Busy, But Warm

Sorry you haven't heard from me lately, but this has suddenly become a really busy time for me.
First I want to give you the details on our new vent-free gas fireplace. When Stan was in town a few weeks ago we didn't really make any set plans, so we ended up at Home Depot. I had mentioned at lunch that I had been thinking about getting a gas fireplace insert for our wood-burning fireplace in the living room, but I didn't really know anything about installing it or the cost. And I'm never too keen on working with natural gas or electricity (some irrational fear of being blown up or electrocuted, I guess), but Stan made it all sound very simple. So we did a little shopping and ended up finding fireplaces 50% off at Lowe's. We bought all the pipe and tools we needed and headed home to run a gas line. Part of the project involved me drilling a one inch hole through eight inches of concrete. Hammer drills are AWESOME! I didn't think I could do it and felt a great sense of accomplishment when it was done. The project took most of the evening, but we didn't encounter too many problems. Thanks again, Stan. You were really helpful, there is NO WAY I could have done it on my own. So now we are enjoying lots of warm, cozy evenings by the fire. It heats up the living room really quickly.

Extra projects at work have been running me ragged the last few weeks. I'm currently working on a project to develop a training program for new managers. My piece is due this week, so I'm here working on it at home tonight. Last week I got a call from my manager, who asked me if I could participate in a training video that night. I hate to say no and it sounded like fun, so I was working on that until about 9:30 that night (but I was the lucky one, my manager was there until almost 1:00 am!). So I'm going to be portraying the drive-thru teller in an upcoming sales training video that will be rolled out to every branch in the bancorp (over 1100 offices!). Don't worry, I didn't get anyone's finger caught in the drawer. I've also been helping to train a new manager who has been a handful (I don't even want to get into it, he makes my blood pressure go up...). Additionally, I was asked to take on more of a leadership role in our Young Banker's Club. So this year instead of just leading one school, I am helping to facilitate the program at six schools. The last two weeks have been packed with training sessions, school meetings, and team meetings.
I'm not complaining about any of this. I love being busy and really appreciate all of the opportunities I've been given. But Sunday Sarah and I were so exhausted we didn't get off the couch all day. It was awesome. I highly recommend it whenever you have the chance.
So anyway, that's most of what I've been up to. I'm hoping some of this activity will level out in the next few weeks, but somehow I doubt it.