So what do you eat on your birthday?  Most people go out to a favorite restaurant or indulge in a piece of cake.  I take it to epic levels!

I figure on my birthday I can eat whatever I want.  Sometimes this includes going somewhere like the Paula Deen Buffet (yes this exists–I recommend it)–or going out for pizza and not paying attention to how many pieces I eat.  When I was younger it was getting the 20 piece nuggets from McDonald’s and eating the entire thing LOL!

This year I am already thinking about it as it is a big birthday (30! gasp).  Here’s what’s planned so far.

An entire bag of Baked Ruffles and a container of Kroger Special Recipe French Onion dip.  Why save the calories on the baked chips?  Because–I like them better–it’s the truth!  Also it has to be the special recipe dip–not the other kind!

Remember these!  They are on sale all of the time for like $1.99!  It’s hard for me to not buy them.  That cold, cold frosting! Yums!  I would like one of these–it has to be Fudge Stripe!

Great Harvest Grilled Cheese.  This photo doesn’t really do it justice.  The secret is good quality bread and some secret spread which can only be described as maybe cream cheese and herb?  So good–so very good.

The list is still a work in progress!  Hey my birthday isn’t until April!  This only covers  like 2 meals–which on your birthday you have like 5 so I have a long way to go!

Lafayette, Ind. – February 2, 2012 – Lafayette-headquartered School Datebooks Inc. announced Thursday, February 2, that it has acquired a Denver-based company, The Student Planner LLC.

“School Datebooks currently leads the custom-calendar industry, with more than 6,300 schools in all 50 states and several other countries placing orders this school year,” President Tim Powers said at a news announcement at the company’s headquarters, 2880 U.S. 231 South in Lafayette.

“This acquisition makes School Datebooks a bigger player in the student planning calendar market,” Powers said. “It dramatically increases our market share and secures an opportunity for us to continue to grow in the time-management innovation industry.”

The Student Planner, founded in 1997, supplies planning calendars to more than 4,500 schools.

“We are both profitable companies that serve diverse markets,” Powers said. “This is a strategic acquisition, one that gives us access to new markets. We’re looking forward to extending our reach, growing our customer base and, in time, perhaps creating new employment opportunities.”

School Datebooks currently employs 65 full-time and another 60 seasonally. Many of the seasonal employees are interns from Purdue University’s Computer Graphics Technology Department and Selling and Sales Management Department. The Student Planner employs 27 full-time, and those operations will remain in Denver, Powers said.

Joshua Hensley, vice president of sales and operations at The Student Planner, said in a prepared statement, “We are very excited about the synergies that this acquisition will bring our clients and employees. We look forward to having a larger footprint and greater capability to become a full-service educational product provider.”

“We’ve worked hard to deliver a simple, worry-free experience for our customers, vendors and employees,” Powers said. “That strategy has paid off and is now allowing us to expand our successful workplace culture, marketing innovations and product offerings.”

School Datebooks makes calendars for all grade levels, from elementary through college as well as online products.

“We are continually developing new products and using digital technology to simplify the lives of students, parents and administrators,” Powers said.

“School Datebooks is a success story like no other,” said Doug Mansfield, chairman of the Greater Lafayette Commerce board. “This company has made great strides, continually reinvested in its people and expanded its market.”

Tippecanoe County Commissioner Tom Murtaugh hailed the news. “School Datebooks indeed has a vision for the future, and that is going to keep benefiting many Tippecanoe residents.”

“This acquisition is a giant step in School Datebooks’ growth, one that will benefit our community greatly,” said Lafayette Mayor Tony Roswarski. “Lafayette has always been School Datebooks’ home, and now Lafayette is its headquarters. That’s got a nice ring to it.”

School Datebooks provides custom-calendars to more than 500 Indiana schools and organizations, including more than 30 in Lafayette and West Lafayette. These include many elementary, middle and high schools in Lafayette Catholic Schools, Lafayette School Corp., Tippecanoe School Corp. and West Lafayette Community School Corp.

Local customers also include Purdue University Mortarboard, Purdue University Athletics, New Community School and Montessori School of Greater Lafayette.

Jody Hamilton, Greater Lafayette Commerce director of economic development, “Because of School Datebooks, millions of children are learning about organization through the use of student planners,” Hamilton said. “And everyone of those millions of planners carries two important names: ‘School Datebooks’ and ‘Lafayette, Indiana.’”

