Well, I just realized it is almost October and I haven’t
posted anything since January. Apparently, life just gets in the way sometimes.
Now, that’s not to say that I haven’t had any adventures in the last 9 months,
it’s just that my adventures have been a bit more…. mundane? At least compared
to the adventures that inspired me to start this blog in the first place.
Courtesy Watson lap dog photo
Of all these titles,
the HACCP Manager/BRC Lead have been the most interesting. Being new to
corrugated (it’s not actually called cardboard, you know), these
responsibilities were rather daunting to be assigned. However, even with all
the stress that HACCP/BRC has caused, I have absolutely loved it. I’ve learned so much, not only about the
industry, but also about my own abilities. HACCP centers around risk analysis
and BRC is an international product safety and quality management program, but
BRC requires HACCP so they go together. Both programs require attention to
detail and pushing people to follow new guidelines and business practices,
which is not the easiest thing when people have been conducting business the
same way for years.
Also, BRC requires us to have a third-party audit to receive
our certification. To be honest, the audit has been the most frustrating part
of overseeing this project. We are currently on our fourth scheduled audit,
because we have had 3 postponements for medical emergencies. The first was when
our advisor for conversion to BRC broke her foot (for our original audit in
June). It was then postponed to August, which was cancelled two weeks prior to
our scheduled date. Then it was postponed to September and was cancelled 2
business days prior. (During the lead up to this audit, our advisor found a new
and exciting job, and was no longer coming to help us through our first
certification audit.) And now we’re scheduled for November. Talk about a roller
coaster of emotions through all of this!
Throughout the chaos, I did have the incredible fortune to
meet a fantastic new friend in the shape of our BRC advisor, Sam.
Unfortunately, she lives in Wisconsin and refuses to move to Oklahoma, but I
guess you can’t have everything. She was an amazing help over the past half a
year and made the sudden burden of this project easier to bear. And she had to
bear with my constant questions and confusion with… well pretty much
everything. Trust me, it couldn’t have been easy working with someone new to
corrugated from several hundred miles away that you only saw face-to-face for
roughly 5 days a month for 6 months.
Anyway, enough about work. What other adventures have I been
on in the last 9 months…
I moved out of the house and in with a college friend,
Macci, and her dog, Fritz. This has caused its own rash of problems and
frustrations. We’re getting into a sort of rhythm now, though.
I went to Cowboys for the first time, which is a line
dancing bar in OKC that also has an indoor bull riding ring. That was a very
interesting night, let me tell you. I don’t even think indoor bull riding at a
line dancing bar was something that I ever thought existed, just because it
never crossed my mind that it COULD exist!
As part of my backup IT coordinator title, I took a trip
with Kindra (another work friend) up to Green Bay, WI, for IT Coordinator 101.
They kind of missed the mark with the 101 part, but it was still a fun trip.
Kindra on the dock on Frozen Lake Michigan
Our first day in Wisconsin, we drove up into Door Country,
which is a peninsula that sticks out into the bay/lake and was absolutely
beautiful. There was still snow on the ground and the entire area was like a
winter wonderland, which is quite a sight when you live in Oklahoma. In fact,
Kindra had never seen a frozen lake before, so that was an adventure for her!
Now, the only downside to this part of the trip was that we took this drive on
a Sunday in early March, so pretty much nothing was open, which caused problems
when it came to lunch time. We finally found an open gas station, where we got
a lunch recommendation located further down the road. The restaurant was called
the Wild Tomato, a pizza place that served unique and hipster pizzas that were
delicious. Kindra and I ordered an Italian sausage and pesto pizza, alongside
an order of fried cheese curds. Oh my god, so good. Definitely a recommendation
if you are ever in the area!
Wild Tomato in Sister Bay
Let’s see… what else… Took a girl’s trip to Dallas with
Madison – Fun. Saw Pentatonix at the Zoo Amphitheater – Amazing. Tried some new
restaurants: Queen of Sheba (Ethiopian); Saucee Sicilian (Pizza food truck);
Salata (salad bar); Three Sisters and Jerusalem (both Mediterranean) – All
Delightful. Thought about getting a tattoo – haven’t yet. Died the tips of my
hair maroon – I was bored. Been on a few dates – Not all bad, but not all great.
Trying to find a new hobby – no success so far. Watched Game of Thrones – Finally. Found a new bookstore that I LOVE- Full
Circle in OKC. Tried to start a book club – Failed quickly, as there were only
two members (me and Sam). Moved a rock in the style of the ancient Egyptians –
Successful.
Blue Mesa - Dallas trip
Full Circle Bookstore
Rock Conqueror
And that’s about it for the last 9 months. A few adventures,
but nothing extravagant. I’ve been trying to find little adventures in my
everyday life, although with limited success so far. I am interested to see what
the next three months have in store for me. Trips? New title? New hobby? New
foods? Fantastic costume for Halloween? Only time will tell!
