learning about. He got really excited when he told us about armadillos so we sent him a big stuffed one! Looks like he loves it! What a cutie!

Not much else to report from here. Oh wait, it's raining again. Ugh.