West Lafayette Mayor John Dennis noted the opportunity that the company brings to Purdue student interns. “Hands-on, practical-experience internships at School Datebooks give students great insight into the business world and an opportunity to see the fruits of their labor.”

A private company, School Datebooks was founded in 1986 by Sharon Powers. Her kitchen-table endeavor that began with her children’s school, Lafayette Central Catholic, soon became entrepreneurial, and she began marketing the product to other local schools. What started as a local project quickly became a thriving business, and in 1993, her oldest son, Tim Powers, joined the company.

School Datebooks now occupies a 42,000-square-foot facility, where it operates an onsite printing operation and bindery.

In April 2001, School Datebooks was named Small Business of the Month, and in June 2001, Small Business of the Year, by what is known today as Greater Lafayette Commerce, an economic development organization.

The company has been a major player in supporting the Greater Lafayette community. Fifteen employees volunteer for the Read to Succeed program, and the company has long supported the Golden Apple Awards given by Greater Lafayette Commerce to local teachers. Staff serve on numerous community and commerce boards. Company support also extends to American Red Cross, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Lafayette, Food Finders Food Bank, Greater Lafayette Commerce, J & C Hoops Classic, Salvation Army and United Way of Greater Lafayette, among other organizations and events.

The show/conference itself is a good one.  We always are able to meet lots of current customers as well as a decent amount of new prospects.  Many of our current customers attend year after year and know to stop by our booth.  It’s really great to put a face with a name and get to know people better. We also gave away an iPad this year as we did last year.  People are always excited to stop by and enter for such a prize!

My Sales Rep. Heather and I also had fun going out to eat and to shop.  We managed to get in a meal at my favorite downtown restaurant Fire Lake http://firelakerestaurant.com/ .  They feature native to Minnesota foods like Walleye, Elk, and Wild Rice!

It’s always fun to wander around in the Skyway (and try not to get lost!).  We shopped till we dropped at the Macy’s (which in my opinion is the best Macy’s I have ever been to).  Also we stopped by Cocoa and Fig http://cocoaandfig.com/ and had cupcakes!

So I’ll take the cold temperatures and snow any January!

Today is my dog Wrigley’s birthday!  He is turning 6!  Wrigley is one of my best friends in the entire world.  He is loyal and handsome and fun to be around.  I thought for fun I would post the quiz he filled out that I gave him this morning.

It’s so nice that we get time off over the holidays.  Having the days between Christmas and New Year’s Day is always a great time to catch up on things you have been wanting to get done but have put off.  One of the most annoying things is that when you work 8-5 and possibly have commitments at lunch (for me letting Plinko out) you seem to not be able to get certain things done.  Nothing is more frustrating than calling your insurance company etc., only to find that they are closed.

There were a number of things I did manage to accomplish (although I did feel rather lazy overall)–one of those being checking for any last boxes which were in the garage that I needed to go through.  Luckily I have been doing this over the past few months and found only one large box.  The box was a lot lighter than I thought it would be based on the size.  So what was in the box?

- My mother’s 1965 North Judson High School year book

- My parents’ wedding albums (2)

- About 6 of Mom’s sweaters … were new 2 years ago and I thought had gotten lost in the laundry at the nursing home

- My snowman NOSY BEAR~! (my previous blog had me thinking I had not saved it)

- My vintage Swiftheart Care Bear rabbit

- A small box containing: my father’s damaged  intaglio ring (the picture above is a ring somewhat similar if it was in one piece), Native American arrow heads found on our property, and other misc.

It was like finding a box of treasure!  I took the albums and the yearbook to Mom who enjoyed looking through them very much.  I put my Nosy Bear with the rest of my collection and took the gamble to wash my Swiftheart (it was filthy).  Mom always likes to tell this story about how all I wanted was that rabbit one year.  She went through the boxes of Care Bears in the aisle of the store looking for it–as it was the hot item and the rabbit was short packed (more bears than rabbits).  The sweaters are being washed and I will deliver them to mom soon.  The arrow heads and miscellaneous were put with other such miscellaneous until I figure out to do with them.  The intaglio ring is with me and I plan on finding somewhere to remold it and put it back together so that I can wear it!

So I guess there is something to be said about procrastination.  Going through this box made the holiday exciting–especially to see things I haven’t seen in quite some time.

Here are several words of the week for  you to incorporate into your lessons: Respect, Dedication, Creativity, Gratitude and Courtesy. Click the links below to download PDFs for printing. If you’re on Twitter, tweet with hashtag #ConnectionPlan to let us know you’re using the lesson plans!

