Tracie's World

December 2013 is almost on it's way out.  And what with all the Holiday Festivities and other end of year items, what a whirlwind it has been. Here are some highlights: December 5th - Tracie has new windows installed (in 19-degree weather!) December 7th - The CBAP Exam (which I have already covered in detail) December 8th - Tracie is interviewed by Family Search missionaries (all about Indexing) December 12th - End of Year HOA Board Meeting (where we are verbally abused by one of the owners) December 13th - Department Luncheon, followed by Tracie ducking out of work to go Christmas Shopping. December 14th - Ward Christmas Party December 15th - Music and the Spoken Word and MoTab Christmas mini-concert (Thanks Annalyn!) December 17th - Annual Mammogram (Tracie gets manhandled by a mammographer with severe halitosis). December 18th and 19th - Major Ice and Snow Storm, and hour long commute (uphill both ways!) December 20th - Christmas Dinner and...

Back in August, I told you about applying to sit for the Professional Certification exam.  Well, since then, I have spending a large portion of my time in studying for the exam.  I was given a year before I had to take it, but I felt inspired to get it over as soon as I could.  With Christmas coming up, I wanted to have it done in time that I could actually focus on the Holiday.  So I registered with the testing center for date, and yesterday was D-Day. To give you an idea of all my preparations, I set aside one hour every weekday in my work calendar where I would just sit at my desk and study.  If I had a day off during the week, or worked from home, I spent that hour studying at home.  I have to say that it was very difficult material. As often as I have participated in study groups and reviewed the Business Analysis manual, it was still very difficult material to try and retain. It was also just a lot of material.  I spent time browsing online stu...

This week I had new windows installed in half the house.  All the windows on the north side, and the picture window in the dining room.  You know your windows are bad when you can feel the air coming in around them and there's condensation on the inside.  So - it was more than time. I spent a very cold afternoon on Thursday with some fine gentlemen who did the install - cold because it was 20 degrees out, and of course they have to take the old windows out first out, including all the frames and hardware. They did all that before they put any new ones in, so it got mighty chilly in here for awhile.  But it was a small price to pay considering the final result.   The windows are beautiful, insulated and sealed correctly, and double-paned. No more drafts and no more condensation.  Hoo-rah! There's still two more windows to go, plus the sliding glass door, all of which will require a little more effort than these. But they are all on the radar ...