Wednesday, November 30, 2005

American Express Company

After a lengthy and arduous decision-making process (I'm not big on change), I have decided to leave Exelon Corporation to become the director of government affairs for American Express Company. My responsibilities will be similar; I will manage AmEx's political involvement programs. I am not sure of the exact date of departure from Exelon and AmEx start date as I have offered to stay at Exelon until the end of January 2006 to ensure a smooth transition.

UPDATE: My list day in the office at Exelon will be January 31, 2006, and my first official day at American Expess will be February 6, 2006.

It is a Sham! "Part II"

Tale of the comforter cover...After several unsuccessful attempts to find the Tanja Brodyr comforter cover in the three local area Ikeas, Schaumburg, IL saves the day! My business trip to Chicago yielded an hour of free time. After a weather-related ground stop and an hour delay on the tarmac, I have made a safe return. Ikea bag in tow!
(see November 19, 2005)

Monday, November 28, 2005

Draft Pick

Friends keep saying, "the Pack is just securing a high, first-round draft pick." However, that is little consolation for another Packer loss on Sunday. Once again, turnovers cost the Packers, who go down to 2-9. :-(

Saturday, November 26, 2005

Juliette and Evie

I watched the girls on Saturday afternoon. Aren't they cute? We read books, colored, did Play-Doh, took pictures and had snacks. We stayed for turkey leftovers and after the girls went to bed, we watched The Godfather III.

You can read more about Juliette and Evie on their blog at Juliette and Evie's Continuing Story.

Thursday, November 24, 2005

Happy Thanksgiving!

I am thankful for family and friends and friends that are like family. We are blessed to be spending the day with friends that are like family today. We are hosting, so the turkey, dressing, potatoes, cabbage salad, cranberry sauce and fresh veggie tray are being prepared. We hope that you are spending the day with loved ones as well. A very blessed and Happy Thanksgiving to you.

When you get a minute, comment on what you are thankful.

Update: Six adults, five children and only three peeing incidences later, we had a GREAT time! Wouldn't change a minute of it. My friend did the majority of the turkey...oven bag, cooking breast-side down and a fabulous spice rub and it's one of the best turkey I've ever had. What a blessed day!

Monday, November 21, 2005

Favre TDs and INTs

Another Monday Night Football cardiac Packers game. I'm sure there will be an update later. A friend sent over this quib from his fantasy football homepage this week.

"Brett's final home appearance on MNF? It could be an emotional night in the broadcast booth for Al Michaels and John Madden given the possibility that this will be the last time they see Brett Favre play a Monday night game at Lambeau Field. Favre has a history of shredding the Minnesota pass defense, just as Madden has a history of fawning over Favre as if he's some type of deity. We'll never forget the time that Madden quipped that if aliens were to land on Earth and wanted to see a football player, Favre is the person he would introduce them to. Yeah, John, and if aliens asked us to show them an example of an awkward man-crush, we'd introduce them to you and Brett."

(Now you might be wondering what a man-crush is. Well, according to the Urban Dictionary, a man crush is defined as when a guy has a "crush" on another guy, as in idolizing him.)

UPDATE: Another Edinger field goal does the Pack in for the second time against the Vikings this season.

Saturday, November 19, 2005

It is a Sham!

This is the duvet and shams that I'm considering (in red, but you can see the design details better in the other color). I actually first saw it at the Abbeymoore Inn in Victoria, BC; however, they are out of stock at Ikea until December.

Thursday, November 17, 2005

EA Clore

Our furniture from EA Clore arrived today. The color is antique cherry. We recently painted the bedroom "Oat Cake" (290E-2) a Behr paint color. It's like a mocha or latte color. I also bought two bedside lamps at Pottery Barn Outlet for the two nightstands.




4000 aircraft & billions of dollars of savings



This is just a fraction of the 4,300+ aircraft stored at the Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Center (AMARC). Although they have 2,600 acres of desert to store, they are beginning to run in to space problems.

Most of these aircraft may never fly again, but they are excellent sources of parts for active aircraft. Sometimes the aircraft are regenerated for other purposes. The desert and AMARC's expertise have allowed some of these aircraft to be regenerated after decades of storage. Their maintenance expertise have allowed them to support other Air Logistic Centers (ALCs) when the other ALCs have capacity issues.

It should be noted, if the AF were to invest in an effort to inventory all of the aircraft, the AF could save billions (with a B) by reducing purchases of new replacement parts. There are qualified parts waiting to be used in the desert. Just inventory it, then establish it as a source of supply.

Wednesday, November 16, 2005

Visitors from the...Midwest


My cousin and her family visited Washington DC in late October. This is the view from the rooftop of the building that I work in.

Monday, November 14, 2005

Scaring Investors

This is a good way to scare away current or potential EXC investors. www.exeloncorp.com

Victoria, British Columbia

This is the view from the ferry while on our vacation in Victoria, British Columbia in late September, early October.

We walked all around the town, toured Butchart Gardens and had high tea at The Fairmont Empress. One of our main quests was to find some of the locations in which Brian's Grandfather lived and had a photography business. Our quest proved to be a little futile, but we vowed to do more research and return again some time.

We stayed in two lovely B&Bs, the Rosewood Inn and Abbeymoore Manor.

Sunday, November 13, 2005

2-7

Packers get a win in Atlanta. Running back Samkon Gado, a native Nigerian, who joined the Packers team from Kansas City after running backs Ahman Green and Najeh Davenport went down with injuries earlier in the season, scored three touchdowns on his 23rd birthday. Ryan Longwell was the other major factor in the game, kicking four field goals.

Christmas 2005

Our Christmas plans are as follows for 2005: Dec. 17-25 (WI) and Dec. 26-31 (FL). We are looking forward to seeing all of you!

What's on your Christmas Wish List? Post it here so everyone can coordinate.

Welcome!

This is a welcome post to the family of Brian & Ellie. We will post updates and happenings as well as pictures on a regular basis. Feel free to post or comment too!