according to anna

It has been over a month since I posted last…I know you all were wondering if I’m alive…Have no fear, I am still alive and well, just been pretty busy.

Our calendars have been filled with bachelorette parties, family visits, and manual labor.
Last weekend was declared a “work weekend” on the farm. We (parents, siblings, aunt, uncle, cousins, etc) started work at 6am to lay conduit and feed electrical wires to the house, pump house, machine shed, and barn. It was a big job in 100 degree weather. We had to take a break during the hottest part of the afternoon. Unfortunately, resting in the farmhouse didn’t provide an escape from the heat since it isn’t air conditioned. Still, I love the history in the old farm buildings. I love that the outside of the smokehouse still bears my great grandfather’s initials scribbled in red paint, from the day he built it. I often wonder what he or my grandfather would think of all the work that has been put into a farm with no farmer…The land that they grew up on, the land that provided their livelihood, and the land that housed the one-room schoolhouse where my grandfather went to school, just a couple fields away.

It always amazes me how old time farmers had to literally do it all…They had to be carpenters, architects, environmentalists, construction workers…oh, and farmers. Can you imagine going to work one day at your current occupation, and constructing a building instead? “Hey Anna, once you are done with that piece of code, why don’t you spend the afternoon building a barn over there. Sound good?”

Outside of playing farmer for the weekend, work has been on my mind a lot. The overtime hasn’t been as bad lately, but I’ve been thinking a lot about office politics, my career, and my current work/life balance. To avoid going into too much detail (and a really long story), I’ll just say that I’ve started a new role. I won’t have time for any more development, as I now have several direct reports and will take on more of a leadership role. I’m cautiously excited…It will definitely be a new challenge, and I anticipate it taking quite a while for me to feel comfortable in it. Wish me luck.

Ever feel like rain follows you?
I’ve been getting that distinct impression lately.

The weather around me is a direct representation of how I feel. It’s been raining for days.
I’ve been working 12 hour days. I’m tired and stressed, disappointed and frusterated.

Just got back from the gym, and I’m determined to be healthy this week.
I will eat four meals a day.
I will snack healthy
I will make it to the gym three times
I will do cardio

End of Week Update:
Now that it is the end of the week, here is how I did:
I did eat more than three meals a day. I also ate much healthier than usual.
I only made it to the gym two times (with cardio), but I also did some yard work, which I think should also count as a workout, don’t you?

Check out this article about having a geek spouse.

http://www.wired.com/geekdad/2010/03/top-10-endearing-habits/

The list is all too familiar. Matt is a dead-ringer for at least 6/10.

I’ve been getting lots of Save-the-Dates and wedding invitations lately. Love is in the air!

As of this month, Matt and I have been married for four years! Time flies when you are having fun.

If I had one piece of advice about planning a wedding…go to with a photographer who will take digital pictures. Looking back, I love how our wedding pics turned out, but I really regret going with a photographer that is not all digital. We live in such a digital world where almost none of our media is physical. My favorite wedding pics are in an album, in a box, in a closet.

Anyway, I’ve been looking through lots of old pics (all digital).
Here are a few.

Hanging out in the computer lab…how romantic!

Fishing at the farm

Chicago Trip

The wedding party

On our honeymoon in Cancun.

Hanging out at the American Royale.

Vacationing in Avon

Hanging out at the farm

Vacationing in Vail

Happy Anniversary to us!