LessonPlan-Respect

LessonPlan-Dedication

LessonPlan-Creativity

LessonPlan-Gratitude

LessonPlan-Courtesy

Does anyone remember Nosy Bears?  They were apparently produced starting in 1987 into the early 90′s.  I was in kindergarten in 1987 and I think I got one the following year.  He was a mint greenish color and had a snowman in his nose.  When you pushed his belly there were snowflakes which would fly around.  I don’t think I kept Nosy though when I had to sell everything from my childhood home.

This weekend I was perusing the Goodwill and found one.  It was in pristine condition.  All of those ‘collect me’ emotions surged forward and before I knew it he was on his way home with me.  He is so cute and fun.  Now I feel the urge to collect them all.  Luckily there were only 12 full sized bears, 9 mini bears and 2 bunnies created–so it’s not a huge collection.  Now I only have to find room in my house to display them once I have them all!

Yes, even after my previous blog about hating camping I still want my own camper.  It’s something I think of probably every day.  There are so many practicalities for me in regards to getting one.  I would take it to any dog trial I would go to as it would be cheap lodging (some venues have free or near free camping options) and also use it for short trips with the husband.  Having dogs, a camper is ideal because you can take them with you on all of your trips. Smuggling dogs into and out of hotels can be fun … but risky.

The camper pictured above is one on my list.  Pretty much the only requirements I have are that I’d like it to be a small camper (18 ft or shorter), lightweight, has a bathroom with shower (even if it is tiny), has air conditioning and heat, and can sleep 2 people and 3 dogs.  Most campers come standard with an awning on the outside, a cooktop, a fridge, and a small sink which are other things I’d like to have.

So why do I not have one right now?  Well, first off they cost money.  I’d like a newish one and need to plan on around $10k to get one.  Also my new ride (Mitsubishi Outlander Sport) has no towing capacity.  I probably should have thought of this when purchasing it.  So I would also have to purchase something to tow it.  Also you have to store it and possibly the other vehicle somewhere.  It can be pricey for storage.

I do plan on making a camper a reality though.  There are three ways I think I can swing this. Option one (the most impatient option) would be that I wait until my vehicle is paid off in August 2013 and purchase one right away.  I then either sell or trade in my vehicle (which will only be 2 yrs old and probably have around 40k on it) and use this towards a vehicle which is able to tow–probably a used SUV with towing capacity.  Option two would start out the same but I wouldn’t buy a new vehicle right away I would keep the one I have and use my mom’s full size van to pull the camper until the camper is paid off (2-3 years).  Option 3 would be that I pay off my car and save money until I can afford the camper outright and then trade in my vehicle for one that I can tow with.  I’m impatient though … just keep this in mind!

I can just imagine the adventures I would have in my camper!

Additionally, there’s our holiday baking to do.  This is a tradition that I love and we make a pretty good production out of it.  But, we’re cutting back this year.  Partly because we’re streamlining our budget and partly to conserve on time.  And it’s okay—the world will keep turning.  The husband is looking forward to the streamlined version—maybe I’ll find I like it, too.

We’re probably a third of the way done with our holiday shopping.  I have some holiday crafting to do, but that will come together soon enough—I’ve ordered the necessary supplies and have a few seeds of inspiration, so that bodes well.  Can wait to hit my ‘elf bench’!

And we have a fun trip planned to Chicago—we’ll hang out with some friends, check out a much anticipated avant-cabaret troupe called Beast Women.  I might pick up some rad new kicks that I’ve been salivating over for months.  And we hope to pick up some fabulous new lamps from a very talented artist friend of mine.  The lamps are an early Christmas gift to ourselves—super exciting.

And, to top it all off, my favorite musician just announced the release of her newest album.  Ani DiFranco’s little Christmas present to the husband and me, particularly fitting since she is what brought the two of us together in the first place.  She was our first date—and really, an Ani concert brings all the social, political, religious, and feminist conversations to a head.  We made it thru all the dividing debates up front— with no problems— and haven’t looked back.  And now, we have more fabulous music to look forward to.  Granted, the album won’t be in our hot little hands until mid-January, but we’ll pre-order now.

Given all this goodness, I don’t think it’s too early to wish ourselves a festive season.  We should relish as much of it as we can.  As anyone can attest, there is plenty enough stress this time of year.  So I’m wishing everyone (myself included) a merry holiday season. Revel in your particular form of celebration, meaningful traditions, & the season’s unexpected delights.