Pictures of Katie Doll

  Today I met up with Maria for some pickle ball. Neither of us is very good at it but we had a lot of fun. We started by just playing the two of us, but after a while, an older couple asked if we wanted to play against them. I think they didn't have a court reserved and wanted to play. Neither Maria nor myself had an issue so we said yes. They were pretty good and gave us some great tips and pointers.  After our match, Maria and I headed to a little cafe where we had lunch and talked. After that, I went home and worked on housework.  Cheers for now.

  I am so proud of Larry. He did his first proposal presentation today and he did a great job. The client was engaged and asked lots of great questions, which Larry handled well. This is a weight off my shoulders. I will shadow him for a couple of weeks and then we will share the workload.  I spent the rest of the day working on week-end reports. I am amazed at how many reports are due each week. With Larry now taking some of the presentation load, I was able to get all my reports done and get out of the office on time. Tonight, I called Maria and told her all about the deposition. We both really want to know what happens to him but unless I get called to testify, I might not find out. She also invited me to go play pickleball tomorrow. That will be a lot of fun. Cheers for now.  

  Today was my first day of being in charge of the accounting department. That sounds way more dramatic than it was. I did have a quick 15-minute call/meeting with the accounting staff to let them know that Clara had gone on maternity leave but she and the baby are doing fine.  Other than that, it was uneventful. I only had two presentations today. Given his feedback after each, I think Larry is ready to lead one tomorrow. He is nervous about it, but I have faith in him. The law office where I had to go to give my deposition was not far from my office, so I took a long lunch. I had never given a deposition before and was very nervous but it went okay. They, for the record, asked me some background questions, like my name and where I lived. They then asked me how I knew Lee. I told them how we met, and how charming he was. I told them about our various dates and, much to my embarrassment, the times we slept together. I told them how I was told he was sin...

  I don't know why, but I had a hard time waking up this morning. It took everything I had to drag myself to the shower. Even after a long shower, I still felt like I was in a bit of a fog. It wasn't until my second cup of coffee that my mind began to fully function again. I am just glad that I didn't have any client presentations this morning. Since Larry was still shadowing me, after each presentation, I would call him to talk to him about his impressions. A very important part of doing presentations is being able to read people's reactions and respond to them. I think he is going to do a great job doing presentations.   I also had a meeting with Clara. She seems nervous about "dumping" (her word) her work on me. I told her to not worry about it, that I could handle it. If there was something she missed, then I will figure it out. She was really stressed about it but I finally reassured her that it would be fine. I could see a w...

  Since I did not schedule any presentations for today, I was able to spend time helping Larry with his first presentation. He did pretty well and only needed a few changes. I also taught him how to use the sales system. He is going to lead a presentation on Friday. He is nervous but I think he will do great.  I did get a call from an unknown local number. Turns out it was a lawyer representing Lee's wife. I have to go to his office on Thursday to give a deposition. She is going after him in court. I am happy for her. They say that Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. Well, Lee is about to find out the meaning of that from both his wife and myself.   After work, I talked with my mom and dad. Since Kayla will be living with me by Memorial Day, we are all going to go to visit our parents. It will be a great time as my Uncle and his family will be there too. It has been a long time since I have seen my cousins.  Cheers for now.

Although I felt like I had more workload, today was a good day as I started training Larry on how to review proposals and prepare client presentations. Even though we did most of the work over a Zoom call, he was very focused. I only had one presentation today so I had him attend the call so he could see how it was done. The sooner he can take over some of the work, the better. I did spend time with Clara as she only has a week and a half left before her maternity leave. I think I have a good grasp on what I need to do as it is not too different from what I do for the Proposal and Logistics teams.  I am glad that spring is finally here and with it, warm weather. I was able to go have lunch at my favorite deli (the wedge fries are the best). I took Clara out and we talked. I guess her doctor is concerned about the child and is pushing her to stop work sooner than the end of the month. She and her husband have been trying to have a baby, but she ha...

  I am Katieus Maximus, the most feared Gladiator in the Coliseum.  I have slain many an unworthy opponent. My fame is renowned as fans cheer whenever I am in the ring. But I have a secret. I wasn't always a fierce warrior. As a child, the Emperor, then only a general, came to my village and slaughtered my parents before my eyes and then sold me into slavery. I now fight in the ring so that one day, I will stand before the emperor as a great Gladiator, only then slay him with my own hands. I will avenge my family.    Sic Semper Tyrannis!

Every now and then, I just need a day where I have nothing planned and can finally get caught up on my housework.  Although I didn't live here for a week, that did not stop the dust from accumulating. I also managed to get all my travel clothes washed. I even got some vacuuming done. I am always surprised at how dusty and dirty my house can get. I wish I could say that I not only got my laundry cleaned but also put it away, but that would be a lie. It is clean, but currently sitting in laundry baskets waiting to be folded.  Kayla called me all excited. Her internship finished in a month and she was waiting to see where she would be going for her specialization. Well, she found out and it is here in Boise. She got a job with a cardiologist. She moves here at the end of May and will be staying with me until she finds a place of her own. I am so happy for her and excited to have her living in the same city. Plus, she is going to be a Cardiologi...

