We have viewers!

Woo hoo! We have stats collected on the viewers to the Grocery Station website! People are looking.

Just a few kinks to work out over the weekend and get this thing functional. Fingers crossed for next week GO TIME! I want to see CUSTOMER ACCOUNTS GETTING CREATED, PEOPLE!

Dance class canceled

Anna has decided she wants to go back to gymnastics rather than stick it out in dance class (no we are not doing BOTH for the sake of my own sanity. Call me selfish). That's fine because getting her into those Effing tights were my biggest life challenge of the week. Also it's fine because the shoes, leotard, and stockings I bought her for the class were still cheaper than one single gymnastics suit, which for her sake, I hope she can still fit in.

And I know she LOVES gymnastics. But I hate the fact that the Acrosports gymnastics place is a filthy disgusting sewer drain. Actually it's not really a sewer drain but it's pretty filthy all the time. Ick. Ick. Yay.

This is mine...

I thought this would be easy. It has not. Nothing worth doing has been easy.

EAR came to visit in June and told us that her grocery store offered online ordering and then you could come to the store and just PICK UP YOUR GROCERIES.

Really? Yes. And so, we've created this.

http://www.thegrocerystation.com/

Not "we" as in me and EAR. "We" as in me, Dad, Paul, and the team of 8 people I hired as shoppers plus the guys who actually built this site. Oh, and also the Kroger General Manager who is AWESOME and excited to get this thing going with us.

I have lost sleep, exercise, time with Anna, and money, and some sanity was also lost in the process. I fortunately didn't know what I was getting into when I started this.

Also, the irony is not at all lost on me that I created this service so I could spend less time in the grocery store, yet I have spent countless hours there since July. I have put myself out there: my ideas, my time, and money. I have taken risks I don't usually take, personally and monetarily.

I honestly can't say where this is all coming from. Have you been driven to just do something? Compelled? I can't say what's up with this exactly. Something directed me to do it. And I was fortunate enough to have the advice and business guidance of my husband and my dad. Lucky me!

This is my path to paying off my student loans in two years. Incidentally, when they're paid off, I'll tell you how much I owed to begin with.

The website is not entirely functional yet. There are some tweaks we need to fix. Hopefully we can begin taking orders as early as next Monday. I have shoppers standing by. We are advertising in Kroger with banners and fliers.

It's a risk. But it's not THAT great of a risk that I can't swallow it. It's good to push myself outside of my comfort zone.

I've been busy. Very. Stinking. Busy.
Now bring on the customers. Spread the word, y'all.

Well this is interesting fine red print

I stumbled upon this when looking for crew bios on some astronauts I'm going to have to brief in Nov. Looks like they're quietly planning to take new astronaut applications this fall:

http://astronauts.nasa.gov/

Well, how about that?

Landmark Education Forum

A coworker told me about the best Leadership courses she'd ever taken and since it worked so well for her I immediately signed myself up. Did not read the website, did not check reviews, went straight to the registration page.

I showed up to the Landmark Education Forum in Austin 2 hours late after dealing with an unexpected fever from Anna, who came with me to stay at my mom's while I attended this 3 day, 13 hrs per day, course.

I walked in and realized I was in the wrong room. But it turns out I wasn't. Here's a summary for my $495:

Day 1: I am a jerk and a liar. Also the cause of problems in life can be summed up with circles.

Day 2: I am dead inside. Resigned and cynical. No don't deny it. It's true. I should call my parents and tell them how sorry I am for being a jerk my whole life or else I will never truly have what I want in life.

Day 3: The punch line. I would tell you what this is but I'd have to charge you $495.

Oh look a break through! Perhaps I AM really cynical! Well, money well spent. :)

On top if this all, my mom and sister would totally benefit from the class. It's about perspective, people!

Now on to Denver tomorrow where I am giving 3 talks on ISS science. One will be at Colorado State University on my birthday! Paul happens to be in Denver for the same weekend and will finally get to see one of my presentations. Though Anna won't be with us, this will be a neat birthday!

36 here I come :)

How's it Going?

Lately, about like this

No more Arm floaties!

I should have posted this 2 weeks ago but she then finally decided to ditch her arm floaties and is swimming in the pool like a little fish! She's been trying to sit on the bottom, playing underwater games, and going down to pick up stuff off the bottom of the pool. She's so excited and proud! It's fun to watch her every day try something new in the pool!! Woo-Hoo!

Also the cats are starting to tolerate each other. The use of the squirt bottle has gone down significantly! Blackberry is doing well.