  Today, work was a little slower than yesterday. I was actually able to have lunch. I did call Larry. His daughter is doing much better and will be going back to school at the end of the month. I talked to him about him taking over the review and presentations of proposals. I let him know that it would be temporary until Clara returned from maternity leave. I also let him know that there would be a raise with it. After talking a bit, he agreed to take the job. I told him that we would do a Zoom call on Monday to go over the work he would now need to do.  I hurried home so I could change and get to the restaurant to meet my girls. It was great talking with them. I told them all about my trip and all the fun we had. They loved the pictures I took and hearing all about the scorpion. Of course, they asked me if I had "met" anyone. I told them no because I was traveling with my sister.  It was a great night and we were out way too late. Loo...

I decided to go to work early today so I could get some work done. It was nice with the office being quiet. I managed to get caught up on my reporting. I think I am finally caught up on all the work that was waiting for me during my vacation. Of course, this doesn't include the accounting reports, but I am only supposed to help Clara with them.  I am glad I was able to get all that work done before my first presentation as my day was filled up with presentations and meetings. I was glad when I finally had the meeting with my boss. I explained about my workload. We talked about how best to approach it. In the end, we decided to temporarily promote someone to take over the presentations so I could focus on managing the three departments. I am going to talk to Larry tomorrow to see if he wants the job. I think he would do a great job at doing presentations. I managed to leave the office on time. I did call both Hannah and Maria and we are going to g...

  My work day started at 6 am this morning as I had a client presentation. In fact, I had six of them today. At least they were spread out enough that I had to take a short break between each. They all went well except for one in which the client kept asking for things that were not in the RFP (Request for Proposal). When this happens, it usually is a sign that the project will be a contentious one with lots of scope creep. I made those notes in the system. We shall see how that goes. Between the presentations, I worked on reports and emails. I also had to spend more time with Clara, going over her department. I ended up working until 8 pm before I headed home. Clearly, I need to talk with my boss as this is going to be too much. I can't work from 6 am to 8 pm every day. That will kill me. I schedule some time with my boss for tomorrow. Cheers for now.

  Even though I had several client presentations to do today, I chose to work from home. The sales team has been very busy. Consequently, my proposal team is also very busy. This leaves me with reviewing the proposals and performing the presentations to the client. Add in my work for the invoice team and now account and it is getting a bit much. I think I am going to talk to my boss about this. Even so, the presentations went really well.  I ended up working until 7 pm, just trying to get caught up on my work. I am not caught up, but I made a good dent in it. I have to say, that I do love this dress. I bought it in a shop in Aruba called "Meow," (I love the name of the store). I think it is really cute. I bought a second dress there and I can't wait to wear it. Cheers for now.

I really could use a few days off to recover from my vacation. Sadly, I just don't have enough time off. My inbox was very full when I got to the office this morning. It took me an hour just to weed out the important emails from the informational and junk. I was just starting to make a dent in the important emails when my computer notified me that I had a management meeting.  At lunch, I sat in the break room with Larry and Kim. I told them about my trip and showed them all my pictures. It was fun recounting all the adventures that Kayla and I had. They were more than a little surprised by the shot with the scorpion in it. The two asked lots of questions about that. After lunch, I had meetings with various staff, mostly with the new accounting staff that I have to manage.  At the end of the day, I had client presentation and went really well. It was a long day for me. After I got home, I called my family. I told them all about our trip. Mom ...

Hello my lovelies, it is me, Snow White. Now you may be wondering why I am still living with the 7 dwarfs, especially since the witch is dead. Well, the answer is simple. They are short in stature, but I assure you that is the only place they are "short." And there is one for each night of the week. Sure I cook for them, but I want them to be at full strength. I promise you we have a very happy home.  Cheers for now.

  Sadly, today was the last day of the cruise. It was a day at sea as we make our way back to Miami. We were both up late last night so we slept in this morning. After taking our time getting ready, we headed out for one last day of fun in the sun. We spent a good part of the morning in the hot tub. It was fun drinking bloody Marys and talking with people.  At noon, we headed to the Lido pool to join in on the Groove for St. Jude that the cruise line does. We both donated enough to get a St. Jude bear. It is a good cause. We then had some lunch and hung out around the pool. One of my favorite things is finding a new towel animal in my room each day. The hardest part of the cruise is having to pack to go home. I want to stay on the cruise, but I have a job and bills to pay. After dinner, we packed our suitcases and placed them in front of our door so they can be picked up. Tomorrow we have to disembark and go home.  Cheers for now. ...

  Today we were in Amber Cove (Puerta Plata), Dominican Republic. I have been here a couple of times before and I love the port. This is my favorite port to just hang out at the port. There is fine shopping, local shopping, and a great pool area with a water slide and zip line. Neither Kayla nor I bought anything. We were both shopped out after Aruba.  We spent the day, just walking around, looking at the sights. There was even a place that tells you about the history of the place, including the movies that were filmed there. It was nice learning about the place.  I even found a giant head that reminded me of my ex. There were a few other heads, but this one reminded me the most of him. We spent most of the day hanging out by the pool. We used the swim-up bar to have a drink. It was a very nice and relaxing day.  Once we were back on board, we had to get all dressed up as it was our last elegant night. I have to admit, I love getting dressed up. It is so much fun....